Uncategorized - The World That's Coming

June 24, 2014

Thanks so much for answering my questions. How long do you guys usually spend prepping for an episode?

Our very rough estimate is 6-10 hours, depending on the volume and intricacy of the material we’re covering, and how familiar we already are with the details.

During the week, we re-read any issues we’re going to cover, plus a lot of peripheral research. Saturday morning, we go out to breakfast and talk through everything, then go home and work on the cold open and outline pretty much until we have to leave for the studio.

Recording usually takes about an hour, and Bobby usually sends us the episode back the same night, because he is a miracle. After that, it’s a few more hours for the writeup, and to assemble all the clips and links for the “as-mentioned” post. (We usually have some idea of what to do for those going in, but where we focus can change a lot between reading and outline and outline and recording, which limits how much we can prep in advance.)

I read this and think “We could work so much harder on Wait, What?.” And then I think, “then again, the rampant inability to stay on topic has worked out okay for us so far.”

June 23, 2014

UK publishers have raised concerns about Amazon’s new contractual arrangements, with the giant retailer pressing for improved terms from a number of publishers, even as its stand-off with Hachette Book Group continues in the US.

Along with improved discounts on wholesale contracts, Amazon has introduced a number of new clauses in publisher contracts. One causing particular worry is a proviso that should a book be out of stock from the publisher, Amazon would be entitled to supply its own copies to customers via its print-on-demand facilities.

Yes, Amazon is now saying that if a publisher allows a book to fall out of print, Amazon can print up a copy themselves should someone want to buy one.

June 23, 2014

Fuelling this was a report last month from researchers at the University of New South Wales who discovered that the hipster look was no longer “hip”. In short: the more commonplace a trend – in one instance, beards – the less attractive they are perceived to be. And in 2014 we may have reached “peak beard”. Could it be that the flat-white-drinking, flat-cap-wearing hipster will soon cease to exist?

Sanderson thinks it’s more a case of evolving than dying. Talking to the Observer last week, he suggested there are now two types of hipster: “Contemporary hipsters – the ones with the beards we love to hate – and proto-hipsters, the real deal.” And herein lies the confusion.

Because one set of hipsters wasn’t enough.

June 23, 2014

But when I pitched my vision for the section to Vox, it wasn’t about explaining the nuts and bolts of the industry to readers all of the time. That’s useful, and that’s helpful, but my sense is that readers, more than ever, want a guide or map to the culture at large, which can often seem bewildering or overwhelming. I take as our mission to “explain the culture” the idea that what people will want, more than anything, is a collection of voices they can trust, who will steer them correctly, then provide context for the culture they’re consuming. That, in other words, sounds a lot like traditional criticism to me. And criticism can take many, many forms. Some of those will be long-form essays. Some will be quick hits or collections of GIFs. That cultural coverage right now is so malleable is exciting to me, and I want to exploit that as much as possible.

Todd VanDerWulff on becoming Vox.com’s culture editor.

June 23, 2014

There’s a kind of unspoken promise that comes along with any delayed reading service: At some point, you’ll have time to read this really great thing. But as anyone who has stared into the void of an Instapaper or Pocket queue knows, that’s often a pipe dream.

What if you could rescue your favorite saved reads by putting them into print, with one click? That’s the idea behind PaperLater, a new service that lets users create a personalized newspaper from their favorite must-reads from around the web.

From here.

June 23, 2014January 27, 2019