October 31, 2004
Next Classy Project: The directory of good advice

I think (one of) the next project(s) here will be a searchable database of lists of good advice. There are so many floating around the net, of very variable quality (I started writing this post through finding this decent one).

Lists are a sad genre really, as a form they are what you can do when you've given up constructing some real structure for your words. Everything is a list. Words come in an order after all. But in the age of LifeHacks and ubergeeks approaching their lives as engineering problems, lists are here to stay.

A good example of this approach to knowledge is ChangeThis, in itself a database of good advice. They've disguised the poverty of the term lists by calling their lists manifestos, but it's the same thing: The final redux of some idea for those too busy to embrace a unique choice of narrative structure for the idea. Lists are almost always crib notes.
On the other hand the many varied uses of lists are fascinating which is why we need a database of lists.

(p.s. to ChangeThis staff: It absolutely, positively sucks that all your material is only available as PDF's)

Posted by Claus at October 31, 2004 01:38 PM | TrackBack (0)
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