there are 5 posts from November 2006
why i love buzzfeed
So last night I was telling someone about Buzzfeed, and how much I’ve been enjoying it, and they took a look and then asked the obvious question: why? And all day I’ve been struggling to come up with the one particular reason why I’m so enamored with the site, and I can’t. Instead, I think it’s all of little things pieced together.
Like the fact that it’s a highly editorialized look at bottoms up behavior. And, like other aggregation sites, it can then amplify what they find interesting. And the category mix. And the appreciative and dismissive editorial voice. And the judicious use of red, white and blue. And the big fonts! And the claim, made with a straight face, that “the moment we detect new buzz, it appears in a special terminal interface used by our editors.” And, finally, the indeterminate yet open-ended business model possibilities that signify the bright, shiny promise of web two point oh.
Oh, and I’m also enjoying Very Short List, in case you’re wondering.
talking with steven johnson
Yesterday Anil and I had the distinct pleasure of talking with Steven Johnson for our podcast series at books.typepad.com. As the kids say, [this is good]. Take a listen, and forgive us our bumper, as we forgive those who’ve bumpered against us.
scissors paper rock
I have a friend who can’t stand to listen to NPR in the car; she classifies it as “talk radio.” Which means she most likely missed the best interview I’d heard in a while, Steve Inskeep’s conversation this morning with Jason Simmons, a professional rock, paper, scissors player. Every second is gold; highly recommended.
it's michael :)
Junk Folder (detail), 2006.
i stalk so you don't have to
Alex Ross on Steve Reich’s Piano Phase in the New Yorker:
The opening section uses only the notes E, F-sharp, B, C-sharp, and D, which, when run together in rapid patterns, suggest the key of B minor. Halfway in, the note A is added to the series, tilting the harmony toward A major. This small change never fails to have a brightening, energizing impact. Pieces like this can leave you happy for hours, like drugs without the mess.
And Ross has a great post on his blog with a bunch of links to Reich related stuff (birthday and otherwise), including a YouTube’d performance of Eight Lines from London.