Category: Media

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Harman/Kardon Nova Review

M daughter’s cat Cali loves to chew cords—a habit we will eventually break. Meanwhile, it’s good excuse to invest in new wireless speakers that diminish some of the cord clutter. Our 20 year-old also is moving home for the summer, putting more wires at risk and necessitating some speaker swaps. She takes my Harman/Kardon SoundSticks, which subwoofer meets her requirement for thumping bass; I don’t need it and switched to a space-saving, cord-reducing duo set.

Spectacular sound is my description for Harman/Kardon Nova, which delivers rich treble, magnificent highs, fine detail, and more-than-adequate bass for the kind of kit. Separation and soundstage are bold—dynamic! The speakers are best appreciated when matched to the right source. I stream from lossless leader Tidal on Chromebook Pixel LS, connected via Bluetooth. The combination is immensely enjoyable and makes me happy while working, which boosts the quality and speed of my productivity. 

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Flickr a Day 131: ‘Don’t be Judgemental’

I chose today’s selection mainly for what it isn’t. Color. Absence makes the street portrait more curious; provocative. You lean forward into the screen to better see the detail, then click to look larger. My preference would be different composition, but the subject’s expression, particularly his eyes, evokes something—sadness perhaps—that is moving.

Tobi Gaulke used Leica Camera AG M Monochrom and Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens to shoot self-titled “Don’t be Judgemental” on March 5, 2015. Vitals: f/1.4, ISO 800, 1/30 sec. This is the third photo featuring the Monochrom (see Days 87 and 120). 

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Responsible Reporting Section 1 ‘News in Context’: Chapters III and IV

One thing has changed in the 13 months since the following book excerpt was written: Google loosened some of its services and software cross-integration, presumably in response to antitrust problems in Europe. The company is in the process of divesting some Google+ assets, for example. But in other respects, integration is tight as ever, particularly around mobile, which in 2015 dominates U.S. Google search—and nine other countries, including Japan.

That introduction is important context for reading today’s serialization of my ebook Responsible Reporting: Field Guide for Bloggers, Journalists, and Other Online News Gatherers. The third and fourth chapters carry forward an incredibly important, but often misunderstood, theme: The Google economy’s devastating impact on news gathering, and eroding ethical standards around it. I am not anti-Google, being myself a huge consumer of the company’s services. Nevertheless, criticism stands.

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Flickr a Day 125: ‘Cuba Girls’

Cuba is big news here in the United States, following the historic meeting between Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro on April 11, 2015. Four months earlier, the White House ordered full restoration of diplomatic relations with the island nation.

Photos like self-titled “Cuba Girls” come from non-Americans, because of travel restrictions that the Obama Administration is lifting. Doug Wheller lives in London. He used Canon 550D to capture today’s selection, on April 20, 2012. Vitals: f/9, ISO 200, 1/400 sec, 70mm.