Good reads: George Carlin in 1980 and more

Longform.org, a precious gemstone, has linked to a 1980 Playboy magazine interview with George Carlin. It's fantastic, as you might expect. Carlin had just taken a few years off while he kicked cocaine and alcohol, and examines his life and career and the state of comedy and entertainment. Something I found interesting, Carlin mentioned Jaynes' book about the origin of consciousness, a book I read a few years ago. Most psychologists have discarded the theory presented in the book, but it's a staggering achievement nonetheless. Check the reviews on Amazon, even among the people who acknowledge the theory has been largely discredited.

Another fascinating read is about Gary Kasparov, Russian chess champion, running for the president of organized chess (FIDE organization, which organizes tournaments and rankings and other chess stuff). The twist is that it's similar to a le Carre novel. Kasparov renounced his citizenship of Russia, and Putin is supporting his rival to head FIDE. The campaign to lead FIDE has become political and downright dirty.