Category: Media

Gear by Joe WilcoxMay 26, 20157:50 am

Don’t Talk Dumb About Smartwatches

Sunday afternoon, I cleaned out old CDs from a folder to make room for DVDs the family will keep but in more manageable storage. The things we save and forget about: install disc for the Suunto N3i MSN Direct smartwatch. The discovery is opportunity to express one of my ongoing gripes regarding news gathering today: Wild speculation about things to come that ignores context of past accomplishments.

Consider the smartphone, which you would think Apple invented based on all the blog blathering. Credit belongs to Nokia, about 20 years ago. Then there is the smartwatch. My feedbox fills with increasing speculation about when Microsoft will develop a wristwear platform or when will traditional timepiece makers produce the devices. Been there, done that.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 25, 20156:42 am

Flickr a Day 145: ‘Flower-Sunrise’

Memorial Day arrives here in the United States—and a little earlier in May than is typical. What better way to celebrate than with self-titled “Flower-Sunrise”, which Tony Heyward captured on April 19, 2013, using the […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxMay 24, 20159:25 pm

Responsible Reporting Section 2 ‘The New Journalisms’: Chapter I

One section down, it’s two to go as we begin the second. The serialization of my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers continues ahead of its release into the public domain. So far we have the Foreward and from Section 1, Chapters, I and II, III and IV, V and VI.

The section’s short introduction is explanation enough what to expect. However, let me remind that all information was current when published 14 months ago and largely is unchanged today. Largely isn’t completely. Relevant clarification: Pricing for the New York Times digital editions is accurate but doesn’t reflect a current half-price promotion for 26 weeks. That said, the point—pricing that is an affront to consumer contextual consumption of news—is just as valid.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 24, 20157:06 am

Flickr a Day 144: ‘Old Glories’

Sometimes the best photographs capture the shooter’s mood. On March 18, 2009, Jano De Cesare felt uninspired about his camera work “maybe because I had little time to shoot, maybe because I just chose bad […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 23, 20158:13 am

Flickr a Day 143: ‘Oskar Running in the Snow’

Happy Caturday, and forgive today’s selection—the third feline featured in this series (see Days 38 and 51 for the others). Consider self-titled “Oskar Running in the Snow I” as a gift to my wife, who celebrated a birthday yesterday. She loves kitties.

Emmanuel Keller captured Oskar on Feb. 9, 2013, using Nikon D4 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Vitals: f/5, ISO 250, 1/1250 sec, 200mm. There are four other pics in the series, and I almost picked IV for the snow spray but favored the first for composition (and Creative Commons licensing). Both equally appeal to me (and hopefully to you, too). Another I liked less but still considered is from a February 2015 shoot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 22, 20157:02 am

Flickr a Day 142: Beloved

To celebrate my wife’s birthday, I select a self-portrait she shot, at age 21, during the hopefully-not-forgotten fine film photography era. Ha! And youngsters today think selfies are some new thing. Annie doesn’t have a Flickr, so I—ah, hum—unexpectedly feature my own. That’s something not planned when starting this series nearly five months ago.

Annie used the Pentax K1000, which she bought for a college photography class. “It was a great camera for me”, she says. “I loved photography and really enjoyed developing photos”, although she concedes to not fully “developing my craft”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 21, 20157:27 am

Flickr a Day 141: ‘Snappy Dresser at San Francisco Bev Mo’

The only camera that matters is the one with you. So carry the right mobile, which Lynn Friedman does. She shot self-titled “Snappy Dresser at San Francisco Bev Mo” on April 14, 2015, using iPhone 5s. […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 20, 20156:57 am

Flickr a Day 140: Key Man

Today’s selection comes from Italian Fiammetta Bruni, who joined Flickr in February 2008. She’s generally a street shooter of artistic flavor whose sense of composition differs from my own. That said, she makes the Day […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 19, 20157:00 am

Flickr a Day 139: ‘Nature Sunset’

Like Day 121, our selection demonstrates that iPhone 6 can be, in competent hands, a fantastic camera. Pablo Fernández captured self-titled “Nature Sunset” on April 26, 2015, in St. Albans City and District, United Kingdom. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 18, 20157:30 am

Flickr a Day 138: ‘Cold Soul’

For once I am glad for a photostream with so many images licensed All Rights Reserved, which means instant disqualification. This series only features Creative Commons works. There isn’t a Hamed Parham pic I wouldn’t pick otherwise, making the selection next to impossible, if not for the small number designated CC.

Some photos command character. Hamed goes further, by way of composition and perspective revealing each subject’s character. His street portraits are classic. Iconic. They’re ripped from the present and transported into the past.

News Media by Joe WilcoxMay 17, 20156:10 pm

Responsible Reporting Section 1 ‘News in Context’: Chapters V and VI

The fourth installment in the serialization of my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers continues the assault on Google, which provides a necessary utility that benefits all news organizations; they sacrifice content and revenue for the privilege.

Last week, Chapters 3 and 4 focused on the broken advertising-driven model in context of Google’s greater ambitions. The previous two, and the Foreward, explain what changed since 2006 and why the Fourth Estate is in crisis.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 17, 20157:35 am

Flickr a Day 137: ‘Monks on Smartphones’

Some selections are instant decisions. “Monks on Smartphones” makes the Day as much for the self-title as the excellent, suggestive composition. We don’t see the devices but know they are there. The choice of focal […]