Something in My Eye

Well, that was interesting! A short vacation in Jerome, followed by blurred vision preparing for and recovering from cataract surgery, has kept me off the keyboard.

Jerome is a fascinating Arizona ghost town populated by about 400 living ghosts. Old hippies don’t die, or fade away, they move to Jerome and open gift shops and artists’ studios. Who’s to say they’re out of step with the rest of us? Certainly not I.

If you want spectral ghosts, you can find those there, too. The Jerome Grand Hotel, which is located in what was once the hospital, is supposed to be haunted; stayed there twice...never saw a ghost.

**********************

We had breakfast at the Cup Cafe in the Hotel Congress the morning we left. That was the day the announcement of the funding for our streetcar line was announced and street traffic was seriously disrupted.

I really wonder how Tucson’s drivers are going to take to the “nuisance” of sharing road space with the new streetcars.

**********************

Jim Hopkins has relaunched his Gannett Blog, which he runs along with blogs about the NY Times and News Corp. I’ve posted links in my blogroll. If you’re interested in the state of American journalism as commented on by (still) working journalists you might want to look at these. As always, read with a critical eye. Most commentators have a dog in journalism’s current fight for survival. Still...good stuff.

Citizen Journalism

(Forgive me, but this is more nearly a place holder post than a finished story. I’ll return to the topic but for now I am just reacquainting myself with the Blogger platform.)

What’s the difference between traditional journalism and this new creature called ‘citizen journalism?’

Much of the difference, and some of the friction between traditional journalists and survival strategies like TucsonCitizen.com, is discussed in three blogs maintained by Jim Hopkins. Probably of most interest to Tucson Citizen bloggers is his Gannett Blog, although he also maintains blogs dealing with the NY Times and News Corp.

Updated and edited 2/27/10

Trying To Keep Current

I don't know if anyone still checks in to this version of The Data Port, but my current plan is to stay at the Tucson Citizen until my first anniversary (in June.) At which time I'll re-think The Data Port's participation at TC.com I think I've had pretty good traffic over there but I have not been happy with loss of control over the way the blog looks.

I have no particular gripes with my "non-employer" Gannett since the big G has left me alone. Still, I think it is making a mistake not okaying site redesign, the current one being coldly unattractive.

Edited and updated 2/27/10