It's a deadly sin, but I'm envious

One call out of the blue - $500,000 - no strings attached

Yep, that's the headline announcing the MacArther Fellows for 2005. Popularly known as the genius grants, 25 awards were made this year to recipients in a wide range of fields. This year there was a lobster fisherman, a book preservationist, a violin maker, ... (Sounds like the start of a bad joke.)

How does one get dubbed a "genius"? The recipients are

selected for their creativity, originality, and potential. By providing resources without stipulations or reporting requirements, the MacArthur Foundation offers the opportunity for Fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. The unusual level of independence afforded to the Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors.

Of this year's winners, I'm familiar with the economist and the novelist. I agree with the selection of the former, but not the latter. I know Fortress of Solitude got a lot of positive buzz a couple of years ago, but I wasn't that impressed with it. Of course it could be that I'm just a tad jealous. Did I mention that the awards are for $500,000 (over 5 years)? I could get really creative with a cool half million dollars. Oh well, there's always next year.

Though I am a bit envious, I really like this program. Yes, I think it might be a tad silly to give half-a-million dollars to a guy who makes violins, but I like the basic idea of throwing money at people who do unusual stuff. There are lots of grants and awards out there that reward specific achievements in very specialized disciplines, but I like the wide open nature of the genius grants. By the way, if anyone from MacArthur is reading this, please remember the kind things I'm saying when it's time for next year's awards. So, take a minute and check out the winners. If nothing else, I almost guarantee you'll say, "Cool," after reading about at least one of the recipients. That is, you will if you can get past that awful jealousy in the pit of your stomach.

Sorry blogging has been light the past couple of days. I've been busy and not much has been going on.