Topic: Media

While many recall Marshall McLuhan's prophetic pronouncement that the "medium is the message", few people and companies are actively involved in examining how this concept applies to today's Internet-centric world. In this session from the 2008 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, Eric Rodenbeck, founder and creative director for Stamen Design, offers several examples of how computers, massively large databases, and visualization can be combined to create beautiful, yet scientifically valuable ways of exploring data.

The media has changed drastically in the last ten years, both in the explosion of choices and the ability for interaction and self expression. In the presentation from the Thinking Digital conference, Matt Locke of Channel 4, one the UK's primary television channels, discusses the blurring of public and private communication and the six kinds of social spaces online.

On February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasting in the United States will convert to digital. Millions of households will need to either replace their televisions, sign up for cable or satellite service, or install a digital signal converter. While the Federal government has subsidized these and assured that the switch will be cheap and easy, a reporter for IEEE Spectrum radio who tries it herself finds that for her, it is neither cheap nor easy.

Allvoices bills itself as "the first open media site where anyone can report from anywhere," but two things that really set it apart are its geolocated citizen media posts from any device, and the zeal of its founder, Silicon Valley veteran Amra Tareen. Learn how her journey from computer scientist to venture capitalist to stereotyped Muslim woman to startup CEO shaped Allvoices.

Does Barack Obama have a "Jewish problem"? Will John McCain's proposed energy policy include green technologies? Two independent producers present profiles of candidate issues. Rebecca Sheir talks with Jewish voters in Brookline, Massachusetts to find out whether they are worried about the candidate and Sandra Sleight-Brennan tries to put McCain's energy proposals into perspective.

Republican delegates discuss the impact of Hurricane Gustav on the convention, protesters are interviewed about their treatment, and excerpts of Sarah Palin's acceptance speech are featured in these three segments that illustrate the recent St. Paul Republican National Convention.

Hillary Clinton moves to have Barack Obama nominated by acclamation, Jimmy Carter talks about whether he has been ignored by the current party leadership, and some of the protesters on the streets of Denver are profiled in these three vignettes from the Denver Democratic Convention.

People learning to read will soon be able to use a handheld device to practice their reading skills when trained teachers and the Internet are not available. Using inexpensive hardware, Literacy Bridge plans to provide Talking Book audio players/recorders in developing nations starting this fall, with a goal of selling them for $10 per device or less. Listen to Cliff Schmidt describe the Talking Book and the benefits it will bring to people in far-flung locations.

In this Voice of America report, producer Heidi Chang interviews family and friends who knew Barack Obama when he was growing up in the Aloha State. They share their insight about the presidential candidate and how Hawaii helped shape his character and some of his values.

Many Chicagoans know Barack Obama's neighborhood of Hyde Park as a special niche in the city, its history, and its politics. In this report, Ben Calhoun of WBEZ, takes a look at one of the first and most basic decisions Obama made to get his start: to move there. In some ways, Hyde Park helped make Barack Obama.