Digital Journal — In tech news, cgull must have “iPhone” on Google Alerts because he was quick to report on the eight-hour talk-time battery life Apple announced for its June 29 wunderkind. Another Apple story deserved kudos: momentsintime reported on Greenpeace not being very impressed with Apple’s green policies, claiming blank recordable CDs (ideal for digital music) are still ending up in landfills. It looks like Apple is getting red in the face for not being as green as it should.
Gaming fanboys were treated to aarontrippedout‘s piece on the Xbox 360 games leaked from an E3 floor manager. The list mirrors Hollywood’s MO — the more sequels, the better. Upcoming for the 360 is Ninja Gaiden 2, Dead Rising 2 and Gears of War 2.
And in a strange occurrence, a debate on video game violence steamrolled into an intense (but intelligent) discussion on censorship, thanks to Lightening‘s initial post on Britain banning Manhunt II. I got a feeling this argument will only end when someone throws in the white towel.
Who doesn’t want to learn about the human body? In health posts, Ringwraith probed the new discoveries in the world of paralysis, telling a story about a treatment helping a disabled woman earn her independence through hard work and hi-tech machinery. Also giving us a wealth of info was Wanderlaugh, posting an insightful piece on snake-oil science and the anti-aging industry. At the end, he’s got some advice for those looking for a quick fix: If you want to avoid ageing, just stay healthy, eat properly, and do what needs doing to achieve that.
Even then, I don’t think anyone can avoid aging, per se.
Also winning attention this week was skyangel5402‘s post on candy cigarettes, which remarkably sparked comments on the reliability of scientific studies and corporate responsibility. Who knew Popeye Tasty Candy Sticks could get a rise out of our mild-mannered members?
Fish fat can help humans lose weight. It sounds off-putting, but permafrog‘s post on how researchers can tweak fat-storing mechanisms in animals, giving hope that this can be applied to obese guys and girls. But as permafrog wondered, “How much can we tinker with our genetic makeup without changing that which makes us human?” Touché.
And finally in health, skyangel5402 wrote about a topic we don’t come across everyday: Should women get tattoos when they’re pregnant? Citing several studies, skyangel let the reader decide on the health risks associated with pregnant inking. This should definitely be a topic at one of the many tattoo conventions dotting the world.
Environment news peppered the site, ranging from bizarre to hopeful. In the former category, Brandigal reported on a Chilean lake that suddenly disappeared (I bet David Blaine is involved) and Leah informed us of sand holes swallowing people in Australia (I bet the monsters from Tremors are involved). In the latter category, permafrog reported on Wal-Mart being the surprise number-one buyer of green energy, whose environmentally-friendly practises over three years are the equivalent of taking 3,875 cars off the road for one year. Impressive. But does that sway public opinion away for all the negative press the big-box retailer has accumulated?
Political news got some love this week, as well. phree penned a short piece on Bush vetoing a stem cell bill, prompting lensman67 to bluntly say: The man is a moron and I hope he needs stem cells to cure some horrible disease of his own some day. It will serve him right.
Lady Justice gave us a shot of White House news, writing about Michael Bloomberg’s possible step into the presidential candidate circle. Is America ready for another mayor to clamber up the political ladder?
And since we’re asking questions, here’s another one: Which party do U.S. journalists overwhelmingly support, at least in terms of political contributions? MSNBC found 125 journos helped fund Democratic campaigns, compared to 17 who supported the Republican party, as Lightening wrote. This eye-opening piece should lead to another investigation on whether those liberal journalists voice their bias in their articles, for better or worse.
Citizen Journalists looked beyond their homeland for valuable news stories. World affairs caught many curious attentions: permafrog found a study ranking cities based on cost-of-living, with Moscow and London topping the notorious list; gohomelaker profiled the Chinese vitamin market, which is embroiled in controversy for possible health violations; and momentsintime was on top of the news surrounding author Salman Rushdie getting knighted and the political storm it brewed — Iran and Pakistan disapprove of the honour, claiming Rushdie is still blasphemous from his Satanic Verses days. Doesn’t the Muslim faith say something about forgiveness?
And in a why’d-they-do-that? video post, Planet Janet introduced us to the World Nettle Eating Championship, where Brits chomp down on stinging nettles for the honour of being some sort of champion. So I’m not sure who’s more foolish – Americans who stuff themselves at a Dunkin’ Donuts eating contest or Brits who slide prickly plants down their throats?
Speaking of vain pursuits, celebrity and entertainment news earned some top spots this week. The stories worth a second mention include: momentsintime’s post on Paul Reubens, who played Pee-Wee Herman, making a comeback with recent TV appearances (“the word of the day is desperate”);
cgull’s look into the new Michael Moore documentary and how online piracy can help boost the film’s popularity; Planet Janet kept us updated on The Lord of the Rings musical and its thumbs-down reception; and Wanderlaugh discussed the merits of the relaunch of an arts channel called Ovation, which logically sparked comments on whether DigitalJournal.com will put in place its own dedicated “arts” section. Stay tuned to find out.
And earlier this week, kylalynn got an intelligent discussion going on her post about a film depicting real-life suicides. Some people called it a snuff flick, and 666divine wondered whether the act of suicide would soon become a reality TV show. Sadly, I don’t think networks would be opposed to that idea.
Turning to sex (and don’t we all, eventually?), Wanderlaugh posted a fascinating op-ed on sex education and how the media portrays sexually charged issues. It’s strange that such a well-written and compelling article didn’t get footnoted with any comments. Come on, I’m sure you’ve got an opinion on the morality behind safe-sex awareness.
Sexual paraphanelia sent a shudder through India, according to Planet Janet. Condoms with attached vibrating rings have upset Indian authorities, who tend to be more conservative than 95-year-old nuns. An Indian minister said the product was simply a toy for sexual pleasure…and that’s a bad thing?
Some articles don’t fit into any definable category, and one of the writers penning those pieces was MDee, who posted intriguing pieces on the origins of mayonnaise, the benefits of apricots and the history of 7-Eleven convenience stores. Forget Wikipedia, we got MDee-pedia (I know, not as catchy, but I try).
Other articles deserving a second mention include momentsintime’s probe into the evolution of marketing, Carpenter S. Newton‘s informative follow-up to the Atlantis landing, jaguar‘s article on the hitchhiking puppy, and aarontrippedout’s list of the top 10 banned video games, complete with reasons why these pixellated forms of escapist entertainment spawned such deep moral outrage.
Without further adue, let’s get right into the weekly TopFinds Awards.
If there’s anyone who deserves the TopOpEd Award for writing succinctly on the rise of user-powered content and the debate that ensues, it’s unusualsuspect for the post Is the Internet a Narcissist’s Dream Come True? The article begins by contesting an argument on amateur bloggers killing the Net, then taking a turn to mention the role of citizen journalism and how the hysteria over the rise of amateurism mirrors the paranoia over the evils of Internet addiction. For anyone looking to learn more about citizen journalism or Web 2.0 applications, this is a must-read.
The award categories just keep on growing at DigitalJournal.com, and here’s one we’re happy to bestow upon a skilled writer deserving of the honour. Winning the first ever TopTechAdvice Award is barryb
for going the service-article route by instructing us on how to lock down our wireless networks in not one but two articles. The technical insight was explained clearly and simply, and it definitely gave wireless newbies a nice overview of router connections, encryption and MAC filtering (sorry, you’re going to have to read the article for definitions). This is the kind of article readers can easily apply to their daily lives, so barryb should know he’s likely helped countless of people who’ve been curious — but too shy to ask — about wireless networks.
When a writer finds a buried story, brings it to our attention with added insight and research, and ultimately investigates an overlooked issue worth posting, that writer is a strong candidate to win the TopJournalism Award. Taking home the prestigious trophy this week is GotTheScoop for informing us about the controversy surrounding the Heimlich manuever.
Apparently, Dr. Heimlich’s son is on a mission to discredit the life-saving technique invented by his father, which he calls “crackpot.” GotTheScoop did a commendable job supplementing the article with facts about Dr. Heimlich and his other contentious theories, also injecting her opinion at the conclusion of the piece. It warrants another look if you’ve ever been interested in how long-standing theories can fall from grace — or how sons can rally against their fathers, even if they’ll face a very awkward Christmas dinner in the future.
And finally we’re showcasing the TopThree TopHeadline Award, given to headers that were just too funny to pass up. In no particular order:
–Don’t Ignore That Pain in Your Ass (by Leah)
–Lord of the Flops: The Biggest Budget Musical Ever Gets Thumbs Down in -London (by Planet Janet)
–Dick…Nuts? (by phree)
It was another interesting week this week on DigitalJournal.com, as demonstrated by the many stories worth repeating. The writing quality was so impressive it felt like I was leafing through my regular daily paper…except for the fact that I can comment right away on a topic that interested me. And, alas, I can’t take DigitalJournal.com with me to the bathroom. I think that’s a good thing though.
Enjoy the TopFinds video at the top, and let us know what you think about over-hyped tech products and PR spin. Is it too much for you to handle?
