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Media & Tech

Twitter the “Mayor” of the Middle East?

I’m just sophomoric enough to still enjoy a typo or two when it comes from in such a venerable a news organization as the New York Times. In a article exploring the 5th anniversary of the launch of Twitter, the Times substituted the word “mayor” for “major” when describing its role in the recent uprisings…

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Media & Tech

Writ Large: Will Apple’s new iPad save print’s sorry ass?

There will come a time when the sleek, electronic tablet device known to all as the Apple iPad will look as quaint and anachronistic as an abacus. Until then, we cannot help but marvel at its glory as we once did over squares ping-ponging across the dark void of a cathode ray tube. The iPad…

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Culture

From headlines to breadlines: Old media is toast

Back when I was in J-School in the mid-90s, or more specifically, studying creative writing at San Francisco State University, my classmates and I knew nothing of the then-nascent Internet and the havoc it would eventually wreak on a bevy of industries. We knew nothing because A) We had the misfortune of studying at SF…

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Culture

East Bay Express Saves Newspapers

Kudos to the East Bay Express for investing what appears to be at least a few hours of precious staff time to find a credible model for saving the newspaper industry. As newspapers continue to fold (into oblivion, not pirate hats) some fear the fate of legit journalism hangs in the balance. Yet no one…

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Culture

Media Diet

If the surfeit of commercial real estate suddenly available throughout Sonoma is any indicator, I’d say the economic downturn has arrived in the valley. Clearly, I’m not an economist (if I hadn’t married an MBA, my accounts would drain the world’s supply of red ink), but the effect is like looking at a beautiful face…

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Culture

The Digerati and Me

Last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine theme, “How We Watch Stuff,” compelled me to log into the Netflix community page and summon data for what Sonoma is watching. Yes, you can do that. It’s kind of wrong, but it’s also kind of cool – like looking at your ex’s profile on Facebook. ­At present writing, the…