The Guardian, one of the great English papers still printed on actual tree-like paper products, has announced today (April 1st) that it is dropping its printed edition and moving its entire news service, and all of its archives, to twitter format. This means every story must be told in 140 characters, no more. Here’s a excerpt from the announcement:

A mammoth project is also under way to rewrite the whole of the newspaper’s archive, stretching back to 1821, in the form of tweets. Major stories already completed include “1832 Reform Act gives voting rights to one in five adult males yay!!!”; “OMG Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinyurl.com/b5x6e for more”; and “JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?”

Sceptics have expressed concerns that 140 characters may be insufficient to capture the full breadth of meaningful human activity, but social media experts say the spread of Twitter encourages brevity, and that it ought to be possible to convey the gist of any message in a tweet.

For example, Martin Luther King’s legendary 1963 speech on the steps of the Lincoln memorial appears in the Guardian’s Twitterised archive as “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by”, eliminating the waffle and bluster of the original.

Read the rest here and remember, it’s April 1st in the UK…

Here’s my quick little preview for LA.com:

Organized by the Storefront for Art and Architecture and sponsored by ForYourArt, POSTOPOLIS! is a free series of discussions, panels, powerpoint presentations, parties, and film screenings, all built around the subjects of art, urbanism, landscape, and design.

Read the rest here.

This week, the post office removed mailboxes at the corners of Vermont and Virgil, and at Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. These are major intersections but I guess they didn’t inspire enough foot-and-mail traffic. The post office announced that’s its new strategy for cutting costs. Sad.

Happy Birthday us! On this, Wilshire & Washington’s one-year anniversary, hosts Ted Johnson, Maegan Carberry, and Teresa Valdez-Klein explore the role arts and culture should play in politics. Why is Obama emphasizing arts and culture – from hopping on the couch with Jay Leno to hosting Stevie Wonder at the White House – in such difficult economic times? Should he put down his NCAA bracket, as Coach K suggested, and focus on saving the country from assured disaster? Teresa says the president’s cultural agenda just may be the antidote to the “Crap Culture” that led to our nation’s collective coveting of that which we can’t afford, and Ted wonders why $50 million is being spent in the Economic Stimulus on the NEA when everyone else is being asked to sacrifice.

Joining us today in this spirited discussion is Leonard J. Aube, Managing Director of the Annenberg Foundation, one of the largest private family foundations in the United States. Aube talks about the foundation’s new photography space opening this week in Los Angeles and addresses a number of issues: how private foundations like his balance arts and public services in their funding, why investment in human potential is important, and what is most important in a non-profit leader. He also introduces us to the concept of universally accessible tree-houses and talks a bit about the new Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica.

We also break down yesterday’s big national press conference. Ted’s unconvinced about the level of populist anger out there over the financial indiscretions of AIG, and Maegan notes that the general public (despite a few batty-mad conservatives hosting tea parties) doesn’t seem as interested in piling onto Obama’s gaffes as the media does.

Finally, we talk some of our most memorable moments from the last year. Maegan recalls our talk with Harvard technology professor Zach Tumin the day after the election, getting philosophical about where the country will go next, while Teresa reminisces about the great post-debate shows last fall, and Ted reluctantly accepts his position as a new New Media Czar (even if he can’t stand twitter).

Listen to the show here, subscribe to the iTunes podcast, or use the Blog Talk Radio player on the right.

Wilshire & Washington, the weekly Blog Talk Radio program that explores the intersection of politics, entertainment, and new media, features co-hosts Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Variety; conservative blogger Teresa Valdez Klein (www.teresacentric.com), and liberal blogger Maegan Carberry (www.maegancarberry.com). The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30am PST on BlogTalkRadio.com.

My latest article has gone up on LA.com, a review of the new pizza place Two Boots in Echo Park. Here’s an excerpt:

Outside, a recessed patio draws you in, like the entrance to a cave with bright lights and a carnival-like color-scheme. Go inside this tiny hole-in-the-wall, and the painted murals, stained-glass windows, and delightful smells can’t help but put you in a good mood. Check out the Katrina tributes (FEMA sucks) and the occasionally free (and occasionally working) jukebox with a variety of jazz and rock tunes. This is all ambiance, and it all makes you smile.

Read the rest right here.

This isn’t quite a review, but more of a happy response. I went to dinner at Canele with a friend, Whitney of The Kernel, and had a really wonderful time. The place is very small, very intimate, but never stuffy. The kitchen is open for all to see, behind a short bar, and the tables are less than ten feet away from the simmering pots and pans. It feels almost like a friend’s kitchen. The food was excellent across the board and the staff was so friendly, one even shared tidbits off the shoulder of the lamb he was eating at the bar. It’s a story, I’ll tell it sometime.

I just published my first story on LA.com, a review on the rather promising new 1739 Public House in Los Feliz. Here’s an excerpt:

Not dingy enough for hipsters, nor hip enough for Hollywood types, and certainly not Hollywood enough for out-of-towners, Public House feels local. The bartenders are friendly, the service is usually quick, and the crowd is pretty mellow, except on crazy quiz nights (Wednesday) when the place is packed.

Read the rest here.

My sister is a brilliant lady who lives in New York and works for the Museum of Modern Art in their Marketing Department. What you may not know is that she is brilliant. Did I emphasize that part enough? Pulling a Steve Martin, a-la LA Story, watch this video where she CARTWHEELS through the halls of the sacred MOMA, turning corners, passing priceless pieces of art, and basically making it all look easy:

Check out that form! I very much enjoy it when ridiculous things happen at rarefied places. Also, read the NY Times article, covering how the museum is trying to remake its image. They even end with a short, amused comment about one of MOMA’s best employees.