AramZS's Rapid Blog

“Buying books online is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you”

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:02:19 +0000

Russo hangs his tirade on some of the least efficient, least user-friendly, and most mistakenly mythologized local establishments you can find: independent bookstores. Russo and his novelist friends take for granted that sustaining these cultish, moldering institutions is the only way to foster a “real-life literary culture,” as writer Tom Perrotta puts it. Russo claims that Amazon, unlike the bookstore down the street, “doesn’t care about the larger bookselling universe” and has no interest in fostering “literary culture.”
That’s simply bogus.

See this Amp at http://slate.me/tdJmUQ

Ads: The Death of User Experience on CNN, Forbes, Mashable

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:38:20 +0000

Ads can be done the right way or the wrong way. Intrusive, auto-playing videos, gigantic banners that hide content below the fold and “Click here to continue” pages are some examples of what you are about to see.

See this Amp at http://tnw.co/uIaeNG

Why Amazon Loses Money On Every Kindle Fire.

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:17:55 +0000

The Kindle Fire is a book store, a movie theater and a record shop. And Amazon’s the one selling the books, movies and music.

See this Amp at http://n.pr/u9mXTQ

Occupy has touched the third rail of our political class, their wallets.

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:29:05 +0000

Why have police arrested and abused the media? Why the enormous and violent crackdown on Occupy Wall Street protesters? Why is the Department of Homeland Security coordinating anti-OWS raids?
Could it be because the Occupy movement threatens what our politicians most value, their wallets?

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/w07fEY

Chris Dahlen’s Purple-Haired Made-Up Best Friend, and Why She Had to Die

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:44:00 +0000

This is fascinating. I followed the story at the time, but I never really followed up. Reading about the thinking behind it is illuminating.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/szB67H

How writers can help create a new narrative form

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:19:43 +0000

At this stage in the evolution of lit apps (if I can call them that), everyone who is not a writer shares the same aim: to work out how to make money from screen-based text.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/vRTYkq

A Documentary About the Massive Material Infrastructure of the Internet.

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:00:56 +0000

Check out this video “Bundled, Buried & Behind Closed Doors,” a Documentary About the Massive Material Infrastructure of the Internet.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/vHxFHJ

The Clockwork Watch, A Transmedia Steampunk Love Story

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:29:30 +0000

Clipped from laughingsquid.com

The Clockwork Watch is a steampunk love story set in Victorian England that will take a number of forms, from graphic novels to live performance to a feature film. The first installment is a graphic novel, The Arrival, which sets the stage for the series with a tale about eerily life-like clockwork servants. Project creator Yomi Ayeni is financing the first installment of The Clockwork Watch on Indiegogo.

Read more at laughingsquid.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/sjtJeR

Great advice for journalism majors seeking jobs at startups (via @CICM)

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:53:22 +0000

This is great advice if you want to work as a startup, but it’s also great advice if you want to work as a journalism anywhere.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/sXrKGT

Can storytelling save the journalism school?

Aram Zucker-Scharff — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:44:38 +0000

Some well written notes on a possible future for J-schools.

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/tB6Ozu