Author: RTOlson

Tonight was a fun-filled night of listening to Marc Abrahams from the journal Annals of Improbable Research talk about the journal and the infamous Ig Nobel Awards. There’s a certain amount of irreverence about the whole thing that just tickles the funny bone. Abrahams really showed the highlights.

Now it’s time for me to get back to work. I’ve got the BBC World Service streaming on my desktop. Something about Britons reading the news helps keep me awake and focused.

Huzzah!

Last month, I wrote 15 stories about Michigan Tech University. This month doesn’t look to be too much different especially with news that a student is being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America for copyright infringment. Huzzah!

Slashdot | RIAA Moves Against College-Network Fileswapping

Blogging for fun and profit

I don’t plug my family enough (I don’t know why really), but my sister Sarah has her own ‘blog at her Xanga Site.

Like the Caveman Lawyer: I’m a stranger to this new fantastical blogging world. I don’t understand your e-mail or that glowing box that has small people in it. What I do know however is that my sister’s Xanga page has some interesting content I would advise you to check it out.

Well, I’ve said that I’m going to do it. So here it is:
Ryan’s blog.lite
My blog of what I eat. I started it on April 1 (what a joke) and I pledge to be faithful to what I eat.

Belly up to the bar….

Although no one has clammored for this function on my Web site in the past, I thought it would be cool to add a weblog commenting system to my little corner of cyberspace. So indulge yourself and express your opinions on the various what-nots on my humble page.

‘Now more than ever’
The winners of the 2002 Michigan AP Editorial Association newswriting, newsphoto and graphics contest were announced today. A news column written by li’l ol me about standardized testing won second place in Division I (up to 15,000 circulation).

Other Gazette nods include Steve Neavling’s coverage of the Rainbow Family gathering in Ewen last summer (2nd place, sustained coverage of a single news event), Zac Anderson’s story breaking down the ins and outs of standardized testing (3rd place, public service) and Dave Strang’s photographs from the Copper Country Firefighter’s tournament (3rd place, picture stories).

Steve and I won a previous AP award for our joint coverage of the attempted firebombing at Michigan Tech University in 2001 (3rd place, sustained coverage). It’s nice to be honored, but there’s more work to do.

[Edit: Updating 2001 awards….]

$52.00
Well, the first two seasons of Homcide are up for pre-order via Amazon.com and AandE TV Online Store (It’ll cost $70 to get the show on April 29 — a month early).

There’s no word regarding if it will be in widescreen format (some are assuming it will be just a screen transfer which is disappointing). Some of the extras look like Krap — the “To Catch A Killer: Homicide Detectives Episode of A&E’s Signature Series American JusticeĀ®” for example. Things like music from the show and commentary with Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana on the pilot episode “Gone For Goode” do look promising.

The question is whether I’ll be spending $52 for the show. Hmm, probably, but I’ll need to really think about it.

Just really posting to reflect the fact that it’s 2 a.m. and I’m still at work after starting the day at 7 a.m. Tuesday. … and I still have three stories to write.

Started the day off putting the finishing touches on a school board story and adding some comments to a local reaction to President Bush’s speech Monday night (BTW tonight we might be at war — for better or worse). At about 9:30 a.m., we hear word that Michigan Tech University cancelled their 82-year-old football program. I get the story and I’m able to put something out at about 11 a.m.

At noon, I had a local SmartZone meeting for the Local Development Finance Authority in Hancock. Nothing too earthshattering, but the project appears to moving ahead. That story gets set aside for Thursday. Back at the DMG at 1:40 p.m., I’m trying to get more information about the football team while getting comments about the Clean Snowmobile Challenge that starts Wednesday. That’s when we get word that Tech is cutting an administrative position (not as big news as cutting a football team, but its something nonetheless).

No time for that, Kevin and I head to Tech at about 3:30 p.m. to get the skinny about the football team. We’re at athletics for what seems to be about two hours. Good enough, back to the DMG for more interviews. Dinner about about 7:40 p.m. until 9:15 p.m. then its back to work until 12:15 a.m. (more interviews and tracking down alumni). Quick snack with Olivia and I’m back at the office at 1:30 a.m. for a final interview and now I’m off to the races.

I took a couple of hours off for meals, but it’s just been the craziest day in quite a long time. I’m hoping to get done by 4 a.m. so I can get some rest before getting back to the grind.

Today’s another fun-filled day with perhaps something about President Curt Tompkins talking about the university’s budget crisis at 10:30 a.m., the Clean Snowmobile Challenge (probably will be picked up Thursday), the looming war with the imminent threat of Iraq and the looming story assignment that’s just dying to get done.

Good night, moon.