Lately, I’ve developed something of an obsession. Anyone who has found themselves stuck in a tailspin, watching an entire season of a television show in one sitting might be able to relate. You’ll understand, if you know what it’s like to compulsively push “play” as soon as one episode ends—that twinge of shame and guilt that comes with the conscious decision to sit there a little longer and watch another episode. (Graciously, Netflix has omitted that decision in recent months—giving you about thirteen seconds, as the closing credits roll, to get your life in order before auto-playing the next episode.) Read more…
Creative Mornings
Each Lecture Tells A Story
Which Brands Will Survive?
Annual List Predicts Failing Brands
Bang With Friends
Could a controversial app revolutionize social networking?
What Idol Teaches Us
Dave Grohl Unleashes On American Idol
Lots Of Little Libraries
An Exciting New Trend Encourages Literacy
Phone-tographer
A Great Photographer Turns To His Android To Capture Great Shots
The Rise Of Swatting
It's the latest prank, but its potential for danger is clear...
The Information Age
If you're trying to learn a new skill, there are plenty of resources at your disposal.
Dig Deeper
As my fellow Americans were concerning themselves with Lance Armstrong’s teary admissions to Oprah—well, I walked away.
A New Birthday Song
To think that any song could replace “Happy Birthday to You” in the American psyche seems against all odds.
An App For That
Flipboard is probably the simplest, and most visually stunning app available...
The N-Word
I’m not suggesting that Tarantino is a racist, only that he grants himself misguided liberties as a screenwriter.
Go Your Own Way
It’s never been easier for artists to follow their passions and find an audience for it.
The Year In Television
The Rise Of Serial Dramas, And The New Way To Watch TV
Erasing All Doubt
Austin Trout's Not Just A Champion. He's A Hero, Too.
While You Were Shopping
The World Around You Didn
Giving Thanks, 2012
We Really Do Have A Lot To Be Thankful For...
Giving Thanks, And Giving Back
Charity Is In The Air During The Holiday Season
After Fifty Fell Off
Though 50 Cent Isn't Cranking Out Hits These Days, He's Still Rolling In The Cash...
Fifteen Seconds
Tout Offers A New Way To Share Life's Important Moments...
The Power of Fail
Even When You Fail
Be bold. Even when you fail, you won't regret it...
The Latest Designer Drugs
The Bizarre Death Of Johnny Lewis Ignites Talk Of New Designer Drugs...
The ‘New’ Juarez
Filmmaker Charlie Minn Completes His Juarez Drug War Trilogy
Daniel’s Generosity
Daniel Spent His Summer Vacation Helping People Around The Globe...
Education In The Digital Age
Thanks To New Online Tools, A World-Class Education Can Be Free...
The Politics Of Pizza
Scott Van Duzer is a small-business owner. He’s not a bad guy...
Fashion Walls Are Falling
Opening The Doors Of Opportunity For Models With Various Disabilities...
Our Better Angels
This election cycle has been almost intolerable. And it's all by design.
Good Books
With GoodBooks, You Can Save The World As You Shop...
The Trouble With HBO Go
HBO Go is great. But it's far from perfect...
TV’s Smartest Show
The Newsroom speaks truth to power, taking on big issues with fantastic writing...
These Boring Olympics
What the 2012 Summer Olympics are missing...
A Nation Rises
America Rises, After A Terrifying Attack On Our Nation
Blackout
Could This War Bring About The Big Changes We Need?
Out
Frank Ocean and Anderson Cooper step out of the closet...
Summer of Perversion
"Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Magic Mike" have fueled a summer heatwave...
The Bullies on the Bus
Karen Klein experiences extreme cruelty, kindness...
Photography Made Simple
A few apps that can bring your phone photos to life...
Is Fat Funny?
Jonah Hill raises an interesting question about the relationship between weight and humor...
Zombieland
Recent news stories have generated Zombie talk...
Johnny Tapia: Remembering The Champ
The 5-Time World Champ Was A Complex Man...
Make Your Movie
It's never been easier to direct your own film...
Ana Castillo Takes On Tucson
The author shares words of encouragement with Tucson students...
Which Brands Will Survive?
Every year, the website 247WallSt.com makes a few waves when it releases its list of ten brands that will disappear next year. Nearly always, those brands are juggernauts of business that have seen better days—instantly-familiar brands which have fallen on hard times. Sometimes 24/7 Wall St. is right, and the companies fold. Sometimes, though, the death knell is premature, and the crippled companies persist, either by restructuring or by being snatched up by some pie-eyed optimist, intent on taking the company in a new direction. Read more…
Bang With Friends
A controversial new app is ruffling some feathers because of the behavior it facilitates, but its most fundamental premise might inspire a new breed of apps that could genuinely enrich our lives.
Late last week, a relatively popular new app called Bang With Friends was booted from the Apple App Store. While an official explanation has not yet been issued—well, some speculate it may have been on moral grounds. Bang With Friends is a fairly new app that allows you to discreetly decide which of your Facebook friends you’d like to share a casual sexual encounter with. If a friend that you choose is also using the app, and also chooses you, you’re both alerted via e-mail and can go about arranging the encounter. In short, it’s a “friends with benefits” app that sidesteps any potential rejection. Read more…
What Idol Teaches Us
The music industry is struggling. It’s a recurring theme in this column; it’s a struggle that I see and experience almost every day. I’ve made no secret of my belief that the old model, upon which many legendary record labels have been built, has been rendered obsolete by technological advances.
The Great Record Industry Freak-Out became evident fifteen years ago, in the days of Napster, and it has never completely recovered. I won’t beat that dead horse too much this week. Instead, I want to address something that has been making the rounds on the social networks. It’s loosely related, and might play into that narrative a little, but examines the problem from a uniquely different angle. Read more…
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