A Cry for Help

If a month-old baby going through an x-ray machine can’t bring a heavy dose of common sense to the TSA, what will?

“Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, which manages LAX screeners, said the agency doesn’t have enough workers to constantly stand at tables in front of the screeners to coach passengers on what should or should not be sent through X-ray machines.” – Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times

[via Bruce Schneier]

Splitting the Difference

“The hope for my news goes like this: if there’s a war going on, it should be the top story every single day. It should be the top story until it stops, and even then some more afterwards.” – Ben Tesch

Last time I checked, I was subscribed to 350 RSS feeds. None of them from convention news sources. Those 350 feeds edit the New York Times, Washington Post, Star Tribune, etc, etc for me. Somewhere in those 350 are a handful of people I trust to bring me the things they think are important.

Sometimes those important things are originally published in “actual publications” and through the power of the hyperlink (a concept MSM doesn’t seem to get), I read the original story.

How the hell do I get through them all….I don’t. Right now, there’s 504 unread items. I’m fine ignoring them in the same way I’m fine ignoring the nightly news and not subscribing to cable or satellite television. Tomorrow there’s 504 different unread items. And the next day.

Ben’s got an excellent point. One I’ve been working on as well: relevance.

How the Vikings, Packers, or FC Bayern München does – doesn’t effect me directly. Nor celebrity breakups. Maybe Ben and I have that in common. Now, MN state legislation, US congressional legislation, and I-94 construction probably effects both of us directly. While I can easily _not_ subscribe to a sports or celebrity feed, it’s far more difficult to sort-by-relevance within my trusted sources.

If I wanted to have the war as a top story every single day, I subscribe to a bunch of war-related feeds (blogs and otherwise). Having the war be the top story for all of us everyday, is a completely different problem. Ben, which are you trying to answer?

While we all know what spam looks like, relevance is fickle.
“Threat Level Orange” might mean something to someone, but few of us can act meaningfully on that information.

I’ve got some ideas in this direction – and I will need your help to test it out. But, not ’til next year – we’ve got holiday cookies to eat.

Where Theory and Practice in Publishing Differ

“…a newspaper blog, for example, has higher standards to maintain than a teenager’s rant blog…” – Mark Gisleson

While I expect a higher standard of reporting from anything run through a printing press and sent over the FM dial (between 88.3 and 91.1) it’s a rare occasion the higher standard is delivered.

In fact, I’m pretty sure, these publishers are actually structured to deliver a lower standard than the random teenager’s MySpace page; supported by big ad dollars, needing to support expensive infrastructure (equipment, full-time staff, benefits), writing at or below a 4th-grade level, artificially restricted newshole, etc.

This weekend, paging through the Sunday paper, I gave some thought to how I might change newspapers;

  • Day 1: End all print publications.
  • Day 2: Install a multi-blog network engine for all staff and community leaders.
  • Day 3: Schedule free journalism courses in every neighborhood.
  • Day 4: Use staff to curate and develop the larger stories – tying neighborhood reports together. With lots and lots of links, pictures, audio, and video.

ELSEWHERE:

“I look forward to the day when Time and other traditional magazines fully embrace us when it comes to the journalism.” – Dan Gillmor

“….Time is, separating themselves where there is no separation.” – Dave Winer

“So if Time were doing its job properly, it would highlight a million people of the year. But, of course, it can’t. The form doesn’t allow it. And the form is what led to massthink. But mass is over.” – Jeff Jarvis

“At its best news informs and enlightens the citizens of a free society and thereby safeguards and strengthens our democracy. At its worst–dishonest, unfair, irresponsible–the media has potential to erode the public trust on which its own success depends and to corrode the democratic system of which it is so indispensably a part. So, let me touch on 10 current trends in the mass media that ought to disturb us.” – Peter R. Kann

Mr. Kann’s 10 trends are dead on – though, I think they are all different shades of his first:
“The blurring of the lines between journalism and entertainment”.

Back in October, Doc Searls listed his 10 ways to improve newspapers. I suspect unconsciously percolated in my head for 2 months.

SAFD Says Merry Christmas 2006

We finished trimming our first, real, Christmas tree in 4 years tonight, good thing too. Tonight was the annual, unofficial, St. Anthony Village Christmas parade.

Christmas carols waving in and out of earshot as not one, not two, but four (!) St. Anthony Village Fire Department vehicles slowing cruising each block. Of course, the lighted reindeer and Santa on a firetruck is the main attraction. From our place on the corner, the anticipation was nearly unbearable. When they finally pulled around 30th Street, we threw a winter cap on bottle-sucking Little C, and ran out to meet them. As did a handful more Villagers across the street.

In addition, our fine, holiday-spirit-filled firemen were also collecting Toys-for-Tots.

Year after year, one of most entertaining reasons to live here.

Go Aristocrat Yourself

We watched The Aristocrats last night. While I was more entertained than I expected…I was just as uncomfortable as I expected.

Four Highlights:

  • Andy Richter telling the joke to his santa-hat wearing infant. If there’s anyone that completely doesn’t get it…it’s someone that totally lacks language comprehension.
  • Cartman telling the joke on South Park. Making that not funny would be like The Onion telling it and not being funny…wait, The Onion bit wasn’t. Cartman not getting it himself – beautiful.
  • The joke being flipped around, with the tame bit in the middle and the offensive bit at the end. I think the shock/surprise value works better in that order, while still containing the joke’s history and intent.
  • Sarah Silverman taking the joke too personally. “I don’t list The Aristocrats on my resumé anymore….” Ha.

Made me think the joke would make a great podcast…and I smell a satire of Web 2.0 startups in there as well.

When Is Now?

“‘No, no, don’t answer it!’ I yelled. ‘It’s your parents! They’re calling from the future!'” – Jason Kottke

Everytime we catch up to “live” tv with the TiVo, I’m reminded of this exchange from Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs:

Dark Helmet: “What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie?”

Colonel Sandurz: “Now. You’re looking at now sir. Everything that happens now, is happening now.”

DRM: Doesn’t Really Matter

It’s no secret that folks looking to pick up some new tunes would like to avoid DRM at all costs, but instead of seeing CD sales skyrocket, there’s simply been a general decrease across the board in the whole “music buying scene.” – Darren Murph, Engadget

If I buy CDs these days, it’s directly from the artist. It’s far more likely that I’ll just give my favorite artist a few bucks. Oh, and then there’s this whole DRM-free podcasting-thing.

Minimum Purchases Violate Credit Card Merchant Agreements

“Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation.”

As always, thanks go to Consumerist.com.

The excuse I hear for this behavior is the credit card’s transaction costs (~3-5% of the transaction + a few pennies per transaction + a monthly clearing charge). As Jen reminded me the other day, cash has it’s own transaction costs (employees closing out drawers + transporting cash to bank + making change + slower check outs).