A couple of months ago ESPN announced that it would launch a new digital publication with Bill Simmons as the editor-in-chief, the famed sports columnist for the network’s site. Grantland, named after Grantland Rice, who’s been credited for being the first celebrity sportswriter, will cover more than sports, it will also feature pop culture related articles. To help the publication with writing duties, they’ve brought in an incredible roster of editors from GQ and Vulture.com and consulting editors that will include Chuck Klosterman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Dave Eggers. The site will consist of original columns, long-form features, blog posts, and podcasts. Grantland is expected to launch this month.

Word leaked yesterday about the release date of Rupert Murdoch’s iPad only magazine called The Daily. The anticipation has been building since its announcement last year due to a number of key factors. The players, the investment, and the device, collectively made The Daily a highly discussed topic in the publishing world. With 100 writers already on staff the team has been publishing dummy issues sent out to about 1000 readers for testing. Yahoo News reports that Murdoch and Steve Jobs will jointly announce the release next Wednesday at SF MoMA during a press conference. Whether the magazine succeeds or fails will be thoroughly analyzed by the publishing and technology world.

Update: The Daily’s been delayed by several weeks as Apple reconfigures its new payment system on iTunes, according to Wall Street Journal. I guess they have the inside scoop.

Night & Day Studios has developed an app based on Charley Harper’s artwork called Peekaboo Forest. His iconic flora and fauna illustrations gets an animated treatment in this simple yet charming little app. Though it is unmistakably made for kids, the app can just as easily be enjoyed by adults for Harper’s ingenious artwork. The studio is currently in production on another app called the Tree of Life also based on Harper’s paintings. (via VLU)

Since 2001, Portland based advertising agency, Wieden and Kennedy has been producing television shows and films from their subsidiary division W+K Entertainment. Through the years it’s changed its focus to producing original shows on arts and culture, separating itself from client based work. This transition also brought them to the web, serving all its content online. Earlier this fall the division relaunched with guidance from Aaron Rose renaming itself to WKE, presenting audio and video content that will rival any cable art channel. First to appear is DIY America, from the producers of Beautiful Losers and Rose’s documentary on Portland’s thriving independent music scene, titled Don’t Move Here. Other shows will follow including Califunya, How To! and 12.

The immediacy of the web has compromised quality and many individuals recognize this – Luxirare is one of them. Ji Kim, the mind behind Luxirare, is an advocate for slowness, in food and in fashion. Her creations are painstakingly created and beautifully documented through a series of photographs. Encasing a potato in a plexiglass box, labeled with its nutritional contents, Kim takes us through the process of creating her version of flavored potato chips. How about a three course bento box that include a salad dumpling, turkey club roll, and rainbow colored jello shots? It reads like a disastrous experiment, but the results are extraordinary. Her parfait entry is a must read as well, reminiscent of Ferran Adria’s liquid olives. Kim bounces back and forth between clothing and cuisine giving equal weight to each of the projects. Trashy meets elegance and luxury meets rare, it’s time to slow down.

A new Chris Ware animation premiered during a live broadcast of This American Life last week. Quimby the Mouse was set to the song “Eugene” performed by Andrew Bird. The animation is now on online along with the recording of the show. Watch it here and listen to it here.