http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/ en-us postrel@dynamist.com Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:10:29 -0600 http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003063.html As John Scalzi has scathingly noted, Amazon really screwed up when they pulled all of Macmillan's titles from their site. Although I think they have the right idea about book prices, they betrayed their customers' expectations and, worse, did so... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003062.html Amazon has backed down from its weekend dispute with Macmillan, agreeing to charge the publisher's higher prices for Kindle editions rather than its preferred $9.99. But the long-term questions about e-book pricing remain.Amazon still calls Macmillan's prices--generally $12.99 to... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003060.html All this week on DeepGlamour.net we're featuring excerpts from Stephen G. Bloom's new book, Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls, which uses a tour of the pearl industry as a microcosm of the global economy. Here's today's post:... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003059.html And it's pretty cool (no pun intended).... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003058.html He comes across as the typical, literal-minded geek, missing the appeal of visual wonder. But he gets this right: That vertical city of the future we know now is, to put it mildly, highly improbable. Even in New York and... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003055.html Exactly what do the NYT's ethics rules cover? The New York Observer refers to "freelancers who accept freebies/payment from the people they cover." Last Sunday's NYT Public Editor column, which was devoted to letters from readers and responses from management,... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003057.html Nick Paumgarten's New Yorker profile of John Mackey offers a couple of interesting observations about the secrets to Whole Foods' success. In short, the chain thrived by understanding that it is selling pleasure, not virtue. On the store's early days:... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003056.html Amazon is having a huge DVD sale. Highlights include complete episodes of The Prisoner on Blu-ray and, specially recommended for me, the complete series of M.A.N.T.I.S., which I did enjoy when it was originally on TV. Carl Lumbly plays a... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003054.html From L.A. Craigslist: WRITER NEEDED FOR WIKIPEDIA ENTRY. Date: 2010-01-05, 10:16AM PST Reply to: lawbeverlyhills@aol.com WRITER NEEDED FOR WIKIPEDIA ENTRY. Celebrity Attorney seeks Writer that can compose and SUCCESSFULLY post a Wikipedia Entry including links etc. Attorney has appeared on... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003053.html And check out the crocheted Bad Romance Lady Gaga doll.... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003052.html Glenn Fleishman, who writes about technology for The Economist and other publications, emails: I was quite glad to see your blog entry exposing the penny-pinching New York Times. I contributed several articles a year, from paragraphs to features, to Circuits... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003051.html Mary Tripsas is out and NYT flak catcher Clark Hoyt devotes his public editor column to the issue. He and I talked at length on the phone and exchanged a couple of emails. While he doesn't exactly get what I... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003049.html Here are a few real ethical dilemmas faced by yours truly: 1) Do I dare write about the NYT's dumb ethics policy? What if I piss off the Times? Oh yeah, I can't write for them anyway, so I guess... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003048.html The latest "ethics" scandal buzzing through the journalism blogs provides another reminder that the culture and norms of the traditional journalism guild are ill-suited to the new "FREE" era. But first, a bit of personal context. Back in June, I... http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003047.html Click for larger view....