Sometimes when we lose our heroes we lose ourselves. And the corollary holds. Growing up I frequently got through the day (hour...minute) by fantasizing constantly. My mind was full of The Bionic Woman, Star Wars, Star Trek, Arthurian legend, V, Pern...pretty much anything other than the there and then. I could call it fandom, or … Continue reading No Man’s Land (1)
culture
Saved in the edit
Someday I will write a book about Christmas. I may start it today, in fact, since I've been threatening to for the last dozen years. But like most things I say I'm going to do around Christmas time, it either doesn't get done or I half-ass it. April is really my month for stretch goals. … Continue reading Saved in the edit
Review: Unspotted by Justin Fox (short e-book, non-fiction)
In summary: Worth picking up. Here's the Amazon link and here's the publisher page with all the other ways to get it. One of my favourite books ever is Douglas Adams's (yes, that Douglas Adams) Last Chance to See, a travelogue-quest to spot rare and endangered species around the world and which predisposed me to love … Continue reading Review: Unspotted by Justin Fox (short e-book, non-fiction)
Mini-review: Ricki and the Flash
So say Joanna from Kramer vs. Kramer didn't actually come back and fight for custody of her child and win because she was the mom and instead she moved to California and became an 80s rocker chick and then came back home once she got kind of old, and smoked pot with Dustin Hoffman while … Continue reading Mini-review: Ricki and the Flash
Byte sized #9: The judging women edition
There's been some great conversation on the web lately about women and their work. My favourite by far is a two-for-one. Jess Zimmerman asks over at The Toast, "Where's my Cut?": On Unpaid Emotional Labor. The article is thought-provoking but the discussion over at Metafilter about it is pretty stunning, if only for the list of emotional labour … Continue reading Byte sized #9: The judging women edition
Byte sized #8: Healthy online communities edition
I'm a weird reader in that sometimes I read just the comments on things like advice columns; the actual advice is that not relevant to me but watching people duke it out over social norms is my reality TV fix. One of the best jobs I've had was at the now-something-else 50Plus.com watching retirees chat and … Continue reading Byte sized #8: Healthy online communities edition
Byte sized #7: Being a better person is good for you
Here at casa Gruden, I've been mired in confronting our family's stuff; my mother-in-law is moving in with us at the end of August (yay!) and so we are clearing out some rooms, in a house we've occupied for 10 years. It's an amazing gift of time to be able to do it drawer-by-drawer, but … Continue reading Byte sized #7: Being a better person is good for you
Byte sized #5: The Traffic Factories and more
If you're fascinated by how journalists/sites/brands get content online and measure its success, Caitlin Petre's report The Traffic Factories: Metrics at Chartbeat, Gawker Media, and The New York Times at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism is totally worth a read. A tip of the hat to Jim Romenesko's blog for that one, lo these months … Continue reading Byte sized #5: The Traffic Factories and more
Byte sized #2: Reply All and the Girl Guides, plus bonus Alanis
This week's Reply All, episode #28, Shipped To Timbuktu, made me cry. Find out how adults running Girl Guides, to loosely quote one of the interviewees, "saved the childhoods" of children living in a concentration camp. Not even kidding. #ICYMI: It's Gen X theme week, probably because everything is suddenly turning 20. Soraya Roberts over at Hazlitt looks … Continue reading Byte sized #2: Reply All and the Girl Guides, plus bonus Alanis
Byte sized #1
Stories catching my eye right now: It's the 20th anniversary of Microserfs! Alex Pappademas over at Grantland takes an in-depth look at tech culture, and tech culture storytelling, in the 90s. Will Oremus at Slate reports moments are having a moment. Maybe you can take some snackable content along. Are we entering a world without work? Derek Thompson … Continue reading Byte sized #1
Jennifer Gruden 