Media Mindfulness

I view media as a kind of ecosystem, and it’s axiomatic that ecosystems require diversity to survive. So when I hear that small Internet radio stations might be squeezed by bad legislation, it concerns me greatly. Please read and take action immediately by following the link below.
Take Action: Rescue Internet Radio:
Online music is in danger. [...]

Yet again the new cultural practices of kids are getting demonized by left and right. Geeze, adults can be so lame sometimes. One article in particularly really got under my skin, “Mirror, Mirror on the Web” by Lakshmi Chaudhry. She thinks kids are too narcissistic. This is how I responded in my letter to The [...]

Five Questions for Jeff Chester - 2/5/2007 - Multichannel News:
MCN: Isn’t the Internet already about as commercialized as it could be?
JC: But the Internet and all digital media is on the verge of a major transformation. It will be able to better deliver these multimedia, virtual-reality enriched, precision ads. And it will be ubiquitous on [...]

An interesting interview with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales:
Wikipedia Founder on the Web’s Evolution - Newsweek Technology - MSNBC.com:
What’s the next big thing on the Web?

There’s this very overused phrase of Web 2.0, and now people are getting so sick of it that they’re starting to talk of Web 3.0, but I don’t think they really [...]

Independent Online Edition > Business News:
The internet video site YouTube says it plans to start sharing its revenue with users. Chad Hurley, co-founder of the site, said YouTube is working on developing ways for its users, who upload videos on to the site, to be paid for the content they have created.

Technorati Tags: YouTube

Sphere: Related [...]

While I agree with the sentiment of this Second LIfe parody (it makes a fine point about being engaged with your physical reality), I still think it’s a false dichotomy to say one world is real and the other is virtual. It’s all real, and what happens in computer space and non-electronic space influence and [...]

“Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy” (Jeff Chester)
I’ve mentioned Jeff Chester before. He has done remarkable work on the issue of media mergers and mass marketing. His darkest views focus on the “brandwashing” of America, but he also has innovative ideas for a progressive media, which are highlighted in the following Alternet [...]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWt0XUocViE

The folks at Save the Internet have released this nicely produced video into the googlesphere that explains the issues of “net neutrality.” Granted , this is not an objective presentation of the materials, but I still like how the CEOs of communications companies are portrayed as aliens. If you are convinced that you should take [...]

(Art by the amazing eBoy collective)
The article is called “Media Threat,” which is a terrible choice of words because everything the article is about concerns new media. Just because it’s interactive doesn’t mean it’s not media. And though interactive, social media my threaten old models, it doesn’t mean they are a threat per se. However, [...]

A hacker manifesto:
Science Addiction » 95 Theses of Geek Activism:
1. Reclaim the term ‘hacker’. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term.
2. [...]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uw6R3TkRf4

Could this be the future of reading? ZAP Reader takes your text and flashes it quickly so you don’t need to move your eyes. This is a little like the idea I had when I was a kid to take a “book pill” to save the time it takes to read. I don’t know if [...]

Interesting essay on the future of our information world. Here are some highlights:
TidBITS: Peering into the Future of the Infosphere:
Using these concepts, my basic claim can now be formulated thus: digital information and communication technologies are radically reshaping the very nature of the infosphere, and therein lies the source of some of the most profound [...]

I had a chance to see Center for Digital Democracy’s Jeff Chester at the ACME Summit and I think he is way ahead of the curve in understanding what is really happening with the convergence between new digital media technology and mega-media corporations. His talk was chilling and got me to reconsider my participation [...]

Adage’s Jonah Bloom has an interesting column in which he discusses David Verklin’s lecture circuit. Though I think futurism is kind of dumb (I’m more into “nowism”), I like the question he asks: What is your favorite future? Read on:
Advertising Age - Learning to Love Change: What’s Your Favorite Future?:
As a journalist, my favorite future [...]

I guess the Marine training that equates a hard-on with a deadly weapon translates well to the optical unconsciousness. At FreeVideoBlog soldiers are posting their combat footage (and in other cases doing things as mundane as doing BMX bike tricks in the middle of a vacant desert). Some of the clips are straightforward sad, with [...]

Interesting NYT article on how TV distribution might be migrating to the Internet. Def. a trend to watch for, especially if you are an independent artist:
As Internet TV Aims at Niche Audiences, the Slivercast Is Born - New York Times:

“In the last six months, major media companies have received much attention for starting to move [...]