I told you so.Reading this article is like reading a manifesto for In-the-Loop.colum.edu, the online publication we do in the J dept. Every student must take photographs, and many begin to get good at it. We use Flash or php applications to create photo essays. Our stories combine serious topics with fun and relaxation. The current version is filled with astrology and horoscope information, including a cool rollover of the Zodiac with info about each sign in popup windows. We covered a Pro-Life/Pro-Choice demonstration, the missing shuttle bus (which began sporting a sign and making regular stops about the time my reporter was taking pictures and asking questions...) and shifted gears with a sort of female gonzo piece on a trip to Las Vegas. Next year we are moving to work with other colleges, work with graphic designers, and bring blogs into the pages of In-the-Loop. It will be a place of, by, and for the 60,000 students in the Loop. OJR article: Ideas for Online Publications:Lessons From Blogs, Other Signposts

"Bad" newsThis story is chilling in its indictment of the news process. It mentions Peter Turnley, who spoke at Columbia College last year, showing photos that don't get into the mainstream media, but show that there are at least two sides to the story of America's military operations in Iraq. While we can support our troops, we must also seek the truth, even if it means that ugly things will come out. What good is it to pretend we are victorious or generous or humanitarian when our actions bring that into doubt. America is not made great through lies and propaganda. News & Features | On-the-ground-reality TV

"Bad" newsHere is the New York Times apology for its failure to provide real news coverage of the build-up to the Iraq war. t r u t h o u t - New York Times Apologizes for Its Iraq Coverage

Blogs, bloggingThe bottom line is that journalism is about communication. While Big Media is mired in the one-way communication of the pre-digital, pre-wired era, bloggers are talking back. You can argue about whether bloggers are "journalists" but like it or not, bloggers are communicators who participate in many-to-many dialogues. Dismissed at first as a small insular group, some bloggers are demonstrating that the truth can work like a "meme" in the world of Big Media. Read the details of bloggers who changed big media. OJR article: To Their Surprise, Bloggers Are Force for Change in Big Media

Interesting. This multimedia journalism work comes close to what I was doing with students and with my collaborator Miroslaw Rogala (now chair of Computer Graphics at Pratt in NYC) in the late 1990s. We were combining sound with still images, incorporating movies into the work, and using visually interesting navigation. At that time, we used Director or Authorware instead of Dreamweaver and Flash, and we would create interactive CD-ROMs which could connect to Internet. The Internet aspect was very cutting edge in 1992 and 1993. We have several CDs from that time that still look pretty good. Poynter Online - The Design Desk

Cutting edge.I did have a CueCat and it was very cool. I could scan any can in my pantry or product in my refrig and get connected to their website. The Radio Shack catalog was scannable. The Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal had scannable stories and some TV stations were experimenting with bcasting a cuecat signal. The cuecat was in most ways like a computer mouse, however, its plastic was formed in the shape of a cat. I tried to get the college to barcode the catalogue and course information so students could use it in registration. With Oasis, the current registration system, there is too much clicking and waiting for pages to load. Cuecat was a swiper, so one swipe and the info you needed loaded on your screen. There were not enough books with ISBN info barcoded, either. I pictured using cuecat to compile a bibliography without lots of typing, but from a scan of my personal library, the use of barcode and information that was reliable, was spotty. Anyway, now you can use your phonecam to scan barcode. Wired News: Camera Phones Link World to Web

Device Watch Audio for journalists. Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits

Images don't have to be photographic...CNN.com - UK artist to sketch Iraq trials - May 18, 2004

Photojournalism and an "army of amateurs." Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits

Photos in a digital age DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Sunday Reader

Pulse of Internet Blog pulse notes that there is lots of traffic around this editorial from ArmyTimes. The editorial notes the failure of leadership, while condeming the soldiers' bad behavior. This is one of things that "blogpulse" can help you locate, that is, the stories everyone is checking out. Army Times - News - More News

Not in Chi yet this social networking software is like what I discussed last year as implemented in Finland. Now the RFID tag is in New York as nTag and you can get it for your cell phone, too, in selected cities. dodgeball.com :: location-based social software for mobile devices

Blogs, blogging Steve Outing reminds journalists about blogpulse, a useful tool for journalists and websurfers. Intelliseek's BlogPulse

A new category of entry in current buzz. Eisehower alert refers to cases where it appears the military-industrial complex is influencing public policy. This is an intriguing one. INTELWIRE: Company Named In Iraq Prison Torture Report Also Sells Ethics Training Videos To White House

I told you so department. I have insisted from the initial introduction of digital cameras that they would remake photojournalism because they can be edited and sent in real time. Many experts didn't see how the important element in photojournalism is the uniqueness and timeliness, and that it was obvious that "being there" and being wired would yield up images of power and consequence. I disagree with point that it is the ease of camera use that is the only factor in play. I believe the typical individual today is also more visually literate and that taking a photo is becoming like writing-- a baseline skill that is nearly ubiquitous. If you see news and shoot it, it can be news. Vin Crosbie eats his words about digital photos. Here is the full story from ABC. ABCNEWS.com : Digital Photos Change Iraq War Perception

More on the projection keyboards. Projection Keyboards

http://www.virtualdevices.net/Product%20PDA.jpg

THIS IS COOL and useful.Virtual Devices

Just as I predicted, journalist are beginning to file from WiFi devices like camphones. Oops, look our for sore thumbs...News filed on the spot - thumbs permitting

Blogs & blogging ethicsPoynter Online - Blogs and Ethics