Written by Chris Magyar
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
I really like the chart of cigar consumption versus major events in American history that The Economist posted this week. I find these cause-effect charts to be a tad dubious when it comes to explaining economic trends, but it is neat to see how certain spikes correspond to certain political and economic factors. It got me to thinking about other luxury goods and what they might indicate about national and global prosperity. Cigars are obviously wildly effected by our trade embargo with Cuba and a general trend away from stogies, so I hunted around for something a little more global in scale and a little less subject to fashionable whims. Voila: scotch whiskey.
25/10
Written by Chris Magyar
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
As a magazine nerd, I find this video from Bonnier endlessly fascinating. I’ve watched it half a dozen times now, and it still makes me gasp at the appropriate moments. Much more intelligent and intuitive than either the iPad demos or the Time Inc. reader previews that have been flying around. It’s quiet, and there’s a lot of Ikea-like stage dressing to make you feel cozy with the idea of digital reading, but hang with it and watch the features unfold.
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