Avast! A graciously happy Talk Like A Pyrate Day to all!

Arrr!

I do hope that all and sundry are enjoying themselves in whatever piratical pursuits as seem best to them.

With the possible exception, of course, of actually illegal booty looting from those less fortunate.

MONDAY'S LETTERS: 'Opus' Creator Expounds on Publishers' 'Acute Terror'

The answer to Ms. Bushkoff is that the palpable fear on the part of publishers is simply one of lost subscribers. Just one flame e-mail seems to wreak panic these days. As circulation declines, it has become an acute terror. It manifests itself directly in timidity. And since many desperately want to see comics as expendable (Ha! ), we're slapped down the fastest when we offend. That would be me.

This is new.

The irony is that the very thing that should be utilized to better stem the broken levee of newspaper circulation is spice and edge.

And that is exactly what so many publishers run from. Off the cliff, some of us suspect.

Berkeley Breathed
Breathed is the creator of "Opus," which is distributed by The Washington Post Writers Group

Pirate Jack : A Podcast Novel Podcast Info

Yes, yes, it's been quite slack on these premises of late. However there appears to be a new pirate adventure that's come over the horizon.

First of all, one must obtain one of these fangled Pod thingys. Or a computational device that can play music and suchlike from the Interweb.

Then after a certain amount of bother, one can download "podcasts" and listen to music gathered by other Pod thingy people (you can recognize them by the white wires, which are attached to their brains and cause them to be inattentive to others in the immejjit vicinity).

Then one can enjoy a young man's novel pirate adventure novel whilst listening to the pod thingy.

Evidently the author has gone to the bother of reading his story, chapter by chapter, so that one may listen at any such time convenient (rather not while driving a vehicle, however).

It is a very interesting idea. I wonder if Gus has thunk it yet.