It occurred to me today that I now travel enough that I don’t bother so much with the packing. Oh it has to be done, and sure, you need to make sure you bring enough socks and the right shoes, but it doesn’t require a lot of planning, or even concentration.

So it is that, on the night before a five day trip, I’ll probably get around to putting things in a bag around midnight.

Also, I’ve improved on the art of over-packing, so there’s that. Running shoes do take up a fair amount of space in a roller bag, though. And maybe I’ll actually use them. I haven’t done much of anything lately. No energy whatsoever, so there’s been no exercise. Probably because I haven’t done anything. Whatever it is, I’m sure it is a vicious cycle. Or maybe it is just a spell.

Things to read … because you can’t read without spelling.

*RImshot.*

Alabama and the Cycling Frontier:

We were in Alabama to speak at the first statewide bicycle summit, and to meet with a few communities interested in bicycle tourism. We were excited (after all, the South is the frontier for bike advocacy), but we truly had no idea what to expect from our week-long visit. Would it be a living stereotype? Would there be more to eat than fried chicken? Was it a joke to think that anyone might ride a bicycle there?

And if you follow along there’s a nice little travelog of these cycling advocate’s visits in stops around the state.

Overlooking yet another person’s need to think in stereotype, I rather like the idea of being on a frontier.

Talking to Female Cyclists 101:

Let’s face it, women that ride bikes are attractive. If you need a word for it, try using callipygian. Look it up. Not only does cycling build great muscle definition and lean characteristics, it also takes a “special” kind of person to be willing to push their limits, set goals, ride a bike for hours, and enjoy this sensation of training. I know it is tempting to ride up to that woman on the bike path and express your appreciation of her fit, form, and bike, but before you do, think before you speak. Complimenting a woman on her bike and her fitness may be one of the biggest compliments that can ever be given, but just like everything else you say to women, it is all in the way it is said and the context. Beware, she may be able to beat you up that climb, or have better power to weight ratio. If you make her mad, you may never see ride with her again.

It doesn’t take much to beat me up a hill. And I’m probably not talking to anyone while it is happening either.

‘Godmother of VR’ sees journalism as the future of virtual reality:

Like shoulder pads or frosted hair, virtual reality is often viewed as an relic of the 1980s, but not by former Newsweek reporter Nonny de la Peña.

The Los Angeles-based “Godmother of VR” is at the forefront of an endeavour to use the technology to usher in a form of immersive journalism in which viewers are placed within news stories and experience them viscerally.

Next week, De la Peña will unveil the latest in a series of graphic 3D reconstructions: the story of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old African American fatally shot by neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in February 2012.

We’ve been talking about this for a few years, futurist friends of mine who let me daydream with them, and in a few more years we’re going to see how right and wrong we were. It should lead to fantastic storytelling, either way.

A business plan canvas tool made for reporters, entrepreneurs and teachers:

Van Achter recently open-sourced a prototyping canvas that was used by each of the 30 projects he has mentored at Lab Davanac. He calls it the “Lean Journalism Canvas” and it’s based off business modeling tools that outline partners, resources, value propositions, and revenue streams. For each journalism project, Van Achter has students plan out things like hypothesis, team’s legitimacy, storytelling strategy, audience makeup, how they’ll track impact, and how will they generate revenue.

This prototyping tool helps surface many of the questions a media venture or simple reporting project should consider. This tool helps journalists and media entrepreneurs young and old think beyond the elevator pitch. It also makes a great journalism school teaching tool.

It’ll take more than a few players behaving badly to slow down that juggernaut: Despite Image Issues, NFL Grew Sponsorship Revenue.

South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott:

A white police officer in North Charleston, S.C., was charged with murder on Tuesday after a video surfaced showing him shooting in the back and killing an apparently unarmed black man while the man ran away.

The officer, Michael T. Slager, 33, said he had feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop on Saturday. A video, however, shows the officer firing eight times as the man, Walter L. Scott, 50, fled. The North Charleston mayor announced the state charges at a news conference Tuesday evening.

The Times has the video, but if you don’t want to watch the video, the piece will also walk you through the few chaotic seconds that end in tragedy. This story is wholly different without that bystander’s phone video, which makes a strong argument for body cameras.

That is a lot of powder: Colombian navy seizes more than 5 tons of cocaine on ship.

Hard to not find the foreboding anymore, isn’t it? Report: Russians Hacked White House:

The Russian government is responsible for a known cyberhack on the White House, according to a new report by CNN. In a segment with reporter Evan Perez, CNN said the hackers were able to access President Barack Obama’s schedule and call information.

This cyberattack on presidential privacy is related to a 2014 hack of the State Department, unnamed sources told CNN. One official said the hackers “owned” the State Department system during the hack, though the implications of this description are unknown.

I wonder if all of those old typewriters are in a warehouse somewhere. Maybe someone will want to dig those out of mothballs one day for some project or another. Hard to hack a mimeograph, too.