HUB’S LONE ALT INNOVATION MAG SURVIVES
‘Boston Bubble’ Announces New Managing Editor + Issue Coming AUGUST ‘16
ATTN.: Readers, Subscribers, So-Called Innovators, Bostonians:
I tried writing this press release in the third person. Over and over. Then I remembered how I introduced the Boston Bubble to the world last year:
The picture being painted of the Hub’s so-called innovation economy is bright and rosy … Underneath the glam, however, are endemic problems that go unnoticed, or unheard of amid the symphony of cheerleading for the most privileged entrepreneurs.
In other words: we’re going for a seriously no-bullshit theme with the palm-sized Bubble. So it seemed absurd to insult readers with third person press release fluff. It’s easier to simply step up and apologize for taking eight months since our debut beta issue to complete the sequel. And to personally tell readers: We’re here to stay, both as an innovation and technology reporting venture of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (BINJ), and as a minor but enduring spike in the hype balloon.
Since we dropped Issue 0, the Boston 2024 Olympics scam has begotten General Electric trickery, while there have been indictments in the sitting innovation administration. Municipal corruption couched in admiration for boundless technological progress is an evergreen theme around here; we may have disappeared for longer than planned, but our team intends on being here until the final bubble bursts. Which brings me to our big announcement:
WE FINALLY HIRED AN EXPERT TO STEER THE SHIP.
Since the Bubble was founded by journalists who noticed the gap in critical coverage of the alleged startup community, in order to adequately impugn the boom we needed a bold guide and muse with far more direct business experience than us. So we asked Clarence Smith Jr., a storyteller and the creator of BOLD Edition who, in his words, is “an old-school techie who has spent nearly two decades working with some of the most pioneering technology and innovation centers in the Hub.” More from Clarence, who I’ll add is one of the most learned gamers and geek media sponges around:
The collision of technology and innovation in this city is full of high-tech and low-blows. Brazen headlines and hype-fueled reportage too often fails to capture the significance of the technology innovations birthed here.
Instead we are bombarded with industry catchalls like “tech innovation” — a shiny, new, irrelevant representation of the real technology and innovation that matters to us as mindful consumers. The real hubbub around town is the story that goes beyond the hype; beyond the sponsored reviews, the paid editorials or the bandwagon profiles.
Sincerely,
Chris Faraone, Editorial Director, Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism
ISSUE #1: SURVIVAL (Abridged TOC)
GE GO HOME
THE LITTLE WATERFRONT CHAPEL THAT COULD
HISTORY AT HAMMOND CASTLE
THE MASSACHUSETTS STEAK HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF GAMBLING BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
THE RETURN OF ANDREW DICE CAMBRIDGE
While the Bubble isn’t meant to be the biggest kid on the block — even our physical format is small enough to fit in your palm, and our online presence is selective — our aim is to at least inject more honesty into the conversation.
