Lyndsie Bourgon

being bold

“I’ve noticed that some younger writers are really being brave, trying out new things, and I think they may sense that a lot of big publishing is shitting the bed anyway, that getting out of the mindset that there is a nice living to made writing serious fiction is the important first step. Then you are free.

I think the internet has been great for new fiction. That’s been the big change. People are still writing stories and novels and a few are great and some are good and most aren’t very good at all. I guess what’s different is that you could go through your awkward stage in private. Back when I was figuring out how to write the internet existed but not like today. We’d have the same conversations that people have online now, rants about the more established writers we revered and hated, and we made a lot of stupid pronouncements about the state of literature and how it’s all shit except for so-and-so and what’s-her-name and, of course, us, but the only witnesses were a few people and a sofa and some beer cans. Or you might show somebody a story you wrote, but there was no posting it on a blog. So there was no real record of when you were a dumb, scared, angry baby who didn’t know how to write yet.”

sam lipsyte. (via meaghano)

I added the bold emphasis.

Back in high school I shared a little Xanga (yes, wow) network with some of my writer friends. We met at writing camp, and then throughout the year we’d post our poems and stories online for comments. It was public, but nowhere near as public as my every day life is now, which I suppose is why I don’t post that kind of stuff online anymore. Maybe I should start.

Yes, okay, i like the ipad

I have so many iPad thoughts. Here’s one that I agree with, from the magCulture blog:

After so much hype it was always going to be difficult to impress people, and there’s already signs of a backlash online, not least about that name. But… I want one. Have a look at the pictures online and tell me you don’t want one. If still unsure, look at it being used here. Yum yum.

People have commented it’s ‘just a big iPhone’, as if there was something wrong with that. Was it ever going to be anything else? A big iPhone will do me. I’ve been using my iPhone increasingly for reading content, enjoying excellent apps like the Guardian’s, and I can easily imagine doing the same with more space for design and presentation.

Exactly. Eventually, we have to let it go that the iPad isn’t something completely different. Not everything has to be, and it’s a symptom of our ever-evolving tech culture that makes us think we deserve a camera, and an e-reader, and the Internet and a word processor all in one - oh, and we want to use them all at the same time…

The iPad is an excellent way to consume online content on a bigger screen than the iPhone, but in a mobile form outside the laptop. It puts netbooks to shame - lets face it, netbooks kinda suck.

Many commentators complained that, when the New York Times demo was put on the screen, it wasn’t that impressive. Herein lies the problem with our Apple affair: They’re not in charge of saving newspapers. They’ve created the vessel, now we have to create the content to put on it. So now the New York Times, and the New Yorker, and Wired etc., will need to step it up. It’s up to them to make the iPad worth having.

Have you ever taken a look at FLYP? This magazine is practically made for the iPad, and should be the inspiration for all other traditional print pubs herein.

In general, my response to iPad complaints can be best witnessed through this video. “Everything is amazing, and nobody is happy.” Isn’t it amazing that you can read a magazine or book with embedded video on this thing? Isn’t it amazing that you can carry as many newspapers as you want on the train through it? And you can check your email with it too!

Oh… you want a camera? Ugh.