Seabirding and hat tipping
I’ve written a few posts in this newsletter alluding to a new project I’ve been working on called Seabird. I’ve been vague about the details, but this week we soft-launched our mobile apps for iOS and Android. It’s an exciting and crowded time in social media, but while most of the new entrants are sticking to a very Twitter-like microblogging format, we’re doing something different. Seabird embraces constraints and focuses exclusively on being a platform for sharing links to writing and other media. A few things that make Seabird unique:
Users are limited to just three posts per day.
All posts link out to external content.
Writers can highlight their original work in a priority feed and on their profiles.
In lieu of anything like a retweet feature, we’re bringing back the old blogging era practice of linking to users who share interesting content with a “hat tip” back to their post.
On my own blog, I posted yesterday about my experience in our private beta and why I’m enthusiastic about opening up the community to new users. We’re gradually expanding as we dial in the app. Read my post here and then head over to Seabird to join our signup list.
Recent writing
My latest book review takes a look at Lucinda Williams’s new autobiography, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You. For Inside Hook, I wrote about what’s new and exciting in aquavit: new barrel finishes, loads of dill, and unusual botanicals. And for Slate’s “Pour One Out” series on America’s changing taste for beer, I recommended a pair of beer cocktails.
Dealer’s choices
To listen: This is shaping up to be a fantastic summer for live music in the Pacific Northwest. Highlights for me so far have been Joseph, Eels, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (incredible!), and Overcoats (delightful!), with a bunch more coming up. Here’s my summer playlist with an hour and a half of music I’ve been enjoying from the past year.
To drink: To mark the occasion of soft-launching Seabird, how about a Hat Tip cocktail? Brett Adams and I adapted this drink from a recipe posted in the comments section of Paul Clarke’s Cocktail Chronicles weblog for our book Raising the Bar. It’s bright, a bit bitter, and a solid choice for summer.
1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz St. Germain or other elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz Campari
1 barspoon rich simple syrup
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, and toast to the golden age of blogging.