The publishing world has been watching the standoff between Amazon and Hachette — at its heart a dispute over contract terms, but one in which Amazon is playing hardball by de-listing Hachette titles  — with great interest.  Not surprising, since their fight is not only business news, but news about their business. The New York Times has weighed in multiple times, describing the dispute as “clashing visions about the distribution of information in the information... More »

It’s the boss’s job to make sure they can.

Sting’s early life was dominated by a shipyard—and he dreamed of nothing more than escaping the industrial drudgery. But after a nasty bout of writer’s block that stretched on for years, Sting found himself channeling the stories of the shipyard workers he knew in his youth for song material. In a lyrical, confessional talk, Sting treats us to songs from his upcoming musical, and to an encore of “Message in a Bottle.”

People who were induced to feel grateful were subsequently better able to resist instant gratification.