4 ms·

This is why I love the New Yorker. You don't see enough of this kind of long form journalism, shedding light on seemingly mundane issues that you'd never imagin

by nwah1 9y ago

This is why I love the New Yorker. You don't see enough of this kind of long form journalism, shedding light on seemingly mundane issues that you'd never imagined could be so interesting. The historical perspective, in particular, was great. But what took this to another level was detailing just how big the challenges are, and how enthusiastic the engineers are in trying to solve them. Even giving a sense of vicarious excitement from the descriptions of their attempts at problem-solving.

fredley 9y ago
I've been reading Delayed Gratification for a year now. It's all this sort of stuff. If you like long form journalism I highly recommend it. https://www.slow-journalism.com/ https://www.slow-journalism.com/
- Overtonwindow 9y ago
  Thank You!
- lighttower 9y ago
  Thank you for this. I've been deliberate in not reading news for a couple of years now. I subscribed to the Atlantic Monthly print edition which is slow enough to get some digestion rather than velocity. The most important outcome in looking for is reduction in anxiety and avoidance of getting sucked into pointless debates... It's very effective to say you never heard of Jordan Peterson (I heard of him last night) and you're thus physically unable to participate in the ensuing gender politics melee. What I notice about myself lately is that I go to Google news whenever I'm anxious or avoiding something. It's would be instructive to plot my browsing history to news sites with actual anxiety over time
  - fredley 9y ago
    Wanting to cut down on news consumption was one of my original motivations for subscribing. While I haven't cured myself entirely, I'm able to keep it a lot more under control. Reading about Trump and Brexit every single day was having a very negative effect on my mood and outlook. I remain aware of the stuff that matters, without having to deal with the blow by blow every single day.
djsumdog 9y ago
I dunno. I think this is one reason I stopped reading the Atlantic/Harpers/New Yorker. I mean, it is better than sensational TV where they take 45 minutes to get to the punch line where they could have explained it in 5 min. It's not even 40 min of interesting facts or history; just mostly commentary and talk to draw things out. I do realize this article is different; there is a lot of historical fact and context which helps create a narrative. It has its advantages. Maybe I'm just getting old. I read a lot of novels and I'd rather spend the time on that type of narrative in a novel or even a non-fiction book than a news article. People may criticize the YouTube generation, but it has helped in content creators who get a lot of information over in a very concise way (Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, Smarter Every Day and Wendover Productions come to mind). I think the opening of the historic paper jam made me want to fall asleep. The later office space references and Xerox design became more relevant. Even then, I feel like I don't read these articles the way I did back when I bought a physical Harpers from the book store. It's a lot of content, and in the scrollable world we just end up skimming more these days.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  It's the medium. If you read the same thing on paper or on a Kindle the temptation to skim would be much less.
- hycaria 9y ago
  >People may criticize the YouTube generation, but it has helped in content creators who get a lot of information over in a very concise way (Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, Smarter Every Day and Wendover Productions come to mind). Reading the same info (in a non-narrated way) would be much faster. Also it's often concise over exactitude or neutrality. I can't sit through these videos, boring or caricatural. At least the New Yorker is sold as an enjoyable distraction, and I find great pleasure in reading nice writing.
- Angostura 9y ago
  > or even a non-fiction book than a news article. This isn't a news article. Perhaps it would help if you thought of it as a freely available, very short non-ficton book.
jrgaston 9y ago
Agreed. I read most New Yorker issues cover to cover. Their writers cover a wonderfully-broad range of topics in useful depth. It's the only print publication that I still subscribe to.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  I like the London Review of Books.

by nwah1 9y ago

fredley 9y ago

I've been reading Delayed Gratification for a year now. It's all this sort of stuff. If you like long form journalism I highly recommend it. https://www.slow-journalism.com/ https://www.slow-journalism.com/

Overtonwindow 9y ago
Thank You!
lighttower 9y ago
Thank you for this. I've been deliberate in not reading news for a couple of years now. I subscribed to the Atlantic Monthly print edition which is slow enough to get some digestion rather than velocity. The most important outcome in looking for is reduction in anxiety and avoidance of getting sucked into pointless debates... It's very effective to say you never heard of Jordan Peterson (I heard of him last night) and you're thus physically unable to participate in the ensuing gender politics melee. What I notice about myself lately is that I go to Google news whenever I'm anxious or avoiding something. It's would be instructive to plot my browsing history to news sites with actual anxiety over time
- fredley 9y ago
  Wanting to cut down on news consumption was one of my original motivations for subscribing. While I haven't cured myself entirely, I'm able to keep it a lot more under control. Reading about Trump and Brexit every single day was having a very negative effect on my mood and outlook. I remain aware of the stuff that matters, without having to deal with the blow by blow every single day.

djsumdog 9y ago

I dunno. I think this is one reason I stopped reading the Atlantic/Harpers/New Yorker. I mean, it is better than sensational TV where they take 45 minutes to get to the punch line where they could have explained it in 5 min. It's not even 40 min of interesting facts or history; just mostly commentary and talk to draw things out. I do realize this article is different; there is a lot of historical fact and context which helps create a narrative. It has its advantages. Maybe I'm just getting old. I read a lot of novels and I'd rather spend the time on that type of narrative in a novel or even a non-fiction book than a news article. People may criticize the YouTube generation, but it has helped in content creators who get a lot of information over in a very concise way (Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, Smarter Every Day and Wendover Productions come to mind). I think the opening of the historic paper jam made me want to fall asleep. The later office space references and Xerox design became more relevant. Even then, I feel like I don't read these articles the way I did back when I bought a physical Harpers from the book store. It's a lot of content, and in the scrollable world we just end up skimming more these days.

emodendroket 9y ago
It's the medium. If you read the same thing on paper or on a Kindle the temptation to skim would be much less.
hycaria 9y ago
>People may criticize the YouTube generation, but it has helped in content creators who get a lot of information over in a very concise way (Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, Smarter Every Day and Wendover Productions come to mind). Reading the same info (in a non-narrated way) would be much faster. Also it's often concise over exactitude or neutrality. I can't sit through these videos, boring or caricatural. At least the New Yorker is sold as an enjoyable distraction, and I find great pleasure in reading nice writing.
Angostura 9y ago
> or even a non-fiction book than a news article. This isn't a news article. Perhaps it would help if you thought of it as a freely available, very short non-ficton book.

jrgaston 9y ago

Agreed. I read most New Yorker issues cover to cover. Their writers cover a wonderfully-broad range of topics in useful depth. It's the only print publication that I still subscribe to.

emodendroket 9y ago
I like the London Review of Books.