Lacey -Journalism Blog

CIA in Afghanistan

2008-12-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Rarely have I seen a more awesome story. Read through to the end!How'd the Post get it?

Grammar Nazis, Stephen Fry, and word power

2008-12-21T12:21:00.001-08:00

I have only just discovered the marvel that is actor/comedian/geek/writer Stephen Fry. His quite-charming, too-bad-we're-both-taken British finesse has only been accentuated now that I've discovered his Web site, which humanized him to me somewhat. He writes often prolific blessays, and - Lord help me! - I'm addicted. Just listen to this sentence; just imagine his cadence if he were to orate

Voter Reg. Lookup in Sacramento County

2008-10-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

Sacramento County now has a Web site where you can confirm your voter registration status. I found this a few months ago but then lost track of it, so I thought I'd just put it out there in the most visible place I can.It's getting close to being too late to do something if you're registered incorrectly; if you have troubles, please call Sacramento County at 1 (800) 735-2929.

I edit, but only socially...

2008-06-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've recently become fascinated by Wordonistas and Grammar Nazis who professionally edit grammar and punctuation. I've always been interested in the subtleties of language, but only recently have I become aware that you can edit socially (as opposed to editing in a cold dark classroom alone). See my list of journalists' blogs on the right? Fully half of those are editors' blogs - and the list is

In my reader

2008-06-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has just started a blog and was asking about what I read. I thought I'd take a moment to write about the kind of things you'd find in my Google Reader... as a sort of pay-it-forward/thank-you-for-blogging moment of recognition to some of the folks who are part of my weekly routine.The true value of the online experience is that we are able to connect as human beings, so I've

Help an Egyptian journalist of Twitter fame

2008-06-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

*-*-*-*UPDATE: The email address listed for His Excellency Habib al-Adly appears not to be working. If you have a fax machine please let me know if that is working!*-*-*-*Two months ago you may have seen this story about a Journalism grad student who twittered his way out of jail. He was covering protests in Egypt when police tossed him and his translator in jail. Because he still had his cell

Being right and being nice

2008-04-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Such a fine balance to strike. Yesterday CyberJournalist.net posted this clip. I felt moved to share it too...The scene reminds me of an extra feature on Jurassic Park. The movie was one of the first to use lifelike computer animation. Before computers models, stop-motion was the best way to get life-like movement. In an interview, a stop-motion special effects man talks about seeing computer

Business of politics

2008-04-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

State government is alternately very boring and absolutely fascinating.I've discovered recently that the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert had stopped charging for its subscription, to my delight. The very talented team, lead by Shane Goldmacher, has a hard job and posts excellent news. For example, this story begins with an update on political squabbles, and ends with a very poignant quote from the

Good design means sustainability

2008-03-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Please watch this 20-minute video on good design and sustainability - poignant, funny, and jaw-dropping.

A note about ASAP

2008-03-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

While at the Sacramento AAJA's careeer workshop last Saturday, I asked Tom Verdin if he knew why ASAP folded. He told me that the site didn't make enough money. I mentioned advertising and he corrected me--AP does not sell ads. It is a wire service. Not enough newspapers chose to subscribe to the content ASAP delivered.Though it failed in a financial sense, he compared it to a laboratory because

AAJA Career Workshop: Sacramento pros advise students

2008-03-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went to an Asian American Journalists Association career workshop for students, organized by Judy Lin of the Sacramento Bee. We were asked to bring our portfolios and resumes for critiques, and more professional journalists than I can name were there ready to critique.The panelists, led by Pamela Wu, all had unique insights to the industry. The main take-home message of the day:

Force or fragility

2008-03-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

My husband and I were fortunate enough to travel in Hawaii on the island of Oahu last month. We went hiking on the rain forest, swam in the most amazing clear water, and soaked up sun and moisture like a pair of sponges.The trip for me though was a tad depressing. Oahu's nature seems so fragile. The rain forest is threatened by tourism, pollution, pavement, and foreign seeds and animals. The

Freelance writer, freelancing

2008-02-25T10:03:00.001-08:00

To be a writer you have to write. To be a freelancer, you have to freelance.Allow me to emphasize that in no way should "freelance" actually involve "free." Last January I sold a story to a popular online gaming magazine. Two months later I'm still waiting for the check. (Hey, isn't a signed contract good for anything anymore?)By far though, Paidlancing has been a very fun gig. I've enjoyed

The Christmas Spirit

2007-12-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

This week I met two women, Emily Rank and Jillian VanTassell. Both were Salvation Army bell ringers outside Raleys in Loomis, CA. VanTassell was playing the drums, Rank was ringing the bell, and both were singing Christmas carols from time to time. The two are doing a 9-month discipleship for their church, The Rock of Roseville."We have a love for music but we get it from the Lord," they told

Google me!

2007-09-21T13:22:00.001-07:00

I am proud to say that as of Wed., Sept. 19, 2007, when you google my name, the entire first page of results points to the real me - my blogs, my news stories, my Poynter comments, and my resume!That first page is actually a very small piece of my online presence. None of my networking profiles appear. Not all of my blogs do either. And after almost three years writing news at the Colfax Record,

Compilations

2007-09-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

My classwork blogs, if you are interested in keeping up with them, are as follows.Wordslinger - This is my column and review writing blog, for J 131. It is updated every Sunday night and Thursday afternoon.Bear Wrestling - This is my blog for magazine writing, J 132. It will be less polished than the above column, as we're asked to update our classmates on the status of various projects and post

A writer, writing...

2007-08-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you forget that to be good at something you have to practice.That is exactly what this project, The Strider, is all about.It's been going for a month now, and I have learned a lot of valuable things from it. Mostly I have learned that it takes incredible courage to do your own project--and the courage necessary must multiply tenfold when investing in your own business. I am fortunate

Roleplayers in Iraq

2007-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you're a Penny Arcade fan, you've seen this already: a story about roleplaying soldiers in Iraq. I'm delighted they are organized enough to be able to dungeon-crawl together, and especially delighted that Penny Arcade has taken up their cause.We roleplayers need a PR firm to help explain to the public the benefits of roleplaying. Too many people see D and D as either too nerdy or too evil. We

A few hours' grace

2007-03-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoy school. I enjoy learning. Sometimes, though, you just need a break.Fitting, then, that I ditch class today and be given this fortune: A few hours' grace before the madness begins again.It is a mad world, isn't it? Mad, mad world.

Revel CA

2006-10-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

If you live in Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, or Rancho Cordova, you've seen the signs: Smallish, neon, always in the same handwriting and proclaiming the same unexplained message: Repent CA. One of the signs is constantly torn up in the grass near Hwy 50 and Bradshaw. One blogger termed this "evandalism." Sometimes you can even see a man holding the sign on various traffic- heavy corners of

Blogs as investigative news tools, PR mouthpieces, and freedom fighters

2006-10-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

I know Rep. Mark Foley is old news by now. I thought I knew everything about it until I saw Poynter's article reflecting on the investigative story. Did you know ABC broke the news on Brian Ross's Blog? According to an interview with Brian Ross, ABC got the story by calling for sources on their Web site. More than one former page came forward with IM chatlogs hours after the appeal was posted.

Casual vs. priorities, and yay for the online world

2006-09-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

I spent this last weekend in Sequoya with my husband, neighbors, friend, and three people I met online. We rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere, cooked about five times as much food as we needed to, played on the big trees, roleplayed with our dice, and stayed up at least until 2 in the morning each night just talking to each other.It was fantastic. And none of us got axed to death!I have been

Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat: End Child Slavery

2006-09-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween is likely my favorite holiday of the year. I get to dress up (you're never too old to dress up!), kids get yummy candy, and the spooky/gothy/arcane is IN in a fun way!Global Exchange has just made it even more special with its "Fair Trade Trick or Treat" package. It's a campaign designed to promote Fair Trade awareness. It comes with Fair Trade chocolate and postcards to hand out. How

Third Time's the Charm?

2006-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Vrooooom!I like my car. It gets me to work and school; mostly it's great because I can listen to music instead of trying to avoid catching the gaze of other people on public transit.Sometime last night it was stolen.Now, this makes the third time someone has stolen a car that I drive.My best friends were cool enough to give me a ride to school. Then to get home, we walked ten miles uphill (well,

The King's Arena

2006-09-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Bee has a very interesting opinion piece on the attention their columns have gotten, particularly on one issue: should the city of Sacramento help fund the construction of a larger arena? This was a look at whether or not the paper was being fair on the issue.Columnists "are paid to have an opinion," the editor said. The news stories were all fair and balanced, but columnists were largely

Issues Facing America

2006-08-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

Prosper magazine is sponsoring a blog team to go to the event "All About Us." Cheech Marin, Tom Daschle, Dave Barry, Bob Dole (!) , Soledad O'Brien (CNN) and Thomas Ridge (Homeland Security) will be speaking on the issues that face America's future. I get to go... and blog!For my first blog, I'll be discussing what I feel the important issues facing America are. So I thought I'd ask my readers:

YouTube War

2006-08-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

What could be more fun than a web service that allows everyone to post their home-made movies? What could be funnier, sexier, or more entertaining?Images of the war in Iraq, of course!I'm being sarcastic (hard to tell in print, I know). According to this ASAP story, videos of the war in Iraq (or at least, what *appear* to be videos of the war in Iraq) are viewable on YouTube, the share-all,

Stay out of my hoola hoop!

2006-08-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

That's right. I want my personal space, buddy, and I'm not afraid to use Jr-high-school terms to get it!Only now, you can *force* people to stay out of your hoola hoop. (This cracks me up!) An ASAP story led me to this beautiful dress designer's page. YES it's inflatable. Meant to be used in crowded places like the NY subway. I've never taken the subway--maybe that's why I don't see its appeal

Snakes on a Plane!

2006-08-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's out in theaters today.No, I'm not going to see it. (Snakes are scary!)But I support this movie 100%.I am tickled pink by the internet philosophy that's grown from one Hollywood screenwriter's blog on this very film. Fanatical internet fandom has 1) kept the silly title alive and 2) got New Line a bigger budget and an R rating.Further, I am deeply satisfied to know that Samuel Jackson

Oh, the fun of violence...

2006-08-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

StreetWars is a game in the UK wherein people use brightly-colored supersoakers to assassinate each other. Once you take down a target, you try to assassinate their intended target. Whoever's left by the end of next week participates in an instant-death match. Sounds like a good time!And it reminds me more than a little of that X-box commercial online. (Anyone know if it ever aired?)Also, science

Spam: the worldwide problem

2006-07-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Net-security.org has an interesting article on spam by country. Summarily, the US is the leading source of spam materials, followed by China. What I found most particularly interesting is the "pump-and-dump" scam, which is designed to quickly and temporarily boost a company's stock value.Spam *designed* to affect the economy, and not just for penis-enlarger purchases.A spammer will purchase

Paying it forward

2006-07-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

... To a classmate of mine whose blogs I enjoy, Michael Althouse. There are times when he expresses perfectly in words something I've only felt, or thought about, but never tried to express. Here is one of those blogs.Magic is a fascinating fantasy. But the "Harry Potter"-type magic that Mike discusses is the kind that is really... easy. It's the people or inventions who can make mundane things

Gaming + Activism: Darfur is Dying

2006-06-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

AP's youth news organization ASAP has a very fascinating story on "Darfur is Dying." It's a video game based on the real-life Sudan region in which 250,000 refugees have been slaughtered by Janjaweed militiamen. Players manage their refugee camp in which death is a stark reality and survival is the goal.From the article:The game can be passed from friend to friend via e-mail, helping spread the

Updated Star Wars: New Republic character blog

2006-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

I have begun a blog for my Star Wars character over at LiveJournal. This is just a little exersize to get me thinking like my character.Chissa Noana is a green-skinned, dark-haired Mikoan. There's not a whole lot of cannon on the planet Miko or Mikoan culture, according to the Wookiepedia, so I will attempt to build an entire culture for my character.Chissa has a snug place in the lives of some

Help make censorhip impossible

2006-05-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Amnesty International is leading a website devoted to reposting political Internet content that is censored elsewhere. Blogspot does not support Javascript, but if you run your own webpage you can post a quotebox whose content will change with each page reload. “… Early statements from government officials suggested that the killings had been motivated by Mr. Sarsenbaiuly's business dealings. …

Diavlogs

2006-05-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

BloggingHeads has developed the "diavlog," a kind of talk radio on a blog, essentially. It's two folks in an audio dialogue. Not that new, except it's being sold as a blog. It strikes me that if blogging providers such as Blogspot or Livejournal would provide an easy way for us to include our own audio, talk radio may suffer the same fate newspapers have when it comes to the Internet. Ultimately

Fun with Dubya ragdoll

2006-05-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

There has never been a more awesome website. EVER.If he gets stuck just toss 'im with your mouse.Many thanks to my friend Aron for sending this link my way!

Stirring words by a marine home from Iraq

2006-05-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is the last in a series of blogs written by a marine in Iraq for ASAP, which is the Associated Press's youth site. I found his words particularly stirring. Here is Rory Quinn's last blog. At the end of the story is a list of his previous blogs. I recommend reading them.

Celebrating a bitter victory

2006-05-04T17:21:00.001-07:00

Star Wars ORIGINAL DVDs to be released...Gotta quote Slashdot poster Joe the Lesser here.Ben Kenobi: For almost two decades the star wars movies were enjoyed by all. Before the dark times. Before the Edits.Luke Skywalker: How did the movies die?Ben Kenobi: A film producer named George Lucas, who was an idol of mine until he turned to evil, helped the industry change the scenes. He betrayed and

Captain America vs.... America?

2006-05-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Marvel Comics is releasing a new miniseries called "Civil War," which pits G.W. and the Patriot Act against some superheroes, including Captain America. According to this review, Congress has passed a bill requiring all superheroes to register as human weapons of mass destruction and to work for the White House.To quote the write-up: "Hero is pitted against hero in the choice of whether or not to

Edited warcraft feature story

2006-05-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Forget ever trying to get in contact with Blizzard. They suck, and they don't have time for cute little students like me. I remember the days when I collected game developers' cards like candy. Why oh why didn't I save those??! This story would be professional with more sources.That's it. I'm never throwing away a single business card. Ever.Though come to think of it, didn't Blizzard do a large

The Wikipedia fails...

2006-04-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

...when a large number of editors have decided they'd like to skew things.I'd like to say the page under scrutiny here for bias is a political candidate; that's understandable and expected. But it's not... it's a corporation.According to Richard Demsyn, Wal-Mart lobbyists work very hard to keep any controversy about Wal-Mart off of its main entry page. Discussions about its labor policies,

Wikipedia tale shows China’s love-hate approach to change

2006-04-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I know this is an old news story, but it is a really neat one, and I include it here in all its text so it won't dissappear into the bowels of paid-only archives. (Sorry, Washington Post. No dime for you.) Freedom isn't free, but information should be, right? --LaceyWikipedia tale shows China’s love-hate approach to change