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The Standard News Format

This video pretty much nails what's become the standard formula for the modern video news story. Note the cadance in the dialog as well... and the difficulty in making out everything the "man on the street" interviewees are saying.

Two things it's missing: Subtitles for what people are saying, even if we can understand them perfectly and the banter back at the newsdesk after the story that compeltely undercuts any seriousness that may have been present in the story itself.

How does your local newscast stack up? Do they use this formula, too?

First Refresh DC and DC Media Makers meetings of 2010

Busy middle of the week here. Two great groups for anyone with an interest in web or new media stuff.

On Wednesday night, we've got this month's DC Media Makers

http://www.meetup.com/dc-media-makers/calendar/12206252

It's tech savvy entrepreneur and Shiny Heart Ventures Co-founder Jen Consalvo. Jen loves making cool apps and supporting the social tech DC community. She often speaks about entrepreneurship around the region and country.

And.

She's an awesome photographer pro.

With her great creative eye, please join Jen this January to learn some of her favorite photography techniques.

On Thursday night, we've got Refresh DC:

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/5277638

Color is such a fundamental part of the visual design process that articulating the development of a color palette can be overlooked. As a visual designer, David will talk about being mindful of the use of color. As someone who is colorblind, he will discuss how his condition has lead him to approach color theory in a unique way, resulting in applying the new HSLa color value. The talk will be part color theory, part accessibility, part technical demonstration.

David will be introducing himself as the new helmsman of the Refresh DC ship. He works as a web designer for nclud, where he explores the frontiers of front-end web development.

Hope to see some of you out there!

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What I'm Reading on the Web

Gnostica, A Tarot Card Game

in
This looks like a really neat game. It uses the Tarot cards as an ever-changing landscape in a territory control strategy game. Each suit has certain abilities that can be used to further your goal of controlling at least nine points worth of territory. I may have to trot this out at a future game night--I certainly have enough decks of Tarot cards I don't use for anything else. Just need to get my hands on some of those Icehouse counters.

On the claimed 'war exception' to the Constitution

Once again details come out that prove no matter who's in charge We The People are getting screwed over. This time it's our lives on the line. While I can see the utility in allowing the government--in this case the President or another member of the Executive Branch--the ability to authorize a deadly force strike against an American Citizen who is affiliated with a terrorist group, it is a line too thin to be walked as de facto policy. If anything, this is something that should be buried so deep the president doesn't even know about it until it's a "one life or many" decision. As it is, this is unacceptable and everyone should be aware of it.

Do you want to vanish—and win 10K?

in
This looks to be a follow-up to a stunt Wired writer Even Ratliff pulled over the summer. The basic idea is: Can you vanish for a month, elude detection, and walk away with $10k? It sounds like an absolutely wonderful challenge--and one I'd be more than willing to take if I wasn't in the middle of so many other things right now. I think I will check in every now and then during March to see how the runners are doing, and how creative the chasers are being in figuring out where they are.

Life Below 600px

in
Every few days I have to deal with some client or another being concerned about how much they can cram "above the fold". This article illustrates nicely that the fold isn't the end all and be all of having your content seen and acted upon. Key take-away: Above the fold is where a teaser goes--something that will draw people in to the rest of your content. Secondary point: You content has to be worth is when people get there.