Thursday, Thursday

Thursday links:

* The North Pacific Trash Vortex, which was the size of Texas in September, is now larger than the entire United States. My horror about what we're doing to the planet has likewise quintupled in size in that time—though I must admit there's something eerily poetic about the idea that our wasteful patterns of consumption are creating a kind of shadow U.S. comprised entirely of garbage. Via Daily Kos.

* Science fiction and space technology, an educational site at NASA. Thanks to Klarr for the pointer.

* ...imagining the future is not an issue of imagination vs. actualization, and neither is it an issue of affirming the future, or "keeping the future alive." Rather, science fiction can configure the future as the conditions of possibility and constraint for social change in the present. A short essay concerning Jameson's Archeologies of the Future at CTheory.net, also via Klarr.

* "Marinaded in war and violence: Philip Dodd interviews J. G. Ballard."

* Top-earning dead celebrities, at Forbes. This year, no one can touch Elvis, not even John Lennon. Via Bitter Laughter.

* Rumors of her demise may be exaggerated: While Obama's supporters have raised $7.5 million dollars since Super Tuesday, Clinton's people have still raised about $4 million (almost enough to cover that loan she gave herself a few days ago). We don't want a repeat of New Hampshire on our hands—she's going to be in this fight for a while. Still, john in the comments notes that Obama's taken the lead in the Rasmussen prediction markets for what we think is the first time, 57-43, bolstering my claim that he is now the strong frontrunner. Can victory for the cult of Obama be far off?

* The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism, online.