curated by the Atticus Books staff
Hell Yeah! Worthy is a weekly Friday feature where our staff distills the plethora of scat on the Internet into a succinct list of the best you haven’t seen, the best you ignored, and the best you should visit again.
photo: Todd Dwyer via Flickr
“How long will it take train B to catch up with train A, and which is going to an M83 concert?”
As a student, I loathed math logic problems. I didn’t care whether Mary was standing beside Peter or who was wearing the red sweater. At McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Larry Fleury weaves the problem of the hipster into the inherent frustration of the logic problem. (Lacey)
KONY 2012
Granted, these posts are supposed to direct you towards web wonders you might’ve missed but if you missed KONY 2012, that’s a pretty serious rock you’re living under. Since first being posted on Monday, the video has now been viewed and shared over tens of millions of times. And while the video and project to uncover the atrocities of an African warlord and put a stop to his crimes have come under (somewhat cynical) fire for being too simplistic, it will probably still be the most inspiring 30 minutes of your week. (Libby)
Shindig: The Virtual Author Reading
The whole point of a reading is to have the author(s) engage with his or her audience. But due to an assortment of logistical hiccups (e.g., inclement weather, traffic density, parking woes, downright inconvenience), many authors, publishers, and booksellers are hard-pressed to get enough fannies in folding chairs to make the whole affair worth the expense and effort. Shindig helps simplify the coordination and execution of a live event without sacrificing the presence and personality of the artist(s) in the room.
For novelists, storytellers, and poets who think and act visually, the interactive platform of Shindig allows for slideshows, photos, mp3 audio files, you name it. It opens up the Next Gen world of Skype to the creative engine behind the words (in this case, the writer whose presentation of material does not need to be limited to reading the static page excerpt of his or her forthcoming book).
Shindig left me impressed. Think: Google+ hangout on steroids. In short, Shindig and similar sites should blast open the minds of event organizers and Internet travelers to the myriad possibilities of hosting live, dynamic performances in front of an audience (surrounded by all the creature comforts of home).
I’m not suggesting, of course, that the intimacy of the physical world can ever be replaced, but it can now be replicated virtually. Yes, videoconferencing has been around for quite some time, but corporate boards, executives and large companies should not be the primary beneficiaries. Indie artists, it’s your turn to shine. (Dan)