Michael Crichton, Vindicated

Seeded on Mon Jun 2, 2008 10:22 PM EDT (Slate)

In 1993, novelist Michael Crichton riled the news business with a Wired magazine essay titled "Mediasaurus," in which he prophesied the death of the mass media—specifically the New York Times and the commercial networks. "Vanished, without a trace," he wrote.

michael-crichton, mass-media

Google Wants to Facebook Friend You - TIME

Seeded on Tue May 13, 2008 8:17 PM EDT (TIME)

Upping the stakes in its ongoing battle with the popular social network, Google announced today that it was getting into the "social plumbing" business — giving every website a way to add a limitless number of applications and a means for those sites' users to communicate among …

technology, google, facebook, openid, online-community

Will Newspapers Be First Against the Wall?

Seeded on Tue May 13, 2008 2:19 AM EDT ()

Recent discussions about the impact of technology on politics and the media have raised more questions than they've answered, writes Jason Wilson

big-media, internet, public-sphere, journalism, news, media, communicaitons, meaa

google-blurs-the-boundaries-for-privacy

Seeded on Tue May 13, 2008 1:45 AM EDT (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Google has rolled out a new technology which automatically blurs any human face appearing in street-level photographs taken for use in its mapping services by its fleet of camera-mounted vehicles.

technology, google, maps, privacy, google-maps, google-earth

Media Democracy on the March

Seeded on Sun May 11, 2008 10:32 PM EDT (Adbusters: The Magazine)

In his 1983 treatise, The Media Monopoly, Ben Bagdikian warned that 50 multinationals, "all interlocked in common financial interest with other massive industries and with a few dominant international banks," controlled the majority of the leading outlets.

politics, media-monopoly, big-media, election, news-corporation, time-warner, walt-disney, viacom, clear-channel-communications

Don't Be Evil or don't lose value?

Seeded on Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:36 PM EDT (The Sydney Morning Herald)

As Google comes under ever increasing scrutiny for the power it has over our lives, the web giant is tiptoeing back from its long-held corporate motto, Don't Be Evil.

technology, google, marissa-mayer, search, internet

Fairfax unveils youth news website

Seeded on Mon Apr 7, 2008 10:01 PM EDT (The Age)

Generation Y is the focus of an Australian news website launched today.

entertainment, fairfax, youth, news

Push US to sign Kyoto: Opposition

Seeded on Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:06 PM EDT (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

But this morning Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt said Mr Rudd should also urge the US to follow Australia's lead and sign Kyoto.

politics, environment, climate-change, rudd, bush, australia, kyoto

Aussies still hooked on plastic bags: report

Seeded on Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:36 PM EDT (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A leaked report prepared for the Federal Government has revealed that the use of plastic shopping bags in Australia increased by almost 1 billion last year.

environment, conservation, plastic-bags, australia, sustainability, federal-environment-minister-peter-garrett

Candidates@Google: Barack Obama

Seeded on Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:18 AM EDT (YouTube)

Barack Obama talking to Google staff at the Googleplex.

politics, barack-obama, google

Portrait of John Howard as an Arab entered into Archibald

Seeded on Sun Mar 9, 2008 5:12 PM EDT (livenews.com.au)

A Syrian-born artist who says he loves John Howard has entered a portrait of the former prime minister dressed as an Arab into the Archibald prize.

politics, john-howard, archibald

Businesswomen question 2020 panel mix

Seeded on Tue Feb 26, 2008 12:14 AM EST (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Actress Cate Blanchett is the only woman named as part of the Government-appointed 10-member panel that will choose people to attend the summit in April.

politics, australia, federal-governement-2020-summit

Costello blew it

Seeded on Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:20 PM EST (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Article about the ABC TV's Four Corners episode tonight, in which former key players shed light on the death throes of the Howard government.

politics, howard, australia, costello, downer, minchin, hockey, mclachlan

ACCC gets tough on enviro-friendly labels

Seeded on Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:42 PM EST (The Sydney Morning Herald)

COMPANIES that make misleading green and environmentally friendly claims for their products could face fines of up to $1.1 million, the Government's consumer watchdog has warned.

accc, environment, green, saab, holden, pine-o-clean, wondersoft

Bits: Google Tests Video Ads on Search Results Pages

Seeded on Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:05 AM EST (The New York Times)

Until now, advertisers could only buy short blocks of text on Google's search results page. On Thursday, the site started testing ads that also include video clips. It is looking at graphic ads and those with interactive maps as well.

nytimes, search, google, advertising

Ancient tensions fail to mar apology

Seeded on Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:42 PM EST (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Dr Nelson spent the first half of his speech apologising for the removal of Aboriginal children, and the second half implicitly suggesting that there should be more of it today.

politics, australia, apology, sorry, aborigine, rudd, nelson, labor, liberal

Nelson comments draw ire

Seeded on Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:20 PM EST (Australian News Network)

THE long-awaited apology was finally delivered but comments made by Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson raised the ire of some of the crowd. Inside Parliament House, members of the stolen generation wept as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the Sorry motion.

politics, nelson, liberal, australia, sorry, aborigines, apology, reconciliation, stolen-generations, rudd

White bread for young minds, says university professor

Seeded on Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:20 PM EST (The Times)

Google is "white bread for the mind", and the internet is producing a generation of students who survive on a diet of unreliable information, a professor of media studies will claim this week.

education, google, university, tara-brabazon, university-of-brighton, search

Tiinker is Like a Personal Digg for Feeds

Seeded on Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:33 PM EST (Life Hacker)

News feed aggregator tiinker aims to help those feeling overwhelmed by their news portals and their own feed readers chop down their lists.

news-agregator, tiinker, digg, news

Market life returns to Iraqi city after US, insurgent battles

Seeded on Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:27 PM EST (Yahoo! News)

RAMADI, Iraq (AFP) - Stallholders and shoppers in Ramadi's Ma'Laab market all agree that business is getting better. What they can't agree on is whether the US troops who walk past them should stay or go.

world-news, bush, iraq, troops, baghdad, ramadi

Playgrounds for Data: Inspiration from NYTimes.com Interactives

Seeded on Wed Jan 9, 2008 5:40 PM EST (User Interface Engineering)

Jared M.

technology, nytimes, interactive-media, interactives, newspapers, usability, experience, jared-spool

Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason - TIME

Seeded on Sun Jan 6, 2008 6:32 AM EST (TIME)

It is too easy—and too partisan—to simply place the blame on the policies of President George W. Bush. We are all responsible for the decisions our country makes. We have a Congress. We have an independent judiciary. We have checks and balances. We are a nation of laws.

politics, al-gore, the-assault-on-reason, usa, democracy

A World Consumed by Guilt

Seeded on Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:57 PM EST (The New York Times)

After factoring in the fabrics used in clothes and how they were produced, the real benefits of soy versus organic cotton versus recycled polyester may be slight, or confusing, or quite possibly misleading.

nytimes, fashion, apparel, environment, jeans-apparel

The Upside Down Under

Seeded on Tue Dec 4, 2007 6:31 PM EST (Adbusters: The Magazine)

Wow! Tough read as an Australian to hear this perspective penned.

politics, australia, culture

Rudd victory speech

Seeded on Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:26 AM EST (Labor Party Website)

Rudd declared victory, wished the out going team well, glowed quite a bit, outlined his key promises and said he would roll up his sleeves and get right to work....

politics, rudd, australia, speech

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