Longread #162 -- Ancient Manuscripts -- 9/28/12

The preservation and archiving of manuscripts provides tremendous resources for historians and researchers of all types. This longread looks at one particular archive located in the Sinai Desert that houses an enormous collection of one-of-a-kind manuscripts. Of particular focus are what are known as palimpsests -- texts that have been erased or overwritten. New imaging techniques have allowed more and more of these to be revealed. I think this is an interesting project especially in light of the article earlier this week about author's who disown their work. We tend to think of that applying only to relatively modern authors, but wouldn't it apply here as well? What are the ethics of uncovering texts that were erased thousands of years ago? I tend to think that these texts serve a greater purpose to society and academia by being revealed, but it is a challenging issue because clearly those texts were never meant to be discovered.

"In the Sinai, a global team is revolutionizing the preservation of ancient manuscripts" by Mark Schrope
Published in the Washington Post, September 6, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/in-the-sinai-a-global-team-is-revolutionizing-the-preservation-of-ancient-manuscripts/2012/08/30/1c203ef4-ca1f-11e1-aea8-34e2e47d1571_print.html

Eric

Longread #161 -- Infographics -- 9/27/12

Another interesting trend in journalism is the heightened use of infographics. It seems increasingly common to find infographics of varying types, especially online where an infographic can be easily be made interactive. In some cases, these serve as a phenomenal way of simplifying complex topics by highlighting key points. They also appeal to people whose learning styles may tend toward the visual rather than the verbal. Because they can be consumed so quickly, they also carry a lot of appeal for users on Facebook and Twitter. This longread looks at the role of the infographic in journalism and through several examples tries to identify what separates the good from the bad.

"This Chart Is a Lonely Hunter: The Narrative Eros of the Infographic" by Reif Larsen
Published in the Millions, February 7, 2012
http://www.themillions.com/2012/02/this-chart-is-a-lonely-hunter-the-narrative-eros-of-the-infographic.html

Eric

Longread #160 -- Quotation Approval -- 9/26/12

Today's longread looks at quotation approval, which is a practice that is gaining steam in the world of journalism. As described by Carr, this is when a source agrees to an interview only if he or she is allowed to review and approve any quotes that are used. As Carr notes, widespread use of this practice threatens the independence of journalists and their ability to write hard-hitting analysis. At the end of the day, much of the responsibility for this lies with us as consumers of media. As Carr has argued in other pieces, in journalism, you get what you pay for. If we don't actively support quality journalism, it is hard for we as consumers to complain about our news being watered down.

"The Puppetry of Quotation Approval" by David Carr
Published in the New York Times, September 16, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/business/media/the-puppetry-of-quotation-approval.html

Eric

Longread #159 -- What's So Hot About Chili Peppers -- 9/25/12

As someone who loves spicy food and has even tried stupid challenges like eating the "Hell Wing" at a local bar, I found this article to be extremely interesting. The history of chilis is fascinating -- I didn't know until just a few months ago that chilis were native to South America. It was shocking to me that something so central to cuisines in other places (such as Thai food) has only been available for a few hundred years. I also love the profile of this scientist and how engaged he is by his research.

Enjoy this article, and please pass the Sriracha...

"What's So Hot About Chili Peppers?" by Brendan Borrell
Published in Smithsonian Magazine, April 2009
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Whats-So-Hot-About-Chili-Peppers.html?c=y&story=fullstory

Eric

Longread #158 -- Author Retractions -- 9/24/12

Since the Jonah Lehrer scandal earlier this year, I've been more interested in the issue of authorship and its effect on how we read and interpret an author's work. While the issue with Lehrer was whether his plagarism in one instance invalidated his other work, this article instead looks at situations in which authors change their mind and retract their prior work. The article brings up a number of the difficult issues surrounding this issue especially in the digital age.

I think the author of this piece comes up with a reasonable approach: rather than try to forget the author ever wrote something that was retracted, instead we should use the retraction to help us better understand the work and interpret its meaning.

"When Authors Disown Their Work, Should Readers Care?" by Maria Konnikova
Published in the Atlantic, August 28, 2012
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/08/when-authors-disown-their-work-should-readers-care/261615/

Eric

Longread #157 -- Macklemore -- 9/21/12

Macklemore is one of Seattle's most popular homegrown rappers. Even though he's been gaining recognition nationwide and among the more traditional rap industry, he has continued to make songs about local matters and controversial social issues. In this profile, Macklemore explains his reasons for recording "Same Love," which argues in favor of legalizing same sex marriage, an issue that is one the ballot in Washington in November. While he's far from the first musician to make political statements and while I think this song isn't his best, I really enjoyed reading this profile. In particular, I found his discussion of love vs. fear to be insightful. Below, I've tried to embed audio links of "Same Love" and another track called "Victory Lap" that I really enjoy. I also posted a video of his called "Thrift Shop," which not only celebrates my love of thrift stores but also was shot largely in my favorite thrift store -- the Capitol Hill Value Village.

"Fear and Loving" by Larry Mizell, Jr.
Published in the Stranger, July 31, 2012
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/fear-and-loving/Content?oid=14331117

Happy Friday...enjoy the tunes.

Eric

Longread #156 -- Small Farms -- 9/20/12

Piggybacking on yesterday's longread about changes in agriculture, this article examines a move toward smaller farms that produce almost exclusively for local markets. While this type of small-scale agriculture offers a lot of promise, it also runs into a number of challenges such as competing with large-scale producers who churn out fruits and vegetables at cut-rate prices. While this approach is not yet ready to take over our food production system, I think it offers an exciting glimpse into what some alternatives might look like.

"Small Farmers Creating a New Business Model as Agriculture Goes Local" by Kirk Johnson
Published in the New York Times, July 1, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/us/small-scale-farmers-creating-a-new-profit-model.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0

Eric

Longread #155 -- Broken Heartland -- 9/19/12

Oops -- I forgot to hit the "Publish" button on this one yesterday.

This longread takes a long look at the social and economic development of the Great Plains and calls into question the sustainability of our current model. I had heard about depletion of the aquifer, but this article really helped to put it into context for me. It also looks at some of the alternative visions for this land ranging from organic agriculture to wind power generation. We cling so strongly to a pastoral vision of the Midwest as America's breadbasket, but as this article makes clear, reality is rapidly disrupting this narrative.

"Broken heartland: The looming collapse of agriculture on the Great Plains" by Wil S. Hylton
Published in Harper's, July 2012
http://harpers.org/archive/2012/07/0083968

Eric

Longread #154 -- Deadly Tin -- 9/18/12

Yesterday was a big day. I finally retired my old flip phone and got a smartphone. As the smartphone market grows, so too does the demand for the device's components. While several articles have exposed the problems involved in device manufacturing in China, there has been relatively little discussion of where the basic materials are coming from to build the components for for so many of these devices. Today's longread casts a light on the tin production industry and the challenges that it has brought to Bangka Island in Indonesia.

"The Deadly Tin Inside Your Smartphone" by Cam Simpson
Published in Business Week, August 23, 2012
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/67884-the-deadly-tin-inside-your-smartphone

Eric

Longread #153 -- The Throwaways -- 9/17/12

For years writers have decried the social ramifications of the War on Drugs ranging from mass incarceration to disproportionate policing to demonization of low-level drug users. Today's longread looks at another painful effect -- a massive expansion of mostly-unregulated use of confidential informants (CIs). Many CIs are young, naive, and unaware of their legal rights. As a result, they are at risk of being exploited in ambitious and sometimes reckless police operations. CIs clearly play an important role in helping police build cases, but it also seems obvious that there is a compelling need for improved practices in how CIs are utilized.

"The Throwaways" by Sarah Stillman
Published in the New Yorker, September 3, 2012
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/09/03/120903fa_fact_stillman?currentPage=all&pink=VZyHUf&src=longreads

Eric

Longread #152 -- Passing Gas -- 9/14/12

We all probably know someone who seems to talk out of his or her ass. This article looks into the science of passing gas and literally examines whether "talking out of your ass" literally would be possible. Have fun with this one.

I really hope that I never outgrow fart jokes. Happy Friday.

"Passing gas is an art and science" by Robert Provine
Published in Salon, August 22, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/23/passing_gas_is_an_art_and_science/

Eric

Longread #151 -- How Slavery Ended -- 9/13/12

I don't read or post that many articles that are historical in nature, but I found this one to be really fascinating. It is an excerpt from the author's book about the Civil War, and it looks at a very specific sequence of events that led to an influx of slaves living among Union soldiers. At many points in this history, one different decision -- by the people on the ground, by politicians, etc. -- could have dramatically affected the way that events unfolded. Instead, what seemed like one small happening (a few slaves who escaped and took refuge at Fort Monroe in Virginia) significantly changed the course for slavery, race relations, and the Civil War in American history.

"How Slavery Really Ended in America" by Adam Goodheart
Published in the New York Times, April 1, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/magazine/mag-03CivilWar-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Eric

Longread #150 -- When the Mango Bites Back -- 9/12/12

On my recent vacation through New Orleans, several of my friends came down with an awful case of food poisoning. Unfortunately, we are exposed to a huge number of food-borne pathogens, and when we travel, we increase our chances of ingesting pathogens that are unfamiliar and that can make us sick. This article provides helpful information for anyone who travels as it discusses many of the best ways of trying to manage food-borne illness. As someone who travels with an "eat anything and everything" mentality, I found this to be both interesting and informative.

"When the Mango Bites Back" by Gardiner Harris
Published in the New York Times Well Blog, August 27, 2012
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/when-the-mango-bites-back/

Eric

Longread #149 -- Greed and Debt -- 9/11/12

As the presidential campaign heats up after the conventions, the Obama camp has continued to hit Romney hard about his history at Bain Capital. This piece from Matt Taibbi goes even further and deeply calls into question the concept of Romney as a "turnaround specialist." Instead of using wise management to help companies become profitable, private equity firms like Bain instead saddled companies with excessive amounts of debt while reaping huge rewards through bonuses and management fees. This longread doesn't question that Romney is a shrewd businessman; instead, it demonstrates that his shrewdness meant huge profits for him paid for predominately by the loss of middle-class jobs.

"Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital" by Matt Taibbi
Published in Rolling Stone, September 13, 2012
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/greed-and-debt-the-true-story-of-mitt-romney-and-bain-capital-20120829?print=true

Eric

Longread #148 -- The Chiefs and the Mafia -- 9/10/12

The blog is back after a week-long hiatus. Since last weekend was the start of the NFL season, I felt an NFL-related longread was appropriate to start the week off right. While it's been a long time since my hometown Kansas City Chiefs won a playoff game, there was a time when they were among the league's best teams. While winning Super Bowl IV is a high point for the franchise, this story describes how it went even further in altering the powerful role of the mafia in KC. 

"Chiefs’ Super Bowl win played part in tripping up organized crime in KC" by Kent Babb

Published in the Kansas City Star, August 25, 2012

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/25/3775704/chiefs-super-bowl-win-played-part.html

Eric