"Baker's second nonfiction collection, ranges over the map of life to examine what troubles us, what eases our pain, and what brings us joy. Baker moves from political controversy to the intimacy of his own life, from forgotten heroes of pacifism to airplane wings, telephones, paper mills, David Remnick, Joseph Pulitzer, the "OED," and the manufacture of the Venetian gondola. He writes about kite string and about the moment he met his wife, and he surveys our fascination with video games while attempting to beat his teenage son at "Modern Warfare 2." In a celebrated essay on Wikipedia, Baker describes his efforts to stem the tide of encyclopedic deletionism; in another, he charts the rise of e-readers; in a third he chronicles his Freedom of Information lawsuit against the San Francisco Public Library."--Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references.

Life: String Coins How I met my wife La mer Why I like the telephone What happened on April 29, 1994 Sunday at the dump Writing wearing earplugs One summer. Reading: Thorin son of Thráin Narrow ruled Inky burden No step I said to myself Defoe, truthteller From A to Zyxt

The nod David Remnick. Libraries and newspapers: Truckin' for the future If libraries don't do it, who will? Reading the paper The Times in 1951 Take a look at this airship! Sex and the city, circa 1840. Technology: Grab me a gondola The charms of Wikipedia Kindle 2 Papermakers Google's earth Steve Jobs. War: Why I'm a pacifist We don't know the language we don't know Painkiller deathstreak. Last essay: Mowing.