Accept no substitutes

Month: November 2008

ContextMiner moves to the next level

ContextMiner
Our Knight News Challenge proposal for ContextMiner has been moved up to the next level. That means we get to refine and expand the proposal and answer additional questions like:

What will you have changed by the end of your project? (no more than 1800 characters please)

And this must be done by Thanksgiving!

Wish us luck, give ContextMiner try if you’d like and vote us up on the Knight News Challenge site!

Earlier ContextMiner post here.

Reading rather than bookmarking

I’m actually reading these articles more deeply than the ones I scan and bookmark on Delicious for later:

“Maelstrom Over Metadata” in Inside Higher Ed

“A debate is carrying on in the undercurrents of the academic Web, pitting those who defend libraries’ core mission of open access against the membership organization that collects and operates a massive online catalog on which many of them rely.” OCLC acquiring copyright on all catalog records created by its members puts WorldCat at odds with Open Library, Zotero and LibraryThing say many including Aaron Swatrz on his blog which I’m also reading.

“Jeff Shear’s History of “Cynthia,” the World War II Spy” at History News Network.

“This is the true story of how a spy known as Cynthia, Madame Elizabeth Brousse, was used by the desperate British and their American friends in the three-day old Office of Strategic Services to nudge the course of history.” The story promises to be steamy and historic and to correct past historical mistakes including but not limited to: she wasn’t even blonde. Her hair was auburn or “perioxided,”

News of the Future – New York Times corrected

The latest from the New York Times Special Edition folks just hit my mail box. They now have video and a PDF of the print edition.

New York Times Special Edition Video News Release – Nov. 12, 2008 from H Schweppes on Vimeo.

Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:06:10 -0500 (EST)
From: New York Times Special Edition
To: pjones
Subject: HUNDREDS CLAIM CREDIT FOR NEW YORK TIMES SPOOF

November 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
writers@nytimes-se.com
917-202-5479
718-208-0684 415-533-3961

“SPECIAL” NEW YORK TIMES BLANKETS CITIES WITH MESSAGE OF HOPE AND CHANGE
Thousands of volunteers behind elaborate operation

* PDF: http://www.nytimes-se.com/pdf
* Ongoing video releases: http://www.nytimes-se.com/video
* The New York Times responds: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/pranksters-spoof-the-times/

Hundreds of independent writers, artists, and activists are claiming credit for an elaborate project, 6 months in the making, in which 1.2 million copies of a “special edition” of the New York Times were distributed in cities across the U.S. by thousands of volunteers.

The papers, dated July 4th of next year, were headlined withlong-awaited news: “IRAQ WAR ENDS”. The edition, which bears the same look and feel as the real deal, includes stories describing what the future could hold: national health care, the abolition of corporate lobbying, a maximum wage for CEOs, etc. There was also a spoof site, at http://www.nytimes-se.com/.

“Is this true? I wish it were true!” said one reader. “It can be true, if we demand it.”

“We wanted to experience what it would look like, and feel like, to read headlines we really want to read. It’s about what’s possible, if we think big and act collectively,” said Steve Lambert, one of the project’s organizers and an editor of the paper.

“This election was a massive referendum on change. There’s a lot of hope in the air, but there’s a lot of uncertainty too. It’s up to all of us now to make these headlines come true,” said Beka Economopoulos, one of the project’s organizers.

“It doesn’t stop here. We gave Obama a mandate, but he’ll need mandate after mandate after mandate to do what we elected him to do. He’ll need a lot of support, and yes, a lot of pressure,” said Andy Bichlbaum, another project organizer and editor of the paper.

The people behind the project are involved in a diverse range of groups, including The Yes Men, the Anti-Advertising Agency, CODEPINK, United for Peace and Justice, Not An Alternative, May First/People Link, Improv Everywhere, Evil Twin, and Cultures of Resistance.

In response to the spoof, the New York Times said only, “We are looking into it.” Alex S. Jones, former Times reporter who is an authority on the history of the paper, says: “I would say if you?ve got one, hold on to it. It will probably be a collector’s item.”

-30-

Folkstreams.net wins Dorothy Howard Folklore and Education Prize

Congratulations to all the folks who have worked with us on Folkstreams.net especially for this award, Paddy Bowman and Tom Davenport for their work on Educators and Generations Portals for Folkstreams.

Dorothy Howard Folklore and Education Prize

Dorothy Howard (1902-1996) grew up in the Progressive Era, receiving a teaching degree from the North Texas Normal College (now the University of North Texas ) in 1923. During her career as a teacher and principal in Texas, New York, and New Jersey, Howard integrated folklore into her curriculum by having students collect and study playground chants and jingles as a way of introducing them to poetry; research their names and their meanings to study spelling; and write about such traditions as ravioli making to develop their writing skills. Howard’s interest in children’s folklore and education enabled her to bridge a gap between the Victorian “armchair” study of children’s culture with the field-based studies we conduct today. In 1938 she received her doctorate in education with a study of games that combined these two styles of study. Her pioneering work shows us that folklore can be used in the curriculum in a way that is rich and meaningful. The Dorothy Howard Prize honors both Howard and those who have followed her lead in folklore and education.

The prize competition is open to all individuals and organizations whose work effectively encourages K-12 educators or students to use or study folklore and folkloristic approaches in all educational environments. Such works include but are not limited to curriculum materials, publications, audio and video recordings, multimedia publications, and exhibits. Work produced in the two calendar years prior to the annual AFS meeting is eligible for consideration.

Nominations should identify the author(s) or creator(s), publisher, date of publication, and describe why the nomination deserves consideration. Statements should not exceed three double-spaced pages. Entries must have been published within the past two years. Anyone may nominate work by submitting three copies of materials, or in the case of non-print work, three copies of detailed descriptions and any relevant supporting materials to the address below. In the case of particularly extensive or expensive materials (e.g., multimedia kits), a single copy may be submitted, but please still include three copies of the nominating statement/description.

Submissions will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• Does the product add significantly to the body of folklore and education literature or resources?
• Is the material appropriate for intended age groups and subject focus?
• Do the materials have the potential to engage their intended audience fully?

Please send submissions to Luc D. Guglielmi, Department of Foreign Languages, Kennesaw State University, 142 Pilcher, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw GA 30144-5591. The prize amount is $100, and the next deadline for submissions is August 1, 2009. The recipient of the Dorothy Howard Prize will be announced during the annual Folklore and Education section meeting during the American Folklore Society conference each October.

2008 Recipient

The 2008 committee is pleased to announce this year’s award recipient is the website Folkstreams. This site is a powerful resource with national and international appeal and potential for use. This easy to navigate site currently provides 106 documentary films which represent a wide slice of the American experience and provides a valuable learning tool for educators, students, folklorists, cultural studies specialists, film studies students, and the general public. Folkstreams.net provides information on filmmakers, blog opportunities, ways to access links, copyright information, links by subject and region and a guide to best practices in film digitization. There are both educator and generations portals which have links to excellent discussion questions, a range of related activities that incorporate several learning styles and suggested activities which promote critical inquiry, student application of the ideas and techniques for students’ own community research.

Twitter nuggets of the week

will.i.am’s new song “It’s A New Day” http://is.gd/6YTP A little post-election euphoria

Retweeting @aarahkahak: Johnny’s in Carrboro in McSweeney’s “My Son James’s Favorite Snacks From the Local Tienda” http://twurl.nl/0dqwo2

Vandana Shiva at UNC tomorrow (11/11) at 5:30 in the Global Education Center. I met her in Delhi; very impressive. Go hear http://is.gd/6T4b

Seen in Carrboro Citizen: School lunch for this Monday= nachos with beer & cheese & salsa

“Programming is a conversation with information in the same way science is a conversation with nature.” Michael Tiemann

Little Stevie Wonder doing “Fingertips (parts 1 & 2)” http://is.gd/6syM Jazz harmonica and bongos at their best! Live in 1963

Flip Mino and the Drive across the USA

I picked up the Flip Mino that the J-School ordered from Amazon for me this morning. I took one very short clip and it looked pretty nice. Then I went by the Art Building where I saw a guy sitting the the gallery with a computer and a very large printer. He was, and prolly still is, Joel Slayton of zero1.org; he explains what he was up to for the past week. Hint: see title for this post.

Reunions – dB (yes), Kinks (maybe)

I was lucky enough to catch the dBs reunion on Saturday at a get out the vote rally at the Johnson Center for Undergrad Excellence. Chris Stamey and Peter Hosapple backed by Mitch Easter on bass and Will Rigby on drums. I first saw the frontmen and perhaps Mitch as the Sneakers then the H-Bombs then the dBs.

Listening to the reformed dBs reminded me that I need to digitize my vinyl of “Re-precussions” and “Stands for Decibels”.

In the meantime, Boston Globe writer Geoff Edgers writes to tell us of his mid-life quest to reunite the Kinks. To that end, Geoff sends a link to this trailer for a documentary of his efforts. He gets help, so far, from Sting, Robin Hitchcock, Paul Weller, Zooey Deschanel and others.

I love Geoff’s banjo/guitar duet with Weller and his vocal Duet with Sting. Hope to hear the Kinks together soon.

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