I was in New York City for the first time over Halloweeen. It was pretty okay. I would describe it as just like Chicago, only on an island and with a 200 year headstart. The downside of having such a large population is that even though the assholes-per-capita number (0.053) is probably the same as other places, you’re running into them more often simply because there are more of them.

The best thing I saw in NYC was the public library, specifically, the Newton exhibit. If you’re at all the kind of person who would totally spazz out upon seeing, for instance, a first edition of the Principia interleaved with Newton’s handwritten notes for the second edition, you should certainly go.

And, if like me, you found the scene in Quicksilver where Newton stuck a knitting needle in his own eye unbelievable, you will be thrilled to see the actual notebook he was taking notes in while he was doing it, along with a hand-drawn diagram of where he was putting that needle.

It’s on until February 5th.

With bookmarks inside:

• The roaring nineties : a new history of the world’s most prosperous decade – Joseph E. Stiglitz
• Free Culture – Lawrence Lessig

On my stack: * Defining the Wind – Scott Huler * The System of the World – Neal Stephenson * A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide – Samantha Power

Just finished: * Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: a Novel – Susanna Clarke * Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers – Mary Roach