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Thursday, June 30
PIs and Journos
by
Tom Johnson
on Thu 30 Jun 2005 10:02 PM MDT
Journalists, cops and PIs do, essentially, the same thing, just for different audiences. Tamara Thompson, a licensed private investigator in California, describes her areas of interest as:
"INTERNET: Researching internet news, company background, products and personal profiles.
ADOPTION: Locate any birth parent or child who was born in California, then given up for adoption.
BACKGROUND: I develop deep background on companies and individuals
related to personal habits, interests, activity, assets, business,
political and social associations, employment, litigation and, business
reputation and business ownership."
That said, her blog, PI News Link, is a good, new resource related to public records.
Friday, June 24
The smell of magazines encourages men to buy them
by
Tom Johnson
on Fri 24 Jun 2005 09:16 PM MDT
We
have long thought that the newspaper industry fails itself by not
funding enough deep psychological research into why people buy, or
don't buy, its product. Consider, for example, all the research
into what motivates people to by certain types of cars. It sure
isn't because they need transportation.
It turn out that even that isn't digging deeply enough. Recent
studies suggest that we could be doing more in terms of
neurochemistry. The Telegraph, in the UK, reports....
"A
chemical found in under arm sweat could help to encourage men to buy
magazines, according to a new study out this week.
"The research carried out on 120 students found that when men were
exposed to the pheremone androstenol they were more likely to buy
magazines. The research by Dr Michael Kirk-Smith, from the University
of Ulster and Dr Claus Ebster, from the University of Vienna did not
however find that there was any effect on women.
"Previous studies have found that women exposed to pictures of men
sprayed with androstenol found them more attractive but this is the
first time evidence has shown that consumer behaviour can be influenced
with pheremones."
Source: The Telegraph newspaper
Wednesday, June 22
Crossing the disciplines
by
JTJ
on Wed 22 Jun 2005 11:49 AM MDT
One
of the missions of the IAJ is to appropriate data and methods of
knowing from other disciplines and bring them to the attention of
journalists. A recent article in the NYTimes (and The American Political Science Review)
demonstrates how political scientists reached into biology and genetic
research to tease out some insights into political attitudes and
behavior.
See the NYT write-up, "Some Politics May Be Etched in the Genes" and the original article, "Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted?"
Abstract: "We test the possibility that political attitudes and behaviors are the result of both environmental and genetic factors. Employing standard methodological approaches in behavioral genetics —– specifically, comparisons of the differential correlations of the attitudes of monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins—–we analyze data drawn from a large sample of twins in the United States, supplemented with findings from twins in Australia. The results indicate that genetics plays an important role in shaping political attitudes and ideologies but a more modest role in forming party identification; as such, they call for finer distinctions in theorizing about the sources of political attitudes. We conclude by urging political scientists to incorporate genetic influences, specifically interactions between genetic heritability and social environment, into models of political attitude formation."
Saturday, June 18
Canadian information commissioner reflects on his seven years in the post. And it ain't good.
by
JTJ
on Sat 18 Jun 2005 02:19 PM MDT
Our fellow traveler Bill Dokosh in Canada tips us to this article in the Toronto Star, "Don't tell anything to anybody,"
discussing what the Canadian information commissioner learned after
seven years on the job. The post is, essentially, responsible for
ensuring that Canadian citizens get access to government
documents.
"As
a former Liberal cabinet minister, former opposition backbencher and
former lobbyist for a powerful national association, John Reid thought
he knew what he was getting into when he was named Canada's Information
Commissioner, seven years ago.
He was wrong, Reid now admits.
He
had no inkling that senior bureaucrats reached top-level decisions
verbally to avoid leaving a paper trail. He never expected to fight an
all-out court battle for access to something as innocuous as the Prime
Minister's daily schedule. Most of all, he did not realize how
hard it was for ordinary Canadians to get scraps of ostensibly public
information, gathered on their behalf with their tax dollars."
Amen.
Friday, June 17
Conn. SpCt rules city must release electronic GIS data
by
JTJ
on Fri 17 Jun 2005 06:23 PM MDT
From The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
City must release electronic GIS mapping data
June 16, 2005 · Electronically
formatted maps, which allow journalists to plot geographically
referenced statistical data in studying the adequacy of government
programs and performance, must be released in electronic form to open
records requesters in Connecticut, the state Supreme Court ruled
unanimously Wednesday.
The maps, created from Geographic Information System data and
showing city ... more »
Thursday, June 16
Movie-making can be "Risky Business"
by
JTJ
on Thu 16 Jun 2005 10:47 AM MDT
Measuring
risk is one of the topics/disciplines that analytic journalists
track. Those folks have multiple methodologies that we can apply, and this one takes a mapping approach.
Recently, super-researcher Gary Price, of "ResourceShelf," pointed us to this:
"Filmmaking--Risks--Map
Source: AON
2005 Risks in Global Filmmaking Map
"Every filmmaker, from major studios to independent producers,
experiences some element of risk while filming in foreign
countries. That is why, each year, Aon/Albert G Ruben, the
largest entertainment insurance broker in the world, comprehensively measures
and maps the risks filmmakers face across the globe. The 2005 Risks in
Global Filmmaking Map measures crime, corruption, kidnap and ransom,
disease and medical care risks, and references terrorism and political risks."
Direct LINK to These ResourceShelf Posts http://digbig.com/4dqyn
Tuesday, June 14
Hearing scheduled on elections in Texas
by
JTJ
on Tue 14 Jun 2005 10:12 PM MDT
For our friends in Texas....
June 9, 2005
Contacts: Kip Humphrey, 713.956.8792
Seth Johnson, 212.543.4266
For Immediate Release
Attn: Political assignments desk
PRESS RELEASE:
ELECTION ASSESSMENT HEARING JUNE 29TH, HOUSTON, TEXAS
Evidentiary Hearing of Electoral Process Failures
WHO: Technical
and professional ... more »
The Digital Garden of Eden
by
JTJ
on Tue 14 Jun 2005 12:29 PM MDT
Ah, yes, the origins of us all (who are interested in the Digital
Revolution).
It was supposed to be a promotional event last Wednesday night for John
Markoff's new book, "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry," but it turned out to be a reunion of the Homebrew Computer Club
and a tribute night for Doug Engelbart, another one of those guys with
a broader vision than most of us. And Tom Foremski, writing for SiliconValleyWatcher , supplies a fine account of the evening.
Read the story, but be sure to check out the link: "This is the seminal 1968 demo
that changed the lives of those that saw it, or just heard about it.
Lee Felsenstein said 'The demo changed my thinking and I wasn't even
there, I had heard about it third-hand.'"
These film clips (only available in the Real Player format) of Engelbart's 1968 show-and-tell have the historic import of the films of Edison describing what's going on in his lab.
Obituary: Steven Roth / Maya Viz founder
by
JTJ
on Tue 14 Jun 2005 10:41 AM MDT
Steven
Roth was one of those guys who could see farther than most of us and,
even more rare, make that vision a reality. He died in his sleep
this past weekend in his home near Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette obit sub-hed: "One of the pioneers in field of
'information visualization' a 'reluctant manager'
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05165/521102.stm
Roth was a founder of Maya Viz Ldt.,
one of the more interesting firms to emerge from the Carnegie
Mellon University's Robotics Institute in the 1990s. Maya Viz
took infographics to higher levels of graphic clarity and data
interaction.
"Described as 'dreamer,' a 'visionary' and most often, 'incredibly
passionate' by his colleagues, Mr. Roth was probably best known for his
oft-spoken desire to 'change the world' by developing software that
allowed complex data and numerical information to be represented
graphically, and in a way that humans could better see, use and
manipulate it."
Sunday, June 12
What a little prodding of the data can show
by
JTJ
on Sun 12 Jun 2005 04:04 PM MDT
Kudos to Dan Eggen, Julie Tate and Derek Willis
for asking the basic question this week: "What do we know and how do we
know it?" When that process is applied to White House claims
about the value of the Patriot Act in fighting terrorists, the WH looks
a little gray. And all it took was some digging of the data, followed by
counting, to help set the record state. See:
U.S. Campaign Produces Few Convictions on Terrorism Charges:Statistics Often Count Lesser Crimes"
By Dan Eggen and Julie Tate
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, June 12, 2005; Page A01
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