Hindenburg coverage with/out sound

Without sound:



With sound:

Check out the remediation of balloon boy

First, the initial report ...




Then, the media response, and I mean that in the most general sense, open to anyone in any form as modern technology now allows instantaneous worldwide distribution of media material, regardless of production value or talent, including this song:



Then, the Oops!



And the cover ...



And the press conference ...



And more amateur response (obscenity warnings on these). ... Again, technology allows instantaneous worldwide distribution of material, regardless of production value or talent:





And, yes, even the "Downfall" parody, presented as if Hitler is in charge of CNN ...



The idea of a media hoax certainly isn't new, even one involving balloons. Here is a story about the one pulled off by Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote it for the New York Sun in 1844.

What really has changed, though, is the technology of the media environment. In what ways did that affect the outcome of the recent balloon boy story?

From smtusa.com:

"Within minutes of the story breaking the term "balloon" was trending on Twitter at over 1600 tweets per minute. Twitter accounts were created, claiming the names @boyintheballoon and @balloonboy almost immediately. A website, http://www.whereisballoonboy.com was created to provide updates on the story. Before the boy was even found, "Save Balloon Boy" t-shirts were available for purchase online. Just now a tweet came through my TweetDeck advertising Balloon Boy shirts for $30."

And by the way, any similarities with the case study we examined last week regarding the attention-seeking dad of "Adolph Hitler"?

Another great example of time-based media

Yasha Kehn discovered this video of an artist/storyteller using just sand, music and a light table to create an emotionally compelling production. Wow!

Another opportunity to showcase your audio project (and earn XC points)

Besides the Digital Sandbox contest, listed below, Jon Tanner also identified a site, Radio Drama Revival, that accepts submissions. This not only would be a great line on your resume, but if you can get your work posted on the site before the end of the term, I will negotiate a few extra credit points as well (for the person, or people, who work through the submission process, depending on what that entails).

"Triumph of the Will"

This Leni Riefenstahl film, which became a propaganda tool for the Nazi party, challenges Oscar Wilde's contention that art is autonomous from morality. What do you think?

Strange maps

Sorry I didn't find this a few weeks earlier. But here it is anyway:

Strange maps

Nazi rhetoric in modern American politics

Here are some examples:





From Columbian.com (Aug. 6, 2009):

"Over 10 years in Congress, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird has stayed tethered to his district, flying back to Southwest Washington for more than 300 sometimes-bruising town hall meetings during Congressional recesses.
But this year, he's literally decided to phone it in.
Instead of appearing in person, where "extremists" would have "the chance to shout and make YouTube videos," Baird said Wednesday, he's holding what he calls "telephone town halls" instead.
Baird said he's using the new system because he fears his political opponents may be planning "an ambush" to disrupt his meetings, using methods Baird compared to Nazism.
"What we're seeing right now is close to Brown Shirt tactics," Baird, D-Vancouver, said in a phone interview. "I mean that very seriously."