I just finished reading Rework, the new book by 37signals, and although the book doesn’t pertain to media in particular, I felt like it was written for big publishers. You know the ones I’m talking about. Those media companies who love acquisitions, meetings, and synergies. The ones who pay more attention to the bottom line than they do readers. The ones that are too large to function. While every bit of Rework should be read by media executives, Web directors, editors, and journalists, if I had to pull out the best piece of advice from the book, it would be this: embrace constraints.

I’m currently rereading Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky, a must-read for any journalist who wants to remain employable/understand what the hell is happening to our profession. The book chronicles how Web 2.0 technologies are revolutionizing our world and the way we socialize with one another via these technologies.

As a journalist, it’s humbling to learn how journalism was conducted, produced and distributed long before computers. While technology has made our industry so efficient, it’s also the same beast that is hurting us today. As I watched the video before, I tried to imagine where we would be as an industry if we still had to use the Gutenberg printing press. Interesting thought. And for all you Radiohead lovers out there, enjoy the music…

KLUGE from Northern Lights on Vimeo.

I overheard the following comment the other day regarding social media: “Personally, I think those things are just fads.”

The comment came from a fellow journalist, and I couldn’t help but think that this person is a) living in an alternate reality, and b) may soon find themselves without a job.

This is a promo video I created for the new Chicago Home + Garden redesign (May/June 2009 Issue). New logo, new look, better magazine.

I attended the opening dedication of the new Holocaust Museum in Skokie today for MakeItBetter.net. The ceremony was full of hopeful and gracious speeches by former President Bill Clinton, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, Rabbi Herman Schaalman and others.

All of the presenters talked about using education to prevent further genocides and atrocities from happening again. Here are a few quotes from the day:

While out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, I was asked by a total stranger “How does one become famous as a magazine writer?” I replied with something about having great story pitches, yada yada, and he seemed satisfied without asking any follow-up questions. When the convo was over I asked myself the same question: “How DOES one become famous as a magazine writer?” I mean, it can be done, but I’m not so sure it’s all about having great story ideas. Yes, that’s part of it, but there’s more. I know plenty of people who are great writers with great ideas who never get published and mediocre writers with mediocre ideas who get published all the time (I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the middle–I hope).

Congrats to Swiss for getting published on Popular Mechanics Web site today. Check out his story on 5 Robots that Look, Act and Are Designed Like Animals. Us Medills gots to stick together. Word.

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I wouldn’t have gotten through grad school without Sbarro’s. The deliciously good Italian food was conveniently placed inside Norris, Northwestern’s go-to cafeteria, and provided us with wholesome meals during the Magazine Publishing Project. Journalism will tank sooner than expected if Medill’s grad students can’t get their cheesy pizza and baked ziti. I know you feel me Chris Sweeney.

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