Media

There are 262 posts filed in Media (this is page 11 of 27).

Ladies man

Caravan_to_Carrboro
Somehow I managed to become a hero to Carrboro’s single ladies today.

It all began when I got a friend request from a Facebook user called “Caravan to Carrboro.” Curious to learn what this “caravan” was all about, I visited their page and viewed a number of posts about men, specifically the lack of good men in Carrboro for ladies aged 35 and older. This post on the Caravan to Carrboro website sums it up:

Women of Carrboro: Let’s bring new men to town!!! Are you between the ages of 35-55 or close? Are you single or divorced? Are you interested in men but tired of recycling the same old guys in Carrboro? Would you like to go out with somebody fresh and interesting and interested in you? Well let’s bring them to town. How? With the Caravan to Carrboro. The Caravan will bring men from OUT OF TOWN, close and far, to meet you at a designated Carrboro event in the Spring of 2014. But we need to know how many you are and what you’re looking for so we can bring the right kind of gentlemen to you. Do you think this is a crazy idea? Well it’s not. If you’re interested in joining the Caravan please let us know by clicking on the poll.

Now, I wasn’t aware there was a man shortage in Carrboro until today and I am happily married, but they seem like nice ladies so I reached out to see if I could help. I soon got a response, asking if I could spread the word about their plight.

I’m not the kind of guy who can ignore damsels in distress so I contacted Indy Week and they’re going to do a story. That’s what makes me a hero. I just hope this all leads to a correction of this terrible gender imbalance in Carrboro. We’ll see!

Fiber letter runs in N&O

I wrote a letter to the editor last week after being amazed at all the buzz that was going around about Google considering the Triangle for Google Fiber. It created huge buzz, even though we’re not a sure bet to get it and whatever fiber Google does lay down won’t be lit for at least a year.

Here’s my short-but-sweet letter:

News that Google Fiber might bring gigabit Internet to the Triangle brought to mind the stir that must have accompanied the arrival of the railroad. Sure, a horse and buggy will get you there, but the future rides on fiber optics.

Mark Turner
Raleigh

N&O spreads flawed password advice

Courtesy Davide Restivo

Courtesy Davide Restivo


In today’s Connect section of the News and Observer, reporter John Bordsen asked a panel of technology experts about how to protect oneself from online hackers. I have a few beefs with this article which I’ll describe here.

The first is from Dr. Magdy Attia, dean of the College of STEM at Charlotte’s Johnson C. Smith University:

Change your passwords and make them long. “Your password should be changed every month or every two months – and make it hard to guess,” Attia said. “Some people use kids’ names, birthdates or whatever. But there are software packages that can scan a large number of passwords to find out what can work. A hacker can use these tools to scan for possibilities.”

Continue reading →

Everyone In The Tech And TV Industries Is Passing Around This Speech By Kevin Spacey – Business Insider

House of Cards star Kevin Spacey explains why the traditional TV model is quickly going extinct. This five minute excerpt of one of his recent speeches is well worth watching.

Everyone in the tech industry is passing around this video of Kevin Spacey talking about how Netflix and other tech companies will blow up the traditional TV industry. In an edited version of Spacey’s speech below, he touches on how Netflix, which has produced a handful of excellent original series this year, has the potential to disrupt the traditional cable and network TV model of forcing content creators to make a pilot before accepting a show.For example, Spacey says there will be 146 pilots made this year at the cost of $300-$400 million. Only 56 of those will actually be made into a series. "That makes our ‘House of Cards’ deal for two seasons really cost effective," Spacey says in the speech.

via Everyone In The Tech And TV Industries Is Passing Around This Speech By Kevin Spacey – Business Insider.

Cable TV Cord Cutters And Net Subscription Losses – Business Insider

Wow, what a shame. Couldn’t have happened to a better industry!

The cable TV business just had its worst year ever, according to Wall Street media analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson. Providers of TV, broadband and phone communications lost 687,000 subscribers during Q3, they wrote in a recent note to investors. They gained 574,000 new ones, for a net loss of 113,000, according to the LA Times:

Let that sink in:

“The cable TV business just had its worst year ever.”

Wow.

via Cable TV Cord Cutters And Net Subscription Losses – Business Insider.

WRAL TV’s spammy Facebook contest

WRAL TV has started a cash giveaway contest on your Facebook page. It is so spammy that I’m going to unfollow them.

I think there are ways to drive people to social media outlets and there are also ways to drive them away from social media outlets. WRAL’s approach is definitely the latter.

I hope WRAL realizes the damage they’re doing to their Facebook brand and changes course soon.

RALEIGH: Raleigh Housing Authority: Where the streets have magicians’ names

A prominent local journalist commented that this “story” smacks of “piling on.” I have to agree. Naming streets? The nerve!

There might be a lot of things to take issue with regarding Steve Beam but to jump on him for naming streets is not one of them. This is weak and petty, N&O. It’s your credibility that’s in a disappearing act.

RALEIGH — When the Walnut Terrace public housing complex reopens next year, its residents will find that their new addresses bear the names of obscure magicians.

Steve Beam, Raleigh Housing Authority director and card-trick expert, has named the new development’s streets after historical figures in magic, most of whom – like Beam – were known for masterful illusions with a deck of playing cards.

via RALEIGH: Raleigh Housing Authority: Where the streets have magicians' names | Wake County | NewsObserver.com.

Cord Cutters And The Death Of TV – Business Insider

The cord-cutting and shift away from TV that I mentioned before is accelerating. TV as we’ve known it is dying.

The TV business is having its worst year ever.Audience ratings have collapsed: Aside from a brief respite during the Olympics, there has been only negative ratings growth on broadcast and cable TV since September 2011, according to Citi Research.

Media stock analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson recently noted, “The pay-TV industry has reported its worst 12-month stretch ever.” All the major TV providers lost a collective 113,000 subscribers in Q3 2013. That doesn’t sound like a huge deal — but it includes internet subscribers, too.

Broadband internet was supposed to benefit from the end of cable TV, but it hasn’t.

In all, about 5 million people ended their cable and broadband subs between the beginning of 2010 and the end of this year.

via Cord Cutters And The Death Of TV – Business Insider.

Questions about ‘60 Minutes’ Benghazi story go beyond Dylan Davies interview; CBS conducting ‘journalistic review’

When you’ve got a big story, making extraordinary claims, you’d better make sure you’ve got your facts straight. That CBS News failed to do this is troubling and absolutely inexplicable.

CAIRO — When “60 Minutes” apologized for featuring in its report on Benghazi a security contractor whose story turned out to be a lie, it said it had been “misled.” But a close examination of the controversial piece by McClatchy shows that there are other problems with the report, whose broadcast renewed debate about one of the most contentious events in recent U.S. diplomatic history.

In an email Wednesday, CBS declined to respond to questions about the accuracy and origin of some of the other aspects of the report. But it said that it was undertaking “a journalistic review that is ongoing” – the network’s first acknowledgement that concerns about the report may go deeper than just the discredited interview with security supervisor Dylan Davies.

via CAIRO: Questions about ‘60 Minutes’ Benghazi story go beyond Dylan Davies interview; CBS conducting ‘journalistic review’ | Middle East | McClatchy DC.

Blue Cross letters scare some customers, but the outcome isn’t always bad

At a party recently, I was chatting with a firefighter who told some unbelievable stories. People have called 911 in the early morning, claiming to have an emergency, only when the fire truck rolls up they are fully dressed with their bags packed. When our first responders arrive and ask the perfectly fine-looking person what the emergency is, they respond that they just needed a ride to the hospital and knew it wouldn’t be busy at that time of day. Shaking his head, the firefighter said “and people wonder why their taxes are so high.”

There’s an in-depth look at the Affordable Care Act in the paper today by the N&O’s John Murawski, examining the cost differences of health care between various counties in the state. In many of these counties, the cost of health care is driven up by similar cases as the one I mentioned: people going to the emergency room for something minor like a headache. Give it a read.

Ann and Rodger Lenhardt were in for a jolt when they received their notice from Blue Cross Blue Shield recently. It said their monthly health insurance cost would triple – to $859.42 a month – next year.

Under closer inspection, however, the Lenhardts discovered a different story: By switching policies and taking advantage of federal subsidies, they will be able to offset most of their monthly premium costs, giving the farming couple highly discounted insurance.

via Blue Cross letters scare some customers, but the outcome isn't always bad | Economy | NewsObserver.com.