O Lago | The Lake

Links for today | Links para hoje

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If you are already a web-head it won’t be anything new. I think this video is more to convert folk. But even if you are already a convert to the idea of collaboration on the web – this is an inspiring video.

Where are the drums and smoke signs? ! E os tambores e sinais de fumo?

Thomas Baekdal details the patterns of communication over the last hundred years and the shifts that have occurred. If your great-grandparents wanted to stay current on the news, for instance, they had to make a conscious effort to be places where people were talking about it. Now you can have it streamed, beamed, and delivered.

The much-hyped search engine – sorry, “computational knowledge engine” – Wolfram Alpha launched over the weekend. Its use of databases and semantic search should be particularly exciting for journalists because a) it searches parts of the ‘hidden web’ that most search engines don’t reach (i.e. databases); and b) it has the potential to throw up quick answers to questions about relationships and facts that Google is also not great at.

Now, note that I say “potential to” – Wolfram Alpha is in its very early days. Below I talk about what it can do now; I expect it will be years before it truly becomes a game-changer.

Click image to watch | Clique na imagem para ver
This is what happens when multimedia journalists have too much time on their hands.

The write up goes as follows:

“With ad revenue in freefall, the BBC licence fee under severe pressure and online news sources rapidly expanding, this session will examine whether we need – or can any longer afford – journalism on the small screen”.

DOES TELEVISION JOURNALISM HAVE A FUTURE – AND DOES IT MATTER intones the programme.