Gold9472
05-26-2006, 07:49 PM
Blog: Reporter's Notebook
http://www.nbc11.com/news/9282707/detail.html
(Gold9472: He's pointing out, in an assholey kind of way, that the internet has been a very powerful tool for us.)
POSTED: 3:30 pm PDT May 26, 2006
I love "sign of the times" stories.
I am fascinated by stories that speak to how our world is evolving; stories about changes in our society we may not notice day-to-day, but become apparent only when we step back. I have done two such stories recently ... very different stories, granted ... but each with a "sign of the times" element to them.
On Tuesday, photographer John Chiala and I went to San Carlos. The city council had just debated a moratorium on new coffee shops downtown. Too many coffee shops? Are the citizens of San Carlos too jittery? Are they talking too fast? What's the deal? Well, the deal had more to do with who was selling the caffeine, rather than the caffeine itself. Click Here To Watch The Story Still, the fact someone was even debating too many coffee shops is a sign of what a coffee culture we have become.
The second story with a "sign of the times" twist I did last week. The Department of Defense released video we had not seen before of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Click Here To Watch Story The group which pushed for the video's release said they wanted to use it to counter 9/11 conspiracy theorists: those who think the American government was behind the attacks and, in one case, believe the Pentagon was hit by a missile, not a jet. (By the way, while doing the story I learned 9/11 "conspiracy theorists" prefer to be called members of the "9/11 truth movement." Just thought you'd like to know).
So, what is the "sign of the times?" I believe the growing 9/11 conspiracy movement is. It is gaining converts via a number of slickly produced documentaries posted on the internet, on sites such as Google Video and YouTube. The growing availability, and declining cost, of computer storage coupled with the popularity of broadband connections means more videos are being posted on-line than every before and more people are watching them than every before.
Thirty years ago, someone who believed in a second shooter would have had to: Web Link
a) do the research b) write a book c) find a publisher d) convince someone to pay for it.
In 2006, a simple video editing software program is all you need (in the case of 9/11, the video is already shot). The finished product is a very convincing piece of propaganda to which millions of people have free access. This is not something that was realistic just a few years ago, and the "9/11 truth movement" appears to be one of the first to take advantage of this "sign of the times."
Just five years ago this would not have been possible.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/9282707/detail.html
(Gold9472: He's pointing out, in an assholey kind of way, that the internet has been a very powerful tool for us.)
POSTED: 3:30 pm PDT May 26, 2006
I love "sign of the times" stories.
I am fascinated by stories that speak to how our world is evolving; stories about changes in our society we may not notice day-to-day, but become apparent only when we step back. I have done two such stories recently ... very different stories, granted ... but each with a "sign of the times" element to them.
On Tuesday, photographer John Chiala and I went to San Carlos. The city council had just debated a moratorium on new coffee shops downtown. Too many coffee shops? Are the citizens of San Carlos too jittery? Are they talking too fast? What's the deal? Well, the deal had more to do with who was selling the caffeine, rather than the caffeine itself. Click Here To Watch The Story Still, the fact someone was even debating too many coffee shops is a sign of what a coffee culture we have become.
The second story with a "sign of the times" twist I did last week. The Department of Defense released video we had not seen before of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Click Here To Watch Story The group which pushed for the video's release said they wanted to use it to counter 9/11 conspiracy theorists: those who think the American government was behind the attacks and, in one case, believe the Pentagon was hit by a missile, not a jet. (By the way, while doing the story I learned 9/11 "conspiracy theorists" prefer to be called members of the "9/11 truth movement." Just thought you'd like to know).
So, what is the "sign of the times?" I believe the growing 9/11 conspiracy movement is. It is gaining converts via a number of slickly produced documentaries posted on the internet, on sites such as Google Video and YouTube. The growing availability, and declining cost, of computer storage coupled with the popularity of broadband connections means more videos are being posted on-line than every before and more people are watching them than every before.
Thirty years ago, someone who believed in a second shooter would have had to: Web Link
a) do the research b) write a book c) find a publisher d) convince someone to pay for it.
In 2006, a simple video editing software program is all you need (in the case of 9/11, the video is already shot). The finished product is a very convincing piece of propaganda to which millions of people have free access. This is not something that was realistic just a few years ago, and the "9/11 truth movement" appears to be one of the first to take advantage of this "sign of the times."
Just five years ago this would not have been possible.