Sean Power had his laptop stolen last night. He had a bit of software on it (Project Prey) that can be activated to record what's going on on your laptop including taking webcam pics of whoever is using it. Through this, and Twitter, he tracked down the thief's name and the location of the laptop, and called the cops. Twitter friends in the area showed up to keep an eye on the thief until the police arrived. Here's the full twitter stream.—Pablo
Next Friday, five hundred lucky folks will get an overnight stay at one of the most beautiful buildings in New York—without the outrageous hotel rates. In honor of the building's centennial, the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is opening its doors for one night. Visitors will be participating in Find the Future, a game that involves exploring the library's objects, books, and architectural features through quests employing smartphones to scan QR codes at designated spots. Entries have closed for the 500 people to play onsite, but the rest of us can play online starting May 21.—Laura
Last year the literary critic Elif Batuman wrote a lengthy and scathing review of Mark McGurl's The Programme Era: Postwar Fiction and the Rise of Creative Writing for The London Review of Books. The review seemed to highlight growing concern among some in the literary world about the prevalence and influence of creative writing programs. Batuman's essay is a harsh indictment of such programs and the writers they supposedly produce. This week in the newly launched The Los Angeles Review of Books, Mark McGurl finally responded to Batuman with an unconventionally structured but equally provocative and eloquent essay.—Justin