Noam Cohen on the impact of Twitter:
When Mr. Starr awoke the day after his suicidal posts and began reading the messages left on his cellphone that night, he felt simultaneously touched and mortified. Many Twitter users who knew him personally were frantic to speak with him. Some he had never met were frantic to have him type something, anything, to confirm that he was alive.
It’s actually a very useful design concept. The New York Times Magazine uses it in its layout quite often.
Stop worrying about the fold. Don’t throw your best practices out the window, but stop cramming stuff above a certain pixel point. You’re not helping anyone. Open up your designs and give your users some visual breathing room. If your content is compelling enough your users will read it to the end.
“American Gangster,” his tenth studio album, represents Jay’s comeback from that comeback — his chance to reassert himself as hip-hop’s pre-eminent wordsmith and hustler-gone-legal chronicler. This time, he unquestionably delivers the goods — showcasing deft metaphors about his own ghetto ascension and an uncanny ear for dramatic sonic backdrops.
Greg Kot’s “Jay-Z gets his mojo back by riffing on ‘Gangster’ tales“:
The rhymes sound fresher than they have in years because Jay-Z is once again vividly sketching characters and scenes instead of just pounding his chest. He weaves together metaphors about the drug trade, music-making, and relationships that can be read on several levels, the type of multi-tiered rhymes that define great hip-hop.
For as much as people want to root for the underdog and knock off those at the top of their game, sometimes you also have to appreciate greatness when it comes.
An enjoyable short film on Paul Rand by Imaginary Forces
“Using multiple classes within selectors” is useful for CMS-generated HTML.
Kelefa Sanneh on Jay-z:
By contrast “American Gangster” gives him a chance to get out of his head. The story of Mr. Lucas — a real-life gangster turned informant who is still alive — gives him license to return to the subjects that really inspire him: crime, punishment and the dope trade.
Rob Sheffield reviews American Gangster:
Forget Frank Lucas: The real black superhero here is Jay, and with American Gangster, Gray-Hova is back in black.
Little Jimmy tries to get big Jay’s attention again. Jimmy please! Your arms too short (your lyrics too weak) to box the God MC.