“It must be summer, ’cause you’re never around…”

Wherever you wander this weekend, languor will likely beset you—so why not cool off with these fine Friday links?

Jonathan Jarrett explores what it meant to call yourself a “Goth” in tenth-century Spain.

What did the Norse call Constantinople? The Ruminate expounds.

George writes of window restoration, skepticism, and New York Times trend pieces.

For August, Harper Perennial (disclosure: my paperback publisher) is offering 20 e-books for 20 bucks.

The New York Times points out that for archiving and preservation, digital stinks.

Cynthia Haven wonders if visual clichés affect how we write.

Hats & Rabbits wants to know if you’re living in the now.

First Known When Lost looks at the later poetry of Wallace Stevens.

Jake Seliger reviews Slam by Nick Hornby.

Jake also pointed me to this: the gargoyles of Albany, New York.

As a Linguist asks why some language errors bug us, while others don’t.

Interpolations echoes Bellow: “Visions of geniuses become the canned goods of intellectuals.”

Ephemeral New York spots an Iroquois canoeing in Central Park.

Friend-of-this-blog Steve Muhlberger discusses medieval warfare in the latest Chivalry Today podcast.

ZMKC remembers childhood loneliness.