Journalism

Wired News: by Cyrus Farivar June 01, 2007 | 6:36:35 PM Apple has declined to explain why its new DRM-free music files are watermarked with users’ names and e-mail addresses. Earlier this week, Apple iTunes 7.2 brought the new ability to download tracks from EMI Records without copy protection. But the unprotected files are labeled with the buyer’s details, leading some to wonder if Apple is appending the information as an anti-piracy measure. But Apple is remaining mum about its…

Slate: Cyberwar I: What the attacks on Estonia have taught us about online combat. By Cyrus Farivar Posted Tuesday, May 22, 2007, at 12:14 PM ET In Estonia, you can pay for your parking meter via cell phone, access free Wi-Fi at every gas station, and, as of two months ago, vote in national elections from your PC. The small, wired country can now add another item to this list of technological achievements: It’s the first government to get targeted…

I realize that I’m probably the only person among my peer group who watches/listens to The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer even on a semi-occasional basis. Basically, my radio is either tuned to KQED or KALX, or I’m listening to music via CD/iPod. So that means if I happen to be listening to KQED between the hours of 3 and 4 pm, I catch part or all of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. On May 8, there was a ridiculous “debate”…

I’m in a featured article on MediaBistro today — that’s a journalism industry site. The piece is meant as a helpful guide for struggling freelancers (like me), as to how to get published in big, brand-name magazines. Unfortunately, MediaBistro puts their good stuff behind a paywall ($49/year), so even I can’t get access to this article. I didn’t even know the piece was running today until a Columbia classmate emailed me a copy and asked about it. Here’s the opening…

Most journalists take comfort in the fact that their jobs can’t be outsourced — that is, until they are. FP Passport: What do you do if you are a struggling website peddling local Pasadena, Ca., news, but can’t afford to hire more U.S. reporters? Outsource the job of covering all things Pasadena to Bangalore. That’s exactly what James Macpherson, publisher of Pasadena Now, has done, offering to pay two India-based journalists he found on Bangalore’s craigslist site a combined $20,800…

I’ve just gotten a new gig as a space blogger for Wired News‘ blog: Wired Science. My first post can be found here. Occasionally I get to do longer articles that show up in the blog, like this one: A team of astronomers has created the first map of an extrasolar planet, HD 189733b, located approximately 60 light-years from Earth. By measuring brightness and other data collected over time by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the scientists constructed a map of…

Wired News: by Cyrus Farivar 05.07.07 | 2:00 AM While large-scale quantum computers remain in the domain of science fiction, a joint team from Japan announced Thursday that it has been able to take a small but crucial step in pursuit of this advanced goal. NEC, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, or RIKEN, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, published a paper in the May 4 issue of the journal Science, outlining the ability to “controllably couple…

Note: I have mixed feelings about Walt Mossberg, ever since I was told by another veteran technology journalist whom I respect that Mossberg does consulting for companies that he covers, before the products actually come out. Also, I get the impression that there’s a bit of jealousy amongst almost every journalist that I know — the guy commands probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a million dollars annually. As I’ve written more, my non-techie family sometimes asks me my opinion…

The Left’s New Machine How the netroots became the most important mass movement in U.S. politics. by Jonathan Chait The New Republic Post date: 05.01.07 Issue date: 05.07.07 Reporter recalls the layers of truth told in Iraq After 4 1/2 years ‘in country,’ The Times’ Borzou Daragahi looks back on what it took each day to get to the story and get out alive. By Borzou Daragahi Times Staff Writer April 10, 2007 The Conciliator Where is Barack Obama coming…

Ira Glass, November 5th, 2003: For me, pushing myself is way more about “It’s hard to make something that’s interesting.” It’s really, really hard, and I’m sure we don’t succeed with every story on every show. Basically, anything that anyone makes… It’s like a law of nature, a law of aerodynamics, that anything that’s written or anything that’s created wants to be mediocre. The natural state of all writing is mediocrity. It’s all tending toward mediocrity in the same way…