Digital Journalism

Digital journalism refers to the production of news via digital media. With more and more newspaper publishing an internet equivalent of their daily works as well as the interactive sites on news stations' websites that offer podcasts, the shift towards getting news from the internet has adverse impacts on the traditional print media.

Digital journalism can be the work of recognized news sources, but it can also originate from individuals or small groups that have agenda or may be biased in some way or another. And since anyone with internet connection can easily publish a story, a lot of information that we obtained on the internet nowadays lack credibility, this leads to the proliferation of misinformation and conjecture. With traditional journalism "drying up", the collapse of journalism may be inevitable. We may not miss the newsprint that are inked on papers, but we may miss the writings of professional journalists.

Make no mistake, the age of digital journalism has arrived. With the emergence of gadgets like iPhone, the connection with what's happening in the world has become so much easier, everything can be stored in the pocket now. However, smart phone is only a start. Touch enabled devices like Amazon's kindle reader is redefining the future of print journalism to go digital. A touch-enabled device, with unlimited data plan that would allow users to view multimedia and video in ways that even smart phones will soon be a reality in the near future. Digital journalism gives consumers the added advantage of customization, they can decide which news feed and publications they want to subscribe to.

But that doesn't mean that the essence of journalism will be gone together with print media. An article (link provided below) written by ESPN demonstrates how the new trend of journalism can be equally, if not more interesting and engaging. The written content itself was great, but it got better when the editors did a wonderful job to lay out the paragraphs and font sizing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=backinthewater

Does Internet and Politics match up well?

Singapore, a country famed for its "fine" laws and suffocating restrictions on a whole range of issues, from littering to speech freedom. With the increasing dominance and popularity of online media, the government has loosened its previously stringent political regulations a few years back in order to accommodate to the increasing demand and pressure from opposition parties as well as the general public. However, there are still limitations imposed on the use of internet for political purposes, as then Minister for Information and the Arts Lee Yock Suan said "the anonymity of the Internet opens a door for surreptitious elements to mislead, distract and confuse the public."

Indeed, the view of "online equals free" has put online media in a delicate situation. What needs to be put into perspective is the concern of opportunity costs. Maintaining websites are never easy, much less a political website in the climate of fear in Singapore where fundings are hard to come by. Most Singaporeans are apathetic towards politics, their indifferent attitude makes it difficult to engage them through the internet since people tend to go to sites that interest them. In addition to that, the subject of subjectivity is something that we should not overlook. No journalist can claim that his or her opinions are objective, everyone including journalists from the mainstream media will have his/her own opinions which might not necessarily be objective.

More recently in 2008, Dr James Gomez (Workers' Party) published his PhD thesis from the Monash University, Melbourne titled "Democracy and Elections: The Impact of Online Politics in Singapore". In it, he argued that the electoral system in Singapore is impervious to the impact of the internet. His analysis of voting patterns and election results over the past 3 general elections in 1997, 2001 and 2006 reflected that there was no correlation between the use of internet by various opposition parties and their performance at the polls. This despite the fact that internet penetration rate in Singapore had leaped from 14% in 1997 to 71% in 2006. His doubts are not unfounded, despite online media having great potential of gaining significant mindshare from the mainstream media. The political climate in Singapore has been very harsh towards opposition parties, even with regulation changes the hostility still exists. While the potential of online media remains promising, there remains a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of exploiting the full benefits of it.

Marvellous Technology

Microsoft Surface - More Than Just Skin Deep?

Microsoft Surface is a revolutionary multi-touch computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects, allowing for interaction with digital content in a simple way. With a large, horizontal user interface, Surface offers a whole new experience when multiple users can simultaneously interact with data and each other.

Key Features

- Direct Interaction: interaction made directly with contact via touch or gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard

- Multi-user experience: large 30 inch screen display enables several people to interact simultaneously with the Microsoft Surface

- Multi-touch: responds to many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger

- Object recognition: physical objects can be placed on screen to trigger different types of digital responses

Xbox 360 Project Natal

Project Natal is a electronic installation (size of a bar) that sits above or below your TV, having close resemblance to WII's sensor bar. However instead of sensing controllers, this device has a camera, sensors and a microphone inside that enables it to get an accurate sense of your space and you in it. This lets you control games just by moving around; kicking, jumping, or whatever body motions you engage in.

Key Features

- control video games and menus using your body instead of peripheral controls

- voice and full body motion control over your on-screen avatar

iMac Holograms