I must admit, I frequently read comments posted below news articles and blogs, so I can get a sense of the mood of America (or Tucson), but are they really representative of the population?
Of course, the comments you get are based mostly on one's views of politics. The left-leaning electorate will simply praise whatever our Democratic incumbent president does, while the right-leaning readers will scoff at anything that comes out of his mouth. The same was true, in reverse, when the GOP held the top spot. That will never change.
The terms used frequently in political opposition (radicals, extremists, idiots, peacenik, warmonger, etc.) are interchangeable, depending on the situation.
Not all articles, however, have to do with politics. Sometimes comments are useful when you need to read a review on an item you plan to buy. I participate frequently in this type of commenting, as it helps others decide what type of product they should purchase. There are countless times I decided against buying a certain item that was reviewed poorly. Oftentimes, an item will get a "5 star" rating from one buyer and a "1 star" from another, so the comments are not always helpful, but sometimes they are.
Comments are also a good way to complain about bad service you've received from a company, or to offer praise for a job well done. I've experienced both.
The bottom line in all this is to step back and really think about WHY people are commenting. Do they have a grudge? Are they an insider? Are they promoting something, or trying to destroy competition? You may never know, but at least your curiosity will be piqued.
After discovering a voice mailbox (not mine) hadn't been checked since last October, I've come to realize that the once-handy technological wonder has become obsolete.
Quite frankly, I can't tell you the last time I left a voice mail for anybody, except to get my doctor to call me back. I conduct most communications via e-mail and Twitter (@azpmrobert) and enjoy the promptness of those mediums. When I do get a voice mail, I have it forwarded to my e-mail, so I know something is waiting for me.
I've also found that e-mail is a useless technology for teenagers. Mine never uses e-mail and relies solely on text messaging and Facebook (which I don't use). I can't even give away a nice e-mail address I've been saving.
Perhaps it's a generational thing. I know many seniors who still don't use a computer nor have an answering machine.
Bottom line...if you want to talk to me, send me an e-mail or DM me on Twitter!
The long awaited Ken Burns documentary, 'National Parks: America’s Best Idea' begins on Sunday, September 27th at 8 p.m. and continues all week long. Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — 'The National Parks: America's Best Idea' is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.
Arizona Public Media will also feature National Park highlights on National Public Radio, and on Arizona Spotlight. Be sure to watch locally produced 'Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks' premiering September 23rd at 8 p.m. with encore broadcasts on the 27th at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Each Thursday in September, Arizona Illustrated will highlight National Parks from a local to international perspective. And you can share your favorite National Parks stories, photos, and video on our Web site.
If all the excitement surrounding Ken Burns’s National Parks leaves you wanting more, be sure to keep an eye out for a very special half-hour preview of Burns’s latest documentary. The preview will air as part of special programming during the second half of our TV fall membership drive starting Saturday, September 5th and running through Sunday, September 13th. In additional to the National Parks preview, we are also pleased to announce the return of Celtic Woman to our air, and to Tucson, for a very special one-night-only live concert. The ladies of Celtic Woman really put on an outstanding show, so we hope that you’ll tune in for their special. Celtic Woman will be in Tucson, Monday, November 16th at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall at 7:30 pm. Watch for ticket information beginning September 5th when PBS-HD special programming brings to the screen the talented Celtic Woman.
Whenever you feel the urge for a classical music treat, at work, at home, or in traffic, KUAT-FM might be just what you need. Fine classical music 24-hours a day, on 90.5 and 89.7 on the FM dial in Tucson, 89.7 in Sierra Vista, 88.9 in Bisbee and 91.7 in Nogales. I invite you to tune in to our Community Concerts series recorded right here in Southern Arizona and broadcast Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings at 9:00 p.m. on Classical KUAT-FM and online at AZpublicmedia.org.
Sincerely,
Jack Gibson
Director and General Manager
Arizona Public Media®
It took a long time, but now you can get NPR transcripts online, relatively fast and totally free.
When NPR launched its new Web site last month, it made LOTS of changes. Some of these are still being rolled out slowly, including the offer of free transcripts for stories that have audio. As the NPR Ombudsman writes:
Transcripts of favorite, missed or maddening stories on NPR used to cost $3.95 each, but now they are free on NPR.org.
Previously, NPR charged for transcripts because an outside contractor worked fast to prepare them to be available to the library within a few hours of a piece airing. It was a costly expense which NPR did for the benefit of classrooms and deaf audiences, or anyone who wrote to Listener Services and was willing to pay.
As of the new NPR.org site re-launch on July 27, over 20,000 visitors had gone online to get transcripts.
Now, all you have to do to get a story's text is visit NPR.org and click on the transcript link to the right of the audio button, located just below the story's title.
NPR says the popularity of social media and the public's appetite for news-on-demand made it clear that transcript seekers are no longer "the province of librarians and other specialists whose job was to find archival content, often for professional purposes."
There is this humorous caveat from the NPR blog documenting the change:
Transcripts may contain minor or significant errors, ranging from the use of "ex-patriot" instead of "expatriate." In another example, a transcriber mistakenly quoted filmmaker John Waters as saying of former Manson follower Leslie Van Houten: "She's a yuppie," when what he really said was, "She's not a yuppie."
Transcript coordinators "Dorothy Hickson and Laura Jeffrey do their best to find and correct errors but unfortunately, they cannot proofread every piece," said Soto-Barra. "Librarians and transcript coordinators appreciate when someone calls their attention to errors, particularly when they involve name spellings and use of (unintelligible)."
Does this change mean anything locally? No, it does not. However, we will be rolling out some text versions of our daily stories in the not-too-distant-future. We're coming up with a system now and I've been assigned the task of figuring out how to make it all happen (in conjunction with our programming gurus). The stories will not simply be scripts of what you heard, but stories developed especially for the Web. Stay tuned!
Things have come a long since my sarcastic December 2008 post about being able to listen to the radio on your iPhone.
Now NPR has a new application that goes so much beyond listening that I'm jealous I don't have the phone (although a colleague did let me play with his phone for some real-life experience).
The new app is pretty much a full-featured mobile way to access the NPR website, program streams, story audio, local stations and late-breaking content, which proves we have our work cut out for us trying to catch up with our network.
Rather than hear me pontificate about this really cool thing, let's turn it over to Scott Simon, who takes you on a tour.
Classes don't begin until next Monday, but the University of Arizona goes into full welcoming mode this week.
The 10-day annual Wildcat Welcome gets underway Wednesday with moving day, as faculty, staff and administrators help students move into their dorms. All of the "hired help" will be wearing red shirts.
Not only does this help students move in their heavy boxes and big items, but it also creates a good photo opportunity for the university.
Other events include a movie screening, free shuttles to a grocery store and a mall for last-minute essentials, a BBQ, block party, community open house, student employment fair and more.
For all you newcomers and those returning to campus...welcome back!
