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A few weeks ago, I had a deep discussion with three newspaper guys, one who was lucky to still be employed and the other two who felt the wrath of the recession and had been recently laid off. I am lucky as I can’t get fired as I can only fire myself (and believe me, I am always firing myself for one thing or another) but surely to mock the two who were terminated is not my point.

We talked about the future of news, news gathering, magazines, photography and the rest of the lot as we know it. Over a few drinks we came to the conclusion the wrong people were fired.

But first I should summarize all we discussed by stating the new media, the new way of news gathering, and presenting the news is radically changing. No longer do we open the front door to our homes, coffee cup in hand, robe dangerously dangling over our pajamaed bodies (or lack there of), and reach for that damn plastic bag that contained yesterday’s news and headlines. CNN changed that with 24 hour news coverage (although I am hard pressed to say Nancy Grace is hard news in as much as she blows news gossip to middle America and beyond.) And what CNN changed, the internet changed much quicker. Now we actually still wear the robe, coffee cup at hand and reach for the on button on our Macs and PC, wait a few minutes for the hard drives to spin alive and and the wireless connection to zoom all of our specific news and custom information straight to our morning blurred vision from a glass eyed glowing beast.

And specific it is. You can read all your pro or con Obama news with a flick of the mouse. You can get your fix of sports, sex, gossip, stocks, weather, and oh yeah, news. And that news can be paired down to exactly what you want, hence, the latter above. (Funny, when you call AP’s 800 number, hard news is the fourth selection after sports, entertainment, and business. I guess advertisers realized you really can’t sell arch supports with dead Palestinian kids on the same page…Linsay does wonders for that market.)

And what the internet changed, Facebook and Twitter redefined.

Yet, there is something quiet nostalgic and comforting about sitting on the sofa and reading a double paged news spread. Its comforting to look at my fingers a tad bit smeared from ink, that woody smell of paper, and see the off set color press prints of images from far away. And without resorting to crude references, its hard to drag a computer monitor into the private of most private rooms. Know what I mean. Newspaper/magazines just maintain that tangible feeling that an iPhone or Blackberry can’t reciprocate.

But aside from those prejudices, newspapers are done. How many are closing and reorganizing into net based entities. News is now being transmitted from a netherworld. A cyber universe created by 1s and 0s by those kids we all thought would end up shooting a president or at least shooting up a post office.

And I am also rambling the nostalgia of a early 70’s (now mid thirties) guy who grew up sitting on the shag carpet, Beetle Bailey in one hand, silly putty in the other. The new kids, or those with their fingers twittering their thoughts, and sexting each other mad! are the ones facebooking each other with their thoughts, updating their experiences, and locations. You have to visit my blog to see whats up. If I twittered, you’d have no choice but to know what the hell I was doing. News media and reporting is now learning this might be the way to get things done. Sadly, I feel we might never escape this constant flow of info…imagine, a sultry summer Sunday, a random twit pings your mobile device on how cold the Coca-Cola is at the at McDonalds on 3rd Street next to the Nike Outlet and across the street from Macy’s. It won’t be long (or does it exist) before this disaster overtakes our silent moments. I think of that silly Tom Cruise movie where the ads were tailored exactly to him. (God–what would mine be? Booze, cameras, and booze.) These ads could be confused for friends or real thoughts from real people but none the less its the white nose we will never escape.

I digress…

The new news model is upon us. What I mean about the firing of the wrong people is Mike and Gene are young. Late to early 20s-30s. The kids who twit, facebook and use all the other apps available to them. They are the future of the new model…not the union protected aging journo who’d feel happier changing the ribbon from their typewriter than the ink from the printer. I don’s slag on experience and competence as that counts for lots in this world but the 60 year old exec that couldn’t see the world changing in front of them and allowed their news organization to crash around them are the ones who should have been replaced. If the media embraced more new tech, lots may have survived the recession and crash.

Its sad…I mean both Gene and Mike are great guys and knew, know, and will know their stuff for years to come. But maybe its best for them to create their own news world than follow the comfortable comforts of newsprint and silly putty.

As far as this travails for photography, I don’t know. I am currently struggling with several personal projects and how I want to record them…whether it be with cellulose or the dreaded 1’s and 0’s. Should I embrace the new world of digital or stick with the dying option of film before its entirely gone? Its a tough question as I am thinking and acting like those I just bashed. Surely we all wished we still had typewriters when our computers needed rebooting or wish we had rolls of film when our flash cards went down. No one can really complain or hate the brave new world of technology as it is a horde of horsemen killing all in its wake as it tramples forward with progress.

But the old has such magic. The above shot didn’t have any actions, blurring, or masking to make what my mind saw. Its all camera and film. Sadly, its Polaroid Type 55 which is absolutely gone. Polaroid is gone. How can such as staple of photography decide to close?

The new is now here…whether to embrace is just a matter of time. I just have to really figure out what the hell twitter really does.

Geithner ‘open’ to China proposal

Geithner, at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the U.S. is “open” to a headline-grabbing proposal by the governor of the China’s central bank, which was widely reported as being a call for a new global currency to replace the dollar, but which Geithner described as more modest and “evolutionary.”

“I haven’t read the governor’s proposal. He’s a very thoughtful, very careful distinguished central banker. I generally find him sensible on every issue,” Geithner said, saying that however his interpretation of the proposal was to increase the use of International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights — shares in the body held by its members — not creating a new currency in the literal sense.

“We’re actually quite open to that suggestion – you should see it as rather evolutionary rather building on the current architecture rather than moving us to global monetary union,” he said.

“The only thing concrete I saw was expanding the use of the [special drawing rights],” Geithner said. “Anything he’s thinking about deserves some consideration.”

The continued use of the dollar as a reserve currency, he added, “depends..on how effective we are in the United States…at getting our fiscal system back to the point where people judge it as sustainable over time.”

President Obama flatly rejected the notion of a new global currency at last night’s press conference.

UPDATE: Evidently sensing a gaffe, moderator Roger Altman told Geithner that it would be “useful” to return to the question, and asked if he foresaw a change in the dollar’s centrality.

“I do not,” Geithner said, adding several forceful promises, including, “We will do what’s necessary to say we’re sustaining confidence in our financial markets.”

6 lbs 11 oz. Born at 6:52. March 14, 2009. Good “sister.” Really happy.

I remember this day very clearly…date…well, its beyond me…but I remember this day. We went to the Bronx Zoo, like an hour PLUS on the the 5 train. All the way to the South Bronx. Or whatever…it was the Bronx.

Monkeys, lions, and whatnot…it was a great day. I recall seeing this shot (and I really remember not knowing what I was seeing) and I shot away. Can you believe it? A Nikon F4s, Fuji film, and patience…something the digital world cares less and less about.

Once again, its rainy…cold and rainy. Yes yes I know you East Coasters laugh when I complain (moan) about my wet weather woes but its cold and wet! It is currently 71 degrees with a low of 66. Yes, this sounds like a great day in New York or LA in late winter/early spring but when you live in perfect temps most of the year round, you get thin skinned and thin blooded. I rarely wear long pants, long sleeves, or socks. Really, life has become slippers, shorts, and sunglasses…but not today…or rather this entire weekend…lost to the rains.

It rained really really hard last night and parts of the day. It didn’t wake me up but it surely did some damage. Flooding warnings chirped on late night tv and early this morning. I haven’t seen the news today but I know it rained loads.

We have a large bowl outside filled with sand and sea shells and odd bits found here and there. Lo to our surprise, this morning we found it filled like our own miniature ocean. The rains pour over the Pali mountains right behind us and showered our little bowl filling it half way. Our own little Pacific, a mini-sea sand and shells sans life. Yukako said we should get a gold fish.

Poor thing would die in a week.