Free

IMHO, Wired is one of the best publications out there. Not everything in Wired will appeal to everyone (it gets a little techie at times) but they do manage to identify and explain many important trends shaping our society and economy.

Back in 2004, Editor Chris Anderson coined the phrase The Long Tail with a cover story that later became a book and is now a fact of life in the Web economy. He's proved it wasn't a fluke with his latest essay on the intersection of technology, economics, and society: Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business.

There is no catch phrase in Anderson's latest doctrine but it's just as insightful as his first. Why? Because he deftly explains how the cost of computing has changed the economics of the web, which in turn is changing the way companies (and individuals) make money. In a nutshell, there are more free lunches than ever and it's helpful to understand how you are getting your free lunch. In a very "practice what you preach" fashion, Wired is giving away free copies of the print version.

Anderson doesn't provide an exhaustingly detailed analysis in his essay but I'm sure he'll provide more examples on his blog as he works on his next book. This is exactly what he did for The Long Tail and it's probably one of the greatest things an author can do for himself (and his readers). For another example of an author blogging around the themes of a book while working on ideas for another, check out Freakonomics.

New York v. Boston

I grew up in New York and lived with several Massholes during college. I've heard more than my fair share of Bostonian gloat, but these days I'm happy to chat with folks from New England. If you've ever been on either side of the NY/Boston rivalry, this clip from the Daily Show is worth watching (for some rare, but sweet, New York gloat).

33 1/2

I recently made the most ironic music purchase of my life: a copy of In Rainbows that cost me $20. Radiohead's most recent album was released (essentially for free) on the internet last October, so why would an otherwise rational consumer such as myself spend $20 on a product that is otherwise free?

The logical explanation is that I chose my own price ($20) on Radiohead's website because I wanted to support an artist that is standing up to the status quo of the record industry... but that isn't the case. I paid $20 at my local record store for a vinyl copy of In Rainbows. Why vinyl? It just sounds better. It's more fun to collect. It provides a more captivating group listening experience. It includes album art - the way it was meant to be.

I'm not claiming to be a trend-setter. Audiophiles never gave up on vinyl. For Hipsters, it's an image thing. But these days, twenty-somethings from all walks of life are raiding their parents basements for records and turntables, and even buying new ones. You want quantitative data? There isn't much. But Wired was on top of this last fall. Even CBS has taken notice.

Why subscribe to HBO?

The Wire has received a lot of praise from critics, but most people still haven't seen it. My advice to you: watch the 1st season. After a season of the West Baltimore drug trade, the show widens its lens. The characters and stories include corrupt longshoreman, human trafficking, hardball politics, legalized drugs, inner-city schools, and the modern American newspaper.

If you are a fan of the show, check out Freakonomics' weekly feature: "What Do Real Thugs Think of the Wire?". Ethnographer/sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh watches The Wire with New York City gang leaders and reports on the experience each week. The reactions and insights of the "real" gang leaders shed light on forces and rules that are assumed but unspoken in the show.

Season 5 adds the final building block in The Wire's microcosm of an American city: the role of the media. Writer/producer David Simon spent years as a reporter for the The Baltimore Sun before creating The Wire. His basic messages about the media are pretty clear, and he elaborates in his recent opinion piece in the Washington Post, "Does the News Matter To Anyone Anymore?".

Found elsewhere...

Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! has received a lot of press, but Lev Grossman thinks it doesn't really matter.

Slate explains Google's latest mobile phone platform.

And for my fellow road warriors, The Middle Seat provides an outlook for air travel in 2008.

The New York Football Giants

I'm a born and raised Giants fan, and I'll admit I'm not bothered by the fact that the Giants' victory is overshadowed by the Patriots' loss. Why? Because this championship trumps the Yankees' collapse in the 2004 ALCS. It gives New Yorkers a new mantra to scream all the way to October: 18-1. The Patriots will be forever immortalized as the (almost) perfect team that couldn't get the job done. Hell, it was immortalized by Chuck Klosterman before it even happened.

Hello (again)

It's been over a year since my last post. And although I'm only 4% older, I'm at least 6% more omniscient (and yes, I just added 6% to infinity). Anyway, if you're wondering what the title of this blog is all about, check out my original post and stay tuned.