The Portal Problem, Part 1: The Plight of the Britannica
Did the Encyclopedia Britannica stop printing because of the limitations of print? Or is there something more pernicious at the roots of Britannica’s problems?
What's Up, Doc? — How to Draw Bugs Bunny in Two Minutes
An iconic film star comes to life in just a few pencil strokes, rekindling the charm and hijinks of the classic cartoon era.
The Story of "Keep Calm and Carry On" — An Iconic Poster Almost Lost Forever
A now-famous poster was printed in large quantities but almost lost to history. Here’s what happened.
And Now We Are Four!
The Scholarly Kitchen turns four. Are we losing our ability to be provocative, interesting, insightful, and engaging? We’re just getting started . . .
Criss-cross Applesauce — Multiplication in Japan
A fascinating video showing another way to multiply moderately big numbers, courtesy of Japan.
The Joy of Books — A Short, Inspired Film Full of Passion
Passions die harder than businesses, and when passions energize a business, little miracles can happen, as this short film demonstrates.
Paper and Press — How Vanishing Technologies Become More Precious
Two shops from a bygone era fight for survival in downtown Los Angeles. Moving into the future doesn’t guarantee that things improve or become more edifying, as this video shows.
Ask the Chefs: "What Was the Best Conference You Attended This Year, and Why?"
Conferences are a vital place to exchange information and ideas for publishers and other information specialists. Which meetings stood out in 2011?
Red, Green, and Blue — The Library Classification System Parody
Full of “all kinds of odd mappings between the categories and the world they describe,” library organizational systems get a jolly send-up in this pre-Google British comedy sketch.
Wile E. Coyote and Print Publishing — The Tragicomedy of Desperate Measures
Print aficionados and newspaper companies are rushing to bridge a chasm, but even their ACME product may not be enough.
"The Eve of Destruction," Now on YouTube
Publishers habitually adopt a pessimistic outlook about their business, but the trends for the industry are very good. Pessimism is the real problem.
"Librarians" — An Endangered Species?
A recent analysis suggests some worrisome trends for librarianship.
Capturing Words — Revisiting the Echoes of History
Words persist, but the form they take can change something fundamental in their meaning.
"The Making of a Scholarly Journal" Video — Perhaps Inducing More Nostalgia Than Intended
A nice video documenting how a humanities journal is made inadvertently hits on some other themes, almost by exclusion.
Mourning the Printed Book — The Aesthetic and Sensory Deprivation of E-books
Nostalgia about the book will be upon us soon enough. But we’ve been down similar paths before, and so have prior generations.