Rob Walker's Blog, page 36
February 14, 2010
Significant Tweets for Week Ending 2010-02-14
http://bit.ly/cjGSII #"The endowment effect is rooted in something deeper: that the object has significance." http://bit.ly/daCRKr #Interesting objects that have been found in books: http://bit.ly/i755m #Storytelling game & writing prompter called Storymatic, created by fiction-writing teacher: http://bit.ly/bFCVqq #More Intelligent Life Q&A: "ROB WALKER...
February 12, 2010
Mermaid Figurine
Object No. 50 of 50 — Significant Objects v2. PHOTO: Adrian Kinloch
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Tom McCarthy, here. Part of a special collaboration with Underwater New York, this object's story will ship rolled into a vintage bottle found on the beach of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Proceeds from this auction go to 826 National.]
1. Pollution of coastal waters can have / the black sun of melancholy / signature of all things I am here to / test for indicator organisms such as ...
Volume 2: Last story today!
Later today we'll publish the 50th and final story of Significant Objects, Volume 2 (SO v2), proceeds from which will be donated to 826 National.
What comes after Volume 2? Well, you can probably guess, but more on that next week. Speaking of next week, instead of publishing stories we'll have an interesting surprise or two to keep you entertained while the Volume 2 auctions wind down. (Keep bidding!)
Readers: What was your favorite story in Volume 2? Do you wish you'd bid on/won one object in ...
February 11, 2010
Toy Airplane
Object No. 49 of 50 -- Sigificant Objects v2
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Robert Lopez, here. Part of a special collaboration with Underwater New York, this object's story will ship rolled into a vintage bottle found on the beach of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Proceeds from this auction go to 826 National.]
A man on a park bench then another man next to him.
The first man there for no good reason.
The other man the kind of man who sits next to strange men on park benches.
This...
The home stretch of Volume 2: How much will we (you!) give to 826 National?
Joshua Glenn (or is it Rob Walker?) practices handing over a large check, with an unidentified woman.
As I type this, we're just two stories away from the end of Volume 2 of Significant Objects. As you know, this collection of 50 stories and auctions raises money for 826 National. How are we doing?
SO v2 has closed 43 auctions, and our cumulative total is $1,762.54. That means the average price paid is just shy of $41. (Josh would want a bunch more data right here, but never mind that for...
February 10, 2010
Yellow Bear
Object No. 48 of 50 — Significant Objects v2
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Kathryn Davis, here. Part of a special collaboration with Underwater New York, this object's story will ship rolled into a vintage bottle found on the beach of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Proceeds from this auction go to 826 National.]
The sorcerer drove too fast. He always did but only because his mind was somewhere else, not because he was in love with speed. He was slow, really — sorcery is not a...
February 9, 2010
Pan Flute
Object No. 47 of 50 -- Significant Objects v2. PHOTO: Adrian Kinloch
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Deb Olin Unferth, here. Part of a special collaboration with Underwater New York, this object's story will ship rolled into a vintage bottle found on the beach of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Proceeds from this auction go to 826 National.]
I was an ambassador once—of a small African nation. All of us diplomats, that is our dream: to be an ambassador. At least once, at least for a...
February 8, 2010
Kangamouse
Object No. 46 of 50 -- Significant Objects v2 (Photo by Adrian Kinloch)
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Chris Adrian, here. Part of a special collaboration with Underwater New York, this object's story will ship rolled into a vintage bottle found on the beach of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Proceeds from this auction go to 826 National.]
My brother and I could not agree on how to worship the mouse. It was typical of us back then that we could agree that it should be...
February 7, 2010
Significant Tweets for Week Ending 2010-02-07
February 5, 2010
Flannel Ball
Object No. 45 of 50 — Significant Objects v2
[Bid on this Significant Object, with story by Luc Sante, here. Significant Objects will donate the proceeds of this auction to 826 National.]
After my friend Claude had his accident I went to visit him in the hospital. When I saw him I had to cough to divert a laugh. He looked like a guy in a cartoon, his entire body wrapped in bandages. He had broken everything that could be broken, from his skull to his toes. Somehow he was conscious and could...
