Monday, July 29, 2002

Would You Want to Run The World's Largest Media Company? I hadn't planned to mention my employer in this Weblog, but the flailing about of senior management at AOL Time Warner has been too absurd or amusing (I haven't decided which) not to comment on. In today's news, AOL has failed to capture a measurable portion of the broadband market while the dial-up market that it has captured seems to have peaked. As a result of that, the accounting scandals at AOL, and the stench of failure surrounding the AOL Time Warner merger generally, it looks like Steve Case might soon have more time to pursue his hobbies. At the same time, Dick Parsons may be getting an executive of some stature to look over his shoulder. Will he be following Gerald Levin, Bob Pittman, and possibly Steve Case out to the great fishing stream in the wilderness? 10:23:54 PM     What do you think? ()

What Does a Trendy Vicar Write With? I first became consciously aware of Stephen Fry through an appearance he made on the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. His portrayal of a "trendy vicar" ("Dick, call me Dick" and "[Christ]'s sort of like a gangsta rapper really") was, for my money, the single most brilliant piece of televised improvisation ever. Apparently, aside from being an accomplished actor, he's also a writer. In the Writers on Writing column in today's New York Times, he discusses the writing process and readers' interest in it ('"Do you write in longhand or on a computer?" If longhand: "Pencil, ballpoint or old-fashioned ink pen?" If computer: "PC or Mac? Which font do you prefer?"'). He ponders: Is there a hint of resentment in readers? "We all speak English. We all write e-mails and letters every day. What's your secret? Just give us enough detail, and we can be inducted into the coterie, too." It is almost as if some people feel that they were off sick or at the dentist's the day the rest of the class was told how to write a book, and that it isn't fair of authors to keep the mystery to themselves. Is that the impulse behind Weblogging? 10:21:41 PM     What do you think? ()

Serendipity? In Salon's "From the wires" column there's a fine example of found humor. First, "Clinton rips Bush on '90s fraud". The White House was quick to respond, as "Bush readies for month-long vacation". 10:20:22 PM     What do you think? ()

© Copyright 2003 Morgan N. Sandquist. Last update: 11/2/03; 10:25:10 AM.

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