This is an extract from the draft of John Grant’s new book Co-opportunity, contracted for publication with John Wiley & Sons Limited, January 2010. This extract is the introduction to the book.
My new book, Co-opportunity is based on the growing realization that sustainability is going to require nothing less than a wholesale shift to more co-operative social systems. It’s not just about shaving off energy, waste or carbon emissions – nor about ‘band aid’ approaches to poverty. It’s about a new way of organizing society for the common good. Many people have described this shift. Prince Charles in a recent [...]

McSweeney’s has posted a course syllabus and overview for a fictional class called “Internet-Age Writing”. Prerequisites include LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less, ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking and ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming. While it’s a funny commentary on the changing state of modern communications methods, one can’t help but wonder if this kind of class will eventually become a reality. (Or has it already?)
From the introduction:
Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new “Lost Generation” of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones [...]

Is cursive handwriting even a valid skill anymore? A sentimental Boston Globe article explores this rapidly atrophying communication method, and discovers, although it has its fans, it’s essentially going extinct.
In today’s world, this seems logical – formal cursive handwriting just doesn’t seem necessary when so much communication is done via keyboard entered text. Even schools are phasing out penmanship. The Globe reports that A 2007 US Department of Education study shows nine out of 10 teachers only devote an average of 70 minutes per week to the teaching of handwriting.
But some, like Kitty Burns Florey author of Script and Scribble: [...]

We’ve written previously about ways the blogosphere is influencing traditional journalism, but in the interest of being equal, we thought a recent piece by Anita Bruzzese noting ten lessons bloggers can learn from journalists was worth mentioning, particularly given the fact that more and more people are turning to alternative media sources to get their news and information.
We’ve extracted Bruzzese’s main points below and follow with our own explanations:

Trust – The most important relationship a writer has is with their readers and they should never underestimate or take advantage of that.
Fact vs. Opinion – The lines between the two are easily blurred [...]