The quest for America’s swinging voters. Every four years, the media announce which slice of American voters—Soccer Moms, Waitress Moms, Joe Six-Packs, Angry White Males, or One-Armed Vegetarian Live-In Boyfriends—will decide the election for the rest of us. Equally ritualistic is the gleeful debunking of these ever-proliferating categories of swing voter.– Slate

The New Yorker on Batman. A fun read even if you’re not interested in the film, just for the snarky writing: “In the new Batman film, “The Dark Knight,” many things go boom… All this ruckus is accompanied by pounding thuds on the soundtrack, with two veteran Hollywood composers providing additional bass-heavy stomps in every scene, even when nothing is going on. At times, the movie sounds like two excited mattresses making love in an echo chamber.” — New Yorker

Using the Internet for good. “Ushahidi.com is a tool for people who witness acts of violence in Kenya in these post-election times. You can report the incident that you have seen, and it will appear on a map-based view for others to see. We are working with local Kenyan NGO’s to get information and to verify each incident.” — Laurel Papworth

Harry Potter and the legality of fan fiction. Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling created a stir when she took a fan to court for maintaining a Harry Potter encyclopedia on his website. It’s opened a can of worms for the thriving online world of fan fiction. — Literary Review of Canada