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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Dear Cabalists,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am sorry to have to drag you back to our lair on such short notice, but a couple more items are in need of our attention.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>First, I’m sorry to say that despite my full throated defense of Mozorov during our last meeting it seems that some slow-witted critics are still not convinced. The situation was fully resolved with his original Tubmlr post. Sadly he has been called away from his work recreating Don Quixote to write a second Tumblr post. This is, if anything, more compelling that the first and the situation is even resolvdier than before. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As he makes clear at <a href="http://evgenymorozov.tumblr.com/post/99837458735/more-on-the-cybersyn-essay">http://evgenymorozov.tumblr.com/post/99837458735/more-on-the-cybersyn-essay</a> the books and boxes Morozov photographed previously were just the tip of the biblioberg. He’s photographed more sources. As he mentioned, “<span lang=EN>there’s also plenty of factual detail in my piece that comes from the archives – or other sources.” I think we can all agree that evidence some material in a paper was one’s own work is a surefire defense against accusations that much of it wasn’t. At least that’s what we were taught at the National University of Uqbar where I got my Ph.D by mail. Academic misconduct appeals there had a very high success rate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>In addition </span>Morozov <span lang=EN>is an exceptionally talented prose stylist, and for a man working on that artistic level the position of every word is crucial. Mentioning Medina in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eight, or ninth paragraph paraphrasing her work would have ruined the aesthetics of his entire piece and betrayed his readers. As he explained it, “where you, the author, decide to interrupt your piece and introduce the source matters – whether you do it in paragraph number three or paragraph number ten affects the overall flow and feel of the argument. My responsibility as an author is both to the readers AND to the sources that I draw upon.” As a reader I certainly appreciate that level of dedication to my wellbeing. Case closed. Again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>Second, some outrageous accusations have been made that my previous address bore a greater than acknowledged debt to the work of Jorge Luis Borges. Let me state for the record that I fully acknowledged my debt to Borges when I mentioned his entertaining article at the end of my oration. He wrote a nice piece, but it’s nothing special. Any further similarity in claims and word choices undoubtedly results from our reliance on shared sources. I can say without fear of contradiction that I have read every word Pierre Menard ever published, visited each archival collection holding his letters and manuscripts, and interviewed all of his living descendants. In addition a public address, even when taken down by goblin scribes for dissemination to those unable to attend in person, is a very different format from a journal article. There simply wasn’t time to acknowledge every source before the sun came up, which to say the least would have complicated your egress from our lair. Mentioning Borges earlier wasn’t an option either – I’m a very talented orator and it would have spoiled aesthetics of the speech and betrayed your interests as listeners. Also, and I’m disappointed that any of you missed this, the whole thing was a book review.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>Finally, I am afraid that we had to flog those scribes because the previous message, and a few others they sent to the listserv yesterday, have not made it into the archive. Our elderly pipermail daemon seems to be self-censoring, which is ironic. So that we can better defend Morozov against the jealous and small minded I have posted a copy of the earlier message at <a href="http://www.tomandmaria.com/tom/writing/morozovquixote.htm">http://www.tomandmaria.com/tom/writing/morozovquixote.htm</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>Cabal dismissed.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>