Weekly inspiration #14: Long stories
November 2nd, 2009 by Nico Luchsinger
The internet and social media have not only dramatically accelerated the speed of our communication; they have also sparked new bite-sized forms of interactions. Whether we write short blurbs on our Tumblelogs, update our Facebook status or tweet excessively – most of what we say is condensed to a few words. Not that this generally would be a bad thing; after all, shortness requires careful thought. From time to time, however, it makes sense to take a break from the constant flow of nano-information. We’re here to help with that: Make yourself a cup of tea, put on some mellow jazz, sit on your couch and read this selection of great – and long – stories.
1. How David beats Goliath. Malcolm Gladwell explains how underdogs can win by breaking the rules. As always with Gladwell, the writing is compelling and the conclusion imperative.
2. Are Your Friends Making You Fat? Clive Thompson explores “social-contagion” effects in the New York Times.
3. Trial by Fire. David Granns chilling report on the trial and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham.
4. Securing the Information Highway. Wesley Clark and Peter Levin on Cybersecurity in Foreign Affairs.
5. Placebos are getting more effective. Drugmarkers are desperate to know why. Steve Silberman explores a medical conundrum in Wired.
Image by nrtphotos on Flickr
Nico is Head of Research at Sandbox. He wrote this post sitting on a couch and listening to jazz. But there wasn’t any tea left.
is hiroshima this text where everything is fractured into 10-minute intervals and similar, like:
09:34am: Dropped the bomb, John feels slightly sick.
09:36am: First impact, flash of light
etc.?
if yes, then it was reprinted in Weltwoche (eww) sometime in 2004 or 2005. very moving read.
Glad you liked it!
I can also recommend John Herseys «Hiroshima», one of the best journalistic texts ever written. It was first published in the «New Yorker» and as a book in 1946. Unfortunately not available online, but in most good libraries and bookstores ;-)
trial by fire was a great, moving read. you kinda know what will happen all the way through the story, but it still grips you.
thanks for the links!
@Thierry: No, that's not the same text. Hershey especially describes the aftermath of the bombing in gruesome detail.
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