Author: Joe Wilcox

Mobility by Joe WilcoxOct 19, 201511:00 am

Nexus 6P Early Review

Finely balanced and contextually practical are the terms that best describe my first impressions of Google’s flagship Android. Nexus 6P preorders are about to ship, and I was fortunate to receive a review model but with short embargo lift: Delivered Oct. 16, 2015 before every blogger and reviewer on the planet blasted out simultaneous reviews and first-reactions on the 19th. I choose the latter, because a scant three days isn’t enough time to rightly evaluate the smartphone.

Much of my experience is cast in moving from the previous flagship, Nexus 6, although there was a day between them where iPhone 6s Plus and I fitfully danced. The 6P is in many respects what its predecessor should have been: Smaller. Much as I like the larger Motorola-made phablet, its Huawei-manufactured successor has greater physical and feature balance. Both are superb smart devices, but the newer Nexus is better tuned to practical purposes.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 18, 20157:16 am

Flickr a Day 291: ‘Geai bleu / Blue Jay’

When I think dramatic photo of bird in flight, eagle, falcon, or owl comes to mind—not blue jay. Hence, the self-title of our Day taker captured by Eric Bégin on Jan. 27, 2008, using Olympus […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 17, 20157:14 am

Flickr a Day 290: ‘Anécdotas de la Sequía’

Great title, bleak mood, and compelling accompanying blog post give the Day to Carlos Acosta. He shot self-titled “Anécdotas de la Sequía”—”Anecdotes of Drought”—on June 15, 2014, using Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi and EF-S18-55mm […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 16, 20157:50 pm

Moose are Loose

While finishing up an appointment with the eye specialist, Dad texted. He sent these two photos, which granted aren’t National Geographic caliber—more a problem of their bieng hugely downsampled during transmission. He used one of […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 16, 20156:38 am

Flickr a Day 289: ‘Neglected’

Okay, camera geeks, this one is for you. “My beloved Yashica Mat 124G”, Vu Bui describes, “that I have completely neglected”. Hence the self-title. He used one of my fav mirrorless digicams, the Fujifilm X100, […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 15, 20157:40 am

Flickr a Day 288: ‘Behind the Castle’

Many shooters featured in this series are decidedly amateur, which describes Archie Ballantine. But only one pic needs to be good enough to be picked, and Day takers often are either interesting or evoke a […]

Critters by Joe WilcoxOct 15, 20156:01 am

Eight Years Later

On this day in 2007, the small Wilcox clan relocated to San Diego—to be closer to my father-in-law, who turns 94 in about two months. We sacrificed much, and gained some, too, by leaving the Washington, D.C area. Daisy, as seen in one of her last romps in our backyard, is among the many things precious we left behind. I still miss that rabbit, which surely has exhausted her lifespan by now.

If I could redo any part of my life, we would stay somewhere around Washington and never move out West. The community left there, we never really regained here. My daughter’s burgeoning ice skating career collapsed with the loss of coach and friends. While she found other mates at San Diego High School and San Diego State University, she left behind more—as did my wife Annie and I.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 14, 20157:24 am

Flickr a Day 287: ‘Macaw’

Here is another example of stock photo perfection. No other description suits the work of William Warby, who shot self-titled “Macaw” on Aug. 13, 2013, at the zoo in Santa Barbara, Calif. Vitals, using Olympus E-3 […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxOct 14, 20156:10 am

Responsible Reporting Section 3 ‘What You Must Do’: Chapter VIII

Being so far behind serialization of my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers and so close to the end, I break the Sunday rule and sneak in an installment. That makes the next chapter the last before the book releases into the public domain.

What follows is my responsible reporting primer. The list isn’t inclusive, but encapsulates my basic guidance for writing well online during this era of contextual news gathering,

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 13, 20156:42 am

Flickr a Day 286: ‘Please Help’

I sometimes chuckle at people identified online by first name only. Do they feel more important? Perhaps privacy protection is a concern? Something else? Today’s shooter, identified only as Christian on Flickr and also Instagram, fits the category. His Sept. 5, 2004 self-titled “Please Help” takes the Day for reasons of identification—or lack of it.

“This photo has made the rounds on the Internet, but I was the one who took it originally” he says. The insinuation is clear: Unaccredited. I wonder if a full name to identify would encourage more people to properly credit him. Using the C word differently, Christian deserves credit for this: “I only post photos that I take”. Good going dude.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 12, 20156:57 am

Flickr a Day 285: ‘Next Generation’

Sometimes perspective means everything. Thomas Nemcsek takes the Day by creating the illusion of a really big Apple MacBook before a tiny toddler. Field of focus on her face, illuminated by the screen, is superb framing. […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxOct 11, 20157:15 pm

Responsible Reporting Section 3 ‘What You Must Do’: Chapter VII

Nearly a month has passed still the last installment of my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers. I have been overwhelmingly busy with other projects, which is no excuse. My apologies, please. Over the next couple of Sundays, I will serialize the remaining few chapters before releasing the tome into the public domain.

This chapter, like most of the others in Section 3, is vital to your success, which means rising above the endless sea of sameness. You must be original, and produce original content that finds and builds audience. Today’s chapter gives varied examples of news organizations doing just that.