Death of Newspapers, not the News

I am borrowing that headline from somewhere, just don't remember where! I think it summarizes the impact Blogs, Podcasts, and the Web in general, are having on the way news, information, and entertainment is being created and delivered. Blogs and Podcasts allow anyone to be a publisher and reach millions of people, potentially, with what they want to say. True, they may not have the editorial review behind them to insure credibility, etc, but I wouldn't discount the "free market" effect the web has on incorrect, inappropriate, or zero value content. More broadly, user created content is pervasive today. Sites like YouTube, Flickr, are visited by millions and have a huge impact. Traditional providers are using those channels today in addition to information channels they have used before. Those same traditional providers of news are turning to user created content to compliment their professional staff of writers, especially for small town or obscure stories. All in all, its blurring and changing in real time.

Blog and Podcast Habits

Despite this Blog being a new thing for me, I have been a reader of Blogs and a listener to Podcasts for some time. Lets start with Blogs. I use Google Reader and have it set up for several dozen feeds. The feeds mostly cover news, sports, tech, and areas of special interest for me. Each topic area has a folder to keep it organized. A typical morning ritual is to sit down with a cup of coffee and scan Reader. First stop is news. What's happening with the New York times, read a couple of articles. Check out the Local news, see if there is anything of interest. If I have a time, I will take a look at some Photography blogs. Otherwise I will catch up on personal interest areas sometime later in the day or evening.

Podcasts are accessed through iTunes where I have a variety set up that match my reading habits similar to Reader. Probably the most interesting content comes from the Economist, NPR, and yes, The Car Guys. I sync these on a weekly basis to my Ipod and then listen to them in the car. When we take long trips in the car, I usually try to load up the Ipod with Podcasts I think the whole family might enjoy. Car Guys is always popular.

Clouds Lake Almanor

clouds looking south from point
Originally uploaded by lydiadehn

I have discovered the ability to blog directly from Flickr, so may be a few of these! Very cool cloud formation looking southwest over Lake Almanor on Memorial Day weekend. My wife took this shot with her point and shoot from the end of the Peninsula. We go there often. In fact, the image at the top of the Blog page here is taken in the early AM at the same spot looking more to the south. Post processed 4 exposures to get HDR image.

Director's award 2009!

A very proud moment for Mom and Dad. Our youngest, really enjoys playing music and being in the band. He has learned the basics in piano, a little guitar, and is now trying sax. This year he played percussion in his first year in middle school. He received the Director's award last night. He really was enthusiastic and highly engaged all year, even volunteering to play every other Friday in local HS pep band during football season. He has also been selected to be in the symphonic band next year. Way to go!

Great Book on Lincoln

My wife has been in the same book club for over 20 years. They meet once a month to discuss a book, mostly fiction. Once a year, the husbands join and one couple is picked, to select a book and lead the discussion. This year was our turn. I insisted on non fiction, so we picked Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It was daunting as it is 750 pages long, but what a great book! It is essentially about Lincoln and his cabinet. It tells the story of their relationships and individual personalities, and how the dynamics of his cabinet changed over the course of the war. Lincoln possessed the ultimate in "Emotional Intelligence" and was a master at bringing together strong leaders, with different politics, and initially who had little respect for him. Fascinating reading. Although I have read much about the Civil War in the past, this shed a whole new light on what was happening in the political arena and in Lincoln's life.

Favorite Places for Cool Images

Two sources for cool images from the world of photojournalism are the Wall Street Journal and the Sacramento Bee. The Frame at the Sacramento Bee is a photo blog put together by their Multimedia staff. Currently showing is a set of images from the Vivid Sydney Light show that are absolutely stunning. Shown here is one of my favorites from that show, courtesy of Getty Images / Sergio Dionisio The other source, an unlikely one in my mind, is the Wall Street Journal's Photo Journal. Who would have thought that a paper known for its coverage of financial events and pages of market data could produce such an engaging set of images. They publish "Pictures of the Day" each weekday which I try never to miss. I also have a link to their feed in the side panel here to your right. Check these out. Very cool images.