Copyright 2012 Dynamist Mon, 14 May 2012 15:01:23 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Dynamist :: Writings http://www.dynamist.com webmaster@dynamist.com (Dynamist) webmaster@dynamist.com en-us http://www.dynamist.com/2416/fashion-how-amazon-can-make-it-work Mon, 14 May 2012 15:01:22 EST My latest Bloomberg View column suggests some ways Amazon might overcome fashionista skepticism about its plans to move beyond its traditional apparel offerings into higher-end fashion. Here's the opening: When I caught Jeff Bezos's eye at the press http://www.dynamist.com/2415/299-sale-on-ithe-substance-of-style-i-extended-to Tue, 8 May 2012 12:27:14 EST The first week's results are in, and the $2.99 e-book sale on The Substance of Style has been so successful that it's going to last until the end of the month (but no longer!). The publisher reports that we sold more than 900 copies in a week, compared http://www.dynamist.com/2414/recycling-eyeglasses-is-a-feel-good-waste Fri, 4 May 2012 01:33:05 EST My new Bloomberg View column looks at the false economy of recycling eyeglasses. Here's the lead: One of the public libraries I use regularly has a box where people can donate their old eyeglasses. Whenever I see it, I regret having nothing to contribute http://www.dynamist.com/2413/pet-lovers-for-obama-truth-is-stranger-than-satire Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:55:00 EST When I saw this ad on the NYT website, I thought it had to be some kind of satire. But I clicked through and it looks legit. Here's where it goes. Am I missing the joke? http://www.dynamist.com/2412/the-substance-of-style-kindle-edition-on-sale-for Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:49:00 EST One of my pet peeves is the way book publishers appear to ignore price elasticity when they decide what to charge for e-books. (See my articles here and here.) For my Twitter feed, I've taken to combing Amazon's monthly list of heavily discounted Kindle http://www.dynamist.com/2411/is-delta-falling-for-the-vertical-integration Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:17:08 EST It certainly looks like it, as I discuss in my latest Bloomberg View column. Here's the opening: When I saw that Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) is negotiating to buy an idled Pennsylvania oil refinery in hopes of saving money on its fuel bill, I had a http://www.dynamist.com/2410/neal-stephenson-anathem-on-sale-for-199-for-kindle Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST I've written columns for Bloomberg and TheAtlantic.com taking issue, in different ways, with publishers' stubborn refusal to recognize price elasticity when deciding how to price their e-books. In recent months, however, I've noticed that, unlike most http://www.dynamist.com/2409/where-are-david-brooks-huffpo-william-bradley Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:23:00 EST It certainly must be at the same idea-supply store. Here's Brooks in the NYT. Here's Bradley on HuffPo. Both Thursday columns tell the exact same story: Ex-Marine Nathan Fletcher would be running for mayor of San Diego but the stupid right wingers won't http://www.dynamist.com/2408/the-12-worst-colleges-for-free-speech-fire-2nd Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:01:02 EST On HuffPo, FIRE president Greg Lukianoff presents the 12 Worst Colleges for Free Speech. This year, Harvard and Yale made the list. http://www.dynamist.com/2407/has-jane-mayer-destroyed-the-cato-institute Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:51:00 EST This Breitbart article on the ongoing Kochs-vs.-Cato fight makes stronger claims than its evidence supports. (One damning quote doesn't make Ed Crane responsible for Jane Mayer's hit piece.) But it does claim one piece of new reporting, which confirms my http://www.dynamist.com/2405/retouching-as-relief-work Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:28:00 EST When photo retoucher Becci Manson went to Japan to help with tsunami relief, she wasn't expecting to use her professional skills. But, like Deborah Rodriguez of the famous Kabul Beauty School (discussed in The Substance of Style), she discovered that http://www.dynamist.com/2404/amazon-marketplace-trust-problem Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:09:00 EST Here's an interesting article on a problem for Amazon customers: "genuine" replacement parts that aren't. Perhaps because Amazon's Marketplace has grown so large, a lot of phony claims have slipped in--including ones on products actually fulfilled by http://www.dynamist.com/2402/this-is-a-test Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:38:23 EST I'm working on a way to make posts easier, enabling me to restart the blog. This is a test of the system. http://www.dynamist.com/2401/fire-and-firefly-save-free-speech Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:45:37 EST I rarely post here any more (see me on Google+, Facebook, and @vpostrel on Twitter), but this video on one of FIRE's most ridiculous cases ever is too good not to share. It makes an eloquent case for FIRE's work--and it features Neil Gaiman. FIRE is also http://www.dynamist.com/2400/recent-work-from-light-bulbs-to-hollywood-costumes Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:46:01 EST When David Shipley first talked to me about becoming a columnist for Bloomberg View, I asked him which of my many interests he wanted me to write about: economics? policy? design? culture? He basically replied "everything." Hence, my most recent columns