Merry Christmas ya'll! (or, the year I celebrated my third annual Happy Thanksgiving part 2)

Well another year has gone by, and this blog has been way too dead for way too long (again).

Since my last post much as changed, I'm now working at the Midland Daily News as part of my first rotation with the Hearst Fellowship.

While I'm learning to better my craft and learn a few things I'm also getting the opportunity to do some really personally fulfilling work. The type of civic-oriented long-form story driven documentary style work I always dreamed of doing when I first started down this path.

But more about that another time.

For now I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to remind you that as hard as it seems out there, it could always be worse.

I mean heck, even Santa has had to take on a second job.



Yet, as bad as it's gotten with the economy, with lay offs, with our friends losing their jobs and the future of our profession uncertain, it's important to remember to be grateful for the things we have and to always remember why we got into this business. (It certainly wasn't for the pay right? Ha!)

So, if just for today, relax, forget about your worries and just try and have some fun. :)

Tracking Santa

It's cold, I'm tired and there's a few cool things Santa related that I ran across... soooo... It's light and fluffy time.

Wired Magazine has a really funny article in the December issue that breaks down how one man can run such an empire and still do it year after year, the high tech way (it is Wired after all).

Unfortunately I can't link you to it, it's not online (it is a magazine for profit after all).

NPR however has a report on the article, and it's almost as fun.

Google is tracking Santa in partnership with NORAD again. Pretty cool use of Google Maps, man if we're not careful those two Stanford kids are gonna take over the world.



But if you're one of my new New Mexico readers, perhaps you prefer a more local provider of satellite surveillance. There's Los Alamos Labs.

Now, if you like your Santa's a little more edgy, here's a couple of stories for you.

First, a bunch of drunk Santas, they say 50, rushed into a New Zealand Movie theater caroling to "Ho! F*****! Ho!"

Finally, the desert, my good buddy Daniel Esch created this piece last year after attending Santacon.



I was supposed to go with him, but missed it, and after seeing what he came back with, boy did I miss it!

Well that's that.

Happy Thanksgiving part 2, III

Later!