Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
More than fifteen years ago, in response to decreasing ad rates and banner blindness, web advertisers and publishers adopted pop-up ads. People hated pop-up ads. We tolerated in-page banners as an acceptable cost of browsing free websites, but pop-ups were over the line: they were too annoying and intrusive. Many website publishers claimed helplessness in…
There’s been a lot of talk lately — and more than a little hand-wringing — about the rise of online ad blocking. In part, that’s because of a recent study that shows what appears to be a dramatic increase in the use of ad-blocking software. It might also have something to do with the news…
This story first appeared in the Aug. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. The Internet is a swirling death trap of dubious gossip, outraged tweet-to-tweet combat and a million identical pieces of over-processed, hormone-injected “news content” written for fourth-graders. There’s a reason for that. It’s called…
There will tweets. There will be liveblogs. There will be thinkpieces. It’s the GOP debate tonight—and everyone on the Internet will have a whole lot to say. One more way to weigh in: The Washington Post is inviting anyone on the Internet to annotate the numbers, the zingers, the truths, and the lies that make their…
TL;DR: Did you know that The Verge delivers you to around 20 companies for advertising & tracking purposes? I didn’t. That might foul up your web experience a little bit. Maybe we should try something different. more I love The Verge, but man… So, I’ve been a big fan of The Verge, almost since day…
There’s something so wonderfully easy about reading this column in a physical newspaper. You turned the page, and here it is, with few annoyances or distractions, in an ultra-high-definition typeface which was custom-designed with pleasurable reading in mind. Or – wait – are you reading this on a phone? Did you follow a link from…
by Frederic Filloux News sites use trackers more indiscriminately than ever. A random sample of twenty digital properties yields stunning results. Last week, we looked at how long web sites take to load, today, we see how messy their user data collection is. When landing on Politico’s home page, your browser loads about 100 pieces…
Tommy Craggs, the executive editor of Gawker Media, and Max Read, the editor-in-chief of Gawker.com, are resigning from the company. In letters sent today, Craggs and Read informed staff members that the managing partnership’s vote to remove a controversial post about the CFO of Condé Nast—a unprecedented act endorsed by zero editorial employees—represented an indefensible…
Meet the Timmy brothers. They wear beanies in the summer, and they have created something important, unique and special. They have created…water. “You talk about wetness, or moistness,” they say, eyes squinty with gravitas. “Mark Twain.” “Hand-crafted.” “Straight razor.” Squint. Hand gesture! A two-beat pause, to let it sink in. In some cases, more squinting….
@ThreeCare Ad campaign mocks transgender ppl. What are Three’s corporate social responsibility policies? #TakeItDownpic.twitter.com/JxgiptZrZP — socmot (@socmot) July 15, 2015 Mobile company Three Ireland recently put out an campaign to advertise their data plan. When many people pointed out that the line “It turned out he was a she” was incredibly transphobic, Three Ireland tweeted the…