012. ANALOGThere's still a gravitational force for the analog - maybe it reminds us of what it means to be human?
I walked into a recently re-opened Barnes & Nobles and was delighted that it actually felt like a neighborhood bookstore.
Corporate decided to downsize the store's square footage, limit their inventory to mostly books, and give more control over the store and promotion to the local managers.
In an act of strategic genius (irony even?), Barnes & Nobles decided to bet on bibliophiles in an exponentially digital age.
As strong as the magnetism of technology and digital media is, there's still a gravitational force for the analog - maybe it reminds us of what it means to be human? Or recalls our innocence? Or maybe analogue is just novel now and so it grabs our attention?
How Barnes & Noble Transformed its brand from corporate bully to loveable neighborhood bookstore, Fast Company:
Excerpt: Somehow, one of the great cultural villains of the big-box retail heyday is now an underdog hero, making a welcome comeback as a symbol of the true love of books.
Something Other than Devotion: Bored with Renaissance, Surprised by the Contemporary, Image Journal
Excerpt: Unlike a pilgrimage to the Uffizi, Paolini’s installations ask for something other than devotion; his work occasioned in me a kind of wondering that was something other than awe. It invites conversation rather than adulation. The artist is relinquishing control rather than demanding attention.
The Difference between Things and Devices, Humanum Review
Excerpt: Only in magic are ends literally independent of means. The inevitable explicit concern with the machinery takes place in labor. But labor does not in general lift the veil of unfamiliarity from the machinery of devices. The labor process is itself transformed according to the paradigm of the device.
Inside the Baffling Revival of the Cassette Tape, Rolling Stones
Excerpt: Nostalgia for the audio cassette would seem to be a stretch. Few could possibly miss tangled tape, cracked cases, and audio quality that could sound like someone had thrown a blanket over a speaker. But at this point, its resurgence is undeniable.