I have a new job, in Jersey City. I take the train to it. This is the perfect opportunity to read the morning paper, and when I am done with the paper I put it in the recycling bin at Hoboken Station. So much less paper to bundle up on recycling day--great!
Unfortunately, it only takes me about half the train ride to read the Star-Ledger. So now I am a news who... er, hound.
When I board the train, I scan the seats for commuters with large stacks of riffled newspapers beside them. I'm picky--I want the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, not the Star-Ledger or the Daily News. "Oh, is this your paper?" I ask my seatmate.
"Sure, you can read it."
The Star-Ledger costs about 1/4 the price of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, so I don't expect as much. I know that the Ledger is having financial problems. They recently cut out Diesel Sweeties (don't miss it) and Miss Manners (do). What I don't get is why their national and international coverage is so much less readable than the Times's or the Journal's. I read for days about Russia's incursion into Ossetia before I thought I understood what was going on. (And for the record, I majored in economics and political science.)
Where the Star-Ledger excels is in covering New Jersey. Makes sense. Maybe the editors think that anyone really interested in life outside New Jersey will also read the bigger papers? But yesterday two of the big front page articles were about parks in western New Jersey, and the death of a Perth Amboy police officer. I had to go to page four to learn that President Bush and Nouri Al-Maliki were discussing a pullout of US troops from Iraq by 2011.
Now maybe the insignificant position of the article and the analysis were the editors' way of pointing out that whatever President Bush negotiates, our new president will likely renegotiate it in 2009. That's fine. But then shouldn't the editors say so on the op-ed page?
I'll keep looking for answers. Sometimes you may find me bereft of reading material, with the other gold-diggers at the recycling bin outside track 17.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Craigslist Boot Camp
I am always glad to meet polite, purposeful young men. I met a 14-year-old at the Craigslist Boot Camp for Non-Profits on Saturday. He waited patiently for his sister to finish her one-on-one consultation with an expert to learn about funding her start-up non-profit enterprise.
He and I discussed whether the boot camp would be suitable for other 14-year-olds. His opinion: yes. Especially if they were planning to be Eagle or Gold Scouts. As you might expect, though, most attendees were in their 20s and up.
At the boot camp I participated in three breakout sessions:
Finally, it really is a small world. At the boot camp I was surprised to run into Ron, a co-worker at my brand-new job, and Lina, an alumna of my high school (Emma Willard).
At the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp I learned and I networked. I'm glad I went; I hope next time I go I will meet some of you.
He and I discussed whether the boot camp would be suitable for other 14-year-olds. His opinion: yes. Especially if they were planning to be Eagle or Gold Scouts. As you might expect, though, most attendees were in their 20s and up.
At the boot camp I participated in three breakout sessions:
- Branding
- Low- and No-cost Technology for Non-profits (please check the podcast when it comes out; some of my suggestions are included)
- Social Networking
Finally, it really is a small world. At the boot camp I was surprised to run into Ron, a co-worker at my brand-new job, and Lina, an alumna of my high school (Emma Willard).
At the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp I learned and I networked. I'm glad I went; I hope next time I go I will meet some of you.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Labor Day Challenge
A challenge to writers: can you write a novel in three days? Over Labor Day weekend I plan to participate once again in the 3-day novel contest. Last year I wrote a 99-page double spaced novel. Perhaps it wasn't the most riveting of oeuvres, but I'm happy to say that I finished it and that it had a character arc.
Hope some of you will join me in this endeavor.
Hope some of you will join me in this endeavor.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Avatar Voiceovers
Want to add video to your site at a fraction of the expense? Consider using avatars, animated GIF cartoon characters who move their mouths at the same time as your words (more or less). I had fun adding one to my website. Sometimes people tell me that I would do great voiceovers. After hearing myself on the recording, I'm not so sure.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Contesting Cybersquatters
An article in this week's NJBiz reminds us to keep domain names short and sweet. Obviously, the fewer characters in your domain name, the less opportunity you give your visitors to misspell it.
The ideal domain name is your brief and easy-to-spell company name, without any information about its legal structure, with a .com extension. For example, I was once involved with a software company called Adox Incorporated. For us, the perfect URL would have been Adox.com--short, and phonetic. Unfortunately, that name was already in use, by Adox Fotowerke, founded in 1860. Both the software company and the photo chemical company could claim the right to use the name. My company took the URL adoxinc.com, which was less than perfect. (Although I now see that Adox.com is not being used--Andrew, what a fabulous bidding opportunity for you.)
But what if instead of two Adoxes, we had Larry's Surly Bakery squatting on JoesFriendlyBakery.com as I posited last week? A loyal reader has pointed out that all is not lost. There is a way to contest cybersquatters. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) will hear cases like this--but only if Joe's Friendly Bakery has already trademarked or service marked his name.
My point is still that it is much easier to register your domain before you need it and before someone else grabs it.
The NJBiz article also suggests registering common misspellings of your URL. One day soon I will buy the rights to katherinehadow.com, katherinehaddow.com, and so on. It's a low-priority task at the moment, because I'm not worried that someone else will try to capitalize on my good name. Yet.
The ideal domain name is your brief and easy-to-spell company name, without any information about its legal structure, with a .com extension. For example, I was once involved with a software company called Adox Incorporated. For us, the perfect URL would have been Adox.com--short, and phonetic. Unfortunately, that name was already in use, by Adox Fotowerke, founded in 1860. Both the software company and the photo chemical company could claim the right to use the name. My company took the URL adoxinc.com, which was less than perfect. (Although I now see that Adox.com is not being used--Andrew, what a fabulous bidding opportunity for you.)
But what if instead of two Adoxes, we had Larry's Surly Bakery squatting on JoesFriendlyBakery.com as I posited last week? A loyal reader has pointed out that all is not lost. There is a way to contest cybersquatters. ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) will hear cases like this--but only if Joe's Friendly Bakery has already trademarked or service marked his name.
My point is still that it is much easier to register your domain before you need it and before someone else grabs it.
The NJBiz article also suggests registering common misspellings of your URL. One day soon I will buy the rights to katherinehadow.com, katherinehaddow.com, and so on. It's a low-priority task at the moment, because I'm not worried that someone else will try to capitalize on my good name. Yet.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Not Suitable For Children
My neighbors asked their neighbors whether they should allow their young daughter to visit the WorldVision Experience AIDS exhibit. The neighbors' neighbors happen to belong to the church sponsoring the exhibit. They said that the exhibit was Not Suitable For Children.
Parents of small children, note that on the first evening of the installation, they did offer a program for young ones. If you would like to take an elementary school student or younger, please ask in advance if they will offer a modified program in your city.
Parents of small children, note that on the first evening of the installation, they did offer a program for young ones. If you would like to take an elementary school student or younger, please ask in advance if they will offer a modified program in your city.
Real AK-47
Considering the time and money the Presbyterian Church at New Providence has spent publicizing the World Vision Experience: AIDS exhibit, I was disappointed by how few people attended last night. I hope that when I go back the front-page article in the TwoDays section of this morning's Star-Ledger will galvanize the public.
The only way WorldVision could have made the experience more authentic would have been to hand me a ticket to sub-Saharan Africa. Or at least a bowl of groundnut stew. I knew I had arrived when I heard the drummers playing and singing by the side of the road. Once I got to the tent, a volunteer handed me an iPod.
Each iPod is loaded with a story about a child living in a country battling AIDS. Depending on which narrative you receive, you walk through different chambers with artifacts representing that child's life. Mine included an AK-47 for a Ugandan child kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army. I was encouraged to sit or lie down on his cheap foam bedding, but it was too small for me. The place smelled of sisal. The sound effects included rheumy coughs. Considering that this exhibit must be portable enough to travel to 15 cities before the end of October, it is a marvel of interactivity.
I invited my neighbors to go back with me. They worried that it might be too graphic for their daughter, a tween. Yes, when I thought about it, the narrative did mention girls as young as eight turned into sex slaves. But, and this is a question I cannot answer for them, how vigorously and how long can they defend her innocence? Aren't the suffering African girls children, too?
When I go back I will ask if there is a narrative more appropriate to young children. If they say yes, I will post it here.
World Vision Experience: AIDS
Presbyterian Church at New Providence
1307 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ
7/26 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
7/27 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
There are many ways to help. My own church has actively supported the Good Shepherd Home in Bamenda, Cameroon, for years. Before we can help, though, we have to understand the problem. WorldVision has done a superior job in promoting understanding through all the senses.
The only way WorldVision could have made the experience more authentic would have been to hand me a ticket to sub-Saharan Africa. Or at least a bowl of groundnut stew. I knew I had arrived when I heard the drummers playing and singing by the side of the road. Once I got to the tent, a volunteer handed me an iPod.
Each iPod is loaded with a story about a child living in a country battling AIDS. Depending on which narrative you receive, you walk through different chambers with artifacts representing that child's life. Mine included an AK-47 for a Ugandan child kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army. I was encouraged to sit or lie down on his cheap foam bedding, but it was too small for me. The place smelled of sisal. The sound effects included rheumy coughs. Considering that this exhibit must be portable enough to travel to 15 cities before the end of October, it is a marvel of interactivity.
I invited my neighbors to go back with me. They worried that it might be too graphic for their daughter, a tween. Yes, when I thought about it, the narrative did mention girls as young as eight turned into sex slaves. But, and this is a question I cannot answer for them, how vigorously and how long can they defend her innocence? Aren't the suffering African girls children, too?
When I go back I will ask if there is a narrative more appropriate to young children. If they say yes, I will post it here.
World Vision Experience: AIDS
Presbyterian Church at New Providence
1307 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ
7/26 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
7/27 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
There are many ways to help. My own church has actively supported the Good Shepherd Home in Bamenda, Cameroon, for years. Before we can help, though, we have to understand the problem. WorldVision has done a superior job in promoting understanding through all the senses.
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