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Weekend Reads - RAW 170428


This week we look at collecting Philip K. Dick #scifi novels, #digital #publishing success for #newspapers, the power of #curation, #introverts and the quiet revolution and more. When it's time to relax this weekend, grab your favourite beverage and have a read of the following articles.

Before leaving this website take a look at my latest article: QuickLook at The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet





Collecting Philip K. Dick: Science Fiction’s Most Powerful Gateway Drug | Tor.com

I first heard the name Philip K. Dick (PKD) from my gaming group while growing up in Hawaii. I was a 15-year-old teen... One afternoon, I asked if he could suggest some great science fiction writers I ought to read. He created a list that included legends like Theodore Sturgeon, Frank Herbert, Clifford D. Simak, and Philip K. Dick. He pointed to that name and said, “Anything by PKD is worth reading.




The Times of London sees success in an editions approach to digital publishing  | Digiday

Users of the British newspaper’s paid-for mobile app are up 30 percent since this time last year, and people are viewing three times as many pages per visit as they were a year ago. Their focus... It’s often the day after [major breaking news] that sets new records for us. General news is a commodity and hard to charge for as it’s free everywhere. We’re focusing on what’s truly distinctive...


Newspaper's last gasp? by Conrad Black | The New Criterion

One of the most vexed contemporary commercial controversies is the future of the newspaper. It is a technological, and in the United States, a socio-cultural question. It is clear enough that the traditional newspaper is passing. This mode of newspapering had an astonishing durability, surviving premature death notices with the arrival of the radio, television, and each subsequent phase of electronic media.


The Power and Limits of Curation \ Digital Book World

There's so much content (both long-form and short-form) that it's difficult to discover what to read. So how do curators fit into the new publishing world?



Susan Cain foments the "Quiet Revolution." | Harvard Magazine

On a bright Monday afternoon, the fairy godmother of introverts—author Susan Cain, J.D. ’93, whose book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking caught fire five years ago—was sitting with her team around a long wooden table strewn with papers and laptops and long-empty coffee cups. Outside, another day idled by on this sleepy street in central Harlem. But inside, the dining room of a majestic old brownstone that had recently become the group’s base of operations, Cain and her colleagues were deep into a philosophical discussion about loving kindness, the freedom and burden of authenticity, and the finer points of corporate networking.


Planet Count May Reach 110 | Planetary Science | Sci-News.com

With this new definition of a planet, our solar system's planet count might reach 110 (and yes, Pluto's in there). In our opinion, the new definition would also describe porcupine fish, the desert rain frog, and coconuts.


Active Integrated Matter – The next five big science advances | CSIRO blog

Imagine a world where disaster rescue robots can readily change their body size and shape to adapt to different terrains and environments. A world where some of the in-demand food products you consume have been developed from produce previously lost or wasted in the supply chain. Or a world where bespoke products and spare parts are effortlessly created in mini, mobile manufacturing plants.


Why Papa of The Shack Is not Aslan of Narnia | Tim Challies

I should be wary of presenting the immaterial God in physical form. This was the point of my recent article on The Shack movie in which I expressed my concern that its portrayal of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit is a violation of the second commandment. I was surprised by the scope and tone of the response. Yet amid many retorts and accusations, I received one thoughtful question from at least a hundred people: What about Narnia? If it is wrong to portray God the Father as the human Papa, isn’t it equally wrong to portray God the Son as the lion Aslan?


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