Best of the Web

STYLE MATTERS: A BS FREE GUIDE FOR WRITERS

“Margaret Ashworth is my new favourite woman. Sub editor at the Mail for almost 40 years and now retired, she’s just released this brilliant style guide online – a version of the same guide she wrote for the paper. The tone is deadpan; this woman takes no shit. As a writer I find her terrifying, as a woman she is my hero.

Filed under ‘Political Correctness’: women: The vast majority of media executives are men, and they can lose sight of the female perspective. There was a shocker of a headline in August 2010 on a feature about a community of nuns: ‘The only place in Britain where women keep their mouths shut’. I am informed that this was meant to be a joke. All I would say is that a woman would never have written this heading, and to me it displays an attitude of male superiority, subconscious though it may be.” – Natasha Slee, Social Media Assistant (@TashaLouiseS)

NIGEL MINAJ

“Will we ever get bored of mocking Nigel Farage? (no.) As the lead up to the election intensifies, give your tolerance levels for the same mundane, lying bullshit a break and spend some time with Nigel Minaj. If the man does one thing well, it’s a wig.” – Ashleigh Kane, Digital Assistant (@AshleighKane)

BOOK CONSERVATOR NOBUO OKANO REPAIRS TATTERED BOOKS TO MAKE THEM LOOK BRAND NEW

“Japanese book conservator Okano Nobuo takes old, tattered books and transforms them so they look good as new. Individually ironing each page, painstakingly chipping away at bindings and guillotining page edges - he uses a subtractive process to bring the book back to life. A true labour of love, with amazing results. Click through for hypnotic gifs. Says Okano, ‘It’s not their shape or form but what’s inside them that attracts us to books’” – Hannah Moth, PR and Branding Manager (@hannah_moth)

“INSTEAD OF DOO-DOO BROWN”: TRANSPARENT, ASSHOLES, AND JILL SOLOWAY’S EXISTENTIAL FEMINIST COLLECTIVE

“Transparent is one of my favourite TV shows this year, next to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (for different reasons, obv). This Cleo Journal does a pretty good job of explaining what makes Jill Soloway's series so great, despite the fact that everyone in the show minus the trans protagonist Maura appears to be massive, raging assholes.” – Zing Tsjeng, News Editor (@MissZing)

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS – "STRAIGHT"

“Brook Linder is a young director based in LA whose work is inspired by lots of good stuff – classic TV, cinema and found footage vignettes feature in his work that you’ll definitely recognise, but they’re always included with a contemporary, tongue in cheek twist. This promo is insane and was created completely from the ground up, including all the weird paranormal clips. Check out his video for Viet Cong and his homage to 80s teen movies Ghoul School” – Tai Thittichai, Executive Producer, Dazed video (@basicallyok)

RABIT AND THE RESURGENCE OF GRIME

“We're so used to being fed American culture that it's always stupidly satisfying when something Brit makes it big across the pond. Instrumental grime, despite grime having been and gone over here, is currently a Thing in the US (largely thanks to Kanye). Digging into electronic musician Rabit's new EP, writer Anwen Crawford ponders whether Queen Bey will soon deliver us a grime track. And admits grime (in it's original form) probably didn't blow up a decade ago because 'Murica can't understand our London accents. Ha.” – Fiona Cook, Social Media Editor (@Fionawcook)

BEN SMITH AND JONAH PERETTI: THE GAWKER INTERVIEW

“Gawker are incredible at going after other media outlets with unbelievable temerity and aggression. As Buzzfeed occupies a position as Most Successful Thing Ever Right Now, it’s only natural that it should find itself as Target No.1. There was something of a storm caused recently by the revelation that Buzzfeed’s editor-in-chief Ben Smith had been deleting posts after alleged pressure from the commercial side, who perhaps felt that the posts could upset the money boys. This interview sees a Gawker journalist take on Ben Smith and Buzzfeed’s CEO. It’s a long, literal transcript of the interview, but it remains strangely gripping throughout.” – Thomas Gorton, News Writer (@AngstromHoot)

HOW TO COPE WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH DEPRESSION AT WORK

"This piece by Emma Garland feels like something that should have been published a long time ago. There’s been a massive surge in anxiety and depression amongst young people in the last few years – probably down to the fact we’re all living AWFUL lives in a sprawling, overpriced metropolis when we could just be living by clear turquoise waters, or playing with piglets on a farm. Anyway, whatever. Mental health is becoming a much bigger problem than we care to admit, and this article shows us exactly why." – Dominique Sisley, Edtorial Assistant (@dominiquesisley)

90s RELOADED

"90s reloaded? Hardcore, you know the score. That's what they said in Britain in the decade before last, as the rave went into overdrive, but if there's one place that knows what hardcore really is, it's Russia. Their 90s, which began with the end of Communism and ended with a turbo-charged rave of their own. While they are going through another authority hangover RN, this series on the Calvert Journal takes us thorough their youth moments." – Charlie Robin Jones, Digital Editor (@charliexjones)