Monday, August 30, 2004
On this day:
Bikes Against Bush
Welcome to Bikes Against BushJoshua Kinberg was planning on protesting and demonstrating his political "art" piece during the Republican Convention in New York City, but was arrested before show time. He was just giving an interview on the street when the cops arrived. I have no idea with what the police will charge him. He hasn't even committed an act when the cops showed up. His website has a video of his demo run of the project and also a clip of his arrest.
Bikes Against Bush is an interactive protest/performance occurring simultaneously online and on the streets of NYC during the 2004 Republican National Convention. Using a wireless Internet enabled bicycle outfitted with a custom-designed printing device, the Bikes Against Bush bicycle can print text messages sent from web users directly onto the streets of Manhattan in water-soluble chalk.
His invention is absolutely ingenious and original. I will keep a tab on his website to see if this project will ever have a go on primetime
Friday, August 27, 2004
On this day:
This Land is our land
by JibJab.com
I came across this most excellent cartoon jabbing at both political candidates that is shaping up to be an interesting election year. The media is even more so involved with shaping the opinions and minds of people than previous elections. With the wide spread use of the internet, information is out there for us to get to the bottom of the issues that interest us. No longer are we just fed data from the newspaper, radio, and television, we are now able to seek out news from varying points of view that might not align with our own. Now add the recent interest in documentaries to that list. We should be questioning more and more. Always question, it will expand our minds.
I always dislike the practice of voting along the party line. We should vote on the principle of the issues. I always dislike the practice of voting from the pocketbook. We should again vote on the principle of the issues.
I have a little disclaimer to insert here. I can not yet vote. I am not a US citizen even though I have been here for 2/3 of my life. Yes, I had voter apathy. But the election from 4 years ago changed that. The event of 9/11 changed that. The outrageous and wrongful actions in Washington this last two years changed that. This time I want my voice heard. So, I've applied for citizenship but it does not appear that I will be able to register in time for this election. I received a nice letter from our "Homeland Security Department" that it might take them 450 DAYS to process my application. This is my tax dollar at work, and I have not a say!
Maybe I can change some opinions, start some questioning from this weblog of mine. It will also be a source for me to explore my reasoning and thought process. Everything seems to be clearer written down, everything seems to raise more questions written down also. As before, always question.
I have just own a computer for 4 months and surfing the web has proven to be addictive. I have not turn on my television set for that amount of time. I've always thought TV programming dumbs down to the public to appeal to a greater audience, I believe that even more now. What is the deal with all those reality tv programs? Are our lives such a bore that we crave to live through the drama of other ordinary folks? And really, how "real" and "true" can it be when it is edited down to the most shocking, gripping, disturbing events? Come to think of it, weblog can certainly be viewed that way too. People writing about their daily happenings, presented in an interesting manner. I've never read a weblog that says "Today, nothing exciting happened." I ought to have an exact entry in the near future. But knowing me, I'll probably ramble on about how ordinary it is that it just might become interesting.
Well, this certainly is a random rambling post started by the above mentioned cartoon. Check it out. It will have you rolling on the floor.
I came across this most excellent cartoon jabbing at both political candidates that is shaping up to be an interesting election year. The media is even more so involved with shaping the opinions and minds of people than previous elections. With the wide spread use of the internet, information is out there for us to get to the bottom of the issues that interest us. No longer are we just fed data from the newspaper, radio, and television, we are now able to seek out news from varying points of view that might not align with our own. Now add the recent interest in documentaries to that list. We should be questioning more and more. Always question, it will expand our minds.
I always dislike the practice of voting along the party line. We should vote on the principle of the issues. I always dislike the practice of voting from the pocketbook. We should again vote on the principle of the issues.
I have a little disclaimer to insert here. I can not yet vote. I am not a US citizen even though I have been here for 2/3 of my life. Yes, I had voter apathy. But the election from 4 years ago changed that. The event of 9/11 changed that. The outrageous and wrongful actions in Washington this last two years changed that. This time I want my voice heard. So, I've applied for citizenship but it does not appear that I will be able to register in time for this election. I received a nice letter from our "Homeland Security Department" that it might take them 450 DAYS to process my application. This is my tax dollar at work, and I have not a say!
Maybe I can change some opinions, start some questioning from this weblog of mine. It will also be a source for me to explore my reasoning and thought process. Everything seems to be clearer written down, everything seems to raise more questions written down also. As before, always question.
I have just own a computer for 4 months and surfing the web has proven to be addictive. I have not turn on my television set for that amount of time. I've always thought TV programming dumbs down to the public to appeal to a greater audience, I believe that even more now. What is the deal with all those reality tv programs? Are our lives such a bore that we crave to live through the drama of other ordinary folks? And really, how "real" and "true" can it be when it is edited down to the most shocking, gripping, disturbing events? Come to think of it, weblog can certainly be viewed that way too. People writing about their daily happenings, presented in an interesting manner. I've never read a weblog that says "Today, nothing exciting happened." I ought to have an exact entry in the near future. But knowing me, I'll probably ramble on about how ordinary it is that it just might become interesting.
Well, this certainly is a random rambling post started by the above mentioned cartoon. Check it out. It will have you rolling on the floor.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
On this day:
Too much information?
As I contribute yet another blog entry, I've been thinking that there are just too much information these days. Are we overloaded with information? We are a society of too much of everything. Sometimes I think we are hampered by too many choices. A large amount of our time are spent in making not just the right decisions, but the PERFECT decision. Just look at the aisles of our supermarkets.
Then, I came across this entry on the web, from what else? Looking for tipbits of information. It is a good write-up of how the blog community sprang up. Granted, it is an old article, her view point on the importance and the dynamics of weblog is still valid.
Then, I came across this entry on the web, from what else? Looking for tipbits of information. It is a good write-up of how the blog community sprang up. Granted, it is an old article, her view point on the importance and the dynamics of weblog is still valid.
Essays::weblogs: a history and perspective
by Rebecca Blood
As we are increasingly bombarded with information from our computers, handhelds, in-store kiosks, and now our clothes, the need for reliable filters will become more pressing. As corporate interests exert tighter and tighter control over information and even art, critical evaluation is more essential than ever. As advertisements creep onto banana peels, attach themselves to paper cup sleeves, and interrupt our ATM transactions, we urgently need to cultivate forms of self-expression in order to counteract our self-defensive numbness and remember what it is to be human.
We are being pummeled by a deluge of data and unless we create time and spaces in which to reflect, we will be left with only our reactions. I strongly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from "audience" to "public" and from "consumer" to "creator." Weblogs are no panacea for the crippling effects of a media-saturated culture, but I believe they are one antidote.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
On this day:
Dan Gillmor's glance of journalism today
We the Media-Grassroots of Journalism by the People, for the People
by Dan Gillmor
Lately, I've been toying around the idea of creating a weblog. Really, who out there will care or even spend time to read my random thoughts of the day? Yet, I'm often at my computer reading about other people's ideas and discussions. So, hey, "why not?" is the question. Dan Gillmor's observation of the tools provided for people to publish on the internet is transforming the way news, thoughts and ideas are delivered and generated. The People is able to write and read history as it is happening around us instead of learning history as in the past through academicians. We are living history. Happy reading!
by Dan Gillmor
We freeze some moments in time. Every culture has its frozen moments, events so important and personal that they transcend the normal flow of news.
Americans of a certain age, for example, know precisely where they were and what they were doing when they learned that President Franklin D. Roosevelt died. Another generation has absolute clarity of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. And no one who was older than a baby on September 11, 2001, will ever forget hearing about, or seeing, airplanes exploding into skyscrapers.
In 1945, people gathered around radios for the immediate news, and stayed with the radio to hear more about their fallen leader and about the man who took his place. Newspapers printed extra editions and filled their columns with detail for days and weeks afterward. Magazines stepped back from the breaking news and offered perspective.
Something similar happened in 1963, but with a newer medium. The immediate news of Kennedy’s death came for most via television; I’m old enough to remember that heartbreaking moment when Walter Cronkite put on his hornrimmed glasses to glance at a message from Dallas and then, blinking back tears, told his viewers that their leader was gone. As in the earlier time, newspapers and magazines pulled out all the stops to add detail and context.
September 11, 2001, followed a similarly grim pattern. We watched—again and again—the awful events. Consumers of news learned the what about the attacks, thanks to the television networks that showed the horror so graphically. Then we learned some of the how and why as print publications and thoughtful broadcasters worked to bring depth to events that defied mere words. Journalists did some of their finest work and made me proud to be one of them.
But something else, something profound, was happening this time around: news was being produced by regular people who had something to say and show, and not solely by the “official” news organizations that had traditionally decided how the first draft of history would look. This time, the first draft of history was being written, in part, by the former audience. It was possible—it was inevitable—because of new publishing tools available on the Internet.
Another kind of reporting emerged during those appalling hours and days. Via emails, mailing lists, chat groups, personal web journals—all nonstandard news sources—we received valuable context that the major American media couldn’t, or wouldn’t, provide.
We were witnessing—and in many cases were part of—the future of news.
Read More
Lately, I've been toying around the idea of creating a weblog. Really, who out there will care or even spend time to read my random thoughts of the day? Yet, I'm often at my computer reading about other people's ideas and discussions. So, hey, "why not?" is the question. Dan Gillmor's observation of the tools provided for people to publish on the internet is transforming the way news, thoughts and ideas are delivered and generated. The People is able to write and read history as it is happening around us instead of learning history as in the past through academicians. We are living history. Happy reading!
