Something else kinda interesting I came across recently (now that my brain is automatically on the lookout for good electronic writing):

The Washington Post and Newsweek have together set up a blog called On Faith which-- you guessed it-- is about religion and spirituality. The format of this blog is a little unusual: the Post solicits well-known and well-respected figures in the world of religion-- their first writer was none other than Desmond Tutu—to write short pieces about some aspect of religion or spirituality. Anyone can comment on a post.

Take a look at this Washington Post editorial called "The Rise of Gaming." It uses Nintendo's weekend release of Wii, its newest video game system, to tentatively ask whether video gaming is, in fact, a legitimate form of entertainment-- not just one for geeky teenage boys.

The editorial says that 'social observers' (who are these mysterious observers? paid stalkers?) "are beginning to deem video game design an emerging art form, especially as companies ratchet up production values. Games now come in a range of genres -- from World War II simulators to strategy games to brain exercises. Creating one is almost like producing a film." It's true that as production values improve and there are more different kinds of games produced, games will probably gain even more legitimacy in the cultural world. The Post is almost endearingly hopeful that the present generation of gamers "will eventually demand more than just shoot'em-ups on its Wiis," and I do think that it has the right instinct. The Post just probably doesn't know that things like Facade and other interactives, which make an entirely different use of games and play than shoot'em-ups do, already exist.

While the content of this NYTimes piece isn't particularly revelant to the themes of our class, it's organization is. To make my point I'll give a quick summary: the subject is exemptions that various church organizations enjoy, and whether these exemptions should continue to be allowed. The article's two big examples are faith-based, unregulated daycares and church zoning-law abuses. One particular church parish that the article follows is Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Boulder, CO and its ongoing conflict with the Boulder County administration.

So, I was being as un-librarian like as possible this morning and reading the news online, and I read this this short article in the London Times. It's basically about publishing companies trying to limit unpaid access to newspaper or journal articles--specifically by affecting the way that Google or other search engines assemble "hits" when they search.

The problem the publishers are facing, if I correctly interpret the article, is that search engines like Google are making money, linking users to online publishing, while publishers aren't making much if any profit from their offerings. They know they need to put their stuff online, but they also need to earn money somehow--and they think that maybe limiting Google searchers' access will somehow take them out of the red.

Sometimes I forget that one of the beauties of blogs is the ability to post links to other sources to backup or reference your post. I didn’t do that for my last entry, so I’ve included some links below that deal with the debate on the effect technology and blogging has on newspapers and journalism.

-Some basic information on the use of online advertisements and why online newspapers require registration:

-The text of a speech, given by David Wessel, The Wall Street Journal's deputy Washington bureau chief, on his optimistic approach to what effect technology and blogs will have on journalism.

I went on a trip, sponsored by the Career Development Office, to visit the LA Times today. Four other students and I toured their printing presses and main offices as well as spoke to a few journalists who work there. I write about this trip because two of the people who took us on the tour, a Pomona alum and a tour guide for the Times, seemed sensitive and disapproving of online journalism when students brought it up. Their reaction is justified in one sense, because, as they told us, they don’t know how to get money from the online editions. Should they charge for any access to their newspaper site? Should they charge for access to back issues of the paper, like the New York Times does? Or should they just let their website open to the public? As they said, even if they restrict access, it’s often easy to get old articles by searching certain words or authors through Google.