Here’s 1984, Moby Dick, ParÂadise Lost, The Great GatsÂby and othÂer clasÂsics boiled down to three lines, courÂtesy of McSweeny’s.
How’s This for a Book Trailer?
A couÂple weeks ago we talked about a new trend in the book pubÂlishÂing world — creÂatÂing proÂmoÂtionÂal videos for new books and letÂting them go viral on YouTube and othÂer social video sites. Here’s one of the betÂter examÂples I’ve seen. 12 books by LemoÂny SnickÂet get proÂmotÂed at once. Lots of bang for the marÂketÂing buck:
Salman Rushdie’s Book Tour Rolls Through Google
Salman Rushdie’s latÂest book, The Enchantress of FloÂrence: A NovÂel, has hit the streets. And it comes just three years after his last one, ShalÂiÂmar the Clown, which makes him a good deal more proÂlifÂic than many of his conÂtemÂpoÂraries. (A piece in The Guardian — The Great AmerÂiÂcan Pause — notes that many celÂeÂbratÂed novÂelÂists have been pubÂlishÂing books a bit more leisureÂly, often once every 10, 12 or even 20 years.) DurÂing his book tour last week, Rushdie travÂeled to Google’s HQ, where, among othÂer things, he talked about how he used Google and othÂer online tools to do the hisÂtorÂiÂcal research for The Enchantress of FloÂrence. The talk runs a good 70 minÂutes, and it takes you through the process that brought his work from conÂcept to realÂiÂty. Watch the video below.
Want to know how to add YouTube videos to your iPod? Then check out our piece: 10 Ways to Make Your iPod a BetÂter LearnÂing GadÂget.
The Candid Side of George Carlin
A quick find … I wantÂed to flag a good interÂview with George CarÂlin where he talks canÂdidÂly about his evoÂluÂtion as a comÂic and the strange traÂjecÂtoÂry of his career. The conÂverÂsaÂtion was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York. You can downÂload it here: iTunes — Feed — MP3 — Blog Post.
Also see the 92nd Street Y’s colÂlecÂtion on iTunes here, which we menÂtioned in our earÂliÂer post today.
iTunesU Goes Beyond The Campus: Spotlight on the ResearchChannel
In case you haven’t been watchÂing … Apple’s iTuneÂsU has startÂed strikÂing out in new direcÂtions. When it launched a litÂtle more than a year ago, iTuneÂsU served up free eduÂcaÂtionÂal conÂtent excluÂsiveÂly from uniÂverÂsiÂties. Now, it has gone “beyond the camÂpus.”
With this move, Apple is now feaÂturÂing ediÂfyÂing mateÂrÂiÂal from such instiÂtuÂtions as The New York PubÂlic Library, the 92nd Street Y (nice lookÂing colÂlecÂtion here), the NationÂal SciÂence DigÂiÂtal Library, and the CenÂter for StrateÂgic and InterÂnaÂtionÂal StudÂies. Also in the mix, you’ll find podÂcasts from the ResearchChanÂnel. Based out of the UniÂverÂsiÂty of WashÂingÂton, the ResearchChanÂnel brings togethÂer conÂtent from leadÂing research and acaÂdÂeÂmÂic instiÂtuÂtions (see memÂber list here), and then disÂtribÂutes it to conÂsumers mostÂly through satelÂlite and cable, but also via the web. iTuneÂsU is a fairÂly new disÂtriÂbÂuÂtion chanÂnel. And even newÂer is YouTube. (See their chanÂnel here.)
What kind of conÂtent does the ResearchChanÂnel serve up? Here’s a samÂpling of the proÂgrams you’ll find: Dark EnerÂgy, or Worse: Was EinÂstein Wrong?; BioenÂerÂgy and BioÂfuÂels: An Overview; The PsyÂcholÂoÂgy of Blink: UnderÂstandÂing How the Mind Works UnconÂsciousÂly; The Teen Brain; and Mesopotamia to Iraq: PerÂspecÂtives on the MidÂdle East.
The ResearchChanÂnel, I should menÂtion, is not the only venÂture in this line of busiÂness. The UChanÂnel (forÂmerÂly the UniÂverÂsiÂty ChanÂnel), comÂing out of PrinceÂton UniÂverÂsiÂty, offers a rather simÂiÂlar prodÂuct: Web site — iTunes — Rss feed — YouTube . LikeÂwise, FORA.TV does a good job of aggreÂgatÂing smart video: Web site — iTunes — Rss feeds — YouTube.
For more smart audio conÂtent, check our Ideas & CulÂture PodÂcast ColÂlecÂtion.
RIP: George Carlin on the Tonight Show (1966)
Here’s the obit. And here’s CarÂlin with JohnÂny CarÂson over 40 years ago, sportÂing a very difÂferÂent look. Rather remarkÂable to look at.
Also worth a look is his famous piece: SevÂen Dirty Words You Can’t Hear on TV because it formed the basis for a first amendÂment case that went to the US Supreme Court in the 1970s. ObviÂousÂly, givÂen the very nature of the conÂtent and case, you should know in advance that the video is not exactÂly “famÂiÂly-friendÂly” video.
YouTube’s New Screening Room (Free Indie Films)
YouTube just launched its new “ScreenÂing Room,” and there’s a good chance that the SunÂdance Film FesÂtiÂval will nevÂer quite be the same again.
The ScreenÂing Room presents high qualÂiÂty, indeÂpenÂdent films to YouTube users and promisÂes to roll out four new films every two weeks. GivÂen YouTube’s immense reach, these indies will immeÂdiÂateÂly find a vast interÂnaÂtionÂal audiÂence. Then, to sweetÂen the deal even furÂther, YouTube will offer filmÂmakÂers a major cut of the adverÂtisÂing revÂenue genÂerÂatÂed by the viewÂing of each video. Plus, hard and digÂiÂtal copies of the films can be sold as well. If this new venÂture gains tracÂtion (and you have to think it will), YouTube could sudÂdenÂly find itself the cenÂter of gravÂiÂty for the indie world, disÂplacÂing SunÂdance along the way.
The first four films feaÂtured in The ScreenÂing Room are hardÂly duds. The DanÂish Poet won the 2007 Oscar for best aniÂmatÂed short; Love and War won the same award at the Los AngeÂles Film FesÂtiÂval; Our Time Is Up got an Oscar nomÂiÂnaÂtion in 2006; and then there’s MiranÂda July’s “Are You the Favorite PerÂson of AnyÂbody?. The next batch of films comes out July 4. For more info, see this piece in the LA Times.
AddenÂdum: I have since stumÂbled upon this video that promotes/tells you more about the ScreenÂing Room.
The Grey Video: Mixing The Beatles with Jay‑Z
In 2004, DanÂger Mouse released The Grey Album which layÂered the rapÂper Jay-Z’s The Black Album on top of The BeaÂtÂles’ White Album. Black and white makes grey.
Now, on YouTube, you can find The Grey Video, which experÂiÂmenÂtalÂly brings DanÂger Mouse’s conÂcept to video. The video, creÂatÂed by two Swiss direcÂtors, meshÂes clips from The BeaÂtÂles’ film A Hard Day’s Night with footage of Jay‑Z perÂformÂing. Watch it below, and get more info on The Grey Album here. Also check our colÂlecÂtion of MP3 Music Blogs.
Warrantless Wiretaps: They’re Not Just for Terrorists Anymore; They’re for Pulitzer Prize Winners Too
The conÂtroÂverÂsy surÂroundÂing the Bush adminÂisÂtraÂtion’s advenÂtures with warÂrantÂless wireÂtapÂping first began in DecemÂber 2005, when the New York Times broke the stoÂry. DurÂing the months that folÂlowed, the whole debate remained fairÂly abstract. We talked about indiÂvidÂual rights and the powÂer of the execÂuÂtive. We nevÂer thought about the indiÂvidÂuÂals who were actuÂalÂly monÂiÂtored by the proÂgram. And that’s because we didÂn’t know who was on the govÂernÂmenÂt’s list, and because we assumed that the govÂernÂment was tarÂgetÂing terÂrorÂists, or those closeÂly conÂnectÂed to them … which isn’t exactÂly how things turned out.
The latÂest ediÂtion of This AmerÂiÂcan Life (entiÂtled “The Truth Will Out”) feaÂtures an interÂview with an apparÂent tarÂget of the wireÂtapÂping proÂgram. It’s none othÂer than Lawrence Wright, a staff writer for The New YorkÂer magÂaÂzine (see his latÂest piece here) who covÂers the MidÂdle East and won the Pulitzer Prize (2007) for his book: The LoomÂing TowÂer: Al QaeÂda and the Road to 9/11. DurÂing the segÂment (which starts at minute 26 of the hour-long proÂgram), Wright recounts how he disÂcovÂered the tapÂping, and how Mike McConnell, the DirecÂtor of NationÂal IntelÂliÂgence, reactÂed when Wright conÂfrontÂed him with this knowlÂedge. You can downÂload the proÂgram here: MP3 — iTunes — Feed.
By the way, This AmerÂiÂcan Life, perÂhaps the most popÂuÂlar podÂcast out there, is lookÂing to raise monÂey to keep the podÂcast going. You can donate monÂey here and supÂport pubÂlic radio at its best.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Ira Glass on Why CreÂative ExcelÂlence Takes Time
This AmerÂiÂcan Life DemysÂtiÂfies the Housing/Credit CriÂsis
Reading Marx’s Capital with David Harvey (Free Lectures)
David HarÂvey, an imporÂtant social theÂoÂrist and geoÂgÂraÂphÂer, has got the right idea. Take what you know. Teach it in the classÂroom. CapÂture it on video. Then disÂtribÂute it to the world. Keep it simÂple, but just do it.
In launchÂing this new web site, HarÂvey is makÂing availÂable 26 hours of lecÂtures, durÂing which he gives a close readÂing of Karl Marx’s Das KapÂiÂtal (1867). This work, often conÂsidÂered to be Marx’s masÂterÂpiece, is where he elabÂoÂratÂed a criÂtique of capÂiÂtalÂism and laid the groundÂwork for an ideÂolÂoÂgy that took the 20th cenÂtuÂry by storm (and then it disÂapÂpeared in a fairÂly quick snap). HarÂvey is no stranger to this text. He has taught this class for over 40 years now, both in uniÂverÂsiÂties (Johns HopÂkins and CUNY) and in the comÂmuÂniÂty as well.
The videos will be rolling out in stages. We have postÂed the first one below. (The first lecÂture actuÂalÂly starts about 6 minÂutes in. A short introÂducÂtion preÂcedes it). GenÂerÂalÂly, the videos can be accessed via HarÂvey’s web site, or via iTunes and RSS Feed. Also, we have placed the course in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Online CoursÂes, which keeps on growÂing. Find it under the “EcoÂnomÂics” secÂtion.
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