Monday, May 31, 2010

A mall within a mall

...is one of the many disturbing, too-believable elements of the world offered up in The Warhol Gang by Peter Darbyshire, a well-written, fast-paced and relentless novel that came uncomfortably close to some of my deepest fears, but it was the neuro-marketing that left me wide-eyed at 3 a.m. for two nights running. Darbyshire talks about his novel and neuro-marketing in this interview at Maisonneuve. I think everyone knows on some level that this is happening, but Darbyshire gives us a super-macro view of what is and what might be. The book rattled me. I read You Are Not a Gadget earlier this year, a nonfiction eye-opener which looks at technology and marketing, so I was already stewing on this. The Warhol Gang takes things further. Much further. And then to top things off, the day after I finished The Warhol Gang the Globe ran this story on Ikea and its maze. A coincidence? Now I can't help but wonder.

*
I wonder when the rain will stop. It's been raining forever. This morning I checked my gardens between showers and found some blooms.


Alas, I found mosquitoes, too. Lots of them.

6 comments:

carin said...

I can almost feel the dampness through your post... But the iris doesn't seem to mind! IF the rain ever stops, you'll maybe have one of the bloomiest years ever.

Or the mosquito-y-est.

Oh weather. What's one to do with it? (Is it any wonder it shows up in so much of our writing?)

Brenda Schmidt said...

So true! My writing is saturated with weather.

It's sure nice to see the beans poking through. And everything looks so healthy even though it's been so cool.

Gerald Hill said...

Warmer weather on the way, Brenda.

Brenda Schmidt said...

I believe it just arrived! Look at that sun!!!

Blondi Blathers said...

At least we didn't get snow here (Wadena) as was forecast, but ooh la la, the water in the basement ... seems neverending. And my poor flowers need to see some sun. And so do I.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Sorry to hear about the water in your basement. Yuck. I hope sun comes your way soon!