While I’ve always enjoyed the onslaught of new music provided by Paste’s monthly sampler CD, recent changes to the disc and its sleeve have left me frustrated.

For those that subscribe to the magazine, you already know what I’m talking about.  To those that don’t, let me catch you up to speed.

A few months ago, in an attempt to get away from plastic sleeves (an admirable effort) the mag informed us that they were switching to a “cardboardy” sleeve to avoid adding countless tons of plastic to the nation’s landfills.  Thinking of all the future generations I would be saving from plastic CD sleeve hell, I turned directly to the distinct division in the magazine where the latest release lay.  I nodded my approval at the striking black cat face starring up at me, and turned the sleeve over, looking to extract the singer/songwriter musical goodness…

(If this were a bad, overtly obvious movie ,this is where the sky would darken and the slow roll of thunder would descend upon me)  Though the back of the sleeve had an obvious extraction point, the tear was impossible to make due to an imperfect perforation and getting the CD out was even harder.  Skip ahead 4 minutes and the CD is on the floor, the cat-face sleeve is nearly ripped in half and a half dozen four letter words linger in the air.  Plastic isn’t seeming that bad after all.

But fear not dear readers, this need not be your future!  For after a couple months of insanity, I’m happy to report that Paste has resolved this musical travesty!  The sleeves are still paper, but now easily tear from the magazine and provide an instant opening, allowing the CD to easily slide out.

Hallelujah!  Rejoice!  And give Paste Magazine this holiday season without reservation!

News that CL has laid off seven non-editorial people in its Atlanta office, along with bigger cuts (including editorial) at the newly acquired Chicago Reader and Washington City Daily, will get definitely get the attention of the Atlanta blogsphere.

It begs the question of whether these alt-publishers, just like the big-boys over at the AJC, can stay solvent in an ever-changing .com world.  My personal take is that most print media will end up moving to the web, but its going to be a rocky road for a while, as advertisers slowly move their ad dollars from TV/radio/print to the web.

As for us one-man blogger operations, we don’t necessarily need the ad dollars (unless its a full-time job), just more free time (which I guess would come with more cash).  Regardless, I don’t see myself laying myself off any time soon.

Read Creative Loafing’s “official” take here.  Sounds like DriftGrift is on this story too.  Oh, and some paper called the New York Times also covered the story.

As mentioned on InDecatur a couple days ago, the city recently awarded ten Decatur residents, along with the Decatur Book Festival’s exec committee with 2007′s Hometown Hero Awards.Tom Bell over at the DBF blog thanks everyone for the award and points out that its many more people than just the exec board that makes the book festival possible.

Maybe next year instead of a plaque, the city could spring for a gold, asexual figure lifting a three-dimensional version of the “homes, schools and places of worship” logo over its head?

Now that’s something you invite the neighbors over to show off!