David Weinberger sums it up nicely: “The Convention folks think their job is to script an event for the news media, and the news media don’t want to cover an event that’s been scripted.”
“You’re standing in a puddle of shit and you don’t have the shoes for it.”
“You’re standing in a puddle of shit and you don’t have the shoes for it.” Brian Cox in The Bourne Supremecy.
Convention blogging
Three of our reporters are heading for Boston to cover the Democratic Convention. As reporters for state news networks, they focus on the state delegations and do a lot of their work at the hotel where the delegates are staying. Along with our “regular” news coverage, each of the reporters will take a stab at blogging the four-day event as well. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson posted some wonderful reports (via email) from the 2000 convention, but we just didn’t have tools (or the word “blog”). The other two guys are experienced reporters but are new to this kind of writing (as far as I know). Should be interesting.
Ventriloquist God
“I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.”
— President Bush, quoted in the Lancaster New Era, during a private meeting with an Amish group. [via Scripting News]
Transistor radio
Most of my in-car radio listening is XM these days. But at home I still tune in to a couple of the local stations. And it dawned on me this week that the little transistor radio I listen to is more than 20 years old. We brought it with us when we moved to Jefferson City in 1984. And it could have easily been 10 years old then. I love this little radio (made in Hong Kong for General Electric). On the front it proudly announces “Integrated Circuit” and, on the back, there’s a little plasic clip for attaching to your belt. I’m trying to think of other things in my life that have worked as well or as long as this little transistor (when did we drop that adjective?) radio. I so clearly remember when a small, portable radio like this was the ONLY way to listen to music or news away from your home, car or office.
If/when this one breaks or dies, with what sort of device will I replace it? I’m sure they still make them but for how much longer. Will they become integrated with some kind of mobile device (cell phone)? That doesn’t seem practical. I’m not going anywhere with this. Just a small ode to a long-time companion.
Nuptials (Allen Hammock)
Original Cyber Twin, Allen Hammock, is now married to his soul-mate, Ellen. The stories (his, hers) of how the met are on their website, along with photos (I missed Ellen in this shot of Allen and best-man Dan Arnall).
Three years
I have been working out regularly (3-5 times a week)for three years. I thought that milestone was coming up in August but I had ’em check my record at the fitness center and the madness started in June, 2001. I’ve already become something of a bore on the subject so I’ll stop here. But I feel great.
Middle Age
“…that point in life when you stopped hoping the next year would be better than the last, and started hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad. That’s what happened when you you hit middle age. Old people you loved got sick and died, young people you hated got promoted over you, the market crashed and took your retirement funds with it, and your body started to look like your father’s did when you used to think you would never, ever let yourself go like that. If anyone every told five-year-olds the truth about life, there’d be a rash of kindergarten suicides.”
— Live Bait by P.J.Tracy.
42 million sat radio subs by 2009?
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio could have more than 42 million subscribers by the end of 2009, according to a report by SkyWaves Research. Two week ago, XM announced that it had surpassed 2 million subscribers. On May 11, Sirius said it had reached the 400,000 mark.
Fahrenheit 9/11
If I were Dick Cheney, I’d explore two options for dealing with Michael Moore’s movie, Fahrenheit 9/11. First, try to find a working time machine and send a Terminator back to 2000 and erase Michael Moore before he makes the documentary. That poses some real technical challenges, so Plan B would be to place armed National Guard troops at the entrance of every theater trying to show the movie. Close ’em down. I really think this option poses less risk to George Bush’s re-election than letting people see Fahrenheit 9/11.
Whatever your politics, this is a powerful film. Some have said it won’t change anyone’s mind about George Bush. The people that love him will love him (and vote for him) in November. Those that think he’s a dangerous moron surrounded by evil, greedy men…will still think so after seeing this movie.
But don’t you think that Dick Cheney and Carl Rove got an early copy and screened it there in the White House? Sure, they might have dismissed it as liberal propaganda. Or maybe Rove turned to Cheney and asked, “Did you ever see the Terminator movies?”
PS: If you’ve never read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, it’s a classic.