De-pressed
Let’s turn that frown upside-down, though. Have you visited the North Coast Journal’s new, improved Blogthing? If not, hie thee to thy computer and check it out right away. You’ve got two options. You can go to the NCJ‘s Internet home (www.northcoastjournal.com) and click on the word “blog,” or else you can just type the damned thing in directly: www.northcoastjournal.com/blogthing/.
What will you find there? One whole hell of a lot, that’s what. The new Blogthing represents a major breakthrough in blog technology. What is that breakthrough, in a word? Autoblogging. Or, in two words, “automatic blogging.”
Here’s how it works. While you and I go about our business, a robot busily scours the Internet looking for relevant information to bring home and share. When it finds something worthwhile, it pauses for a millisecond, posts that information to the Blogthing and speeds off on its way once more. At which point we, the humans, Journal reporters and readers, pick up whatever little gem the robot has found and hold it up to the light, twirling it this way and that to examine its various facets.
Right now, the robot does three things. It watches a list of local independent blogs — 43 of them, at this writing — and informs us when they are updated. It peeks in on Sacramento to see if Sen. Pat Wiggins and Assm. Wes Chesbro have introduced any new bills in the state legislature. And it condenses and clarifies the Times-Standard home page, winnowing out the rewritten press releases and putting reporters’ bylines up front. It does those three things right now, but soon it will do much more.
All that plus the regular posts and provocations from the Journal staff, as well as a bustling commentariat. The post-newspaper world has never been so exciting! Just one caveat: Don’t use Internet Explorer 6, or the whole thing will look like barf. Maybe we’ll try to fix that someday.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent the town dandy
Jan. 13, 2011
The Golden Boy
Dec. 23, 2010
Wish Lists
Dec. 16, 2010
The Train Geeks Return
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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