onfocus

more proof that the old guard is beginning to see the way the Internet is changing Journalism. "'It was like a story being reported by locusts,' Mr. Cadenhead said of the diligence of the [MetaFilter] Scooby Doos. 'They swept in and just pulled facts out of the air.'" [via matt]

This article wasn't about the evils of identity and anonymity on the web. (and it very easily could have been...a year or so ago it would have been.) Instead, it was about real people. And it was about a large group of those people connected through the web, working together to discover truth.

Don't get me wrong, my trip this last weekend was great. It was a nice introduction to the area and the scenery was very dramatic. I'll definately be making more trips to the lost coast...there is so much to explore. I'll probably just try to get a little more lost next time.

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Car camping is that species of camping where you can drive your car right up to your campsite. You don't have to carry all of your gear on your back, so you can bring along such heavy items as:

• several coolers filled with your favorite food and drink.
• chairs. (on this last trip preston brought along a collapsable couch we dubbed the 5th man.)
• a big stove.
• water.

Unfortunately, car camping also means you can bring along:

• your diesel truck. (so at 5:30am you can rev it up for 45 minutes before you leave.)
• car stereos.
• a chainsaw for cutting up lots and lots of firewood. (lots.)
• your ATV for traveling between campsites. (apparently if you car camp you're too lazy to walk.)
• a hammer for pounding abalone for hours upon hours.

If you're going car camping - especially on memorial day weekend - don't forget this lightweight item like I did: earplugs.

From now on, I'm all about the backpacking. (But man that 5th man was comfy!)

This picture is amazing. But the picture itself isn't as amazing as the event. Over 2,000 people took off their clothes to contribute to Spencer Tunik's photography. For some puritanical reason, I don't think you'd get the same turnout in the US. In fact, there are probably laws against it. You can see some similar work he's done in the states here.

The question this forces me to ask myself: Would I take my clothes off in downtown Montreal if everyone else was doing it?

Blogging as a Form of Journalism: "Andrews thinks Weblogs and other forms of online journalism are on the rise in part because of the rapid decline in the credibility of big media. 'I think the Web is actually becoming more credible while established media are losing ground,' he says. 'And name me the last five serious efforts at public-interest journalism by institutionalized media.'" [via Scripting] This is the first part of J.D. Lascia's discussion with traditional journalists who have discovered blogging. While many of the ideas in the article are well known to weblogging veterans, it's nice to hear that old media people can see its value and possibilities. Let the assimilation begin.

Also check out Paul Andrews' article Who Are Your Gatekeepers?

My favorite phrase from this weekend: "So, what else can we burn?" Pictures soon.

The connection this site (and several other sites you may know) used to be on was disconnected the other day. I'm still in the process of moving this site to a new server. That means DNS needs to propogate and I need to shuffle files around. ugh.

Smells Like Texas: "They've eliminated the middle man. The corporations don't have to lobby the government any more. They ARE the government." [via rc3.org] Also take a look at Gregory Palast's article California Reamin'. It's even more fuel for the anti-Bush-"energy plan" fire. (no shortage there.)

I always thought there was something suspicious about that matt guy. I mean, I never actually saw him coding. Did you? Did anyone? Actually, I did. But can I trust my own eyes? Can you trust me? yourself? me. you?

skp and I walked up mt. wittenberg at point reyes this weekend. It's the highest point there, and we got a few great views of the area. I wish we would have been a little closer to the water, though, it was hot.

I took a few pictures.

If you couldn't guess, I'm a big fan of REI stores. They sell outdoor related gear like backpacks, camping stuff, shoes, etc. They opened up a new store a little closer to me this weekend (in corte madera), so I had to check it out. I uttered the famous last words before we left, "I don't really need anything." I ended up buying a bike. doh! Evil credit cards.

With gas prices as high as they are (and my car needing as much work as it needs), the bike should pay for itself by the end of the summer. (how's that for rationalization?)

shew! Here are some pictures from our trip. Yosemite is an amazing spectacle. You could spend months hiking there without walking on the same trail. I hiked about 30 miles in the three days we were there. The elevation changes are a bit more extreme than I'm used to, but managed them better than I expected. I'm already planning a trip back! :)

skp on the mist trail
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You can track all of the flights going to and from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose in real time at this site. As you mouse over each plane it gives the altitude. Clicking on a plane will let you "track" it; giving continuous altitude readings until it's out of the area. There's a ten minute lag on the data for security reasons.

skp and I just got back from Yosemite. I have about a million pictures to be developed, organize, and get online. I took a few digital pictures the first day, here's one:

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Someday we will all be wireless. And the future may be soon here in Sebastopol.

It's very quiet. A little too quiet.

I saw the movie and I read the book
But when it happened to me
I sure was glad I had what it took
To get away.

- Neil Young, Sedan Delivery

After weeks of watching the roof leak
                  I fixed it tonight
by moving a single board.

- Gary Snyder

this last weekend I finally climbed that mountain. It wasn't so much a climb as a vigorous (and hot!) walk up 2,400 feet. We bumped into some hangliders on one hill, and learned a little bit about thermals and how long it takes to hit the L-Z.

hang gliders perched on st. helena
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Nobel lectures: Japan, the Beautiful and Myself: "Seeing the moon, he becomes the moon, the moon seen by him becomes him. He sinks into nature, becomes one with nature. The light of the 'clear heart' of the priest, seated in the meditation hall in the darkness before the dawn, becomes for the dawn moon its own light."

"Bright, bright, and bright, bright, bright, and bright, bright. Bright and bright, bright, and bright, bright moon."
- Myoe

Behind the scenes of ASCAP & BMI: "...ASCAP lost in federal court on charges of price-fixing, racketeering and monopolistic activities. The decision was reversed in appeals court..." When I was working at a radio station, I remember hearing that the ASCAP & BMI fees were a large part of the operating costs. I've always wondered how they work. Now I know. It's legalized extortion in the name of artists...but only the biggest artists see a dime. [via Metafilter]

JMB: "...in the case of the personal web page mundanity is often all there is and that this itself is worthy of examination. Far from being a trivial observation this is a significant one-it provides insights into the power and significance of mundane tastes, opinions and experiences without the need for construing them as extraordinary or resistive. It also encourages us to consider electronic communication as instances of everyday sociality, again shorn of any resistive power that might occlude their analysis." I am hypnotizing you with boredom. Study me.

In this article he uses the word perzine (personal zine [magazine]) to describe personal websites.

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