The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto is not a grotto, really. A grotto is a cave … or, something like a cave. This is just a floor in a nondescript office building: 31 offices surrounding a conference room, where a few dozen people can sit somewhat comfortably. From the hallways, each office door looks about the same. What makes this place special, though, is what’s behind each door. Nonfiction writer Ethan Watters says, “This idea of working alone as a writer would never work for me, certainly.” So he, along with Po Bronson and Ethan Canin, started a collective. A place for six writers to work. Then nine. Then 21. Now, nearly 60 writers are members of the Grotto. One of them is Todd Oppenheimer, who, ... Continue reading →
Today, Facebook will launch the largest initial public offering in history. Over the course of a few minutes, an eager public will invest $16 billion in Facebook’s 3,000-odd employees. Here in Nairobi, Kenya, where I live, the eye-popping figures produce passive astonishment: A single company will absorb the rough equivalent of half a year’s GDP for Kenya’s 40 million citizens. Facebook will invest some of its windfall to create growth for its shareholders. But will the investment be productive? Facebook is being forced public by SEC regulations and the desire of some early investors to cash out; founder Mark Zuckerberg has made clear his company doesn’t need the cash. As such, financing growth for Facebook probably means investing in some combination of server racks in ... Continue reading →
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Round 1 ANIC is looking for ideas that will transform the way that African media work. This means that your idea should offer significant and tangible improvements to existing tools or techniques, or should propose new ways for African journalists to gather news, tell stories, engage with audiences, or sustain media organisations. Ideas that have the potential to be replicated or that could scale continentally will have an advantage. Continue reading →
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The slow-go approach that is working for Siragusa applies to more than just online retailers. Professor Ari Ginsberg, the director of the Stern School of Business’s center for entrepreneurial studies, says service companies also often fall into the overexpansion trap. The classic example is People Express, the original low-cost airline, which grew wildly between its birth in 1981 and its absorption by Continental in 1987. The company’s CEO, Don Burr, focused exclusively on growth, and People Express was soon flying to 50 destinations. But it outgrew its infrastructure—there were not enough personnel to answer phones, and they couldn’t train flight attendants fast enough—so the quality of the service suffered. Continue reading →
The new issue of Newsweek features a cover photo of President Obama topped by a rainbow-colored halo and captioned “The First Gay President.” The halo and caption strike me as cheap sensationalism. I realize airport travelers look at a magazine for 2.2 seconds before moving on to the next one. I grant that this cover will probably get Newsweek a 4.4 second glance. I also understand that Newsweek is desperate for sales. Nevertheless, I doubt that the Newsweek of old, before it was sold for a dollar, would have pandered as shallowly. The caption is a superficial way to characterize an important development of thought that the president — along with the country — has been making over recent years. It is also entirely wrong. ... Continue reading →
You hear about famous brands, such as Coca-Cola, Amazon, LEGO, Nike and Adobe, all the time. These brands are world-famous and some of the most advertised; and their logos, instantly recognizable—but do you know how their names came about and what they actually mean? Based on the Wikipedia list, online magazine Bored Panda has made a visual list of famous company name etymologies. How many of these ‘fun facts’ did you already know? [via Bored Panda] Want to see what 24 hours of creative awesomeness look like? Click here.This news message is supported by The Creative Finder, an online platform for photographers, illustrators, designers, and art directors to promote their portfolios towards new clients and collaborators. Creatives who wish to sign up for an account ... Continue reading →
