Newsflash!!! Hold the presses. This just in: we now have incontrovertible evidence that Republicans approve of our Prez, Democrats don’t, and Independents aren’t sure. It took the resources of both Slate Magazine and researchers MediaCurves to divine this world-shaking new data; ie, here’s how researchers spend their and their focus group members’ time:
Is everyone else waking up to spams titled “USA Missle Strike: Iran War just have started” (sic) and such? The eems have malware attached, like “News.exe” and “Movie.exe.” Haven’t a clue what it does (on a Mac, doncha know), but ya gotta admit its email subject is a clever bit of social-engineering to get you to click. Though, even after all these years, “Nude Anna Kournikova pics” still works around here.
BTW, while I’m being divergent, have you heard a Texas Hold ‘Em hand: Ace-King (AK), aka, Big Slick, is now also aka, Anna Kournikova, for its initials but mainly cuz “it looks good, but hardly ever wins.”
This Iran/Missile/War/USA malware spam must be new. Not even on Snopes yet.
Happy Easter Everybody. Watch your back:
Wanna see how a turntablist turntables? Here’s Kid Koala — who does indeed look like a kid:
Found at WFMU’s Beware of the Blog.
The fine folks at Duke’s Ctr for Doc Studies asked me to compile a short list of resources for learning radio. It was for some workshops I did at their annual Documentary Happening. This is the list…
–>MUST SEE/READ: Watch Ira’s training vid, read Jeff’s ProTools primer. These are two concise yet comprehensive production guides…
Ira Glass- Current TV: Storytelling (15min video):
http://www.current.tv/studio/survivalguide/?section=storytelling&sub1=interviews&sub2=glass
Jeff Towne- Transom Tools: A Beginners Guide to Pro Tools (primer):
http://www.transom.org/tools/editing_mixing/200610_guide_to_pro_tools/
–>SHOULD READ- TRANSOM REVIEWS: Transom.org Guests’ posts are littered with pubradio insight. Here’s some of my favorite excerpts from their discussions…
Larry Massett- In Search of Aliens (online discussion)
http://www.transom.org/guests/review/200203.review.massett.html
Robert Krulwich- Why I Love Radio (online discussion)
http://www.transom.org/guests/review/200211.review.krulwich.html
Scott Carrier- Running After Antelope (online discussion)
http://www.transom.org/guests/review/200104.review.scarrier.html
Nancy Updike- Better Writing Through Radio (online discussion)
http://www.transom.org/guests/review/200601_nancy_updike/
–>BASICS: Some stripped down primers on pubradio production (a couple written for kids)…
Sound Portraits- Record Your Own Radio Documentary (primer)
http://www.soundportraits.org/education/how_to_record/
Radio Diaries- Teen Reporter’s Handbook (primer)
http://radiodiaries.org/makeyourown.html
Stories1st- How To Produce A Doc- Part 1 & Part 2
This American Life- How To Get On (submission guidelines)
http://thislife.org/pages/faq_extras/howtogeton.html
Transom: Tools: Katie Davis- Shout Out! A Kid’s Guide to Recording Stories (primer)
http://www.transom.org/tools/basics/200501.shoutout.kdavis.html
–>TOOLS: Send (ftp) files for broadcast as uncompressed .wav or encoded .mp2 — do not broadcast or produce w/ mp3s if possible; use mp3 for audition only…
PRX- Member Tools; free mp2 encoder & FTP clents (software)
http://wiki.prx.org/display/HELP/encode+and+upload
Apple- iTunes; a great soundfile format converter & soundfile organizer (software)
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
AIR (Assoc. of Independents in Radio)- Pitch Page (submission guidelines)
http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=21
–>THIRD COAST SESSIONS: The annual 3rdCoast Conference is, from a producer pov, da bomb. Listen to a few of my fave hours from past confs…
Nancy Updike- Die, Mediocrity, Die! (1 hr conference session audio)
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/annual_conference_2006_sessions.asp#diemediocritydie
David Kestenbaum- Explaining the World in Four Minutes (1 hr conference session audio)
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/annual_conference_2005.asp#id16
Robert Krulwich- These are a Few of My Favorite Things (1 hr conference session audio)
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/annual_conference_2006_sessions.asp#favoritethings
Chris Brookes- Ways of Hearing (1 hr conference session audio)
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/annual_conference_2003_sessions.asp#id11
Joe Richman- The Invisible Narrator (1 hr conference session audio)
http://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/annual_conference_2006_sessions.asp#invisiblenarrator
links last checked 2007.01.20
Turns out these Peabody Awards are an august affair. Here’s a clip from last year’s ceremony:
(by David Revoy)
We just heard one of our specials got a Peabody Award. The award is named for Mr. Peabody of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame. For us to win both moose and squirrel must’ve pulled rabbits out of their hats.
Really, tho, this is a huge deal and honor for us at HV. Our winning special was “Crossing Borders.”
A new vid from rx, one of the best pol cut-up artist out there. This one’s “to honor mlk, on the anniversary of his assassination”:
I bought his album, but if youse a cheapskate, he’s got free mp3s, like GWB doin’ “Imagine”:
I just came across this post about a Fox News Poll by Eric Kleefeld while reading the Talking Points Memo and couldn’t help reposting.
“You’ve got to check out the questions in the latest Fox News poll. They’re hilariously loaded — so much so, in fact, they are as clear a case study as anybody could possibly want that:
(a) Poll questions can be skillfully rigged to bring about a desired outcome; and
(b) Fox News specializes in asking such questions, especially on issues that could be damaging to President Bush and the GOP.
Check out these questions, and their responses. Fox’s artful wordings elicited the exact opposite findings of other, more reputable polls on questions involving the Attorney Purge and the Iraq War:
Do you think a Congressional investigation into the dismissal of the eight federal prosecutors is a good use of taxpayer money?
Yes 39%
No 51%
And:
Who do you trust more to decide when U.S. troops should leave Iraq — U.S. military commanders or Members of Congress?
Commanders 69%
Members of Congress 18%
Note the absence in the above question of the word “Bush.”
There’s also this little gem:
After the 2004 presidential election, the president of the left-wing Moveon.org political action committee made the following comment about the Democratic Party, ‘In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the Party doesn’t need corporate cash to be competitive. Now it’s our Party: we bought it, we own it and we’re going to take it back.’ Do you think the Democratic Party should allow a grassroots organization like Moveon.org to take it over or should it resist this type of takeover?
Should allow 16%
Should resist 61%”
There’s a new entry at Wikipedia for radio innovator (NPR, ATC, Soundprint, Fresh Air) Bill Siemering. Said Bill in NPR’s first mission statement (1970): “The total service should be trustworthy, enhance intellectual development, expand knowledge, deepen aural esthetic enjoyment, increase the pleasure of living in a pluralistic society and result in a service to listeners which makes them more responsive, informed human beings and intelligent responsible citizens of their communities and the world.” (Wikipedia post by Program Doctor.)
This week’s HV cast is a Scott Carrier story about Fritz the dog. Fritz loves to play Frisbee. He still catches it most of the time, though not as much as he used to… before he went blind. “Blind Dog” (mp3 4:22):
WASHINGTON, April 2 — In one of its most important environmental decisions in years, the Supreme Court ruled today that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions.
The court further ruled that the agency cannot sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it can provide a scientific basis for its refusal.
Gotta be a late April Fool’s joke with this court or are even the Supremes giving Bush da finga now?
And speaking of mashups, my fave are by Go Home Productions (Mark Vidler). I like ’em best when the mashed musics make emotionally moving new combos, like in GHP’s “Uptight Maggie” (Stevie Wonder/Rod Stewart):
GHP has been part of several of our Plans. “Strung Out King” (ElvisP rant w/ The Farm music) is a crowd pleaser:
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s former interaction with the press:
Source: CBS Late Night with Craig Ferguson.
NPR is ever more desperate for funds, and now has a new, somewhat shady sponsor:
(Check the date.) Sponsor message ran at end of this story: NPR- Have Cell Phone Rings Gone Too Far . BTW, that version of “NY, NY” in that NPR story is Wendy Mae Chambers on her Car Horn Organ:
The future is here, and it’s hand-held, packing deadly force, and posting videos. The military’s Multi-National Force – Iraq has it’s own YouTube channel. Here’s American and Iraqi infantry in a Baghdad Firefight, March 2007:
The Army is there too, and at Flickr. (Read CJR Daily report.) We have met the enemy, and he is you-tubed.
A new HV story by Queena Kim airs this weekend on NPR Latino USA— Every Saturday, hundreds of Latino immigrants pilgrimage to Our Lady The Queen of the Angels, Los Angeles’ oldest mission Church, to get their baby’s baptized. The Church baptizes fifty babies an hour — more than three hundred every Saturday. Unlike other churches, Our Lady doesn’t require parents or godparents to take classes beforehand. All you do is sign-up. Abel Salas walks us through “the McDonald’s of Baptism.” (5:20 mp3):
The United States Department of Justice is searching for qualified applicants to fill an anticipated vacancy in our highest office. Apply now to be the next Attorney General! Qualified applicants will have a law degree from an approved Bible college and will need to pass an ideology check. No applicants with paper, e-mail or other trails need apply. The Department of Justice is an Loyal Opportunity Employer.
You’ve heard a Ninja explain podcasts, why not an 88 year-old granma on mashups– “Now, before we get our freak on, we need to match up our beats.” (found at WFMU’s BOTB):
Mad props and prunes to DJ Sue Teller (viral marketer?); check out her-space.