Category Archives: Journalism

Oh, The Bitter-Tweet Irony

From “Jackson dies, almost takes internet with him” at CNN last week:

Volcanic trend on Google

How many people does it take to break the Internet? On June 25, we found out it’s just one — if that one is Michael Jackson. The biggest showbiz story of the year saw the troubled star take a good slice of the Internet with him, as the ripples caused by the news of his death swept around the globe . . .

. . . Twitter crashed as users saw multiple “fail whales” — the illustrations the site uses as error messages — user FoieGrasie posting, “Irony: The protesters in Iran using Twitter as com are unable to get online because of all the posts of ‘Michael Jackson RIP.’ Well done.”

How the lunar module evolved

Just a note to brag that the November 2007 issue of the British Interplanetary Society’s magazine Spaceflight: The Magazine of Astronautics and Outer Space features an article called “Grumman’s ambitious spider” about how Grumman tried to modify the Lunar Module to give it more flexibility and utility. The authors of this interesting article (which features cool illustrations) are Dwayne A. Day and some other guy named Glen Swanson. That second name sounds familiar…darn…can’t think of who he is.

America’s “Next Public Radio Star” Visits the Rodeo

By way of Jaime:

A dear friend of mine has just entered a contest called “The Search for the Next Public Radio Star.”  I realize this is a bit of an oxymoron, but suffice it to say that there is definitely a subculture (of which I am a member) in which working on public radio makes you a star.  The contest involves an online version of a ‘demo tape’ to display the entrant’s humor, professionalism, and on-air talent.  Jenny’s entry takes us to the rodeo, for one of the most dangerous contests this side of the neighborhood jungle gym.  Please take a listen and vote big for Jenny Weddel, America’s Next Public Radio Star:

Naptime Comes to the Rodeo

The danger. The cowboys. The glitter. We all have an idea of what a rodeo entails. But there’s a little-known rodeo event filled with chaos, tears, and mud on the face.

Olbermann shines again

Once again, Keith Olbermann gets right to the point and says it in a way I never could:

At the dedication of the Gettysburg Memorial — barely four months after the last soldier staggered from another Pennsylvania field — Mr. Lincoln said, “we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

Lincoln used those words to immortalize their sacrifice.

Today our leaders could use those same words to rationalize their reprehensible inaction. “We cannot dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground.” So we won’t.

Instead they bicker and buck pass. They thwart private efforts, and jostle to claim credit for initiatives that go nowhere. They spend the money on irrelevant wars, and elaborate self-congratulations, and buying off columnists to write how good a job they’re doing instead of doing any job at all.

You must, must, must read the rest of his post.  And let’s hope others do, too.