Subtitle: “Precis for Payment”
[homage to Allan Jenkins' idea of 'blogging for benjamins']
Doug Haslam, my colleague in arms across the rivulet called the Pacific has sent me word of a new site called ‘Brijit‘.
For those not keen to click on a link before they know what will greet them, Brijit is an aggregation site where REAL people get paid a few dollars per submission to precis an article or news story down to just 100 words.
As an ‘about us‘ page says,
“Anyone can write for Brijit. If we publish your abstract you get paid (and of course, your very own byline)”
The team also rates the original story and, I am guessing, the 100-word version so that poor editors get less of their work pushed out over time.
As they say,
Time is a scarce commodity, and we know it. The Three Dots is our Brijit rating, a quantitative shorthand to complement the qualitative summary and review of our abstracts. Think of Brijit as a sort of souped-up Michelin Guide for long-form content – a mention is great, and three red dots is a rare thing, indeed. Simply:
- 0 = not a priority
- 1 = worth reading if you have the time
- 2 = special, worth making time for
- 3 = exceptional, a must-read, not to be missed.
Some of the ‘well worth reading’ material available as I write this post include
in National Geographic by Joel Achenbach, March 2008
Nothing would make theoretical physicists happier than to be able to unify particle physics under one simple, comprehensive theory, but finding the experimental evidence is expensive work. Achenbach visits two particle accelerator labs to get an up-close look at the giant atom-smashing machines where scientists hope to find the elusive Higgs boson. Called the “God particle” by some, the still-theoretical Higgs boson is an oversized particle that gives mass to other fundamental particles; without it, the current standard model of particle physics unravels. With explanations like “You smash stuff together and see what other stuff comes out,” Achenbach ably conveys the often impenetrable world of particle physics.
Posted 4:47, 21 February 2008
This abstract was written by Laura White and edited by Brijit.
The Heparin Trail: China’s Role in Supply of Drug Is Under Fire
in The Wall Street Journal by Gordon Fairclough & Thomas M. Burton, 21 February 2008
There’s growing concern about the supply chain for heparin, a blood-thinning drug which appears to have played a role in four recent deaths and 350 allergic reactions in US patients. Most of the drug comes from China, where it is often extracted from pig entrails in sausage-casing factories. The Food and Drug Administration says the drug’s purification process means it isn’t necessary to regulate the source providers, but some doctors believe it’s vital to be able to trace the drug back to its raw materials in case of disease outbreaks; US drug companies have already stopped using heparin extracted from cattle thanks to the mad cow disease scares. The story isn’t easy on the stomach, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.
Posted 1:57, 21 February 2008
This abstract was written by John Lister and edited by Brijit.
This gives you an idea of what is covered over at Brijit — not just the ‘Social Media’ set echoing in their own chamber.
Well worth joining, I suggest — see me over there!
