The Flying Machine

Classic:

In the Internet age, David can go on Facebook to help him bring down Goliath.

That's what happened in Morrisville, Vermont, where the tiny Rock Art Brewery, maker of Vermonster beer, marshaled a wave of public opinion to help in a lawsuit against Hansen Beverage, which sued for copyright infringement on their Monster Energy Drink.

In this action, Hansen violated a cardinal New England rule: Do not mess with Vermonters. They are well-insulated, wear generally supportive footwear, and are armed to the teeth. Last month, when Rock Art owner Matt Nadeau received a boilerplate "cease and desist" letter from Hansen Beverage, he told me, he decided not to take a simple action like putting an extra "t" in the name of his beer.

"I could do that," says Nadeau, then pauses. "Don't want to."

(via The Atlantic Food Channel)

Posted by Sarah at 12:43 PM | Permalink

From Van Gogh's early letters to his brother, Theo:

You mustn’t, whatever you do, think that I have great expectations regarding the appreciation of my work — I believe one must be satisfied if one gets to the point where one can persuade a few people of the soundness of what one is striving for and is understood by them, without exaggerated praise.

And the rest is a matter of, if something comes of it so much the better, but something that one should even think about as little as possible. But still I believe the work has to be seen, precisely because the few friends can settle out from the stream of passers-by. One doesn’t have to be guided by what the majority say or do, though.

The early sketches and roughs of paintings he sent to his brother are lovely and reflect a side of him, and his art, that I never knew.

(via BibliOdyssey)

Posted by Sarah at 8:26 AM | Permalink

It was my favorite food mag, always inspiring, often thought-provoking. Their piece on modern-day slavery in Florida's tomato fields had tremendous impact on raising broad awareness of the issue - and likely helped the Coalition of Immokalee Workers gain some much needed traction in the media.

And the recipes, the recipes.. Sorry Bon Appetit, you can't compare.

Tom Philpott, spot-on as always, on the demise of Gourmet:

And this brings us to the real trend behind the Gourmet story: the power of axe-first, ask-later consultants in molding the media landscape in a time of crisis. For weeks now, according to various reports, grim-faced outsiders in suits have swarmed the Condé Nast offices. Employed by the consultancy McKinsey, their evident task is to scrutinize the books and hack away at anything not turning a profit.

Yet in their search for maximum short-term profit and return on invested capital, they tend to be myopic, unable to see beyond the next quarter’s bottom-line prospects.

Sigh.

(via Grist)

Posted by Sarah at 7:54 AM | Permalink