Inside the head of Chuck Klosterman

Anyone who writes for a living or seriously for pleasure can sympathize with the accompanying challenges: inspiration, effectively creating your message and how readers interpret that work. 

And anyone who has ever read the wildly diverse work of Chuck Klosterman can probably guess he experiences angst at every step of the way.

Chuck KlostermanIndeed Klosterman -- who got his start as a newspaper music critic, before evolving into a gonzo journalist and best-selling author before settling into his role as The Ethicist columnist for The New York Times -- does just that on a Grantland podcast with Brian Koppelman. 

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Why Putin does what he does

David Remnick's recent appearance on New Yorker's Out Loud podcast offers great insight into what drives Vladimir Putin' to do the things he does, as ill-advised as they might seem to the outside world.

This Out Loud segment is a companion to Remnick's related New Yorker article focusing on Putin and the Sochi Olympics but stands well on its own in light of the recent unrest in the Ukraine and gives us a preview of the philosophical and political stances we can expect from Putin in the future. 

Design, psychology and knocking you on your ass

http://99percentinvisible.org/

One of my new design discoveries is the blog/podcast 99% Invisible, "a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world."

99% may think itself tiny but it consistently packs a ton of smart insights into each post and show.  

Case in point is "Episode 101: Cover Story," which examines the psychology, the art and gut instinct behind the design of mass-market periodicals. Rather than a driveby look at today's trends, 99% delivers a fascinating look back at the roots and evolutions of cover design from mid-20th century to today.

Of particular note is a section on how the psychology behind impulse buying began to play greater roles in magazine design, among them most prominently the iconic Esquire covers of designer George Lois.

"When you look at a magazine from 20 feet away, it should knock you on your ass," Lois said in describing a design philosophy as relevant now as it was 50 years ago.

So, next time you peruse a newsstand, you might want to cherish the silent symphony at play in front of you. Even in a dying industry, there's a visual magic that remains hard to replicate online.