I saw an interesting article in Wired this morning from Clive Thompson, called "on Establishing Rules in the Videocam Age".

In this article, he talks about the new always on "sousveillance" culture.  He talks about the way in which this always on video culture can be reversed from a culture of surveillance to one where people are instead turning their cameras back around to look at those in power.

This particular development seems to mirror one of McLuhan's famous sayings in the Tetrad.  McLuhan once laid claim that all new forms of media must be asked four questions.  These four questions make up what he called the four laws of media.  They are:

continue reading

Stan Jantz's post about LeBron vs. Tiger, vertical vs. horizontal media couldn't be more timely.   Why?  Because my favorite magazine is in danger of disappearing.  Amidst the free fall of car companies, what happens to the small business owners who are serving people in significant ways? I haven’t heard about bailouts for those who depend upon advertising revenue to thrive. And now, PASTE magazine is in trouble.

PASTE has been such a refreshing alternative to Rolling Stone and Spin. It consistently delivers insightful interviews and previews of upcoming releases. Each issue also arrives with a CD loaded with intriguing tracks from people like Iron & Wine and The National. But as a champion of independent artists, they’ve taken a big hit in the economic downturn. Frankly, the rise of illegal downloading (and the shrinking budget of record companies) has zapped all music publications. So now, it is our turn, as readers and fans to keep Paste afloat.

continue reading