Why I Twitter

Twitter's @ev at University of Nebraska, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

It's how I found out a plane had safely crash-landed in the Hudson. And how Lance Armstrong recovered a missing bike. CNN uses it to report breaking news.

And chances are you're sick of it.

So what's the deal with Twitter?

I like to say it's not blogging, but it's not instant messaging or email either. It fills some other void. Recently I had a chance to talk with Evan Williams, the Nebraska native who founded Twitter (and blogger.com before that).

But do you really want to know what Ashton Kutcher had for lunch? Celebrities have certainly gotten on the bandwagon. But so have a lot of normal folks.

Here are a few reasons I like it:

1. It allows someone to quickly and easily broadcast a short message to their "followers." Sometimes I'll post a link to a story I've done, or send a short blurb known as a "tweet" about some news item. On election night, I posted updates from the campaign headquarters of a US Senate candidates. That's useful, and I could get tweets out more often than I could on the air.

2. Networking. I've corresponded with the weekend anchor of ABC's World News. A lot of the people I follow are in the field of journalism, so I see what stories they're working on and how they approach them.

3. Solicit feedback. I might tweet that I'm going to be talking to the governor, and ask folks for subjects I might want to cover. Take advantage of what other people know.

4. It's not Facebook. You won't get invitations to join someone's "mob war" or take a quiz. And you won't read one of those "25 Things About Me" lists. If you like the status updates in Facebook, you'll like Twitter. That part is similar. But without all the other stuff.

5. Someone can follow you without you following them. On sites like Facebook and MySpace, you "friend" someone. With Twitter, if someone chooses to follow you, you don't automatically follow them back. For the twitterati like Ashton Kutcher, they might have 500,000 followers, but only follow 500 themselves. So you only follow the people you find interesting.

But there are some arguments against Twitter.

1. Some users think a little too highly of themselves. Those with a big ego will let you know how great they are.

2. The site itself is down a lot. As Twitter explodes, the site hasn't scaled well. A lot of folks don't use it on Twitter.com but rather from a dedicated Twitter app.

3. It's not Facebook. Posting pictures requires a third party app.

4. It can be a huge time suck. You can't be on all the time. And it's super annoying when you see ten messages in a row from the same person. That's a good way for me to unfollow someone.

All that said, follow me at twitter.com/stevewhitenews.

And expect another post on my blog soon with comments from Ev Williams' recent visit to Nebraska, as he talked about monetizing the site, rumors of selling to Google, and where he sees Twitter going.

1474 Megapixel Image of Inauguration

This is pretty cool. A 1474 megapixel shot of Pres. Barack Obama being sworn in.

You can zoom in. It's pretty cool to see all the people there, to zoom in and just look around.

Anberlin

Anberlin, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

If you need a new music fix this Christmas, Anberlin's new album _New Surrender_ is available to download for $3.99 from Amazon for a limited time.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GO790S?tag=absolutepunk-20

If you want a sample, check out "Feel Good Drag"

PRE$$ PA$$

I'm in the end zone. The crowd erupts. TOUCHDOWN!!!

It's no fantasy. It's really happened. No, I wasn't the one with the ball, but the guy with the camera shooting highlights for the evening news.

One of the perks of being a TV reporter in Nebraska is the access to big time college football. Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools I've seen.

It takes a press pass to get that kind of access. Of course, I'm not always the guy on the sideline or in the end zone. Sometimes I have to go to the photo box on top of the stadium. You have to take stairs up to the roof to get there.

Make no mistake about it, covering a game is work. I've put in 16 hour days, schlepping a camera for hours. You take a play off, and so does the defense. As soon as you turn the camera off, someone scores.

While we don't pay to get in, we do pay to get there, and pay to park.

Big time politics is the same way. From what I understand, it's not unusual for the TV folks to pay to park their satellite trucks. Those on the campaign press planes pay for their travel. Reporters at big campaign stops pay for internet access and phone lines.

But paying just to cover the event? I thought that was unheard of.

Until now.

This year the two presidential campaigns have what amount to a pay-for-play plans for election night.

No media get in free to John McCain's post-election party according to a columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Barack Obama has a free option -- if you want to huddle into a tent watching a TV with other journalists. If you want a good seat, be ready to shill out $1000 or more. Main riser? Pay $1870. Don't believe me? Look at Obama's website.

Columnist Lynn Sweet said in this piece about Obama's plans, "This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets."

I agree.

Journalists are considered the fourth estate. They play an important role, that frankly shouldn't be restricted by who can afford to pay.

Yeah, it's not a problem for CNN, ABC, or the Washington Post. But is it limiting coverage by alternative voices or smaller market outlets?

Every journalist should be able to cover this historic election freely, unhindered by finances. I think this sets a dangerous precedent.

Even with the TV contracts in big time college football, members of the local media still get in free. But we're not talking sports, we're talking about the next president. Do you want to limit news coverage to those with the deepest pockets?

Cornerstone: We're here!

There's my ginormous new tent. It already got rained on, for all of two minutes. And it held up!

Rain, rain go away!

Three years ago it was flooding. Other years it's been hail.

This year it's been multiple tornadoes, multiple hail storms in one day, flooding, high winds, heat, humidity, and about every kind of spring and summer weather you could imagine.

Last Thursday an hour to the west in Kearney, NE they got hit by a tornado. It was the lead story on Good Morning America the next day. It ripped open an apartment and destroyed the expo building at the fairgrounds. That storm skipped over us (at least the bad stuff) and reformed tornadoes in Aurora, the next town to the east.

The damage in Aurora wasn't as widespread as in Kearney, but those who got it got it even worse. Here's my story on that. It's amazing. You have to watch it.

Then this week, when Grand Island has gone smoke free (w00t!) it's been overshadowed by day after day of rain. The worst came Wednesday night, and resulted in flooding several miles north of our home. Again, the video tells the story.



Anyway, we're ready for a dry spell. After years and years of drought, this isn't any better. A nice, normal spring would be nice. Not that I know what a normal spring is anymore.

Bill Callahan Fired

Bill Callahan Press Conference, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Here's a shot of Bill Callahan, following Nebraska's loss to USC.

This morning Tom Osborne fired Callahan, saying Nebraska has lost its identity.

It's always a trying thing when a well known organization like Nebraska football does indeed lose its identity.

Here's hoping Dr. Tom helps them re-find it.

First snow

First snow, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We got our first snow of the season yesterday. It started mostly as those flurries that don't do anything, but there was some (slight) accumulation on the ground and a couple of accidents.

This week, God saw fit to give us his weather equivalent of stopping on a dime. We dropped from 70 on Monday to snow on Wednesday. That'll bring you screeching to a halt. But I like the snow, so I'm not complaining :)

'Greatest Fans' in football leave early as Huskers suffer worst home

Good thing they match, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

On Saturday the Huskers suffered their worst home loss since 1958.

Usually when the Huskers play, the state shuts down. It's a great time for non-fans to shop, because they can go to the mall or grocery store without trouble. No one goes out. Everyone's either at the game or someplace watching the game.

Just to give you an example of how bad it's gotten, even the governor took a shot at the team the other day, joking how some long-time state employees should suit up on defense.

It's getting ugly.

Like Republicans bailing on the Bush Administration, fans have actually been leaving early. These are fans who cheer for kickers who send kickoffs into the endzone, and linemen who get pancake blocks. They know football. And they can't even bear to watch this.

The thing that makes me nervous is how people will cope with this. The state takes its identity in part from how well the football team does. Nebraskans can't relate to lovable losers like the Cubs or perennial losers like the NBA's Clippers. People here don't know how to lose. They may have to take a crash course in losing, because it doesn't look like this trend is turning around.

More Mute Math

Or view on black background

Mute Math

Mute Math, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Check out my new Mute Math photos! Just part of a crazy weekend!

Whoa, man!

Help wanted sign at the local mall

"Letterman appearance of the year"

John Mayer (the waiting on the world to change guy) has some high praise for Mute Math, after seeing them on Letterman.

Glad those rock stars have been listening to me ;)

Fist pounding rawk!

Fist pounding rawk!, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

I've got more than 200 pics from Cornerstone up!! Check them out now!!

Cornerstone Live Coverage

Cornerstone Live Blog is up! Check it out now :)

Waiting in line

Waiting in line, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Instead of having cars line up down the road and out onto the highway, Cornerstone had them file into a grass lot, then proceed on to registration.

Camp Cornerstone

With my camera wrapped around a tree, Brian wondered if I was a stalker. No, just doing a little photo surveillance of adventures setting up the tent.

And with that, my Cornerstone blogging is underway! Stay tuned here, and at cornerstonefestival.com for all the goings on.

Top 10 Influtential Works of Art Since 1900

So my friend Matt & his college/career group at church came up with a list. Many, I'm a sucker for these.

Top 10 Influtential Works of Art Since 1900.

1. The Great Train Robbery

2. MTV

3. The Wizard of Oz

4. Monopoly

5. Super Mario Brothers

6. Sesame Street

7. Woodstock

8. Oklahoma

9. Walt Disney Land

10. The Lord of the Rings

10a. Star Trek

Others mentioned but left off the list:

Superman, Saturday Night Live, The Honeymooners, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Star Wars IV, Breakfast Club, Three paintings by Picasso, Four Freedoms by Norman Rockwell, American Gothic by Grant Wood, Schindler's List, 1984, The Late Show, Sgt. Peppers, Elvis's Sun Sessions, Johnny Cash's Live From Folsom Prison, West Side Story, Nirvana's Nevermind, Playboy Magazine, Fallwater by Frank Lloyd Wright, The Simpsons, Citizen Kane, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Survivor, Led Zeppelin IV, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and others.

Now, my list. I don't necessarily disagree with a lot on that list. It's a good starting point. Here, though, are some additions and explanations:

Execution of a VietCong Guerilla - I'd chose either this or the shot of the Flag at Iwo Jima. Photography as art and journalism at the same time. Film (and video) may be the 20th century's most prominent art form, but photography needs to be recongized on this list.

Zapruder Film - The leader of the free world killed, and it's captured on film. Plus it ushered in the era of the citizen journalist. The average person could create their own multimedia presentations, leading to home video, leading to Bob Saget narrating clips of men getting hit in the crotch.

Wizard of Oz - A cultural landmark. A huge movie for color.

Star Wars - Darth Vader is universally recognized. Everyone knows the quotes. "May the force be with you". "I am your father." Ushered in the special effects blockbuster.

The Simpsons - Postmodern sitcom that deconstructed earlier shows like "Ozzie and Harriet"

Great Train Robbery - first film that showed what the medium was capable of. Bridged the gap between low and high culture, leading to our current pop culture world (something that's bigger than the medium of film itself). Lead to Citizen Kane, etc. While you could pick another early film (like The Jazz Singer, Battleship Potemkin) this would be my choice.

1984 - "Big Brother" is fully ensconced in our cultural lexicon.

I Have a Dream - Wordplay is an artform. Delivery is an artform. This is those at their highest.

LOTR - what do I need to say? Huge influence on music, books, movies. Even the Beatles at one time talked about making a movie of it.

Coke bottle - mass marketing as pop art. How very modern.

White Christmas - The song, not the movie.

All Your Base Are Belong to Us - introduction of the internet meme.

Run DMC - Walk This Way. Brought rap into the mainstream. Rap is inherently postmodern, borrowing elements from other genres then recontextualizing them in a new form. Rap borrows from jazz, rock, pop. the blues, disco, etc. The latter part of the 20th century saw a rise in this kind of art. Take something old, twist it into something new. You could say that's a lot of what we see on YouTube. Take something from pop culture, spin it into something new.

Warhol - soup cans are iconic.

West Side Story - representative of the great American musical, the only true innovation American theater has brought to the centuries old artform

Cars - Model T, the '56 Chevy, the Vette, the Mustang. Cars are designed; They are works of art, and worshiped for their aesthetic appeal, in addition to their other qualities.

24 Hours of Flickr

The 24 hours of Flickr are up. What a day it's been!

I played at the playground...



Was amused by a cat...



Visited a cemetery...



Drove by the used farm implement lot...



Witnessed a blind girl go bow hunting for turkeys...



And visited a few other parks too...



Not a bad day for Stever Beaver...



Now if you could just swing by my 24 Hours of Flickr set, I'd be grateful! First, i want to show off the fun stuff I captured. Also, I need help. I can only submit one shot from the 24 hour period for the official Flickr promotion. Which one should I submit?

Hockey Tournament

I'm exhausted. Muscles I didn't know I have ache.

We've been playing hockey at church for about 7 or 8 years now. We play a weekly pick up game that lasts about two hours.

Last night we played a tournament. It started about 6 and I didn't leave until close to midnight. It was fun though.

Last night felt like one of those God things. Everyone got along, no one got too hurt. That's pretty much a miracle for a bunch of teenagers.

I'm proud of these guys for playing hard, but not getting nasty. The guys wer ealso very encouraging to each other.

I've got special affection for a kid named Brian. He plays goalie, and does a pretty good job. You can see him in the black gear towards the center of the picture. His team came in second. They came a couple of goals short of being our tournament champs. He made some nice saves. Especially when you consider he can't use his legs.

We have to carry him and set him in the net.

That's because Brian usually gets around with the use of braces. Brian suffers from cerebral palsy, I believe. He doesn't talk about his disability.

The other kids help him put his goalie gear on. Kids then give him a lift, and position him in net. They bring him water, and are generally encouraging. I don't think anyone pities the guy. Rather, they show compassion and try to bring the best out of him.

That's the body of Christ at work, in a bunch of sweaty, often frustrating teenagers. God moves in mysterious ways.