July 2011 - Mark Kaplowitz

28 July 2011

Remember When People Read Only Physical Books?

These are dark days for the physicality of books. Sales of physical books are falling further and further beneath the sales of the light and snappy e-books. Brick and mortar bookstores are closing across the nation. Wood and straw bookstores have been blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Depressing news indeed. The first book I ever remember reading was...

Books Comments: 21

18 July 2011

Remember Telephone Books?

I was reading The Information, by James Gleick, and came across this passage on page 194: “[Telephone books] went obsolete, effectively, at the turn of the twenty-first century. American telephone companies were officially phasing them out by 2010; in New York, the end of automatic delivery of telephone directories was estimated to save 5,000 tons of paper.” What are small...

Technology Comments: 20

11 July 2011

Remember When We Didn’t Have Piles of Chargers and Power Cords?

When I was a kid there was a power outlet next to my bed. I had no need for power strips or outlet multipliers because I only had two devices to plug in: my alarm clock, and a reading lamp that I used to heat up the thermometer whenever I wanted to play sick, just like Elliot did when he...

Technology Comments: 6

8 July 2011

Growing Old With Derek Jeter

The cover of the June 26th issue of the New York Times Magazine featured a candle that looked just like Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter, holding a bat as if waiting for the next pitch from, perhaps, a candle that looked like Tim Wakefield. The Jeter candle was lit, and navy blue rivulets of melting wax ran from the hat down...

Current Events Comments: 9

Monthly Archive: July, 2011

Remember When People Read Only Physical Books?

Remember Telephone Books?

Remember When We Didn’t Have Piles of Chargers and Power Cords?

Growing Old With Derek Jeter