"Write now is good."

The Museum of Online Museums—Open 24/7/365

Photo: "Massive doors that weigh 3 tons each." by Daysleeper724

Coudal Partners' MoOM (Museum of Online Museums) gathers 150+ Web sites of museums, galleries and exhibitions into one comprehensive list. Quality ranges from polished sites affiliated with established museum institutions (like MoMA and the Rijksmuseum) to an individual collector's extensive Flickr stream (like vintage European cinema postcards, 1895-1970).

The MoOM offers a semi-curated virtual tour of a vast variety of collections (it is updated quarterly). It is organized yet also proves the Web is both wide and wild; such a diverse list reminds that the WWW expands endlessly and infinitely, unbounded by nothing but imagination's limits—and people's proclivities to put all this online.

A few I surveyed:

- Covers of a few thousand science fiction magazines: an interactive collage created with an inspiring use of Flash.
- The Grocery Lists Collection: almost 2,000 lists featured.
- AirlineMeals.net: the "world's first and leading website on nothing but airline food."
- The 1976 License Plate Retrospective: stunningly comprehensive.
- Record Envelope Gallery: the "little library of factory sleeves."

I could spend hours at Shorpy, a vintage photo blog linked from Plan 59. Whew, indeed.

UPDATE (4/23/09): From the Coudal Partners' email newsletter sent out today -- "Our Museum of Online Museums is currently under renovations for the Spring Exhibitions. Look for a slew of new showings and oddball collections in the next day or two."

PSFK Conference on April 2nd, NYC

Heads up, Creatives! The PSFK Conference in New York City, this Thursday starting at 9AM, offers an inspiring lineup of speakers in digital publishing, tech trends, green design, the arts and communications. A bit about its background:

Tailored for creative professionals, strategists and the media, we will host 12 lectures and panels on topics that include arts & culture, design, digital & mobile technology, marketing & advertising, sustainability, social media and publishing.

Attendees come to our events to share ideas with likeminds, so beyond the talks we will curate interactive experiences in the venue that bring our core themes to life.

PSFK Conference New York is the 8th conference hosted by PSFK following successful installments in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore.

Past speakers and panelists include creative visionaries and innovators from companies like Apple, BBC, Microsoft, MTV, NASA, Panasonic, Starbucks, Wieden + Kennedy, and the Guardian, and globally-recognized and inspiring creative minds including Shepard Fairey, Kate Moross and Jeff Staple.

Tickets are still available. If anyone reading this attends and blogs about it, drop a comment back by here so I can (a) read your blog post, and (b) link to it so others can read it. Thanks!

How data flows, Peeps secrets revealed, and "The Addictionary"

Photo: "binary easter egg" by Rakka

A few sites of note I recently found while surfing:

1. FlowingData is a well-designed and -organized online locale which helps readers

...explore how designers, statisticians, and computer scientists are using data to understand ourselves better—mainly through data visualization. Money spent, reps at the gym, time you waste, and personal information you enter online are all forms of data. How can we understand these data flows? Data visualization lets non-experts make sense of it all.

A few entries I like:

-- "Little Red Riding Hood, the Animated Infographic Story"
-- "Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis"
-- "17 Ways to Visualize the Twitter Universe"

2. The Addictionary is a social word site. Users make up words, create definitions for made-up words, vote on other users' humorous wordy concoctions, and connect to others who enjoy doing the same. From their "About Us" page:

The Addictionary is a site for word lovers and those who like to see our beloved English language grow in serious or humorous ways. We built the Addictionary to empower word-play and to help lovers of word-play showcase and market their cleverness and creativity to the world...

If you add a word or definition to the site, drop a comment here. I'll post a link to it so other readers can check it out.

Members of the Twitterati may follow The Addictionary on Twitter. The site's "snowflakes" have a new book out, too—Addictionary: Brave New Words.

3. A view into the secret life of Peeps. Because I always wondered how marshmallow peeps were made, and this photo set answers it for me*:

"How Peeps are made" from The Chicago Tribune (via Chris Glass)

* A video of the entire factory process would be even more enlightening!

Low Braille literacy = lower quality of life for blind population

Photo: "Braille Machine" by marcokalmann

If you care about storytelling, literacy or education, I recommend reading "Fewer than 10 pct. of blind Americans read Braille" by Ben Nuckols of the Associated Press.

The title's statistic of "Fewer than 10 percent" didn't mean much to me until I read of the profoundly negative effects on blind Americans of not being fluent in Braille:

...Today Braille is considered by many to be too difficult, too outdated, a last resort.

Instead, teachers ask students to rely on audio texts, voice-recognition software or other technology. And teachers who know Braille often must shuttle between schools, resulting in haphazard instruction, the report says.

"You can find good teachers of the blind in America, but you can't find good programs," said Marc Maurer, the group's president [the National Federation of the Blind]. "There is not a commitment to this population that is at all significant almost anywhere."

Using technology as a substitute for Braille leaves blind people illiterate, the federation said, citing studies that show blind people who know Braille are more likely to earn advanced degrees, find good jobs and live independently.

"It's really sad that so many kids are being shortchanged," said Debby Brackett of Stuart, Fla., who pressured schools to provide capable Braille teachers for her 12-year-old daughter, Winona.

One study found that 44 percent of participants who grew up reading Braille were unemployed, compared with 77 percent for those who relied on print. Overall, blind adults face 70 percent unemployment...

The article cites technology like audio books as hampering the way blind people learn to read and write. Couldn't someone, perhaps using a new technology, improve Braille learning, instruction and communication? (Does anyone reading this post know anything about this? Please leave a comment if you do!)

On another note, if any group is deprived of outlets to tell their own stories, their experiences will often go unnoticed. Following this, when their stories disappear, the group itself becomes less noticed in larger society.

Writing and reading stories is so crucial to children's (and adult's) growth and development. Clearly the blind population is not being served. I wonder how many great storytellers, thinkers and inventors among this group are being kept from reaching their full potential because of low Braille literacy.

Inspired by the article, I looked up Louie Braille on Wikipedia. He developed his system of raised dots when he was 15 years old.

Sendak's "Wild Things" classic: A successful book-turned-film?

UPDATE: If the above video clip doesn't work, you can check out a beautiful hi-res version of it at the Apple site.

This trailer piqued my curiosity. How does a film, which will run (most likely) approximately 90 minutes, stay true to the narrative of a 37-page children's book?

I've just looked through my copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and I've estimated that twenty-seven of the pages are illustrated. (Some are image only, and on others, the image takes up most of the page with a bit of accompanying text.)

The best films-based-on-books capture the essence of the book. While most novels' plots are too extensive to show completely within an acceptable movie time limit, a film's story—sincerely told and authentically rendered—can do the original work justice.

The trailer shows so much not even hinted at in the original. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the film stands on its own—I'd really like to see this!

Education magnified: lessons from a news hunt

Photo: "magnifying glass" by chrisjohnsonbeckett

NewsTrust has wrapped up last week's education news hunt, and I've put together some preliminary thoughts about what I learned from co-hosting it. I'll soon post additional links and quotations from other NewsTrust editors to add more context, and will include relevant stats from the hunt.

UPDATE (February 12, 2009):
--- Complete news hunt results and analysis, including the top-rated stories, are located here: "Top Stories on Education" by Derek Hawkins, with Fabrice Florin and Kaizar Campwala.
--- I co-hosted this news hunt with fellow NewsTrust editor Dale Penn, whose most insightful take-away from the week is located on the NT blog: "From our host, Dale Penn".

-----------
After participating in the news hunt, I feel much more informed about current issues and major opinions in education. The best articles captured more subtle aspects about how truly complex a school, classroom or a student's life can be; these pieces went beyond a quick, simple, pro-and-con issue treatment.

Regarding which stories I chose to review, I realized I'm often drawn to local stories because I want real examples to learn from; theory only goes so far in the classroom. Local stories often looked at specifics of problems. As reviewers—and as educators, parents, teachers and students—we're interested in case studies, as successful ones could be models for use in other—even our own—venues. Many national opinion pieces primarily discussed national policy, and they are sometimes confirming or enlightening, but are often not practical or useful in solving specific educational problems.

In rating quality stories, a well-written, solidly sourced and in-depth piece about a local issue trumps a more general opinion piece about national policy. During the news hunt, I read many echo pieces in various sources which nearly repeated other opinions or editorials. While important in reaching different markets, they didn't always add much new to the debate, or inform.

Most opinion pieces were about national (not local) education policy, and this may be a trend for awhile. As education issues come into sharp national focus through debate about the new stimulus package, education policy makers will continue to make themselves heard. As school budgets get cut during this recession, communities will clamor to save threatened electives and programs. After seeing many educational opportunities slip away during the past eight years (the limitations of NCLB, being one example), there is a cogent urgency now for communities to own education again. If citizens want better schools—and a better world society—then everyone has to stay vigilant in speaking up and making sure that happens. With President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan, the tone has changed and there seems to be room again for many voices. This could inform a higher level of debate going forward. Time will tell if this is fully reflected in media coverage.

Even though education is often not breaking news, this topic is incredibly newsworthy. Thoughtful, thorough and consistent education reporting—particularly on state and local levels—could make local communities more aware of and interested in what is happening in their neighborhood schools. It would be a great public service if media outlets invested more in covering education. With the current newspaper crisis, however, many outlets have their very survival driving editorial choices; how education (and all topics, really) is covered depends more heavily now on a variety of external market forces and not necessarily journalistic principles.

More information to be added soon. Information added—see above update.

Want to improve education? A news hunt may lead the way

Photo: "365÷52 Day 4: My Year in Playmobil 1/52"  by brotherxii

This week, I am co-hosting an education news hunt over at NewsTrust, a site which rates quality journalism. Through February 8th, readers and reviewers at NewsTrust will submit as many articles on education as they can find for the entire community to review and comment on.

Question: So, how could a hunt for news actually improve education? 

Answer: Increase knowledge on a topic = increased power to affect change.

Throughout the news hunt week, people who participate read many articles and greatly expand their knowledge about education. By submitting and reviewing the articles, reviewers become more discerning about which articles are best, and which information is most relevant. Participants read others' reviews, also, taking in other community member observations and opinions, adding another dimension to their own understanding of the topic.

By the end of the week, reviewers have immersed themselves in a week-long, community-led exploration into the current state of education worldwide. Because so many people participate, the collective mind critiquing these articles covers vast ground, learns more and becomes "smarter" about the topic; thus, so do participants.

If we become more knowledgeable about the complex issues behind education, we become empowered to help our local schools. Fortified with newly found facts and viewpoints on education, news hunt participants could participate more in their local communities. NewsTrust provides a continually refreshed resource of the best, most current education articles as a reference.

The state of education affects all members of society. With a landmark education stimulus package in the U.S. on the cusp of being implemented, now is an exciting time to focus on crucial issues which certainly will determine the quality of our future.

Interested? Click here to submit articles and start reviewing.

Also, on the right-hand side of this blog, I feature a NewsTrust widget. If you're a "news hound" (Thanks, Dale!) who would like to feature links to quality journalism on your blog, click here to get this feature.

Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll answer them.

A city of books, media stacking, and making more room to read

 

Photo: "media stacking" by Will Lion

A few worthwhile finds from my recent Web travels are:

1. Are you a "media stacker"? Read this TimesOnline article "Hello? I'm on the internet - and watching the television" to find out.

2. "The Buzzwords of 2008" is full of overused, wordy gems. On this New York Times' list, you'll find digital cliff, staycation, and Phelpsian, among many others. The article is co-written by Grant Barrett, "a lexicographer specializing in slang and new words, ... co-host of the public radio program 'A Way With Words' and head of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society." Accompanying illustrations by Jessica Hische are witty and original.

3. "This is where we live" is a stop-motion animation of a city made entirely of books. Over 1,000 copies of various books from U.K. publisher 4th Estate were used to make it. From ViaComIT.

4. Make more room to read! Change This and 800CEORead are working together on an innovative benefit for Room to Read. The details:

For $30.00, we are putting together a Mystery Box of three business books. In this box you are guaranteed one title that either won, or made the shortlist for, the best book of 2008 in its category, along with 2 other titles from last year that were submitted for the awards. As a bonus, we will include a copy of this year's In The Books, our annual review of business books. 100% of the purchase will go directly to Room to Read, and we'll cover the shipping on all orders.

Room to Read promotes increased literacy in the developing world by establishing libraries, computer labs and even schools in communities with few educational resources. It is a powerful organization which makes real and lasting positive impact. If you're not familiar with the group, I suggest clicking through and looking at what they do; it is inspiring.

Tweets throughout the ages

Today, I learned something surprising. Twitter, the purportedly new microblogging service, has been around for thousands of years. The digital archeologists behind Historical Tweets are slowly unearthing relevant 140-character messages from the past and revealing them via their blog for posterity. (See above tweet from Abraham Lincoln.)

So, this form of social media is actually a bit ancient. Since humans have been tweeting for generations, it makes sense that many 21st-century technologists have adopted the practice so readily.

I wonder what the first-ever tweet was. (If you have some inkling about the tweet which started it all, please leave a comment. I'll post the ideas and link to your blog if you do.)

Mined from a tweet by CrossTheBreeze.

UPDATE: Two bloggers so far have submitted possibilities for the "first-ever tweet." They are:

1. "Hello, world" — Leah
2. "Got fire?" — Tumblewords

Early morning creative magic

Photo: "sunrise in the city" by tattoodjay

This blog caught my eye: "Daily Routines: How writers, artists, and other interesting people organize their days."

While reading through these posts, I noticed that most creatives featured get up early (between 5-6AM) most days and start writing or painting soon after waking.

35+ unusual and innovative bookshelves

Bookshelf: "For Her", created by Jim Rosenau of Berkeley, California

While searching for the most efficient and interesting ways to store books, I stumbled onto two extensive posts from WebUrbanist:

"20 Unusually Brilliant Bookcase and Bookshelf Designs: Creative, Modular and Unique Furniture"
and
"15 (More!) Unusually Brilliant Book Shelving Systems: Creative and Modular Urban Furniture".

One link I clicked on led me to many other bookshelves (see above image as an example of what I found).

With these new additions, this blog's "bookshelf furniture" category has at least quadrupled in items. Enjoy!

Grids!

As a writer, I use grids often; they help me keep ideas organized when I'm brainstorming and making outlines. When I found these two extensive grid resources, I knew I had to post them here. Based on what I know about this blog's readership, you all will enjoy and reference these sites:

1. The Grid System bills itself as the "ultimate resource in grid systems". Based on what I've read so far on the site, this assertion may be correct. From article and book links to tools and templates, this exhaustive source hosts a stunning amount of grid-related information.

2. Incompetech features 44 different grids and other lined paper, all available free as PDF downloads — everything from traditional graph paper to cross grids to iso-dots to music notation paper. The above image shows four additional kinds found at Incompetech.

UPDATE: Build a custom grid online at gridr buildrrr (thanks to NOTCOT for this source).

UPDATE 2: Swissmiss has a link to a clearly written tutorial on "The Complex Grid" at WhatType.

UPDATE 3: The Carrer web blog has created a "sketchbook for web designers" of downloadable graphs which simulate a web browser on paper. Great for sketching out Web sites on paper first!

If the Internet is a copy machine, then...

Photo: "You've reached the office of Mr. Copy Machine" by Shoreline 

The opening words of "Better Than Free", a new ChangeThis manifesto by Kevin Kelly, grabbed my attention:

The Internet is a copy machine. At its most foundational level, it copies every action, every character, every thought we make while we ride upon it. In order to send a message from one corner of the Internet to another, the protocols of communication demand that the whole message be copied along the way several times. IT companies make a lot of money selling equipment that facilitates this ceaseless copying. Every bit of data ever produced on any computer is copied somewhere. The digital economy is thus run on a river of copies. Unlike the mass-produced reproductions of the machine age, these copies are not just cheap—they are free...

This made me think back to my pre-Internet days. While listening to a favorite band's song on the radio was free, getting access to that band's entire album usually meant buying it at the record store. Getting access to a new book meant either borrowing it from the library (if other voracious readers hadn't gotten to it first) or purchasing it from a bookstore.

Most people bought newspapers and magazines without reservation. Home delivery subscriptions — right to the front stoop — was often the preferred method of receiving them.

Before we knew what the World Wide Web was, we had free access to creative works, but that free access seemed a lesser alternative to owning an actual copy of that work. If we could afford a record, CD or book, we would buy it, and that money went to the creators — after a long line of creativity-related (sometimes) middling "middlemen" first took their cuts. We fans then had full access to our beloved works; we could listen to or read them at a whim and could share them as we wanted, within strictly defined technology boundaries (e.g., having access to a dual-cassette recorder or a wondrous Xerox machine).

While libraries had copies of periodicals and publications in "reading rooms", they would not let them to be checked out to take home. The only viable way to enjoy a magazine or paper was to buy a copy, and it was affordable.

Seeing how many media outlets now struggle daily to survive, as their collectives staffs work to produce content that Web users now expect to be free — yet costs real money to produce — I read Kelly's treatise very closely. In proposing what is "better than free", he describes "eight uncopyable values".

What are they? You'll have to read his manifesto to find out.

It is a concise, focused read. Solutions for this painful period of media transition are out there, and Kelly's eight "generatives" could be a basis for many of them.

If you create online content, are involved in social media, or just want to catch a glimpse of what the future may hold for media, reading it will be worth your while.

And, if you want to discuss "Better Than Free" after you read it, head back to this post and comment.

Thank you for voting!

Photo: "Thank you!" by Zanthia

As the world continues to revel in the most hopeful and historic election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, other positive developments are shining through. One I'd like to note, as a follow-up to my Do you know how to vote? post, is this: in this 2008 election, the U.S. has had its highest voter turnout ever in the last 48 years.

More than 148 million voters cast their ballots, which equals to 64.1% of the voting-age electorate.

Take a look at this chart, National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections, which features statistics from 1960. (For presidential election years, the stats are in boldface. Mid-term elections, nationally held to elect Congress members and for state/local governments, are in plain type.) So inspiring! Our voting electorate has been completely re-energized across age, race, and economic groups; almost 26 million more voters turned out in 2008 than they did in 2004.

After finding and being moved by these significant voting stats, I stumbled across the above photo on Flickr and had to feature it. Before I began writing this post, I read an article in The Washington Post titled "U.S. Hailed Again as Country of Dreams", and this photo expresses much of the gratitude many worldwide are feeling based on Obama's win.

So, I must say this again: thank you for voting! It has made all the difference in the world.

Do you know how to vote? This year, it may be a bit tricky

Photo: "Vote Here Vote Aqui" by myJon

As far as public service announcements go on this blog, I rarely feature them. There are so many worthy causes, my blog would no longer be about its focus if I wrote about all the other topics I cared about.

Today, I make an exception.

Election protection is, unfortunately, a necessary aspect of voting because in 2008, U.S. voters are still faced with a number of impediments to casting their ballots for candidates:   

-- long lines
-- lack of paper ballots at crowded precincts
-- incorrect voter rolls
-- unhelpful or ill-informed precinct staff
-- electronic voting machines which function incorrectly and/or flip votes

*** As of evening November 3rd, the group Election Protection reports that already 100,000 calls have come in to report problems with voting.

Some have also used deceptive tricks during this election season in an attempt to deter voters:

-- fliers which claim that one's voting precinct has moved to a new location, when it hasn't
-- pamphlets or phone calls that falsely claim, due to overcrowding at the polls, the Republicans vote on one day (the real election day) and the Democrats vote the following day (too late to have their votes recorded)
-- blatantly false and inaccurate "robo calls": recorded messages that spam landlines with lies and distortions about candidates

In case you were wondering, acts of voter suppression are criminal offenses.

In an ideal democracy, everyone should be able to vote quickly and easily, on machines that work in polling places staffed by knowledgeable and helpful professionals. We should be able to leave the voting booth knowing that our vote was registered and will be counted, not worried that it may be hacked away or mysteriously lost or miscounted due to machine or human error — or because of someone's underhanded political agenda.

If you're in the United States and over the age of 18, then you have either voted before in an election or have a basic idea how to do so. Still, knowledge is power, so please take note of the following information; this election will have a historically high turnout, and you may be placed in the position of having to defend your right to vote.

1. At any time, please call toll free 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report voting problems you are having.

2. On Twitter, use "#votereport" to contact the Twitter Vote Report, who will in turn, contact the appropriate group about your specific problem.

These articles detail what voters may be up against both in early-voting states and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4th:

° "Web Hands Voters Power" from The Baltimore Sun
° "Voters Receiving Misleading Robo Calls in Ohio" from CNNPolitics.com
° "Citizens, Media Use Social Media to Monitor Election" from PBS's MediaShift
° "'Tis the Season for Tricking Voters" from Yahoo! News and the Associated Press
° the "Voting Problems" site from The Huffington Post
° "Misleading Calls in Virginia Caused by Computer Glitch" from CNNPolitics.com
° "Video Your Vote" project from YouTube and PBS

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it or refer you to the right source.

No questions? Alright, then. Let's vote! Every vote counts — especially yours!

Election t-shirts build community for candidates

A quick FYI: For those interested in the U.S. presidential election, social media, and t-shirts, I have a new post on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus which may interest you:

"Election T-Shirts Build A Community of Supporters"

To read my other Huff Post/OTB pieces, click here.

And we're off!

Photo: Start! by amirjina

Checking in with other Wrimos out there. Have you started yet?

Twitter Vote Report: Insuring voting works, one tweet at a time

My new post "Insuring Voting Works, One Tweet at a Time: Interview with Allison Fine, Co-Creator" is now live on The Huffington Post's OffTheBus.

The all-volunteer group Twitter Vote Report will be monitoring tweets from now through November 4th and beyond to look for those which report voting problems. When TVR finds them, they figure out which of their vast coalition of election protection groups can help fix them.

With record turnout predicted during this historic presidential election in the United States, many believe there will be problems and system overwhelm as droves turn out on election day. Indeed, Twitter Vote Report has already found problems in early voting states and have worked to get them corrected.

TVR is an example of how social media, technology and an energized constituency can contribute to making a democracy function at its best.

If you're a U.S. citizen who can vote, read to learn about how Twitter Vote Report can help make sure your vote counts. If you are a U.S.-presidential-election spectator from outside America, check to see one way citizens here are participating to make the democratic process work.

Related posts:

° Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates
° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes

UPDATE: This piece was featured in The Huffington Post's "Voting Problems" section. Its tagline: "Some news is so big, it needs its own page." If you are interesting in election protection and voter disenfranchisement, this page is your link to current happenings in this area, so do check it out.

"The Age of Conversation 2" is available now!

 
The Age of Conversation 2, a new collaborative book in which I've written a chapter, is being released today. The book features essays on how social media (like blogging) is changing the conversations we have with each other—in business, our work and personal lives, both online and in the "real" world. My chapter is titled "Crossroads: When micro storytelling meets social media", and if you want to read it, you may purchase the book here.

What is The Age of Coversation 2 about?
Bloggers Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton had an idea in early 2007 to create a book about how blogging was changing their world, and they invited others to join in. The first Age of Conversation had 103 authors, representing 10 countries and 24 U.S. states. 

Based on the first book's success, a sequel naturally followed. Released today, the AOC2 has expanded globally: its 237 authors hail from 14 countries and 29 states throughout the U.S.

All proceeds from the first book went to Variety, the Children's Charity. We hoped to raise at least $10,000 (U.S.), and we raised $15,000 instead.

The goal of AOC2 is to raise $15,000 for Variety, and we hope to even surpass that—with your help. 

A great read for a great cause
The Age of Conversation 2 is available for sale in three formats:

-- Hardback: $29.95 (less printing and shipping, $6.04 to charity)
-- Paperback: $19.95 (less printing and shipping, $8.02 to charity)
-- E-book: $12.50 (less technical fees, $10.00 to charity)

Introducing...

The 237 authors of The Age of Conversation 2: Why Don't They Get It? are (in alphabetical order by first name):

A   Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi

B   Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich

C   C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson

D   Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner

E   Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller

F   Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson

G   Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming

H   Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber

J   J. Erik Potter, James G. Lindberg, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster

K   Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski

L   Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux

M   Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel

N   Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice

O   Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz

P   Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman

R   Rachel Steiner, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen

S   Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Sreeraj Menon, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood

T   Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman

U   Uwe Hook

V   Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau

W   Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff

Y   Yves Van Landeghem

Thank you for your interest and support!

Speed-noveling madness—and opportunity—await

In just four days, the 10th anniversary of National Novel Writing Month begins. You can join thousands worldwide in their quest to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Many who never thought they could do this have done so; some have even turned these first drafts into published novels.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo for the past three years, and I have won every time. (For newbies reading this, "winning" = writing 50,000 words within those 30 days. Everybody who reaches this benchmark "wins".) This year, I've signed up again, yet with a different goal from previous years.

Some new characters have been entering my writing life lately, and I'm very interested in who they are. They are unrelated to my other novel drafts (which together are a trilogy), and are a bit mysterious, which intrigues me.

Perhaps some short story folks have moved into my imagination, and, in order to get to know them better, I need to start writing so they can fully pour out their stories to me. This could turn into a novel, and I'll know more when I'm in the process. Short stories never reach the 50,000-word mark, so instead of aiming for the ultimate word count, I'll focus on story exploration within the supportive framework of the program.

So, technically, I'm not initially attempting to win NaNoWriMo, but I'll be there anyway. Having been through this wonderfully fruitful and intense month multiple times now, I find it too enjoyable and constructive to give up.

I've written extensive tips and advice on how to get the most from NaNoWriMo. Here are the most useful of the batch, if you're interested:

°Be the mountain
°National Novel Writing Month: Here's YOUR chance to write that novel
°How to "win" National Novel Writing Month in 5 (no, 6) easy steps
°Sign up today for National Novel Writing Month

If you sign up, drop a comment, I'll link to your blog or NaNoWriMo writer page, and we'll cheer you on!

UPDATE: Julio Angel Ortiz over at Vox Bomb will be joining the fray in his 2nd NaNoWriMo attempt. Best of luck, Julio! (Any other brave participants out there?)

UPDATE 2: QuietRebelWriter and Erik Sherwood are also participating! Happy speed-noveling trails, you two, and keep us posted on your progress!

UPDATE 3: Margay is on the NaNoWriMo road, too. Let's go, Margay!

Still yet more online dictionaries

Photo: "1907 webster dictionary" by jbrownell

In my latest wordy quest through and across teh Interwebs, I have found an abundance of online dictionaries. As I'm still involved in much non-blog writing, I'll quickly post these and dash off to additional wordiness elsewhere online. More link posts will follow soon — I've been finding some very interesting writing, tech and media resources.

In alphabetical order:

1. Cambridge Dictionaries Online — From Cambridge University Press; a portal to five of their dictionaries: Advanced Learner's, American English, idioms, phrasal verbs, and French/English.

2. Double-Tongued Dictionary — It bills itself as "a lexicon of fringe English, focusing on slang, jargon, and new words."

3. Word Spy — An ambitious site which is "devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases. These aren't 'stunt words' or 'sniglets,' but new terms that have appeared multiple times in newspapers, magazines, books, Web sites, and other recorded sources."

If you know of any helpful word resources, drop a comment and I'll post the links.

Related posts:

° A basket full of eggcorns
° Free online graphical dictionary
° Build your vocab — for fun and profit
° The "now" dictionary
° Dictionary in there somewhere
° Dictionary.com makeover
° Help finding the right words

Could universal health care eliminate poverty?

Over the past week, I've received quite an education on the connection between poverty and lack of health insurance. I was co-host of a “news hunt” at NewsTrust, a vibrant media literacy project online. The NT community looked for the best journalism on health care, and read and reviewed a wide range of health care stories. Those that stayed with me most explained how the lives of the working poor have been destroyed when they lose health insurance.

Solving poverty is a complex issue, but one within our control if we act widely and directly on it. One solution to poverty in the United States is to provide universal health coverage. The working poor, who amount to roughly 80% of the 45 million uninsured in the U.S., will benefit most from this.

During the news hunt, I read and reviewed 36 health care stories (including a podcast and a documentary) from many sources. Based on what I've read, I know now that there is a consistent, tragic pattern that occurs when the working poor lose health insurance. The basic steps are:

1. working adult gets sick and loses job
2. after losing job, they lose their health insurance
3. they can no longer afford medications, so they get sicker
4. since they have no insurance, they receive either no care at all or substandard health care which they have to pay for themselves
5. the bills pile up
6. still sick, they cannot work, so they lose their home and belongings because any money they have goes to basic subsistence and paying medical bills
7. very few rebound, and many die

Providing health insurance, available no matter their employment status, would solve this horrible situation. It would help the working poor in multiple ways. It would give them access to any needed medical care for themselves and their dependents. They would stay healthy and be able to look for and get additional work. If sick workers could no longer work, they would still get care, which is the right and compassionate thing to provide.

When people are healthy, they can still contribute meaningfully to their communities; when many in one community are unemployed and sick, their community suffers along with them. With health insurance, adults can take care of the children who depend on them; without it, their children may lose, either temporarily or permanently, their mother's or father's care.

During this economic downturn, prospects for the working poor will absolutely become more dire. Adding guaranteed, universal health insurance to the poverty equation would directly improve the quality of their lives. To read some of the top rated stories from NewsTrust's health care news hunt and decide on this issue for yourself, click here.

THANK YOU to those who left comments here that they too would join Blog Action Day:

- Crafty Green Poet writes on "Poverty and the Environment".
- Lily Hydrangea penned "Blogging for Poverty".
- Nipun at 50 Word Fiction has an "uber short" take on the theme.
- Rachel's post is titled "My skin or my soul" over at The Slow-Cooked Sentence.

Poverty: What would you write to help solve it?

Big problems can be solved when many participate in a solution. Focusing concentrated energy on one central issue is Blog Action Day's goal for October 15th. This year's topic is poverty:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion...We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue.

If you choose to participate, you have 8 days to craft your most persuasive post, film a compelling video, or record a captivating podcast, to bring attention to poverty in your way, from your perspective, featuring your insight and innovation.

Would you like to be part of this global community? As I write this, 5,742 blogs — with an estimated readership of 9,038,385 people — have already registered to participate. If you do sign up, leave a comment here and I'll link to your blog on October 15th for Blog Action Day.

Read more about Blog Action Day and register your blog here.

Tech-connected youth use new media to access presidential debates

This U.S. presidential election season continues to draw massive interest from both the American voting public and others around the world. One of the most fascinating aspects to me, as a writer focusing on media and tech, is how Web innovations and platforms are increasing political expression and participation.

Social media platform Twitter has blended with user-driven cable network Current TV to offer a venue for tech-connected youth (primarily 18-34) to be involved during the three presidential and one vice presidential debates; it's called "Hack the Debate". My post about this, "New Media Forms Boost Youth Participation in Debates", is now live on The Huffington Post's ground-level election coverage, OffTheBus.

If you'd like to read about this innovative media experiment, get a preview of how technology will change media for future elections, and perhaps even participate, click here.

Related posts:

° It's time to get on "OffTheBus"
° Will the next U.S. President be a blogger?
° Politweets — Political expression, in 140 characters or less
° Artists and Obama: Images + Technology = Votes

Thesaurus-loving zoo keepers make signs like this

Behold: eighteen different words used to describe how visitors should not interact with a zoo's animals. The keepers, and their zoo-signage team, earn points in my book for:

1. shameless use of their zoo's thesaurus
2. a focused passion for synonyms
AND
3. creative design incorporating a misplaced punctuation mark (That bold, eye-catching exclamation point, standing alone, gives a shout even BEFORE the sentence starts.)

Bravo!

I would love to see the other signs in this zoo. Does anyone know where this is from? This image has been posted and emailed and re-emailed so many times, its original sourcing (if it ever existed) cannot be found.

Image from GreenUpgrader's post "Sunday Funnies: Signs That Remind Us To Respect Nature", found via NOTCOT