Teaching young journalists to write for life across multiple platforms. Interested in 'Journalism for the Rest of Us'? Contact me at sklein1@gmu.edu.
Colombian downhill mountain biker Marcelo Gutierrez posts video of his rides online. This one took place in the foothills of Montserrate the second week of May. It took Gutierrez just 4 minutes and 27 seconds to complete the Red Bull Downhill time trial, which saw him descend 2,000 meters taking in over 1,000 steps in the process. That’s gotta be tough on the forearms!
When I was a young reporter at the South Bend Tribune covering Notre Dame football, it was Ara Parseghian who taught me how to ask a good question. The great Notre Dame football coach did not suffer fools lightly. Questions ended in question marks and had to demonstrate that you knew what the heck you were talking about.
Still, I wouldn’t call Parseghian impatient. He’d push you to rephrase the question — or at least that’s how he handled me.
Now New York Rangers coach John Tortorella — that’s something altogether different. You can just feel the tension at a Tortorella press conference. There are some pretty good reporters in the New York and national press corps covering the Stanley Cup playoffs, but to watch Tortorella answer their questions, you’d think they were all idiots. Larry Brooks? Jay Greenberg? Stan Fischler? Idiots? Uh, don’t think so, Torts.
I love these digital future videos. This is one is from 1961 by AT&T. You’ll love the futuristic music and talk about change, modems and data phones.
You probably didn’t know this, but Raleigh bicycles helped to rally the British economy in 1946 following World War II. OK, so maybe I’m giving bicycles more credit than they deserve, but if you want to spin your wheels for a bit, you’ll enjoy this 17-minute short film from 66 years ago.
I never really got into Nintendo, but these 30,000 cascading dominos tell quite a story in about three minutes if you want to be mesmerized.
Truth is, if I had my life to live again, I’d be a surfer.
The Guinness World Records recognized Hawaii pro surfer Garrett McNamara for surfing the biggest wave ever ridden — a 78-foot wave off the coast of Portugal.
When I was kid, I wanted to go to MIT. My sixth-grade teacher, who I actually liked, laughed at me. There went that goal. Of course, me and math and science never really added up. But now, with edX, maybe I’ll have the chance to find out virtually for myself.
Just in case you’re a graduating journalism senior and need a commencement speech that has something to do with YOUR future, here’s NBC’s Tom Brokaw at Arizona State University.
Everything you want to know about the impending Facebook IPO in 150 minutes — and with a pulsating soundtrack to boot!
Barack Obama, Caren Bohan, Jimmey Kimmel
My son, daughter-in-law, and one-year-old grandson Noah live in London. Here’s London at night and at dusk, as shot by Jason Hawkes. The big building is the Shard, the tallest building in London.
One of the major points I make in History of Journalism: From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg (Comm455, fall semester, T/R 10:30 a.m.) is the connection between the invention of the printing press and the social media revolution today. Here’s a video about Jeff Jarvis’s new Kindle Single, “Gutenberg the Geek,” and an interview with Jarvis on Big Think about his essay.
Mashable
The George Mason statue is kitty-corner to the Johnson Center and the Mason Pond Parking Deck, where guests can easily park on the first three levels (Fairfax campus map). As soon-to-be emeritus faculty, I'm always happy to meet with friends and my former Mason students on campus.
Film critic and GMU alum Kevin McCarthy encouraged students during his many visits to my GMU classes to pursue internships and "get noticed!" See some of Kevin's terrific interviews on his Nerd Tears website.
So, as Billy Crystal asked Jack Palance in "City Slickers," what's "The One Thing"? To find out, just contact me by email to set up a "Journalism for the Rest of Us" seminar, workshop or program.