Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 26

2014-08-18T23:00:23Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 275 */

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==Page 275==
'''formaldehyde''' 
Clothing is coated with formaldehyde to make them "wrinkle free". Formaldehyde is also used to preserve corpses. Most people are familiar with the miasma from frog dissection in high school biology.

'''The Thug, here rendered in fuchsia and optical green''' 
That is, looking a lot like the Hulk.
<blockquote>There is a moment in ''Against the Day'' where this color combination is used; does anyone remember where and if there is a significance between these two items?</blockquote>

==Page 276==
''' a mural-size screen grab from the opening of ''The Letter'' (1940) in which Bette Davis is pretending to pump six rounds into...''' 
Image and film info at [http://www.allmovie.com/movie/v29107 allmovie.] Bette comes out with gun blazing at 1:18 into this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo5QuonRCHE clip.]

'''David Newell''' 
Supporting actor turned makeup artist. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627789/#actor IMDB] makes it appear he spent much of his career being uncredited for his work.

==Page 277==
'''It's what, legal in Utah for three people to get married?''' 
Despite being illegal, in Utah today, those living in polygamist families number about 40,000 people(about 1.4 percent of the population). Polygamists are difficult to prosecute because many only seek marriage licenses for their first marriage, while the other marriages are secretly conducted in private ceremonies. Thereafter, secondary wives attempt to be seen in public as single women with children.

==Page 278==

'''Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray''' 
Dr. Brown's is a brand of soft drink made by J&R Bottling. It is a popular brand in the New York City region and in South Florida, but it can also be found in Jewish delicatessens and upscale supermarkets around the United States. Dr. Brown's dates back to 1869 when their famous Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray soda was commonly sold in New York delicatessens. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Brown's]

'''a bit on the demi-sec side''' 
"Demi sec" is a French term for the sweetness of a wine. It translates to "semi-dry" or medium-dry. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetness_of_wine]

'''folie à deux''' 
French: "madness for two" a shared psychotic disorder between two people who are extremely close

==Page 279==

'''Far from the Channel 13 upper-class dynasty''' 
Channel 13 is a New York City PBS station, PBS being the preferred network for the educated and well healed.

'''well east of the Nassau line''' 
That is, not in Nassau County which is the 13th wealthiest county in the US with a median income of $93K+. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-income_counties_in_the_United_States]

'''The Muffya''' 
A bad pun on The Mafia... "Muff" is slang for pussy etc.

Perhaps more to the point here, "Muffy" is also a paradigmatic WASP and/or preppy female nickname.

'''Donna non vidi mai''' 
Italian: "I have never seen a woman" - So Rocky is watching Cornelia shower while he eats a pizza and sings this tenor aria from Act 1 of Puccini's Manon Lescaut. A love-at-first-sight soliloquy. "I have never seen a woman like this!" Pynchon referenced the Act 3 tenor solo in [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_3 Chapter 3 of ''V.'']

{{#ev:youtube|pEJ3Sb5WVr4}}

'''Down in K-Town they call him '4-D'''' 
Koreatown is an ethnic Korean enclave in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, centered on the block of West 32nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreatown,_Manhattan]

==Page 280==
'''Chandler Platt''' 
Interesting name which could be a nod to detective-fiction writer Raymond Chandler [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler] who wrote the Philip Marlowe series from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. When Chandler was in his twenties, he worked at the Los Angeles Creamery whose owner, George E. Platt, was found guilty and fined for selling a mixture of milk and condensed milk as "cream" and was also involved in many other corrupt schemes. Someone Chandler Platt could have worked with! [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/06/raymond-chandlers-crime-introduction-via-ice-cream.html]

'''the high-muzzle-velocity law firm of Hanover, Fisk''' 
Nice little pun on "hand over fist", as in making money hand over fist... Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. So a high-powered firm (with a suggestion of violence), handling big cases. This rifle reference connects to the to the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle mentioned on [[#Page_282|page 282]], the high-muzzle-velocity rifle used by Lee Harvey Oswald to assassinate President Kennedy in 1963.

'''New Zealand kauri''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agathis_australis WIKI] tells us kauri forests are some of the oldest in the world, that individual trees often live longer than 600 years, and that they are very large trees with volumes, but not heights, often rivaling sequoias.

==Page 281==
'''Skadden, Arps''' 
A [http://www.skadden.com/ real law firm] in Washington, DC.

==Page 282==
'''Mannlicher-Carcano . . . Jackie and I were dear friends''' 
A Mannlicher-Carcano is a high-muzzle-velocity rifle and what Lee Harvey Oswald used to assassinate John F. Kennedy in 1963. Jackie was, as most are aware, JFK's wife and the first lady.

'''"Jay-Z?" "Well, actually I'm more of a Nas person. As you may know they're in this feud at the moment, that old Queens-versus-Brooklyn thing again, hate to take sides, but---"The World Is Yours," how can anything even compare?''' 
Probably splitting hairs here, but the feud between Jay-Z and Nas didn't become widely known until Jay-Z's "Takeover" was released on his "Blueprint" album, which came out on September 11. Jay-Z did dis some rappers at the Hot 97 Summer Jam 2001 held in late June, but the hardest hit was Nas' friend and Queens resident Prodigy of Mobb Deep, while Nas was only briefly mentioned. You'd probably had to have been close to the inner circles of these rappers to be conversationally aware of the feud which became heated in the months to come. As for "The World is Yours," reference, I agree with the sentiment, and wonder if it was used since Jay-Z sampled it on "Dead Presidents II" from his 1996 debut album. Anyone else have thoughts on this? [[User:H2oetry|H2oetry]] ([[User talk:H2oetry|talk]])h2oetry

Also, it was pretty much universally accepted that Nas won the beef with "Ether," on ''Stillmatic'' which would be released in December 2001. Nas's ''Illmatic,'' from 1994, is by many, considered the greatest rap record of all time, and extremely rare these days, only contains one guest appearance for a single verse (AZ on "Life's a Bitch"). The above question in regard to the use of "The World is Yours," is indeed possible, though most likely it's used here because the phrase references Scarface, which kind of ties into the theme of this part of the book, I'd say.

'''Tryin to do Tupac and Biggie thangs ... Mort and Pell''' 
A brilliant rap about the racism against Asians implicit in Caucasians playing Asians in 1930s-40s Hollywood films, and asssociated stereotypes. Darren sets out to do what Tupac and Biggie did, i.e., promoting his own cultural values and decrying societal injustices via the rap idiom.

And these two rappers represent yet another Rap Rivalry East Coast (Biggie) vs. West Coast (Tupac). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast%E2%80%93West_Coast_hip_hop_rivalry]

The set up is when Chandler Platt's intern Darren who we assume is Asian when Maxine wants to avoid using "inscrutably" to describe his expression, "inscrutable" being a stereotypical characteristic of Asians. Thus, the trope of Asian stereotypes is introduced, and leads to Darren kicking off his rap with "Dig it..."

'''Tryin to do Tupac and Biggie thangs''' 
Like Tupac (aka 2Pac) Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls), two very successful rappers in the 1990s, Darren wants to be a rap warrior for his people, his culture.

[[file:Mao-bank.jpg|left|thumb|75px]]'''With red velvet Chairman Mao piggy banks''' 
Nice rhyme: Biggie thangs / piggy banks ... Darren wants to be a Big Rap Star, but he wants to do it the Asian way. Perhaps using Chairman Mao here is Darren's way of using a homegrown and authentic Asian icon to represent his way. Interesting that it's a Chairman Mao piggy bank, Mao being iconic of Marxism, as opposed to the blatantly capitalist pursuit of fame and money by American rappers. Down the page a bit, when asked by Platt how he expects to make money, Darren replies that making money is "not the point."

Of course, Darren's cute little piggy bank will be an ineffective tool to challenge the injustices represented in the old Hollywood movies and which persist to the present, when Platt returns to his office and starts "pullin rank" on Darren, ordering him around.



==Page 283==

'''like Screamin Jay in Hong Kong / jumpin to wrong conclusions''' 
Screamin' Jay Hawkins recorded "Hong Kong" (1958), a paranoid & non-sensical lament ("Standin' on a corner in Hong Kong / My baby was down in Hong Kong / Worried about you baby / You been down too long / in Hong Kong") . I assume it's Screamin' Jay who's "jumpin to wrong conclusions" about his baby and about how scary Hong Kong is. His hysterical delivery, paranoia about his baby's fate, and his fake-Chinese babbling (including the name-checking of common Chinese-American food dishes) indicate a frightened Western man in an Eastern land with a strong whiff of racism. A wacky tune, for sure:
{{#ev:youtube|PaTHMO-XmV4}}

'''old-movie confusions''' 
The "old-movie confusions" are confusion about both the general characterization and stereotyping of Asia and Asians in the 1930s-era Hollywood films, and about Caucasian actors (specifically Scandinavians, the whitest people on the planet) playing Asian characters (aka Yellowface [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Examples_of_Yellowface]), such as in the four American films referenced in Darren's rap "The Adventures of Marco Polo" (1938) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029842/] where both Kubla Khan and his daughter Princess Kukachin are played by Caucasian actors; The "Charlie Chan" films [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chan] in which Swedish-American actor Warner Oland played detective Charlie Chan for 15 of the films, until his death in 1938; "The Letter" (1940) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Letter_(1940_film)] where Gale Sondegaard, an American actress born to Danish-American parents, plays the role of Mrs. Hammond, the asian wife of Davis's manservant whom Davis murders; and "The Bitter Tea of General Yen" (1933) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bitter_Tea_of_General_Yen)] where all the Asian characters are played by Caucasians. (Yes, Pynchon spells it "General Yan" but this covers both an anime character (General Yan) and the 1933 film (General Yen), or perhaps it's just a typo.)

'''yo, who be dat Scandinavian brand of Azian''' 
Why, it's Sigrid Gurie (Norwegian American), of course, who played Kubla Khan's daughter in "The Adventures of Marco Polo"! But, of course, it's all the actors in the lead Asian roles in the films referenced in this rap.

Spelling "Asian" as "Azian" derives from early Internet chatting where "Asian" was abbreviated "AZN".

[[file:Gurie-Marco-Polo.jpg|thumb|caption|Gary Cooper & Sigrid Gurie in "The Adventures of Marco Polo"|175px|left]]'''ya dig wid some Sigrid be / the daughter of Kublai Khan...''' 
In "The Adventures of Marco Polo," the character of Kublai Khan (spelled "Kubla" in the film credits) is played by George Barbier, and Khan's daughter Princess Kukachin is played by Norwegian-American actress '''Sigrid Gurie'''. Most of the other Chinese characters in the film are played by Caucasians. Kublai Khan was the ruler of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294, and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty. Marco Polo was the first European to visit China and publish a detailed chronicle of his experience. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo]

Here's a clip from the film, just some stills accompanied by the film's soundtrack:
{{#ev:youtube|KyLoiHXcqYs}}



[[file:Oland-Charlie-Chan.jpg|thumb|caption|Warner Oland as Charlie Chan|175px|left]]'''Warner Oland, Charlie Chan''' 
Warner Oland (1879-1938) was a Swedish American actor who played the detective Charlie Chan in the popular film franchise of the 1930s. Yet another Caucasian playing an Asian and reinforcing stereotypes. Oland also played another Asian, Fu Manchu, in the first three films of that franchise. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chan] (See also, "a gong from a hitherto-unreleased Fu Manchu movie goes off" - [[Chapter_10#Page_99|page 99]])

'''General Yan / bitter tea''' 
"The Bitter Tea of General Yen," is a 1933 dramatic film directed by Frank Capra where most of the Asian actors are played by Caucasians, most notably Danish actor Nils Asther in the role of General Yen. (It's ''possible'' this is also a reference to General Yan, the former Commander-in-Chief of the GHQ in the Guilty Crown anime franchise, although it's more likely a typo!)

Here's a fan-made trailer:
{{#ev:youtube|3_OyenMfHEk}}

[[file:Sondegaard-The-Letter.jpg|thumb|caption|Gale Sondegaard in "The Letter"|180px|left]]'''for her stupidity pullin rank / Bette Davis shanked by Gale Sondegaard''' 
Reference to "The Letter" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Letter_(1940_film)], an American noir film directed by William Wyler, where Bette Davis in the role of Leslie Crosbie is the social superior to Gale Sondegaard's Sondegaard parents were Danish Mrs. Hammond who is the wife of Davis's manservant and lover whom Davis murders. As for "pullin rank," Bette Davis was not only Sondegaard's social superior in the film, she was also the lead actress and Sondegaard the supporting actress. In "The Letter" Davis's character is stabbed (shanked - prison-yard slang) by Sondegaard's character.

Here's the trailer for "The Letter":

{{#ev:youtube|DsLf-AXyeT8}}

'''like they was on the yard / or down in some forgotten cell''' 
A prison yard, of course.

'''far, far from the corner of / Mott and Pell''' 
The heart of New York City's Chinatown. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mott_Street] Indeed they are very far away as "The Letter" takes place in Malaya.

'''And get Hugh Goldman for me over there?" "Mad cool, yo" 
Sadly, after Darren's performance, Platt comes in and begins "pullin rank" on Darren, brusquely cutting him off and ordering him about, to which Darren hiply but subserviently replies, "Mad cool, yo" and scoots off to do Platt's bidding.

Darren is aware of the inequities of power, of capitalism, rails against it, but remains, at least at this point, a slave a pet beholden to his corporate master. This is reminiscent of Bryon the Bulb in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_640-655 ''Gravity's Rainbow''; at page 654-655] in the original Viking edition, who ended up ''knowing'' The Truth but unable to effect any change:

:Someday he will know everything, and still be as impotent as before. His youthful dreams of organizing all the bulbs in the world seem impossible now—the Grid is wide open, all messages can be overheard, and there are more than enough traitors out on the line. Prophets traditionally don’t last long—they are either killed outright, or given an accident serious enough to make them stop and think, and most often they do pull back. But on Byron has been visited an even better fate. '''He is condemned to go on forever, knowing the truth and powerless to change anything.''' No longer will he seek to get off the wheel. His anger and frustration will grow without limit, and he will find himself, poor perverse bulb, enjoying it . . . .

And on [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_706-717#Page_713 page 713], Roger Mexico reflects on the Counterforce as the Corporate Masters' "doomed pet freaks," and wonders "which is worse: living on as Their pet, or death?"

Thus Darren's "red velvet Chairman Mao piggy bank" will be his cute but feckless weapon to fight injustice.

'''Gongsta Rap''' 
AKA the Asian version of Gangsta Rap. Another cute Pynchon Pun...

'''They gonna be give me all rice-nigga remarks and shit, this way I beat 'em to it.''' 
"Rice nigga" is, as you might suspect, a derogatory/racist term for Asians. Darren anticipates these kinds of remarks when he starts performing out, so he writes this rap that lampoons American stereotypes of Asians, starting with Screamin' Jay Hawkins' paranoid and racist "Hong Kong."

==Page 284==
'''chomping into it and scattering crumbs... Grabbing another, two or three actually''' 
Chandler Platt has become the Cookie Monster.

'''I could rely without hesitation upon young Darren...''' 
Darren is not only Platt's slave, but also his protector!

==Page 285==

'''as Larry Talbot into the Wolf Man''' 
Larry Talbot, played by Lon Chaney, Jr., was the main character of the horror film ''The Wolf Man'' (1941) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_Man_(1941_film)].

:Trivia alert: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Chaney,_Jr. Chaney] played Larry Talbot in ''The Wolf Man''. Though Chaney was in a fair number of monster movies, he was never, contrary to what Warren Zevon may have led us to believe, in a film titled "The Werewolves of London." The 1935 film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_of_London ''Werewolf of London''] starred Henry Hull.

==Page 286==
'''flaneur''' 
Term for a certain type of character found in literature, especially the works of 19th century France. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A2neur WIKI] tells us "Drawing on Fournel, and on his analysis of the poetry of Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin described the flâneur as the essential figure of the modern urban spectator, an amateur detective and investigator of the city. More than this, his flâneur was a sign of the alienation of the city and of capitalism. For Benjamin, the flâneur met his demise with the triumph of consumer capitalism."

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Chapter 24

2014-08-14T17:12:32Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 256 */

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==Page 256==
'''Wised-up real-estate mavens of Maxine's acquaintance assure her that this is the next hot neighborhood... Someday there will be parks and soaring condos and luxury tourist hotels.''' 
Pynchon is clairvoyantly referencing the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, which aims to build an entirely new neighborhood right in Manhattan. The project is ambitious and an engineering marvel - the foundation (currently under construction) is built directly on top of the West Side Rail Yard, and the complex of high-rises and malls and parks will compose the new neighborhood for the ultra-rich. It's one of the biggest development projects in New York City history. [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Yards_Redevelopment_Project Wikipedia]

'''Javits Center''' 
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 40th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York, United States. It was designed by architect James Ingo Freed of I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was begun in 1980 and finished in 1986 and named for United States Senator Jacob K. Javits, who died that year. The Center is operated and maintained by the New York City Convention Center Operating Corporation. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_K._Javits_Convention_Center WIKI].

==Page 258==
'''longer than the building's outside dimensions would suggest''' 
Pynchon likes this image of a thing that's bigger on the inside than on the outside. See, for example, [http://inherent-vice.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_2#Page_21 Page 21] of ''Inherent Vice'' and [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_354 Page 354] of ''Mason & Dixon''.

Insert obligatory, annoying, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS TARDIS] comment here. Hey, any writer that uses phrases like this, especially a writer somewhat associated with science-fiction and whose career spans the 50 years Doctor Who has been around, is begging for it.

==Page 261==
'''FDR's silvery small cheekbone''' 
In other words, pivoting on a dime.

'''the Wahhabi Transreligious Friendship (WTF)''' 
These initials are first mentioned on [[Chapter_17#Page_193|page 193]]. 

This acronym is commonly used to mean "what the fuck."

Can't help but think of the CIA from chapter five of [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5 The Crying of Lot 49.] "Standing not for the agency you think, but for the clandestine Mexican outfit known as the Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas."

==Page 262==
'''"Jerry" keeps them both in his mouth, continuing to puff away...''' 
Perhaps a foreshadowing the visual of the smoking World Trade Center buildings after the events of 9/11.
{{#ev:youtube|2-KGiwGn1d8}}

'''Maxine comes awake screaming...''' 
Echo of Gravity's Rainbow's first line?

==Page 263==

'''You know about Ice being Jewish...Superman, too...it's 1943 again?''' 
Is this just a simple "Superman was created by Jews, and Germany was killing them in 1943" thing? Or was something more specific going on with Superman in 1943?

[http://forward.com/articles/178454/-reasons-superman-is-really-jewish/?p=all Page] speculating on the Jewishness of Superman.

'''Gershorm Scholem, ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism''''' 
From 1941. [http://www.amazon.com/Trends-Jewish-Mysticism-Gershom-Scholem/dp/0805210423 Amazon] page.

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Chapter 24

2014-08-14T17:11:32Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 256 */

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==Page 256==
'''Wished-up real-estate mavens of Maxine's acquaintance assure her that this is the next hot neighborhood... Someday there will be parks and soaring condos and luxury tourist hotels.''' 
Pynchon is clairvoyantly referencing the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, which aims to build an entirely new neighborhood right in Manhattan. The project is ambitious and an engineering marvel - the foundation (currently under construction) is built directly on top of the West Side Rail Yard, and the complex of high-rises and malls and parks will compose the new neighborhood for the ultra-rich. It's one of the biggest development projects in New York City history. [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Yards_Redevelopment_Project Wikipedia]

'''Javits Center''' 
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 40th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York, United States. It was designed by architect James Ingo Freed of I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was begun in 1980 and finished in 1986 and named for United States Senator Jacob K. Javits, who died that year. The Center is operated and maintained by the New York City Convention Center Operating Corporation. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_K._Javits_Convention_Center WIKI].

==Page 258==
'''longer than the building's outside dimensions would suggest''' 
Pynchon likes this image of a thing that's bigger on the inside than on the outside. See, for example, [http://inherent-vice.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_2#Page_21 Page 21] of ''Inherent Vice'' and [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361#Page_354 Page 354] of ''Mason & Dixon''.

Insert obligatory, annoying, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS TARDIS] comment here. Hey, any writer that uses phrases like this, especially a writer somewhat associated with science-fiction and whose career spans the 50 years Doctor Who has been around, is begging for it.

==Page 261==
'''FDR's silvery small cheekbone''' 
In other words, pivoting on a dime.

'''the Wahhabi Transreligious Friendship (WTF)''' 
These initials are first mentioned on [[Chapter_17#Page_193|page 193]]. 

This acronym is commonly used to mean "what the fuck."

Can't help but think of the CIA from chapter five of [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5 The Crying of Lot 49.] "Standing not for the agency you think, but for the clandestine Mexican outfit known as the Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas."

==Page 262==
'''"Jerry" keeps them both in his mouth, continuing to puff away...''' 
Perhaps a foreshadowing the visual of the smoking World Trade Center buildings after the events of 9/11.
{{#ev:youtube|2-KGiwGn1d8}}

'''Maxine comes awake screaming...''' 
Echo of Gravity's Rainbow's first line?

==Page 263==

'''You know about Ice being Jewish...Superman, too...it's 1943 again?''' 
Is this just a simple "Superman was created by Jews, and Germany was killing them in 1943" thing? Or was something more specific going on with Superman in 1943?

[http://forward.com/articles/178454/-reasons-superman-is-really-jewish/?p=all Page] speculating on the Jewishness of Superman.

'''Gershorm Scholem, ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism''''' 
From 1941. [http://www.amazon.com/Trends-Jewish-Mysticism-Gershom-Scholem/dp/0805210423 Amazon] page.

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Chapter 8

2014-06-19T21:17:15Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 86 */

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==Page 81==
'''hawala''' 
"an informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money brokers, which are primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. It is basically a parallel or alternative remittance system that exists or operates outside of, or parallel to traditional banking or financial channels." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawala Wikipedia]

'''"Kim Novak comes floating down the river"''' 
The 1955 film ''Picnic'' features a small town festival, where every year a woman is named Queen of Neewollah ("Halloween" spelled backwards). Kim Novak floating in the boat can be seen in the final seconds of the film's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1A1vqmkftw trailer]

Is there any reason, other than a typo, that the film in "Bleeding Edge" is said to have come out in 1956? Wiki says it had a limited release in November 1955 and went nationwide in 1956.

Odd trivia fact about "Picnic." This is the film that James Vicary in 1957 lied about containing subliminal messages that successfully caused people to drink more Coke and eat more popcorn. [http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp Read more] about the famous hoax.

==Page 82==
'''sharia-compliant workarounds''' 
Sharia is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia deals with many topics addressed by secular law, including crime, politics, and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting. Though interpretations of sharia vary between cultures, in its strictest definition it is considered the infallible law of God—as opposed to the human interpretation of the laws (fiqh). From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia WIKI].

==Page 83==
'''pigeon drop''' 
"Pigeon drop is a confidence trick in which a mark or "pigeon" is persuaded to give up a sum of money in order to secure the rights to a larger sum of money, or more valuable object. In reality, the scammers make off with the money and the mark is left with nothing." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_drop Wikipedia]

'''Tomcat''' 
Baretta 3032 Tomcat: a small, semi-automatic pistol designed to be easily concealed

==Page 85==
'''toilet wall''' 
Recalls these scene in ''Crying of Lot 49'' where Oedipa Maas sees the W.A.S.T.E. horn written on the bathroom wall.

==Page 86==
'''chick who did the tarot deck''' 
Pamela Coleman Smith died penniless despite doing the illustrations for a tarot deck whose design has been sold millions of times. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamela_Coleman_Smith Wikipedia]
<blockquote>This deck is referenced heavily in ''Against the Day'', with it being a major plot feature for T.W.I.T.</blockquote>

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Chapter 7

2014-06-19T20:27:43Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 74 */

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==Page 68==
'''Melanie's Mall''' 
This was God help us a real toy. Check out Melanie, her mall, her friends, and even her escalator
{{#ev:youtube|pMcfIIhF_u8}}

Also, here's a [http://melaniesmall.50webs.com/ guide to all the Melanie's Mall products].

'''Dragonball Z''' 
Pynchon commands at least the very basics of ''Dragonball Z'''s plot, as evidence by the grouping of Goku with his son Gohan within a comma, plus the title of "Prince" Vegeta. Someone who knew absolutely jack about the show would have written, "including Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Zarbon, and others."

'''Use the Source, Luke''' 
{{#ev:youtube|o2we_B6hDrY}}

==Page 69==
'''MUD clones''' 
"Multi-User Dungeon" games, an old-school, text-based video game. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD Wikipedia]

'''VRML''' 
Virtual Reality Modeling Language, pronounced vermal or by its initials, originally—before 1995—known as the Virtual Reality Markup Language.

==Page 70==

'''Jolt''' 
Jolt Cola is a carbonated soft drink produced by Wet Planet Beverages. It was created in 1985 by C. J. Rapp as a highly caffeinated cola and was targeted towards students and young professionals, stressing its use as a stimulant in a similar manner as energy drinks. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolt_Cola WIKI].

'''Fernet-Brancas with ginger-ale chasers''' 
Fernet-Branca is a spirit from Italy that's extremely popular in the San Francisco Bay Area, in fact, the area accounts for 25% of its consumption. Likewise, it's most commonly served in the area with a "ginger back."

==Page 71==
'''celestial pastry exercise''' 
pie in the sky.

==Page 72==
'''Ponzi scheme''' 
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering higher returns than other investments, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. Perpetuation of the high returns requires an ever-increasing flow of money from new investors to keep the scheme going. The scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, who became notorious for using the technique in 1920. While Ponzi didn't invent the scheme (for example, Charles Dickens' 1844 novel ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' and 1857 novel ''Little Dorrit'' each described such a scheme), his operation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout the United States. Ponzi's original scheme was based on the arbitrage of international reply coupons for postage stamps; however, he soon diverted investors' money to make payments to earlier investors and himself. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme WIKI].

==Page 73==
'''Voorhees, Krueger''' 
names of horror film villains: Jason Voorhees of ''Friday the 13th'' and Freddy Krueger of ''Nightmare on Elm Street''.

'''Courtney Pulitzer's downtown soirees''' 
Courtney Pulitzer branched off from her @The Scene column with @NY and created Courtney Pulitzer's Cyber Scene and her popular networking events Cocktails with Courtney. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Alley WIKI].

'''kalimotxos''' 
Kalimotxo, also known as cocavino, is a drink consisting of equal parts red wine and cola-based soft drink.

==Page 74==
'''Camel Book''' 
''Programming Perl'', best known as the Camel Book among programmers, is a book about writing programs using the Perl programming language, revised as several editions (1991-2012) to reflect major language changes since Perl version 4. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_Perl WIKI].

'''Cinerama''' 
A trademarked film presentation process that uses three separate but locked together cameras, three synchronized projectors, and a large deeply curved screen. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinerama Wiki] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e360zRfLKQ YouTube] Kind of interesting, especially when considered as an early type of virtual reality.

'''against the secular city, and the lights go down and the screens light up''' 
The term "secular" was often used in ''Against the Day'' to signify a grounded earthiness to contrast the ethereal or otherworldly. Could this be a nod to his antecedent narrative (e.g., leaving the physical, ostensible world, themes of light versus dark)?

==Page 75==
'''cross-dawning image''' 
An animated color effect, smoothly transitioning: "flaring beyond the basic videogame brown of the time into the full color spectrum of very early morning." Think "crossfade" (which Pynchon uses on the next page) and "dawning" so that the transition to color is from the bottom to top, like dawn. This isn't a standard Web-design term.

==Page 76==
'''up and down stairways, through dark pedestrian tunnels, emerging into soaring meta-Victorian glass- and iron-modulated light, through turnstiles whose guardians morph as she approaches...''' 
Is it just me, or does this scene here bring to mind the ''knotting into'' opening of [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page ''Gravity's Rainbow'']?

==Page 77==
[[File:Netscape-gray.jpg|left|thumb|100px|caption|Netscape gray]]'''the entropic dwindling into Netscape gray of the other brighter world''' 
When she looks out the rear window of the vehicle, instead of seeing detail and color like she sees looking forward in "the other brighter world", the details aren't rendered looking back, instead fading to Netscape gray which is the background color the Netscape browser rendered if no specific color was coded in. Looks like this...

As for "entropic dwindling" ... entropy is the gradual decline into disorder which happens with all closed systems. Pynchon's use here is slightly metaphorical, referring to the lack of energy put into the events dwindling into the past. Pynchon frequently uses entropy as a metaphor. [http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/entropy/]

'''I BELIEVE YOU HAVE MY STAPLER''' 
"I Believe You Have My Stapler" is a catchphrase originally uttered by the character Milton Waddams in the 1999 movie ''Office Space''. The movie is about a group of employees who hate their jobs and decide to rebel against their greedy boss.

{{#ev:youtube|pHHZBmF8mk4}}

'''Markov chain''' 
A Markov chain, named after Andrey Markov, is a mathematical system that undergoes transitions from one state to another, among a finite or countable number of possible states. It is a random process usually characterized as memoryless: the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it. This specific kind of "memorylessness" is called the Markov property. Markov chains have many applications as statistical models of real-world processes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain WIKI].

==Page 78==
'''...bleeding-edge technology...No proven use, high risk, something only early-adoption addicts feel comfortable with.''' 
Perhaps a gratuitous annotation, but it seemed appropriate to highlight how Pynchon uses the title of the book in the book itself.

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 7

2014-06-19T20:11:56Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 74 */

{{BE PxP Header}}

==Page 68==
'''Melanie's Mall''' 
This was God help us a real toy. Check out Melanie, her mall, her friends, and even her escalator
{{#ev:youtube|pMcfIIhF_u8}}

Also, here's a [http://melaniesmall.50webs.com/ guide to all the Melanie's Mall products].

'''Dragonball Z''' 
Pynchon commands at least the very basics of ''Dragonball Z'''s plot, as evidence by the grouping of Goku with his son Gohan within a comma, plus the title of "Prince" Vegeta. Someone who knew absolutely jack about the show would have written, "including Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, Zarbon, and others."

'''Use the Source, Luke''' 
{{#ev:youtube|o2we_B6hDrY}}

==Page 69==
'''MUD clones''' 
"Multi-User Dungeon" games, an old-school, text-based video game. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD Wikipedia]

'''VRML''' 
Virtual Reality Modeling Language, pronounced vermal or by its initials, originally—before 1995—known as the Virtual Reality Markup Language.

==Page 70==

'''Jolt''' 
Jolt Cola is a carbonated soft drink produced by Wet Planet Beverages. It was created in 1985 by C. J. Rapp as a highly caffeinated cola and was targeted towards students and young professionals, stressing its use as a stimulant in a similar manner as energy drinks. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolt_Cola WIKI].

'''Fernet-Brancas with ginger-ale chasers''' 
Fernet-Branca is a spirit from Italy that's extremely popular in the San Francisco Bay Area, in fact, the area accounts for 25% of its consumption. Likewise, it's most commonly served in the area with a "ginger back."

==Page 71==
'''celestial pastry exercise''' 
pie in the sky.

==Page 72==
'''Ponzi scheme''' 
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering higher returns than other investments, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. Perpetuation of the high returns requires an ever-increasing flow of money from new investors to keep the scheme going. The scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, who became notorious for using the technique in 1920. While Ponzi didn't invent the scheme (for example, Charles Dickens' 1844 novel ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' and 1857 novel ''Little Dorrit'' each described such a scheme), his operation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout the United States. Ponzi's original scheme was based on the arbitrage of international reply coupons for postage stamps; however, he soon diverted investors' money to make payments to earlier investors and himself. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme WIKI].

==Page 73==
'''Voorhees, Krueger''' 
names of horror film villains: Jason Voorhees of ''Friday the 13th'' and Freddy Krueger of ''Nightmare on Elm Street''.

'''Courtney Pulitzer's downtown soirees''' 
Courtney Pulitzer branched off from her @The Scene column with @NY and created Courtney Pulitzer's Cyber Scene and her popular networking events Cocktails with Courtney. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Alley WIKI].

'''kalimotxos''' 
Kalimotxo, also known as cocavino, is a drink consisting of equal parts red wine and cola-based soft drink.

==Page 74==
'''Camel Book''' 
''Programming Perl'', best known as the Camel Book among programmers, is a book about writing programs using the Perl programming language, revised as several editions (1991-2012) to reflect major language changes since Perl version 4. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_Perl WIKI].

'''Cinerama''' 
A trademarked film presentation process that uses three separate but locked together cameras, three synchronized projectors, and a large deeply curved screen. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinerama Wiki] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e360zRfLKQ YouTube] Kind of interesting, especially when considered as an early type of virtual reality.

'''against the secular city, and the lights go down and the screens light up''' 
The term "secular" was often used in ''Against the Day'' to signify a grounded earthiness to contrast the ethereal or otherworldly. Could this be a nod to his preceding narrative (e.g., leaving the physical, ostensible world, themes of light versus dark)?

==Page 75==
'''cross-dawning image''' 
An animated color effect, smoothly transitioning: "flaring beyond the basic videogame brown of the time into the full color spectrum of very early morning." Think "crossfade" (which Pynchon uses on the next page) and "dawning" so that the transition to color is from the bottom to top, like dawn. This isn't a standard Web-design term.

==Page 76==
'''up and down stairways, through dark pedestrian tunnels, emerging into soaring meta-Victorian glass- and iron-modulated light, through turnstiles whose guardians morph as she approaches...''' 
Is it just me, or does this scene here bring to mind the ''knotting into'' opening of [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page ''Gravity's Rainbow'']?

==Page 77==
[[File:Netscape-gray.jpg|left|thumb|100px|caption|Netscape gray]]'''the entropic dwindling into Netscape gray of the other brighter world''' 
When she looks out the rear window of the vehicle, instead of seeing detail and color like she sees looking forward in "the other brighter world", the details aren't rendered looking back, instead fading to Netscape gray which is the background color the Netscape browser rendered if no specific color was coded in. Looks like this...

As for "entropic dwindling" ... entropy is the gradual decline into disorder which happens with all closed systems. Pynchon's use here is slightly metaphorical, referring to the lack of energy put into the events dwindling into the past. Pynchon frequently uses entropy as a metaphor. [http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/entropy/]

'''I BELIEVE YOU HAVE MY STAPLER''' 
"I Believe You Have My Stapler" is a catchphrase originally uttered by the character Milton Waddams in the 1999 movie ''Office Space''. The movie is about a group of employees who hate their jobs and decide to rebel against their greedy boss.

{{#ev:youtube|pHHZBmF8mk4}}

'''Markov chain''' 
A Markov chain, named after Andrey Markov, is a mathematical system that undergoes transitions from one state to another, among a finite or countable number of possible states. It is a random process usually characterized as memoryless: the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it. This specific kind of "memorylessness" is called the Markov property. Markov chains have many applications as statistical models of real-world processes. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain WIKI].

==Page 78==
'''...bleeding-edge technology...No proven use, high risk, something only early-adoption addicts feel comfortable with.''' 
Perhaps a gratuitous annotation, but it seemed appropriate to highlight how Pynchon uses the title of the book in the book itself.

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 6

2014-06-17T21:39:22Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 55 */

{{BE PxP Header}}
==Page 53==
'''Tabloid of the Damned''' 
[http://tabloidofthedamned.com tabloidofthedamned.com] redirects to [http://www.thomaspynchon.com/ www.thomaspynchon.com] 
Who made this redirect, and why was it done? Many possibilities, of course. A site administrator, perhaps, neatly intertwining a fictional website in a Pynchon novel with a real site dedicated to studying him, a sort of "Easter egg" for those who cared to look. A casual fan who "just thought it would be cool." Or someone within Pynchon's "team" who slipped in a sly negative editorial comment ("we" are the "damned," reading nothing better than "tabloid" items when we visit such sites) about those who build and read the Pynchon pages, those who might be too obsessed with Pynchon himself or enabling those who are, a reopening of the CNN controversy and things of that sort? I like the first kind of flattering, positive interpretation, but the latter, cutting one could be true. Something to think about. Thanks for the person who made the detailed remarks to the chapter 11 annotation of "tabloidofthedamned" that started this line of thought.

==Page 54==
'''Carnegie Mellon''' 
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

'''pari passu''' 
Latin phrase that literally means "with an equal step" or "on equal footing." It is sometimes translated as "ranking equally", "hand-in-hand," "with equal force," or "moving together,"and by extension, "fairly," "without partiality." From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pari_passu WIKI].

'''Dr. Kriechman''' 
In German, "kriechen" means "to creep" or "to crawl".

==Page 55==
'''Papa Doble''' 
Known as the Hemingway Daiquiri, the Papa Doble is a drink made using white rum, lime, grapefruit, and maraschino liqueur.
<blockquote>March, who fights against civic fascism, aptly imbibes a cocktail popularized by Ernest Hemingway, 
a writer who was famously involved in the Spanish Civil War.</blockquote>

'''Lincoln Center''' 
A consortium of civic leaders and others led by John D. Rockefeller III built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses's program of urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s. Respected architects were contacted to design the major buildings on the site, and over the next thirty years the previously blighted area around Lincoln Center became a new cultural hub. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts WIKI].

==Page 56==

'''chutzpah''' 
Is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence" or "audacity". The modern English usage of the word has taken on a broader meaning, having been popularized through vernacular use in film, literature, and television. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has. However in more traditional usage, chutzpah is invariably negative in context. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chutzpah

'''Hermann Göring was right''' 
Hermann Göring was the Nazi founder of the Gestapo. He is credited as saying, "When I hear the word culture, I reach for my Browning!" But he probably didn't say this. The line comes from the play ''Schlageter'' by Hanns Johst: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning!"

==Page 57==
'''Linus himself''' 
Linus Torvalds (b. 1969) is a Finnish American software engineer, who was the principal force behind the development of the Linux kernel. His personal mascot is a penguin nicknamed Tux, which has been widely adopted by the Linux community as the mascot of the Linux kernel.

==Page 58==
'''packet monkey''' 
Someone who intentionally inundates a website or network with data packets, resulting in a denial-of-service situation for users of the attacked site or network. Packet monkeys typically use tools created and made available on the Internet by hackers. Unlike a script kiddy, a packet monkey leaves no clues as to who is making the exploit, making the identity of a packet monkey more difficult to trace. In addition, a denial-of-service attack can be launched on a wider scale than attacks performed by script kiddies, making them more difficult to investigate.

Hackers look down on packet monkeys and often describe them as "bottom feeders." Because a packet monkey uses tools created by others, the packet monkey has little understanding of the harm that may be caused. Typically, packet monkey exploits are random and without any purpose other than the thrill of making an effect. [http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/packet-monkey Source]

==Page 59==
'''Microsoft LM hash''' 
LM hash, LanMan, or LAN Manager hash is a compromised password hashing function that was the primary hash that Microsoft LAN Manager and Microsoft Windows versions prior to Windows NT used to store user passwords. Support for the legacy LAN Manager protocol continued in later versions of Windows for backward compatibility, but was recommended by Microsoft to be turned off by administrators; as of Windows Vista, the protocol is disabled by default, but continues to be used by some non-Microsoft CIFS implementations. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LM_hash WIKI].

'''Vice President in Charge of Rectal Discomfort''' 
A pain in the butt

==Page 61==
'''"Doing business as Streetlight People"''' 
Reference to this lyric from the American rock band Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," from 1981:
<blockquote>
Strangers, waiting, up and down 
the boulevard 
Their shadows searching in the night 
'''Streetlight people''', living just to 
find emotion 
Hiding, somewhere in the night</blockquote>

{{#ev:youtube|PBEXSiFzOfU}}

'''Slagiatt ... losing the vowel at the end of his name''' 
SLAGIATT is an acronym for "Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time" often used by programmers when refactoring embarrassing software design decisions. And that's the ''real'' reason there's no vowel at the end of Rocky's surname!

'''"like lyrics in an opera"''' 
Opera singers routinely fail to enunciate words or syllables in the interest of hitting notes or making it all sound better.

==Page 62==
'''Wayne Gretzky Principle''' 
Steve Jobs: “There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.”

==Page 63==
'''Wells notice''' 
A letter the SEC customarily serves on a prospective defendant prior to bringing a civil enforcement action, providing the target an opportunity to respond. The letter owes its name to the SEC's Wells Committee, which recommended the procedure in 1972. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_notice Wikipedia entry]

==Page 64==
'''Further Lane''' 
Through the years East Hampton's wealth has evolved emanating out from the village taking over the farmland that had once been dominated by potato fields. The most dazzling row of mansions remains in the village of East Hampton on the closest road paralleling the ocean along Further Lane and Lily Pond Lane. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Hampton_(town),_New_York Wikipedia entry]

==Page 65==
'''che si duce''' 
Italian greeting: "what's up?", "how's it going?".

==Page 66==
'''Nero d'Avola''' 
A wine from Sicily.

'''Una furtiva lagrima''' 
Famous aria (technically a "romanza") from the opera ''L'elisir d'amore'', by Donizetti.

'''"Un gazz"''' 
Italian, literally "dick," but used like the exclamation, "shit". Also employed by Pynchon in [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=U V.]

'''Greylock''' 
Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms, founded in 1965, with committed capital of over $2 billion under management. The firm focuses on early stage companies in the consumer, enterprise software and infrastructure as well as semiconductor sectors. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greylock_Partners WIKI].

'''Lucky Luciano''' 
Charles "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian-born American mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first Commission. He was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family. He was, along with his associate Meyer Lansky, instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luciano WIKI].

'''OSS''' 
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The OSS was formed in order to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for the branches of the United States Armed Forces. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services WIKI].

==Page 67==
'''Longy Zwillman''' 
Abner "Longie" Zwillman (July 27, 1904 - February 27, 1959), known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longy_Zwillman WIKI].

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 6

2014-06-17T21:37:05Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 55 */

{{BE PxP Header}}
==Page 53==
'''Tabloid of the Damned''' 
[http://tabloidofthedamned.com tabloidofthedamned.com] redirects to [http://www.thomaspynchon.com/ www.thomaspynchon.com] 
Who made this redirect, and why was it done? Many possibilities, of course. A site administrator, perhaps, neatly intertwining a fictional website in a Pynchon novel with a real site dedicated to studying him, a sort of "Easter egg" for those who cared to look. A casual fan who "just thought it would be cool." Or someone within Pynchon's "team" who slipped in a sly negative editorial comment ("we" are the "damned," reading nothing better than "tabloid" items when we visit such sites) about those who build and read the Pynchon pages, those who might be too obsessed with Pynchon himself or enabling those who are, a reopening of the CNN controversy and things of that sort? I like the first kind of flattering, positive interpretation, but the latter, cutting one could be true. Something to think about. Thanks for the person who made the detailed remarks to the chapter 11 annotation of "tabloidofthedamned" that started this line of thought.

==Page 54==
'''Carnegie Mellon''' 
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

'''pari passu''' 
Latin phrase that literally means "with an equal step" or "on equal footing." It is sometimes translated as "ranking equally", "hand-in-hand," "with equal force," or "moving together,"and by extension, "fairly," "without partiality." From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pari_passu WIKI].

'''Dr. Kriechman''' 
In German, "kriechen" means "to creep" or "to crawl".

==Page 55==
'''Papa Doble''' 
Known as the Hemingway Daiquiri, the Papa Doble is a drink made using white rum, lime, grapefruit, and maraschino liqueur.
<blockquote>March, who fights against civic fascism, aptly imbibes a drink popularized by Ernest Hemingway (who was famously involved in the Spanish Civil War).</blockquote>

'''Lincoln Center''' 
A consortium of civic leaders and others led by John D. Rockefeller III built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses's program of urban renewal in the 1950s and 1960s. Respected architects were contacted to design the major buildings on the site, and over the next thirty years the previously blighted area around Lincoln Center became a new cultural hub. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts WIKI].

==Page 56==

'''chutzpah''' 
Is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence" or "audacity". The modern English usage of the word has taken on a broader meaning, having been popularized through vernacular use in film, literature, and television. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has. However in more traditional usage, chutzpah is invariably negative in context. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chutzpah

'''Hermann Göring was right''' 
Hermann Göring was the Nazi founder of the Gestapo. He is credited as saying, "When I hear the word culture, I reach for my Browning!" But he probably didn't say this. The line comes from the play ''Schlageter'' by Hanns Johst: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning!"

==Page 57==
'''Linus himself''' 
Linus Torvalds (b. 1969) is a Finnish American software engineer, who was the principal force behind the development of the Linux kernel. His personal mascot is a penguin nicknamed Tux, which has been widely adopted by the Linux community as the mascot of the Linux kernel.

==Page 58==
'''packet monkey''' 
Someone who intentionally inundates a website or network with data packets, resulting in a denial-of-service situation for users of the attacked site or network. Packet monkeys typically use tools created and made available on the Internet by hackers. Unlike a script kiddy, a packet monkey leaves no clues as to who is making the exploit, making the identity of a packet monkey more difficult to trace. In addition, a denial-of-service attack can be launched on a wider scale than attacks performed by script kiddies, making them more difficult to investigate.

Hackers look down on packet monkeys and often describe them as "bottom feeders." Because a packet monkey uses tools created by others, the packet monkey has little understanding of the harm that may be caused. Typically, packet monkey exploits are random and without any purpose other than the thrill of making an effect. [http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/packet-monkey Source]

==Page 59==
'''Microsoft LM hash''' 
LM hash, LanMan, or LAN Manager hash is a compromised password hashing function that was the primary hash that Microsoft LAN Manager and Microsoft Windows versions prior to Windows NT used to store user passwords. Support for the legacy LAN Manager protocol continued in later versions of Windows for backward compatibility, but was recommended by Microsoft to be turned off by administrators; as of Windows Vista, the protocol is disabled by default, but continues to be used by some non-Microsoft CIFS implementations. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LM_hash WIKI].

'''Vice President in Charge of Rectal Discomfort''' 
A pain in the butt

==Page 61==
'''"Doing business as Streetlight People"''' 
Reference to this lyric from the American rock band Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," from 1981:
<blockquote>
Strangers, waiting, up and down 
the boulevard 
Their shadows searching in the night 
'''Streetlight people''', living just to 
find emotion 
Hiding, somewhere in the night</blockquote>

{{#ev:youtube|PBEXSiFzOfU}}

'''Slagiatt ... losing the vowel at the end of his name''' 
SLAGIATT is an acronym for "Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time" often used by programmers when refactoring embarrassing software design decisions. And that's the ''real'' reason there's no vowel at the end of Rocky's surname!

'''"like lyrics in an opera"''' 
Opera singers routinely fail to enunciate words or syllables in the interest of hitting notes or making it all sound better.

==Page 62==
'''Wayne Gretzky Principle''' 
Steve Jobs: “There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.”

==Page 63==
'''Wells notice''' 
A letter the SEC customarily serves on a prospective defendant prior to bringing a civil enforcement action, providing the target an opportunity to respond. The letter owes its name to the SEC's Wells Committee, which recommended the procedure in 1972. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_notice Wikipedia entry]

==Page 64==
'''Further Lane''' 
Through the years East Hampton's wealth has evolved emanating out from the village taking over the farmland that had once been dominated by potato fields. The most dazzling row of mansions remains in the village of East Hampton on the closest road paralleling the ocean along Further Lane and Lily Pond Lane. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Hampton_(town),_New_York Wikipedia entry]

==Page 65==
'''che si duce''' 
Italian greeting: "what's up?", "how's it going?".

==Page 66==
'''Nero d'Avola''' 
A wine from Sicily.

'''Una furtiva lagrima''' 
Famous aria (technically a "romanza") from the opera ''L'elisir d'amore'', by Donizetti.

'''"Un gazz"''' 
Italian, literally "dick," but used like the exclamation, "shit". Also employed by Pynchon in [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=U V.]

'''Greylock''' 
Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms, founded in 1965, with committed capital of over $2 billion under management. The firm focuses on early stage companies in the consumer, enterprise software and infrastructure as well as semiconductor sectors. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greylock_Partners WIKI].

'''Lucky Luciano''' 
Charles "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian-born American mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first Commission. He was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family. He was, along with his associate Meyer Lansky, instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luciano WIKI].

'''OSS''' 
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The OSS was formed in order to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for the branches of the United States Armed Forces. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services WIKI].

==Page 67==
'''Longy Zwillman''' 
Abner "Longie" Zwillman (July 27, 1904 - February 27, 1959), known as the "Al Capone of New Jersey," was an early Prohibition gangster, founding member of the "Big Seven" Ruling Commission and a member of the National Crime Syndicate, who was also associated with Murder Incorporated. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longy_Zwillman WIKI].

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 5

2014-06-17T19:51:20Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 41 */

==Page 41==
'''Yenta''' 
A busybody/gossip

'''Yenta's With Attitude''' 
One of Pynchon's acronyms? Is there a significance to the similarity of Y.W.A and the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton Wikipedia] The god described in the Tanakh can have quite the attitude.

'''Benford's Law''' 
Heavy handed editing? Not like Pynchon to explicitly define jargon (hash total and Luhn checks slip past without comment on the very next page).

==Page 42==
'''Consecutive invoice numbers. Hash totals that don't add up. Credit-card numbers failing their Luhn checks.''' 
If you were looking over invoice numbers, they'd be more random, not numbered consecutively. Consecutive invoice numbers imply someone was just making them up in order, as the probability is they wouldn't be in consecutive order.

A "hash total" is just a batch total done on one or more numeric fields which appears in every record. This is a meaningless total, e.g., add the Telephone Numbers together for a number of Customers. It is used as a verification device for documents or records. For example, the dates of letters in a file may be added and separately noted as hash total. Thereafter, to ensure that no letter has been misfiled or substituted, the dates are re-added and the new total is compared with the hash total. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_validation Wikipedia]

The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the "modulus 10" or "mod 10" algorithm, is a simple checksum formula used to validate a variety of identification numbers, such as credit card numbers, IMEI numbers, National Provider Identifier numbers in US and Canadian Social Insurance Numbers. It was created by IBM scientist Hans Peter Luhn and described in U.S. Patent No. 2,950,048, filed on January 6, 1954, and granted on August 23, 1960. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luhn_algorithm Wikipedia]

'''False Lunchmeat''' 
aka phony baloney

==Page 43==
'''Korobushka''' 
Traditional Russian song used as a musical track on Tetris. Pynchon also referenced Tetris in ''Against the Day'' [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_119-148#Page_123] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD1k_b4KsQ8 Hear it.]

'''the plaintive folk tune''' 
Referring to the song above. Any connection to the passage from page 1 of ''The Crying of Lot 49'' that mentions "a dry, disconsolate tune from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pUyqUqwuE fourth movement] of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra"?
:I doubt it. Pynchon is pretty well-versed in classical music, and "plaintive folk tune" clearly refers, as noted, to the Korobushka.

I see a slight connection, maybe not even intended by Pynchon, but one that can still be made. With Korobushka, Tetris and the "plaintive folk tune," you have the linking of something garish, a video game theme song, "the anthem of nineties workplace fecklessness" with something more soulful. The fourth movement of the Bartok Concerto enacts something like this. From an online program guide to the Concerto: The fourth movement ("Interrupted Intermezzo") plays with clichés of "innocent" folk music, while the rude "interruption" is often claimed to represent Shostakovich, whose Seventh Symphony (the "Leningrad") had recently become a popular rallying cry of resistance to the invading Germans. (The music that is allegedly being parodied was itself intended by Shostakovich as a savage parody of the forces of totalitarianism). Other interpretations, however, have challenged that longstanding view of Bartók's intent.

'''just downloading some shit, 56K's a awesome speed''' 
In reference to 56Kbit/s, a moderate speed at the time for downloading from a file sharing website like, say, the immensely popular Napster.

==Page 45==
'''the li'l goombas of Web design''' 
a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.''

'''Zima's the bitch drink of the nineties''' 
This lemon-lime malt beverage was immensely popular in the years following its 1993 debut by Coors. It eventually gained a reputation as a girl's drink and was discontinued in 2008. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia entry]

'''Fabian's Bit Bucket''' 
In computing, the '''bit bucket''' is jargon for where lost computerized data has gone, by any means; any data which does not end up where it is supposed to, being lost in transmission, a computer crash, or the like, is said to have gone to the bit bucket — that mysterious place on a computer where lost documents go, as in: "What happened to that important spreadsheet that I was just editing?" OR "Oh, it went into the bit bucket." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_bucket Wikipedia entry]

==Page 46==
'''Dr. Zizmor''' 
A physician whose subway ads were all over the NYC subway for over 30 years[http://bleedingedge.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/images/4/42/Dr_Zizmor_Subway_Ad.jpeg].

==Page 47==
'''a single over on Rikers''' 
a year in prison

'''Time is what the Stones call on their side, yes it is.''' 
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (under the pseudonym of Norman Meade)and made famous by the Rolling Stones in 1964. The chorus: "Time is on my side, yes it is."

==Page 48==
'''quants''' 
Quantitative analysts

==Page 49==
'''trichologists''' 
Trichology is the branch of dermatology that deals with the scientific study of the health of hair and scalp. Trichologists themselves are not normally licensed healthcare workers, although members of the medical profession can undertake courses and/or careers within trichology. Trichology can be used in forensic studies of hairs to find suspects. Forensic trichology can determine the approximate age, body mass, race, and other important traits of the hair's owner.[citation needed] Trichologists are loyal to the academic study of hair loss science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichology

==Page 51==
'''a lemon-lime alcopop haze''' 
The reference is to the Zima drink, of a class of what is called “alcopop," very sweet alcohol drinks which are popular with young people. Zima has a lemon-lime flavor. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia]

'''The sleazy old Deuce she remembers from her less responsible youth is no more, Giuliani and his developer friends and the forces of suburban righteousness have swept the place Disneyfied and sterile.''' 
Pynchon is referencing here the school of thought claiming "Disney Saved Times Square", charting the dramatic increase in tourism and cost of billboard space in NYC's famed epicenter along with the production of a string of long-running, highly profitable, and artistically restrained Disney musicals. Through Maxine's mention of "the old Deuce", Pychon expresses his preference for the seedier Times Square, as it is perhaps found in "V".

Times Square Redevelopment (NYTimes) [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04square.html?pagewanted=1&ref=nyregion&_r=0]
Disney Theatrical (Wikipedia) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Theatrical]

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 5

2014-06-17T19:50:30Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 41 */

==Page 41==
'''Yenta''' 
A busybody/gossip

'''Yenta's With Attitude''' 
One of Pynchon's acronyms? Is there a significance to the similarity of Y.W.A and the pronunciation of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton Tetragrammaton]? The god described in the Tanakh can have quite the attitude.

'''Benford's Law''' 
Heavy handed editing? Not like Pynchon to explicitly define jargon (hash total and Luhn checks slip past without comment on the very next page).

==Page 42==
'''Consecutive invoice numbers. Hash totals that don't add up. Credit-card numbers failing their Luhn checks.''' 
If you were looking over invoice numbers, they'd be more random, not numbered consecutively. Consecutive invoice numbers imply someone was just making them up in order, as the probability is they wouldn't be in consecutive order.

A "hash total" is just a batch total done on one or more numeric fields which appears in every record. This is a meaningless total, e.g., add the Telephone Numbers together for a number of Customers. It is used as a verification device for documents or records. For example, the dates of letters in a file may be added and separately noted as hash total. Thereafter, to ensure that no letter has been misfiled or substituted, the dates are re-added and the new total is compared with the hash total. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_validation Wikipedia]

The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the "modulus 10" or "mod 10" algorithm, is a simple checksum formula used to validate a variety of identification numbers, such as credit card numbers, IMEI numbers, National Provider Identifier numbers in US and Canadian Social Insurance Numbers. It was created by IBM scientist Hans Peter Luhn and described in U.S. Patent No. 2,950,048, filed on January 6, 1954, and granted on August 23, 1960. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luhn_algorithm Wikipedia]

'''False Lunchmeat''' 
aka phony baloney

==Page 43==
'''Korobushka''' 
Traditional Russian song used as a musical track on Tetris. Pynchon also referenced Tetris in ''Against the Day'' [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_119-148#Page_123] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD1k_b4KsQ8 Hear it.]

'''the plaintive folk tune''' 
Referring to the song above. Any connection to the passage from page 1 of ''The Crying of Lot 49'' that mentions "a dry, disconsolate tune from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pUyqUqwuE fourth movement] of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra"?
:I doubt it. Pynchon is pretty well-versed in classical music, and "plaintive folk tune" clearly refers, as noted, to the Korobushka.

I see a slight connection, maybe not even intended by Pynchon, but one that can still be made. With Korobushka, Tetris and the "plaintive folk tune," you have the linking of something garish, a video game theme song, "the anthem of nineties workplace fecklessness" with something more soulful. The fourth movement of the Bartok Concerto enacts something like this. From an online program guide to the Concerto: The fourth movement ("Interrupted Intermezzo") plays with clichés of "innocent" folk music, while the rude "interruption" is often claimed to represent Shostakovich, whose Seventh Symphony (the "Leningrad") had recently become a popular rallying cry of resistance to the invading Germans. (The music that is allegedly being parodied was itself intended by Shostakovich as a savage parody of the forces of totalitarianism). Other interpretations, however, have challenged that longstanding view of Bartók's intent.

'''just downloading some shit, 56K's a awesome speed''' 
In reference to 56Kbit/s, a moderate speed at the time for downloading from a file sharing website like, say, the immensely popular Napster.

==Page 45==
'''the li'l goombas of Web design''' 
a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.''

'''Zima's the bitch drink of the nineties''' 
This lemon-lime malt beverage was immensely popular in the years following its 1993 debut by Coors. It eventually gained a reputation as a girl's drink and was discontinued in 2008. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia entry]

'''Fabian's Bit Bucket''' 
In computing, the '''bit bucket''' is jargon for where lost computerized data has gone, by any means; any data which does not end up where it is supposed to, being lost in transmission, a computer crash, or the like, is said to have gone to the bit bucket — that mysterious place on a computer where lost documents go, as in: "What happened to that important spreadsheet that I was just editing?" OR "Oh, it went into the bit bucket." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_bucket Wikipedia entry]

==Page 46==
'''Dr. Zizmor''' 
A physician whose subway ads were all over the NYC subway for over 30 years[http://bleedingedge.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/images/4/42/Dr_Zizmor_Subway_Ad.jpeg].

==Page 47==
'''a single over on Rikers''' 
a year in prison

'''Time is what the Stones call on their side, yes it is.''' 
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (under the pseudonym of Norman Meade)and made famous by the Rolling Stones in 1964. The chorus: "Time is on my side, yes it is."

==Page 48==
'''quants''' 
Quantitative analysts

==Page 49==
'''trichologists''' 
Trichology is the branch of dermatology that deals with the scientific study of the health of hair and scalp. Trichologists themselves are not normally licensed healthcare workers, although members of the medical profession can undertake courses and/or careers within trichology. Trichology can be used in forensic studies of hairs to find suspects. Forensic trichology can determine the approximate age, body mass, race, and other important traits of the hair's owner.[citation needed] Trichologists are loyal to the academic study of hair loss science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichology

==Page 51==
'''a lemon-lime alcopop haze''' 
The reference is to the Zima drink, of a class of what is called “alcopop," very sweet alcohol drinks which are popular with young people. Zima has a lemon-lime flavor. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia]

'''The sleazy old Deuce she remembers from her less responsible youth is no more, Giuliani and his developer friends and the forces of suburban righteousness have swept the place Disneyfied and sterile.''' 
Pynchon is referencing here the school of thought claiming "Disney Saved Times Square", charting the dramatic increase in tourism and cost of billboard space in NYC's famed epicenter along with the production of a string of long-running, highly profitable, and artistically restrained Disney musicals. Through Maxine's mention of "the old Deuce", Pychon expresses his preference for the seedier Times Square, as it is perhaps found in "V".

Times Square Redevelopment (NYTimes) [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04square.html?pagewanted=1&ref=nyregion&_r=0]
Disney Theatrical (Wikipedia) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Theatrical]

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 5

2014-06-17T19:49:00Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 41 */

Chapter 5

2014-06-17T19:42:14Z

Allahhuakbarista: /* Page 41 */

==Page 41==
'''Yenta''' 
A busybody/gossip

'''Yenta's With Attitude''' 
One of Pynchon's acronyms? Is there a significance to the similarity of Y.W.A and the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton? The god described in the Tanakh can have quite the attitude.

'''Benford's Law''' 
Heavy handed editing? Not like Pynchon to explicitly define jargon (hash total and Luhn checks slip past without comment on the very next page).

==Page 42==
'''Consecutive invoice numbers. Hash totals that don't add up. Credit-card numbers failing their Luhn checks.''' 
If you were looking over invoice numbers, they'd be more random, not numbered consecutively. Consecutive invoice numbers imply someone was just making them up in order, as the probability is they wouldn't be in consecutive order.

A "hash total" is just a batch total done on one or more numeric fields which appears in every record. This is a meaningless total, e.g., add the Telephone Numbers together for a number of Customers. It is used as a verification device for documents or records. For example, the dates of letters in a file may be added and separately noted as hash total. Thereafter, to ensure that no letter has been misfiled or substituted, the dates are re-added and the new total is compared with the hash total. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_validation Wikipedia]

The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the "modulus 10" or "mod 10" algorithm, is a simple checksum formula used to validate a variety of identification numbers, such as credit card numbers, IMEI numbers, National Provider Identifier numbers in US and Canadian Social Insurance Numbers. It was created by IBM scientist Hans Peter Luhn and described in U.S. Patent No. 2,950,048, filed on January 6, 1954, and granted on August 23, 1960. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luhn_algorithm Wikipedia]

'''False Lunchmeat''' 
aka phony baloney

==Page 43==
'''Korobushka''' 
Traditional Russian song used as a musical track on Tetris. Pynchon also referenced Tetris in ''Against the Day'' [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_119-148#Page_123] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD1k_b4KsQ8 Hear it.]

'''the plaintive folk tune''' 
Referring to the song above. Any connection to the passage from page 1 of ''The Crying of Lot 49'' that mentions "a dry, disconsolate tune from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pUyqUqwuE fourth movement] of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra"?
:I doubt it. Pynchon is pretty well-versed in classical music, and "plaintive folk tune" clearly refers, as noted, to the Korobushka.

I see a slight connection, maybe not even intended by Pynchon, but one that can still be made. With Korobushka, Tetris and the "plaintive folk tune," you have the linking of something garish, a video game theme song, "the anthem of nineties workplace fecklessness" with something more soulful. The fourth movement of the Bartok Concerto enacts something like this. From an online program guide to the Concerto: The fourth movement ("Interrupted Intermezzo") plays with clichés of "innocent" folk music, while the rude "interruption" is often claimed to represent Shostakovich, whose Seventh Symphony (the "Leningrad") had recently become a popular rallying cry of resistance to the invading Germans. (The music that is allegedly being parodied was itself intended by Shostakovich as a savage parody of the forces of totalitarianism). Other interpretations, however, have challenged that longstanding view of Bartók's intent.

'''just downloading some shit, 56K's a awesome speed''' 
In reference to 56Kbit/s, a moderate speed at the time for downloading from a file sharing website like, say, the immensely popular Napster.

==Page 45==
'''the li'l goombas of Web design''' 
a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.''

'''Zima's the bitch drink of the nineties''' 
This lemon-lime malt beverage was immensely popular in the years following its 1993 debut by Coors. It eventually gained a reputation as a girl's drink and was discontinued in 2008. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia entry]

'''Fabian's Bit Bucket''' 
In computing, the '''bit bucket''' is jargon for where lost computerized data has gone, by any means; any data which does not end up where it is supposed to, being lost in transmission, a computer crash, or the like, is said to have gone to the bit bucket — that mysterious place on a computer where lost documents go, as in: "What happened to that important spreadsheet that I was just editing?" OR "Oh, it went into the bit bucket." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_bucket Wikipedia entry]

==Page 46==
'''Dr. Zizmor''' 
A physician whose subway ads were all over the NYC subway for over 30 years[http://bleedingedge.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/images/4/42/Dr_Zizmor_Subway_Ad.jpeg].

==Page 47==
'''a single over on Rikers''' 
a year in prison

'''Time is what the Stones call on their side, yes it is.''' 
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (under the pseudonym of Norman Meade)and made famous by the Rolling Stones in 1964. The chorus: "Time is on my side, yes it is."

==Page 48==
'''quants''' 
Quantitative analysts

==Page 49==
'''trichologists''' 
Trichology is the branch of dermatology that deals with the scientific study of the health of hair and scalp. Trichologists themselves are not normally licensed healthcare workers, although members of the medical profession can undertake courses and/or careers within trichology. Trichology can be used in forensic studies of hairs to find suspects. Forensic trichology can determine the approximate age, body mass, race, and other important traits of the hair's owner.[citation needed] Trichologists are loyal to the academic study of hair loss science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichology

==Page 51==
'''a lemon-lime alcopop haze''' 
The reference is to the Zima drink, of a class of what is called “alcopop," very sweet alcohol drinks which are popular with young people. Zima has a lemon-lime flavor. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zima Wikipedia]

'''The sleazy old Deuce she remembers from her less responsible youth is no more, Giuliani and his developer friends and the forces of suburban righteousness have swept the place Disneyfied and sterile.''' 
Pynchon is referencing here the school of thought claiming "Disney Saved Times Square", charting the dramatic increase in tourism and cost of billboard space in NYC's famed epicenter along with the production of a string of long-running, highly profitable, and artistically restrained Disney musicals. Through Maxine's mention of "the old Deuce", Pychon expresses his preference for the seedier Times Square, as it is perhaps found in "V".

Times Square Redevelopment (NYTimes) [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04square.html?pagewanted=1&ref=nyregion&_r=0]
Disney Theatrical (Wikipedia) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Theatrical]

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}