May 2012
5 tags
Tumblr Ads
I believe I just saw my first Tumblr ad. And you know what? It was good. On my Radar, there is a gif of Coke being poured into a glass. It comes from the Coca-Cola account. Maybe I haven’t noticed an ad before, or maybe they weren’t as good, but as I wrote at the beginning of the month:
Tumblr is trying to tap into the creativeness that thrives on the platform and also let its users...
7 tags
“This again shows the inherent conflicts of investment banking,” added...”
– Facebook IPO shows galactic divide between investors
7 tags
On Privacy, Publishers Prefer the Sideline →
Are publishers kicking the can down the road when it comes to user privacy?
Privacy has been a thorny issue for publishers since the Web began. Most dealt with it in a simple way: get the lawyers to do a privacy policy, make sure not to use personally identifiable information and regularly point out the direct-mail industry is the one that should get the real scrutiny.
That lasted until it...
7 tags
Insight: Morgan Stanley cut Facebook estimates... →
In the run-up to Facebook’s $16 billion IPO, Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter on the deal, unexpectedly delivered some negative news to major clients: The bank’s consumer Internet analyst, Scott Devitt, was reducing his revenue forecasts for the company.
The sudden caution very close to the huge initial public offering, and while an investor roadshow was underway, was a big shock...
6 tags
Dimon’s Déjà Vu Debacle →
The point is that it’s not O.K. for banks to take the kinds of risks that are acceptable for individuals, because when banks take on too much risk they put the whole economy in jeopardy — unless they can count on being bailed out. And the prospect of such bailouts, of course, only strengthens the case that banks shouldn’t be allowed to run wild, since they are in effect gambling with taxpayers’...
5 tags
5 tags
4 tags
Arguably the biggest insight, however, comes from... →
But, interestingly, this trend did not hold up in the “one Pinocchio” category, in which Democrats predominated (forty versus twenty-six). In other words, although the Post flagged Democrats for a lot of minor sins, the more egregious falsehoods were clustered among Republicans. (In checking one of President Obama’s statements, Kessler acknowledged it was such a minor infraction that it might...
5 tags
"Community" now finds itself in the TV equivalent... →
Variety’s Andrew Wallenstein explains why Community is in a no-win situation. Click through to read the full post.
If there’s any hope in rejuvenating “Community,” the trick may be in not veering too far or quickly from the tone of the three prior seasons, problematic as it was. Too drastic an adjustment will scare off the base the series attracted in the first place.
“The article makes a point of quoting Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise...”
– Letter to the editor of the New York Times, eviscerating their “balanced” reporting on climate change. It’s a must read letter, here. (via climateadaptation)
4 tags
Nikola Tesla Wasn't God And Thomas Edison Wasn't... →
The Oatmeal is a fantastic comic that I recommend that you make a habit of reading. However, even the greatest can go astray, and I’m pained to admit that The Oatmeal has done so regarding someone I regard very highly, and that’s Nikola Tesla. Alas, The Oatmeal has fallen prey to Tesla idolatry, confusing his genius for godhood and of course, setting up the now all-too-common ‘Edison as Tesla’s...
Anyone else seeing Tumblr hiccups?
There’s no order to anything; posts disappear and reappear in random order. It’s like Tumblr has become schizophrenic.
Dan Harmon Poops: HEY, DID I MISS ANYTHING? →
danharmon:
Kids:
A few hours ago, I landed in Los Angeles, turned on my phone, and confirmed what you already know. Sony Pictures Television is replacing me as showrunner on Community, with two seasoned fellows that I’m sure are quite nice - actually, I have it on good authority they’re quite nice, because…
NBC should have just pulled the plug. Or, NBC should create a show where they...
6 tags
Why Music and Social Are Perfect Together →
The music industry has a love-hate relationship with digital media. On the one hand, the Internet obliterated the music industry’s business model. But, on the other, digital has proven an amazing tool for artists to spread their work and connect with fans. Digiday spoke with Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation, about the future of music in a digital world.
Has the transition from analog...
6 tags
“The complexity of a society’s technology has little to do with its level...”
– Charles C. Mann, in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. (pg 255)
4 tags
G.O.P. ‘Super PAC’ Weighs Hard-Line Attack on... →
People are crazy.
“The world is about to see Jeremiah Wright and understand his influence on Barack Obama for the first time in a big, attention-arresting way,” says the proposal, which was overseen by Fred Davis and commissioned by Joe Ricketts, the founder of the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade. Mr. Ricketts is increasingly putting his fortune to work in conservative politics.
The $10 million...
5 tags
Slave Graves, Somewhere, Complicate a Walmart’s... →
Dianne O’Neal still lives on the rustic cattle farm that her husband’s family has owned since his great-great-great-grandfather purchased the land in the 1830s. She still stays in a log cabin built from chestnut trees that his ancestors chopped by hand.
But one aspect of the family’s long history here in northern Alabama is not so well preserved: Coffee Cemetery, an overgrown one-acre graveyard...
7 tags
“Our history is in traditional print media,” said Smith. “What we set out to do...”
– Atlantic Media Company’s president, Justin Smith, explains how it has evolved from a 155-year-old traditional media company into a nimble digital juggernaut. It’s most recent entrant into the digital media space, Quartz, may be its boldest move yet.
Read the rest of the article at...
1 tag
5 tags
“There is no nice way of saying it,” Mrs. Engelman said. “Our community protects...”
–
The first shock came when Mordechai Jungreis learned that his mentally disabled teenage son was being molested in a Jewish ritual bathhouse in Brooklyn. The second came after Mr. Jungreis complained, and the man accused of the abuse was arrested.
Old friends started walking stonily past him and...
4 tags
4 tags
"I have to tell you that over the course of... →
9 tags
CBS Goes Solo in Social TV →
TV is social. That much we know. What’s unclear is what will form the social backbone that enables it to come to life easily and seamlessly for viewers.
The obvious answer is Twitter and Facebook. There are new, dedicated social TV apps like GetGlue and Miso. But you can bet that the content creators, which have poured so much money into creating the content that binds this audience, want to...
3 tags
6 tags
Inside The New York Times’ Skunkworks →
I got a peek behind the curtain:
Inside The New York Times building, there’s always a hum. And it’s not solely emanating from the multi-floor newsroom. It comes from the 28th floor, where Michael Zimbalist and his team of roughly a dozen staffers of the New York Times R&D Lab are sequestered from the rest of the The Gray Lady’s reporters, executives and staff. The NYT R&D Lab has the...
4 tags
After a long and remarkable life, my grandfather... →
The thud of the dirt that first hits the pine box. That’s the sound that always gets me. As does the site of the shovel, slowly maneuvering from hand to hand, and then lifting up the dirt from the mound that rests besides the grave. We’ve all been through this; it’s one of life’s interesting tid-bits that no matter our station, we will invariably go through the ritual of burying a loved one....
2 tags
3 tags
“I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying...”
– Joe Biden becomes the highest-ranking official to endorse same-sex marriage. (via think-progress)
David Axelrod on Twitter: What VP said-that all married couples should have exactly the same legal rights-is precisely POTUS’s position.
3 tags
9 tags
“Cortes was directly responsible for much of the carnage in Tenochtitlan, but the...”
– From Charles Mann’s 1491 (pg 146).
An amazing read.
3 tags
Press Statement on Chen Guangcheng
statedept:
Press Statement Victoria Nuland Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC May 4, 2012
The Chinese Government stated today that Mr. Chen Guangcheng has the same right to travel abroad as any other citizen of China. Mr. Chen has been offered a fellowship from an American university, where he can be accompanied by his wife and two children.
The Chinese Government has indicated...
7 tags
“The overall thesis of what we’re trying to do is empower and highlight...”
– Derek spoke to me about Tumblr’s new ad platform.
Click here to read the article.
If you haven't recently, tell your family and...
7 tags
The Olympics Go for Gold in Social →
NBC has been the home to the Summer Olympics for the last quarter century. Over the last decade, the Internet has reshaped the way events are broadcast. During the 2008 Summer Games, Web video took center stage with mixed results. Now, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, the 2012 games are being touted as the Olympiad that collides with social media.
NBC is still keeping its plans with brands...
4 tags
Boasting About Bin Laden →
When even Huffington thinks a Democratic attack goes too far, it usually has. And yet a moment’s scrutiny reveals that her argument doesn’t make much sense. Why do we have election seasons, after all, if not to argue about which candidate would be better-suited to making decisions that put Americans in harm’s way overseas? How can we not politicize national security, given how central it is to...
5 tags
Circa Wants to Reinvent News →
Contrary to popular belief, journalism is alive and well. The business model, well, that’s a different story. Part of it has to do with all the different ways we get our information. Part of it has to do with media sticking its collective head in the sand when it comes to adapting to the changing landscape.
That could start to change. One ambitious startup, Circa, wants to rethink the news...
7 tags
Battle of the Brands: Fender vs. Gibson →
In this week’s edition of Battle of the Brands, we take a look at two American icons and innovators: Fender and Gibson Guitars. Music is as social as it is personal, so which one hits the right notes and strikes the right chords on the social media stage?
April 2012
2 tags
2 tags
10 tags
"The Hobbit": Peter Jackson annoys film buffs with...
shortformblog:
cause Director Peter Jackson’s upcoming take on “The Hobbit,” on top of being created in 3D, uses a technique unusual for mainstream films — it’s shot at 48 frames per second, double what most films use.
reaction Many fans who saw an early ten-minute screening of the film at CinemaCon found the frame rate to be a significant change, with some saying that the film felt artificial...
7 tags
“This is not really a victory of any sort or even necessarily something to be...”
– Sometime Monday afternoon, 1 World Trade Center will eclipse the Empire State Building as the tallest building in New York City. Via the NYT.
5 tags
“This year, the man who planned [the Osama Bin Laden] mission, Vice Adm. William...”
– White House correspondents’ dinner: Where Hollywood, Capitol Hill shine | Washington Post (by Dan Zak)
I think this sums things up.
(via imwithkanye)
Does the White House press corps, and all the other journalists that descend upon DC for the dinner, lose credibility with the American public...