The New York Times:
Called San Francisco Panorama, the editors say it is, in large part, homage to an institution that they feel, contrary to conventional wisdom, still has a lot of life in it. […]
As the name suggests, the focus will be local—the lead story is an investigative piece about the cost overruns on the reconstruction and retrofitting of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge—but correspondents are weighing in from as far away as Afghanistan and on cultural scenes as un-local as Nascar.
And McSweeney’s is using Spot.us to raise funds for the Bay Bridge story.
McSweeney’s made an iPhone app:
It’s true. We hereby announce the debut of the Small Chair, a weekly sampler from all branches of the McSweeney’s family. One week you might receive a story from the upcoming Quarterly, the next week an interview from the Believer, the next a short film from a future Wholphin. Occasionally, it might be a song, an art portfolio, who knows. Early contributors will include Spike Jonze, Wells Tower, Chris Ware, and Jonathan Ames. This material will not be available online and is pretty sure to be good stuff.
The app will also deliver the daily humor from our Internet Tendency, specially formatted for the iPhone, along with news, updates, and announcements.
Sounds great, and makes wonderful use of in-app purchasing. Publishers, take note.