Category Archives: News/Media

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.”

You Tube Happens, or, Adventures in Eponymous Googling

This is what happens when the press visits: they come, say g’day, take some video and then disappear. Many moons later, you suddenly find yourself on You Tube.

Well, they spelled my name wrong, but the video is still pretty good. (Don’t worry, I’m as shocked as you are at how good I sound. They must have done some heavy editing to make me seem so coherent.)

great responses to a horrible debate

It’s hard for me to tell how prominent a story like this is, but I’ve been reading a lot about ABC’s terrible conduct of the April 16th Democratic presidential debate. The questions were trivial and slanted, the candidates were shocked at their banality, and by the end of the show even the audience had turned against the moderators.

That saddened me, but the first glimmer of hope came from Jon Stewart’s hilarious response:

The first hour of last night’s debate was a 60 minute master class in questions that elevate out-of-context remarks and trivial, insipid miscues into subjects of natural discourse…which is my job! Stop doing my job! That’s what I’m here for! I’m the silly man!

What really saved it for me was the overwhelming response from journalists, who banded together to write an open letter blasting ABC’s debate tactics.

We, the undersigned, deplore the conduct of ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson at the Democratic Presidential debate on April 16. The debate was a revolting descent into tabloid journalism and a gross disservice to Americans concerned about the great issues facing the nation and the world. This is not the first Democratic or Republican presidential debate to emphasize gotcha questions over real discussion. However, it is, so far, the worst.

I hope this encourages better debates in the future, or at the very least a move to debates sponsored by neutral parties interested in facts instead of media moguls looking for ratings.

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.