December 2008
55 posts
Official Air Force Document: How to Respond to a... →
Two thoughts on this:
Geez, that’s quite the document there.
This is your tax dollars at work.
Worst Idea of 2008 Comes on December 30 →
Douglas A. McIntyre of BloggingStocks (who?) thinks the New York Times’ business section — which he says is “not unique” — should outsource its pages fully to Bloomberg News or the Financial Times.
Uh, OK.
WatchWhile it looks like Warner Bros’ “Watchmen” film is still in legal disarray, News Corp’s MySpace just posted this new preview of the film (the two companies are in court now trying to sort out the rights issue).
Sounds like there’s some positive news to be found in this, no?
Gawker Media to Sell Defamer →
In the news about Gawker Media selling Consumerist to Consumers Union, Nick Denton drops the bomb that he’s looking to sell Defamer (with one interested party already). So, of the four city-focused blogs that Gawker Media once had, only the flagship title remains— and that is getting a more national focus.
“Gawker Media tells us that since implementing Facebook Connect, user...”
– Via Silicon Alley Insider, it looks like Facebook Connect has shown impressive early returns for those content sites participating in the program. Putting aside the quality of the new commenters (an oxymoron, at best), this sounds like a winner in a down economy— and something that will...
“If the U.S. were a product line, it would be seen now as deeply damaged goods,...”
– Via Bob Herbert’s column today in the New York Times. For those who like pictures more than words, the same points made in Herbert’s column can be found over at Salon.
Is Ben Lyons The Worst Film Critic in the U.S.? →
Short answer: Yes.
Six Days
I have a full six days before I report back to work next Monday, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Between carving out some time for dinner and drinks with friends — as well as to tackle several books I want to read — I’ve managed to lightly schedule my week.
As someone who is driven by his Outlook calendar, I must say, this is perfection personified.
Let’s make every hour...
"Conchords" Online Buzz Takes Off →
Love that people are finally finding “Flight of the Conchords”— although I’m worried about Bret and Jemaine’s nondesire to do a third season.
“His life with women had always been a victim of his life at sea— brief...”
– A line from Alan Furst’s “Dark Voyage,” and all too true in my case.
WatchThe best opening comments from Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
The best: “Welcome to the monkey house, no animals were harmed in the filming of this episode. We tried…but that damn monkey was just too fast.”
“Like Caden, I generally don’t see the proverbial glass half empty; I tend to see...”
– Great article yesterday by the New York Times’ Manohla Dargis that recapped the 2008 year in film— a must-read for cinephiles.
God bless Eater, they’ve put together a map showing all the dessert places that have now taken over the East Village here.
Sometimes I wonder, though, what East Villagers of the 1970’s would think of this development— their little corner of the world overtaken by fro-yo (not that it had been created yet) and cupcakes. I think they would be both amused and horrified by this...
““The news industry, made lazy by fat profit margins and near-monopolies in...”
– Great essay by Robert Niles over at the Online Journalism Review.
Atlanta Braves: If You Can't Trust An Agent, Who... →
Southeners are such a naive, trusting bunch. (Athough, my take — from reading the article — is that the agent was likely put in a bad spot by his client.) But, still, haven’t the Braves ever seen “Entourage?” Never trust any type of agent.
PS: Watch Out for Evil Holiday Cards
Last Sunday, I traveled up to the Mohegan Sun to see your friend and mine — the Tumblrette Zorica — in a performance of ”The Nutcracker.” Twas a long train ride to get from NYC to Uncasville, CT, so I brought a bunch of holiday cards to do on the ride up. Was able to able to do a bunch, although I had to rip up a few as a result of the train version of turbulence.
Like a...
"The Great Gatsby" Will Be Remade Again, This Time... →
Really, really looking forward to the end result here.
"How I Met Your Mother" Cast Reenacts Best Moments... →
Some great photos to be seen here— including Neil Patrick Harris taking on Indy. Highlight: NPH somehow cajoles Jason Segel into shaving his armpits.
Idaho Legislator Wants to Require Use of Real... →
Scary stuff, kids, scary stuff.
"What Journalists Could Learn From the Music... →
“Even if the Big Three deserve to die, they shouldn’t die now. Economic...”
– Columnist Eugene Robinson getting down to brass tacks in today’s Washington Post. You go with the auto industry you have, not the auto industry you want.
Unfunny People Make “Flight of the Conchords”... →
I love “Flight of the Conchord,” but the best HBO can rustle up is Andy Dick and College Humor’s Jake and Amir? Try harder, please!
Jay Carney, brother of John Carney of...
cajunboy:
Does this news mean that Joe Biden will be soon making an appearance at The Magician? Katie Bakes has her fingers crossed, I’m sure.
No, not related— already asked him, this is a different Carney. (Like there’s a Democratic member of John’s family, c’mon now.)
“Did I mention how ticked off monkeys get if they find out they’re getting...”
– Such a great throw-away line from Gail Collins in today’s New York Times. For some odd reason, this reminds me of a certain Shawshank Redemption quote.
“The famous story is about a photographer who submitted an expense account during...”
– Taken from a fun look at the history of the expense accounts at Time Inc, via Jesse Oxfeld at The Daily Beast.
(PS: I’m finally catching up on my reading this weekend. More TK!)
“As great newspapers, magazines, TV networks, and publishing houses dismember...”
– Tina Brown, really hitting the mark with a column this week at The Daily Beast. I urge everyone — whatever industry they may be in — to give this a read.
“Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important.”
– Carl Reiner (via kari-shma and soupsoup)
Since Ms. McCarthy mentioned the Talking Heads a...
Chris Cornell covers Bob Marley’s...
How’s about this for an interesting idea?
Cantor Fitzgerald is trying to create an exchange that would let traders buy warrants predicting movie openings, keying off of another property it has— the Hollywood Stock Exchange, a virtual ‘fantasy’ exchange where no real money trades hands.
Count me in, think I could make some money on this.
“Whether it is McClatchy trying to sell bayfront Miami Herald land, or Tribune...”
– Ken Doctor, in a wonderful article from Content Bridges last night
“There’s an urban legend that’s gone around until no one is sure who...”
– From an article in this week’s Page Six Magazine (not yet online), which looks at Murray’s recent forays into Brooklyn house parties and wonders aloud if he is going through a mid-life crisis.
"Is America Really "Center-Right"?" No. →
Slate’s Christopher Beam blows away the conventional wisdom spawned by pundits.
Neil Young’s “Heart of...
“If you know someone who is happy, that makes you 15.3 percent more likely to be...”
– Findings from a study published online today by the British Medical Journal. Los Angeles Times story is here, above is via Slate’s terrific daily feature, “Today’s Papers.”
Happy Is Where I Be Now
A year or so back, a recruiter called me and asked if I’d be interested in moving across the country to be a part of a large bank’s PR team. Sounded like a great opportunity, but I quickly dismissed the possibility (I’m really happy in my current job, have been for a bit despite the long hours).
Smash cut to the present: The bank was acquired recently by JPMorgan Chase after...
Chris: Girl Talk is playing on surround sound. My apt is a dance party of one. Is that not sad?
Andrew: it's not sad because you're off work
Chris: I am working. Who said a TPS report cannot be punctuated by a fistpump??
Workers Give Up - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com →
doree:
Why the horrible jobs report is even horribler than you thought.
NY Times Blows Away Competition During October
This is absolutely amazing to me: Nielson Online compiles a list of the top 10 newspapers — ranked by pageviews for the month of October. Editor & Publisher has the story.
Coming in number one is the New York Times, with just under 800 million pageviews during that month.
If you add up the next 7 newspapers’ pageviews (#2 -8), they are not able to top the New York Times’...
Yes Sheila YES. →
(via katiebakes) Can we help Sheila out by getting this moved up on Digg. Note new link to Digg link above.
Journalism’s Battle for Relevance in an "Age of... →
— This is a fantastic article from the current issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, which looks at how much content there is out there (no mention of tumblr, though) and how news consumers are overloaded. How should newspapers and other media tackle this issue?
“Kelvin McKenzie, probably the world’s greatest tabloid editor (certainly...”
– From Neil Chenoweth’s “Rupert Murdoch: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Media Wizard,” via a Jack Shafer column in Slate. Someday, I dream of shouting “reverse ferret!” in my own workplace.