The end of June and all of July were pretty hectic (though then again, so were May and August), and finishing these columns wasn't top priority. A number of ideas for columns had already taken shape, but the actual writing of them was delayed again and again. Ultimately, the June column more or less went according to plan, but the July column lost its focus and demanded a replacement. And since, in true hypertextual fashion, reflecting that original hypertext - the Talmud, there's neither early nor late in cyberspace, there's no reason not to write a column that's supposedly published before the events mentioned in it took place.
(For an only slightly related article, but a great read just the same,
try:
The Curious Case of
the Cockeyed Chronology - a page I've wanted to link to
for quite a while, but haven't found, or taken, the opportunity until now.)