ICYMI 2.13 /  by Michael Epstein

Sony and Marvel Studios (Disney) signed a deal that will allow Marvel to use Spider-Man in the Avengers movies and other Marvel properties.

Unable to contain their excitement, the folks at Screen Crush put together a fan trailer.

Illustration Age Talks to Tara Jacoby... (Illustration Age)

Maybe it's because I've been spending a lot of time this year thinking about design, but it seems like editorial illustration is making a serious comeback, especially online. With that in mind, Gawker Media illustrator Tara Jacoby talks describes her time in that specific job, and it sounds pretty cool. Stressful, but cool.

The Ballad of Rog and Tyrone (The Verge)

Did you know you can go online and hire a spokesman to record a low-difficulty video on your behalf for $5? Of course you did.

Did you know crazy-ass anime fans have been exploiting that fact to hire the same two guys —an Australian computer salesman named Rog and a former journalist from Cameroon living in London called "Tyrone"— to hash out their arguments for years now?

I didn't think so.

Ethno-sensitivity issues aside—for example, "Tyrone" is not his real name—this is the story of how the internet and the blown-out economy of content facilitated something wacky and crazy and kind of magical.

R.I.P David Carr (NYT, The New Yorker, Gawker)

New York Times media critic and general all-around journalism idol David Carr passed away on Thursday at the age of 58. His death has drawn out a wave of obituaries and general reminiscing from reporters across the media, which should be surprising considering that Carr's job was to investigate the media.

Kings of Their Crafts, but on Divergent Paths (NYT)

Ironically (or not) I had been planning on putting up Carr's last column, which was about the convergence of Brian Williams and Jon Stewart as titans of the "post-anchor" era of broadcast television.

Our Hole in The Wall: An Oral History of the CBGB Scene (Cuepoint)

The story of iconic house of punk CBGB, as told by some of the artists that played there. Who says Music Journalism is dead?

 

Snapshot: Medill Goes to Facebook /  by Michael Epstein

Last fall, my Health and Science Reporting seminar went to San Francisco to check out some (scientific) sights in The Valley, including quick tour around the Facebook campus. We weren't able to go into the labs, but I shot some photos while we walked around.

From Left: Michaela Meaney, Sara Freund, Professor Donna Leff, Zach Vasile, Katherine Dempsey, Symmetry Editor Kathryn Jepsen, Grace Eleyae.

The campus looks exactly how you would expect it to. The colorful pop art and carefully selected typography plastered on the walls says; "Yes, we do keep an artist on retainer."

The campus feels huge: The courtyard outside the campus' centrally located cafeteria has a constant flow of people moving in, out, around and through.

Among the engineers and designers, Medill blends in surprisingly well... Except for me, which is why I ate quickly and started taking pictures.

Medill BSJ Megan Hernbroth (second from left) is an intern in Facebook's communications office. At lunch, she gives advice to lowly the graduate students. "we're always hiring!" Hernbroth says... Unfortunately, she was talking about engineers.

Hernbroth says a lot of meetings at Facebook happen while walking the paths between buildings.

Adrienne (right) has the presence of mind to smile for the camera.

It's "Hacktober" at Facebook, and apparently this spider is the campus mascot.

Some parts of Facebook campus take a decidedly amusement-park-style feel...

And like any good amusement park, Facebook has a perfectly placed gift shop.

 

 

ICYMI 2.6.15 - All About Matter /  by Michael Epstein

Logo via Matter

Logo via Matter

Instead of posting stuff from a wide array of outlets, we're going to pick out a few recent highlights from single outlet that's been particularly great recently. Matter, new science magazine that became one of Medium's original in-house publications last year, has been producing some of my favorite stories for months now.

Both the imprint and Medium's professional publishing shop seem poised to grow, so hopefully there will more stories like these going around. For now, here are a few recent example of the fun weirdness that makes them special:

Love in The Time of Bae

The first part of a serialized longform narrative, which Matter says will be priority for them in 2015, introduces Charlotte, a girl whose romantic and emotional life takes shape through veils of internet abstraction. Frantic and fast-paced, Charlotte discovers new things about herself at a breakneck speed that only a modern teen could.

It's only just begun, but this is the first piece of writing in a long time that really left me wanting more.

Photo Battle: Hilary versus Allison

Another first entry in what I hope will be a recurring series, Photo Battle is a neat photo essay experiment. Two journalism professionals with similar jobs — Allison McCann makes infographics for FiveThirtyEight. Hilary Parker analyzes user data for Etsy — were charged with sending each other random photos for a week.

While the result are kind of mundane, I see the potential for some really interesting, wacky stories as time goes on. There are definitely ways it could improve... (For example, I think it would be better if the ladies' comments were interspersed throughout the piece, rather than held until the end.)

Let's Go Eat a Goddamn Snack: The NFL Cleanse

I'm pretty sure that the stories I've chosen do not properly represent Matter, which does a lot of incredible longform journalism about serious science, but I don't care. This is hilarious. Freelancer Ruth Baron eats every single food item advertised during the Super Bowl, and records her experience in the style of Gawker's Caity Weaver, whose day-in-the-life of a person eating nothing but Friday's Mozzerella Sticks remains the gold standard in modern food journalism.

It took Baron more than a week and at times the resulting story sounds like a sci-fi parable about processed food, but it made me laugh... So definitely worth it, right?

Are You Internet Sexual?

If you have any doubt that the internet is affecting the way people think about and engage with their own sexuality, you won't after you read this piece on sex chat culture.

You're 16. You're a Pedophile. You Don't Want to Hurt Anyone. Now What do You do?

One of Matter's two ASME-nominated stories—that's the National Magazine Awards—is pretty much self-explanatory. The story alternates between the science behind pedofiliac pathology and the story of a man named Adam who has spent most of his life wrestling with sexual attraction to children. It's brutal and terrifying and it will break your heart... Which is exactly why you have to read it.

ICYMI 1.16 /  by Michael Epstein

The White House announced a their second annual "big block of cheese day," a social media initiative inspired by president Andrew Jackson, more importantly, The West Wing.

Out of The Wild (The Verge)

There are too many deer on Staten Island. Even though the borough lives in the shadow of the other four, it is still part of New York City, which means the population is too dense for large animals to roam free without causing a lot of problems. The city has an "Interagency Deer Management Task Force," but no one seems to have a good, reasonable idea for taking care of them.

Serial Prosecutor Defends Guilty Verdict: Part II (The Intercept)

Natasha Vargas-Cooper's multi-faceted investigation into the events surrounding paragon podcast Serial continues with the second half of an interview with Kevin Urick, the Maryland prosecutor who made the legal case that put Adnan in prison. (If you don't know who Adnan is, this will all be gibberish to you.)

Interestingly, in a parting shot to The Intercept before announcing that she would leave the site to write for Jezebel, Cooper posted a series of e-mails between Serial host Sarah Koenig and Urick on her blog, which suggest that Koenig and Co. may not have done their due diligence when seeking out Urick's side.

If you liked Serial, then you should read the whole series. If you were left with nagging questions, then you need to. It begins with with Cooper's interview of Jay Wilds, which came out at the very end of 2014.

A Wild Goose Chase (Eater)

Brandon Choko, a novice chicken farmer outside Atlanta, experimented with making "ethical Foie Gras," which is really a contradiction in terms:  Making foie gras sways in and out of legality because of the age-old process by which its made, force-feeding geese until their livers swell. His idea, naive at best, serves as an access point for a story that basically amounts to "what's the deal with foie gras?" It's a good question, really, because it's an issue that really can be spun any which way, depending on which parts of the story mean the most.

How to Become The Most Rachet Stripper in Florida (Vice)

I think the story title is self-explanatory. The photos are NFSW, obviously, because strippers.

ICYMI: 11/8 /  by Michael Epstein

You probably haven't read top 10 most-cited academic papers, but they're out there... Quoted more than half a million times.

You probably haven't read top 10 most-cited academic papers, but they're out there... Quoted more than half a million times.

When Should You Take Bathroom Breaks During Interstellar (Vulture)

The future of entertainment writing is here! There is so much media out there for us consume: In order for us to take it all in, we're going to need help with time management and optimization.

I've been told there is already an app designed to help with this, but everyone knows that redundancy isn't really a concern anymore.

Expect to see one of these for every long* movie in 2015.

*(Note: Compared to YouTube, all feature-length films are to be considered long.)

Melville Never Wrote Me a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book (Electric Literature)

High-Brow understanding of "low" culture is kind of my thing so, by the transitive property, an article about how authors ingest and use schlock to make good stuff is also my thing.

10 Tips for Men Starting Out in Stand-Up (A.V. Club)

Cameron Esposito has some tips for all the aspiring male stand-up comics comic up in what could be described as a "moment" for women in comedy.

Sharing History With Your Son... When Your History is Halo (Polygon)

An essay or story about sharing video games with one's children isn't exactly novel, but Polygon's Ben Kuchera's ruminations on sharing Halo with his pre-teen son are so nerdy and heartfelt that you can't help but smile.

 

ICYMI - 10.25.14 /  by Michael Epstein

Shortly after a leak, Marvel released the first trailer for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.

Pot Kids (Time)

As medical marijuana slouches towards "craze" status, some parents are willing to risk it all to bring weed home and treat their kids' epilepsy and other illnesses based on less-than-concrete evidence. Unable to wait for science to prove the efficacy (or safety) of adding THC to the brain chemistry of developing minds, the undercurrent may carry, if not force minimizing federal crimes related to marijuana.

What Kind of Creep Sells a Celebrity's Naked Photos on The Internet (Buzzfeed)

Alleged celebrity nude disseminator Bryan Hamade didn't want his privacy invaded, but didn't know just how terrible it could get when you've got a publicly mandated target on your back...

It's Not Easy Being Green: A Brief History of The Grasshopper (Eater)

With roots in the liquor-soaked streets of New Orleans, the Grasshopper is a beacon of silly, zany bartending. The return of the foamy, green potion, according to Eater, may be a sign of a return to easy drinking in the world of high-cocktails.

How We Got Rolled by The Dishonest Facists of Gamergate (Gawker)

Gawker EiC Max Read explains how some sarcastic tweets from Valleywag writer Sam Biddle cost Gawker "thousands" in advertising revenue. As with most letters from Gawker editors, it's self-important snarky, sincere and reminds us why, despite their demeanor, Gawker is a worth our time: No matter what happens, they always do the legwork.

IndieCade is The Most Important Video Game Conference You Don't Know About (The Verge)

I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment — While it is very cool, calling IndieCade "important" may be a stretch — but if you want to see the real width and breadth of what video game can be, this would be a good place to look.

Also, there are a lot of cool photos.

What It's Like to Go Bowling With Someone Who Has Ebola (Motherboard)

Vice staff writer Jason Koebler went bowling in Brooklyn this week. Craig Spencer, the first Ebola patient found in New York, ALSO went bowling in Brooklyn this week. At the same place.

Koebler doesn't have Ebola, or at least he doesn't think so, but that hasn't stopped his brain from rifling through all the ways he could have picked it up and examining his personal manifestation of the country's Ebola panic.

 

ICYMI - 9/20 /  by Michael Epstein

Via Jezebel

Via Jezebel

I Have Sexsomnia—And Can't be Cured (Motherboard)

If you can sleep-talk, sleepwalk, sleep-eat or sleep-drive, then why not sleep-fuck? Stephen Klinck documents his own diagnosis, goes into the history of the condition and outlines what could be some complicated legal implications.

What it's Like to Watch a Meme Explode on Twitter: The Sign Bunny Story (The Daily Dot)

Unfortunately, the Sign Bunny does not look good on this website. If it did, you would be much happier. You would be happier because, instead of this paragraph, you would be reading a nice little quip about how much people love bunnies, memes and Twitter.

This article details how a reporter at The Daily Dot triggered a little fad on Twitter. The Sign Bunny is cool, but charting the flow of the internet is much cooler.

A Shortcut to Comic Celebrity (NYT)

A profile of budding celebrity Josh Ostrovsky, aka Instagram's "The Fat Jewish," who is trying to elevate himself any way he can into the mainstream zeitgeist via new "everyday" approach to social media stardom. Based on the story, he's every bit as crazy as you think he is...

Also it was in printed in the style section — probably because of his ponytail-thing — which is hilarious in itself.

Unofficial headline*: The iPhone 6 Plus is Too Big For Me, and Probably for You Too (Slate) 

Smartphone consumers have made it clear that they love big screens, and Apple's new phones are finally obliging them, but unless you're a professional athlete you probably do not have the hands or pants to use a 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus as well as your current phone.

*I wrote my own headline because the official ones — Slate rarely almost always has a couple — are abhorrently manipulative attempts to grab social traffic. The story is still good, though, so it makes the list.

 

 

ICYMI - 9/13/14 /  by Michael Epstein

The opening theme for DuckTales, but with real ducks... If you can't appreciate the genius, then you're beyond hope.

Reddit is a Failed State (The Verge)

The recent wave of nude celebrity photos that recently leaked online is not the first breach of personal privacy and ethics proliferated on and protected by Reddit in the name of "digital democracy." The tone-deaf complaints from "John," the Reddit user who posted the leaks and then cried foul after he was outed by The Washington Post, show the kind of behavior the Reddit encourages.

The Verge's political writer T.C. Sottek suggests that if we judge Reddit to the same standard we judge real-world governments, Reddit would be closer to an anarchy run by fear-mongers than a shining beacon of democracy.

You Won't See Me: The Hidden Lives of US Open Ball People (Grantland)

Someday, the USTA will replace ball boys (and girls) with tractor beams, or at least awesome robots with crazy, extendable arms. Until then, however, pros like Williams sisters and Djokavic will rely on human beings to keep the court clear and flush with those fuzzy green things like to hit so much. Where those people come from, what they care about and why they choose to do a thankless job in utter silence are all interesting questions that Peter Macia looks at.

Fear and Loathing in America (ESPN)

On September 12, 2001, Hunter S. Thompson wrote about how the World Trade Center attack would change America. After 13 years, it looks like he was pretty much right on the money.

Thanks, Deadspin

A Brand Remembers 9/11 (The Awl)

If Hunter Thompson's diatribe serves as a austere reminder of what Americans should remember about 9/11 — the fear, the hate and the feeling of loss — than The Awl's pithy intellectual exercise about corporations remembering the day on social media acts with equal and opposite force: Remembering to post a status update is not proof that you haven't forgotten, or that you ever even understood why you shouldn't.

The Dating Game: An Oral History of Tinder (Playboy)

Writer love to pick on Tinder. They love to mock it and marvel at it and bring low those who would seek to use it for anything other than... Well, other than writing funny stuff about Tinder.

Playboy contributor Kiera Feldman's repository of Tinder users explaining their experiences on the service opens with a friendly reminder: People have never been able to keep themselves from engaging in what people would publicly condemn as indecent, and using Tinder is simply the latest in a long line of social constructs that people engage with on the path to the intimacy. This is just a new a way to be awkward, cheesy, pervy and desperate with strangers.

Also there's a storyline about tindering Mormons.

The Death of Adulthood in American Culture (NYT)

Movie reviewer A.O. Scott rambles on about the state of the artistic protagonist, as seen on TV, in film, in concert and on the page, and what their popularity says about who have become. It's long. It's windy. It sounds curmudgeonly and supportive at the same time. If you like stuff and thinking about the stuff that you like, this is mandatory.

ICYMI - 9/6/14 /  by Michael Epstein

Grantland's Touchdown Celebration Matrix

Breaking Madden: Jadevon Clowney's Quest for 201 Sacks in a Game (SBNation)

Jon Bois' Breaking Madden series was the best part of football season last year. You don't need to like football. You don't need to know who Jadevon Clowney is. Just read it. It's funny.

You Have to Protect Yourself (Infinite Lives)

Jenn Frank, one of the best critics writing about video games, is giving up on the subject after her views on the rapidly escalating #gamergate scandal — an aggregated twitter shitstorm with people screaming about journalistic ethics, sexism and the liberal "Social Justice Warriors" — drew an inordinate amount of hate to her from the depths of the internet.

As someone who's taken a break from writing about games, Frank's departure is incredibly disturbing. If one of the field's paragons is dropping out poor and upset at the world she was willing to sacrifice for, then it begs the question; should I even consider going back?