Originals are longform reads featured in the NextDraft newsletter and app.

Kitties, Komen and The New Editor of Mainstream News

There’s a new editor in chief of mainstream news. You. About a year ago I was putting the final touches on an article for a major media outlet. I honed, I proof-read, I tweaked. My self-absorbed goal was to have to the most popular item on this big media site for at least a few …

Something Disintegrates at a Burger King

The other day, while sitting in our car with the windows down, my wife and I had a heated argument. Bad words. Yelling. A fist or two slammed into our Volvo’s center console. Though we both received nominations, we never reached consensus on which one of us was wrong, and the whole thing blew over …

I Made This on a Mac

I made this on a Mac. That statement is pretty common these days. But there was a time I would have never imagined creating something on a computer. Sure, I had some friends type up one of my essays or a college application on their parents’ Compaq computer, the glowing green letters clicking across a …

Start-ups, VCs and Assholes in the Age of the Personal Brand

In my corner of the web, the big conversation these days is about a guy named Michael Arrington and his new $20 million Internet start-up fund. Arrington has made a name for himself (both good and bad) as the founder and voice behind the start-up world’s go-to blog, TechCrunch. Over the years, TechCrunch hired a …

Does the Internet Make You More Connected?

The other day my friend Mordy asked me this question: Are you more or less connected since you started spending so much time on the Internet? I’m more connected to people I don’t know. I’m equally connected to the people I do know. I’m less connected to myself. The other day, I was watching Arcade …

The Action Movie Blog Post

I’m twelve stories up and being chased by two guys with four guns and I’m running out of roof which leaves me with two choices: I duck and cry, or I take a flying leap for the adjacent building’s rooftop. Without breaking stride, I jump for it. My hands make it to the next rooftop. …

I Wish I Could Be More Like My Avatar

I wish I could be more like my avatar. The other day I accidentally loaded the wrong version of a podcast I had been working on. About a minute in, I heard myself stumble over a few words, and then ramble, “What are you doing wasting your time with this? You’re a grown man with …

The First Rule of Tweet Club

I had been writing a political blog for about six months when my wife and best friend sat me down to give me some unsolicited advice: “Dave,” they explained. “You need to start swearing in your commentaries.” They both argued that I was more funny, irreverent and interesting in person than I was on my …

I Don't Care if You Read This Article

I’m still not sure what precipitated it, but the other night at San Francisco’s Jackson Fillmore restaurant, over a couple large bowls of linguini with butter and cheese, my four year-old son raised his fork and tried to stab my two year-old daughter in the head. His mother quickly restrained him while I checked the …

Calling the Internet Police

A few months ago my friend Hudson was working on a new and promising internet business. He hired contractors for most of the work – design, graphics, engineering. Once the site was done and ready for launch, his engineer called him and demanded more money. After Hudson rightfully said no, the engineer responded by hijacking …