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November 28, 2006

The New Reporter

Google video: reporter gets stoned. For real?

Took me some time to land there, but I've become a regular visitor now: De Nieuwe Reporter.

A group weblog they call it themselves, but as I even haven't got a clue how to label my own digital playground - blog, photo blog, weblog, website, web2.0, (mini)portal? - I call website what's got http before URL.

Like VillaMedia and De Journalist, and hundreds, thousands of websites in The United States and all over the web, dedicated to journalism, they offer non-journalist to have a peek backstage, behind front-page or screen.

in Dutch at @ DutchCowboys

Pre-Internet one had to take an expensive subscription on our union magazine, something done only by those who needed inside info, like for instance the police, politicians or sociologists.

De Nieuwe Reporter declares to have build an independent platform, serving the debate about the future of Dutch Journalism. I'd say it never hurts, with all the dangers threatening our job, our employment.

There's a weekly newsletter fort those preferring the old fashion way of being kept up, en the smarter ones subscribe to one of the rss feeds, resulting in an automatic alert at the moment of publishing.

Two interesting affairs last week on the 'group weblog': how to handle published errors, and how GeenStijl practises journalism. GeenStijl isn't my style at all.

I hardly ever come there, and when I do its for a quick check of something. To much barking, those who are interested in modern ethics can graduate summa cum laude over there.

I'd probably better not typed the two preceding sentences, because they will mean a lot of extra work moderating comments.

Its about the only boring part of my job: moderating and either validating of rejecting comment postings on the website of the newspaper, as well as on my own website. A number of regular visitors on both platforms can move forever to Geen Stijl, as far as I am concerned, and I'll send them flowers, soapbox and megaphone.
How to handle errors published on a newspaper website? Nothing yet about it in our journalism handbooks, more about it next week.

p.s. I did Google 'New Reporter'; www.thenewreporter.com is there: 'Stories and images from our correspondents around the world, The New Reporter is a collaborative project between independent journalists'. I've signed up for a registration, maybe more later.

Another one is www.newreporter.com, but that doesn't look like journalism at all, maybe the domain is for sale.

Last but not least: The Internet Movie Database: The New Reporter (1910), directed by Lewin Fitzhamon, genre: comedy, color: black and white, sound mix: silent.

 Posted: November 28, 2006, 12:09 PM | Comments (0) |

November 25, 2006

Zune: no future?

Google Video: Walktrough of Zune interface (13 minutes by Engadget)

Do you ever care what I am writing here about Mac or PC, iPod or Zune?

While I harbour yes for an answer, there's a writing super trio that does make a difference. One Microsoft doesn't care about at all, not at least because it's not for sale. Walt Mossberg writes about computers in The Wall Street Journal, David Pogue - mostly in Circuits - in the New York Times, and John C. Dvorak for everybody anywhere, except for Microsoft.

in Dutch at @ DutchCowboys

Worldwebwide Dvorak is the most famous, because his columns are also translated and published in non-English speaking countries, like Brazil, Croatia Germany and The Netherlands.

Nevertheless; because they write in English, thanks to the Internet, under nerds they've reached the same status as Bono under pop fans. The three of them are subject of a bibliography at Wikipedia. Dvorak the most comprehensive one, but then again, on Wikipedia it might be possible that Dvorak is one of the co-authors over there. Whatever the case; Mossberg is generally seen as the most influential one, by Wired called 'The Kingmaker'; nobody with so much power in making - or breaking - new products.

A week or so ago Bill Gates himself kicked off the sale of Zune, the mp3 player made by Microsoft as the one that has to beat the iPod. If Vista, the OS that's finally arriving, that should have been here years ago, isn't going to save Microsoft's Xmas season, could Zune?

Bill Gates is CTO now, and Steve Ballmer, his successor as CEO, is known for quite a temper. During one of his tantrums he predicted to going to kill 'f..... Google' personally. I assume he kicked at least some chairs last week, when reading the judgments of Pogue and Mossberg, probably while listening to a podcast about self-control form his brand new Zune.

Pogue and Mossberg compared Zune to iPod, tried, compared, weighed up, and came with iPod as the big winner. Mossberg: "This first Zune has too many compromises and missing features to be as good a choice as the iPod for most users. The hardware feels rushed and incomplete. It is 60 per cent larger and 17 per cent heavier than the comparable iPod."

Pogue: "Competition is good and all. But what, exactly, is the point of the Zune? It seems like an awful lot of duplication — in a bigger, heavier form with fewer features — just to indulge Microsoft’s 'we want some o’ that' envy."

I haven't read Dvoraks review, because the head above it tells it all: 'Zune has no feature'

 Posted: November 25, 2006, 09:59 AM | Comments (0) |

November 21, 2006

Ask.Com and the Search Challenge

I'm afraid this post isn't of much use for those visitors speaking and reading only English. Together with the Dutch Cowboys Ask.com (I mean Ask.nl :-) will be launching the Search Challenge later today.

The Challenge is an interactive search in which Dutch Ask.Com visitors are challenged to solve a number of online enigmas. Grand first prize is a weekend for two in the Place To Be, London, while the winners will also get his own 'Smart Answer' on Ask.Com.

With your own 'Smart Answer' a search for your name show your own page as first result, holding all information about you and/or your blog.

Other prizes, like MP3 players, and lots of goodies, will raffled between participants.

Search Challenge kick-off was yesterday in the in Living Tomorrow in Amsterdam.

The Ask.com Search Challenge will take one month, starting today on Dutch Cowboys.

Photo Album: Kick Off Search Challenge at Living Tomorrow

 Posted: November 21, 2006, 11:07 AM | Comments (0) |

November 17, 2006

Snow!

Well, not yet over here in The Netherlands, but I like this one, very funny!

Check out for yourself: www.star28.net/snow.html

 Posted: November 17, 2006, 10:49 AM | Comments (1) |

November 14, 2006

Will Young People Read Newspapers?

Jill Abrahamson, managing editor of the New York Times, answering a reader who is worried about the future of the newspaper industry: what is the Times doing th capture young readers?

Question is from Ashley Bishop, Worcester, Massachusetts:

As a senior in college and an aspiring journalist, I am worried about the future of the industry. My peers rarely read the newspaper, or even watch network news. What is The Times doing to capture the younger demographics, and hopefully the future readership of the newspaper?

| Jill Abrahamsons answer on the NYT website |

If asked for a login, sign up for a free NYT account.

 Posted: November 14, 2006, 11:36 AM | Comments (0) |

November 13, 2006

The Dutch Diebolds

The longer, the more I work with computers, the less I trust them. Next Wednesday is election day over here in The Netherlands, so it's all about voting - and voting computers - in the newspapers over here every day.

Some people, who know a lot about it, come and tell that there's nothing wrong with our voting computers, and that they're much more reliable than the red pencils. Even though in a number of cities in Holland the red pencil is the preferred way of voting next week, because of problems with the machines.

I know some people, who have been volunteers on election day for years, and who admit that every once in a while they miss one vote during the final count at night, even thoughthey've been following all protocols and procedures all day. The Dutch Diebold people - company named Nedap - point out that a voting computer wouldn't miss a vote, but then again, these stories are only told by either the people who make and sell the Nedap machines.

It's not that difficult to fin other opinions about voting machines. Go Google, search for 'fixing voting machines', and you won't be ready reading what you find before November 22. Search for the name of 'Ron Gonggrijp', who will show you what can go wrong with our Duth voting machines.

I know I have to use another huge 'but then again' over here: but then again, this is the Internet, which makes it so easy to find things, but so difficult to decide what's right and what's wrong.

Internet or not, America is the superlative of a lot of things. Also over here: if you do a Google search for 'Diebold Voting Machines', you've got enough reading stuff for the rest of your life, before you can make a choice between pencil or machine.

For real voting devotees - everybody who enjoys the privilege of voting in a free country should be a voting devotee - there's HBO. Even well known in The Netherland as the producing channel of the Sopranos and Sex in the City, but also the makers of wonderful documentaries.

Like 'Hacking Democracy', and after watching that one might conclude it's better to stick to red pencils until the end of time.

You will find 'Hacking Democracy' also on Google Video. Take your time, almost an hour and a half, look, listen, and wince.

 Posted: November 13, 2006, 11:13 AM | Comments (0) |

November 03, 2006

Bitten by the Video Bug

Almost an old geezer, finally bitten by the video bug. Two reasons that it took so long: no bandwidth, no affection. Until recently useless to do something with video and Internet, like sucking Haagen Dasz trough a straw. I must admit the lack of affection was due to the fact that I left The Utrecht School for Journalism as a writer. In a paper past, when one could graduate without having done 'Radio and Television', as it was called way back in the late seventies.

I visit my old school every once in a while, earned a certificate English writing for the Media there three years ago - but it's all called multi media, or (mass) communication now. It might even be impossible to leave that school as only a writer now.

My late calling is the result of bandwidth galore these days, a Canon Ixus 800is that is delivering pristine video, and my iMac that screams to me from almost every application that she wants to handle the task I'm performing different, something with multi media. Like any good server, I see my iMac as a ship, so she is a she. I haven't bought the Ixus, as well as the iMac because of video, but click something and something starts to move.

Ixus produces video at 640 by 480, en swallows some one hundred megabyte flashcard a minute. Bit too big for Google Video or YouTube, but no worries, Quick Time Pro is running on the Mac and coverts the video to mp4, so it;s shrinking a factor ten to twenty.

I'm daily practicing now, cutting and pasting frames, adding or changing background music, and I'm not only learning a lot, I'm having a very good time.

To learn all the Mac can do, I need a bloody lot of time. To begin with the new release of iPod; it can do so much that I need some days to check that out. The there's iMovie,to handle high definition video, iDVD iWeb, mighty come in handy with a makeover of my website, and GarageBand, that turns the Mac into a full blown sound studio.

With the use of the Insight camera, built in on top of the iMac, it's possible to produce a Video Podcast, but I can also put the Ixus on a tripod, and point it to myself.

Biggest problem, as always; time. Almost election day over here in The Netherlands, (November 22nd). No politician making any promises yet, but the one who starts talking about it, gets my vote: the Google workplace policy.

Anyone over there is allowed to spent ten percent of his working day as he likes, as long as it's in the good for Google.

Are you reading this, mister editor in chief?

 Posted: November 03, 2006, 05:36 PM | Comments (0) |

November 02, 2006

The Real Origin of Spam

'Spam' is a very popular Monty Python sketch, first on television in 1970, 36 years ago. In the sketch, two customers are trying to order a breakfast from a menu that includes the processed meat product in almost every item. In the sketch, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of spam, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much spam is in the items. When she does this, the Vikings (don't ask what they are doing there) in the corner start a song:

"Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

As we all know by now, the term spam (in electronic communication) is derived from this sketch. So the big question is: how did the term spam get connected with spam as we know it?

Personally I like this one, out of many answers on the net: the analysis form Brad Templeton: Origin of the term 'spam' to mean net abuse.

 Posted: November 02, 2006, 08:44 AM | Comments (0) |

November 01, 2006

Running new browsers?

Already unpacked your premature Xmas present, a new browser? Tell me more, because those who know me, know that I - sadder and wiser through trial and error in the past - will wait for some time, and then wait for some more time to come. In the meantime I read and listen, shudder and enjoy, while a keep riding my old Internetbicycles.

When profanity, grumbling and ululating are beginning to dim, I might give things a try, and will install Firefox 2.0 on my Mac. Coincidence or not, in the same week that Firefox proudly presented number 2.0, Microsoft officially opened number 7.0.

I don't know if it's a wise thing to install the New Internet Explorer on the four Dell Optiplexes on the Internet Desk at the newspaper. Most important consideration: the content management system applications - WebStudio and Escenic Content Studio, both written in Java, at the moment sometimes do what they are intended to do. 'Let sleep what is sleeping' is the slogan at home, when cats and/or dogs are for a change not tearing down the household. Sssssttt!

Maybe better to leave the Dells alone for now. Instead of waking up sleeping devils, and a result being busy putting out fires until next Xmas or Whitsunday.

It wasn't very difficult to predict that on the same day that Microsoft presented the new toy, the first security hole would be found. That's the same as predict that the sun will rise every day - or set every night.

I wasn't even very surprised that it only took a long quarter of an hour, and that Micorosft came with the first patch on the very first day - may more will follow, as the sun, well, you know it.

Having said that about MIe 7.0, I'll also wait with the installation of Firefox 2.0. I don;t expect too much trouble there, not on the Mac, and not on the Dell, but I hear about some problems with the extensions. Little handy helpers, most of them programs written by third parties.

Some of them are working in 2.0, some of them ain't, and need some kind of refreshment first. I'll wait until those are cur and shaved, because I'm using some extensions - like the Web Developer and it's very handy Toolbar - that I can't miss.

Good luck to everyone who switched already, we'll be waiting for good news from all of you.

 Posted: November 01, 2006, 02:20 PM | Comments (0) |