"For the most part, our industry as a whole is still reactionary, non-participatory, and generally unengaged. Who is reaching out to renters across social media sites? What apartment homepages foster community or have ratings and reviews? What Internet listings sites host apartment ratings? Who is openly communicating or allowing open communication with residents on the web? Aside from a select few, there seems to be very little movement."

Very cool interactive graphic that shows how we all spend our days. Sub-categories by age, education, race, children/no children, employed/unemployed. You'll notice that in all groups "socializing" is done by a surprising minority of people, and invariably it's less than watching TV/movies.

"Most of us are afraid of strategy, because we don't feel confident outlining one unless we're sure it's going to work. And the 'work' part is all tactical, so we focus on that."

"This illustration-rich book provides a peek under the hood of the mechanized world we inhabit. David Macaulay, with tech writer Neil Ardley, has that rare gift of technical understanding paired with an ability to convey complex concepts through visual imagery. Kids, parents, Lit. majors, curious people – all can learn, and laugh, from the interpretive drawings that fill this wonderful tome, granting insight into the workings of everything from twin-rotor helicopters to printing presses to self-winding watches and even modems."

"A better indicator of the strength of the labor market is the proportion of the adult population that is employed. As shown in the graph below, this number dipped to 59.4 percent, the lowest percentage in 25 years."

"when I think about the book as digital format from a larger perspective, I see a much bigger picture unfolding. Not only is knowledge no longer bound to its physical format, it’s no longer bound as medium designed primarily for consumption. With digital formats offering the ability to connect with other readers (consumers you might even say) over networked platforms, the consumption of knowledge can actually become a participatory activity resulting in the creation and sharing of new knowledge."

Matt Taibbi wrote a monster piece on Goldman Sachs for Rolling Stone and has been taken to task by the traditional biz press for it. This CJR piece explores why the mainstream press might be making a mistake. (h/t to Ed for link)

From the story: "The number of commercial and multifamily mortgage loans taken out during the second quarter was 50 percent higher than the first quarter, but 54 percent lower than the same period last year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association."

Good piece in the Observer that provides a nice overview of the story in Lincoln County that Fec's been tracking for months. I'm glad he linked to it because I was getting lost. Anyway, it shows how social media has changed the landscape for the powers that be.