Four takeaways from the bankruptcy auction of Gawker Media
Univision is acquiring Gawker Media for $135 million, news reports confirmed yesterday, beating out Ziff Davis in an auction for the media company’s assets. Here’s what that means for the media industry.
5 min read
Better yet, Ledecky!
So the 9 year old, who loves to wear soccer jerseys with the names and numbers of his heroes (Ronaldo, Neymar) said this morning he wanted a Team USA Olympics swim cap that said Phelps on it. “Or better yet, Ledecky!” he added. Definitely Ledecky, he said later, because she wins by larger amounts. D
Recapturing the dream of open social media
It’s hard to imagine now, but the web once meant far more than Google and Facebook. In the early days, there was an explosion of optimism and experimentation as people embraced blogging, mostly via a range of sometimes half-baked open standards that let them publish, share, and communicate with each
3 min read
What I learned in college
I was one of those students who did very well in high school and college, and then, once I graduated, immediately regretted all that diligence. I knew right away that I should have maybe taken it easier, taken myself less seriously, and been more open to things outside my immediate field of vision.
4 min read
#firstsevenjobs
Assistant proofreader Paperboy Babysitter Roadside weed whacker crew Sandwich cook/pizza maker/pizza delivery guy Door-to-door canvasser Photocopy machine operator
2 min read
Altamont
Driving down from the Altamont Pass, the highway curves through a long, shallow, descending valley on its way down to the flats of the San Joaquin Valley. Wind turbines on either side, and the occasional cow. Karen noticed the hills rising up from us on the left side were covered in dark green trees
1 min read
Motivation and inspiration
It’s been almost exactly a year since I left a salaried job and went independent. This is now the third time I’ve been an independent entrepreneur (not counting the times I’ve launched publications or products within existing corporations), and each time I’ve taken a different approach: 1999: seed-f
2 min read
Slot machines, magicians, and app designers
Around the turn of the century, people started talking about the “attention economy.” A natural outgrowth of the ad-supported Web, this stemmed from the idea that people’s time and attention would soon be valuable commodities, because of their scarcity. The phrase has dwindled in popularity but the
3 min read
My brain was begging me for relief from social media
Taking control of your social media use may be the most rewarding life hacking technique I know of, given its ratio of benefit to effort. I like social media. Networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat have a powerful ability to keep us connected with other humans. For me, Twitter has functioned
3 min read
31 days of writing
Like many people, my attention is fragmented and my concentration broken. I’m going to try working my way through this with the skills I know best: Writing and editing.
1 min read