Absolute Michigan's Michigan Blog: Lost and Found by Ann Arbor Is Overrated.

AAIO writes: "Found mania has finally hit the Freep; Susan Ager shares the contents of a salvaged grocery list from Target that she's been studying for several months."

Susan writes: "I keep the list because for all its mysteries and misspellings it captures an intimate moment. It's written without any expectation that anyone else will see it. It's unpracticed, authentic and honest.

Reading it gives me the same sensation I get when, driving through a neighborhood at night, I glance through a window to see a woman rinsing dishes at the sink, or a man hunched in the glow of his computer."

AAIO first wrote about "Ann Arbor's very own Found Magazine" last April. Commenting on an upcoming appearance on Letterman, he wrote:

"With this kind of exposure, it finally seems fair to ask: Is it just us, or is Found a bit, well, overrated? Sure, it's a neat idea with a great design. But the very premise - send in stuff that you find - leaves itself open to ersatz discoveries."

Boris leaves an interesting comment. In part, it reads:

"There is something poignant, though, about all the old photos that people seem to find in the trash. When we have our pictures taken, I don't think any of us ever imagine that those photos may very well end up in a dumpster some day."

And js chimes in:

"...unfortunately, I have too much stuff that I'd really like to read before I get to things that might be anecdotally amusing to the McSweeney's set."

Exactly. What I think is missing here is a question about with what we as a society are choosing to fill our time and heads.

Dan comments: "Found is sort of like the reality show of the magazine world. No professionals involved on the talent side, so it's pure profit. People tune in/pick it up solely for their own voyeristic pleasure. And just as it speaks volumes that Americans like watching girls eat bugs, it speaks volumes that Ann Arborites like reading other people's litter."

Read Found-Object Craze Not Over Yet

# posted by Tami @ 11:52 AM