Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Snookerd by van Gogh

Is it just me, or is there a van Gogh hiding here somewhere?



Happy 20th Anniversary, Photoshop!
What it means on display here, here, and here.


Photo credit:
http://www.qbn.com/editors_choice/546152/
http://www.qbn.com/topics/546537/

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Prospective Longbets.org entry cross-posted from FaceBook

Yesterday I posted a prospective longbets.org contribution on twitter: "Long Bet: 100% content of 100% of the world's accredited daily biz newspapers in circulation 1989< will be full-text on Google Books by 2013". 

The thinking behind it is simple, even if the wording was not. (Thanks Matt!) Here's the longform rationale: By 2013 I bet that *all content* of all the world's *daily* business newspapers in existence 1989 and onwards will be available in full-text in Google Books. The bet addresses availability, not paywalls, which may come and go as fashions & priorities change. 

My motivation is twofold: 

First, the meme "Journalism is the first draft of history" has gained considerable currency with Google's China decision and singular events like the October 2009 http://firstdraftofhistory.theatlantic.com/

Second - and closer to home - the 1989 upstart financial daily newspaper Finanstidningen where I worked as reporter & editor, archivist, subscription salesman, and coke vending machine operator 1990-94, had by September 2001 been effectively destroyed by a self-billed clan of "mutual admiration" *advertising* their arrival (pic). Publication ceased a year later. I bet that's one for the Books!