John Suder

Scenes From An IBM Slide Presentation

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Temple University’s Center City Campus
1515 Market Street, Room 222.
7 to 9pm - doors open at 6:30

Philadelphia has a vibrant new media industry, but did you know that the City of Brotherly love is also a powerhouse in the journalism business, rich in Pulitzer Prize winners and a history that pre-dates the American Revolution? 

Today, the news industry in Philadelphia and across the country is being redefined by the Web and the mobile phone. The changes are so profound that Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, has said that he is managing the transition of The Times from a print product to an online product. Journalists everywhere are rapidly retooling from single-media storytellers to multimedia storytelling. Publishers are transitioning from print-based services to Web-based services. The time is ripe for Philadelphia’s new media and news media to come together and explore opportunities for enriching collaborations. 

PANMA invites you to an eye-opening Educational Event featuring new media pioneers from Philadelphia journalism.

Panelists: 

Hai Do
Director of Photography at the Philadelphia Inquirer will speak about the newspaper’s transition from “old” to “new” media.

 Jim MacMillan
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer from The Daily News will speak on his personal transition from “old media” to “new media”.

 Marc Steel
Webmaster, CityPaper will speak about the new media needs of traditional news organizations.

 Joey Sweeney
Owner and Editor of Philebrity, will talk about blogging as a new journalism model.

Light refreshments will be provided. The event is free, but please pre-register here.

This event is sponsored by the Philadelphia Area New Media Association (PANMA) and the Department of Journalism at Temple University.

A LinkedIn invite sent to the PANMA list.

Got an extra 7,900 Euros burning a hole in your pocket? May I suggest “Dinner in the Sky“, selected by Forbes.com in the ranking of the 10 most unusual restaurants in the world. You and 21 of your friends are strapped in and hoisted to height of 50 meters via crane. You are then cooked and served dinner by a staff of 3 in the middle, all the while overlooking the scenic location of your choice. Dinner in the Sky can be held anywhere (golf course, race track, castle, vineyard, etc.) as long as there’s enough room for the footprint of the crane (and permission of the site owner). Minimum rental time is 8 hours. I’d go easy on the beverages – I’m not sure what happens if you have to use the bathroom…

• Tech Junkies Crazy About ‘Getting Things Done’
• Research into procrastination shows surprising findings (I really meant to post this sooner…) 
• The Ultimate GTD Index:  A page of GTD-related feeds and resources.
• Massive GTD Resource List from Zen Habits.

The return of the Schizzolator. This time for all your Twitter friends.

Jimmy’s response to his girlfriend Sara Silverman’s “Matt Damon” video.  

Susquehanna Bank has secured the naming rights for the former Tweeter Center in Camden. I thought the Tweeter Center was a funny name, but, like everything else (Wachovia Center, Citizen’s Bank Park), you get used to it. So now when you go across the river for concert, are you meeting at…The Suq?

As we freeze our McNuggets off in the dead of winter, one’s thoughts turn to warmer times and the anticipation of Spring. And, of course, baseball. I stumbled across a link today for Wrigleyville Rooftops. These are the fantastic bleacher seats on the rooftops of the buildings on Waveland Avenue across from Wrigley Field in Chicago. This is a Chicago baseball tradition that goes back to 1914. A few years back, the existence of the rooftops seating was threatened by a proposed expansion to Wrigley. This was a potentially huge blow to the owners of the buildings, which have transformed the quaint idea of grills and lawn chairs on the roof to a lucrative business that now charges $125 a seat and up and features amenities such as full BBQ menus (all the brats you can eat!) open bar and private indoor clubhouses and bars (for those annoying rain delays).

Sadly, our Philly stadiums were built in the middle of an industrial no-man’s land, so we have none of the neighborhood charm and character like Wrigley, Fenway or Yankee Stadium. I’m not complaining – even though I miss the Vet, Citizen’s Bank park is one of the most accessible and comfortable places to watch a ballgame, and their food was voted ‘Best Ballpark Eats’ by Food Network in 2007. The problem that once you leave the ballpark, there’s nothing but parking lots and a mass exodus to the bridge or I-95 (and all the dollars with it). If the Philly Live! project comes through, well, that’s another story. But it still isn’t Wrigley.

A fans’ rooftop guide: The Waveland Avenue spots

Wrigleyville Rooftops

Beyond the Ivy

Brixen Ivy

Murphy’s Rooftop Company

Lensbaby SLR lenses allow you to take photos with one area in sharp focus (the ’sweet spot’) with the rest of the area surrounded by a graduated blur. You can adjust the focus area by moving the flexible lens tubing, locking into place, then adjusting the fine focus area. Lensbaby lenses run about $270 (US). Models are available to fit most SLRs and they’re available direct from the manufacturer or on Amazon. Check the Lensbaby Flickr pool some great examples.