Jay Mariotti Quits, States Obvious, Journalists Still Surprised…

“To showcase your work … you need a stellar Web site and if a newspaper doesn’t have that, you can’t be stuck in the 20th century with your old newspaper.” ~ Chicago Sun-Times star sports columnist Jay Mariotti said.

“It’s been a tremendous experience, but I’m going to be honest with you, the profession is dying,” Mariotti continued, “I don’t think either paper [Sun-Times or Chicago Tribune] is going to survive.”

Strong words from a man of his stature. This guy could sneeze and still have a readership, and yet he sees the impending doom. My only question is who’s next?

- Mariotti Quits, Says Newspapers Are ‘Dying’ – CBS

Images That Speak – Action/Reaction 48 Hours Of Creation

Rob Haggart, the former Director of Photography for Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine, posted an interesting link today on his blog A Photo Editor. The link directs to Aurora Photos, a stock agency looking for a new way to highlight their already deep catalog and photographers. Take a moment and check it out if you have some time. The images are powerful to say the least.

From Their Website:

What I Learned From The Olympics

After engrossing myself in two weeks of Olympic coverage I thought I would reflect.

• Michael Phelps is fast, but like a true champion he found ways to win when the impossible was needed.
• For once the basketball players were humble — refreshing to say the least.
• Give a country 1.3 billion people, an unlimited budget, and a win-at-any-cost government and the opening and closing ceremonies are to die for. (Literally)
• No matter how old, the Chinese government will still repress you.
• The Birds Nest is ridiculous — and so is Bolt.
• Ask a country to prove their athletes are of age is like asking a two-year-old if they know the difference between no and yes.
• NBC is getting really, really good at this.
• Photography was taken to the next level and there is simply not enough time to appreciate it all.
• Architecture really can be beautiful.
• VISA finally hit the nail on the head with their ads.
• NYT’s multimedia = nearly perfect.
• No matter how obscure the sport, the stories behind the athletes rival those of legends.

Photo courtesy: clevercupcakes.com

My Life In One Quote

“Adventure is just bad planning.” – Roald Amundsen

Olympic Multimedia – Come On It’s Friday, And You Know You Don’t Want To Be Working

Forget NBC, their coverage is starting to get old anyways. Instead, take a few moments and check out the multimedia coming out of the New York Times. If you read this blog regularly, you know I have a passion for interactive journalism, and these are examples of the best stuff happening today.

So if you’re one of the few hundred people credited across the board, and need a new guy let me know, otherwise, take five and enjoy.

Some Highlights:

360-degree view of the Watercube from the 10-meter platform

BMX Racing: Steep, Fast and Out of Control

Russian pole vaulter and how she does it

Triathlon course preview and tactics

How Lezak won gold in the 4X100-meter relay. 

New Written Road Column: Shoot Everything – Even That Double Espresso Currently In Your Hand

This weeks Written Road Column:

Shoot Everything – Even That Double Espresso Currently In Your Hand

My friends think I’m nuts, but I usually just laugh them off. Don’t get me wrong; I pay for my arrogance by lugging around 15 lbs. of camera gear just about every time I go outside. The reason? Photography no longer requires a sugar mama or second mortgage, and as a writer also creating web-based content, I never know when a picture I take will come in handy.

Nearly two months ago, Flickr, one of the world’s most popular photo sharing sites, partnered with Getty Images to license photographs through their stock agency. The news sent professional photographers into a frenzy, while amateurs rejoiced. Sure, the chance of getting a photo bought is slim, but the move made one thing very clear: If you’re not shooting photos, the person next to you most likely is, and his shot could eventually wind up well beyond the refrigerator door.

As writers, the added stress of photography sometimes isn’t practical, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the medium altogether. Canon, Sony, Nikon and Pentax (just to name a few) have cameras to fit every application and personality, and unlike the old film behemoth you most likely learned on, they are crisp, quick, and cost effective once the initial purchase has been made.

Need more information? Check out the following websites for camera reviews, industry news, photo essays, forums, tutorials and photo contests. Whether you’re a pro or a newbie, the sites are valuable resources worth keeping tabs on. Because you never know when that shot of an one-eyed monkey scampering across a burned-out forest could be the difference between landing the clip and eating ramen for yet another night.

Luminous Landscapes: High-level technical prowess, deep discussion forums and a low-key pre-web 2.0 layout make the site standout. Think the gold standard of photo sites.

Steves Digicam: In-depth camera reviews, breaking news, great reading recommendations and a killer photo contest.

DP Review: One of the best camera forums on the web, where participants can answer just about any question. Forums are broken down by make, and then model, so the site doesn’t force users to sift through thousands of Nikon queries if they own a Canon. The reviews are solid, and the photo contest is also strong, but it’s the forums that keep folks coming back.

Radiant Vista: Worth a look for the daily critique, in which a professional photographer critiques a selected photo and produces a short video explaining the conclusion. The best part? Videos are made for iPods, which mean anywhere, anytime.

Have one to add? Throw it in the comments section and help make us all better photographers.

Fifteen Minutes That Kick The Crap Out Of Primetime TV

Unless you have HDTV and then I concede. So take a few and check out this video featuring National Geographic Director of Photography David Griffin, talk about photography and what it means to humanity. I promise the images alone are worth it.

Forget Steroids Can You Trust China?

Forgive me for being pessimistic here, but a few things aren’t shaping up. In light of making this the perfect games, China seems to be screwing up big time.

Strike 1:

China picks the pretty girl to be the face of a nation, but determines the ugly one has a better voice. Ends up misleading 4 billion people into thinking the girl is singing, the games are perfect and the next Britney Spears is just seven-years-old.

Strike 2:

A year ago the girl was too young to compete, but somehow is old enough now. In an effort to win at any cost, it seems China may be using a 14-year-old to snag a few more gold metals.

Strike 3:

The Michael Phelps of China, 110-meter hurdler Liu Xiang, pulls out of his race just moments before the gun goes off. Turns out he had an injury, and forgot to tell 1.3 billion people. The Chinese reactions on NBC Nightly News said it all — WTF happened? Of course don’t forget the fact he was the FACE of these games in China, and more than a few million dollars were spent on his name.

You’re Out!

One of the most outrageous things yet: A mother who applied for a protest application is detained for 30 days while the games goes on. NBC Nightly News goes to find out if it’s true and runs into more politics than Hillary and Obama locked in a room.

Parade of Nations – Okay I’m late on this but still…

Thoughts while watching the Opening Ceremonies

Croatia is apparently really good at handball – who knew?

Some country – can’t remember right now – only has one athlete. “Gives him a pretty good chance to be the flab bearer.” ~ Bob Costas

President Bush looks bored out of his mind

Damn Visa is good. Commercial gave me goose bumps.

This dude – no idea how to spell his name – is a swimmer and his country doesn’t even have an Olympic size swimming pool. “That’s a common thing in some countries,” Bob Costas says. And to think we have everything here including frivolous iPhone apps…

Women’s Volleyball = hot

Parade of nations is long – who knew there were so many countries?

Aruba’s athletes look like, well, Arubians.

Apparently the only women athlete from Afghanistan had to flee the country last month after death threats for being a woman. Makes you think how backwards things still are.

The Tanzania flag bearer is small – turns out he finished the marathon an hour after the winners last time “my country didn’t send me 7,000 miles to run the race, they sent me 7,000 miles to finish,” he said afterwards.

Britain has a 14-year-old diver. I’m 25. Shit I feel old.

There are people clapping as the athletes come in – I wonder how they can clap so long.
(Note: NBC just said look at the cheerleaders – crap I should be producing this…)

The French are not drinking wine and eating cheese – surprising

American Flag Bearer – Tear in my eye

New Writing Gig: WrittenRoad.com

So a few weeks back the travel blog I found Backpacker’s internship on, called out to writers looking for some folks to post on a weekly basis. Naturally I applied and somehow I got in. Posts show up every Thursday.

Hope you enjoy.

- Tim

Hi, My Name Is Tim, And I Am An Alcoholic

Okay not really, but if the expense account is big enough….

Last night while smashed up against the uber-fit writing crowd of Boulder, Colorado (read: I just ran a marathon and decided to swim a mile to cool down), I kept hearing the theme of online journalism popping up. Now I’m no newbie to technology, some have even gone as far to call me a geek, so the conversation was interesting to say the least. The main theme appeared to be the two worlds–print and online–are not colliding as nicely as everyone would like.

Everyone it seems has an opinion and some are less than flattering. Three weeks ago when Nick and Abha called out for new writers, I knew exactly what I wanted to bring to the table: A new writers perspective of the travel writing industry and how the web can increase our chances of landing an assignment.

Over the next few months I hope to further the conversation between editors, writers, freelancers and web producers regarding online content and how we can all become multimedia savvy. Future posts will include informational interviews with web editors, accomplished photographers, videographers and those trying to break into the industry. As well as useful advice on which digital camera to buy, what white balance is and how to edit a short video.

But most importantly the goal is to help Written Road readers expand their toolbox and land more assignments, which ultimately can mean a few more drinks at the bar.

Note: If you have an editor you would like to hear from, or a question about new media please feel free to comment or email me directly timshisler [at] gmail and I’ll do my best to address the issue.