i believe scarlett johansson is real.

in discussing a [book about a] famous case of forgery involving paintings by Vermeer, one of the new york times blogs today sidles up to a discussion of simulacra, commodification, and performance in terms of identity and reputation. the blogger is hardly first on the scene, here, but it was sort of nice to read without excessive jargon that we never know exactly what kind of clothes the emperor is wearing, and that an absolute picture of the duds' "true" nature may be the least interesting thing about them.