125: David Sax - The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter

Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! Today I sit down with writer and reporter David Sax to talk about his insightful book The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter (PublicAffairs, 2016).

Here's the ground we cover it today's interview:

• The David Sax origin story. (00:36 - 01:18)
• The story behind the book. How did you discover the surprising fact that analog is making a comeback? (01:19 - 05:08)
• The revenge of vinyl. (05:09 - 10:59)
• The revenge of paper. (11:00 - 13:00)
• The revenge of board games. (13:01 - 19:21)
• The revenge of print (books). (19:22 - 24:00)
• The revenge of analog in digital. (24:01 -  27:42)
• What did this project teach you about sabbath and rest?   (27:43 - 31:59)
• What challenge or encouragement would you like to share with ever reader as they get to the last page of your book? (32:00 - 32:41)
• For somebody looking to be a writer or a reporter, what are one or two core tools they’re going to want to be exposed to, to help them be more successful? (32:42 - 33:34)
• Any daily routines or habits that have been a key part of your ongoing success? (33:35 - 36:54)
• Where can listeners connect with you on the web and find out more about The Revenge of Analog? (36:55 - 37:26)

About the Book:  A funny thing happened on the way to the digital utopia. We've begun to fall back in love with the very analog goods and ideas the tech gurus insisted that we no longer needed. Businesses that once looked outdated, from film photography to brick-and-mortar retail, are now springing with new life. Notebooks, records, and stationery have become cool again. Behold the Revenge of Analog.

David Sax has uncovered story after story of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and even big corporations who've found a market selling not apps or virtual solutions but real, tangible things. As e-books are supposedly remaking reading, independent bookstores have sprouted up across the country. As music allegedly migrates to the cloud, vinyl record sales have grown more than ten times over the past decade. Even the offices of tech giants like Google and Facebook increasingly rely on pen and paper to drive their brightest ideas.

Sax's work reveals a deep truth about how humans shop, interact, and even think. Blending psychology and observant wit with first-rate reportage, Sax shows the limited appeal of the purely digital life-and the robust future of the real world outside it.

About the Author: David Sax is a writer and reporter who specializes in business and culture. His work appears regularly in Bloomberg Businessweek, the New Yorker's Currency blog, and other publications. He is the author of Save the Deli, which won a James Beard Award for Writing and Literature, and The Tastemakers. He lives in Toronto.

Connect with David:

• Twitter (@SaxDavid)
• RevengeOfAnalog.com

For additional show notes, visit ShaunTabatt.com/125.