“Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.”
—Abbé Joseph Roux, 19th-century priest and poet.

On paper, it sounds like one of the worst ideas for a photo project: Portraits of bloggers? At their computers? But Gabriela Herman’s photos of exactly that are surprisingly thoughtful, deep and compelling. They bring out the hidden drama in an extremely passive-looking activity.

Herman’s

Illustration: Jan Kallwejt

Of all corporations, Apple would have seemed the least likely to delve into social networking. The company is a living refutation of the digital world’s conventional wisdom that all business must be a conversation, not only between customers and executives but among customers themselves. Its