Audiobooks vs. Printed Books July 30, 2006
Posted by poseidon715 in books, media.comments closed
I have between two and three hours of commute time every weekday, so I pass the time listening to a lot of audiobooks from Audible (www.audible.com). I still spend a lot of time at the bookstore. All in all, on average I think I go through about 1 1/2 to 2 books (both audio and print) a week (depending on the size of the books).
I have been interested in the different experiences both mediums afford, so here is a breakdown of some of the pros and cons of each.
Audiobooks
- Actually get all the way through the book, as it is easier to get through the boring parts
-Get a wholistic picture of the story
-The reader-actors give new dimensions to chararacters,emphasizing and differentiating dialog
-Some writers have a style that lends itself to the spoken word
-I’m in the car anyway, what else am I going to do?
Printed Books
-Get more of the “deeper” themes running through a book
-Can take notes in the margins
Can dog-ear pages or use a permanent bookmark
-Can reference the book again easily in the future, for quotes, quick browsing, etc.
-Some writers have a style that lends itself to the written page
-Tend to remember names better after I have read them as opposed to just heard them, though I remember characterizations (accent, etc) better from audiobook
What do you think are the benefits and drawbacks of these formats from your own experiences?
FEMA Press Policy Outrage July 30, 2006
Posted by poseidon715 in Hurricane Katrina Relief, Politics, media.comments closed
I am sickened by what I have read concerning FEMA’s press policy in their government funded trailer park communities. Read these links!
Basically, FEMA will not allow reporters to interview people staying in these parks on the park property – and reporters are not allowed on the park property to get to people to interview. These people do not have phones, either – except the limited cellphones provided by FEMA. Offsite, trailer park residents are not allowed to speak to members of the press without an official FEMA representative present. This is essentially a forced media blackout of prison-like conditions.
FEMA’s response to these allegations is here , and an article on the inadequacy of that response here . None of this, they submit, is official FEMA policy. OK, official or not, it is happening. In fact, there is a track record of media abuses in New Orleans, including an incident of the police breaking reporters’ cameras after photographing brutality.
Where is the mainstream press on this?
Jon Stewart on CNN Crossfire July 28, 2006
Posted by poseidon715 in Humor, Politics, media.comments closed
