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Megan McArdle

Megan McArdle - Megan McArdle is a senior editor for The Atlantic who writes about business and economics. She has worked at three start-ups, a consulting firm, an investment bank, a disaster recovery firm at Ground Zero, and The Economist. More

Megan was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and yes, she does enjoy her lattes, as well as the occasional extra-dry skim-milk cappuccino. Her checkered work history includes three start-ups, four years as a technology project manager for a boutique consulting firm, a summer as an associate at an investment bank, and a year spent as sort of an executive copy girl for one of the disaster-recovery firms at Ground Zero … all before the age of 30.

While working at Ground Zero, Megan started Live From the WTC, a blog focused on economics, business, and cooking. She may or may not have been the first major economics blogger, depending on whether we are allowed to throw outlying variables such as Brad Delong out of the set. From there it was but a few steps down the slippery slope to freelance journalism. She has worked in various capacities for The Economist, where she wrote about economics and oversaw the founding of Free Exchange, the magazine's economics blog. She has also maintained her own blog, Asymmetrical Information, which moved to The Atlantic, along with its owner, in August 2007.

Megan holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. After a lifetime as a New Yorker, she now resides in northwest Washington, D.C., where she is still trying to figure out what one does with an apartment larger than 400 square feet.
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Advice column: ask the readers

By Megan McArdle

Jun 3 2008, 7:56 AM ET Comment

I have a number of friends who are really good at making mix tapes, now iPod playlists. Over the years, I have treasured their gifts, and dearly longed to reciprocate. Unfortunately, I am possibly the world's worst playlist/mixtape/CD creator. I think I once managed to successfully create a CD for a boyfriend that I thought was really good. I would bet a lot of money that he not only no longer has the CD, but doesn't even remember getting it.

So I solicit your advice: what are the rules for making a great mix? Feel free also to list the contents of your own favorite mix.

Bonus music note: Silent Movie by Quiet Village is a terrible, terrible album. It is not the worst thing I have ever heard, a title I reserve for the screechings of Mariah Carey. But I have yet to discern a single redeeming feature, even though I rather like the sound of chirping birds. The friend who persuaded me to waste valuable eMusic credits downloading the thing is definitely not getting a mixtape any time soon.

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