Mormons Buy Sex Toys:
Thanks to the corrupting influence of my friend Maggie.
Pretty damn funny.
Me3dia My Oh My!
I just dropped by my friend Andrew Huff’s blog Me3dia and my oh my what a fabulous design! Weightshift, a small Chicago-based outfit is responsible. I think Andrew mentioned they did Gaper’s Block as well.
I’ve beeing slowly realizing this summer that things need a redecoration around here. Much as I love the Trottish simplicity and elegance of this place, I had much different needs in the fall of 2002 when it launched. Now I’ve got my interests scattered across three additional sites, a cumbersome, jigged together mess. So that’s on the agenda for this fall: All me, all in one place.
No, it Can’t Stop!
Just received world that my buddy Jeff Chang’s fantastic book Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, A History of the Hip-Hop Generation has won an American Book Award. Here’s what that is…
The American Book Awards, established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation, recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre. The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge the excellence and multicultural diversity of American writing.
Congratulations Jeff. It’s richly deserved.
And if you haven’t read CSWS, you should. It’s one of the best books about music and contemporary culture out there.
A Jew for Every T-Shirt:
Are you familiar with the Jewish Fashion Conspiracy? Or perhaps you have not experienced the joy of wearing a “Jews for Jeter” baseball jersey or a Channukah-themed thong?
It’s all my friend Sarah’s idea, who at work one day noticed that “Yosemite” looked a lot like “Yo, Semite!” I think it’s brilliant. And I’m not just a customer. I’m also a Member of the Tribe.
15 Blogger Pile-Up:
I’ve certainly had more dignified moments than this. But they weren’t nearly as much fun.
Side notes: This picture was taken at around 5:30 AM after a long last night of partying. James McNally, on the far left, accepted my invitation for a ride back to his hotel. He informed us that he was heading up to his room to shower, grab his bags and hop on a plane back to Toronto. Sleep was not an option. There wasn’t any time.
That was the kind of time we had.
Staring You and Your Family:
What a neat idea. Reel Stories is a San Francisco firm of professional filmmakers (one of whom is a longtime WTS reader) that creates cinematic biographies of families for special events (birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries) but instead of being a cheesy video of your aunt doing the Electric Slide, it’s a movie, a documentary, starring you, about your life.
I dig it.
Kottke Goes Full-Time:
My friend Jason Kottke has decided to try to blog full time for a year. He’s moved to a smaller apartment, downsized his budget and taken up collections on his site. He’s raised nearly $5000 in slightly under 3 days.
This is a huge step for blogging. Jason runs one of the best traffics and most respected blogs so is in a position to try this experiment, the same way U2 and not 7 Mary 3 could launch the branded iPod. But he’s not coasting on his celebrity. He’s not specializing on one subject matter or text ads. Instead, he’s making the boldest simplest statement possible: I’m good at blogging. Can I make a living at it?
Bravo Jason. I think we’re going to look back on this as the day "blogging goes electric".
UPDATE: Articles in Wired News and Red Herring covering the decision.
Jen for Sale:
My friend Jen Leo auctioned off a date with her on her blog with All the money bid going for Parkinson’s disease research. Neat idea. I wonder if I could do the same here. Then again, I don’t photograph this well. I’d probably have to start the bidding at, eh, a nickel?
Blowin’ Up Bay:
Seems like my friend Jeff isn’t all that’s blowing up here in The Bay. The East Bay Express reports that Bay Area Hip-Hop is undergoing a renaissance.