Fresh Loaf

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has a new historical novel coming out and he’s eager to use it as an excuse to clog Twitter with 140-character missives from dead men.

On Saturday, the pol-turned-think tanker will conjure black magic and resurrect General George Washington, Private Jonathan Van Dorn and Hessian commander Colonel Johann Rallhas — key figures in the historic crossing of the Delaware River and Battle of Trenton. Once they’re dusted off and fed heavy sedatives to cope with what democracy’s become, Gingrich will hand them iPhones and force them to re-enact the events.

“In To Try Men’s Souls, Bill Forstchen and I try to bring Washington and the other historical figures to life, trying to imagine what their conversations were like and what they were feeling while crossing the Delaware in extreme cold and sleet,” said Newt Gingrich. “This “twitternactment” will be a new way for people to experience history “in the moment.”

Gingrich says you can witness these historic figures make typos and needlessly hashtag trending topics by following @genwashington76, @pvtvandornNJ and @colonelrall.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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As you may have read, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is now on Twitter, joining the likes of state Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, and state Rep. Steve Davis, R-McDonough. (What’s with the Republicans and Twitter? Are any Georgia Democrats using the service?)

Once you follow the bright-eyed lawmaker — who’s considered one of the frontrunners for governor in 2010 — he’s really quick about returning the favor.

Muwahaha! Prepare to be bombarded with 140-character accounts of my visit to the taxidermist and confusion about where I should dine tonight, Mr. Lieutenant Governor!

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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New York Times media columnist David Carr had an eye-opening article yesterday about TriCityNews, an Asbury Park, N.J. altweekly with a circulation of 10,000, a skeleton-crew staff, and an enviable profit margin at a time when newspapers — and magazines, as well — are seeing layoffs, dwindling revenues and bankruptcies. (Carr mentions Creative Loafing Inc. in the article.)

How’d Dan Jacobson, the paper’s publisher and owner, do it? In what would seem a suicidal move, he invested his energy and focus into the print “product” and saw it become an item readers clamored to pick up.  He set advertising rates 10 years ago and maintained them, and in the process, developed a loyal list of clients. Most importantly, he says, he ignored the publishing pack’s rush to gain an online presence and completely ignored the web. (Look at the paper’s website.) It appears — in this case, at least — there’s something to be said about safeguarding your content.

(more…)

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Rick Sanchez, the lantern-jawed CNN anchor who dominates Twitter, somehow came across my Tumblr posting in which I said a photo illustration that depicted Barack Obama as a white man looked like a “vegetarian Rick Sanchez.” (For those of you unfamiliar with the online services, Twitter is a microblogging/social network service, Tumblr is somewhat the same, although it allows you to “follow” others and post a variety of photos, videos, songs, etc.)

This comment sent the anchor’s mind a-spinnin’.

He says he’s going to show it on the channel at 3 p.m. If you ever wanted to see my tumblr on national television — which I know you have because I’ve read all your diaries — tune in then to CNN.

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Ever had to reject someone’s advances in less than 140 characters? CNN anchor Don Lemon has.

Over at Atlanta’s homegrown 24-hour news channel, it seems like everyone is on the microblogging service. Rick Sanchez, whose Facebook updates once confused the hell out of us, uses Twitter to field show suggestions. Lemon, the host of the afternoon “CNN Newroom,” uses it to interact with viewers.

And God would I love to know what provoked this update from the anchor:

(Hat tip to Christa at PecanneLog and Wonkette)

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