NAVEL GAZING

This just struck me: the Internet has kicked down the fence around another of the preserves of mainstream media: post-election "expert" analysis. Sure, the newspapers are full of columns telling us what happened in the U.S. on Tuesday, why and what it means. Sure, the TV screens are thick with talking heads trying to do the same thing.

But the web, particularly Blog World, is doing a much better job of driving the analysis and debate. That's only partly because there are so many engaged and intelligent bloggers (from the right and left). Mostly it's because we are not hearing single voices or multiple voices strained through the single voice of a journalist. There are a multitude of voices in Blog World, in the blogs and in the comments, that provide a fascinating and often incisive look at the American election and what it may mean.

There's some garbage there from the aggressively angry and the mean-spirited gloaters. But much of what is being written, by bloggers and by their readers, touches directly on what has happened and what will (or may) happen in the U.S.

And it's all unmediated by media, unabridged by the lack of space or time or by the constant need of mainstream media to have a common narrative to follow.

It's conversation, evolving as it goes (the mouth-breathers tend to drop out early) and, I suspect, a much truer picture of America than I'll get from traditional media.
5:45:24 PM  LINK TO THIS POST  

SHARP SHOOTERS

Another site for the aspiring photographer (and those who love great images): Sports Illustrated's self-described "world's greatest collection of sports photography."

You can search the site by keyword or photographer's name (advanced search options are available) or just click your way through the featured galleries on the front page. Good starting points might be Walter Iooss Jr. and Neil Leifer, who've been rockin' the sports-shooting world for as long as I can remember.

SOURCE: A Photo a Day.
4:31:10 PM  LINK TO THIS POST