Below are simple links to other interesting stuff I've come across on the web in the last day or two; they may or may not concern literature or photography, or indeed the arts at all. You can click here to learn more about how I compile this list and what software I use, if you're interested.

India officially triples the pay of its public teachers
The irony? It's still not nearly enough to compete with the private-sector jobs that college-educated Indians can easily get these days in that rapidly expanding country. This is becoming a big issue in India right now, which I find fascinating -- that the government wants the country to become the next big global hub for emigrating international students (essentially taking in all the Chinese kids that the xenophobic United States no longer wants), yet less than ten percent of college-educated Indians are choosing academia as an adult profession, leading to teacher vacancies at high schools and universities that can sometimes reach a whopping 50 percent or even more.

Is the New France becoming "too American?"
A great article from the always fascinating GlobalPost.com, on the growing complaints that the shiny new EU-influenced "France 2.0" is becoming "too American," forcing things like smoking bans and an obsession with celebrity culture on a populace that largely doesn't want them.

Turn your handwriting into a computer font for free
Be warned that I haven't used it myself, so don't know if it's any good or not, but a new service called FontCapture.com is promising to turn your handwriting into a computer-usable typeface for free. Somebody try this and let me know how it went!

Ken Levine answers questions about 'Cheers' longstanding 'bar wars'
Former "Cheers" writer and popular blogger Ken Levine tackles reader questions every week over at his website; this week he concentrates exclusively on questions from the show's longstanding "bar wars" episodes, where once a year the main characters would battle their cross-town rival, Gary's Olde Town Tavern, almost always to humiliating defeat. Funny and fascinating.

Five important things to consider before buying an HDTV
A short but informative article from the always great HowStuffWorks.com, going over five important things to consider before buying your first high-definition television, a huge issue in the US right now because of our country finally switching over this year to a digital broadcast signal.

Is Slovenia becoming the next Tuscany?
I have a soft spot for the eastern-European nation of Slovenia, because back when I was a writer myself, it was one of the first non-American countries where I was to develop a cult following; and now here's this interesting article, on how its lush Brda region is rapidly becoming known among tourists as "the new Tuscany." If you've never looked into Slovenia before, you should really check the country out sometime; it's one of the more fascinating destinations in eastern Europe.

Guess what? Strong plots in contemporary literature are hot again
Well, thank God for that; after decades of postmodernist-inspired poo-pooing of strong plots in modern storytelling, Time's book critic Lev Grossman is arguing that such a thing is back in a big way. How do you know? Just look at the recent adult fascination with teenage literature, he says, arguing that this doesn't signify a dumbing-down of American intellect at all, but rather a national yearning for the kind of strong story-based literature that so-called "adult" books haven't been allowed to display for years. A controversial article, but certainly a lot of food for thought.