QOTD: My Favorite Waste of Time

All writers should have as many forms of unproductive distraction as possible. For me it used to be that I would clean drawers or rearrange my closets or start cooking lunch. I had many, many ways of pretending to be working, but not really working. So Twitter is quite marvelous at that. It is a wonderful, wonderful way of just procrastinating …

— Author Susan Orlean, extolling a side benefit of Twitter, on the All Write Already! podcast

So You Got a New iPad. Here’s Some Free Stuff to Read.

For the plane, train, or flight delay.
magazine_stand

QOTD: Stray Barking

Whether online, on the phone, by telegraph, or in person, we are governed by the same basic principles. The medium may change, but people do not. The question instead is whether the outliers, the trolls and the flamers, will hold outsized influence — and the answer seems to be that, even protected by the shade of anonymity, a dog will often make himself known with a stray, accidental bark. Then, hopefully, he will be treated accordingly.

Maria Konnikova in a New Yorker article entitled “The Psychology of Online Comments”

Jack Fights Back: Dorsey Rebuts Twitter Book Claims in New Yorker Profile

The Twitter co-founder presents a different version of how it all began.

The New Yorker Launches Strongbox, an Open-Source Anonymous Tip Tool Built by Aaron Swartz

The timely idea: Let journalists and their sources connect in confidence. The Associated Press might have liked one of these.

QOTD: Never Mind Your GPA — When’s Your IPO?

The center of gravity at the university appears to have shifted. The school now looks like a giant tech incubator with a football team.

Nicholas Thompson, in a New Yorker article entitled, “The End of Stanford?”

Henry Blodget Is Quietly Planning a Stunning Return to Wall Street

Secrets revealed! A bit! In Ken Auletta’s New Yorker profile!

The New Yorker’s David Remnick: Paper Magazines Are “Pretty Good Technology”

Quality long-form writing has a place in the Internet age, says New Yorker editor David Remnick — and it’s worth paying for.

More Moguls for D: Dive Into Media — Clear Channel, Legendary Pictures and Vevo Join the Cast

Heavyweights from radio, Hollywood, and Web video join a star-studded roster for All Things Digital‘s first-ever media conference: Bob Pittman, Thomas Tull and Rio Caraeff come aboard.

Flipboard and Condé Nast Partner in Brand Ads Deal on Social Reading App

Social reading app Flipboard has partnered with magazine giant Condé Nast to offer a slew of magazines with branded advertising from major marketers.