Wednesday, December 31, 2014

There's actually a bit of news in this post

2015 is approaching so my resolution is to be less snarkHAHAHAnevermind.

The police in Lowell, Massachusetts, would like you to know that you should not be trying to capture the escaped goat because that's Massachusetts for you. I expect a micro-brew out of this in two weeks.

As you might remember, we have our own history with goats (of the red kind) in Kingston.  That's the kind of thing that will make the New York Times notice. All the goats that's fit to print.

Now that I've lost all your attention, here's some news: Gary Chetkof, founder of the Mountain Jam festival, took to social media and went online to post a message to address "overzealous security searches that have taken place in previous years and I realize that we have let you down." He also seemingly types while getting photos taken. The Black Keys are headlining this year's festival in Hunter and judging from their press photo they also look concerned. Drugs are bad, mkay?

At least it's not like Britain, which is full of monsters. And that is to say, full of horrible people who write stories for the Daily Star. Drugs are bad, mkay?

Jay from 'Serial' part II is out. So it's that terrible Photoshop job in that Intercept story. I like Photoshop, and that's why I keep a piece of bacon on my desktop.

Important journalists @ajchavar, @missmagner, and @yurivictor hosted a gif exchange and this is what I've got from Louije:



Here are 24 tools to try in 2015 if you are a journalist of simply if you are into C O N T E N T. I tried Plague. It's fun and I'm wondering of its journalism applications. If you use it, however, you should lower your expectations. At left is what's on Plague's site. At right, my first post.


One cat AND Google Glass photo:


Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a random experiment in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning or maybe stuff from Facebook? I also post a cat and a Google Glass photo.

New! You can now subscribe to this terrible idea.

powered by TinyLetter

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Top stories and other not so top stories

I took a look at the Daily Freeman top posts for 2014 and created some lists for the top news, galleries and features of the year. One of the galleries, Saugerties through the years, was very popular online mostly because of this photo. You figure it out.


The top posts are not to be confused with the Year in Review, which is a nice timeline of regional events.

Talking about top posts, this is my most popular post on reddit:
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ ︵ ╯(°□° ╯) IRL

That's reddit for you.


Animal news

Science of the day: "Scientists show that drunk birds ‘slur’ their songs" Go home, birds.

Hero of the day: "Victim: Our 'hero' dog disappeared after fighting off masturbating intruder in Bensalem"  There's nothing I can add to this headline.

People news

Jay from 'Serial' speaks for the first time. I'm on episode 5 but I read the whole thing anyway. Part II comes out sometime later soon pretty please.

Newspaper carries have it rough.  Life editors have it easy.

Natalie Merchant was in Kingston yesterday with other fracking foes to celebrate the state ban.

One cat (board):

Follow Ivan's board CATS!!!! on Pinterest.


One Google Glass (board):


Follow Ivan's board Google Glass things I do. #throughglass on Pinterest.

Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a random experiment in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. I also post a cat and a Google Glass photo or apparently a Pinterest board I've forgotten I had.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Random post is random




The Freeman published its Year in Review and here's a random goat. 
Other randomness:

Random New York Times:

Here's a candid Q&A with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin and here's a quote:

"You know, I’ve never sexted anyone in my life except Anderson. I can’t resist. I just know he’s going to be so ——"

Camel racing with robot jockeys is a thing.

Brunch Hate Reading the New York Times also is a thing. The Gothamist is being silly, of course, because BRUNCH IS FOR JERKS.

Random people:

Meet Officer Timothy Zoll, master of foot in mouth statements.

Meet Emerson Spartz, terrible entrepreneur meme person . 

Random social media:

People are not sharing their marriage problems on Facebook. I wonder why.

Man Likes Twitter. People share Man Likes Twitter on Twitter.

One random cat:


One random Google Glass photo:


Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a random experiment in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. I also post a cat and a Google Glass photo in case I've got nothing so at least there's a cat and a photo.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Slim pickings

Merry Time After Christmas But Before New Year With An Awkward Weekend In The Middle!

I was not quite online yesterday because a large man trespassed into my home and ate my cookies and drank my milk and littered the whole place. I heard it was a spree, too, and it happened even though NORAD was chasing him. 

Do you feel like writing a funny caption? Of course you don't. 

Did you watch 'The Interview'? I didn't, but I watched this cheaply looking remake of the Star Wars trailer, for free. Freedom wins.

Do you like predictions? Doesn't matter, here's another one: Most things you'll see online from now until the new year will be year-end listicles and, uh, predictions, because everyone's light on copy. Prediction 2: The upcoming New Year's Eve party in Downtown Kingston is only going to get bigger.

Kind-of UPDATE: I ran into this the other day but I forgot and then the awesome ladies at the Watershed Post reminded me that yet another publication has chosen the Catskills as a place to go but instead of saying stuff about 'hipsters,' they used 'hicksters.'

I said my piece.  But also, stop trying to make 'hicksters' happen. It's not going to happen.

One cat (photoshopped in 5 places in Downtown Kingston):


One Google Glass photo:


Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning.  I also post a cat and a Google Glass photo. This tagline keeps changing because I don't know what I'm doing.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Caption this terrible Photoshop job!

I found some old Photoshops I've done this year. Devoid of context, they can be delicious. How about getting them a caption? Let's see what we come up with. Simply write down your name (or whatever name you want but no cursies!) and a caption. And/Or vote for your favorite one.

5 things you don't need to know, bro

Here are some things you didn't know you need to know because you actually don't:

* The bros at quartz made a map of how people say 'dudes' with data from Twitter, which is not quite representative data, which reminds me of this. But, hey! Bros.

* If you ever win a Nobel Prize and have to go through airport security, now you know what might happen.  Burn.

This 2004 Twitter glossary is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

* The War on Jewish Christmas is real.

* Reply-allpocalypses are only funny when they don't happen to you. Also when it involves celebrities.

One cat: This guy arrived in the mail yesterday. No idea who sent him.

One Google Glass photo:


That's the late Joe Cocker on the front page of the Freeman in 1994 to the left of the Christmas tree by the newsroom's entrance. The Woodstock '94 festival took place in Saugerties that year .I went to Rome's in '99, but nobody asked me so that's it for me. Merry War on Christmas.

Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning.  I also post a cat and a Google Glass photo. I don't know why, either.




Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Let it drone

Are you getting a drone for Christmas? The FAA wants you to "fly for fun!" Are you a journalist getting a drone for Christmas? PUT THAT DOWN, YOU!

Also, fixed it for you:


Are you a Kingston resident who received a scary sounding robocall from the mayor of the city on Friday? If you didn't jump off your window screaming, you might want to know it was about this.

If I get around to it, I'll autotune it. We've been there before.




HAHAHA not funny.

Jay Rosen, who was (is?) an adviser for the Freeman's parent company, says if you're a journalist and you don't understand your biz, you should quit. Nick Denton says Jay Rosen is cray.  Nick Denton runs Gawker, kind of. This is why I need a drone with lasers.

By which I mean, so you can fly above and escape the maddening plumes of opiate smoke that turn journalists into giggling maniacs:




UPDATE: Thankfully, journo twitter dad Steve Buttry has a thoughtful post about this (the Rosen-Denton thing, not the stoned journo) so now I look bad for being silly. THANKS, OBAMA!

One Internet cat: Catbot 3000 is a Twitter bot that combines headlines with cats. It was baked with love by Patrick Hogan after an errant tweet by a crazy Peruvian life editor who lives in Kingston and whose names escapes me.

One Google Glass picture: Downtown Kingston.


Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

'Glasco people are very angry'


Today's Yesterday's Internet, Today! goes back further than yesterday, because weekends.

Last Friday's post did very well, because you probably thought I was quitting.

I was looking at very old Freeman editions the other day, and the front page ad you see above kept showing up and catching my attention, because child labor for poison sticks.

I also ran into 'Prince is a raving lunatic,' and 'Glasco people are very angry,'  because the more things change. 

Yesterday night was the longest night ever except that it wasn't, according to Vox, because good jorb.

Health articles are awful, because clickbait.

Here's a Twitter cat, because cats.

And here's a Google Glass photo, because cats.




Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. Or a long time ago, apparently, because wut.


Friday, December 19, 2014

It's over. No comment.



'Serial' is over, and you'll see many a post around the internets about it. I'm actually on episode 3 so this is all I've got for you:



NO SPOILERS!

'The Colbert Report' is over, and everyone showed up to say goodbye. You'll also see many a post around the internets about it with blah this and blah that, because clicks. It's the Content Wars, after all.


'The Interview' is over and not coming out in any format so of course scenes are leaking out.
The Telegraph has the Kim-Jung un death scene. SPOILER ALERT! He dies.  #sorrynotsorry. It's not like you can go see the movie anyway. And no, you can't see 'Team America' at the theaters, either.


No comment.
I have no comment about SantaCon Kingston taking place today in Uptown starting at 4 p.m.
I made a tutorial (for myself, mostly) on how to post emojis from a desktop PC (works better in Firefox). The Washington Post needs it for 💩. No comment.
In Sweden, people hunt (troll?) trolls. I have many a feels about this. But no comment.
News people make mistakes.  Do we at the Freeman make mistakes? No comment.
I have no comment on this article about online comments because there's no way to post one with the article.
Here's my Christmas tree in 3-D for no reason whatsoever so no comment.
I have no comment about this loud-mouthed Twitter cat.
I have no comment about this Google Glass photo taken in Hudson.



Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. Plus other things, because why not? Anyway it's over now. NO COMMENT.  


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Hipster charm

I have always worked under the impression that 'hipster' was kind of of derogatory term and that if you see one in real life, you have to throw holy water at them and scream "THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!"
But maybe I'm wrong.

Yet another important listicle from an important publication I've never heard of because it's likely just a marketing thing has categorized the Hudson Valley as a place to travel in 2015, because of its  'hipster charm.' I wish I was kidding.

This is all Sari Botton's fault. I'm pretty sure she knows this.
Silver lining: Fodor said it's a place to travel in 2015 and it's still 2014. So, to paraphrase Sari, Get off my lawn.

I was looking for a Clint Eastwood 'get off my lawn' gif but this one's better.



 This narrative won't ever die. I have made peace with that.

So you might as well find out if  you are a Hudson Valley hipster. Of course you're not, you hipster.

Hipster cat:

A photo posted by - Hamilton The Hipster Cat - (@hamilton_the_hipster_cat) on
Hipster Google Glass photo


Are you still reading this? THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved or saw the day before or in the morning. This one is not one of those times. Blame the hipsters.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

How to send emojis from a desktop PC

I've seen this question pop up more than once, and I've wondered about this myself because those are important questions in journalism circles, apparently. Mac users have to just press Comand+Ctrl+Space to access the emoji keyboard. PC users are not so lucky.


I have an emoji keyboard on a mobile device, so I sent myself an email with all of them.

The long way to do it right now is to type the emojis on your phone, send yourself an email, and then send the emojis via your browser, and this won't work in every browser. SO:

Copy and paste the ones you want while using your PC and send them.  They will display differently depending on the device. If your device or browser doesn't support them, you see some garble. Here's a daring thing: Even if it doesn't display on your device, it will display on others, but you won't know what you're sending. Let's just hope you can see the 💩s.

Related: the history of the poop emoji.

Enjoy.


😄😃😊☺️😉😍😘😚😜😝😳
😁😔😌😒😞😣😢😂😭😪😥😰😅😓😩😫😨😱😠😡😤😖😆😋😷😎😵😲😈👿😐😶😇😏👲👳
👮👷💂👶👦👧👨👩👴👵👱👼👸😺😸😻😽😼🙀😿😹😾👹👺🙈🙉🙊💀👽💩
🔥✨🌟💫💥💢💦💧💤💨👂👀👃👅👄👍👎👌👊✊✌️👋✋👐👆👇👉👈🙌🙏☝️
👏💪🚶🏃💃👫👪👬👭💏💑👯🙆🙅💁🙋💆💇💅👰🙎🙍🙇🎩👑👒👟👞👡👠
👢👕👔👚👗🎽👖👘👙💼👜👝👛👓🎀🌂💄💛💙💜💚❤️💔💗💓💕💖💞💘💌💋💍💎👤💬👣

🐶🐺🐱🐭🐹🐰🐸🐯🐨🐻🐷🐽🐮🐗🐵🐒🐴🐑🐘🐼🐧🐦🐤🐥🐣🐔🐍🐢🐛🐝
🐜🐞🐌🐙🐚🐠🐟🐬🐳🐎🐲🐡🐫🐩🐾💐🌸🌷🍀🌹🌻🌺🍁🍃🍂🌿🌾🍄🌵🌴🌰🌱🌼🌑🌓
🌔🌕🌛🌙🌏🌋🌌🌠⭐️☀️⛅️☁️⚡️☔️❄️⛄️🌀🌁🌈🌊

🎍💝🎎🎒🎓🎏🎆🎇🎐🎑🎃👻🎅🎄🎁🎋🎉🎊🎈🎌🔮🎥📷📹📼💿📀💽💾💻
📱☎️📞📟📠📡📺📻🔊🔔📢📣⏳⌛️⏰⌚️🔓🔒🔏🔐🔑🔎💡🔦🔌🔋🔍🛀🚽🔧🔩🔨🚪🚬💣
🔫🔪💊💉💰💴💵💳💸📲📧📥📤✉️📩📨📯📫📪📮📦📝📄📃📑📊📈📉📜
📋📅📆📇📁📂✂️📌📎✒️✏️📏📐📕📗📘📙📓📔📒📚📖🔖📛📰🎨🎬🎤
🎧🎼🎵🎶🎹🎻🎺🎷🎸👾🎮🃏🎴🀄️🎲🎯🏈🏀⚽️⚾️🎾🎱🎳⛳️🏁🏆🎿🏂🏊🏄🎣☕️🍵🍶
🍼🍺🍻🍸🍹🍷🍴🍕🍔🍟🍗🍖🍝🍛🍤🍱🍣🍥🍙🍘🍚🍜🍲🍢🍡🍳🍞🍩🍮🍦🍨🍧🎂🍰🍪🍫
🍬🍭🍯🍎🍏🍊🍒🍇🍉🍓🍑🍈🍌🍍🍠🍆🍅🌽

🏠🏡🏫🏢🏣🏥🏦🏪🏩🏨💒⛪️🏬🌇🌆🏯🏰⛺️🏭🗼🗾🗻🌄🌅🌃🗽🌉🎠🎡⛲️🎢🚢⛵️🚤⚓️🚀✈️💺🚉
🚄🚅🚇🚃🚌🚙🚗🚕🚚🚨🚓🚒🚑🚲💈🚏🎫🚦🚥⚠️🚧🔰⛽️🏮🎰♨️🗿🎪🎭📍🚩
🔟🔢#⃣🔣⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️🔠🔡🔤↗️↖️↘️↙️↔️↕️🔄◀️▶️🔼🔽↩️↪️ℹ️⏪⏩⏫⏬⤵️⤴️🆗🆕🆙
🆒🆓🆖📶🎦🈁🈯️🈳🈵🈴🈲🉐🈹🈺🈶🈚️🚻🚹🚺🚼🚾🅿️♿️🚭🈷🈸🈂Ⓜ️🉑㊙️
㊗️🆑🆘🆔🚫🔞📵⛔️✳️❇️❎✅✴️💟🆚📳📴🅰🅱🆎🅾💠➿♻️♈️♉️♊️♋️♌️♍️♎️♏️♐️♑
️♒️♓️⛎🔯🏧💹💲💱©®™❌‼️⁉️❗️❓❕❔⭕️🔝🔚🔙🔛🔜🔃🕛🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕🕖🕗🕘🕙🕚
🕦✖️➕➖➗♠️♥️♣️♦️💮💯✔️☑️🔘🔗➰〰〽️🔱◼️◻️◾️◽️▪️▫️🔺🔲🔳⚫️⚪️🔴🔵🔻⬜️⬛️🔶🔷🔸🔹



What worked in 2014 (and what didn't) and what we should strive for in 2015 in journalism

The first Twitter chat I held (then called #jrcchat) took place on Dec. 21, 2010.

To celebrate this unlikely milestone, today's #DFMchat will revisit the very first topic covered then, to then be able to highlight how far we've come.


SO! We're talking what worked for this year; what didn't! (share the pain, so we don't have to go though the same); and hopes and wishlist for 2015. Bring your links!

The feed is posted below. You can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.


Fave all the things


Today is a day for favorites.

Favorite news of the day:
"The United States and Cuba will start talks on normalizing full diplomatic relations..." after realizing the Cold War has been over for a long time? Doesn't matter. I'll take it.

C-SPAN is now my favorite channel. You go, Mom.

Favorite tweet:





Favorite journalism prediction for 2015 that already will never happen: Buzzfeed will hire a public editor.


That was fast.

Favorite reader of this blog.


Favorite twitter cat: As if you didn't already know.

Favorite Google Glass photo: 



I used it in the quiz you didn't take.

Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, fave or saw the day before or in the morning. 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Randomness in internets


"New York Mag’s Boy Genius Investor Made It All Up"  and New York mag is sorry on its front page so props for that, at least. If you hadn't heard about any of this, you're doing it right.

The lesson? Americans are apparently OK with torture. 
Of others.

You know what can be torturous sometimes?: Online comments.

But let's just put this out there: If a news site tells you they care about your comments and then they close comments, they don't care about your comments.

I care about your comments. Except for this comment. This comment is garb (Comments on this blog are un-moderated, btw, and you haven't abused it yet so high-five all around).

Talking about garbage, there's a lot of garb data, Jacob Harris reminds us not in 40 charts.

Randomness in publishing: 
Factoid: Chris Hughes is the owner of The New Republic and has a home in Shokan. So this is local news, fwiw:
What would happened if there were to be a magazine about one magazine's implosion?

Inception.

That would be a terrible publication.

A great publication would be The Racket. So of course it doesn't exist.

Randomness in gif:
The other day I sent an old gif to a stranger.
You can have it too:



Randomness in winter

There's a new 'Game of Thrones' teaser trailer but I can't seem to get it. Maybe you can.

Winter is coming, indeed. To the Hudson Valley. In quiz format.

Randomness in Twitter cat:



Randomness in Google Glass photo:



Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, fave or saw the day before or in the morning. I have an ifttt recipe that puts all the links on a spreadsheet to make this easier and that's the reason I'm writing these: To see if I can eventually make sense of what I push out on a daily basis.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Are you ready for winter in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills?


Winter is the region is pretty, but also hard. Can you handle it?

Bad Santa, Good Santas


Not much happened online lately, but only if you're me and don't internet on the weekends much.
Here are some random links anyway.

My Twitter dad Steve Buttry is a classy guy and very brave.
The Knight Foundation is my spirit animal.
This Santa is so horrible I can't even. 
But these Santas are awesome so there's hope.
Remember kids, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the speech, etc., therefore you can't park here.


Today's Journalism predictions: Written by robot. 


Today's Twitter Cat (I can't believe I forgot to add a cat on Friday):



Yesterday's Internet, Today! is a quasi-feature in which I throw in a bunch of links I tweeted, faved, or saw the day before or in the morning. Or the weekend. My gf says this makes no sense.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Yesterday's Internet, today!


Happy Friday!
Not you, Greenpeace, you suck. 
 
Welcome to 'Yesterday's Internet,' a new and probably soon to be discontinued feature in which I pass on to you the links I ran into yesterday on the twitters and try to string them together like the Downtown Kingston lights seen above. 
Can this be done coherently? Of course not! But this is the Internets, so:

This week's in OOPS!


TODAY'S JOURNO'S JAERB: The Center for Investigative Reporting is seeking a community manager with, "A strong opinion on the pronunciation of “GIF." 

It's pronounced "GIF," obvs.

The Daily Freeman's 2014 Holiday Lights tour is out and there's a cat and other Easter Eggs and if you're too lazy to look it here it is

That wasn't that hard to follow, now, was it? 
Whatevs! MOLOTOV, everyone!

 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Experimentation in journalism

There will be failures. But what did you learn?
Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon, Eastern Time.

Today we are talking experimentation in journalism. "I don't have time!" You say. Nobody does! So let's figure out how to do it in a manageable way while getting the most out of it. Also, expect some failures! "So why?" Good question! BRING IT! Also, bring your other insights, links and your #REALTALK.

The feed is posted below. You can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Reframing Google Glass and journalism


A Kingston police officer uses Google Glass.
"Google Glass — the high-tech wearable augmented reality device— has the potential to reshape journalism for both consumers and producers."
I wrote that in Sept. 2013.

Does that hold up today?

Well, yes, if the operative word is potential. And no, if you're looking for current device applications.

Let me explain.

Google Glass is very much a beta tool today, even after many updates and upgrades — and the current version will likely stay that way. It's clunky looking and still has a poor battery life (though that's being worked on, according to the Wall Street Journal).

And yes, it has a PR problem.

But hilarious "Daily Show" takedows aside, as a journalist, my real concern is with the device's usefulness for doing and consuming stories and experiences, along with whatever ethical implications that might arise from them.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Linking as ethical journalism

Journalists, members of Digital First Media and pretty much everyone else who wants to - are going to be taking part on the weekly Twitter chat at noon, Eastern Time.

Today's chat tackles links and linking as ethical journalism. (h/t Steve Buttry). How do you encourage the practice to your journalists. How does it help? What are the best practices? BUT! How much is too much? (or, is there even such as thing as too much linking?)
 Bring your insights, links (obvs) and your #REALTALK.

The feed is posted below. You can also check out past chats over here.

If you want to chime in, post a comment in the container or a tweet with the hashtag "#dfmchat" so it can automatically appear below.