Hi again.

Wow. Several months have past since I last posted.

School has started again, life has started again, and honestly I’m stretched a bit thin. I’m in five classes, some of which are tough, and I’ve overcommitted myself again in extracurricular activities.

Not to sound all emo, but sometimes it just feels like you’re drowning. That claustrophobia, that tightness around your neck, that slow deprivation of air–air you need to breathe and to live.

Too many things, too many obligations, too many expectations, too many deadlines, too many missed deadlines, too many changes, too many plans, too many worries.

Costa Rica!

I’ve been terrible at updating this lately; I’m terribly sorry!  The good news is, I’m in Costa Rica right now!  A friend and I arrived yesterday morning in San Jose.  We spent the day in the city, but there’s not a lot to do in San Jose.  We woke up early this morning and we’re about to leave the hostel to catch a bus to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano!  Watch this blog for more updates!

Dream come true

I got a job! And best part is…it’s at a public radio station. This is going to be awesome.

Does journalism deserve to die?

OK; I’ll admit…the article title was shamelessly misleading just to get you to click.

More accurately, “Do certain journalism platforms deserve to die?”

The death of print media, specifically newspapers, has been predicted for years. And while naysayers will point to the longevity of books as evidence that newspapers will never completely fade away, I remain reluctantly pessimistic. After all, even books compete with Kindle nowadays.

I recently watched a round table discussion that included Ira Glass, host of Chicago Public Radio/Public Radio International’s “This American Life” (and my personal journalism/public radio idol) and he literally said, quite frankly, that newspapers and network TV news deserve to die.

At first I was instinctively opposed to the idea. But the more I think about it, the more I agree…unless print journalism and major network news changes its behavior.

Both are catering to a dwindling customer base. People my age typically don’t watch the evening news nor read any major newspaper. But they’ll surf blogs, check their Twitter and search YouTube.

I think there will still be an audience for newspapers. After all, I love waking up in the morning to hot coffee and a crisp, unwrinkled stack of newsprint. But it’ll never survive if it doesn’t adapt to changing user demand.

The same goes for TV news. Mr. Glass said something that really resonated with me in the discussion, and that is that people want real journalism, but where commentary and opinion “kick journalism’s ass every time, is that commentary speaks to us in a normal tone of voice.”

He goes on to describe how corny the TV news voices that on-air talent use and how, when you think about it, it just doesn’t make much sense. I don’t talk to my friends or family in a “news voice,” so why would I want to listen to someone talk to me in one?

Glass said this, and I agree: that the reason shows like The Daily Show, Rachel Maddow, and the Colbert Report are so popular are that, though they inject commentary and entertainment, they talk to us about issues like we talk with our friends…in a normal, conversational tone.

And there’s a huge hole in journalism right now for a TV show or radio show or something that gives us real news journalism, just cold hard facts without opinion, in a normal tone of voice. Someone who can do that, would do very well, I think.

What do you all think? Do print/TV news deserve to die? Or should they change? Who will instigate the change? Will it be the people in the industry right now? Or young people our age who want to step up to the plate and offer fresh new ideas from a different perspective?

——

Here’s the round table.  Glass talks about the “death” of print journalism/TV news starting right at 38:00, but the whole thing is worth watching.

Isn’t it amazing?

Sorry for not posting in a long while.

Isn’t it amazing that there are still things yet to be explained by science?

If you know me, you know that I am pretty much an insomniac. Once I’m asleep I love to sleep, but I’ll do everything in my will to not sleep to begin with. I always feel like I’m missing out on something or doing something when I’m asleep.

This yields a sleep schedule that is the height of irregular. I stay awake long into the night, often all the way until the next day and can continue to do this for several days with minimal napping before I crash.

Then I got to thinking.  I read in a magazine that scientists aren’t exactly sure why we sleep.  They know we need to.  They know we get really tired if we don’t.  But they aren’t completely sure why.  What exactly does sleep do?  What is sleep even?  They’re not 100% sure.

I think that’s pretty nifty.

Anyway, I just wanted to update since I haven’t in a while.

Filling the void

I live in Stillwater, OK.  The night entertainment choices are:

1) The Tumbleweed, a country dance hall for country people.  18+

2) The Strip, a bunch of bars for drinking and many country-themed.  21+

3) That’s it.

I don’t really drink, so going to The Strip is kind of dumb because that’s really the only reason people go there.  The Tumbleweed is for everyone, because it also caters to 18-21 folks.  But what about those of us who aren’t into the country scene?  What are we to do?!

Answer:  Stillwater needs a dance club.  Be it trance, house, trip hop or other, Stillwater needs an exciting electronic dance place for 18+ so that both drinkers and non-drinkers can enjoy the weekend with awesome loud music and dancing.

Am I the only one who feels this way?  I don’t feel like going to a bar and drinking for entertainment, but I don’t mind being somewhere that serves it as long as there’s more entertainment (i.e. music and dancing), and I don’t feel like dancing to country music!

Action is always preferred to talk

You can talk all you want, but people aren’t interested.

You can do all you want, and people will always be interested in seeing what you’re planning next.

If you’re leading a tribe, a group of people with shared ideas and passions, then the best thing you can do is to show that you mean what you say.  The worst thing you can do is talk a lot and not show any interest in acting.

Results are highly valued; talk is offered at a discount.

It’s the weekend. I had a dream.

Last night I had a dream.  I drove to a popular nearby mountain with my mountain bike in the bed of my pickup.  The mountain doesn’t exist in real life, but it reminded me of the low, rocky Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma.

Once there, I unloaded my bike and rode the thing up steep trails, betwen trees and around rocky outcroppings.  I made it to the summit to survey my surroundings–a vast, expansive nothingness.  It felt great.

I’ve never been the type to dissect my dreams looking for meaning, but this one made me realize how long it’s been since I’ve been mountain biking.  You see, the last several weeks–maybe even a month or two–have been quite hectic, with different projects, tests and assignments all due at once.  The stress of it has kept me busy and I’ve ignored leisure activities.

Sometimes, though, you have to take a break.  Responsibilities are necessary, and you shouldn’t ignore them.  Every so often, though, you have to know when to break away and say “Enough.  I’m taking a break.”  Go out to a nice restaurant on the weekend, go camping by the lake–with the cell phone off–, relax with some good music and watch a movie, or go mountain biking.

It doesn’t really matter what you do; just know that it’s OK to take a break now and then.  Happy weekend, everyone.

Attention Journalism Majors

I’ve been a member at News University for a while, but have only recently begun really taking advantage of the continuing education articles, online clases and other resources they offer.

In today’s competitive job market, young people like us must work harder to keep a competitive edge if we have any desire to become actual leaders in our fields.  Taking advantage of resources like these is a key way we can get a leg up.

If you are a journalism, public relations, broadcast or related major, I highly reccommend you register.  Oh yeah; it’s free.

“It’s our policy.”

“It’s our policy…”  Three words that can crush customer loyalty and satisfaction.  In my hospitality class we learned about this kind of language.  It was one of the “Seven Deadly Sins of the Hospitality Industry” (or any industry for that matter), and it was called the “Rule Book Sin.”  In other words, any time an employee whips out the phrase “It’s our policy…” chances are they are citing some rule that upper management has cooked up to avoid confrontation.  The Catch-22 is, this “policy” typically encourages a confrontation between the client and provider.

I recently experienced this Deadly Sin today, as I was trying to negotiate with a businesswoman in charge of financial matters for a certain institution.  Basically, I knew I was going to be charged some money but I had completed all the necessary steps before the deadline in order to only be charged the minimum cost.  I then received a billing statement charging me the maximum cost, plus a $20 per item “processing fee.”

I have since e-mailed the businesswoman back and forth, explaining my situation, and I find out that the person I initially dealt with did not complete my transaction as requested, and instead half-completed it, leaving me with maximum cost and fees for the other items.  Apparently, they have a protocol for these situations, but it was never explained to me at the time.

So now, after my e-mails with the person, she has finally sent me a last e-mail citing several times that their “policy is…” and “the rules are…” and that “exceptions cannot be made…” and “it’s the same for everyone…”

Deadly. Sin. Committed.

And something we learned in Hospitality was that once a Deadly Sin is committed, it cannot be revoked.  It’s done.  The client is left feeling cheated, used and tricked.  And they will not want to do business with you again.

The remedy for this “Rule Book Sin” was to instill in your employees a strong sense of the “spirit of the rule” rather than memorizing a specific policy and then executing it relentlessly, blind to common sense.

If an employee of yours messes up and the client was not made aware of this policy ahead of time, then it behooves you to act “in the spirit of the rule” and to make concessions as necessary based on the individual case, if you want to keep their business and your good reputation.

In other words, no two situations are alike, and if you have any interest in becoming a well-respected, well-liked service with strong customer loyalty, you should be strongly interested in the spirit of the law vs. policies, and you must realize that common sense cannot be eliminated from the equation.  After all, this is no monopoly.  Your clients can easily take their business elsewhere–and will.

Powerful e-mail

People get a lot of e-mail, too many to devote their full attention to.  So when you compose an e-mail and hit “send,” do you actually expect the other person to read it?

Ideally, yes.  But this isn’t an ideal world and they probably won’t.  At the most you hope they will thoughtfully skim it.

The keys to getting people to read your e-mail are brevity and authentic urgency.

Brevity
People hate long e-mails.  If I open an e-mail and it is several paragraphs long, I hardly look at it.  I should read it all, and I’ve been guilty of sending long-winded e-mails myself, but they simply don’t work.

Cut all unnecessary words and redundancies.  Do you “really hope that everyone will try and make time out of their busy schedules to come and see what an awesome thing we’re planning on doing”? Or do you “hope to see you there”?

When I see a one- to two-sentence e-mail, I rejoice.  I read it, and I appreciate it.  When I see an essay in my inbox, I trash it.

Authentic urgency
This is what trips a lot of people up.  They think nothing of shooting off several e-mails in a row because what they’re sending is really important…to them. Ignore how important you think it is and instead think of how important it is to the receiver.  If it’s not urgent, or you can tell him in person later, or you’ve already told him, don’t send it.

People don’t have time for your important messages.  They only have time for messages they think are important.

DO NOT use the “this message is urgent” button unless someone is dying, has died or is critically injured.  If it’s not one of those things and you still think it’s “urgent,” then give the person a call or tell him or her in person.  E-mail is not reliable enough for truly urgent messages anyway.

Finally, don’t repeat yourself.  I’ve repeated several points in this blog post because I’m trying to hammer home a point…in a blog post.  Repeating yourself has no place, however, in e-mail.  If you’ve said it, you’ve said it.  Done.  Period.  Move on.  If you can truly recap everything in a summary at the end, then delete everything else and make those sentences your e-mail.

The steps

1. Write your e-mail.
2. Read through the e-mail.
3. Cut out all unnecessary words and redundancies.
4. Read through the e-mail.
5. Cut out some more.
6. Read through the e-mail.
7. Double check that you’ve stated your purpose (does the receiver even know who you are or why you’re emailing them?)
8. Add your contact info at the bottom (or use a signature).
9. Double check that you actually need to send the e-mail.
10. Send the e-mail.

Whew!  Use these points and you’ll be well on your way to powerful, useful e-mail instead of ignored messages a-la-spam.

Design makes you feel good

Oklahoma State University is featuring a big “creativity” initiative right now. It wants to make the university a center for innovation and creativity. Students and faculty could submit their ideas on how to make creativity a priority and win prizes. That’s all fine and good in theory. But what about making the university a real and tangible center for creativity?

Every time I walk into a university building, I wouldn’t know which one it was if I were unfamiliar with the campus.  You know what I’m talking about:  the same drab beige walls as every other anonymous institutional building, with multipurpose rooms filled with desks that are impossible to get in and out of.  The hallways have the same boring, tight-weave carpet designed to mask stains and spills, and the only hint of decoration is fliers pinned on a bulletin board announcing the next meeting for a club.

Is this the way to inspire our students?

No one can argue that our environment profoundly affects our attitude, work ethic and creativity.  There’s a reason you feel refreshed and full of ideas when you visit an art museum or a beautiful outdoor park.  There’s also a reason people loathe going to work every morning in a cubicle.

So how can the university truly inspire our students to reach new levels of creativity and innovation?  Here’s my take:

• Don’t ignore interiors. Don’t be afraid to throw some color on the walls that isn’t a shade of pearl.  It will liven up our days.
• Focus on the students. Universities are full of young, up-and-coming students who are beginning to look for their place in the workforce.  They want their work to be recognized, but a world full of more experienced players isn’t always the most receptive.  Call on students to create works of art–sculptures, paintings, drawings, poems, photographs and anything else–and then feature them.  Everywhere.  Put them on every wall, between every window and on every empty patch of grass.  Make the campus a huge showcase of student work.
• Sponsor public art. On a related note, not every building needs to be a fancy Georgian-faithful piece of architecture.  Find an unused, unsightly concrete wall–or build one if needed–and throw a mural up!  People love murals, and will appreciate the public access to art.  Likewise, put some student sculptures on Library Lawn and cycle them in and out every few months.  Nobody else is using the space.
• Encourage outdoor intimacy. Speaking of, there’s no reason not to use Library Lawn.  Take cafe tables like those on the Student Union porch and line the sides of Library Lawn by the hedges.  In nice weather, students can enjoy a sandwich and a cappuccino on the sides of the lawn instead of being cooped up in the dim Atrium.  Sponsor lunchtime pick-up games of touch rugby, football and kickball.  Sure, it may seem a little elementary school, but I can guarantee there are lots of stressed college students who would appreciate it.
• Inspire your signage. Have you been inside the library?  If you need to know where to go, it works great.  Signs neatly spell out floors and stacks with basic black-on-white signs printed with all the info.  But what if you could make it more interesting?  Take a cue from the Madrid Metro system and color-code the library with corresponding numbers.  Color the sides of all the stacks in the proper, bold color and have large white numbers in a nice, pleasing font like Helvetica.  No Comic Sans, please.
• Take advantage of what you have. While I’m speaking of the library, why don’t we use the great architecture we already have?  At around 9 p.m. or so every night, the front entrance of the library shuts down and patrons are forced to use the dismal, low-ceilinged back entrance.  They miss out on the grand marble columns and high ceilings of the front, which seem to instill a stately sense of academic pride.  If you must shut down an entrance, make it the back one.  And keep the browsing room–the only attractive room in the place–open until closing time.  5 p.m. is just unnecessary.

(Re)discovering the wisdom of Ira Glass

If you know me, you are probably well aware of my obsession for public radio. My dad has always been an avid listener of NPR and PRI programs, and I grew up listening to the dry, straightforward voices of public radio personalities as we rode along in his pick-up truck. Even after having no choice but to listen for so many years, I found myself tuning in to the public radio station once I got my own vehicle too. I would listen to it while I cleaned my room, while I ran errands and I even listened to it in my high school classes, when I could manage to sneak in my portable FM tuner without the teacher noticing.

Now I’m in college, studying broadcast journalism with the hopes of becoming one of those dry, straightforward voices myself. I still listen to public radio; in fact, I listen more now than ever. Not only do I tune in to the local public radio station broadcast by my university, but I also download NPR and PRI podcasts of my favorite programs, listen to a second public radio station when I’m in Oklahoma City and I even research public radio stations before traveling long distances, so I know when to switch the station before losing the signal and what frequency to switch to in order to tune in to the next available public radio broadcast.

Why am I telling you this? It’s obvious I love public radio. But so what? Sometimes, I’ve realized, you fail to appreciate what’s right in front of you until someone else comes along and puts a fresh perspective on it. They notice something you didn’t or at least manage to articulate it when you’re at a loss to do so.

One of my best friends, whom I’ve known since high school, recently discovered one of public radio’s greatest voices, Ira Glass. My friend Nathan has become a fan of Glass’ extremely popular program This American Life.  In case you’re unaware, This American Life is more than just great; it’s the benchmark against which all other documentary journalism is compared.  The man behind the operation, Glass, is considered a genius of both public radio and documentary filmmaking (the radio show recently was adapted to TV in addition to continuing the audio program).  I, nor anyone else, can sing his praises enough.

I’ve been a huge fan of Glass’ work and This American Life, both the radio program and the TV show for a long time.  But it wasn’t until Nathan began talking with me about how great Glass’ style of storytelling was that I really began thinking about it.  He was right!  Glass does an unmatched job at making a story come alive, and is truly a genius.

Because I’m eager to work in the field of public radio, I’m always looking for ways to learn from the best.  I make my own podcasts–which are in all honesty awful, wannabe versions of great public radio programs temselves–in an attempt to learn by doing starting now, instead of waiting for someone to give me “a big break.”

In fact, one of the programs I’ve been working on developing since last year is based on the This American Life model.  Of course it is nowhere near as good, but its purpose is essentially to seek out interesting stories on my campus to tell in radio program format.

But talking with Nathan about Ira Glass and This American Life and NPR and all these different things got me thinking about how great it would be to just talk with Glass about how he does what he does, and what advice he could offer for someone like me.

Imagine my excitement, then, when I found a series of videos posted on YouTube where Glass does exactly that.  In four videos, each several minutes in duration, Glass talks about storytelling and how to do it.  He offers priceless wisdom to beginners who are interested in broadcast storytelling, whether it be audio or visual production.  Most of all, he’s real.  He’s not playing the part of a big shot, talking about how great he is and how beginners will never match him (though that’s probably the case).  Instead, he offers straightforward advice to hopefuls like me.  He looks straight into the camera and gives real, usable advice.  That, my friends, is refreshing.

He’s even so humble as to play a clip from his early days of reporting and talk about how bad it is.

Well, enough of my rambling, I’ll let you see for yourself.  This is the first video.

Why can’t rail work?

Call me crazy. Call me young. Call me inexperienced. Call me naïve. Call me what you like, but I think rail in America can work. I know millions of armchair theorists before me have cussed and discussed the viability of a dependable rail system in America, and certainly plenty of people much more qualified than I have put in their thoughts. But perhaps that’s what makes my take on the issue different: my inexperience makes my ideas unbiased, innovative and visionary.

This may seem a bit egotistical, but I think there’s some truth in it. College students, or anyone with little experience in a field for that matter, bring with them a freshness and unlikelihood of being bogged down by negative thoughts when dealing with problems that industry leaders see as complicated.

Throughout my travels in Europe, the thing that has fascinated me most has always been the rail systems of all kinds. I wait no longer than three minutes for the next Metro train. I hop on a light rail train to the next city 30 minutes away for about the price of a sandwich and it gets me there quickly and easily. I board the high speed AVE train in Córdoba and a cool 45 minutes later I’m meeting friends in Madrid. Amazing. Simply amazing.

So why has America had so much trouble with its rail past? Why has the wonder of the transcontinental railroad turned into the disaster of Amtrak? Why am I being impressed with the relative ease of a 20 minute train ride from Oklahoma City to Norman when I have to drive 30 minutes to the station and have a friend pick me up at the Norman depot? That service is laughable in even the most inaccessible European locales.

Call me an optimist. Call me a visionary. Call me imaginative. Call me hopeful. Call me crazy. Call me what you like, but I think rail can work. This is what needs to happen:

1. End Amtrak’s monopoly on rail. Healthy competition among rail companies will spur them into creative thinking and better service. In fact, see if we can’t lure a European system in to operate stateside as well.

2. First item on the to-do list: put in high speed rail service between New York and Los Angeles. (This is where you call me crazy). Use only the best trains with awesome amenities to avoid stopping in a lot of cities. By building a transcontinental high speed service, it will give rail the kick in the pants that’s needed to start a revolution. Hey, it happened last time. Remember the Industrial Revolution?

3. Make high speed rail high speed rail. “High speed” trains in America are ridiculous compared to their European counterparts. Stop putting fancy labels on mediocre service in an attempt to WOW an uninitiated audience. Call me when your train can go at least 250 mph. Then I’ll be impressed.

4. You’re in the service and people business, not the transportation business. People are not widgets that simply must be transported from Point A to Point B at an optimal cost-per-unit basis. People want luxury, people want service. The airlines could learn the same lesson. We want to board a high speed train ready for us with WiFi, meal service, impeccable design and cleanliness, friendly staff, unambiguous protocol, comfortable and roomy seats and a transparency to the customer service. Yes, we demand a lot. But major bucks await the company that is willing to step up and provide rather than rationalize cutting costs at the expense of services.

5. Learn something from the Ritz-Carlton concept. I recently watched a presentation given by Horst Schulze, founder of that concept. It’s a great presentation given by an obviously great businessman and someone who seems to also be a great person. He said something that stuck with me, that basically any fool can come in and cut costs by cutting services. Anyone can. It takes an especially good businessperson, however, to be able to create efficiency and thereby cut costs without unnecessarily cutting services. He said he knows that he spends a lot on flowers in his hotels, and that people criticize him for doing so. He knows they cost money…DUH! But he’s not interested in simply cutting out all costs that aren’t necessary. He’s interested in creating efficiency, while keeping those touches that make for an unforgettable experience.

So, rail systems: take heed. Keep the flowers, or better yet get some flowers in the first place, but don’t cut our service, and don’t aim for mediocrity.

What am I listening to?

THE TING TINGS! They’re the greatest, I promise you. If you love catchy, danceable stuck-in-your-head, iTunes-commercial-worthy pop songs as much as I do, you’ll love ‘em, I promise. In fact, they already have been featured in an iTunes advert.

I first heard the Ting Tings’ music several months ago; in fact, maybe close to a year ago. I remember it being extremely catchy, but I had no idea who they were or the name of the song.

Fast forward to about two weeks ago and I stumbled across it again. Just as catchy as the first time, and this time I had all their info. Now, I have all their songs stuck in my head and I don’t even care…I’m loving them that much.

Go check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thetingtings . You’ll definitely be glad you did.

As far as reccommendations, I would check out these songs first:
-That’s Not My Name
-Shut Up and Let Me Go
-Great DJ

Grover Cleveland makes things difficult

Hello everyone. It is Thursday evening, Jan. 22. It’s been about two days since Barack Obama took the oath of office to assume the role as the 43rd president of the United States of America. Wait, what? Did I say that right?

Yes; yes, I did. Mr. Obama is the FORTY-THIRD person to be president, yet he is entering the 44th presidency. How does this work?

Let me enlighten you. There’s a guy back in history named Grover Cleveland. He served as president, too…twice, and not consecutively either. This means that he served in the 22nd AND 24th presidencies, but is was only the 22nd American sworn in as president.

Mr. Obama, in his inauguration speech, said that “44 Americans” had taken that oath of office, but that is incorrect. If he had said there had been 44 presidents, one could debate all day whether it was right or wrong, but by saying “44 Americans” Mr. Obama was simply mistaken. Grover Cleveland is ONE American, served as president TWICE, and assumed the head role in TWO presidencies.

So, there’s your fun fact of the day folks: Mr. Obama could be called the 43rd or the 44th president, depending on how you look at it, but it IS certain that he is the 43rd American to take the oath, and is taking the helm of the 44th presidency.

Hooray for ignorance of our own nation’s history.

Back in the swing of things

Classes resumed Monday and I finally tweaked my schedule to my liking. It is not perfect, but it’s as close as it is going to get. I’m enrolled in 15 hours this semester, which is a bit below my over-achiever expectations, but I took into consideration the fact that I’m taking a few courses of which I have no previous knowledge and anticipate possibly being a bit difficult.

I’m taking
–Introduction to Hotels, Tourism and Restaurant Management (or something like that)
–Media, Style and Structure (I love grammar, and it’s required)
–American Government (I think it will be interesting)
–Economics of Social Issues (interesting, but may be tough)
–Elementary Statistics of Social Sciences (same as above).

I unfortunately had to drop a few classes I was looking forward to in order to fit in some of the above required classes. I was enrolled in Food Preparation and Sanitation which I was very much looking forward to, Advanced Diction and Phonetics, a Spanish class, that I was also very much looking forward to, and Arabic I, yet another class I was looking forward to.

However, leaving my schedule as is allows me to not be incredibly busy and also allows me to possibly get a part-time job, which I desperately need.

That’s all for now; I’m in the computer lab working on a new blogging project that I think will interest many students at OSU and I’ll reveal more about that later.

What am I watching?

Last post I told you about a magazine I’m reading.  This post, I’m telling you about something I’m watching.  For anyone who is a fan of vlogging and YouTube, then check out wheezywaiter.  He makes hilarious vlogs (bonus) that are short (bonus) and uploads frequently (mega bonus)!  He also has a website at www.wheezywaiter.com.

What am I reading?

A few months ago I was fortunate to stumble upon a copy of Tyler Brûlé’s new magazine, Monocle.  The Canadian-born journalist and entrepreneur is also known for having started Wallpaper* magazine in the 1990s.

I was scanning the periodicals racks at Barnes & Noble, something I do very often.  In the news and affairs section, there I spotted Monocle.  Clean, sleek design and thick-as-a-book, it caught my attention; so I picked it up and headed to the café to ponder its pages over a cup of coffee.

I absolutely love magazines.  I very regularly read a large number of them (about 16 or so, that I read each issue and I browse many more), and have a subscription to most of those.  Their highly visual style and timely, in-depth stories are something I can’t get enough of.

So when I began reading Monocle, it fit the ticket quite nicely.  Started in 2007, the magazine offers a “global briefing” based on an ABCD setup (Affairs, Business, Culture, Design).  It spares no cost in sending very talented writers and photographers to an impressive number of locales for its intriguing stories (which may be one reason for its steep $10/£5 cover price), and its sheer mass is equally astounding (it is, literally, as thick as a book).

Its creator’s global experience (Canadian-born, UK-educated, Middle-East reporter, worldwide traveling columnist, etc.) is reflected in the magazine’s very obvious globalist viewpoint, something which meshes with my views very well.  With writers from all around the world and the magazine dedicated to a global perspective, it offers a sense of balance and impartiality, along with an egalitarian focus that is refreshing.  Not to mention its stories are simply really great and its photography stunning.

Monocle has, in my opinion, succeeded at something which is quite a feat in this day and age: create a new print-based media establishment that does not cut corners on journalism or design and caters to a higher-end clientele, and make it a viable business.  It’s quite remarkable, and I’m glad it’s here.

So pick up the latest issue of Monocle and marvel at its beauty and intrigue.  You’ll be better off for it.