"In Silicon Valley, Perks Now Begin at Home"
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Interesting piece about perks geared toward whole-life realities and peace of mind.
Chris Mills on Kickstarter
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The other day, I tweeted some frustration about the news that a world-famous film director had turned to Kickstarter to fund a new project. Yesterday, I learned that one of my favorite (but maybe not yet financially set-for-life) singer-songwriters, Chris Mills, had too. That’s more like it. I’ve been listening to Chris and seeing him live since my days living in Chicago in the late 90s. Great songs, really nice guy.
Monocle 24 Turns One
Monday, October 15, 2012
A short film about the radio station’s first year. Can’t say I’ve ever connected with the music they play, but I enjoy subscribing to a handful of podcasts, with The Stack, Section D, and The Entrepreneurs at the top of the list.
"Drunk With Power"
Sunday, October 14, 2012
In the New York Times Magazine, an in-depth look at Jon Rimmerman’s $30-million-a-year wine-selling business. It’s a tale of “vivid stories” being told through “idiosyncratic e-mails.” Wine + content strategy = article made for me.
"The Self-Destruction of the 1 Percent"
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Interesting historical perspective from Chrystia Freeland, writing in the Times: The story of Venice’s rise and fall is told by the scholars Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, in their book “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty,” as an illustration of their thesis that what separates successful states from failed ones is whether their governing institutions are inclusive or extractive. Extractive states are controlled by ruling elites whose objective is to extract as much wealth as they can from the rest of society.
Marco's "The Magazine"
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Really looking forward to checking out this new iOS magazine from Marco Arment. From his announcement: But just as the App Store has given software developers a great new option for accepting direct payment, Newsstand has given publishers an even bigger opportunity with subscription billing and prominent placement. Yet most publishers aren’t experimenting with radical changes. They can’t — to fund their huge staffs and production costs, they can’t afford to deviate from yesterday’s model.
Making a Book @ TOKY
Monday, October 8, 2012
"> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:612px;"> <div style="padding-bottom:100%;" class=" image-block-wrapper has-aspect-ratio "> <img src="http://sschenkenberg.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/928bb-image-asset.jpeg" alt="" /><img class="thumb-image" alt="" /> </div> </figure> </div> At the TOKY office, working on a big book project with some great collaborators: Mark Katzman and Gautam Yadama. Via We Are TOKY.
Kessler Continued: On Rilke, His Lips & War
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Following up on my previous post about this extraordinary 900-page book — I finished it last night — here are a few more remarkable passages around which I drew my customary lines, stars, and exclamation marks: Paris, February 1905: With [Théodore] Duret to Mademoiselle Courbet, Courbet’s sister. Works of Courbet from all periods, especially interesting the Demoiselles de la Seine (around ‘66) and quite early pictures from Courbet’s childhood when he was fifteen to seventeen.
Count Harry Kessler: "You Cannot Waste Time When You're Young"
Sunday, September 30, 2012
<figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:338px;"> <div style="padding-bottom:147.63313293457%;" class=" image-block-wrapper has-aspect-ratio "> <img src="http://sschenkenberg.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/198bd-kessler.jpg" alt="kessler.jpg" /><img class="thumb-image" alt="kessler.jpg" /> </div> </figure> </div> Last April, I read an extraordinary review-essay by New Yorker classical music critic Alex Ross about the following book: Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler, 1880-1918. Ross, one of my favorite cultural writers, told a vivid story of someone with seemingly unlimited reach in European cultural circles, someone who might have breakfast with Rilke, discuss art with Rodin over lunch, spend an early evening looking after a deteriorating Nietzsche, and look ahead to a weekend with Vuillard.
"50 Books/50 Covers" Winners for 2011
Friday, September 28, 2012
Some beauties in this annual competition, which is put on by Design Observer, AIGA, and Designers & Books.
David Carr on Atlantic Media's David G. Bradley
Monday, September 24, 2012
From the NYT profile: What is the way forward for a 155-year old-magazine that once published Emerson and Longfellow? Digital first and last, with ancillary revenue from conferences. The magazine, edited by James Bennet, is still very much in the middle of the conversation, but these days it is prized mostly for bringing luster to digital assets like Atlantic.com, Atlantic Wire, Atlantic Cities, and beginning Monday, Quartz. And later: “It’s become very, very clear to me that digital trumps print, and that pure digital, without any legacy costs, massively trumps print,” Mr.
"Lessons For Building A Tablet Magazine That's Actually Worth Using"
Friday, September 21, 2012
From Co.Design: The New Yorker has seen success with its relatively straightforward digital edition, but there’s nothing that really differentiates it from the print version, except maybe that it’ll save you the embarrassment of having a tower of unread issues on your nightstand. Aside from poet-spoken poems? Videos? Supplemental documents? Slideshows of artworks? Movie clips? This suggestion (even made in slight jest) — that only futuristic interactive material counts as worthwhile tablet content — gives me the blues.
Zadie Smith Profiles Jay-Z
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Two of my favorites. At one point, Smith introduces another lyrical gem (“I got watches I ain’t seen in months / Apartment at the Trump I only slept in once”), then rebuts a likely critique: But asking why rappers always talk about their stuff is like asking why Milton is forever listing the attributes of heavenly armies. Because boasting is a formal condition of the epic form. And those taught that they deserve nothing rightly enjoy it when they succeed in terms the culture understands.
Popping Up in the New York Times
Friday, August 17, 2012
Hey, there’s The New York Times covering Abstractions Arrive! The piece, written by David Streitfeld, includes a new interview with Gass about books and technology. Thanks for the nod, Paper of Record!
The Pussy Riot Closing Statements
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Remarkable and brave. And here’s David Remnick, who spent years living in and covering Russia, on the scandal. His post includes video of Tolokonnikova reading her statement.
Reporting on NMPS 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
At the TOKY Blog, I offer five key take-aways from attending the National Museum Publishing Seminar last June.
MATCHBOOK. bikinis meet their match
Monday, July 30, 2012
“Clever matches between bathing suits and books." Great idea.
“The Gass Sentences: A Top 50”
Monday, July 30, 2012
Today is William Gass’ 88th birthday. For the Big Other website, John Madera asked some writers, readers, and publishers to name their own “literary pillars,” as a tribute to Gass and his “50 Literary Pillars” project from the early 1990s. After being invited to contribute, I went in a slightly different direction.
"First of all, we don't publish slideshows"
Friday, July 27, 2012
Great email from BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti to his troops about why the site’s succeeding right now.
@KimKierkegaard
Sunday, July 22, 2012
KimKierkegaardashian: The philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard mashed with the tweets and observations of Kim Kardashian. Genius.