Saturday, October 15, 2011
If you can read this post, the move was successful
I've initiated the process of moving my blog to a new WordPress site. If all went all well, you should receive this message and need do nothing else. If all went somewhat well, I may need to send you a request to sign up for a new email service.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Notes from The Media and Politics Frontier
As mentioned earlier, I am attending (gate-crashing) a program on politics and the media at the 2011 25th Anniversary Schedule - Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. (As I write at table in the hal, Clay Shirky is pacing the hall, talking to himself, getting ready for his lunchtime speech.)
Xeni Jardin interviewed Miles O'Brien on science in the media. O'Brien, formerly of CNN until they jettisoned their science department, talked about the difficulty that we as a nation have in teaching about science. The mainstream media, fulfilling that circle, limits its science coverage because it seems that people aren't interested. There was a lot more about a lot more. You can find the recorded sessions at Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy - Home Page
The audience discussion came around to several themes:
I offered a few themes that I've used before:
More later.
Xeni Jardin interviewed Miles O'Brien on science in the media. O'Brien, formerly of CNN until they jettisoned their science department, talked about the difficulty that we as a nation have in teaching about science. The mainstream media, fulfilling that circle, limits its science coverage because it seems that people aren't interested. There was a lot more about a lot more. You can find the recorded sessions at Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy - Home Page
The audience discussion came around to several themes:
- I'm an old-school journalist and I don't understand what you're talking about.
- What about quality?
- Where are the editors?
- Where are the authorities?
I offered a few themes that I've used before:
- The web offers a large-scale version of what we would otherwise call peer review. Instead of a dozen reviewers taking a month to read an article, you can get 100s of people giving you feedback in minutes. The scale is fast and large and solid.
- This is an evolving model that's only a few years old. It wasn't designed as such; we're building as we go along. As a result, we can't expect the level of maturity or completeness that traditional news or science publication companies have had (and have decimated).
- The stuff is personal and people react as such. When there was news about prostate screen or mammograms, people read the reports and reacted as if their lives depended on it. Science becomes real.
More later.
Notes from Harvard Square
The ride in to the seat of all Western knowledge took less than an hour on this foggy Friday. I left the house at 5:40, parked, and was greeted by a bearded doorman at Peet's Coffee by 6:45. Even though it's a mild morning, the doorman has made his transition to a winter jacket. The fur-lining of the hood on his jacket is indistinguishable from his wild white beard. Man Becomes Coat, should be the headline in the morning Metro.
It should be busier here. Just a half dozen folks reading their papers.
Peet's offers the oddly-flavored coffees, but refrains from promoting them too much. There's a brightly-lit Dunkin' Donuts in the same building as the parking garage. They are promoting some pumpkin abomination. I miss the Coffee Connection with their single-origin coffees. I miss lots of stuff. We go on.
I'm here to attend a symposium on The Media and Politics Frontier at the Shorenstein Center. I have no affiliation with the center and am here pretty much as a groupie. I'll have notes about the forum here and on Twitter and Google+.
Our bearded doorman has moved into the small park in front of the door where he can have a smoke. The pigeons give him little attention.
It should be busier here. Just a half dozen folks reading their papers.
Peet's offers the oddly-flavored coffees, but refrains from promoting them too much. There's a brightly-lit Dunkin' Donuts in the same building as the parking garage. They are promoting some pumpkin abomination. I miss the Coffee Connection with their single-origin coffees. I miss lots of stuff. We go on.
I'm here to attend a symposium on The Media and Politics Frontier at the Shorenstein Center. I have no affiliation with the center and am here pretty much as a groupie. I'll have notes about the forum here and on Twitter and Google+.
Our bearded doorman has moved into the small park in front of the door where he can have a smoke. The pigeons give him little attention.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
RoasterBoy on the move
I am in the process of migrating this blog to WordPress. You can find out more here: RoasterBoy on the move « Hakkarainen Clipping Service.
These links and other services will continue to work for quite a while. When I get the email and RSS feeds set up, all new content will go onto the new site. My goal is that current readers should have to do anything to receive the blog posts at the new site. I'll let you know directly if I learn otherwise.
Thanks so much for your interest and support.
These links and other services will continue to work for quite a while. When I get the email and RSS feeds set up, all new content will go onto the new site. My goal is that current readers should have to do anything to receive the blog posts at the new site. I'll let you know directly if I learn otherwise.
Thanks so much for your interest and support.
The daily news of the future
Giving us a chance to say as much as we want about nothing.
 |
| Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com - |
Monday, October 10, 2011
Book Review: Social Media for Lawyers
Professionals such as attorneys and physicians are using social media to establish their professional reputations, promote discussion of important topics, and, yes, build their practices. Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier offers practical tips for attorneys who are new to the idea of using social media such as blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter as a part of their marketing and outreach. The book walks you through the setup of these services and suggests some best practices for using social media specifically and marketing in general. The book concludes with the expected notes of caution regarding ethics. You can see the table of contents here (PDF).
The book is useful, but could be a lot more so. The biggest problem, by far, is the lack of an online resource to help the reader with the number of lengthy links used in the book.
The book includes a number of sidebar notes. The trouble is that they're called Factoids. Norman Mailer coined the phrase to describe "facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority." (via Online Etymology Dictionary).
At $50, the book is too expensive for what it offers. A bit of web research and perhaps even a copy of Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies would be more useful and less expensive.
The book is useful, but could be a lot more so. The biggest problem, by far, is the lack of an online resource to help the reader with the number of lengthy links used in the book.
The book includes a number of sidebar notes. The trouble is that they're called Factoids. Norman Mailer coined the phrase to describe "facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent Majority." (via Online Etymology Dictionary).
At $50, the book is too expensive for what it offers. A bit of web research and perhaps even a copy of Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies would be more useful and less expensive.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
G'bye, delicious
One of my maxims based on 30 years of high tech:
Yahoo bought delicious from its founder in late 2005 and did very little to help or hurt it. Late last year, Yahoo signaled that it was going to shut down delicious, prompting a bit of panic. Along with many thousands of other bookmarkers, I opened an account with pinboard.in. They had some fun dealing with the sudden influx of interest, but they survived: Anatomy of a Crushing (Pinboard Blog). Pinboard later got through an unfriendly visit from the FBI: FAQ about the recent FBI raid (Pinboard Blog).
Pinboard costs a few buck; delicious is free.
I was in the habit, though, of using delicious. I had browser extensions, scripts that put selected links into selected blog posts, and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't feel like replacing. I was lulled into this inertia by delicious's continued and unchanged presence.
In the spring, a couple of guys who'd been at YouTube formed a company called AVOS and bought delicious for pretty much couch changed. They worked behind the scenes through the summer and launched the new site in late September: A New Flavor…Still Delicious | AVOS.
The reaction to the new web service was consistent: AVOS’ Delicious Disaster: Lessons from a Complete Failure | ZDNet.
The new service has broken too many things that used to work on their way to adding eye candy that almost no one wants or needs.
I've been patient, giving them time to listen to their customers and respond. They've tried, but I fear that they've gone too far down the wrong path to come back and fix what they left behind, the stuff that made delicious really useful.
Today, though, I tried to do some real work with my bookmarks and couldn't.
delicious was a pickup truck that was good for real work. Now, it isn't. I don't know what it is, but it isn't what I need.
I'll be re-migrating my stuff to Pinboard over the next few weeks. Most of you won't notice or care, but a few might see a few changes. I'll keep my delicious account, but won't be adding to it.
In the 90s, there was a nifty product called Calendar Creator. It helped you build family calendars with birthdays and other recurring events of note. I don't remember if it was version 2 or 3, but one release broke everything. They tried to make it do more and wound up doing less. I bought the new version, tried it once, and never used it again.
Since then, I've seen countless products bloat themselves out of existence. Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, has added a bunch of eye candy that prevents it from running on older, slower, less powerful systems. Facebook may be on that track as it keeps adding features that make it more difficult to use.
I like new stuff, particularly in technology. I'll try lots of products in their earliest stages and stick with them if they show promise.
When I find utilitarian products, however, I don't need improvement. I go to the store, point to my shoes and say, "I want these shoes, but new." I've worn button-down shirts for close to 50 years. (No, not the same ones, although not for a lack of trying.) My pillows are older than I am.
Google has it right. The basic design of their home page has changed very little over the years. They've added powerful features, but mostly hidden from view. When they've tried fancy stuff (Wave, Buzz), they failed and quickly dropped the products. They know how to add changes without breaking their core product.
delicious didn't do that. It broke what they did well and gave us new stuff that we neither wanted nor needed.
All software will break your heart.I've used the public bookmarking service delicious (formerly known as del.icio.us) more than six years, nearly a lifetime for a web service. I've relied on it to park items of interest, share topics with friends and strangers, and build blog posts from the accumulated links. I currently have more than 9500 bookmarks stored there. You can see them on my links page.
Yahoo bought delicious from its founder in late 2005 and did very little to help or hurt it. Late last year, Yahoo signaled that it was going to shut down delicious, prompting a bit of panic. Along with many thousands of other bookmarkers, I opened an account with pinboard.in. They had some fun dealing with the sudden influx of interest, but they survived: Anatomy of a Crushing (Pinboard Blog). Pinboard later got through an unfriendly visit from the FBI: FAQ about the recent FBI raid (Pinboard Blog).
Pinboard costs a few buck; delicious is free.
I was in the habit, though, of using delicious. I had browser extensions, scripts that put selected links into selected blog posts, and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't feel like replacing. I was lulled into this inertia by delicious's continued and unchanged presence.
In the spring, a couple of guys who'd been at YouTube formed a company called AVOS and bought delicious for pretty much couch changed. They worked behind the scenes through the summer and launched the new site in late September: A New Flavor…Still Delicious | AVOS.
The reaction to the new web service was consistent: AVOS’ Delicious Disaster: Lessons from a Complete Failure | ZDNet.
The new service has broken too many things that used to work on their way to adding eye candy that almost no one wants or needs.
I've been patient, giving them time to listen to their customers and respond. They've tried, but I fear that they've gone too far down the wrong path to come back and fix what they left behind, the stuff that made delicious really useful.
Today, though, I tried to do some real work with my bookmarks and couldn't.
delicious was a pickup truck that was good for real work. Now, it isn't. I don't know what it is, but it isn't what I need.
I'll be re-migrating my stuff to Pinboard over the next few weeks. Most of you won't notice or care, but a few might see a few changes. I'll keep my delicious account, but won't be adding to it.
In the 90s, there was a nifty product called Calendar Creator. It helped you build family calendars with birthdays and other recurring events of note. I don't remember if it was version 2 or 3, but one release broke everything. They tried to make it do more and wound up doing less. I bought the new version, tried it once, and never used it again.
Since then, I've seen countless products bloat themselves out of existence. Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, has added a bunch of eye candy that prevents it from running on older, slower, less powerful systems. Facebook may be on that track as it keeps adding features that make it more difficult to use.
I like new stuff, particularly in technology. I'll try lots of products in their earliest stages and stick with them if they show promise.
When I find utilitarian products, however, I don't need improvement. I go to the store, point to my shoes and say, "I want these shoes, but new." I've worn button-down shirts for close to 50 years. (No, not the same ones, although not for a lack of trying.) My pillows are older than I am.
Google has it right. The basic design of their home page has changed very little over the years. They've added powerful features, but mostly hidden from view. When they've tried fancy stuff (Wave, Buzz), they failed and quickly dropped the products. They know how to add changes without breaking their core product.
delicious didn't do that. It broke what they did well and gave us new stuff that we neither wanted nor needed.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
When blog becomes onomatopoeic
It appears that the FeedBlitz, the service that delivers email to readers of this journal, has sent some messages that include links to nowhere. (You click on the link and an empty window opens up.) This appears to be a transitory problem that FeedBlitz claims is fixed. I'll continue to monitor it. If you see any further odd mailings, please let me know directly.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.
When blog becomes onomatopoeic
It appears that the FeedBlitz, the service that delivers email to readers of this journal, has sent some messages that include links to nowhere. (You click on the link and an empty window opens up.) This appears to be a transitory problem that FeedBlitz claims is fixed. I'll continue to monitor it. If you see any further odd mailings, please let me know directly.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
More on the Sheriff
If you recall, I wrote a piece a couple of weeks ago, The Sheriff and Secure Communities, about Worcester County Lew Evangelidis and his then-recent publicity regarding the Secure Communities program.
...
Continue reading More on the Sheriff at Telegram Towns.
...
Continue reading More on the Sheriff at Telegram Towns.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fox 25 undercover reporter uncovers non-story. Film at 11.
Mike Beaudet, reporter for "FOX Undercover" on WFXT in Boston, broke a story over the weekend. He teased it a bit on Saturday and gave the it full treatment on Sunday evening. (His report, Boston schools seek pricey consultant, is on the station's website.)
Let's review, starting form the end. The Boston Finance Commission turned down a request by Boston school superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson to hire a consultant, Dr. Rudy Crew, at a reported $1500 per day. Because the total contact was above $10K, the FinCom gets a chance to review the proposal. They decided against it. As a result, Dr. Crew probably won't be hired.
The rest of the story is as follows:
We want outstanding schools on the cheap. We want to have schools run efficiently and meet goals, just like businesses must do, but we'll only pay one-third the going rate for the education, skills, and experience.
I can't make the determination if Dr. Crew is worth that kind of money. Neither, it appears, can Mike Beaudet. We learned very little about Dr. Crew's past work as a consultant or the value of consultants in reforming education. We learned nothing about what consultants and professionals earn in education or any other field. What we heard was a number that Beaudet envied. (The average salary for a news reporter in Boston in $42K.)
For the locals: Dr. Crew worked as a teacher in the Worcester school system in 1972-73.
Let's review, starting form the end. The Boston Finance Commission turned down a request by Boston school superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson to hire a consultant, Dr. Rudy Crew, at a reported $1500 per day. Because the total contact was above $10K, the FinCom gets a chance to review the proposal. They decided against it. As a result, Dr. Crew probably won't be hired.
The rest of the story is as follows:
- Dr. Crew would have charged $1500/day. Beaudet used the number in the sub-headline and six times in the story.
- Dr. Crew, a nationally recognized education leader, was "fired" from two jobs.
One, in the Miami-Dade County system, was for, as Beaudet reported, "after being accused by critics of mismanaging the budget."
Beaudet didn't report that Crew and the school board agreed to sever his contract, that the district is one of three finalists in a national competition. (Awards will be announced on October 14.) Beaudet also didn't report that Crew, according to A U.S. News and World Report article, removed under-performing principals and corrected previously wasteful construction practices. - Dr. Crew would have charged $1500/day. Beaudet wishes he was making that kind of money.
With all due respect Dr. Johnson, $1,500 a day. I'd love to be making that much money. Is he really worth all that money?” asked Beaudet.
- Dr. Crew lost his job with the New York City school system in 2000 after repeated run-ins with Mayor Rudy (no relation) Guiliani over the issue of school vouchers to private schools. The mayor wanted vouchers; the superintendent refused.
- There's no disputing that the daily rate is a lot of money. It's also in the range of his 2010 Miami salary, The New York Times reported. Salaries at that level are reserved for the superintendents of the largest school systems. Miami-Dade is the fourth largest system in the nation. According to the survey by District Administration magazine, a CEO of a comparably large company would make more than $1M annually.
We want outstanding schools on the cheap. We want to have schools run efficiently and meet goals, just like businesses must do, but we'll only pay one-third the going rate for the education, skills, and experience.
I can't make the determination if Dr. Crew is worth that kind of money. Neither, it appears, can Mike Beaudet. We learned very little about Dr. Crew's past work as a consultant or the value of consultants in reforming education. We learned nothing about what consultants and professionals earn in education or any other field. What we heard was a number that Beaudet envied. (The average salary for a news reporter in Boston in $42K.)
For the locals: Dr. Crew worked as a teacher in the Worcester school system in 1972-73.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Fallon Clinic - new name, same stock photography doctors
Fallon Clinic is changing its name to Reliant Medical Group on October 1. The goal is to help remove confusion between the clinic, where medical services are provided, and the Fallon Community Health Plan, which provides medical insurance. The two have been separate businesses since 2004. Patients and others continued to confuse the two.
As a result of a new alliance affiliation with Atrius Health Group, the clinic decided it was a good time for a name change. It would help to eliminate the confusion between the clinic and the insurance provider.
Naturally, patients are showing up at the clinic saying, "I guess I'll have to get a new doctor now that you're not longer part of Fallon." Or, "Does this mean I have to change health plans?" Or, "I changed to Harvard Pilgrim. Do I need to get a new doctor." Just exactly the kind of confusion that Fallon was hoping to eliminate.
The reassuring tent cards places around the clinic tell the patients that they'll still have the same great doctors and service providers that they did before.
Nice, except that none of these smiling folks are Fallon providers. They are models. The picture is commercial stock photograph. A Google image search will show these good folks practicing all around the world.
Take a class in Photoshop and call me in the morning.
As a result of a new alliance affiliation with Atrius Health Group, the clinic decided it was a good time for a name change. It would help to eliminate the confusion between the clinic and the insurance provider.
Naturally, patients are showing up at the clinic saying, "I guess I'll have to get a new doctor now that you're not longer part of Fallon." Or, "Does this mean I have to change health plans?" Or, "I changed to Harvard Pilgrim. Do I need to get a new doctor." Just exactly the kind of confusion that Fallon was hoping to eliminate.
The reassuring tent cards places around the clinic tell the patients that they'll still have the same great doctors and service providers that they did before.
 | ||
| via Studio shot of medical professionals smiling by Tetra Images |
Take a class in Photoshop and call me in the morning.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Crime in suburbia
From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: There were 20 suspicious items this week]
3:59 p.m. Caller reports something was broken off in the key lock to his apartment, Main St.
5:20 p.m. Fight in business parking lot, Wachusett/Manning Sts.
10:19 p.m. Suspicious male riding bike down center of Main/Shrewsbury Sts.
9:00 a.m. Assist person involved in computer issue, Main St.
12:00 p.m. Two young children in parked vehicle, Main St.
12:32 p.m. Problem with vendor, Main St.
1:02 p.m. Suspicious male knocked on door, looked in windows, then fled, River St.
1:34 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St.
3:15 a.m. Deceased raccoon in travel lane, Main St.
8:44 a.m. Several calls about two German shepherds in Reservoir St.
9:03 a.m. Vehicle almost went through crosswalk while children were crossing, Highland St.
11:19 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in front of home for several hours, Wachusett St.
12:18 p.m. Male in street yelling at himself, Vicksburg Cir.
6:58 p.m. Person heard loud yelling and moaning from home, Briarcliff Ln.
2:43 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Industrial Dr.
2:48 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, windows open, Industrial Dr.
7:57 a.m. Person at station to drop off three pistols, Main St.
11:15 p.m. Report of gunshots, Holden St.
1:09 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St. Person taken into protective custody
8:46 a.m. Barking dog complaint, Fairchild Dr.
2:57 p.m. Suspicious males in area, Boyden Rd.
8:10 a.m. Shepherd mix dog in market parking lot, then to Rte. 122
8:32 a.m. Loose pit bull, Marshall St.
8:53 a.m. Caller requests assistance with vehicle lockout, Pleasant St.
9:10 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer about previous incident, Pleasant St.
1:48 p.m. Male in parked vehicle frequently seen in same area, Brooks Rd.
8:40 p.m. Female wants to speak with animal control officer regarding cat with broken leg dropped off at her doorstep, Pleasant St.
6:34 a.m. Bear in yard, Jefferson Dr.
7:03 a.m. Dead raccoon in West St.
4:27 p.m. Report of large bobcat on property, Davis Hill Rd.
10:38 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at end of driveway, Gates Rd.
2:40 p.m. Cat with no tail hanging around home for a week, Rocky Pond Rd.
7:31 a.m. Caller reports that her vehicle’s lug nuts are loose again, ongoing problem, Sterling Rd.
3:56 p.m. Caller reports carrier pigeon on her roof for a week, Rhodes Rd.
7:09 p.m. Two dogs barking constantly, Hickory Dr.
7:16 p.m. Dogs barking non-stop, Hickory Dr.
8:52 p.m. Dog in Sterling Rd.
9:34 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Princeton Rd. Sterling PD advised
11:55 a.m. Abandoned dog from home on Stevens Way
3:17 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Wachusett St.
3:46 p.m. Suspicious male behind store, E. County Rd.
3:51 p.m. Erratic driver, E. County Rd.
5:20 p.m. Orange cat limping, Campbell St.
9:13 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
6:47 a.m. Two very large bears in tree near home, E. County Rd.
11:53 a.m. Caller believes there is a skunk in a Glenwood School classroom, animal control officer removed skunk
8:16 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
8:04 p.m. Person at station requesting help, says he walked to town from Worcester, is homeless, Main St.
6:40 p.m. Bear in area, Pommogussett Rd.
7:30 p.m. Bear on Main St.
8:20 p.m. Bear in area, Highland Park Rd./Maple Ave.
12:30 p.m. Elderly female walking toward town center, Maple Ave.
3:43 p.m. Police check out unattended vehicle parked outside gate, Charnock Hill Rd.
3:45 p.m. Out-of-state visitor’s dog “Nova” is loose, owners can’t catch; dog has injured a neighbor’s rooster, Maple Spring Dr.
6:00 p.m. Suspicious male driving silver vehicle left yellow notice written in Spanish on caller’s door, John Robert Dr. Paper is notice from her mortgage company
6:15 p.m. Caller believes man in red truck illegally dumping in apartment complex, Maple Ave. Said male party was “very angry with her” when she confronted him
4:32 p.m. Five-year-old didn’t get dropped off at bus stop. Child fell asleep on bus, N. Row Rd.
5:44 p.m. Young female near woods appears to be crying, Jewett Rd.
6:55 p.m. Caller wants to speak with ACO regarding loose dog in Clinton, Leominster Rd.
8:48 a.m. Caller wants to speak with animal control officer regarding someone leaving kittens at residence, Princeton Rd.
12:31 p.m. Strange phone calls, Leominster Rd.
7:39 p.m. Loud bulldozer on neighbor’s property, Beaman Rd.
6:04 p.m. What appears to be rabid raccoon in roadway, Justice Hill/Justice Hill Cutoff Rds.
6:59 p.m. Suspicious male knocked on door, John Dee Rd.
10:25 p.m. Car alarm going off twice, Redstone Hill Rd.
9:35 p.m. Suspicious activity, Princeton Rd.
3:55 p.m. Caller concerned that helicopter is flying too low, Redstone Hill Rd.
[Editor's note: There were 20 suspicious items this week]
Holden
Monday -- September 12
1:50 p.m. Jar of quarters stolen from vehicle during night, Lovell Rd.3:59 p.m. Caller reports something was broken off in the key lock to his apartment, Main St.
5:20 p.m. Fight in business parking lot, Wachusett/Manning Sts.
10:19 p.m. Suspicious male riding bike down center of Main/Shrewsbury Sts.
Tuesday -- September 13
7:05 a.m. Suspicious male in area, Parker Ave./Stoneleigh Rd.9:00 a.m. Assist person involved in computer issue, Main St.
12:00 p.m. Two young children in parked vehicle, Main St.
Wednesday -- September 14
12:44 a.m. Police remove obstacles from Quinapoxet St.12:32 p.m. Problem with vendor, Main St.
Thursday -- September 15
9:09 a.m. Cement stolen from rear of business, Main St.1:02 p.m. Suspicious male knocked on door, looked in windows, then fled, River St.
Friday -- September 16
1:09 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Manning St.1:34 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St.
3:15 a.m. Deceased raccoon in travel lane, Main St.
8:44 a.m. Several calls about two German shepherds in Reservoir St.
9:03 a.m. Vehicle almost went through crosswalk while children were crossing, Highland St.
11:19 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in front of home for several hours, Wachusett St.
12:18 p.m. Male in street yelling at himself, Vicksburg Cir.
6:58 p.m. Person heard loud yelling and moaning from home, Briarcliff Ln.
Saturday -- September 17
2:07 a.m. Complaint about noise, Princeton St.2:43 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Industrial Dr.
2:48 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, windows open, Industrial Dr.
7:57 a.m. Person at station to drop off three pistols, Main St.
11:15 p.m. Report of gunshots, Holden St.
Sunday -- September 18
12:35 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Salisbury St./Newell Rd.1:09 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St. Person taken into protective custody
8:46 a.m. Barking dog complaint, Fairchild Dr.
2:57 p.m. Suspicious males in area, Boyden Rd.
Paxton
Monday -- September 12
8:07 a.m. Raccoon walking slowly by kids at bus stop, Birch St.8:10 a.m. Shepherd mix dog in market parking lot, then to Rte. 122
8:32 a.m. Loose pit bull, Marshall St.
8:53 a.m. Caller requests assistance with vehicle lockout, Pleasant St.
9:10 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer about previous incident, Pleasant St.
1:48 p.m. Male in parked vehicle frequently seen in same area, Brooks Rd.
8:40 p.m. Female wants to speak with animal control officer regarding cat with broken leg dropped off at her doorstep, Pleasant St.
Tuesday -- September 13
2:10 p.m. Child in back seat of car, not buckled in, Pleasant St.Wednesday -- September 14
6:19 a.m. Two donkeys and one mini-horse near Grove St.6:34 a.m. Bear in yard, Jefferson Dr.
7:03 a.m. Dead raccoon in West St.
4:27 p.m. Report of large bobcat on property, Davis Hill Rd.
Saturday -- September 17
10:38 a.m. Male sitting in brush on Pleasant St. Having a cigarette and didn’t want to cause smoke around tennis playersSunday -- September 18
12:24 p.m. Bear in yard, Crocker Hill Dr.Princeton
Monday -- September 12
6:42 a.m. Three coyotes in caller’s yard going after her dog, Mirick Rd.10:38 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at end of driveway, Gates Rd.
2:40 p.m. Cat with no tail hanging around home for a week, Rocky Pond Rd.
Tuesday -- September 13
1:20 p.m. Three horses on side of Ball Hill Rd.Wednesday -- September 14
6:29 a.m. Dog hit, in road, Worcester Rd.7:31 a.m. Caller reports that her vehicle’s lug nuts are loose again, ongoing problem, Sterling Rd.
3:56 p.m. Caller reports carrier pigeon on her roof for a week, Rhodes Rd.
Friday -- September 16
8:03 a.m. Vehicle lockout, Coal Kiln Rd.7:09 p.m. Two dogs barking constantly, Hickory Dr.
7:16 p.m. Dogs barking non-stop, Hickory Dr.
8:52 p.m. Dog in Sterling Rd.
9:34 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Princeton Rd. Sterling PD advised
Saturday -- September 17
10:27 a.m. Person at station regarding barking dogs, Hickory Dr.Sunday -- September 18
9:14 a.m. Police remove large rock from E. Princeton/Merriam Rds.Rutland
Monday -- September 12
8:51 p.m. Caller requesting animal control officer to pick up kitten she found that appears to have a broken leg, Pleasant St.Tuesday -- September 13
1:50 a.m. Police check vehicle parked with doors ajar, Edson Ave.11:55 a.m. Abandoned dog from home on Stevens Way
3:17 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Wachusett St.
3:46 p.m. Suspicious male behind store, E. County Rd.
3:51 p.m. Erratic driver, E. County Rd.
5:20 p.m. Orange cat limping, Campbell St.
Wednesday -- September 14
1:30 a.m. Two people sitting outside by community center, Main St.9:13 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
Thursday -- September 15
3:20 a.m. Loud music, Charnock Hill Rd.6:47 a.m. Two very large bears in tree near home, E. County Rd.
11:53 a.m. Caller believes there is a skunk in a Glenwood School classroom, animal control officer removed skunk
8:16 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.
Friday -- September 16
4:08 p.m. People selling merchandise out of white van, Locke Rd.8:04 p.m. Person at station requesting help, says he walked to town from Worcester, is homeless, Main St.
Saturday -- September 17
5:17 p.m. Report of shots fired, E. County Rd./Wachusett St.6:40 p.m. Bear in area, Pommogussett Rd.
7:30 p.m. Bear on Main St.
8:20 p.m. Bear in area, Highland Park Rd./Maple Ave.
Sunday -- September 18
7:09 a.m. Caller reports that bear destroyed bird feeder, Highland Park Rd.12:30 p.m. Elderly female walking toward town center, Maple Ave.
3:43 p.m. Police check out unattended vehicle parked outside gate, Charnock Hill Rd.
3:45 p.m. Out-of-state visitor’s dog “Nova” is loose, owners can’t catch; dog has injured a neighbor’s rooster, Maple Spring Dr.
6:00 p.m. Suspicious male driving silver vehicle left yellow notice written in Spanish on caller’s door, John Robert Dr. Paper is notice from her mortgage company
6:15 p.m. Caller believes man in red truck illegally dumping in apartment complex, Maple Ave. Said male party was “very angry with her” when she confronted him
Sterling
Monday -- September 12
10:23 a.m. Kayak washed up on beach, no paddles, Hall Ave.4:32 p.m. Five-year-old didn’t get dropped off at bus stop. Child fell asleep on bus, N. Row Rd.
5:44 p.m. Young female near woods appears to be crying, Jewett Rd.
6:55 p.m. Caller wants to speak with ACO regarding loose dog in Clinton, Leominster Rd.
Tuesday -- September 13
3:18 a.m. Small terrier walking on Rte. 140 N8:48 a.m. Caller wants to speak with animal control officer regarding someone leaving kittens at residence, Princeton Rd.
12:31 p.m. Strange phone calls, Leominster Rd.
7:39 p.m. Loud bulldozer on neighbor’s property, Beaman Rd.
Thursday -- September 15
5:37 p.m. Group of youths in rear of elementary school using foul language, yelling racial epithets at citizens, Boutelle Rd.6:04 p.m. What appears to be rabid raccoon in roadway, Justice Hill/Justice Hill Cutoff Rds.
6:59 p.m. Suspicious male knocked on door, John Dee Rd.
10:25 p.m. Car alarm going off twice, Redstone Hill Rd.
Friday -- September 16
3:59 p.m. Dog trapped in garage, Matthew Ln.9:35 p.m. Suspicious activity, Princeton Rd.
Saturday -- September 17
4:40 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at end of driveway, Elliott Rd.3:55 p.m. Caller concerned that helicopter is flying too low, Redstone Hill Rd.
Sunday -- September 18
5:15 p.m. Three kittens in woods, Princeton Rd.Friday, September 23, 2011
If the sky doesn't fall, we'll be busy
When I meet people at conferences, as I did yesterday, people ask me what I do. I have better results trying to explain how neutrinos can travel faster than the speed of light. I usually say, "Anything for a buck," and go from there.
Here's what in the queue:
Meanwhile, we're wondering what's going to come out of the clouds besides rain. A couple dozen pieces from an old weather satellite are due to come out of orbit and crash into most likely water, somewhat likely land, very unlikely (1 in 3200 chance) a person, or (4.46428571 × 10-14 ) you.
Good luck.
Wear a hat.
Here's what in the queue:
- Yesterday, I attended ONA11 Law School for Digital Journalists at Harvard. The sessions included a review of copyright, libel, trademarks, advertising and other law topics related to operating a newsroom. We heard a great presentation from the folks from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press who provide legal guidance and services for journalists.
I ran into Brittany Durgin of Worcester Magazine.
During the conference, various people took turns taking notes in a shared Google document. The presentations will be posted on the Online News Association real soon now. - I ducked out of the last session so I could make it to the other side of Cambridge and attend a forum on Local News in the Digital Age. Hosted by Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy, we heard from WGBH's Callie Crossley, Universal Hub's Adam Gaffin, and the Boston Globe's David Dahl. I'll have more to say on this in a future blog.
- During afternoon, Facebook held the kickoff session for its f8 developer conference. Plenty of changes to delight some, annoy many, and drive more than a few people away. There was lots of discussion in Twitter, Google+, private chats, and, yes, even on Facebook.
At the end, like it or not, Facebook made changes because it makes strategic sense for them. As Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider said,The principle hallmark of Facebook's run from a small Harvard-only Web site to a service approaching a billion regular users has been Mark Zuckerberg's willingness to pull the rug out from underneath of those users and change up the site.
- Class 2 of 21st Century Village | A W.I.S.E. course on social networking tomorrow. I get to try to explain the Facebook mishegas.
- Another story and another blog post or two for Telegram Towns.
- As a follow-up to my blog post about Lew Evangelidis, I've received a rich inventory of material from Guy Beales, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) about the treatment of mental illness in inmates. More to come on this.
- Install an Ultra-Bay adapter and SATA drive on my laptop.
- Complete a couple of projects for which people will provide the aforementioned buck.
Meanwhile, we're wondering what's going to come out of the clouds besides rain. A couple dozen pieces from an old weather satellite are due to come out of orbit and crash into most likely water, somewhat likely land, very unlikely (1 in 3200 chance) a person, or (4.46428571 × 10-14 ) you.
Good luck.
Wear a hat.
If the sky doesn't fall, we'll be busy
When I meet people at conferences, as I did yesterday, people ask me what I do. I have better results trying to explain how neutrinos can travel faster than the speed of light. I usually say, "Anything for a buck," and go from there.
Here's what in the queue:
Meanwhile, we're wondering what's going to come out of the clouds besides rain. A couple dozen pieces from an old weather satellite are due to come out of orbit and crash into most likely water, somewhat likely land, very unlikely (1 in 3200 chance) a person, or (4.46428571 × 10-14 ) you.
Good luck.
Wear a hat.
Here's what in the queue:
- Yesterday, I attended ONA11 Law School for Digital Journalists at Harvard. The sessions included a review of copyright, libel, trademarks, advertising and other law topics related to operating a newsroom. We heard a great presentation from the folks from The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press who provide legal guidance and services for journalists.
I ran into Brittany Durgin of Worcester Magazine.
During the conference, various people took turns taking notes in a shared Google document. The presentations will be posted on the Online News Association real soon now. - I ducked out of the last session so I could make it to the other side of Cambridge and attend a forum on Local News in the Digital Age. Hosted by Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy, we heard from WGBH's Callie Crossley, Universal Hub's Adam Gaffin, and the Boston Globe's David Dahl. I'll have more to say on this in a future blog.
- During afternoon, Facebook held the kickoff session for its f8 developer conference. Plenty of changes to delight some, annoy many, and drive more than a few people away. There was lots of discussion in Twitter, Google+, private chats, and, yes, even on Facebook.
At the end, like it or not, Facebook made changes because it makes strategic sense for them. As Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider said,
The principle hallmark of Facebook's run from a small Harvard-only Web site to a service approaching a billion regular users has been Mark Zuckerberg's willingness to pull the rug out from underneath of those users and change up the site.
- Class 2 of 21st Century Village | A W.I.S.E. course on social networking tomorrow. I get to try to explain the Facebook mishegas.
- Another story and another blog post or two for Telegram Towns.
- As a follow-up to my blog post about Lew Evangelidis, I've received a rich inventory of material from Guy Beales, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) about the treatment of mental illness in inmates. More to come on this.
- Install an Ultra-Bay adapter and SATA drive on my laptop.
- Complete a couple of projects for which people will provide the aforementioned buck.
Meanwhile, we're wondering what's going to come out of the clouds besides rain. A couple dozen pieces from an old weather satellite are due to come out of orbit and crash into most likely water, somewhat likely land, very unlikely (1 in 3200 chance) a person, or (4.46428571 × 10-14 ) you.
Good luck.
Wear a hat.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Protecting the job creators
Speaker of the House John Boehner has, not surprisingly, criticized President Obama's "Millionaire Tax" plan as bad for job creators.
Put another way, ask yourself, how many jobs has Alex Rodriguez (annual salary of $32M) created? Red Sox semi-pitcher John Lackey ($15.9M)? Vernon Wells (hitting a robust .222 for his $18.5M salary)?
How about this? Write a letter to Lebron James ($16M in salary and $48M total, with endorsements). Tell him that you don't support the taxation plan and that you're grateful for all the jobs he's created.
While you're at it, write to Lady Gaga, Glenn Beck, Oprah, Howard Stern, Dr. Phil, Rush Limbaugh, Charlie Sheen, and others on the Forbes Celebrity 100. Let 'em know how comforted you are that their taxes won't go up. They'll thank you for it.
Enjoy that new job.
Put another way, ask yourself, how many jobs has Alex Rodriguez (annual salary of $32M) created? Red Sox semi-pitcher John Lackey ($15.9M)? Vernon Wells (hitting a robust .222 for his $18.5M salary)?
How about this? Write a letter to Lebron James ($16M in salary and $48M total, with endorsements). Tell him that you don't support the taxation plan and that you're grateful for all the jobs he's created.
While you're at it, write to Lady Gaga, Glenn Beck, Oprah, Howard Stern, Dr. Phil, Rush Limbaugh, Charlie Sheen, and others on the Forbes Celebrity 100. Let 'em know how comforted you are that their taxes won't go up. They'll thank you for it.
Enjoy that new job.
Facebook and class warfare
It's probably been years since you signed up for Facebook. You've forgotten what you had to go through. You've probably also had enough experience with online services to know what to ignore, how to switch between one website and another, and how to ignore ads.
Imagine, then, being in your retirement years and learning about Facebook as well as the web for the first time. I recently spent time a small group of people who were new to Facebook. They'd heard about it and were nervous, but willing to have a look.
We spent 10 minutes discussing why Facebook was requiring a complete birth date - day, month, and year - in order to create a new account.
I explained that the Facebook terms of service required that you created an account with your real and correct information. Part of the reason for requiring a true birth date was to enforce requirements for the minimum age (13). The group met the minimum age five-fold.
The people weren't vain about their ages. They just didn't like having to provide their birth dates. They were concerned about identity theft, even though they weren't quire sure what that meant or how it would happen.
"Can I use my son's birthday?" asked one. They didn't mind providing a date; they just didn't want it to be theirs.
One man signed up using his wife's birth date, knowing that, if he forgot that date, well, ....
Facebook has a minimalist explantion:
It's well known that a large number of children are using Facebook.While Facebook requires a birth date, it doesn't include any overt way of verifying it. (A father in Northern Ireland has brought suit against Facebook because his 12-year-old daughter has created an account. It's a long and somewhat complex story, as you might imagine.)
In sum, Facebook is requiring a piece of personal information, won't really explain why or what it will do with the information, and has a history of tolerating fake answers.
And that's just the beginning of the beginning. More questions.
Then you wait for 10 or 15 minutes until the email confirmation shows up before you can confirm that the account is really yours. In the meantime, advertisements for dating services and time-wasting games are showing up on your page.
This is what 700 million people are excited about?
Meanwhile, Facebook is due to announced major new features and user interface changes at this week's developer conference. New features that include more music, news, and videos.
We know that Facebook's corporate DNA is in college or those who still think that they're in college. The unfriendly sign-up process, the nagging demands for more information, and the cacophony of features are making Facebook increasingly irrelevant to digital immigrants, those who come to web technologies later in life. I don't know if that's the plan, but it certainly is the effect.
Imagine, then, being in your retirement years and learning about Facebook as well as the web for the first time. I recently spent time a small group of people who were new to Facebook. They'd heard about it and were nervous, but willing to have a look.
We spent 10 minutes discussing why Facebook was requiring a complete birth date - day, month, and year - in order to create a new account.
I explained that the Facebook terms of service required that you created an account with your real and correct information. Part of the reason for requiring a true birth date was to enforce requirements for the minimum age (13). The group met the minimum age five-fold.
The people weren't vain about their ages. They just didn't like having to provide their birth dates. They were concerned about identity theft, even though they weren't quire sure what that meant or how it would happen.
"Can I use my son's birthday?" asked one. They didn't mind providing a date; they just didn't want it to be theirs.
One man signed up using his wife's birth date, knowing that, if he forgot that date, well, ....
Facebook has a minimalist explantion:
Facebook requires all users to provide their real date of birth to encourage authenticity and provide only age-appropriate access to content. You will be able to hide this information from your profile if you wish, and its use is governed by the Facebook Privacy Policy.
It's well known that a large number of children are using Facebook.While Facebook requires a birth date, it doesn't include any overt way of verifying it. (A father in Northern Ireland has brought suit against Facebook because his 12-year-old daughter has created an account. It's a long and somewhat complex story, as you might imagine.)
In sum, Facebook is requiring a piece of personal information, won't really explain why or what it will do with the information, and has a history of tolerating fake answers.
And that's just the beginning of the beginning. More questions.
 |
| What's this? Do I have to upload my email address book? No? OK. Skip this step. |
 | |
| I don't want to give this information. OK? Skip this step. |
 |
| Do I have to put in a picture? Why? How do I do that? OK. Skip this step. |
This is what 700 million people are excited about?
Meanwhile, Facebook is due to announced major new features and user interface changes at this week's developer conference. New features that include more music, news, and videos.
We know that Facebook's corporate DNA is in college or those who still think that they're in college. The unfriendly sign-up process, the nagging demands for more information, and the cacophony of features are making Facebook increasingly irrelevant to digital immigrants, those who come to web technologies later in life. I don't know if that's the plan, but it certainly is the effect.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Sheriff and Secure Communities
It sure seemed like grandstanding when we saw
Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis interviewed by Juan Williams
about Secure Communities the Bill O'Reilly show.
Read the rest at my TelegramTowns.com blog
Read the rest at my TelegramTowns.com blog
Monday, September 12, 2011
A printed social media magazine? Really?
The Social Media MonthlyTM is on sale at Barnes and Noble stores in the U.S. and in other locations worldwide. There's also an iPad edition. (Curiously, there's no version of the magazine for B&N's Nook).
There was a fair bit of coverage about the launch of the magazine. Most of the coverage speculated on the need for, as the press release said, "the world’s first printed magazine to focus exclusively on the evolving technology area of social media." Some folks were eager to have something in print to explain it all. BBC blogger Charles Miller's piece, titled Social media: on paper at last, wanted to know what kind of paper was being used. He wrote to the editor, Bob Fine, to find out where he could buy one in the UK. Fine wasn't sure and would get back to him soon.
Cool Blue Company LLC has a company website/blog that they promise they'll be updating soon. Their last update was in May 2009.
 |
| 404 (Page Not Found) Error - Ever feel like you're in the wrong place? |
The QR codes at the end of each article suggested that I might get something special and learn more a clever way to use the codes. Unfortunately, however, the first code I tried went to their Page-Not-Found page. I tried several others with the same result.
And that's how it goes throughout the magazine:
- On page 9, we see that it's the August 2011 edition while the other footers say it's September 2011. This, according to the masthead, is from the second printing.
- Hyphenation in the big pull quotes is distracting and not necessary, particularly when hyphenating proper names such as Twitter.
- For seven bucks (eight in Canada), you want high quality production and might notice that the aforementioned footers drift a few points from the edge of the page.
- The QR code for The BrainzoomingTM Group has ad on the inside back cover ad, one of the most expensive places in a print publication. The code.takes you to a page that offers a social media metrics report. To obtain the download, you have to fill out a form. The form asks how you heard about the download. Too bad they couldn't have figured that out already because I came to the page by way of their QR code.
A good magazine about social media would be a welcome offering to both marketers and business owners who are more comfortable with print. Until one comes along, there's The Social Media MonthlyTM.
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