May « 2013 « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

May, 2013

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7
May 13

The last paper of the year

Every year, at the end of the year, I buy dinner for the people who work on The Samford Crimson. There is a giant platter of Roly Poly.

That night was tonight. We commemorated it with a Twitter photograph:

Not everyone is there, of course, but there is a fair amount of talent sitting at that table, and a good bit of potential beyond that, too.

Later in the evening, we’d worked our way down to the “I-can’t-believe-it-is-over” end. The outgoing editor and the incoming editor, putting this last paper to bed:

Katie Willis, who aspires to run her own photography business, handed the reigns to Zach Brown, who draws philosophical stick figures for fun. We asked Katie to consider running the paper last year on the basis of her success at everything and a year’s experience as the editor of the literary arts magazine on campus. She is an incredible talent and she proved it again this year.

She’s worked for me in some way or another all four of her years on campus. I’d like to find a way to prevent her from graduating, just so she has to stick around for one more.

Zach, meanwhile, is someone I met in perhaps his second semester in school. I gave him advice on his website and watched him handle everything in the class with ease. He’s a thinker, sharp guy. He’s been the opinions editor for the last three semesters and one of those people who, you can tell, is probably going to do big things. I expect him to start doing those big things next fall with the paper.

We get some fantastic students in our program. At the picnic last week the faculty sat and observed many of the seniors, who’d naturally circulated to the same tables. We were impressed by the collection of their talent. The hardest working of them all come through the Crimson and spend time working over InDesign and getting their hands dirty with newsprint. And even when the seniors move on, there is always another group of promising students who eagerly jump in as freshmen and sophomores. Would that they all did, but I’m proud and grateful for all those that do.

And so at the end of the night, right around midnight, they sent the final copy to the publisher. The last speeches, the last jokes. Everything was commemorated with Vine, which is how things must be done these days. Programs were closed. Lights were turned off. Doors were shut.

New ones are opening.

And then my phone rang: “My car won’t start. Can you help me?”

Sure. Of course.

College.

If there’s anything better I haven’t found it, and only because I’m not looking.

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6
May 13

They really are heavier

Mowed the lawn. Shivered during the first part of it. This is May in Alabama. So glad we licked that global warming thing.

Or maybe they were right in the 1970s and global cooling is upon us. Nah, probably not. Complex, multiple ecosystems moving with and against each other and al that. But it was another day of supposed rain that proved to be clouds that stayed a while, whispered on us and then never had the decency to melt away like a bad rumor would. When I started mowing the lawn I thought I would be rained out.

So I had a few minutes late in the evening to ride my bicycle. This is a silly thing, but I have new water bottles — because the old ones are a bit small and have a weird top I don’t like and they now have 3,200 miles on them — and I wanted to try these out. They are simple, basic, straightforward and inexpensive plastic that holds a lot of water. This, I thought, would be a good thing in the summer. If the season ever considers approaching.

The high today was a pleasant 63, with overcast skies throughout.

So I hopped on the bike, swung the headset through the sidewalk and down the short driveway and into the road. I had about three pedal strokes in and, you won’t believe this, I noticed the water bottles made the bike heavier.

I ride an aluminum bike with a carbon fork. Altogether it weighs somewhere around 18-20 pounds, probably. I’m not a $6,000, 14-grams of carbon guy. But I notice things. When I switched from Continental racing tires to kevlar training tires I noticed a drop off in my incredibly limited performance. When I put a Gatorskin on the back wheel when I was finally able to return to the bike at the beginning of the year I noticed there was a bit less resistance and, hence, more speed.

I notice things like this on my bike. It is a simple perception. (And my bike’s geometry isn’t even dialed in.) The Yankee says it is like the Princess and the Pea.

So I ride up to the next town. My shoulder hurts. My shoulder gets better. My water bottles are full and heavy. Not bad, heavy, but noticeable. They’re there. I ride back down through the rural backroads to get close to home. And there I got a runner’s stitch, which slowed me down a bit. That went away. So I pedaled on through our local time trial area and saw the sun for the first time today, just as it was retiring for the evening. Back past the state park I went, having a grand ol’ time and showing one on the computer, too. Raced up College, to the art museum, turned and headed home.

I was out for just under an hour. I went through two residential areas, a golf course, the big shopping district, past two country cemeteries, more suburbs, a state park, another commercial strip, an art museum and a city park. In all of that time I was never more than five linear miles from home. What a great town.

Also, my water bottles are heavier. That must account for my little boost in speed: more mass moving downhill.

Things to read: 14 tips for journalists on Facebook. Number six is share breaking news. Number seven is keep followers updated. Nevertheless, this list might still be useful to someone.

Trend watch: Digital marketing services:

When in doubt, do it all

In 2008, The Dallas Morning News began to experience what publisher and chief executive officer Jim Moroney called “a significant decline in print ad revenue for the second consecutive year.”

The paper approached the problem by diversifying from several angles. It “aggressively” sought more commercial printing and distribution, and now prints The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Investor’s Business Daily, along with USA Today, formerly its sole commercial printing client.

The Morning News also created CrowdSource, an event marketing division, as an addition to its portfolio. The purpose was to generate incremental revenue while engaging consumers with the brand. Last year, for example, CrowdSource created an event called Walk In The Park to bring residents out to a new downtown park in which the paper sponsors a reading and games room. Currently, CrowdSource is working with other organizations on a 50th anniversary commemoration of the JFK assassination in Dallas.

Another new part of the company is 508 Digital. This business — named for the address of the newspaper’s building — operates like an agency, offering digital, social media, and search engine optimization services for small- and medium-sized businesses. Speakeasy is another marketing and promotions division that provides social media strategy and execution for local businesses that offers “content marketing delivered via smart social media.”

Finally, the Dallas Morning News started two magazines, Texas Wedding Guide and Design Guide, as yet another way to expand the brand and increase revenue.

Based on results thus far, Moroney said, “We will continue to pursue a strategy that builds new sources of revenue off the foundation of our brand, our core competencies, and our infrastructure.”

That one is worth the long excerpt and worth the read.

New York Times launches web-only documentaries with Retro Report:

The New York Times is launching a series of short, web-only documentaries with Retro Report, a nonprofit news organization that aims to investigate “the most perplexing news stories of our past with the goal of encouraging the public to think more critically about current events and the media.”

The videos will air each Monday at the NYT’s baby boomer blog, “Booming,” and on Retro Report’s website. Each will be 10 to 15 minutes long and accompanied by a story by NYT reporter Michael Winerip. The first one, “The Voyage of the Mobro 4000,” looks at the garbage barge of 1987.

This one has a small Alabama hook. And is moderately interesting. But 12 minutes is a lot to ask of online audiences with only mildly interesting. Judge for yourself:

Fascinating video interview here. AP’s global video news chief: Sorting out contributors vs. activists in Syria:

With little access to the raging civil war in Syria, the Associated Press has been relying on a citizen journalists with smart phones with the Bambuser app to stream live coverage of the conflict, explains Sandy MacIntrye …

Not necessarily just observers, he notes that many of the contributors are activists and he explains how they and their associations are clearly identified and authenticated.

TV is the next model to be disrupted. It’ll persist, but they’re going to be hurt badly. You can already see it in YouTube’s numbers, in the ratings, in the financials and second-screen habits. If you are in television, or invested in TV marketing, and not already thinking down this path you should probably pick up your pace. This might help. 10 reasons to combine your TV And web video ad campaigns:

TV still makes up the vast majority of advertising media budgets, by far. But it’s no secret that today’s TV audience is also watching their favorite shows online. If you’re a marketer, you know that this is an important shift in viewer behavior that could impact the effectiveness of your TV campaigns. But you don’t know how it impacts your TV efforts or what you can do about it. There’s one way to find out: Manage and measure TV and online video together. When you do this, numerous new synergies and opportunities will arise along with the answers.

A reporter at the Toronto Star erred, significantly, and the newspaper is fixing the problem. Talk about a paper getting it right. Toronto Star will hold training sessions for reporters following front-page apology:

Star investigations editor Kevin Donovan will lead mandatory training sessions for reporters following an embarrassing incident last week, Star Public Editor Kathy English writes. The Star published a story accusing provincial parliament member Margarett Best of vacationing in Mexico while she was on medical leave; reporter Richard Brennan misunderstood a tag on a photo on Best’s Facebook page, English writes, and didn’t tell her that was the subject of his story when he tried to get comment.

Now all the reporters are getting a brush-up.

Finally, it pays to stick with a story. This one has been going on for three years.

“Another thing with neurological progression is that it’s five steps forward and three steps back,” she said. “It’s peaks and valleys. It’s not continual.”

[…]

After everything he’s been through, Kevin said he will keep trying to get back to being normal again.
“I’ve just been working so hard…and I’m getting better,” Kevin said.

Read that, meet one tough eight-year-old.

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5
May 13

Catching up

The weekly post with extra pictures that would otherwise just sit on my phone or in my camera and never be seen because there was no logical place for them, except for Catching Up.

The seniors give us all awards at the end of the year. This year’s seniors acknowledged my Twitter account. I try to share helpful material with them there.

For the first time in years I looked at the dates on coins. These are the ones sitting on my desk. All week I’ve been checking out dates, since taking this picture. I’ve learned it has become difficult to find a random coin that is as old as I am. Birthdays and years don’t make me feel old. Little things like that have a way of getting to you, though.

I don’t remember why I took this picture, which is a rare thing for me to say. But I did, and here it is. I was on my bike one evening, I think. I seldom forget why I took a picture. I regret taking them even less.

Our friend and baseball smart guy Kevin Ives is holding up the rebel black bear that Dr. Magical Balloons made. We were his warmup act — he just volunteered us — and this took him about 45 seconds. He’s good. Book him:

So there was John Pawlowski, an otherwise quiet, even-tempered, nice guy, watching his team struggle in this very inert fashion today. The weather was getting to everyone. And just as the sun came out Pawlowski saw something he could get animated about. So he went out to argue a strike call against one of his batters.

Only you don’t argue balls and strikes. So when Pawlowski, the likable man did it, the umpire heard him out and walked up the first base line. Pawlowski stayed by the batter’s box, like he was getting ready to dig in. He said a few more things. The fans were egging it on. And the ump came back down the line and they argued a bit more. And then the ump tossed the manager, which was his plan and what the ump was trying to avoid. This ejection, his first of the season, fired up the team. You can see the video below:

There was a C-130 flyover. He was very low. A C-130 did some historic and record-breaking landings on the USS Forrestal in the 1960s. And yet this is still strange to see knowing the only airport close by is a small municipal airport that has two runways which are … both … long enough for the Hercules. OK, never mind. Still cool to see:

The Mother’s Day gift you’ll want to leave on the shelf:

Great game at the ballpark today. This game had it all: pickoff moves, base stealers thrown out by a mile, moonshots, two home runs denied, two comebacks, ejections, arguing from both sides, sunshine and, naturally, an over-the-shoulder catch by the closer to end the game. It was a gritty performance by Auburn to take the series and the best game I’ve seen all year:

At the end of the weekend Auburn is now 11th in the SEC. The top 12 teams advance to the conference tournament in Hoover. It will come down to the last two weekend series again for the Tigers.

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4
May 13

We haven’t bested 72 in a week

OK, I’ll complain about the weather this much: “Tomorrow morning temperatures will drop into the 38-42 degree range.”

Checking my elaborately Photoshopped gag gift calendar … yes, I see that this is May.

In Albany, NY, where Maine is playing baseball today, it is sunny and 75. We haven’t seen 75 in a week. It is 57 right now. The high temperatures for Auburn on this day in this century: 80, 78, 82, 69, 71, 84, 82, 79, 77, 84, 70, 84 and 60.

I’ve seen snow in the Deep South in April. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never huddled under a blanket in May. This is a strange season.

Also, it is rainy.

The baseball game was delayed from the afternoon until the evening. So that meant even cooler still. Which wouldn’t have been so bad itself, but for the continual drizzle and threat of rain. And, also, it is May.

By the end of the night you could see your breath in the air.

But it was a quality baseball game:

The coach called it magical dust in one interview and said in another “I don’t know what works and what doesn’t work – just try to put guys in different spots.”

Whatever gets you into postseason play.

Today the high was 61. Tomorrow will be about the same, overcast, unseasonably cool and curiously devoid of any hints of spring. Mostly I just miss my friend, the sun.

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3
May 13

Confirming the Not Good At That list

I did something unusual today. I got in a pool.

Now, I like the water. One of my earliest memories is being fished out of the deep end of a pool I had no business being in. As a child the local YMCA had the fish-themed swimming lessons and I made it up to the shark level. I was a certified lifeguard, back in the old style where you had to go get people and in the kinder, gentler, let’s don’t get hurt or sued and throw in a float instead style. I have memories, for some thing or other, of turning blue jeans into a floatation device. I’ve treaded water for more than an hour. I’ve been a SCUBA diver for two decades.

I’m good with the water, at peace with what I can and can’t do there, particularly below the surface. You still have some control of things there. If you know yourself you have fairly defined ideas of your limits, and that is satisfying and comforting; I’m not afraid of the water because I know what I am and what I am not, he said, hoping that sounded wise. But I treat it recreationally.

One thing I am not is a lap swimmer.

Never could hold a straight line. That’s just the basic problem. Olympic and national champion swimming coach David Marsh once told me “You have to respect someone willing to spend hours and hours, swimming hundreds of laps, to shave a thousandth of a second off of their best time.”

I respect that level of dedication and discipline, even more in the context of things I’d never do. I’m not that kind of swimmer.

So there I was today, cool new reflective race goggles, in an outside lane of an outdoor pool with the temperature hovering around 65 degrees and falling and trying to swim.

I haven’t done anything more than tread water or float on my back in a year or so.

Today I just tried to make the goggles fit. They didn’t. Water got in. I don’t like water in my eyes. So I quickly realized you don’t clear goggles like you would clear a diving mask:

It just brings in more water. Because your nose isn’t inside the confined area, of course. But, hey, the training is never forgotten. So up on the rope line, work on the goggles. Swim a bit, fiddle a bit, swim a bit, drown my eyes awhile. And so on. Finally this was resolved. Finally I can swim. Only I’ve all but forgotten how to breathe. I like to breathe. Breathing, in my book, is vastly underrated. This goes on in a thoroughly unsatisfying manner.

Finally it all comes together. I can see. I can breathe. I can actually think about the stroke. I get through four circuits of the freestyle stroke — really bringing my arms and shoulders out of the water and overhead and down properly — and realize this hurts my shoulder. So the now 10-month old injury and surgery still limits me.

So I do other things, try other strokes. Back to the sidestroke and a modified breaststroke and my favorite: underwater, handcuffed criminal stroke.

But I did 700 meters — a warmup, really — which is more than I would have done otherwise.

Also, it turned cold again today. Chilly, in fact. Downright unseasonable and noticeable, too. I’d complain, but there is snow in places like Iowa and Minnesota that would also like a bit of May, thank you. I’ve mentioned it. Remarked, maybe. But I haven’t complained too much. And if I have, it was entirely good-natured, because some places are dealing with unseasonal May snows.

But I would like spring to come back, because the first part of summer can hurt if it just shows up without a preamble.

Tonight, baseball:

After falling 6-1 to Ole Miss tonight, Auburn is now 16-51 against the SEC in the big four sports — football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball — since the 2012 SEC baseball tournament. That’s a bad year.