Pieces, Particles VII
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.

Ballbuster, by Art Spiegelman, The New Yorker, July 22, 2002
Bernard Krigstein's life between the panels.

Blog, by William Safire, The New York Times Magazine, July 28, 2002
Do a million hits make a word?

Burma-Shave, by Ricki Thompson, Highlights for Children, August 2002
Burma-Shave signs did more than sell shaving cream.

The Comic Side of Vincente Fox, by Ginger Thompson, The New York Times, July 28, 2002

Consuming Passions, by Dan Bischoff, Ms., December 2000
Can advertisers be activists? When corporations tie their ad campaigns to social causes, their motives are often called into question.

The Curse of Kryptonite, by Terrence Rafferty, GQ, August 2002
With the world's villains more fiendish than ever, Hollywood's use of comic-book superheroes seems clumsy and lacking in wit. Where was the Man of Steel on September 11?

The Death Beat, by Mark Singer, The New Yorker, July 8, 2002
What happens when a bunch of obituary writers get together.

Dysfunction for Dollars, by Pat Jordan, The New York Times Magazine, July 28, 2002
Dave Pelzer has one subject -- himself, as an abused child. He may not have been, but that hasn't stopped his readers from buying millions of his books.

The End of the Digital Gold Rush, by Suzan Revah, American Journalism Review, October 2001
In chronicling the dizzying rise and fall of the Bay Area's online journalism economy, a San Francisco writer realizes that she has lived the story.

Free at Last, by Leif Utne, Utne Reader, May-June 2002
The burgeoning "copyleft" movement is reshaping the idea of intellectual property

Going Local, by John Morton, American Journalism Review, October 2001
A new breed of free papers springs up in cities with already-established dailies.

Goodbye to All That, by Tom Carson, Esquire, December 2001
What TV and Hollywood got right and wrong about September 11 -- before, during, and after

Heropolis, The Economist, May 18, 2002
Superheroes don't commute

The Hidden Life of Your Television, by Matt Weiser, Sierra, July/August 2002

Holden at Fifty, by Louis Menand, The New Yorker, October 1, 2001
"The Catcher in the Rye" and what it spawned

Hooked, by Clea Simon, Ms., December 2000
The average person in the U.S. is bombarded with over 3,000 ads a day, says activist Jean Kilbourne. Is it any wonder we're addicted?

The Hot or Not Guys, by Adam Green, The New Yorker, July 8, 2002

How Far Down Can You Dumb?, The Economist, July 20, 2002
Neun Live is trying to make cheesy interactive television pay

How to Be a Writer, by Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, October 15, 2001
What goes on at America's most competitive literary conference?

How to Win Support and Influence Your Community, by Sarah Hutt, Communication Arts, May/June 2002

Huey Freeman, American Hero, by John Nichols, Utne Reader, May-June 2002
Sure, he's a cartoon character, but it still takes guts to speak out

Issues with Birds, by Noah Strycker, Birder's World, August 2002
Ever wonder which bird is most likely to be pictured in a birding magazine?

Man's Best Friend, by Peter de Jonge, The New York Times Magazine, July 21, 2002
Who cares about the game? How sportscasters evolved from experts to baby sitters for a nation of lonely guys.

Monday Evening Quarterback, by Michael Silver, Sports Illustrated, July 29, 2002
John Madden (Bam!) is coming (Boom!) to Monday Night Football (Pow!), and he's got a plan (Ouch!) to save ABC's bacon

News Flash! Geek Guys Are Hot, by Stephanie Trong, YM, August 2002
Six reasons to go for a misfit

On Politics and Puppetry, Orion Afield, Winter 2000/01
An interview with Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet Theater

On the Air, by Adam Green, The New Yorker, July 22, 2002
East End Oldie

A Proposal to American Labor, by Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers, The Nation, June 24, 2002
Let's create "open-source unions," and welcome millions into the movement.

Public Mailboxes on Postcards, by Barry Krause, Postcard Collector, August 2002

Rethinking the Think Tanks, by Curtis Moore, Sierra, July/August 2002
How industry-funded "experts" twist the environmental debate.

Riders on the Storm, by John Densmore, The Nation, July 8, 2002
Why The Doors don't open when corporate ads come calling

R.I.P. for D.I.Y. by George Musser, Scientific American, May 2002
Science tinkerers continue to take it on the chin

The Sailors' Magazine and Seamen's Friend, by Timothy Harrison, Lighthouse Digest, July 2002

The Talent Myth, by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker, July 22, 2002
Are smart people overrated?

That's Militainment!, by Ian Frazier, Mother Jones, July/August 2002
What do you get when you mix the war machine and Warner Bros.? A Hollywood ending, of course.

The Trees Fight Back, The Economist, July 6, 2002
Should old media embrace blogging?

A Truly Outstanding Article, by Ray Nedzel, Utne Reader, May-June 2002
Never before has anything ever been this fantastic, amazing, excellent. Unquestionably.

A Vexing Problem, A Definition of a Boating Magazine, and the Jangled Nerve Quotient, by Peter H. Spectre, Maine Boats & Harbors, Autumn 2002

William S. Young's Short Lines and Steam, by John Gruber, Classic Trains, Summer 2002
A master storyteller of the small side of railroading

If you work for a magazine and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.