The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman

When I was a teenager, I thought it would be great to be an adult and be surrounded by people who weren't mean to each other all day. Enter stage left: the world wide webBack in the early 90s, when I was still at school and words such as "friend" and "message" were nouns as opposed to verbs, a particular incident occurred. For a month or so, a book had been circling among my classmates in which we wrote anonymous mean things about each other, and the statements that were deemed the funniest – invariably, the meanest – would get (anonymous) stars of approval. One day someone wrote in the book that a classmate whom I'll call Rose had made out with her cousin. More details about this fascinating make-out session were added to the book daily, and reading about Rose and her cousin became the only reason any of us wanted to come to school in the mornings. Eventually the writer of the story, whom I'll call Charlotte, couldn't resist claiming the attention she felt was duly hers and let her involvement be known.The saga now reached peak hysteria and Rose tearfully went to a teacher. Charlotte was forced to admit that she had made the whole thing up, all because she wanted some stars. (Naturally, the most salacious story a privileged, protected 13-year-old girl could think of was someone making out with their cousin.) All of us stared down at the floor as she confessed, because even though we knew Charlotte had now laid herself open to the most deliciously sharp mockery, hadn't we... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]

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In Michael Eric Dyson’s new book, Jay-Z is the living embodiment of American ideals

The Georgetown professor’s “JAY-Z: Made in America” paints the rapper as the ultimate hustler in a nation built by hustlers and strivers. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-12-05 14:00:00 UTC ]
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The expert who predicted Trump’s 2016 win says we’re living in a “manufactured reality”

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[ Fast Company | 2019-11-28 09:00:16 UTC ]
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Sometimes You Have to Build the Book Cover in Your Living Room

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[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-26 09:49:20 UTC ]
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More From FutureBook Live: Harris on Audio, Espiner on Management

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-26 09:30:58 UTC ]
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James Daunt at FutureBook Live: Barnes & Noble’s ‘Crucifyingly Boring’ Stores

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-25 05:05:12 UTC ]
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Our Bodies, Ourselves: On Saeed Jones’s “How We Fight for Our Lives”

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[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-11-24 13:30:59 UTC ]
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Meredith Brings Subscriptions Back to Coastal Living, Citing “Resounding Success” on Newsstands

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[ Folio Magazine | 2019-11-19 18:04:17 UTC ]
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[ BBC World | 2019-11-18 16:49:24 UTC ]
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[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-11-14 13:30:01 UTC ]
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FutureBook Live: On getting books to the top of the cultural agenda

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-12 17:29:17 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-12 16:00:23 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-07 00:49:04 UTC ]
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From new media to Guardian Unlimited: records of the Guardian’s first years online

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[ The Guardian | 2019-11-06 09:48:39 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-05 16:08:55 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-04 13:45:03 UTC ]
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[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-11-04 12:01:10 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 22:49:03 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 08:21:31 UTC ]
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‘How to Catch a Mole’ is a wondrous work that will show you a new way to look at nature — and life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Buonaguidi, Cartwright and Angel join FutureBook Live line-up

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