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What To Do Now That The Mad Men Season Has Ended

November 13, 2009 · Leave a Comment

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I adore Mad Men, and I’ve followed it fervently throughout its three seasons. Sure, the show’s had its highs and lows, but it remains one of the most consistently exciting hours on TV. So, what to do, now that season three has ended? Where to look for our weekly dose of classic sartorial splendor, rapacious ad agency maneuverings and domestic ennui? Hell, what to do with an extra hour on Sunday night?

For starters, you could read back through Slate’s coverage of Mad Men season three. The ongoing conversation among Julia Turner, John Swansburg and Patrick Radden Keefe offers three fresh sets of eyes on the season’s events. It’s fun to start from the beginning and re-experience all that speculation, elation and disappointment anew. The Slate Crew also made plenty of predictions, both astute and far off the mark, and it’s amusing to read them when you already know which is which. Finally, read it for the details. It turns out I missed quite a few subtle points that add interest to the antics at old Sterling Coop, but Julia, John and Patrick picked up on plenty of them (with a little help from Slate readers). Highly recommended.

I’ll say this three times, though: spoiler warning, spoiler warning, spoiler warning. Don’t read the commentary for episodes you haven’t seen, unless you’re comfortable knowing what happens.

If you’re part of the legion of Mad Men fans who watch the show for its impeccable styling choices, you can get your men’s clothing fix from a new web show I’ve been meaning to tell you about:

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It’s called Put This On, and it’s produced and hosted by Jesse “The Sound of Young America” Thorn and Adam “Lonelysandwich” Lisagor. You might think these two wisecrackers wouldn’t take clothes seriously, but you’d be wrong. Jesse and Adam explore menswear from the basics to the finer points in lovingly-produced 10-minute videos. The first episode covers denim, with a visit to an old-school jeans shop. More episodes are forthcoming — you can support their first six-episode season via Kickstarter — but for right now, fashion tips and snappy clothing finds abound at the Put This On blog.

No TV show with new episodes still airing can fill the Mad Men gap, but I’m enjoying the heck out of Nathan Fillion’s performances in Castle. It seems that somewhere between seasons 1 and 2, the writers figured out that the show works better as a comedy and a showcase for Fillion than an actual crime drama. It’s fun stuff.

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This Week #25

November 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

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The Rumpus

This week, I’m extremely flattered to see my interview with superb artist and burlesque visionary Molly Crabapple published on The Rumpus. The Rumpus is a top-notch site, and a quick browse through the contributor bios reveals that I’m in some pretty intimidating company indeed. Thanks, Molly. Thanks, Rumpus.

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BOAT

I also happened to catch an extraordinary local band known as BOAT playing a quirky in-store gig at Sonic Boom Records. Dear BOAT, please continue writing songs that appear to be some sort of first draft of my biography. In exchange, I will tell both of my readers to buy your excellent new album, Setting the Paces, and to listen to the charming first single(?) from the record, Lately. Love, Jay.

Elsewhere on the Internet …

Not only is Brendan McGinley a handsome and talented comics creator — who happened to call me the future voice of a generation, lord help us — he’s also a funny, funny man. He’s been writing some wicked stuff for Cracked lately, including their definitive guides to Comic Books and Kristen Bell.

Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have some comics coming out this Wednesday. The long-awaited Phonogram #5 finally arrives, as does Gillen’s debut issue of S.W.O.R.D., which he takes over from no less a righteous dude than Joss Whedon.

Musical Interlude

Music Go Music – Warm in the Shadows

I couldn’t help watching all 9 minutes of Music Go Music’s video for Warm in the Shadows. The song is gorgeous, lead singer Gala Bell is mesmerizing, and I love the premise for the video. It’s part of Music Go Music’s series of  live performances from a fictional, low-budget ’70s-style music show called Face Time. All four are worth checking out.

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2009 in Music Videos: A Top 11 List

November 6, 2009 · 2 Comments

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The time to stay up all night cobbling together year-end lists and reflections approaches, and I’m resolved to get a jump on it this time. For 2009, I found that music videos were the easiest category of media stuff with which to play favorites, so that’s where I’ll start.

Since my lists often end up skewing heavily toward the most recent stuff I’ve loved, I’ve organized this one by month, creating a sort of video timeline for the year.

For your consideration, then:

January:

Asobi Seksu – Me And Mary

More design than music video, really.

February:

The Presets – If I Know You

Forget Beyonce. Year’s best dance video.

Keep reading →

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The Social Networking Detox Experiment, Part 2

November 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

This piece originally appeared on Task.fm’s Task Blog, where I conduct twice-weekly examinations of the ways I’m completely unproductive, and then tell other people not to be like me.
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Having just emerged from a frustrating week without social networking — no Facebook, no Twitter, no Tumblr … heck, not even MySpace! — I  took some time off this morning to think about what I learned from the experience.

Basically, shutting myself off from the world can’t force me to get more done. There are plenty of other distractions out there, and I’m going to find them when I don’t feel like working. Sure, I didn’t waste any time reading Twitter this week, but I did watch the entire first season of Torchwood.

My takeaway is that social sites are no worse than any other favorite distraction. It’s okay for them to be part of your life — a big part, even —as long as you manage the amount of time you spend and don’t let them interfere with work.

Here’s my best advice on how to allow work and Facebook to peacefully coexist:

Don’t Go Cold Turkey

I can’t recommend completely quitting your social networks as a way to increase your productivity. If you’re a compulsive Facebook checker, thinking about loading up your News Feed can be just as distracting as actually doing it. Allow yourself a few checks a day — at lunch breaks or logical stopping points in your work — so you can put it out of your mind and get things done.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The best thing I did for myself while taking a break from social networks was to hide all the bookmarks and apps that connected me to them. This seems obvious, but I didn’t fully understand how important it was until I put it into practice: when the distraction wasn’t right in front of me, I wasn’t tempted to go look for it. Even an extra step as small as having to type “Facebook” into my browser’s address bar was enough to make me stop and decide whether that’s how I wanted to spend my time.

Don’t Check First Thing in the Morning

A lot of people have a policy of not checking email right when they wake up, and the same thing can apply to social networks. Whether you wait an hour, or wait until you’ve done a certain amount of work — for me, writing two blog posts is about right — you shouldn’t go there right away. Like email, social sites give you loads of stuff to respond to. Event invitations, wall posts about friends’ relationship drama and tweets about the coolest new web game are all great ways to kill an hour, and they can all wait until you’ve finished at least SOME work.

Try a Time Tracker

I didn’t take things this far (probably because I’m afraid to find out exactly how much time I spend not doing work) but there are some great tools out there that tell you how long you spend on various websites. RescueTime is a popular choice, but you can also try Slife or  Nebul.us.  These services will give you a stark picture of all the time you spend not working, which ought to motivate you to be more efficient.

Don’t beat yourself up over using the web to procrastinate, just be aware that you’re doing it, and adjust your habits accordingly. Good luck!

Photo Credit — escapetowisconsin

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Should Accelerate

November 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

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photo: dnorman

I’m not on Tumblr at the moment — that’s part of my hiatus from social sites — but I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit of inspiration that seems to have (partially) unstuck me from a month-long rut I’ve been in, so I’m using this space. Pardon me.

From Ryan Jacoby’s blog:

It’s occurred to me recently that you’re either starting or quitting.

There’s really nothing true about the idea of “standing still.” If it feels like you’re standing still, it’s just that you’re starting slowly or quitting slowly.

If you feel trapped, figure out where you’re pointing and step on the gas. Either way you should accelerate.

From The Dismemberment Plan:

The song is Following Through. Even though it comes from a dark, rejected place, there’s ultimately a resilience to it that I find cathartic.

I can do it anywhere with anyone at any time
don’t you forget
this is my life and it’s going to be good, don’t you know
not a promise or a threat or an ultimatum, though I can do those too
I’m just telling you,
I’ve got this life I’ve just got to live
I’m just following through.

Following through. Tying it all back together. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

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This Week #24

November 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been writing a lot over at Download Squad this week, and some of it has been about software I use myself. If you’re into that sort of thing, check out my posts on Growl notification styles, Minimalist Gmail, and site-specific browsers in Fluid. Pulling Google Reader and Grooveshark into Fluid is the smartest thing that’s happened to my workflow in ages.

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Also, meet my new casual gaming addiction: Ramp Champ. This little skee-ball gem from The Iconfactory is lovingly illustrated and plays like a dream. The basic premise is “roll the ball, knock stuff down, get points, win prizes,” but each level has its own unique goals to achieve. Here’s the really insidious part: Ramp Champ uses the iPhone’s in-app purchase system to allow you to buy more levels. It’s way too much fun.

Now, onward to a few friend updates:

Ben Templesmith, just back from jaunts to London and Brazil, sacrificed his beard to dress up as Dr. Who for Halloween.

Doctor Popular is in the midst of a Week of Comics on his blog, where he’s posting some comics of his own and some general musings on the medium. Doc knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the old sequential art boogie, so head over and listen up.

Doc also launched a new challenge that I’m hoping to find time to participate in: Comics Without Comics. Instead of creating a traditional comic using images, Doc is challenging people to tell a story in 4 to 40 panels using text only. I’m intrigued.

Simon has made a mixtape.

Musical Interlude:

A new video from Lily Allen, with an unexpected twist. Lily’s cleverer than she gets credit for, all that piracy stuff aside. She’s at her hottest here, but you’ve also got to laugh a bit once you see the direction she takes things. Oh, is THAT who the song was about?

Also, Kupek’s Good-Time Singles Club returned this week. I always love new music from Bryan Lee O’Malley. This time, he’s got a completely unexpected cover of a P. Diddy remix of Janet Jackson’s Son of a Gun. I don’t know how it works, but it does. The other track is an uptempo rocker called St. Clair that’s already starting to grow on me. Go get ‘em both.

And here’s your required reading for the week …

• One of my favorite thinkers on the web, Matt Jones, wrote a piece for Io9 on the city as a battlesuit for surviving the future. There’s a lot to mull over, but my favorite bit centered on a quote from a designer named Adam Greenfield: “The bottom-line is a city that responds to the behaviour of its users in something close to real-time, and in turn begins to shape that behaviour.”

• I very nearly violated my standing policy against following organizations on Twitter to add The 99 Percent, the Behance Network’s magazine. I ended up adding it to my Google Reader instead, for inspirational tidbits about work and creativity, and links to the best articles from The 99 Percent’s gorgeous website.

• Are you reading Joanne McNeil at Tomorrow Museum? She’s curating a half-hopeful, half-terrifying collection of some of the most thoughtful stuff on the web. Joanne definitely tops the list of folks with whom I’d like to collaborate on some cockamamie future scheme.

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Fall colors, hot cocoa and software

October 31, 2009 · 1 Comment

I haven’t seen a Seattle autumn in years, so I can’t keep myself from a little bit of gushing about how beautiful it is. We’re in the midst of a momentary burst from the ROY end of the old Roy G. Biv, before everything goes muted green for the winter. While I’m not much of a photographer, I do have the Tiltshift Generator app on my iPhone. I took a spin around my neighborhood to give it a try before I wrote up a review for Download Squad.

Fall colors, hot cocoa and software warm the cockles of my geeky heart.

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The Social Networking Detox Experiment, Part 1

October 30, 2009 · 1 Comment

This piece originally appeared on Task.fm’s Task Blog, where I conduct twice-weekly examinations of the ways I’m completely unproductive, and then tell other people not to be like me.

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I should preface this post by explaining that I am utterly, dangerously addicted to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. I keep a bookmark for eachsite in my browser’s toolbar, icons for the corresponding apps in my dock, and apps and bookmarks on my iPhone. Whenever I lose focus on my work for a moment, I click through them repeatedly, too often to give my friends a chance to post anything new before I check again. Look, this is how sick I am: I have a Twitter desktop client open, and I still have the Twitter webpage loaded in several different tabs.

You’ve heard this a million times: the first step is admitting you have a problem. A couple of days ago, I realized that I had some difficult deadlines coming up before the end of the month, and decided I couldn’t afford to devote so much time to social networking. I closed Tweetie and took it out of my dock. I deleted my Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr bookmarks. I moved my Twitter and Tumblr iPhone apps to the very last page on my phone. I made a couple of quick announcements so that nobody would take it personally, and I dropped social networking for a week.

It’s been two days so far, and I’ve noticed a definite uptick in my productivity. Without the social bookmarks and apps there to click when I don’t have a plan, I find myself clicking on the dashboards of the blogs I write for, and getting work done instead. In fact, I turned in twice as many words yesterday as I normally do. Was Twitter a bigger drain on my work than I had realized?

I think so, but I also don’t think it’s as bad as it seems. A general lack of focus can manifest itself in a lot of ways, and social sites just happen to be some of the closes distractions at at hand when you work on the web. Getting rid of the option to check them unconsciously was a good step. Much like turning off alerts and badges for incoming email, removing bookmarks and social apps means you have to make a conscious effort to check those sites. Checking 3 or 4 or even 10 times a day might not hurt your productivity, but checking hundreds of times certainly will.

I don’t think the cold-turkey approach to dealing with these sites — which, after all, connect you with friends and work contacts — is the best one, but I’ll try to stick with it until the full week is up. I’ll report back when it’s over to let you know how it went.

Photo Credit — left-hand

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This Week #23

October 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I often feel like the timing on these weekly reports is all wrong. I constantly find myself on the verge of doing something new and exciting that I can almost tell you about in this space, but not quite yet. No matter. I’m sure I’ll be hooting my trap off about some new writing very shortly.

In the meantime, check out the work of my very talented friends:

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This week, the Internet finally got a look at some pages from Corey Lewis‘ Longshot story for Marvel. Naturally, his version of the character differs a bit from what you might be used to, but Longshot is probably the most Corey character in the Marvel Universe. It’s a good fit, and I can’t wait to read the rest. You’ll be able to find it in Marvel’s Strange Tales #3.

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The first book of J.C. Hutchins‘ epic sci-fi thriller trilogy, 7th Son, hits bookstores on Tuesday. It’s been a years-long road for Hutch to get this ambitious novel into print, and it’ll be a blast to see it on shelves. To mark the release of the book, a new interview I did with J.C. will run on SuicideGirls.com. I’ll be sure to link it here as soon as it’s up. If you aren’t yet familiar with J.C.’s fiction, you can grab a PDF of the novel for free on release day, catch the serialized version on BoingBoing right now, or listen to the whole trilogy as a podcast.

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Meaghan O’Connell seems to be somewhat embarrassed about being interviewed by Stephen Elliott for The Rumpus. I think she proves herself charming, funny, and … you know, just so MeaghanO.

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You may have already caught this if you follow my tumblr, but Jacob Ferguson has put a selection of his paintings up for sale. You should probably just stop reading this and buy one right now because (a) they’re awesome and (b) when Jacob is famous, you can totally brag about having one.

Musical Interlude

Bang Bang Eche – 4 To The Floor

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Gin Wigmore and made some offhand comment about how there’s more to music in New Zealand than Flight of the Conchords and The Front Lawn. For everyone who thought I was either being unfair to Gin or unfair to New Zealand: how about some Bang Bang Eche, then?

This is 4 To The Floor, from BBE’s self-titled EP (which, incidentally, you can get for free at their website). On this track, they sound a lot like a looser, more energetic version of Foals, which isn’t a bad thing, by any means.

I’ve heard their upcoming EP, SONIC DEATH CUNTTT, and it lives up to the promise of Four To The Floor, although it takes things in a slightly more electronic direction. More on that when it comes out early next month.

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This Week #22

October 14, 2009 · 1 Comment

Nothing about me this week, just the good stuff. Here’s what my friends did:

Nick Douglas made an appearance on the Martha Stewart show, talking about Twitter Wit.

Corey Lewis has created a video trailer for Seedless, his weekly webcomic about mecha-battlin’ grapes.

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Melissa Gira Grant started a new diary and read excerpts to anyone who showed up in person to hear them. After creating some work that was decisively not for the Internet, she reflected on the experience … on her blog.

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Brendan McGinley released the first installment of a comic he first told me about a couple of years ago: Citizen X. According to Brendan, “The mini-series follows a young policeman, Rakh al’Gadriel, as he is sent to the empire’s western frontier, a small town in what we know as Ireland. The frustrated young man must prove he can control the rising tensions between settlers and natives, but no one can keep a lid on human nature.”

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Amanda Lee just jumped into the fall/winter season at her Etsy store — I Love Life, I Love You — with a new project, 30 Knits in 30 Days. She’s already made some fantastic wristwarmers. She has also made me a hat, which is not one of the 30 Knits, but which I am nonetheless quite excited about!

and I’ll leave you with some music. This is a video for Max Tundra’s Which Song, made by sole band member Ben Jacobs for £22. His off-kilter keyboard pop and winning lyrics have captured me this week. If you like Which Song, I highly recommend you snag the LP, Parallax Error Beheads You.

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