Once upon a time, I was News Editor for Cedars, the bi-weekly student newspaper of Cedarville University. Times were fun, I learned how to manage people (and how not to manage them). I published a few grating opinions that didn't receive much response because there wasn't much participation in the newspaper. But now I'm at … Continue reading Open letter to ‘Cedars’
journalism
Green campaign at my former school
A prefab modular home with LEED Platinum certification. Chicago should have its first Platinum-certified prefab residence in 2011. (Flickr photo from Heather Lucille. CC.) Here are some links to my 2009 project to reduce Cedarville University's environmental impact. I was collaborating with school administration to implement the project when I moved to Chicago to attend … Continue reading Green campaign at my former school
Fridge project, follow me elsewhere
The inside of my fridge, shot with my cell phone. For Mobile Journalism class I'm embarking on a project to photograph my fridge at least 3 times a week. It was inspired by a similar project in Orion Magazine. Find my work at fridge.posterous.com. Also, a warning: I don't often update brandonsmith.com, as you know. … Continue reading Fridge project, follow me elsewhere
Developments: Arianna and iPad
Arianna Huffington, right, has some mobile fun with a Columbia College Chicago student following her student-only conversation with us Wednesday, prior to her official speech. Huffington is the proprietor of Huffington Post, one of the biggest media brands on the Internet. (The photo's by Columbia's PR staff, but if they sue a student for the … Continue reading Developments: Arianna and iPad
Industry turmoil
The Chicago Tribune sports the largest newsroom in the midwest, according to its advertising campaign. I chuckle at that choice. I wonder how many other journalists do, too. (CC Flickr photo from Alex Barth) When I turned to the journalism field for my career, the thought that most plagued me was this: generally, to make … Continue reading Industry turmoil
Books shed light on financial crisis
Wall Street's historic district, with the New York Stock Exchange on the right and the JP Morgan & Co. building on the left. (CC Photo from epicharmus' Flickr account.) In today's Wall Street Journal, Simon Johnson explains what three new books about the financial crisis tell us. (Simon Johnson is co-founder of the blog BaselineScenario, … Continue reading Books shed light on financial crisis
Speaking of Columbia College…
A screenshot from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," the most complex and realistic modern battle video game to date. (Creative Commons photo from the Flikr account of bigdigo) Have you heard about the $1.6 million the Pentagon is giving us to develop, essentially, a video game to train infantry? Two media outlets have reported … Continue reading Speaking of Columbia College…
Jensen nonviolent, after all
Art I made for the large open wall of my apartment. The metal numbers were someone else's garbage. (My Dad's, in fact.) This month Derrick Jensen took a step back from his usual extreme tone in his Orion Magazine column. (Orion represents the literary and philosophical side of the environmental movement.) Normally he advocates a … Continue reading Jensen nonviolent, after all
Awesome quote of the day
The awesome quote of the day regards the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen: And this being Scandinavia, even the prostitutes are doing their bit for the planet. Outraged by a council postcard urging delegates to "be sustainable, don't buy sex," the local sex workers' union – they have unions here – has announced that … Continue reading Awesome quote of the day
Quick shout-out
Annie Leonard lectures at a sustainability conference. (Creative Commons photo from the Flickr account of Kevin Krejci) Annie Leonard released a long-anticipated followup to her "Story of Stuff" video, called "The Story of Cap and Trade." It's more complex than the first (I, an environmental reporter, had to rewind a couple times), but it does … Continue reading Quick shout-out
And the Pursuit of Happiness review
What a name for a blog, And the Pursuit of Happiness. The blog's beautiful, but it's not really a blog. It's a place that, once a month, displays a new piece of written and visual art—created by author and illustrator of children's books Maira Kalman. It was one of the most popular items on New … Continue reading And the Pursuit of Happiness review
Writing for interaction
Spotted a story yesterday about the rise of (and grand question about) the cupcake boutique on the New York Times site, and I had to check it out. I'm sharing it with you not just because cupcakes generate more saliva than I have fluid in my body, but because there's a really interesting paragraph that … Continue reading Writing for interaction
Jeffrey Hollender, you rock my socks
Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation (Creative Commons photo from the Flickr account of dreamymo) Note: This post is continued from Thursday's post. I suggest you start there. Hollender attended a conference by Business for Social Responsibility and blatantly asked the question, "Will this conference make business more responsible?" It's a good question to ask … Continue reading Jeffrey Hollender, you rock my socks
Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment
So my second satire piece was published today on The Daily Blank. Once again, I'll repost the entire article here because their license allows it. But check 'em out some time—whether you live in Chicago or not, there's something there for you. Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment Bars, movie theaters, grocery stores, … Continue reading Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment
Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
The Toyota Corolla, a highly popular car in the U.S. (Jupiter Images photo) I'm into corporate responsibility in case you haven't noticed. (I was recently approached by someone wanting me to join a pyramid scheme. It was so laughable I wrote a satire piece about it. I'll let you know when it's published.) One of … Continue reading Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
Gladware, the type of food storage I have at home. I've heard soft plastics are more prone to have dangerous leachates, and this stuff is as soft as you get. (Creative Commons-licensed photo from Timothy Valentine's Flickr account) Nick Kristof's column Saturday dealt with Bisphenol-A, the chemical lots of people are worried about because, hey, … Continue reading Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
Today’s link
Here's a link to a startling commentary of unvetted citizen journalism and social media in the midst of the killings at Fort Hood. The author says our constant access to publishing tools has pit our ego against our humanity, forcing our humanity to concede almost every time.
First Daily Blank piece
Today I was published at The Daily Blank, Chicago's only satire site that focuses on local issues. For your enjoyment I'll paste the entire article below, because their licensing allows it. Enjoy! ...And I have one more piece in the queue, so look out. Daley to 'pull an Obama' to fund CPS In two about-face … Continue reading First Daily Blank piece
World’s biggest egotrip
Me standing next to a Bugatti 16:4 Veyron at Gold Coast Bentley, a few blocks from my house (Rush and Pearson, Chicago). Top speed: 253 mph. Cost: originally about a million, I heard. It's probably around $2 million now. (Photo by my mom, I think) This article is about the fastest production car in the … Continue reading World’s biggest egotrip
Italian torture conviction to have no effect
A demonstration of waterboarding at Coney Island. [Creative Commons-licensed photo from the Flickr account of Salim Virji] The New York Times reported this morning on the conviction of 23 Americans in a case involving the practice of rendition, "in which terrorism suspects are captured in one country and taken for questioning in another, presumably one … Continue reading Italian torture conviction to have no effect
Brandon Smith 