Short Takes
November 8, 2011
Padlette: the coolest, cheapest iPad holder
Want to use your iPad when you’re standing on a bus? On a paper-strewn desk? When you’re in bed and you fear you might nod off, only to wake when it shatters on the floor? The Padlette is a worry-killer. This simple rubber strap on the back of your iPad allows you to hold the device securely — using only your thumb. $19.99 at Amazon.November 7, 2011
Does Starbucks support Occupy Wall Street?
The nine-year-old informs me that the guy on the side of the Starbucks "holiday" cup is the soldier from "The Nutcracker." But look at his face: dead ringer for the hero of "V for Vendetta." He’d better be careful — the cops are getting edgy.
November 7, 2011
When Diamonds Aren’t Forever
Edward Jay Epstein has started to make e-books out of four decades of investigative reporting. As we're coming into the season when we'll be hearing "a diamond is forever," I thought to re-read one of his books, "Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? And Other Investigations of the Diamond Trade." It's mostly about De Beers, which has had a monopoly on diamonds for a century: how it created that monopoly, how it marketed "scarcity," how it uses the concept of "blood diamonds" to maintain its dominance. Now that's all changing. On Friday (11/4), the Oppenheimer family announced it would sell its stake in De Beers. One of the coolest things about e-books is that the author can update them in seconds. Well, on Saturday (11/5), Epstein added a new chapter. To download the Kindle book, click here.
October 30, 2011
Required Reading: a sister’s eulogy for Steve Jobs
Novelist Mona Simpson gave a eulogy for her brother that is just amazingly good. Like this: "He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere." And: "What I learned from my brother’s death was that character is essential: What he was, was how he died." And: "Death didn’t happen to Steve, he achieved it." And much more. Don’t miss it.
October 29, 2011
One Night Only (11/3): ‘Paris Unlaced!’
My friend Anne Undeland, who’s well-known for her one-woman shows, will now become an infamous courtesan in the Paris demimonde of 1890 who is facing the end of her scandalous career when a young rival seeks to displace her as the city’s reigning "grande horizontale." On Thursday only, 11/3, at 7:30 PM, Anne will perform "Paris Unlaced!" at Theatre ROW, 410 West 42nd Street. See you there? For tickets: www.telecharge.com, go to NYC Off-Broadway, then Theater Row, Studio Theatre. (212) 239-6200. For info: www.paris1890.com.
