The Tyranny of Email, Google's new Wave, and spontaneous combustion debates

Ben Yagoda wrote a thinly-veiled-slap of a review of The Tyranny of E-Mail in the NYT's Book Review last week. Sure I want to read the book now, whether Yagoda liked it or not, but that's what makes strong reviews. If the ideas are interesting enough, you want to read it, see it, or hear it because the reviewer gave it enough thought just to try it out.

Favorite moments from the review:

1. One of Yagoda's personal grudges against email: "It is responsible for the the emoticon."
   
2. Yagoda's use of "fixing to." Of course, in Atlanta, we are much more prone to hear "fixin tuh," but who cares.

After looking over a recent invite to preview Google's new Wave application, Yagoda's debate with Freeman seems even more relevant. Wave will be the devil incarnate to Freeman, if Yagoda's read him correctly. As with the my post on Tyler Cowan's article, I think both sides of the debate may be right, by degrees.

What about a new feature -- spontaneous combustion debates -- in which I would put two articles, essays, or posts together and moderate them like a referee? I would also pronounce a judgment. Yes, that's like judge and jury. May the best rhetorician win.