December 11, 2006

In Watching the World Change, I quote the Times's columnist Maureen Dowd, who helped bring attention to the fact that Google, despite offering satellite and aerial pictures of countless American homes on its GoogleEarth geographical-search function, has deliberately obscured its photo of the residence of Vice President Dick Cheney, whom Dowd is fond of referring to as Vice and the Grim Peeper. "Vice," writes Dowd, "has [already] turned America into a camera obscura, a dark chamber with a lens that turns things upside down." (page 126)

Apropos of Dick Cheney and Google, Vanity Fair, late last week, posted a short satiric piece of mine (from the new issue of the magazine) on VanityFair.com. It's called "Dick Cheney's Google Searches," and the article has gotten brisk pickup across the Web.

The piece has received nice play on places like the Imus blog and Kottke.com and The Huffington Post, but has also been gracing such Internet mainstays as Gecko & Fly, Swedish Meatball Confidential, and the inimitable Dublin Opinion, which noted:

“With the advent of Jon Stewart, Steve Colbert and a host of others it’s clear (to pinko-liberals like me) that US satire is going through a golden period. Now I wonder why that is? Vanity Fair is not the most radical of publications, but it’s Dick Cheney Google searches is a small but worthy contribution."

Meanwhile...

Joe Wikert is writing about the book on his book blog:

“David's book, which I just received this weekend and am starting to read tonight, takes a different approach: he tells the stories behind many of the images of 9/11 that we've all grown too accustomed to seeing on TV and in print. I'll post a full review of the book when I finish reading it. As I'm reading this one I plan to catch up on David's blog which features additional photos and stories not included in the book.”

And Cuppa Joad, the Alibris book blog, weighs in on both Watching the World Change and this very blog:

"[R]ecent [cinematic and literary] journeys back to September 11 remind me how deep within myself those events still resonate. I am not alone, and neither are you, in our uniquely individual emotional and psychological snapshots of September 11. That is the essential message of the Web site Watching the World Change: The Stories Behind the Images of 9/11.

"An outcome of Watching the World Change, the book of the same name, this companion Web site was created by author David Friend as a way to accommodate the outpouring of reactions to a book focused on the powerful imagery and lasting impressions of September 11.

"'I’m finding that no matter where I go, the same thing happens whenever I mention the book, even in passing. Friends, colleagues, complete strangers—everyone stops what they’re doing and feels compelled to tell me their September 11 story. They can go on for about 20 minutes, without a break, reliving those moments again. And without exception, each tale is insightful and heart-wrenching in its own way.'

"Friend’s site is a detailed and in-depth study in how our global community continues to react to September 11. It is also a good example of how a single book can inspire and motivate its readers, fostering a Web site that has become a community of its own."

Amen, Joad.