I should add that I was today, on Google+, advertised as “one of my regular smartypantses”. So that’s your answer re the opinionated/likable spectrum.

Your Digital Nomads special report stands out. It will be quoted in many a presentation in B-Schools, corporate world and possibly by my generation to my grandchildren when we say, “During our times…”

First of call, Welcome to the Hannibal Blog. I’m thrilled you found it. I long ago found you.

Which is funny, actually: When I was pitching my book, many aeons ago in November of 2007 (I looked it up in Gmail), I emailed you and we almost met up for a chat. Somehow, one of my follow-up emails must have got caught in one of your spam filters, and it never happened. A pity.

Anyway, you (and your friend Prevas) are in my bibliography and endnotes, and I loved your iTunes U course on Hannibal. I’m rooting for you to be the one to find that tusk, or bone or sword or whatever that’ll make you ‘the Hannibal Schliemann’.

I’m traveling right now, but when I’m back and sedentary again, I might have a look through my endnotes and do a blog post about what (at that time, so long ago now) I learned from you. I seem to remember that one Aha moment had to do with the chemistry of the (per Livy) pouring of vinegar on the rocks on the Alpine descent….

More to come. Great to hear from you.

I’m eagerly awaiting your book in early 2012.

You seem to already know I am another “Hannibalographer” , having spent almost 20 years following something of his route from Carthage, through Spain, across France and over the Alps and to every battle site in Italy. At present I prefer the Clapier/Savine-Coche northern Alps route – these two tracks are less than a kilometer apart in the same summit valley on north and south sides respectively, and end up about the same relative place on the Italian descent above Susa – but I try to be open-minded. Of course, I’m only one current archaeologist/historian in a long line of researchers who hold this preference for the Clapier/Savine Coche, and my only claim so far is to have spent many years on foot over these valleys, but I’ve hiked over every other major pass candidate on foot as well looking to match ancient texts with modern topography. I correspond occasionally with both Mahaney and Prevas (the latter I can even call a friend) and if we disagree once in awhile on minor matters, I hope it is as gentlemen, as I respect them both immensely for their valuable contributions to Hannibal studies. I’ll be back in the Alps in a few months.

I must also affirm that I think the ECONOMIST is the best publication in the Anglophone world and cannot do without its perceptive take on global matters of almost any ilk. Thank you for contributing in whatever capacity to this much-needed publication.

Patrick Hunt

thanks for watching the talk. Let’s be in touch next year once the book is out. There’s a good chance I’ll be in the UK some time next year anyway.

Till then,
A

Really enjoyed your talk on YouTube. I run the UK Business Book Festival.

http://www.ukbusinessbookfestival.co.uk

Since you’re book is out next year, maybe you can bear it in mind for 2012! We’d love to have you as a speaker.

There is no “how” (ie, no formula or set process or shortcuts).

There aren’t many of us (I’m talking about Editorial only), and we don’t change jobs often, so there is extremely little turnover.

In my case, it took me years of expressing interest (and doing other things) until I was hired in 1997.

It helps, of course, if you have written great stuff elsewhere.

Lucky me to have found the blog of a writer from my favourite newspaper (:

And yes, I have figured out your company. Pity indeed. Best of luck in future in this new-media world.

I bumped into your blog today. It’s an absolute pleasure to finally know the author of the New Media survey. The survey had an indelible impact on me – considering I was then working with a new media company that had disastrously merged with a old media company. I’m sure you’ve figured the company out by now. For a lot of us, the survey helped us understand for the first time the many big changes the industry was witnessing, but had no words to describe or no context to understand. For example, the company I was working with was still in denial of the power of user-generated content, forget reconciling itself to an era of participatory media. I still think it is the best survey I’ve so far read in the Economist.

Congratulations on your 10th year at the Economist, and all the best for your new beat!

Michael