In an attempt to cut costs and continue the search for a more effective business model for journalism, News Corp. announced a plan this week to create a new unit to facilitate sharing content and resources across News Corps’ different entities, including Fox News, News International and Dow Jones. According to Brand Republic:

John Moody, who was previously executive vice-president of news editorial for Fox News, will oversee the new unit and report directly to Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation chairman and chief executive.
Moody will collaborate with the news chiefs across all News Corporation editorial operations, including Sky News, Fox News and [...]

Les Gourmandises de Lolita Lempicka, a France-based food purveyor, takes tea time to a new, ultra-lux extreme. Their website, with over-the-top adorable animations and mouth watering food photography, is worth a visit (even if it’s not enough to convince you to part with 30 â‚¬ for a box of tea).

Miami-based artist Jen Stark creates wildly beautiful sculptures by cutting and layering concentric cutouts of colored construction paper (try saying that ten times fast). Her sculptures have received a great deal of press (including Wallpaper*, while she was still in art school, and Wired, among others), but check out her equally beautiful animations, which are completely memorizing.

“Streaming Gradient” by Jen Stark from Jen Stark on Vimeo.

[via Computerlove]

Japanese-based Hitomebo has developed a phone application that uses GPS technology to allow users to record their crush spottings. In the style of missed connections, users can then try to connect with other users with the aim of facilitating hook-ups. Though details are still sketchy (unless you can read Japanese) it looks like dating could get even more digital.
[via rb.trends]

With several widely reported newspaper closings, it’s no news that the current business model of journalism is broken.  But its rapid evolution has sparked an interesting discussion about possible solutions. Charlie Rose recently hosted a talk between Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and Thomas Curley, president and CEO of the Associated Press. It’s a classic battle between developing old media models and creating brand new ones, with the AP arguing that they need to protect the content that’s so costly to produce and HuffPo arguing that building walls around content is like “sticking a finger in the dike.”
Magazines, [...]