I just got a few paragraphs into this article but it felt a bit like de ja vu so I closed the browser and came here, to Blogger, instead. This particular article was inspired by a mashable article and talks about 'the journalist of the future'. According to the article, this journalist will need to be a programmer, designer, editor and writer ... along with a host of other skills.
Why?
Why would future journalists need to be able to do all of these things? Why would future journalists need to do anything more than research and report? After all, isn't that the definition of a journalist? Current (or previous) generation journalists don't print the paper themselves, don't deliver it, don't market it, don't design it etc.
Maybe the standard of news these days relates to this idea .... that journalists are spending their time learning about elements of someone else's job rather than focusing on their own.
New technology doesn't mean that a single person will need to do all aspects of a job. Sure, it may help a journalist to know how to edit a video and upload this to the Internet but with software and content management systems this doesn't require quite the skill set exaggerated in the article.
Learning these new skills is no different to previous generations of journalists who had to learn to use tape recorders, type writers, computers and the Internet. It is the responsibility of the journalist to learn to use the tools required to transfer the information they are required to find.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
iPad 2 - is it worth the upgrade?
Ok, like 15 million iPad 1 owners around the world I have been awaiting with baited breath for the announcement by apple on Wednesday 2nd March. Imagine my frustration when I woke up just as our morning news program gadget guy wrapped up his review - but lucky there's this internet thing.
The iPad 1 was my first and is still my only Apple product and it still excites and amazes me every day to be carrying a touch pad tablet with me everywhere - it is truly the first portable office. But I still feel the Apple frustration every time I want to 'browse' or plugin a usb device. Will the new model solve these challenges? I fear it is unlikely, but lets look at just what iPad 2 actually does.
The camera has been the bit I've been waiting for but with these specs, I'm just not sure it is worth spending another $1000 to upgrade:
"The front camera can record VGA-resolution (640-by-480) video at 30 frames per second with audio and take still photos at 640-by-480. The back camera can record HD video at 720p at 30 frames per second with audio. When in still camera mode, the back camera has a 5X digital zoom." Quote from: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/221200/summary_ipad_2_to_lead_slew_of_apple_releases_on_march_11.html
Today's not-so groundbreaking announcement has me no closer to a decision, but I think the Apple lovers may be hailing this as a bigger upgrade than it really is with article titles like "Apple's latest tablet sends competitors back to the drawing board". Overhyping an Apple release? NOOOO! But for some, what Steve Jobs says in his press releases ... goes.
“While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”
Unlikely Steve. Very unlikely.
Watch (the ad) for yourself: http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
The iPad 1 was my first and is still my only Apple product and it still excites and amazes me every day to be carrying a touch pad tablet with me everywhere - it is truly the first portable office. But I still feel the Apple frustration every time I want to 'browse' or plugin a usb device. Will the new model solve these challenges? I fear it is unlikely, but lets look at just what iPad 2 actually does.
- Front and rear facing cameras
- It comes in WHITE!
- It has a new gyroscope
- It's thinner and lighter (1.3 pounds and 0.35 inches)
- It's faster (1GHz dual-core Apple A5 processor)
- The side (orientation) switch can be custom set
- A magnetic case with micro-fibre inside (called smartcover)
- Photobooth for taking and editing pics
- iMovie (FINALLY!)
The camera has been the bit I've been waiting for but with these specs, I'm just not sure it is worth spending another $1000 to upgrade:
"The front camera can record VGA-resolution (640-by-480) video at 30 frames per second with audio and take still photos at 640-by-480. The back camera can record HD video at 720p at 30 frames per second with audio. When in still camera mode, the back camera has a 5X digital zoom." Quote from: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/221200/summary_ipad_2_to_lead_slew_of_apple_releases_on_march_11.html
Today's not-so groundbreaking announcement has me no closer to a decision, but I think the Apple lovers may be hailing this as a bigger upgrade than it really is with article titles like "Apple's latest tablet sends competitors back to the drawing board". Overhyping an Apple release? NOOOO! But for some, what Steve Jobs says in his press releases ... goes.
“While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”
Unlikely Steve. Very unlikely.
Watch (the ad) for yourself: http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
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