In Defense Of Movie Violence

Robbie Collin: “Film is the only art form that can attack us on that stomach-twisting level, and perhaps that is why we often hear that the medium has a violence problem. Don’t buy it for a second. For ‘problem with’, read ‘knack for’: the reason there is so much violence on film is that film is perfectly suited to addressing it.”

Self-Published Novel Wins $25,000 PEN Award

Public defender and first-time novelist Sergio de la Pava published A Naked Singularity himself after repeated rejections from publishing houses. “The book slowly generated buzz on blogs before being picked up by the University of Chicago Press, a distinguished publisher not known for its contemporary fiction. Writing for Slate, Paul Ford called it ‘the sort of book you write if you’re not sure anyone will ever let you write another one’.”

Online Micropayments Could Transform Journalism, Media And Music Businesses

The microtransactions made possible by services such as Bitcoin and Ripple “could let users read the rest of a New York Times article for a few cents instead of signing up for a full monthly subscription, … or ‘pay for Wi-Fi internet metered by the minute (or second!) if you just need to check one email’ or ‘support your favorite artists or coders with a tip’.”