In making today’s selection, I looked for something that would be quite different from the past three days of United States Marines. Julia Eckert provides just that, with “Zeit ist eine Schnellstraße zwischen Wiege und Grab”, which […]
Author: Joe Wilcox
Flickr a Day 57: ‘Pure Inspiration’
Iconic best describes the last of three pics chosen from The United States Marine Corps photostream. Isn’t this exactly the kind of scene that many people outside the military imagine? Depicted: “Sgt. Justin Glenn Burnside […]
I Am On The WWW for Far Too Long
I just took PewResearch Center’s Web IQ Test, answering all 12 questions correctly. The result puts me in the 1 percent. Hehe, it’s not exactly the wealthiest, nor the smartest, group. But two decades of […]
Stop Paying Bloggers and Journalists for Pageviews
Last week, headline “Samsung lied—its smart TV is indeed spying on you and it is doing nothing to stop that“, piqued my interest. In the preceding days, the InterWebs flooded with allegations that the South Korean manufacturer’s televisions listen to their owners. But I cringed reading the story, which appeared on BetaNews, where I also contribute. The reporting doesn’t support the headline, which if editor on duty I would never have permitted.
Editorially, BetaNews and I drift apart. My responsibility for day-to-day management ended in May 2013. I told one of the writer/editors yesterday, in context of discussing the Samsung headline: “No offense, but the story packaging is more like a blog everyday…Real stories have real reporting. Too many of the BN stories rely on someone else’s reporting. That’s primarily my saying feels more like a blog. The Samsung lied story is good example”.
BN editorial structure is more diversified now, with several writers acting as day or night editors. All contributors share in common something I detest: Pay by pageviews. The model is widespread among blogs and news sites, and I oppose it. There is inherent conflict of interest, when the reporter’s livelihood directly ties to clicks.
Flickr a Day 56: ‘Night Shift’
Today’s selection is the second of three chosen from The United States Marine Corps photostream. Sgt. Anthony L. Ortiz shot self-titled “Night Shift” using Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Vitals: f/3.2, ISO 4000, 1/15 sec, 78mm. Depicted: “Lance […]
The Measure of Chromebook’s Success
Last year, I disputed ridiculous assertions, based on widely misquoted NPD data, that 2014 would be “year of the Chromebook”. It wasn’t. But that designation does belong to 2015—at least in the United States. Measures: Number of new models; adoption by K-12 schools; and overall sales, which are surprisingly strong. Read carefully the next paragraph.
Through U.S. commercial channels and retail, Chromebooks accounted for 14 percent of laptop sales last year, according to NPD, which released data at my request. That’s up from 8 percent in 2013. Commercial channels, largely to educational institutions, accounted for about two-thirds of 2014 Chromebook sold. Year over year, sales soared by 85 percent, and the trajectory continues to climb.
Flickr a Day 55: ‘Spot Me, Bro’
Meet the few and the proud. Today starts three days of pics picked from The United States Marine Corps photostream. I purposely avoid any of the many evocative combat training or deployed troops shots out […]
Three Words That Go Oddly Together: ‘BuzzFeed’, ‘News’, ‘Investigation’
Among the many posts in my Google+ feed this AM is link to “Fostering Profits“, which dek begins: “A BuzzFeed News investigation”. My initial reading stopped there. What the frak? For the king of linkbaiting, “news” and “investigation” look wrong.
But as a Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard video interview indicates, and as I explain in my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers, BuzzFeed seeks to be more than the list-linker to the Millennial generation. I am not so much skeptical as critical. The writing needs to be crisper and more inviting than this news story. I suggest editors take cues from Mother Jones, Vice News or Rolling Stone contributor Matt Taibbi rather than from ProPublica.
Flickr a Day 54: Harley Riders
I chose today’s selection, by Andrea La Rosa, for composition and use of black-and-white photography. The sky could be a painted movie-set backdrop, and it is perfect emotive canvas. The pic juxtaposes Day 53—motor- and […]
Sometimes Reddit Comments are the Best Storytelling
What could be better Sunday reading than cats jumping into cars? I stumbled onto this Reddit post roundabout way from something that appeared in my social network. Stated simply: A “cat climbed into” Jonny_Bloodbeard‘s “work van in downtown Detroit to keep warm. They choose you right?” Nearly 500 comments later, I’m impressed by the civil discourse and some of the cat tails—er, tales.
Take a look at the screenshot and the story about the cat riding to church for attention and a couple other Redditers’ ribbing responses. I love it. This is what interaction should be among commenters, and their personal stories add so much to the original post.
Road to Jericho
Spring 1985 in Washington, D.C., the cherry blossoms adorned the streets. I was 25, feeling virile and wanting to write something different. My lyrics typically tell tales of women, which interest me as a heterosexual man. By contrast, “Road to Jericho” is the hero’s story—man fighting against other men and weakness within himself.
I am no scholar of Old Testament stories but admit with some certainty that the tale this song tells isn’t in the Biblical record. Being unfamiliar with the historical period when writing 30 years ago, armaments aren’t right either. So I take poetic license, for which I ask your pardon if someone of Faith.
Flickr a Day 53: The Racer
If you followed this series for the past 52 days, a pattern may be obvious. Not all, in fact not many, of the photographers are professionals. That’s particularly true for Bob Mical, whom I hope won’t be offended by my expressing such. The best pics aren’t those that stand as works of art but which matter most to you and to friends or family; and the story each image tells about these people.
I see in stand-out photography, particularly events, a quality Bob demonstrates: Willingness to get in, and get down if necessary, for the best shot. That quality makes this photo of a racer during the 2014 VA State Cyclocross Championships today’s selection. Sports photography isn’t easy, and should be more than stopping the action with the longest lens.