Bad guys Here’s something you didn’t think you needed: The complete visual guide to the 37 villains of the Batman TV series. On a different note FastCo brings us the unauthorized biography of everyone’s favorite emoji. Millennials, again This article from NPR seems to do a good job of cutting through the popular narrative to provide some actual facts and figures about the current “it” generation. (There sure are a lot of them.) The real challenge is to duplicate the results From NTY Mag, a…
Read MoreGlassnost After 12 years, The New Republic takes a fresh look at the man behind the scandal that almost ended it: Hello, My Name Is Stephen Glass, and I’m Sorry. But mostly it’s the skinny jeans Because you’ve been wondering, here’s a unified mathematical theory of hipsterism. You probably will believe what happens next Being inclined towards skepticism myself, I found this profile of The Amazing Randi utterly fascinating. Unfair use The Eiffel Tower’s lighting design is new enough to still fall under copyright, which…
Read MoreChapters in history A brief but elucidating history of the chapter from the New Yorker. Put down that sandwich People make better complex choices when they’re hungry. (Grocery shopping decisions apparently are not complex.) Dollars and sentences Jill Abramson, former executive editor for the New York Times is starting a new venture that aims to pay $100,000 advances to journalists. That’s saxy NPR wishes a happy birthday to Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone (what a modest guy), a monstrosity of an instrument that somehow…
Read MoreBYOD The future of in-flight entertainment is in your hands. (See what I did there?) Tell me something I don’t know Here’s an interesting survey comparing perceptions versus reality in different countries on various controversial topics. Possibly related The NY Times says Facebook is changing journalism. On the front line Meet the invisible team keeping Facebook clean. In your ears The Atlantic rounds up binge-worthy podcasts. (If you aren’t already listening to Serial, you really should.) Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog…
Read MorePencil stuff You’re so right, The Atlantic, erasers do suck at erasing. (They also tell you why.) Dept. of crisis management In 1989, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Bay area just as the A’s and Giants were set to play game 3 of the World Series. Fox Sports has an interesting profile of then-commissioner Fay Vincent. Commas matter Pricenomics takes a look at the most expensive typo in legislative history. Dept. of I’m getting old After a 4-day stunt where they played nothing but…
Read MoreWomen etc. Technology jobs weren’t always a male-dominated as it is at today’s major tech firms. From NPR, “The Forgotten Female Programmers who Created Modern Tech.” Pooch news Dog years aren’t really a thing, at least not in the 7:1 ratio you’re used to hearing about. Ello again If you’re trying to stand out in the job market, I guess you have to do whatever it takes. This recent grad decided a good way to do so would be to start ello accounts for media…
Read MoreThe weird running is the best part The Library of Congress turned up some well-preserved old newsreel footage of the 1924 World Series. The footage, which shows the Senators beating the Giants and the fans storming the field, is way more exciting than TBS’s post-season baseball coverage. Not the kind of jam I like In The Physics of Gridlock, The Atlantic looks at what causes traffic jams. (Spoiler alert: it’s all your fault.) A prediction’s worth 1,000 words Despite repeated predictions throughout history, why haven’t…
Read MoreSporting News ESPN this week suspended Bill Simmons over comments he made about the NFL’s Roger Goodell on a podcast. The internet has opinions about it. The other 99% The Washington Post declares podcasts back in with this profile of Roman Mars, so get your ears ready. What the Ello? For those of you who like to keep up on the comings and goings of social networks, there’s a new one out there now, and you can only get in with an invite. Here’s two…
Read MoreRe: can of worms A follow up to last week’s Newsweek article by the journalist who read an responded to every pitch: Dear PR People Everywhere: I Am Not Your Savior. Job stuff This career advice from W+K executive creative director Mark Fritzloff might be useful to you. Purple state I, um… uh… really like language maps like this one. Positively negative There’s a fine line between being a pessimist and a jerk, but according to The Atlantic, it may be a line worth toeing….
Read MoreInbox gajillion If any part of you making a living depends at all on interacting with journalists, this is required reading: I Read and Replied to Every Single PR Email I Received for a Week. Dot dot dot It’s not just you—those text message typing indicators cause all kinds of people all kinds of stress. Sleep on it Maybe your friendly neighborhood overachiever really is doing things in her sleep? As seen on the web Despite the infomercial-like headline, this advice seems quite useful: The…
Read MoreCaesus paratus Actual researchers at an actual university (as far as I can tell) used actual science to determine what cheeses make the best, perfectly browned pizza topping. What? You may have heard that Hello Kitty is apprently not a cat. Twitter freaked out about it a little bit. Today in publicity stunts Taco Bell is giving away a “lifetime” supply of free Taco Bell. That’s a wrap Tony Soprano is either dead or not dead. It’s not very insta Instagram’s new app, Hyperlapse, is…
Read MoreEven his pivots have pivots Stewart Butterfield really wants to make a particular kind of online game. He’s tried and failed twice now. The first failure spawned Flickr. The second attempt has now led to Slack, the hottest boring startup in all the land. Jarring trends If it seems like you’ve seen more things in Mason jars lately, it’s not your imagination. In what the New York Times labels a desire for authenticity, demand for the screw-top glass jars has surged in recent years. Out…
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