Posts tagged with Lifestyle
The Newspaper of Tomorrow?
This morning I nuked a cup of coffee, threw on my jacket and grabbed the Sunday newspaper, which was a tiny drift under a snowy drive. Scanning the newspaper has been one of my favorite ways to relax before facing the hubbub of the day.
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Tossing a section aside to refill my cup, I wondered how long it would be before I would be substituting an Apple iPad or some other clone tablet in place of my favored newsprint.
Paul Gillin, technology journalist and online publisher of Newspaper Death Watch, estimates that 95% of American major metropolitan newspapers will meet their doom as a result of the major shifts taking place in the digital media world.
With the improvements in technology (the cell phone is a good example) and the emergence of online vehicles, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, bloggers often preempt traditional news sources on major news stories.
We’re at a crossroads and the news for traditional newspaper syndicates isn’t necessarily bad. On the one side are over 100 million people reporting in some form as citizen journalists, though many may lack the basic journalistic skills necessary to provide balanced accounts. On the other side are professional journalists treading the turbulent waters of digital convergence, which is learning to combine different forms of journalism: print, photographic and video, into one piece or group of pieces.
So how will we harness the reach of citizen journalists with the balanced accounting of professional journalists? When will the two converge into a new paradigm? What will that paradigm look like?
As for me, I’m about to roll up the paper and gently shoo the cat off the kitchen counter.
A Bit of Pork for the Middle Class
$700 billion for the government's proposed banking bailout? Not sure I'm comfortable with the idea just yet. After all, the 1989 bailout of the savings-and-loan industry plunged the stock market by 12 percent and placed the economy into an eight-month recession. http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e..., the presidential candidates assure us that there will be conditions on this loan sort of a bipartisan promise to hold Wall Street accountable with our money. So as a taxpayer, I'd like to earmark a portion of this loan with a few conditions of my own. Call it salted pork for the middle class.1.$1,100 - Season Chiefs Tickets, Club Level Sideline Select.Not sure I'd actually go to any games, but I would take out-of-town relatives to bolster pride in their home team, the Detroit Lions.2.$3,000 - Lawrence Arts Center Membership, Patron Level. I probably wouldn't do much with this other than tout I'm a patron of the arts to those same out-of-town guests.3.$299.50 - Ronco Dial-O-Matic Food Slicer (x10).I'd never buy this with my own money, but I think Ron Popeil has earned enough of my respect that I would send some of the government's money his way. I'd want 10 sets because I would hate to clean this sucker after each use. Better to hose it down and sell at a garage sale. And then the next time I felt the urge to slice and dice fruits and vegetables to the perfect thickness, I'd just go to my basement and open another Dial-O-Matic Food Slicer. And yes, I would save one to give away as a wedding present to some distant relative.4.$1,790 - Case Economy White Ping Pong Balls 1440 Count (x10) AND $799.84 Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingos (x32).We live in a corner lot that seems to attract dog owners who feel compelled to let their Fidos poop on our lawn. I'd set the flamingos throughout the yard along with the ping pong balls, and then wait while seated in a lawn chair. When someone came by with their pooch, I'd stand and wildly implore them to leave as quickly and quietly as possible, less they disturb any fledgling Flamingos from hatching.5.$500 - Work Uniforms.I want only a few of these to use when I want time off with pay from work. For example, around 2:00 P.M. on a Friday, I'd put on my fire fighters uniform and rush for the exit door shouting, "A volunteer's duty is always at call." Or, I might throw on some surgical scrubs around lunchtime midweek and explain that one of my clients had his kneecaps stolen and they require immediate replacement. Anyway, work uniforms aid a perfect ruse, especially during the summer months when the weather is fine.Let's call this a starter list for under 8 grand, less than .000001 % 0f the total bailout.Hey, I think it's only fair that we provide the middle class with a bit of luxury as we bail out yet another round of financial greed. Think of it as a reminder of the discretionary income we use to have during the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history.Reference AReference B
Treasure Hunt No. 3 “Non omne quod nitet aurum est”
Hey, it's okay: I don't speak Latin either. It means, "not all that shines is gold."But don't tell that to Prospector Pete. He's hiding somewhere in a Lawrence park where he's sitting on a pile of GOLD! (Fool's gold, that is.) http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e...'s why some folks call him Pyrite Pete behind his back. Solve the riddle and Pete's your new best buddy. Use him as a paper weight for your office or place him on your nightstand as an object lesson.My first treasure hunt, which posted on May 10, 2008, lasted only six days. Three pirate scalawags, Mike Limburg, Megan Hawman and Alex Hawman, found several British coins sequestered in a silver case in Centennial Park. The second treasure trove contained faux jewelry. Unfortunately, I made the riddle a bit obscure and placed the treasure near some poison ivy and indigent campers. Go figure. Anyway, those same scalawags who solved the first hunt were close on the trail of the second one, and one of them (a.k.a., Beerdrinkingfool) eventually found it.This brings us to number three, which glitters like gold.The Ground Rules are the same: - The treasure is hidden somewhere in Lawrence on property the public can access - The treasure is placed no higher than four feet off the ground - It will not be buried, though it could be under leaves, sticks or some other object easily moved - If you have questions, post them to the blog - If the treasure remains undiscovered, a new clue will be posted each week until it is discovered - Remember to have fun. When you solve the riddle and find the treasure, please take a picture with you at the location and email to me at dave_lig@hotmail.com. I will post it along with a bevy of accolades for out performing everyone else in the hunt. Here's your riddle:Take haventhen down 28gaze Southno Jester holds court herebut Pete doeshis panningbeyond the keyon the sylvan edgeold fool!GOOD LUCK and keep us posted on your progress!
Dollar Angst in Europe
With crude oil rising and the dollar falling, I knew my business trip to Europe would be expensive. I had no idea; however, that a few tourist items for the kids would total £49 at London Heathrow ($100), or that a glass of house white on the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen would be 45 kr ($9.50). (That would be wine served on the sailors' "naughty side" to the north.)http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... goodness both Britain and Denmark discourage gratuities. Apparently their service workers are paid better than their American counterparts at least that's what I was told and how I have now rationalized it. Tomorrow we leave for a corporate training site in Margretetrop, Sweden, which is euphemistically described as a "sequestered venue in the Swedish countryside." I think I'll take advantage of the rural location to catch my own lutefisk for the week, if only to save enough American dollars for the taxi back to the airport, about 250 kr. ($42). I'm not bumming yet, though. I have portioned off enough dollars in my socks for my return to Lawrence, where I am planning to celebrate solvency with an El Mezcal burrito and margarita for under $10.
Treasure Hunt Part Duex (All Clues)
In lieu of Beerdrinkingfool's comment, I'm releasing all clues. If you want to make a final check, please do and email me if you find it. If not, it's a lesson learned on selecting future treasure sites.Keepers of six ("Keepers of the Universe" with six blocks beneath at Burcham Park.)http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... twenty and four http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... are 24 parking blocks. Enter the path between the 20th and 21st blocks.)Past four Who are severed http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... stony tongue Juts to drink http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... two roads diverge Which did he take? http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... took the road less worn - to the right.)Stop to mourn the fallen http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... treasure is near (It's to the left of the fallen limb about a foot off the trail and a foot above, in a tree hole covered with leaves.)Hey, if this hunt is a bust...I'll do another in mid to late June. Open to your suggestions, too.
Treasure Hunt Part Duex
Ready for another hunt? Looking for a bit of family bonding over the summer break? Good. I've stashed another modest treasure somewhere in Lawrence for you to find. My first treasure hunt, which posted on May 10, 2008, lasted only six days. Three pirate scalawags, Mike Limburg, Megan Hawman and Alex Hawman, found several British coins sequestered in a silver case in Centennial Park. This next treasure trove contains a faux pearl necklace, a faux water-pearl bracelet, a lucky four-leaf clover bracelet, and a jade pendent:http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... of which are ensconced in a beautiful metal and tinted glass Via Vermont TM jewelry case. http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... Ground Rules are similar to the first huntï¶The treasure is hidden somewhere in Lawrence on property the public can accessï¶The treasure will be placed no higher than four feet off the groundï¶It will not be buried, though it could be under leaves, sticks or some other object easily movedï¶If you have questions, post them to the blogï¶If the treasure remains undiscovered, a new clue will be posted each week until it is discoveredï¶Remember to have fun. My goal is to keep it simple and safeWhen you solve the riddle and find the treasure, please take a picture with you at the location and email to me at dave_lig@hotmail.com. I will post it along with a bevy of accolades for out performing everyone else in the hunt.Here's your riddle. Keepers of sixDivide twenty and fourPast fourWho are severedA stony tongueJuts to drinkFurther two roads divergeWhich did he take?Stop to mourn the fallenThe treasure is nearGOOD LUCK and keep us posted on your progress!
A Twilight Zone Quiz
http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... of us remember Rod Serling confronting the television camera with talons of cigarette smoke and a profound intellect introducing the next episode of that show from another dimension:a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead your next stop, the Twilight Zone! (Someone please stop me.)Unfortunately, that introduction sounds more like a FOX News update on Iraq than a television program created to uncork a watershed of intellectual awareness among cold war Angst. So let's recline and relax in our intellect for a spell. That's correct, little rabbit. It's time to quiz you for total recall in that other dimension. Maybe, though, you've recently visited a diner comprised of Venusians and Martians and you're a bit recalcitrant. That's understandable. Don't worry; however, we've been expecting you. So relax and try your best at nostalgia with a brief TZ quiz:Answer the following correctly, and you'll never have to worry about atomic war, prejudice, group think, dictatorship, or any of the numerous fears that translate themselves into viable threats in the TZ. So, go ahead. Try your best to correctly answer the following five questions. If not, I know a young boy who can transport you into a corn field with a mere smile. Good luck!1. When did the series "The Twilight Zone" first air?2. In "Living Doll," what is the name of the doll?3. In "The Most Unusual Camera," what is special about the pictures the camera takes?4. In "The Fever," what kills Franklin at the end of the show?5. In "A Kind of Stopwatch," what happens to the stopwatch?Be the first with the correct answers, and I'l post your accomplishment on the blog. And remember, not everything is as it seems. Woof! (Quick, I need water and a trot in the park. ArRoof!)
TREASURE FOUND!
http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... Ye Mateys! A trio of scalawags found me treasure. Arrrg! Congratulations to Mike Limburg, Megan Hawman and Alex Hawman, who lifted a stone next to a tree at Centennial Park and found themselves a few coins richer. According to the trio, "We went there on Thursday and looked all over that tree but must have passed by it." Apparently, they didn't need the Friday clue, because they were already on the spot. First a recap of the riddle, with pictures...and then a request for your feedback on the next hunt.LodestarGrim icon; play hubhttp://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... stand as luminaries (These were the light poles standing in line as sentries)BelvedereFour sentries past (four light posts after the gazebo)http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... from the bendhttp://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... the beds (these are rock beds)http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... three convergehttp://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... treasure waits (it was behind the tree under a stone)So what do all of you think? Was it fun, physically or intellectually or both? Should we try this again...maybe raise the stakes a bit? Or are you going to let Limburg and the Hawmans have all the glory? Let me know your thoughts. I'm thinking it's time for a gift card that takes the sting out of someone's gasoline tank. Post your thoughts here....
Game for a Hunt? (Clue #1)
Based on feedback regarding the Treasure Hunt ("Game for a Hunt," May 10), I've decided to release the first clue early, and a subsequent clue each week until the location is discovered. Again, based on how this pilot goes, I'm considering a cache of new dollar coins or a $$$ gift card for the next hunt.Here's a recap of the ground rules, followed by the clue.Want a healthy diversion from a down economy and soaring gas prices? How about an intellectual challenge that pits you against other brainy folk in a university town? Good. Then the Lignell Zone has a treasure hunt for you. It's a modest treasure, but you wouldn't have read this far if you couldn't supplement the bounty with a competitive spirit and a legacy of persistence. Ready? This trove below has been placed somewhere in the Lawrence area.http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... contains a half crown -1966, one and two shilling coins - 1966 & 1954, a ceylon 50 cent piece - 1943 WWII, a penny 1907, and a half penny - 1942 WWII. These will be sequestered within a G.E.M. silver case.Ground Rulesï¶ The treasure is hidden somewhere in the Lawrence vicinity on property the public can accessï¶ The treasure will be placed no higher than four feet off the groundï¶ I will only answer questions about the ground rules; I will not answer guesses about the riddle, which would give an unfair advantage to the questionerï¶ If the treasure remains undiscovered, another riddle will be posted on the first Saturday of each month before 7:00 PM Central time (Amended May 16 - I will post a clue every week until it is discovered).ï¶ Remember to have fun.When you solve the riddle and find the treasure, take a picture with you at the location and email to me at dave_lig@hotmail.com. I will post it along with a bevy of accolades for out performing everyone else in the hunt.Please note. This is a trial hunt. I'm not sure if the riddle is too easy, too difficult, or just right. If all goes well, I will consider another hunt for something such as a gasoline card, redeemable for a full tank of gas. In any event, you can always pawn this treasure for three or four gallons by summer's end.God's speed and good luck. Here's your first riddle. LodestarGrim icon; play hub Sentries stand as luminariesBelvedereFour sentries pastNorth from the bendBeyond the bedsWhere three convergeThe treasure waits NOW....Here's your first clue, which relates to the first two lines in the riddle:LodestarGrim icon; play hubhttp://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... Luck! (and let me know your progress)
Game for a Hunt?
Want a healthy diversion from a down economy and soaring gas prices? How about an intellectual challenge that pits you against other brainy folk in a university town? Good. Then the Lignell Zone has a treasure hunt for you. It's a modest treasure, but you wouldn't have read this far if you couldn't supplement the bounty with a competitive spirit and a legacy of persistence. Ready? This trove below has been placed somewhere in the Lawrence area.http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... contains a half crown -1966, one and two shilling coins - 1966 & 1954, a ceylon 50 cent piece - 1943 WWII, a penny 1907, and a half penny - 1942 WWII. These will be sequestered within a G.E.M. silver case.Ground Rulesï¶ The treasure is hidden somewhere in the Lawrence vicinity on property the public can accessï¶ The treasure will be placed no higher than four feet off the groundï¶ I will only answer questions about the ground rules; I will not answer guesses about the riddle, which would give an unfair advantage to the questionerï¶ If the treasure remains undiscovered, another riddle will be posted on the first Saturday of each month before 7:00 PM Central timeï¶ Remember to have fun.When you solve the riddle and find the treasure, take a picture with you at the location and email to me at dave_lig@hotmail.com. I will post it along with a bevy of accolades for out performing everyone else in the hunt.Please note. This is a trial hunt. I'm not sure if the riddle is too easy, too difficult, or just right. If all goes well, I will consider another hunt for something such as a gasoline card, redeemable for a full tank of gas. In any event, you can always pawn this treasure for three or four gallons by summer's end.God's speed and good luck. Here's your first riddle. LodestarGrim icon; play hub Sentries stand as luminariesBelvedereFour sentries pastNorth from the bendBeyond the bedsWhere three convergeThe treasure waits
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