Entries from April 2010

Apr. 13, 2010

Nexted

Facebook introduced the verb to “friend.” Chatroulette has introduced “nexted.” When two strangers meet randomly face to face either one can “next” the other, immediately, or at any time in the conversation. The NEXT button terminates the meeting and brings on the next stranger. If you are not female, or over 30, you’ll most likely [...]

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Apr. 13, 2010

The Burry Principle

“Once you become an idea’s defender, you have a harder time changing your mind about it.” — Michael Lewis, The Big Short, paraphrasing investor Michael Burry (slightly paraphrased again by me)

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Apr. 11, 2010

Is an ebook still a book?

When a printed book is transferred to an electronic device connected to the Internet, it turns into something very like a Web site. — Nicholas Carr, “The Post-Book Book,” quoting his own upcoming book The Shallows

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Apr. 9, 2010

Can a writer quit?

… our tendency to view writing as a sort of an existential vocation, rather than a job, gets in the way of our ability to grasp that a person who writes one or two (or even five) books at one stage of his life ought not to be constantly asked when their next is coming [...]

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Apr. 6, 2010

Will e-novels be shorter?

Will e-novels be shorter than p-novels — you know, books, the things made with paper and ink?

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