Bust Goes, Well, Bust
According to the Boston Phoenix, the brilliantly cunning third-wave feminist magazine Bust has closed its covers for the final time with the issue currently on newsstands. New owner Razorfish laid off the staff just after a launch party to announce a new 10-times-a-year schedule, and the magazine's founders are working to buy the magazine back. Meanwhile, online discussion activity continues in Bust's bulletin boards, as well as in an independent site readers started just in case Razorfish pulled the Web plug as well as shutting up the Bust shop and staff. Best wishes to Bust founders Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel. I love Bust.
(Thanks to Jen Vilaga for telling me about this.)
Monday, November 19, 2001
Ignore the War V
The Week doesn't actually offer articles online, but the Nov. 23 edition sports a thoughtful look at a recent controversy in the media: Is objectivity un-American? A writer in the Weekly Standard criticizes media workers for not wearing flag pins or acting more patriotic. And in the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley says that the media is damned if they do -- and damned if they don't. Prior to the current military action, conservative critics claimed the press lacked objectivity. Now members of the press are being accused of upholding their objectivity. Depends on which way the wind blows, I suppose. But if more journalists were honest about their biases, opinions, and subjectivity, we'd avoid this hubbub in the first place. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. And stand behind it.
The Week doesn't actually offer articles online, but the Nov. 23 edition sports a thoughtful look at a recent controversy in the media: Is objectivity un-American? A writer in the Weekly Standard criticizes media workers for not wearing flag pins or acting more patriotic. And in the Washington Post, Michael Kinsley says that the media is damned if they do -- and damned if they don't. Prior to the current military action, conservative critics claimed the press lacked objectivity. Now members of the press are being accused of upholding their objectivity. Depends on which way the wind blows, I suppose. But if more journalists were honest about their biases, opinions, and subjectivity, we'd avoid this hubbub in the first place. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. And stand behind it.
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Magazine Me II
I haven't seen Seed magazine yet, but an article in today's Globe might encourage me to brave the Boston cold to head to a nearby newsstand this afternoon. Can't track down any Web references to the new magazine, but it seems to be a science fashion magazine riffing off periodicals such as Mondo 2000, 21C, New Scientist, and others. Word is that AOL Time Warner is calling Seed a "science couture" magazine, and the Globe story is ripe with descriptions of Harper's Bazaar-like photography spreads.
In an interesting turn of events, Felice Frankel, the magazine's arts editor, is a scientific photographer at MIT. As artist in residence at MIT's electric engineering and computer science department, Felice has penned a personal manifesto on new ways of seeing science, and she's contributing to a symposium this June on "envisioning and communicating science and technology."
I haven't seen Seed magazine yet, but an article in today's Globe might encourage me to brave the Boston cold to head to a nearby newsstand this afternoon. Can't track down any Web references to the new magazine, but it seems to be a science fashion magazine riffing off periodicals such as Mondo 2000, 21C, New Scientist, and others. Word is that AOL Time Warner is calling Seed a "science couture" magazine, and the Globe story is ripe with descriptions of Harper's Bazaar-like photography spreads.
In an interesting turn of events, Felice Frankel, the magazine's arts editor, is a scientific photographer at MIT. As artist in residence at MIT's electric engineering and computer science department, Felice has penned a personal manifesto on new ways of seeing science, and she's contributing to a symposium this June on "envisioning and communicating science and technology."
Ignore the War IV
Today's Boston Globe features an article on a conservative academic group that's taking 40 college professors to task for not being patriotic enough. A recent report from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni -- headed by Dick Cheney's wife -- says that university faculty and staff members have been the "weak link" in America's response to the Sept. 11 tragedies and subsequent military action.
The report reminds me of McCarthyism, and with the shallow increase of patriotism turned jingoism, I say "Right on!" to the college professors named in the report. If we don't continue to question the United States' complicity in foreign activities that aren't in our country's -- or individual citizens' -- best interests, how long will America remain the land of the free and the home of the brave? As mentioned in a previous Media Diet report, being against the war doesn't necessarily mean being against America.
On the hand, being against free speech in academia -- one of the few segments of American society that's supposedly built on questioning and analyzing -- might very well be.
Today's Boston Globe features an article on a conservative academic group that's taking 40 college professors to task for not being patriotic enough. A recent report from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni -- headed by Dick Cheney's wife -- says that university faculty and staff members have been the "weak link" in America's response to the Sept. 11 tragedies and subsequent military action.
The report reminds me of McCarthyism, and with the shallow increase of patriotism turned jingoism, I say "Right on!" to the college professors named in the report. If we don't continue to question the United States' complicity in foreign activities that aren't in our country's -- or individual citizens' -- best interests, how long will America remain the land of the free and the home of the brave? As mentioned in a previous Media Diet report, being against the war doesn't necessarily mean being against America.
On the hand, being against free speech in academia -- one of the few segments of American society that's supposedly built on questioning and analyzing -- might very well be.
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
Read but Dead II
My inside -- now outside -- source at the now-defunct Lingua Franca tells me that its sister publication, University Business lives on: "The plan is to cut the budget
significantly by doing most or all of the writing in-house."
My inside -- now outside -- source at the now-defunct Lingua Franca tells me that its sister publication, University Business lives on: "The plan is to cut the budget
significantly by doing most or all of the writing in-house."
Letter Man Intervenes!
Just learned that Evan Williams of Blogger is involved in a project called The End of Free, a site that chronicles the move from "free to fee and beyond." Might be an interesting parallel read with the Online Community Report. Is the Web still the land of the free?
Just learned that Evan Williams of Blogger is involved in a project called The End of Free, a site that chronicles the move from "free to fee and beyond." Might be an interesting parallel read with the Online Community Report. Is the Web still the land of the free?
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Off the Shelf
While in Redwood City recently, I stayed with Steve Portigal, curator of the Museum of Foreign Grocery Products. He doesn't have much online yet, but if you contact him, maybe he'll invite you over to see the exhibit in his kitchen. Then again, maybe not.
While in Redwood City recently, I stayed with Steve Portigal, curator of the Museum of Foreign Grocery Products. He doesn't have much online yet, but if you contact him, maybe he'll invite you over to see the exhibit in his kitchen. Then again, maybe not.
Nothing New(ton) under the Sun
Exactly two days after I made a joke about the Newton to some folks at Palm in Santa Clara, California, I come across this blog about the Newton. It's stuff like this that made me order Joseph Jaworski's book "Synchronicity." Bill Green mentioned it. John Renesch mentioned it. Jerry Kaiser had it on his shelf. Then this happened. 'Nuff said. Book ordered.
Exactly two days after I made a joke about the Newton to some folks at Palm in Santa Clara, California, I come across this blog about the Newton. It's stuff like this that made me order Joseph Jaworski's book "Synchronicity." Bill Green mentioned it. John Renesch mentioned it. Jerry Kaiser had it on his shelf. Then this happened. 'Nuff said. Book ordered.
Read but Dead
Joining the ranks of new economy magazines such as the Industry Standard and more standard fare such as Mademoiselle, Lingua Franca announced last week that it's closing its doors -- and its pages -- with the upcoming issue, already at the printers when the announcement was made. "While there's still a chance that a friendly rich person will ride in on a horse and save us, the chances of that happening are not very high," says one now-former editor.
I'm not sure what this means for Lingua Franca's sister publication University Business, but Lingua Franca was good. Really good. And I'll miss it. Thank you to all of the editors who made the magazine happen -- and for broadening my perspective on the state of higher education.
Joining the ranks of new economy magazines such as the Industry Standard and more standard fare such as Mademoiselle, Lingua Franca announced last week that it's closing its doors -- and its pages -- with the upcoming issue, already at the printers when the announcement was made. "While there's still a chance that a friendly rich person will ride in on a horse and save us, the chances of that happening are not very high," says one now-former editor.
I'm not sure what this means for Lingua Franca's sister publication University Business, but Lingua Franca was good. Really good. And I'll miss it. Thank you to all of the editors who made the magazine happen -- and for broadening my perspective on the state of higher education.
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