August 20, 2009 @ 7:04 pm
New York Magazine has a pretty in-depth article about the financial rise and fall of celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. I just finished reading the whole thing (8 paginated pages…) and learned a lot about the photographer that simply was never taught in school. I’ve always thought of Leibovitz as the kind of photographer few people ever become — ultra-rich and ultra-glamorous, meeting celebrities left and right. And it’s a bit humbling to know that she suffers the same faults as the rest of us (if not more actually, given her financial debt).
Definitely a good read and a good lesson in financial stability.
May 22, 2009 @ 11:13 am
llustration by Mark Nerys with photos by Matt Hoyle
Kottke shared a link from New York Magazine about some of the stuff that’s hidden beneath the Hudson River. It’s a pretty fantastic list if you believe everything on it (although there’s really no reason not to believe it all). It turns out that all of those rumors I always hear about how filthy the Hudson is are in fact almost all true! One of the disgusting facts is this:
When there’s a rainstorm, far more water goes into our drainage system than sewage-treatment plants can handle. So the overflow pipes open wide, and all our wastewater—including the untreated effluvia of 8 million people—goes straight into the ocean. The day after a storm, the harbor is brown and thick with stirred-up silt that is shot through with human waste. Sometimes you can see shreds of toilet paper. When divers emerge from the harbor on those days, their suits have to be scrubbed down with bleach or kerosene before the men can strip them off.
So raw sewage just goes straight in there! Also, according to the map above, all of the dark red spots are places where the water is 5 feet deep or less, meaning most adults can stand upright in them without drowning. I didn’t know it was so shallow in so many places.
October 21, 2008 @ 9:06 am
The American Society of Magazine Editors has chosen their winner for the 2008 Cover of the Year and it’s the one with former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer on the cover with an arrow pointing at his genitals with the cover line “BRAIN”.
Not only did this cover win the top honor, it also won “Best Coverline” and “Best News Cover”.
Maybe my head’s just not in the whole magazine business, but I don’t think this cover is particularly interesting. Sure, it’s kinda funny, but only for about 10 seconds before the humor runs out. After that, it’s just a photo of Spitzer standing there doing absolutely nothing.
In fact, with all the magazines out these days, I feel like this ASME list is totally unrepresentative of the creative minds that work in this print industry. I mean, just look at the list of overall winners and finalists. C’mon, seriously???
