It’s true that The Daily qualifies as a form of...

“It’s true that The Daily qualifies as a form of experimentation, yes, but it doesn’t strike me as a very imaginative or a particularly adventurous form of experimentation. In fact, it’s about as uninspired an experiment as a publisher could undertake. To me, The Daily is a near perfect realization of exactly the idea that occurs to print editors every single time they get their hands on digital media for the first time, regardless of what the underlying technology might be: “Let’s make it just like what we know so well in print.” As a result I found it sadly lifeless and lacking in urgency. What a waste of US$30 million.”

Khoi Vinh (via marco)

Am I the only one who read this as a very tacit condemnation of the Times? Read this again:

The Daily is a near perfect realization of exactly the idea that occurs to print editors every single time they get their hands on digital media for the first time, regardless of what the underlying technology might be: “Let’s make it just like what we know so well in print.”

How does Vinh know this? Because he lived it. This is clearly written by someone who spent a lot of time designing the web iteration of a print product along side people with a similar mindset to those who are now running The Daily. He may be openly attacking the Murdoch-owned product, but you can’t help but wonder if he’s secretly delivering a kick to his old employer.