For me, Sundays are real special. It’s the only day in the week that’s completely free of work and other professional/personal obligations. I can spend the whole day doing what I like, whenever and however I want.
This Sunday, I chose to stay in; relax; and go through my e-mail, RSS/social media feeds and saved articles/pages. (Yeah. I like living a boring life.) I save so much online material, but rarely have the time to read them all (or, OK, some of them). Today, I can do that; time for a quick run-through — and a new and more focused Snippets format!
First up: an awesome desk lamp made of LED lights and magnetic blocks. Perfect for work and late-night reading. I want one! (via Fast Co.DESIGN)
Fluida from Studio Natural on Vimeo.
Second video for y’all: The Seattle Public Library now holds the world record for the longest book domino chain. Congratulations! This is awesome.
And spotted this article/video just this afternoon, from good ol’ dependable HuffPost Books. I absolutely love the smell of old books, but didn’t really wonder why I love it. Thanks for the knowledge, DNews!
For those who wanted to check out the two-day Mike Stilkey event at Fully Booked but couldn’t (like me), you can get updated and informed via these articles from Spot.ph and GMA News Online. And if you’re wondering how the artist did the permanent sculpture at the flagship Bonifacio High Street branch, watch this time-lapse video from Fully Booked:
The next news item on this blog entry is very important for e-book publishers, particularly staunch digital rights management (DRM) supporters. A new DRM method made in Germany involves making little changes to an e-book’s text, with the goal of stopping rampant piracy in digital publishing. Read all about it over at Wired UK.
Also, out of the many books launched this month, two got my attention. Of course, I went out and got Neil Gaiman‘s latest novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Still have to get through my reading backlog before I can read it, though. The other book focuses on the life and views of The Roots’ drummer/frontman, Questlove. Been a fan of the band and him for a long time; chances are real good that Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove will eventually be in my hands.
Gaiman and Questlove are backed by major publishing firms (HarperCollins and the Hachette Book Group, respectively). Countless others opt to take the self-publishing route. In recent years, a lot of self-publishing pros and cons have been brought up, with many individuals taking sides. John Green (he of The Fault in Our Stars fame) has taken the side of the “big guys”; read The Guardian‘s article on Green’s refusal to self-publish. (As an ex-copy editor for a mid-sized digital publishing house, I’d like to say thank you, sir.)
I also recently came across dated articles on two places I’d like to see for myself — and/or write about in The Reading Spree within the year (hopefully!): the Solidaridad Book Shop in Ermita; and Hernando “Nanie” Guanlao’s makeshift library in Barangay La Paz, Makati, called Reading Club 2000 (which I first learned about through last year’s GMA News Online feature).
The last item for today: Google Reader says bye-bye tomorrow, July 1. If you haven’t found an alternative app yet, check out Engadget’s piece on RSS, Google Reader’s exit, the replacements that have popped up, and the future of personal news aggregation. Another great article: this one from TidBITS. Sayonara, Google Reader, and thanks!