Big Ben
I’m a little late to this party, I fear, but Maira Kalman’s paean to Ben Franklin and the power of invention is one of the best things I’ve read on the web in long time.
Book recommendation: Mannahatta
A couple of weeks ago, I got a copy of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City — a cool new book by Eric Sanderson. Today I finally had a chance to look at it carefully. Wow.If you ever wondered what Manhattan was like in 1609, when Henry Hudson first sailed into New York […]
Breakfast with Alan Webber
If you’re in D.C., please consider coming to a great event sponsored by the Washington Board of Trade: A conversation with Alan Webber about his terrific new book, Rules of Thumb.Tuesday, June 2, 20098am to 10amThe Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner1700 Tysons BlvdMcLean, VA Register here
Spring reading
Alan Webber is one of the keenest business minds I’ve ever encountered. When I was writing for Fast Company, he was my editor — and made me look better than I really was. Over the last decade-plus, he’s remained a good friend. I’m lucky.And now so are you.Because Alan has compiled a huge portion of […]
Mine, all mine
With magazines shrinking and newspapers disappearing, these are tough times for ink-stained wretches. So the folks at the beleaguered Time Inc magazine division have rolled out an intriguing experiment.It’s called MINE — and I just signed up for a free issue. Here’s how it works:First, I selected five Time, Inc. mags: Money, Time, Sports Illustrated, […]
Talking (dead) ideas in DC
If you’re in Washington, DC, on Tuesday February 3, please stop by Politics and Prose bookstore at 7pm. I’ll be interviewing Matt Miller about his thought-provoking [and prescient — Ed.] new book, The Tyranny of Dead Ideas.The conversation (that is, Matt’s part of it) should be a great way to get a better understanding of the financial […]
People of the screen
Today’s must-read, ironically, is an essay by the ever brilliant Kevin Kelly on the decline of word-centered, book-based literacy and the rise of something new. We are becoming, Kelly says, “people of the screen.”An excerpt:“The fluid and fleeting symbols on a screen pull us away from the classical notions of monumental authors and authority. On the screen, the subjective […]
Too many left-brain organization men spoil the pot
Back in 2006, money manager Jeremy Grantham was one of the first to sound the alarm that world credit markets were about to implode. Of course, he was right. And of course, nobody listened.But this time around, people are paying attention to an interview Grantham gave to Barron’s last week. He has several interesting insights, but the most intriguing […]
Your fall reading assignment
Several months ago, I had a chance to read Tim Sanders’s new book Saving the World at Work. It’s excellent.Sanders — who’s written other books, including one with what might be the best title of the last 10 years — makes the case that business is entering what he calls the “Responsibility Revolution.” Businesses that make a […]
Four words, no waiting
First came six-word autobiographies. Now come even more succinct movie reviews.The web site, The Four Word Film Review, is collecting opinions and summarizes of your favorite flicks rendered in no more than a quartet of words. Here are two reviews of “The Incredibles,” (one of the very few kids’ movies I actually enjoyed): Liability issues ground superheroes. The Simpsons in […]