David Brion Davis,"The Importance of History" at OUPblog, 20 April, reflects on the dramatic shift in consciousness that placed"inhuman bondage" at the center of the writing of American history. [ed.: Apart from the importance of what Davis says, which is considerable, take note that David Brion Davis is a blogger. As far as I'm concerned, if he does it, it's respectable behavior for professional historians. Not that my colleagues at Cliopatria aren't respectable, you understand.] Thanks to John Russell at History News for the tip.

Miriam Burstein explains that the judges of this year's Pulitzer Prize for Fiction chose the wrong March.

In"Kaavya Viswanathan, Christopher Paolini, and Remixing," Tim Burke reflects on the limits of fair use and expectations of originality. Erin O'Connor and Margaret Soltan are promoting The Morning News'"‘Sloppy Seconds With Opal Mehta' Contest, where you, as ‘writer,' plagiarize as much as you want, for a sort-of original story. Start cribbing now—the entry deadline is in two weeks!"

Photoshop puts robotery in fine art. Hey, Rob! Take a break from staring at your newborn (hard as that is). Renaissance robots! Thanks to Kevin Murphy at Ghost in the Machine for the tip.

When President Bush appointed Ben Bernanke to head the Federal Reserve, he passed over Glenn Hubbard, a former economic advisor who is the dean at Columbia University's Business School (CBS). In response, Hubbard expresses himself in song:"Every Breath You Take ... We'll Be Watching You!" Thanks to my virtual son, Michael de la Merced at Outside Report, for the tip. Michael, btw, does financial blogging for DealBook, a financial service of the New York Times.