Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

Link Ch. 1 – Interview with Neil Postman

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

In this interview, C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb talks with Prof. Neil Postman about his book Amusing Ourselves to Death.

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Link Ch. 1 – Media on Everest

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

7 Truths: Media are essential components of our lives: Mobile WiFi hits Mount Everest You no longer need a satellite connection to go surfing at Everest base camp.  There’s almost nowhere to escape our media. Scroll through the Google Books … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 1 – Are FCC Indecency Rules Still Relevant in New Media Age?

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

FCC indecency rules (or at least enforcement of them) has varied greatly over the years, but ever since Janet Jackson’s 5/16ths of a second nipple exposure, the FCC adopted a “zero tolerance” policy.  But does fight against fleeting nudity and expletives … Continue reading →

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Ch. 1 Link – Hearing a Speech v. Reading a Speech

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

Both President Barack Obama and his challenger Senator John McCain were credited with giving excellent speeches on election night 2008.  Take a listen to these two speeches, then read a transcript of them.  Which gives you a better sense of … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 7 – Girl Walk: Girl Talk’s All Day: The Movie

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

(Updated 2/17/19) For those of you who are fans of mashup artist Girl Talk, there is a now a fascinating dance film out that is essentially a 71-minute long video for Girl Talk’s latest album All Day. There’s a preview … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

Are aggressive kids more likely to play violent video games? Study says not so much.  Some interesting findings. Is it really a World Wide Web? Well, 25 percent of Europeans have yet to be online. Here’s a link to the … Continue reading →

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Sigourney Weaver & Buster Poindexter do “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” on SNL

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

I’ve been looking for this for years!  A 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live featuring Sigourney Weaver singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Buster Poindexter, the former head of the SNL Band.  My favorite version of this Christmas classic.  This … Continue reading →

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Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Reporters Praised for Coverage of Shootings

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

There can be no doubt that student journalists at Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times had the best coverage in the country of Thursday’s shooting deaths of the VT campus.  As I wrote on this blog yesterday, the paper’s staff did an … Continue reading →

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Virginia Tech Shooting Drives News to Social Media

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

When the story broke this afternoon about a shooting that has reportedly left two dead on the Virginia Tech campus, two things happened.  People started remembering the horror of the 2007 shooting on the campus that left 33 people dead, … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Ralph Hanson

How Can You Write a Better Blog? Some great suggestions from Dan Frommer, author of the tech blog SplatF. Here’s the Cliff Notes version: Accuracy, readable, skeptical, attributed, context, critical but fair, mechanics, original, new. Why Does Scooby-Doo Need People … Continue reading →

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