New Year, new friend

My family is anxiously anticipating the arrival of our new puppy January 5. He's a golden retriever, our fourth in the last 18 years. No name yet but I'll post a photo of his arrival and his name.

Media Bias

Acknowledgement of bias within the mainstream media runs the gamut from vehement and absolute denial to smug acceptance. Several studies have documented the fact that the media's credibility is declining. This UCLA study tries to measure the amount of bias.
A teeter-totter seemed appropriate to illustrate the imbalance. Some have criticized the study for showing Drudge and the Wall Street Journal as left of center. Those critics probably haven't read the whole report (pdf) for the author's explanations.

The first GraphicLens graphic

The point we tried to make, probably too subtly, was that the earthquake in Pakistan, extremely tragic though it is, provided an opportunity to broaden perspectives in an area where Islamic terrorism breeds.

Why Scribbling Monk

The world is in the midst of what many believe is the most significant media reformation since Gutenberg invented moveable type. Before Gutenberg, monks transcribed important texts at great expense. Who can really afford to hire or maintain monks? So only the very rich, mostly the Catholic church, had access to publishing the written word.

Today the mainstream media are like monks a few years after Gutenberg. They can either embrace the new technology and the market changes that come with it or ...
... not.

I am one of the journalist monks who is actively encouraging adaptation from within the little MSM monastery where I scribe, or more precisely, edit photos and graphics. This blog and a business site, GraphicLens, a joint effort with my son-in-law and wife, are where I participate in the new media order.

Appreciating what's up

This is where I work. Some people complain that it's flat on the Plains. That's one dimensional thinking. The sky is one of the best features on the plains.