ZADI DIAZ

"As far as I’m concerned, I’m glad people feel a compulsion to “report” things that are happening..."

Zadi Diaz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:38:37 -0800

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m glad people feel a compulsion to “report” things that are happening wherever they might be. That is a fundamentally journalistic impulse, and the more people who have it, the better off we will all be — even if we have to put up with errors and misunderstandings along the way.”

- READ MORE: Citizen journalism: I’ll take it, flaws and all

He Took me to Indiana...

Zadi Diaz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:27:00 -0800

So happy For Adam and Jessica! They make such a sweet couple. Congratulations! :)

stevewoolf:

Yes! Congratulations!!!!

wreckandsalvage:

whatiwore:

WhatIWore:…and asked me to be his wife! Adam and I are ENGAGED!!!!! I wanted to wait until Monday, but now that I’m back to civilization, I just couldn’t wait to tell you guys! Here are some photos of our memorable weekend in the woods.

Photos at Lincoln State Park in Southern Indiana (more of the mushy details to come…)

ronenreblogs: kim-asterisk: brb, ovaries are exploding. now,...

Zadi Diaz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:53:08 -0800

ronenreblogs:

kim-asterisk:

brb, ovaries are exploding.

now, I’m straight as an arrow, but can we all just admit this is one of the hottest most badass pictures ever?

Um, yeah. :)

(video from This American Life illustrates how cameras change...

Zadi Diaz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:49:36 -0800

(video from This American Life illustrates how cameras change our behavior)

Interesting article from TechCrunch about Fort Hood and the state of Citizen Journalism:

Excerpt:

For all of our talk about “the world watching”, what good did social media actually do for the people of Iran? Did the footage out of the country actually change the outcome of the elections? No. Despite a slew of YouTube videos and a couple of thousand foreign Twitter users turning their avatar green and pretending to be in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still in power. It’s astonishing, really. Despite how successful ten million actual voters marching through Washington, London and other major cities in 2003 were in stopping the invasion of Iraq, a bit of entirely virtual cyber-posturing by foreigners didn’t lead to real change in Iran.

…none of us think we’re being selfish or egotistic when we tweet something, or post a video on YouTube or check-in using someone’s address on Foursquare. It’s just what we do now, no matter whether we’re heading out for dinner or witnessing a massacre on an Army base. Like Lord of the Flies, or the Stanford Prison Experiment, as long as we’re all losing our perspective at the same time – which, as a generation growing up with social media we are – then we don’t realise that our humanity is leaking away until its too late.

Chuck Olsen chimes in:

I think your cautionary warning is a good one. We should take a step back and consider our shifting personal and social boundaries.

That doesn’t mean you should condemn the entirety of citizen journalism, and in fact you haven’t presented a case for that. I co-founded a citizen journalism non-profit called The UpTake, and we’re proud to have produced stories not seen elsewhere, either because corporate media outlets didn’t have enough monetary interest (MN senate recount) or we simply had more people on the street with cameras (RNC).

A single eyewitness twitter report from inside an army base, or a single child’s statement that his brother was in the balloon — unverified reports from a single source should always be met with healthy skepticism.

We simply have more raw news and opinion streaming over and around us. We have to be smarter news consumers and triangulate the truth.

EPIC FAIL by CNN. WTF?!? spiegelman: House passes healthcare...

Zadi Diaz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:51:29 -0800

EPIC FAIL by CNN. WTF?!?

spiegelman:

House passes healthcare reform bill, CNN relegates story to sidebar while Jenny Craig mom gets center billing (plus bigger headline and twice the column width).

The Golden Age of Video: AWESOME video mashup by Ricardo...

Zadi Diaz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:44:37 -0800

The Golden Age of Video: AWESOME video mashup by Ricardo Autobahn!

http://www.ricardoautobahn.co.uk

(via spraynetdotcodotuk)

Big Ant International have won a Gold Pencil for Design (Public...

Zadi Diaz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:35:32 -0800

Big Ant International have won a Gold Pencil for Design (Public Service Poster) at the One Show Design Awards held this week. Four posters were designed to wrap around poles, campaigning for an end to the war in Iraq…

(via ericmortensen:banalitycheck:brooklynmutt / What Goes Around Comes Around)

This is Why You Were Bored as a Teenager

Zadi Diaz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

ronenreblogs:

mikehudack:

newsweek:

From NurtureShock:

In his new book, Dr. Joe Allen has concluded that our urge to protect teenagers from real life – because we don’t think they’re ready yet – has tragically backfired. By insulating them from adult-like work, adult social relationships, and adult consequences, we have only delayed their development. We have made it harder for them to grow up. Maybe even made it impossible to grow up on time.
Basically, we long ago decided that teens ought to be in school, not in the labor force. Education was their future. But the structure of schools is endlessly repetitive. “From a Martian’s perspective, high schools look virtually the same as sixth grade,” said Allen. “There’s no recognition, in the structure of school, that these are very different people with different capabilities.” Strapped to desks for 13+ years, school becomes incredibly montonous, artificial, and cookie-cutter.

This was my experience, and a key reason why I dropped out of high school and joined the workforce at sixteen.

This was my experience as well. I’ve always thought real learning was active, hands-on, and took place in real-life, not behind a desk.

Now you have students who, because of the internet, have surpassed their teachers in knowledge and experience. I often find myself chuckling at new media courses in universities because we can learn all of it for free - just by researching, asking, and doing. Even the valuable school communities (and alumni) are being formed online based on interest and participation.

Sitting behind a desk learning information that is rapidly changing (especially if you’re in new media or technology) seems like a hold-back. The master/student dynamic is also royally warped. Today the students are the masters.

kellysutton: annieisms: pauldateh: Come party with us this...

Zadi Diaz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:27:48 -0800

kellysutton:

annieisms:

pauldateh:

Come party with us this Sunday night as EPIC FU continues its Living Room Series with a Live performance by Paul Dateh & Ken Belcher. They’ll be performing songs from their brand new EP, The Good Life, as well as giving away signed copies to a lucky few! I’ll be hosting and taking questions from the live virtual audience - so make sure to drop by. Anything can (and will) happen!

Date: Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Time: 7pm PST
Place: YOUR living room! Meet us virtually at live.epicfu.com

RSVP on Facebook!

I’m going to try to make this physically, but if not, SEE YOU ONLINE THEN! :)

These guys rawk.

Links for 2009-11-05 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

50 Common Mac Problems Solved | Mac|Life
The Ultimate Mac troubleshooting guide. Very helpful. It's already helped clear up a few things on my system.

Hanging out in front of school: High School. NYC. The usual...

Zadi Diaz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:20:37 -0800

Hanging out in front of school:

High School. NYC. The usual crew. 10th grade I think. This is also when I started listening to grunge music - Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Sound Garden, Stone Temple Pilots. None of my friends were listening to that kind of music at the time. Nobody really turned me on to it. Just gravitated toward the sound… wore those headphones a lot. Lots of personal life shifts happened during this time. I was 15/16.

(via schemata)

Zadi Diaz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:16:27 -0800

(via schemata)

Proposed creative workflow: Does it have heart? A worthy...

Zadi Diaz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:52:09 -0800

Proposed creative workflow: Does it have heart?

A worthy print-out. :)

diablocodyisnotevenherrealname:

rebeccalando:

MANTRA.

(via ilovecharts)

An open letter to reviewers of web shows and online video

Zadi Diaz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:32:52 -0800

I agree. Being honest and giving constructive criticism is always more helpful than just being nice… and in the long run, much more valuable.

rickrey:

Dear reviewers,

I know many of you, and I like many of you. But there aren’t many of you. Our web video community is still relatively small, so we’ve all had the opportunity to commingle and get to know each other. This is great for socializing, but it introduces a dangerous conflict of interests. I say dangerous, because it’s really starting to hurt the industry. Let me tell you why.

When you don’t give a bad review, because you’re fearful of the repercussions, or you don’t want to hurt feelings, or you don’t want to lose potential sponsorship opportunities - you aren’t a reviewer anymore. You’re a marketer. Not that there’s anything wrong with marketing! We need more of it in online video. But you see the danger in posing as one thing when you’re the other, yes?

This industry needs you now more than ever. We need you to hunt down the unseen gems that I know are out there - a lot of it is probably happening outside our little bubble, e.g. random YouTube channels, filmmaking communities, etc. - so it’s going to require some leg work on your part. But we need you to do it, because the more truly “good” content that bubbles up, the easier it is to convince the naysayers that our industry is the real deal. I can’t speak for other producers, but I don’t want to be in the “minor leagues” of television, nor do I want that stigma associated with my projects. Raising the bar is always a good thing.

And just as important as finding the good stuff, you need to be more critical of the bad stuff. Like, way more critical. Because here’s the thing. You’re too fucking nice. And it seems like you pick-and-choose your reviews too carefully. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe it’s due to a lack of resources, whatever - in my opinion there is no good excuse. An announcement is not a review, it’s an announcement. If you announce something and hype it up, your readership will expect a review on it. Don’t back down on that. You will command a much more loyal and committed readership if you do this. Reputation is everything - you’re a journalist, and I know you know this.

So, I’m giving you blanket permission to bash the hell out of anything I work on from here on out, and I promise I won’t hate you, or disinvite you to parties, or not buy tickets to your events, or whatever other concern might be holding you back.

All I ask is that you’re fair and honest, and you don’t pull your punches.

Sincerely,
Rick

PS- this letter is not directed at any one person or organization.

Steampunk insects. Craaazy. stevewoolf: These are amazing.

Zadi Diaz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:08:12 -0800

Steampunk insects. Craaazy.

stevewoolf: These are amazing.

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-1)

Zadi Diaz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:41:44 -0800

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-11-1):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Halloween 2009: Me as a Demonic Carnie! (thanks Lan Bui & Vu...

Zadi Diaz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:06:43 -0800

Halloween 2009: Me as a Demonic Carnie!

(thanks Lan Bui & Vu Bui!)

Daniel is awesomeness. :) stevewoolf: Daniel Merlot (former...

Zadi Diaz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:44:28 -0700

Daniel is awesomeness. :)

stevewoolf:

Daniel Merlot (former editor of Epic Fu) is working through the end of the world as we know it. LOL

The line between patriotism and racism runs thin in many places,...

Zadi Diaz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:51:52 -0700

The line between patriotism and racism runs thin in many places, not only the US. Here we see the struggle between supporters of organizations like the British National Party and the Muslim and Asian community in the UK.

“You see these … families getting these homes, and they’re claiming benefits, they’re sending the benefits back home to their country…”

Sound familiar?

What’s most interesting to me is our strong claim to land, especially when the human race is nomadic by nature.

Hmmm, Nomadic by Nature might be the name of my new hip hop album. Who’s in?

Indonesia—On the first day of Ramadan, in a mosque filled with...

Zadi Diaz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:52:49 -0700

Indonesia—On the first day of Ramadan, in a mosque filled with white-robed women, one child stands up and stands out. During the month-long holiday, Muslims seeking spiritual purification fast from dawn till dusk.

(via national geographic)

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-25)

Zadi Diaz — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:59:49 -0700

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-10-25):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

Links for 2009-10-22 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Tactical Technology Collective
An international NGO helping human rights advocates use information, communications and digital technologies to maximize the impact of their advocacy work.
Federico García Lorca, Poemas sueltos.
Este es el prólogo... "Dejaría en este libro toda mi alma. Este libro que ha visto conmigo los paisajes y vivido horas santas..."

Links for 2009-10-21 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Find Twitter Apps for the iPhone, Blackberry, Web & More
Just be careful where you give out you password.
Find images online by sketching them out

Links for 2009-10-07 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Video WTF
A collaboratively moderated place to ask and answer questions about video cameras, editing, production, publishing, promotion, etc.

Links for 2009-09-26 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

280 Slides - Create & Share Presentations Online
Pretty sweet way to create presentations online. Publish to Slidehare, email as a PowerPoint doc, or get a permanent link and embed url. Nice.

Links for 2009-09-18 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Female Directors, Still A Scarce Movie Commodity : NPR
"...an unusually high number of films made by women are in distribution in theaters around the country right now — which is to say, there are seven." -- Wow, we have to change this. Quickly.

Links for 2009-09-16 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Native American Names - Interactive Map
Native American words echo in the names of lakes, rivers, mountains, states, cities, and small towns across the United States. Most of these translations reflect the best scholarly opinion on the meaning of the Indian terms.