April 9, 2001

4:04 PM

Who IS that manon the cover of Brill's Content this month!? A direct link to the cover image is here. Discuss! (I searched to see if this had been mentioned today and couldn't find any threads on it. Forgive me if I missed previous mentions...)
posted by MarkB (21 comments total)

Mr. Modesty only put it on the sidebar. But there should be a main thread about it so we can all congratulate Matt.

It's been tough keeping it a secret until the article came out, but congratulations, Mr. Haughey. You deserve all the attention and commendations, because you've made an amazing, amusing, entertaining, wonderful site.
posted by anildash at 4:07 PM on April 9, 2001

Mathowie also mentioned it in this Metatalk thread today.
posted by waxpancake at 4:15 PM on April 9, 2001

Thank god Brill's Content finally put something on the cover that does not have to do with network television. It seems that every other issue has some TV star (West Wing and Friends being recent ones).

Matt's picture is much more entertaining than Jennifer Aniston pouting on a couch-- and some might say more sexy! (not that *I* am saying it's more sexy:)
posted by schlomo at 4:30 PM on April 9, 2001

Anyone have an idea where I might find Brill's Content? I've never looked for or seen it at bookstores, but I guess Borders or B&N might carry it, right?
posted by pnevares at 4:36 PM on April 9, 2001

Most bookstores or news stands should carry it. I've bought it at grocery and book stores for quiote a while and only several weeks ago subscribed for home delivery. Ironically, the first issue I receive will be "Matt's!" :)
posted by MarkB at 4:39 PM on April 9, 2001

dammit, why oh why does it take SO long to get my brill's every month?

i'm damn excited to get this one, though! :) congrats, matt!
posted by sugarfish at 5:09 PM on April 9, 2001

Greta Garbo, and Monroe
Deitrich and DiMaggio
mathowie, Jimmy Dean
On the cover of a magazine

- Congrats Matt.
posted by artlung at 6:15 PM on April 9, 2001

matt is so *dreamy*!

I'm so happy about this. to see a major media outlet get it right. I would have expected to see plastic on the cover.

rcb
posted by rebeccablood at 7:55 PM on April 9, 2001

congrats, matt!
posted by Zeldman at 1:39 AM on April 10, 2001

Ack! Now I'm going to have to scour the local shops for a copy of Brill's. Anyway, at the risk of being redundant: very cool. Congratulations, Matt.
posted by jess at 2:29 AM on April 10, 2001

Now I have to find Brill's in the UK. Cheers, Matt ;)
posted by holgate at 3:15 AM on April 10, 2001

Congratulations, Matt! That's going in my file of blogs in the media I'm not looking at till 2030.
posted by hijinx at 4:29 AM on April 10, 2001

there goes the neighborhood!
posted by lagado at 5:00 AM on April 10, 2001

Dare anyone mention the story?

> Giant Internet portals are struggling. News outfits have
> cut staffs. So why is the Net getting more interesting? A
> surge of independent-thinking Web enthusiasts -- the
> human portals -- are cataloging data and news on their
> sites and making us rethink how we get information.

Well, did any net.citizen not know this already? Why are the media analysts (not to mention the traditional media itself) sooooo far behind? Answer: they're all basically media-biz types and if there isn't a business plan they're out of their depth. Whereas the content sites which are flourishing are free free free. MF is free, RobotWisdom is free, Slashdot and Kuro5hin are free except for making you look at some ads (and considering who these latter sites are aimed at, I wonder if any of their users even see the ads? All I see is little grey rectangles.) For any puffing-to-catch-up analyst who might be inspired to come here seeking insight, here's the essential clue. The web is a fantastic giveaway but it doesn't sell.

P.S. the article's teaser excerpt paragraph ("the summer of 1999...") on Brill's site is perhaps the least teasing such thing I've ever read. Gives the overwhelming impression that Austin Bunn is going to spend the entire article talking about himself.
posted by jfuller at 7:05 AM on April 10, 2001

I'm enormously interested in what if anything Brill's has against Jupiter Media Metrix. It has an entire article teased damning their web measurement figures, and then spends its teaser for the Human Portals article also attacking Jupiter and saying nothing about the subject at hand.

Oh, and the Portals article looks interesting too - congratulations!
posted by freakytrigger at 9:20 AM on April 10, 2001

I can't wait to find the thing myself - I used to read Brill's religiously, but as they slid into the network TV and puff piece cesspool a little I figured they were on the short track to irrelevance.

Until now! Way to go, dude! Now I can go into bookstores and point and go, Hey, I know that guy! (sorta.)
posted by chicobangs at 2:26 PM on April 10, 2001

Matt, my congratulations. You have done an amazing thing here, and it is right and proper that you receive recognition for it.
posted by kindall at 2:42 PM on April 10, 2001

Way cool, Matt - kudos. Re: Brill's Content - I have been reading since Issue #1 and love it. Yes, it has occasionally veered into the land of Puffery, but on balance it delivers exactly what it promises - a commitment to the belief that "skepticism is a virtue." Highly recommended. And Matt - please let it go at BC - that's just the right intersection of "geek" (in the best sense possible) meets "media" meets "hip" - heaven forbid you show up on "Entertainment Weekly" or "People."
posted by davidmsc at 6:35 PM on April 10, 2001

yay, i got my brill's today! (first time ever that it came before it hit the stands)

congrats again, matt, and thanks for creating this community.

(now i'm gettin all gushy)
posted by sugarfish at 11:43 AM on April 12, 2001

I just pray that nobody uses the term hortal.

Great geek-chic pose, though, Matt ... my mail comes in 20 minutes, I hope this is in it.
posted by dhartung at 12:12 PM on April 12, 2001

I think Yahoo has copyrighted "Whortal" in light of their new focus, but I'm not sure it'll catch on.
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 12:27 PM on April 12, 2001