The Monday Media Diet with Om Malik

On fountain pens, Lapham's, and Bounconvento

Om Malik (OM) is a writer, photographer and all-around tasteful guy. Happy to have him on the page with us today. -Colin (CJN)

Tell us about yourself.

I am a writer, photographer, and (sometimes) investor based in San Francisco. I have written about technology and the Internet for nearly three decades for publications such as Forbes, Red Herring, New Yorker, The Economist, and Fast Company. I started GigaOm, a blog that eventually became a publishing company. I am currently partner emeritus at True Ventures. I write on my website,  Om.co. You should visit sometime! 

Describe your media diet. 

I am sadly one of those information overeaters. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, given my background as a journalist and someone who researches everything. 

My primary mode of consumption of media is “text” and then video. I subscribe to YouTube and watch channels that cover a wide range of topics: artificial intelligence, winter camping photography to cricket (the sport, not the future protein source.)

On the traditional media front, I subscribe to The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Economist, and Financial Times. I consume these on my iPad Pro 11. It is my primary reading device. 

I do enjoy reading offline and especially savor long-form reading.  I also subscribe to independent publications such as Hodinkee, Harper’s, The New Atlantic, Logic, Paris Review, IEEE Spectrum, and Lapham’s. I love spending time in magazine stores and picking up many magazines when I find a good magazine store, usually in Europe. 

In addition, I forage Reddit, Twitter, and a slew of other online communities to find the latest news and articles that interest me. This includes longer-form articles about science and technology, art, fashion, and culture in general. I try and avoid everything related to politics or general news. I believe as individuals, we are better served to nourish our brains with good stuff, and for that, I look forward to curation emails from folks like Paul Kedroksy, Michael Tsai (Apple), Stacey Higginbotham (Connected Devices), Reilly O’Brennan and Movements (mobility), and Benedict Evens.) 

I have a lot of subscriptions to newsletters—too many to list here. I am not much of a podcast person. I will listen to anything people recommend. I have no recommendations though if you are into ambient music (and I am), then check out  Ambientblog Mixes and Low Light Mixes.

I subscribe to Apple News, Qobuz (for music), and MLB. I subscribe to MHz Networks, Acorn TV, Britbox, and Amazon Prime. Apart from that, I pay for content when I really need to see something on Netflix, Hulu, or one of these other streaming services. 

What’s the last great book you read?

The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by William Straus and Neil Howe. I am a big believer in the idea that our history and past gives us context to better understand our future. And this books helps me understand America better. As a newish American, I don’t quite know its complexities as others who have been part of this country. So, this book helped me understand our chaotic now. 

What are you reading now? 

The Choreography of Everyday Life by Annie-B Parson. I picked up this book after reading a review online. I was intrigued by the idea of how creative process and creative life are not linear. Maybe I was looking for answers to my own lack of process or progress in a linear fashion. 

What’s your reading strategy when you pick up a print copy of your favorite publication?

I make myself a nice cup of coffee -- single-origin pour-over, of course. Sit in my favorite chair (Eames), Miles David or John Coltrane on the sound system, and I leave my phone (and other devices) in a different room. 

Who should everyone be reading that they’re not?

I love Abby Gardner’s We Have Notes because she is hilarious and unabashed in her love for Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Hollywood kitsch. She is a glorious writer. I love Sara Campbell’s Tiny Revolutions. Her philosophical musings are so different from how I think, so it is like a fresh dose of goodness every time I read her. 

What is the best non-famous app you love on your phone?

I don’t know if it is non-famous, but I’m so into the community vibe of Glass.app, which has replaced Instagram for me in a good way. 

Plane or train?

Planes in the US, Africa, Latin America, and most of Asia. Trains in Europe and Japan. 

What is one place everyone should visit?

Tuscany, I mean, what else is there? I love Portrait Firenze in Florence. A couple of days being pampered here is my ideal way to start the trip to Tuscany. After that I usually end up renting a small villa in a non-toursity location, where I can walk to a cafe, restaurant and has easy access to good photography. I make it a point that I get someone local to make me local cuisine. My last trip was in Siena in a small region called Bounconvento. Nothing exceptional, just easy to go to many places in Tuscany. I walked a lot, took a lot of photos and of course managed to even do a photo workshop. 

Tell us the story of a rabbit hole you fell deep into.

Since I am old, enough to write with a fountain pen, I have gotten deep into shimmering and sheening inks. They are just so fantastic to play around with it. I brush them on thick art paper and then try and take macro photos. This is my favorite waste of time at present. I hope one day I can share these photos on my photo website. 

Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN) & Om (OM)

—

Why is this interesting? is a daily email from Noah Brier & Colin Nagy (and friends!) about interesting things. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, please consider forwarding it to a friend. If you’re reading it for the first time, consider subscribing.