FlashÂback to 1966. The BeaÂtÂles hold a press conÂferÂence in LA, on the eve of their very last live conÂcert. As you’ll see, the quesÂtions range from the frivÂoÂlous (“What do you think of AmerÂiÂcan womÂen’s legs?”) to the more seriÂous (“Do you realÂly think you’re more popÂuÂlar than God?” Or, “What would hapÂpen if you came to an event withÂout an armored truck and withÂout police?”). A brief glimpse into a day in the life of a BeaÂtÂle. Part 1 is above. Part 2 is here. And Part 3, here.
If you haven’t heard the news… Sony is releasÂing a new e‑book readÂer, its answer to AmaÂzon’s KinÂdle. RetailÂing at $399, the Sony readÂer will feaÂture a touch screen (someÂthing the KinÂdle doesÂn’t have) and the abilÂiÂty to downÂload books wireÂlessÂly (someÂthing the KinÂdle does have). It will also proÂvide access to thouÂsands of free (pubÂlic domain) books & docÂuÂments proÂvidÂed by Google Book Search. A nice touch.
But I’m wonÂderÂing whether the Sony readÂer will beat the KinÂdle in the one catÂeÂgoÂry that realÂly counts? Will it have a truÂly readÂable screen? The Sony and AmaÂzon screens each use “e‑ink” techÂnolÂoÂgy, which doesÂn’t cut the musÂtard. As NicholÂson BakÂer recentÂly wrote in The New YorkÂer, “The probÂlem was not that the screen was in black-and-white; if it had realÂly been black-and-white, that would have been fine. The probÂlem was that the screen was gray. And it wasn’t just gray; it was a greenÂish, sickÂly gray. A postÂmortem gray. The resizÂable typeÂface, MonoÂtype CaeÂcilÂia, appeared as a darkÂer gray. Dark gray on paler greenÂish gray was the palette of the AmaÂzon KinÂdle.”
HopeÂfulÂly Sony figÂures this piece out. If not, Apple may. AccordÂing to The Wall Street JourÂnal, Steve Jobs is back at Apple, just months after his livÂer transÂplant, workÂing hard and raisÂing the blood presÂsure of Apple employÂees, as they preÂpare to roll out a mulÂtiÂmeÂdia tablet that’s rumored to include, yes, an e‑book readÂer.
Back in DecemÂber 2007, I made a bet against Google Knol, the search giant’s answer to Wikipedia. In a fairÂly involved piece, I listÂed three reaÂsons why Knol wouldÂn’t upend Wikipedia. Now fast forÂward 18+ months: Tech Crunch has reportÂed that Knol’s trafÂfic is trendÂing down. It peaked in FebÂruÂary at around 320,000 visÂiÂtors per month, accordÂing to QuantÂcast estiÂmates. Now it’s at around 174,000. (See the graph here.) The botÂtom line? You can’t win at everyÂthing. But forÂtuÂnateÂly there’s some good new things comÂing out of Google, and we’ll be menÂtionÂing them in the comÂing days.
Between 1968 and 1972, StewÂart Brand pubÂlished The Whole Earth CatÂaÂlog. For Steve Jobs, it was a “Bible” of his genÂerÂaÂtion, a kind of Google 35 years before Google came along (see the excelÂlent comÂmenceÂment speech where Jobs makes these comÂments.) More recentÂly, Brand foundÂed The Long Now FounÂdaÂtion, which is all about culÂtiÂvatÂing “slower/better” thinkÂing instead of the “faster/cheaper” mindÂset that domÂiÂnates our day. (You can get The Long Now podÂcast here: iTunes — Feed — Web Site. It’s also in our Ideas & CulÂture Audio ColÂlecÂtion.) Brand is good at lookÂing thoughtÂfulÂly into the future, and above he takes a long-range view on our globÂal cliÂmate probÂlems. The upshot is that “we are as gods” and we had betÂter get good at it. If you watch, you’ll see what I’m talkÂing about. This video origÂiÂnalÂly comes from the EDGE.org.
These days, David Sedaris is the thinkÂing perÂsonÂ’s favorite funÂny man. In the past, we have feaÂtured his live readÂings of comÂic mateÂrÂiÂal from When You are Engulfed in Flames. (See “RelatÂed ConÂtent” below.) Today, we’re highÂlightÂing someÂthing a litÂtle difÂferÂent. On August 19th, Sedaris appeared as a guest DJ on KCRW, a radio staÂtion in Los AngeÂles, and spun his favorite old records. You can lisÂten with the playÂer below or here. MeanÂwhile, if you want to hear more of KCRÂW’s Guest DJ Project (which has feaÂtured David Lynch, JimÂmy Wales, and othÂer culÂturÂal icons), you can get the podÂcast here: iTunes — Feed — Web Site.
You’ve all heard about Helen Keller and her teacher Annie SulÂliÂvan. Now, thanks to this vinÂtage footage from the 1930s, you can see Keller in the flesh and disÂcovÂer how she learned to talk (then evenÂtuÂalÂly became an author, lecÂturÂer, and chamÂpiÂon of many proÂgresÂsive causÂes). It’s worth watchÂing, parÂticÂuÂlarÂly through the stirÂring finÂish. We’ve added this clip to our YouTube Favorites.
A quick note: AudiÂble has recentÂly launched a series called the AudiÂble ModÂern VanÂguard (more details here) that brings groundÂbreakÂing works and authors into unabridged audio for the first time. Here, you’ll find works by Paul Auster (one of my faves), Saul BelÂlow, John CheevÂer, John IrvÂing, Kurt VonÂnegut, and William Kennedy.
There are some good “reads” here, and, unless I’m misÂtakÂen, there’s a way that you can downÂload one for free. I’ve creÂatÂed a page where you can get inforÂmaÂtion on AudiÂble’s (no strings attached) 14 day triÂal here, which gives you a comÂpleteÂly free downÂload of any audio book you choose.
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