Chip Kidd on Book Design at TED
Posted: May 3, 2012 Filed under: Books, Creativity, Culture, Makers | Tags: book design, books, Chip Kidd, consumer attitudes, design, publishing, Reading, TED, thought and language Leave a comment »The confluence of savvy publishing and “a Lady Gaga skanky mike” has never been so enjoyable. Enlightening, awkwardly funny, and . . . what on earth is up with that jacket?
Oh my.
via Boing Boing
Digital Publishing, the E-Reading Wars, and Why I’m Done (I think) With Apple
Posted: January 28, 2012 Filed under: Books, Community, Creativity, Culture, Technology | Tags: apple products, buying books, e books, e reader 6 Comments »
Let’s get one thing straight. I really like Apple products. Our two home computers are Macs. We have an iPod. I’m consistently impressed by their excellent design, stability, and function. They’re cool. They’re fun to use. But as I’m getting ready to buy a new laptop, I’m very seriously thinking about being done with Steve Jobs’ brain seed. Here’s why.
Recently, I’ve been very involved in digital e-book publishing. I’ve had the chance to do a good deal of strategy and content development, and also learn the ins and outs of producing sharp-looking, functional electronic books.
Though I’m not very enamored with e-reading personally (I don’t even own a dedicated e-reader), I am very excited about the new possibilities for publishing and open communication that e-reading offers. The ease in publishing content means that great content – even if it would be considered unprofitable by a traditional print publisher – can get out there, can make it to people quickly and easily. This is a really good thing.
The story doesn’t end there, however. Scratch the surface of this exploding arm of publishing a little bit, and you’ll find a world of profiteering, content wrangling, and cutthroat business strategy. Where there are words, there is money.
Where there are digital words, there is lots of money. Read the rest of this entry »
Wizards of a Narrow Path
Posted: January 25, 2012 Filed under: Books, Community, Personal Growth, Simplicity | Tags: life path, personal mentor, thought and language, ursula k le guin 7 Comments »
“As a man’s real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing,but does only and wholly what he must do…”
― Ursula K. Le Guin
The first time I saw this quote, it was taped to the bookshelf of a favorite professor and personal mentor. Feeling a bit lost, I had come to him to hash out my own thinking on choices that (at the time) seemed like they would define my life. At some point in the conversation, he referenced the quote.
As I sat in Ray’s office, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the many options I felt that I had for further education and employment. I felt lost. It was tough to identify what I wanted to do. Really, it was tougher to identify who I was becoming.
His quiet listening and patience were what I needed to sort my brain and heart out. As I was leaving (the first of many such conversations), he reminded me of LeGuin’s words again.
“You may find that your life path is discovered more than it is chosen” he said.
I pretended that I understood what he was talking about. Read the rest of this entry »
