December 2008
11 posts
A comment on reading and books
The following is a comment I left on this thoughtful blog post, The Long Decline of Reading at Mssv
I know that I read far fewer books now than I did ten years ago. However, I think that between the web (esp my RSS reader) and the New Yorker, I actually spend as much or more time reading. I certainly read a greater volume of material, since much of what I read on the web can be scanned/skimmed...
“Debating the holidays, is like debating sex acts. Dude, there’s no clean...”
– Ta-Nehisi Coates
Bentham's Bathroom
magicmolly:
Of the problems bedeviling coffee shop managers, none must be so annoying as bathroom maintenance. There is the threat of graffiti, drug use, general mess, and use by non-customers. The task of fending off non-customers is a complicated one. What managers need is some kind of semi-permeable membrane, like cells have, to admit some things while blocking others. Most coffee shops have...
Dolphins using sponges as tools for hunting →
“The simple innovation dramatically changed their behavior, hunting habits and social life, the researchers found. Those that adopted it became loners who spend much more time on the hunt than others and dive more deeply in search of prey. The sponging dolphins teach the technique to all their young, but only the females seem to grasp the idea.”
Authenticity in tone - flickr love(s/d) you →
“…Moreover, it sounds like someone rather than something is saying it.
It sounds authentic.
Stop for a second and reread any paragraph in this article, but this time, I want you to listen to the voice you’ve constructed in your head. It sounds like you. This is why, when we meet, you’re going to be confused because I don’t sound like you. You do.
You trust this voice and the more...
“It’s interesting to me that these images are propaganda for both the...”
– Historiann, in a comment on a post by Ortho at Baudrillard’s Bastard about images of dogs urinating in the prints produced by British Americans during the War for Independence
“If you want to do viral marketing, you can try to come up with a viral ad, but...”
– Seth Godin on his blog discussing “What is viral marketing?”
“VC funding will probably dry up somewhat during the present recession, like it...”
– From an excellent and thought-provoking essay by Paul Graham (apparently controversial too)
Set profile to private, change name if ducking a... →
from The WOMMA Word Blog:
Here is one friend request you cannot ignore. After a lawyer for MKM Capital failed in its attempts to reach an Australian couple at their house and by e-mail, a court in Australia approved the use of Facebook to serve a foreclosure notice. In a statement, Facebook praised the ruling. “We’re pleased to see the Australian court validate Facebook as a reliable,...
Mix yr own NPR podcast using keywords →
“National Public Radio (NPR) here in the US has some great audio content and the offering got even better today with the release of a new “mix your own” podcast option. Users enter a list of categories and keywords and the NPR site dynamically generates an RSS feed you can subscribe to in iTunes or elsewhere. It’s just the latest innovation built on top of the new NPR...
“ADBlog: Of course every visitor to our website wants to know, Will there be an...”
– Interview with former Arrested Development writer Maria Semple at http://arresteddevelopmentblog.com/2008/12/interview-maria-semple-writer-arrested-development/ 