Without A Net

The New Media team's look at news, journalism, pop culture, and everything else that interests us personally and professionally.

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Latest Entries
Nostalgia for the obsolete

Nov. 11, 2009|Mike Roe|0 comments

The new book Obsolete by Anna Jane Grossman takes a look at things going obsolete within our lifetimes. The book includes 100 essays on fading subjects, such as mix tapes, camera film, and writing letters.

It seems that the amount of time before something becomes nostalgic is growing shorter. I personally lamented once popular Web site hosting service GeoCities being shut down recently, remembering my early online adventures building horrible Web sites using GeoCities.

It's also interesting to see how, as something's usefulness declines, our affection for it grows. This isn't to say that these objects are useless. I was talking with a friend the other night who bought a typewriter rather than using a word processor, expressing a love for the tactile level it brings to writing. A photographer friend still carries an $11 plastic camera, which when his fancy professional camera's battery died and his backup had gone AWOL, he used to complete a recent photo shoot.

For a personal favorite in Internet nostalgia, go check out the very first White House Web site from the Clinton administration. (This site really makes me wish that, like Al Gore at the time, Joe Biden had a cartoon gallery.)

(Via Kottke.org)

Bratton versus Colbert

Nov. 4, 2009|Mike Roe|0 comments

Former LAPD chief Bill Bratton is about to face an even more probing audience than he's found in Los Angeles. No, I'm not talking about his new New York City security consultant job, I'm talking about Bratton going toe-to-toe with America's top pundit, Stephen Colbert.

Bratton appears on Thursday's episode of Comedy Central's Colbert Report, adding another notable to the long list of public figures who've sparred with the comedian on his faux news program. My DVR's already set.

(Via L.A. Observed)

Defining the 2000s

Nov. 2, 2009|Mike Roe|0 comments

I was talking with a friend the other night about the way our culture seems to be becoming more homogeneous. We talked about the distinctive, definable styles of the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, into the early '90s, but found our ability to pin down what has defined style since becoming fuzzier. Is this just due to our proximity to the times, or has the ubiquity of mass media, and particularly the Internet, led to an evening out of our culture?

In the tradition of long lists of stuff blogs like Stuff White People Like, one blogger has set to defining what the current decade has been about in his blog You AUGHT To Remember. He's counting down the top 100 "trends, fashions, memes, personalities and ideas that shaped the first decade of the 21st Century." I expect we'll be seeing more and more efforts like this as our decade comes to a close in less than two months.

What do you think has defined our decade?

(Link via Kottke.org)

Hiking: Griffith Park and Taylor Mitchell

Oct. 29, 2009|Mike Roe|0 comments

So, I'm going hiking tonight in Griffith Park for a special pre-Halloween hike. As my hiking group's Web site describes it, "Bring glow sticks, bracelets, headbands, or whatever other glowing or blinking accessories you can get your hands on and we'll scare and glow our way around the trails and then through the dark and eerie ruins of the old zoo." I was very excited about this. I then decided to go on the Internet.

What should I happen to come across but this: "Teenage folk singer Taylor Mitchell killed by coyotes." The first paragraph:

"A teenage folk singer has died after being set upon by two coyotes as she hiked alone in a national park in Nova Scotia."

It's a tragic story, and I hesitate to even write about this, and wonder if I'm being sensitive to the situation. From my own limited perspective, it's one that puts a little fright into a late night hike at a park known for its coyotes. Of course, as the article notes, coyotes are generally shy, and I'll also be hiking with a large group. Still, I suppose it's natural to have a little fright going into Halloween.

You can watch the CBC's story on Mitchell's death here:

Taylor Mitchell's "Don't Know How I Got Here":

Why seeing U2 live is for suckers

Oct. 22, 2009|Mike Roe|2 comments

I'm one of the 96,000+ descending upon Pasadena's Rose Bowl this weekend to see U2 in a sold out concert (or at least the small dots that I will assume are U2 from my seat). However, while you can't beat the energy of a live crowd, the best view may be had by all the people not at the show.

This show will be streamed live via YouTube. You can view the video making the announcement here:

The show was already being filmed for an upcoming DVD release, so it ended up being an opportunity for the organizers to take the show to the Web. It's one of their last concerts of the year, with more to come in 2010.

It's a smart move, as they weren't going to be able to sell any more tickets for the event. I do wonder, if this type of live event online becomes a growing trend, if it could cut into any live performance revenues, which have become even more important as the record industry collapses. Still, as mentioned before, it's hard to compete with the experience of a live concert, the fan moment of being in the same venue as a favorite musician, and sharing your passion with a mass of people.

You can tune in Sunday, October 25th at 8:30 p.m. to check it out at youtube.com/U2. The show will also be replayed twice, then be available on demand like any other YouTube video.

Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for Principle Management