Friday, December 9, 2011
Class project
Here's the link to Street Art Pittsburgh. Just a wonderful job by my whole team: Randi, Gareth, Steve and Alexis.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Description of classmate
A mind filled with science sits atop this person's head. The ability to rattle off foreign terms seems perplexing, but I'm used to it. I have a friend back home that's just like this person, so it's nothing new.
Still, it makes me feel like I wasted time just focusing on sports and games and movies my whole life. I could have spent my five years at college learning something useful -- not that writing isn't. It's just more of supplementary major.
This person's longer hair hugs their face, curving around the chin just right -- you can tell care went into the grooming process. A smile from ear to ear always greets this person's classmates, revealing pearly-white teeth brushed with care. Only helpful comments are spoken and their ego seems to be suppressed to the point of nonexistence. This person also identifies themselves as geeky and likes the same TV shows I do. Spending a rainy afternoon after class rattling off my favorites with them gave me a tiny bit of insight into what life is like for them.
Blue eyes pierce through thin frameslike tiny gems beneath glass. For all of this person's geeky qualities, familiarity with tech trends isn't one of them. Twitter was something I knew little about before this class and knowing this person tweeted less than I did made me feel like less of an outcast.
Your moment of Zen
This debate will be must-see TV. I think Jon Stewart can take care of the rest. God help us if the GOP gets back into the White House....
Oscar-metrics
This post on Grantland gives good insight into how the Academy votes and how the Oscars are trending back to the much maligned decade of the 1980s.
Bust the BCS
If you're a fan of college football at all, this will really get your blood boiling. The BCS needs to die ASAP, and this article is proof!
My season at PSU
I'll never forget my last game as a PSU reporter.
I'm sure Joe Paterno won't either.
It was the last game for both of us, but ole' JoePa didn't know it at the time. He had just become the all time winningest coach in Division 1 football history and received a nice plaque from Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and the rest of the Penn State dignitary in Happy Valley.
But the smiles would be short lived.
Just a week later the news broke about the travesty that occured at Penn State and the non-response the upper echelon of the university apparently gave the perpetrator. It was sad for everyone -- not just Penn Staters -- because it painted a picture of college atheltics being higher in scale than the lives of the victims. College football has its fair share of critics and detractors, but this case is especially heinous and especially frightening.
My opportunity to further my career as a sports writer was all of a sudden thrown into a perspective, showing me that what I plan to do really only centers on a couple of athletes playing a game on a field. It has no real effect on world events. These games won't stop wars or solve global problems. They really only serve to entertain. To hear about these children being jeopardizes makes one sick and disgusted. It made me feel dirty just being in the same room with those abhorrent men.
I guess my career will continue as planned, but I won't be so naive in the future to think what I am doing changing something. Maybe I can entertain my readers; maybe I can touch a chord inside of them. But my time at PSU will remind me that there's only so much I can do with my writing.
I'm sure Joe Paterno won't either.
It was the last game for both of us, but ole' JoePa didn't know it at the time. He had just become the all time winningest coach in Division 1 football history and received a nice plaque from Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and the rest of the Penn State dignitary in Happy Valley.
But the smiles would be short lived.
Just a week later the news broke about the travesty that occured at Penn State and the non-response the upper echelon of the university apparently gave the perpetrator. It was sad for everyone -- not just Penn Staters -- because it painted a picture of college atheltics being higher in scale than the lives of the victims. College football has its fair share of critics and detractors, but this case is especially heinous and especially frightening.
My opportunity to further my career as a sports writer was all of a sudden thrown into a perspective, showing me that what I plan to do really only centers on a couple of athletes playing a game on a field. It has no real effect on world events. These games won't stop wars or solve global problems. They really only serve to entertain. To hear about these children being jeopardizes makes one sick and disgusted. It made me feel dirty just being in the same room with those abhorrent men.
I guess my career will continue as planned, but I won't be so naive in the future to think what I am doing changing something. Maybe I can entertain my readers; maybe I can touch a chord inside of them. But my time at PSU will remind me that there's only so much I can do with my writing.
Oscar talk!
December is one of my favorite months of the year for a variety of reasons:
I like the cold
Christmas!
Lights and songs associated with Christmas!
But I also love that this is when Oscar season is in full force. All of the year end awards are being handed out to numerous movies from the year; some are huge pitctures everyone has seen, and others are small art house indies no one has heard of or even understand.
This season, there are several films up for consideration as the best of the year:
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, chronicling a family from 1950's Waco, Texas in a series of vignettes that symbolizes creation and death of not only a member of the family, but of the universe as a whole.
Michael Hazanaviscius' The Artist, which has been the critical darling of the season so far. This film attempts to be a throwback to Hollywood's simpler golden era, and as such is a modern day black and white silent film.
Alexander Payne's The Descendants, starring everyone's favorite leading man, George Clooney. Payne has been a favorite of the Academy for sometime and won over many (including me) for his film Sideways. This film seems to be in the same mold of dramedy that Academy voters are sure to go gaga over.
Steven Spielberg's War Horse. This film seems like the epic that used to be a shoe-in for the Best Picture Oscar in years past. Spielberg also looks to be the best possible director for such a film: his technical prowess alone ensures it will be a visual tour-de-force, and he's already shown he can make beautiful WWII films -- let's see how he does with WWI.
Tate Taylor's The Help was the critical darling of the summer, and also a hit at the box office. This film depicts "the help" of an affluent white family in the south during the 1960s. Oscar voters usually have a hard time nominating anything from before October, so it seems like a stretch that The Help will be able to win the elusive Oscar. Still, box office matters and The Help has it.
These are just several of the films that have a chance to shine once the ceremony rolls around. Here's to happy viewings!
I like the cold
Christmas!
Lights and songs associated with Christmas!
But I also love that this is when Oscar season is in full force. All of the year end awards are being handed out to numerous movies from the year; some are huge pitctures everyone has seen, and others are small art house indies no one has heard of or even understand.
This season, there are several films up for consideration as the best of the year:
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, chronicling a family from 1950's Waco, Texas in a series of vignettes that symbolizes creation and death of not only a member of the family, but of the universe as a whole.
Michael Hazanaviscius' The Artist, which has been the critical darling of the season so far. This film attempts to be a throwback to Hollywood's simpler golden era, and as such is a modern day black and white silent film.
Alexander Payne's The Descendants, starring everyone's favorite leading man, George Clooney. Payne has been a favorite of the Academy for sometime and won over many (including me) for his film Sideways. This film seems to be in the same mold of dramedy that Academy voters are sure to go gaga over.
Steven Spielberg's War Horse. This film seems like the epic that used to be a shoe-in for the Best Picture Oscar in years past. Spielberg also looks to be the best possible director for such a film: his technical prowess alone ensures it will be a visual tour-de-force, and he's already shown he can make beautiful WWII films -- let's see how he does with WWI.
Tate Taylor's The Help was the critical darling of the summer, and also a hit at the box office. This film depicts "the help" of an affluent white family in the south during the 1960s. Oscar voters usually have a hard time nominating anything from before October, so it seems like a stretch that The Help will be able to win the elusive Oscar. Still, box office matters and The Help has it.
These are just several of the films that have a chance to shine once the ceremony rolls around. Here's to happy viewings!
Several nonfiction pics
Audio of Hunter S. Thompson
This audio is from a lecture Hunter S. Thompson gave to Colorado students in the 70's. Talks about the American Dream, Jounralism, and other wonders of life.
Digital portfolio video
I used this video for my Tumblr, but it's worth mentioning here to. This video sums up why writer Tim Layden is a sports writer, and it sums up why I want to be one.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Byliner Writers
I found three Byliner writers that are pretty dissimilar:
Jim Windolf-- I didn't know about this writer until I signed up for a Byliner account. He was one of the initial writers that was suggested to me, so I decided to give him a chance. I came away liking his focus--namely, writing about pop culture, films, TV, and music. I'm a bit of a pop culture freak and I love reading about that kind of stuff, so I was more inclined to read stuff he has written because of that. He's also a contributing writer to Vanity Fair, which my mom has a subscription to, so I'll have to check out more of his writing when I go home for Thanksgiving break. One of the particularly interesting articles deals with a Hippie commune known as the Farm in the middle of Tennessee.
Alexis Madrigal-- A writer the class is familiar with, Madrigal is a senior editor with the Atlantic and helped create Longshot. He mostly writes about technology, which is another subject I like to read about since I'm a geek. Madrigal has written a lot about alternative energy solutions, but he also finds time to write about seemingly mundane topics--like gravestone laser technology, which ended up being an awesome read about something most readers have probably never thought of.
Tim Layden--Finally, I couldn't go without following a sports writer, and Tim Layden seems to be the best fit. I have read his work before in Sports Illustrated and I like his style and prose, especially the story surrounding the unofficial retirement of number 50 at Williams College.
Jim Windolf-- I didn't know about this writer until I signed up for a Byliner account. He was one of the initial writers that was suggested to me, so I decided to give him a chance. I came away liking his focus--namely, writing about pop culture, films, TV, and music. I'm a bit of a pop culture freak and I love reading about that kind of stuff, so I was more inclined to read stuff he has written because of that. He's also a contributing writer to Vanity Fair, which my mom has a subscription to, so I'll have to check out more of his writing when I go home for Thanksgiving break. One of the particularly interesting articles deals with a Hippie commune known as the Farm in the middle of Tennessee.
Alexis Madrigal-- A writer the class is familiar with, Madrigal is a senior editor with the Atlantic and helped create Longshot. He mostly writes about technology, which is another subject I like to read about since I'm a geek. Madrigal has written a lot about alternative energy solutions, but he also finds time to write about seemingly mundane topics--like gravestone laser technology, which ended up being an awesome read about something most readers have probably never thought of.
Tim Layden--Finally, I couldn't go without following a sports writer, and Tim Layden seems to be the best fit. I have read his work before in Sports Illustrated and I like his style and prose, especially the story surrounding the unofficial retirement of number 50 at Williams College.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Lab for 10/26
Think of three different ways—other than print—to tell a story. (We’ll assume that your piece has a print component.) Give a descriptive one-paragraph summary for each. Post idea by the end of class.
Our group is working on street art in Pittsburgh. Here are three examples of how this story could be told without words:
1. Picture slideshow showcasing each respective piece of art around the city. Each picture would be interspersed with its location on Google Maps and would create an interactive experience for the user. Clicking on the picture or map would give the user directions, info about the artist (where applicable) and other bits of info about the area.
2. Time lapse video of street art being created. The artist could be shown preparing himself early in the morning, getting his tools together and finding a perfect spot to display his art before getting to work. The video would then show a beautiful work of art being created in a matter of seconds before the user's eyes. The video could also be available in real-time, but with time lapse, you can see it come together quickly, and it adds an almost shock value to the experience because of how intricate some pieces of street art appear. The fact that they could be made over the course of a few hours or a day would be entertaining for the viewer.
3. An animated interpretation of art being reproduced--but with a twist. In the animated version, the art being created would consist of actual photos or videos from real life. It would be the opposite of reality, where the artist creates art. Here, the art would be capturing the artist. This would be easy to do with some flash-based animated program, and would be fun to make because suddenly the art is in the hands of the users rather than the artist.
Lab 2
Bill Simmons and Grantland.
As we have discussed in class, Facebook and Twitter are two different social media creatures. Facebook is more for private social media interaction between my friends and family. Yes, there are myriad pages for me to "like" so that my wall can become cluttered, but for the most part I try to keep it personal.
I like Grantland and Bill Simmons on facebook, and it works for me because these pages largely update me with new articles from each source. I'm on ESPN.com every day, but I sometimes forget to scroll down to see whats up with Grantland. I have found myself reading a majority of Grantland and BS articles through facebook on my iPhone; rarely do I go to the site directly.
Because of that personal interaction/feel from facebook, there is very little, if any, interaction from BS and whomever runs the Grantland Facebook page. They just update the posts, but from what I can tell, don't really respond to users posts.
Twitter, on the other hand, is so rapid-fire and easy that it makes interaction simple. BS updates his twitter feed often, and actually interacts with users posts quite a bit. The same goes for all of the Grantland editors and writers, many of whom have twitter feeds.
For a medium such as Twitter, I think there isn't enough space to write profound, articulate statements, so nothing can be classified as noise. Anything that Grantland-related writers post amuse me in some way, so I think it all works. Rarely, if ever, do the writers post nonsensical fluff--unless its a link to some other site.
As we have discussed in class, Facebook and Twitter are two different social media creatures. Facebook is more for private social media interaction between my friends and family. Yes, there are myriad pages for me to "like" so that my wall can become cluttered, but for the most part I try to keep it personal.
I like Grantland and Bill Simmons on facebook, and it works for me because these pages largely update me with new articles from each source. I'm on ESPN.com every day, but I sometimes forget to scroll down to see whats up with Grantland. I have found myself reading a majority of Grantland and BS articles through facebook on my iPhone; rarely do I go to the site directly.
Because of that personal interaction/feel from facebook, there is very little, if any, interaction from BS and whomever runs the Grantland Facebook page. They just update the posts, but from what I can tell, don't really respond to users posts.
Twitter, on the other hand, is so rapid-fire and easy that it makes interaction simple. BS updates his twitter feed often, and actually interacts with users posts quite a bit. The same goes for all of the Grantland editors and writers, many of whom have twitter feeds.
For a medium such as Twitter, I think there isn't enough space to write profound, articulate statements, so nothing can be classified as noise. Anything that Grantland-related writers post amuse me in some way, so I think it all works. Rarely, if ever, do the writers post nonsensical fluff--unless its a link to some other site.
Lab 1
1. "Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical sphere so long sustained by now that we can not even bear it." source- youtube
2. Jan 1, 1644 was a Friday and had rainy, cloudy weather that led to a warm day in Philadelphia.
Day- http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Jan+1%2C+1644
Weather- http://www.jstor.org/stable/20083411
3. Great Galveston Hurricane, Texas; Lake Okeechobee Hurricane, Florida; Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama; Cheniere Caminanda Hurricane, Louisiana; Sea Islands Hurricane, South Carolina, Georgia. source: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/usdeadly.asp
4. http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=629&lotNo=25650#Photo
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ernest_Hemingway_1923_passport_photo.TIF.jpg
-He is clean shaven
-He's not smiling
-He's wearing a tie
-His hair is brown
-He appears to have a widows peak
2. Jan 1, 1644 was a Friday and had rainy, cloudy weather that led to a warm day in Philadelphia.
Day- http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Jan+1%2C+1644
Weather- http://www.jstor.org/stable/20083411
3. Great Galveston Hurricane, Texas; Lake Okeechobee Hurricane, Florida; Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama; Cheniere Caminanda Hurricane, Louisiana; Sea Islands Hurricane, South Carolina, Georgia. source: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/usdeadly.asp
4. http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=629&lotNo=25650#Photo
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ernest_Hemingway_1923_passport_photo.TIF.jpg
-He is clean shaven
-He's not smiling
-He's wearing a tie
-His hair is brown
-He appears to have a widows peak
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
48 hours mag
Theme: "WINTER IS COMING"--What Pittsburgh is thinking as winter approaches
Format: Like Longshot, we’re aiming for a publication that can be printed and/or posted online. We’ll have articles and stories that contrast each other on a two-page spread. Each story and infographic will have its own page, making the magazine roughly 20 pages long.
Story Ideas:
"Where do the LARPers Go?" / "Where do the Homeless Go?"
"Seasonal Depression" / "Sun Lamps"
"Ode to and Ugg Boot" / "Ugghs"
infographic: sunny days in winter: PGH vs. Honolulu or wherever
Jobs Won in Winter / Jobs Lost in Winter
infographic: alcohol consumption v. winter injuries
Winter Crime / Winter Charity
Weatherman / Snowplow Driver
Art
The art will include several infographics (like the charts for alcohol consumption and injury rates
in the winter) These playful infographics will be in the style of GOOD magazine. In keeping with
the theme of contrast throughout the magazine, art will also be “dark” or “light” in color and tone.
Finally, there will also be photography throughout the magazine.
Format: Like Longshot, we’re aiming for a publication that can be printed and/or posted online. We’ll have articles and stories that contrast each other on a two-page spread. Each story and infographic will have its own page, making the magazine roughly 20 pages long.
Story Ideas:
"Where do the LARPers Go?" / "Where do the Homeless Go?"
- The first story will focus on LARPers (Live Action Role Players; people who re-enact fantasy situations) in the area that meet in Schenley Park and Shadyside and see where they go in the winter.
- The second story will contrast the LARPers and see where Pittsburgh’s homeless seek shelter during the winter, covering the local organization that help the needy.
"Seasonal Depression" / "Sun Lamps"
- “Seasonal Depression” will take a look at those in the Pittsburgh area effect by S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and how they cope with the city’s weather
- “Sun Lamps” will be a brief report on sun lamps, what they do and the positive effects on users.
"Ode to and Ugg Boot" / "Ugghs"
- A brief poem in favor of Ugg Boots opposite a brief poem or manifesto attacking such a vile fashion trend.
infographic: sunny days in winter: PGH vs. Honolulu or wherever
- Envisioned as a kind of GOOD Magazine-style info graphic - where data is presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner
Jobs Won in Winter / Jobs Lost in Winter
- Profile on the employment opportunities created by winter weather in Pittsburgh: for example, Christmas tree lot salesman, Snowplow driver, etc.
- In contrast, lots of people end up losing their jobs come winter, like Kennywood employees, construction workers, etc. This profiles the hardships they face and how they endure.
infographic: alcohol consumption v. winter injuries
- Again, presented like the previous infographic. Data localized with regards to the Pittsburgh region
Winter Crime / Winter Charity
- “Winter Crime” will be an inforgraphic on crime rates in Pittsburgh as weather worsens.
- “Winter Charity” will be an opposing infographic on philanthopy in the Pittsburgh area during the holidays.
Weatherman / Snowplow Driver
- These pieces will be characters sketches of local weathermen and how the public feels about their predictions (and therefore the weathermen themselves) for Pittsburgh weather during the winter. The opposing piece will be about local snowplow drivers and how the public feels about them. It will examine how children like bad weather predictions (snow days) whereas adults are the opposite and how these roles are reversed when it comes to the snowplow drivers.
Art
The art will include several infographics (like the charts for alcohol consumption and injury rates
in the winter) These playful infographics will be in the style of GOOD magazine. In keeping with
the theme of contrast throughout the magazine, art will also be “dark” or “light” in color and tone.
Finally, there will also be photography throughout the magazine.
Here are my retweets from Longshot and Radiolab:
@longshotmagLongshot Magazine
@longshotmagLongshot Magazine
Derp. Sleep deprivation *Here's* the fantastic post from @hbillingsexplaining the digital tools used for @longshotmagheatherjaybillings.com/blog/2011/08/h…
@wnycradiolabRadiolab
RT @niemanlab: New MacArthur fellow @JadAbumrad on what public radio needs now: "more joy, more chaos" nie.mn/pImAuO
@wnycradiolabRadiolab
RT @edyong209: Raise your pints to the Patagonian fungus that helped us to brew lager:http://ow.ly/69Tla
Plethora of links for Grantland and Slate
There are quite a few people involved with these two respective sites--whoda thunk it?
Slate
Jacob Wisberg--Head honcho, runs the Slate Group
Julia Turner--Deputy editor of Slate
SlateCultFest--Slates weekly podcast on culture
Dana Stevens--Slate's movie critic
Slate Foreign--Slate's foreign news twitter feed
Jeremy Stahl--Slate's social media editor
The Slatest--Newsblog of Slate
Grantland
Jay King--contributing writer for Grantland
The Masked Man--writes about my beloved pro wrestling
Jonathan Abrams--contributing writer
Jonah Keri--contributing writer
Chuck Klosterman--contributing writer
Fake Grantland--a page devoted to rejected grantland articles
Bill Simmons--the messiah
Slate
Jacob Wisberg--Head honcho, runs the Slate Group
Julia Turner--Deputy editor of Slate
SlateCultFest--Slates weekly podcast on culture
Dana Stevens--Slate's movie critic
Slate Foreign--Slate's foreign news twitter feed
Jeremy Stahl--Slate's social media editor
The Slatest--Newsblog of Slate
Grantland
Jay King--contributing writer for Grantland
The Masked Man--writes about my beloved pro wrestling
Jonathan Abrams--contributing writer
Jonah Keri--contributing writer
Chuck Klosterman--contributing writer
Fake Grantland--a page devoted to rejected grantland articles
Bill Simmons--the messiah
Facebook posts
I decided to go a little crazy and like a bunch of pages:
Grantland-obviously
Time Magazine
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Atlantic
The New York Times
Grantland-obviously
Time Magazine
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Atlantic
The New York Times
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Ten Timely Twitter Trends
Because I want to jump into the newspaper/journalism/sports writing ring, I decided it was only natural to follow ten newspapers/magazines/sports writers. I selected a few from back home in Bucks County, PA, as well as a few here in the Burgh and from ESPN and SI.
1. ESPN, naturally.
2. SI, the greatest sports mag out.
3. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a future employer?
4. The Bucks County Courier Times/ Intelligencer, another possible career spot.
5. Phillyburbs.com, the parent site of the BCCT/Int papers.
6. Jon Heyman, a baseball writer for SI; one of the better baseball beat writers in terms of breaking news, rumors, etc.
7. Kevin Cooney, the beat writer for my beloved Phillies.
8. The Butler Eagle, a third possible career destination.
9. Tom Verducci, another writer for SI, mainly feature stories.
10. Jayson Stark, baseball writer for ESPN, trivia master, Philly boy.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The transformation of ESPN
I'm writing--surprise--about how ESPN has changed over the last few years. When I first started reading ESPN.com around 2001, it was largely text based with pictures interweaved, although these were usually only at the beginning of articles. As the internet grew and, with it, the level of activity available between users and websites, ESPN.com grew with it. Now, every page has a video corresponding with the article, either from the author himself or from a blurb on Sportscenter. Every player that is mentioned in an article has a hyperlink, which displays a short bit of information about that player with access to a full page of stats, news and fantasy information. Even games have become common, with their streak for the cash, bowl picks and NCAA brackets. This works well for ESPN because visuals are necessary for sports to remain popular. Recaps are nice, as well as box scores, but they only tell part of the story. Highlights of games allow viewers to get all of their information quickly, and is also, quite frankly, more entertaining than looking at a traditional box score. The integration with all players, teams and fantasy games makes it easier for the end user and builds popularity for the site. Integration with Twitter and Facebook are only a few of the ways ESPN has stayed current with their audience.
Street art/yarn bombing
While street art has blown up over the past decade, with people on both sides discussing the merits of creating art on public property, yarn bombing is something relatively new (at least to me; I hadn't heard of it until joining this group). Both should make for an interesting story. Here are five sources that will be worth checking out:
1: An article on artinfo.com has some good information on how yarn bombing started and also talks about several of the major players involved. It also talks about yarn bombing day, which has since passed, but contacting organizers might still be a good idea for more info on this subject. (Publication)
2: A video also found in this article shows how Olek, a yarn bomber, knitted a sweater over the charging bull statue on Wall Street over the course of one night. (audio/visual)
3: Magda Sayeg, who many attribute with creating yarn bombing, has a website and yarn bombing group called "Knitta Please." She has contact info on her website, in addition to pictures of her work, and would have to be the number 1 expert source to talk to about yarn bombing. (Expert)
4: This blog post gives a nice overview of yarn bombing, with links to other yarn bombing sites and information about the "yart," in addition to a picture slideshow showcasing some nice examples of yarn bombing. (blog/visual)
5: Finally, there is a book that has been written about the subject that would give me some good research material as I write my story. (research)
1: An article on artinfo.com has some good information on how yarn bombing started and also talks about several of the major players involved. It also talks about yarn bombing day, which has since passed, but contacting organizers might still be a good idea for more info on this subject. (Publication)
2: A video also found in this article shows how Olek, a yarn bomber, knitted a sweater over the charging bull statue on Wall Street over the course of one night. (audio/visual)
3: Magda Sayeg, who many attribute with creating yarn bombing, has a website and yarn bombing group called "Knitta Please." She has contact info on her website, in addition to pictures of her work, and would have to be the number 1 expert source to talk to about yarn bombing. (Expert)
4: This blog post gives a nice overview of yarn bombing, with links to other yarn bombing sites and information about the "yart," in addition to a picture slideshow showcasing some nice examples of yarn bombing. (blog/visual)
5: Finally, there is a book that has been written about the subject that would give me some good research material as I write my story. (research)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Non-credible sources in a credible(?) world
I found this assignment quite difficult when I first read the prompt. What kind of authority am I? What do I know about credibility. One of my great faults is that I am too moderate.....I don't really have much of an opinion about anything. I'm kind of Rodney King-like....why can't we all just get along? So when thinking about what wasn't credible, I wasn't hit with an "aha" moment.
The only sites I could think of that might give me pause were political related and Wikipedia. My childhood was rooted in politics. When I was a little kid, I could name all of the presidents in order and had aspirations of one day running this country. As I grew up, however, I decided that that was simply too much pressure for lil' Kenny, so I decided to dream about something else. Still, my family loved talking politics, particularly my father and step mother. They are both retired military members, and as my dad always told me, military members traditionally vote Republican because of various tax breaks soldiers receive from the GOP. But while my dad is quiet in his political thinking, my stepmom is the complete opposite, with vehement opinions about everything. She adamantly defends any and all moves made by Republican statesmen. So of course, she loves herself some Fox News. Now, I am wary of any televised news, because lets face it: sensationalism equals big ratings. So when I lived with them for a summer a couple of years ago, I got a big dose of Fox News. Every. Day. I had fun debating with my stepmom over certain opinions given by Fox News commentators, but it still irked me how blatantly biased they were. When I started watching other news channels like CNN and MSNBC, I realized that they too were biased--maybe not as blatantly--in their news coverage.
To me, this has to extend to their websites. I don't have much experience with these sites because I primarily use Yahoo! for my news online, but these biases are a part of these networks' cultures, so naturally this reigns true for their respective websites. I know that Yahoo! probably has its biases too, and I think my preference for that site stems more from the way its laid out than the content itself, which I believe is still top notch.
With Wikipedia, it's obvious: with the ability to have anyone edit it's content, you always have to be aware that something might not necessarily be true. Now, to be fair, Wikipedia does try to safeguard against this with it's sourcing system. Most well-done articles have a plethora of sources from all over the interwebs linking the reader to the information that lies within the Wiki article. If a reader sees these sources, you can have a sigh of relief knowing that things are probably pretty good. However, without these sources, you might have to raise an eye to the content, or dig a little deeper elsewhere to back up what you've read.
I feel like I'm such a Wikipedia junkie now that I can tell when something is probably true and when something probably isn't. I also love reading the new article of the day when it is first posted while trying to find which section of the article has been vandalized. Nothing like reading an article about a 16th-Century king only to see that his attached bio has been replaced with the word vagina.
I guess the theme with both of these types of sites is to be wary of what you read. There is definitely truth to be found, but you may have to sift through the bullshit to find what you need. A keen eye will be able to do it; an untrained one won't.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Introduction
I never intended on taking this course; I received the email like everyone else, and although it sounded interesting and relevant to wha I want to do, I already had a packed courseload and didn't have room for it.
Well, things don't always work out as you plan them, so of course one of my classes (Advanced Reporting) didn't have the minimum number of students, and I wound up here.
I think that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise though because I like what I've seen so far. The class has already helped me "get with the times" with a twitter and blogging. Just yesterday, I tweeted during the entire duration of the Penn State football game. It felt.....good!
That kind of ties in to what type of writing I like. I aspire to one day be a sports writer, and my internship with the Pittsburgh Sports Report recently turned into a freelance opportunity. I'm now actually getting paid to watch and write about sports! It's a dream that's becoming reality.
As far as nonfiction writers go, I really only stick to what I know, and that's sports. I love Bill Simmons and his new website, Grantland. I would love to one day write like him. I think his combination of sports, humor and pop culture irrelevancy makes his writing a joy to read, even if he is a Boston homer. Hunter S. Thompson is another good one that many people might say, but it's because he's that good. I actually first heard about him through his work with Espn, then went on to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas before reading the book.
P.S.: I wrote this all on my iPhone while at work! Isn't the present great?
Well, things don't always work out as you plan them, so of course one of my classes (Advanced Reporting) didn't have the minimum number of students, and I wound up here.
I think that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise though because I like what I've seen so far. The class has already helped me "get with the times" with a twitter and blogging. Just yesterday, I tweeted during the entire duration of the Penn State football game. It felt.....good!
That kind of ties in to what type of writing I like. I aspire to one day be a sports writer, and my internship with the Pittsburgh Sports Report recently turned into a freelance opportunity. I'm now actually getting paid to watch and write about sports! It's a dream that's becoming reality.
As far as nonfiction writers go, I really only stick to what I know, and that's sports. I love Bill Simmons and his new website, Grantland. I would love to one day write like him. I think his combination of sports, humor and pop culture irrelevancy makes his writing a joy to read, even if he is a Boston homer. Hunter S. Thompson is another good one that many people might say, but it's because he's that good. I actually first heard about him through his work with Espn, then went on to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas before reading the book.
P.S.: I wrote this all on my iPhone while at work! Isn't the present great?
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