Subject: Re: What up?
From: "Barrett Brown" <barriticus@gmail.com>
Date: 8/2/07, 12:39
To: "Jack O'Brien" <Jack.OBrien@demandmedia.com>

None of those pieces would probably work then, but I've got a couple of ideas that might:

How to Stop Texas from Being Blown Up If That's Really What You Want

A couple of friends of mine work at the Texas State Capitol building, and one recently provided me with a card that's kept next to all phones just in case someone calls in a bomb threat. Under the "Questions to Ask" section, employees are advised to ask:

"When is the bomb going to explode?"
"Where is it right now?"
"What is your address?"
"What is your name?"

... and other such questions. There are a couple of other sections like "Background Sounds" in which employees are supposed to check off one or more things like:

"House noises"
"Office machinery"
"Long distance"
"Booth"

Suffice to say that everyone who works at the capitol considers this to be very funny, as well they might, and I think it would make a great piece, particularly if it included hypothetical scenarios in which terrorists called in and the employee somehow recognized the call as coming from a "booth" or "long distance."

Answers to Questions No One Asked Me

With this, I would respond to letters written in to newspapers and explain why the person who wrote it is stupid and wrong.


Let me know if either of these two interest you; I've got a couple more ideas for you as well.

On 8/1/07, Jack O'Brien <Jack.OBrien@demandmedia.com> wrote:

Hey Barrett,

Not sure if Jay told you but we were recently acquired and have since really narrowed the editorial focus to non fiction. I've attached a voice guideline for you to look at. Not sure that any of the below pitches would match this voice doc but I could be convinced otherwise. Also the front page of the site is usually a handy guide.

Jack O'Brien
Tel: 917-340-2113
YIM: jackobrien80



-----Original Message-----
From: Barrett Brown [mailto:barriticus@gmail.com]

Sent: Wed 8/1/2007 1:37 PM
To: Jack O'Brien
Subject: Re: What up?

Hi, Jack-

I've got a couple of queries for you (I hear that you guys prefer them to
finished pieces):

*Mick Jagger's Ten Most Commonly-Uttered Phrases*

*Some Humble Suggestions for Reviving NASA*

*The Notorious Column in Which "Dear Abby" Clearly Began to Lose It*

*The Latest Anti-Marijuana Commercials*

Transcript Selections from the Recently-Revived William S. Burroughs' First
Session as White House Press Secretary


Let me know if any these scratch your itch.

Thanks,

Barrett Brown
512-560-2302






On 7/30/07, Jay Pinkerton <Jay.Pinkerton@demandmedia.com> wrote:
>
>  No, Barrett, I didn't get your queries. Sorry. We were actually switching
> Cracked over to a new company a couple of months back, so it probably got
> lost in the cracks. Feel free to re-query.
>
> The blog gig is still in the hypothetical stage -- we're still designing
> it for a tentative launch later in the year -- but you'll be first on the
> email blast when we start poking around for potential writers.
>
> In the meantime, feel free to pitch article ideas to Jack O'Brien! I've
> cc'd him in.
>
> Jay Pinkerton
> Tel: 773-314-6289
> Fax: 347-665-1461
> Yahoo: jay_pinkerton
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Barrett Brown [mailto:barriticus@gmail.com < barriticus@gmail.com>]
> Sent: Sat 7/28/2007 2:05 PM
> To: Jay Pinkerton
> Subject: What up?
>
> Jay-
>
> Did you ever get my queries in response to your e-mail a couple of months
> back? And what's up with the blog gig you were telling me about a while
> ago?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Barrett Brown
>
>