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The Dan Ryan Expressway.
Chicago commuters are familiar with the minutes, hours and ultimately days annually lost while sitting in northbound rush hour traffic. A recently released report identified one stretch of the highway as the second-worst traffic bottleneck in the country.
 Courtesy of INRIX For my Chicago Explainer story on windycitizen.com, I examined the 10 worst traffic tie-up locations in the metro area. I also created a couple of graphics. One graphic pinpoints these 10 traffic nightmare areas while another shows just how much time can be lost in a Chicago commute.
 photo courtesy of the Lake Street Screening Room The connection between cinema and Chicago is intrinsic. The strength and beauty of the city’s architecture — durable enough for those frozen winters — were celebrated on film. The Chicago Board of Trade took a star turn in The Untouchables. Wrigley Field was showcased in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Aerial El acrobatics added excitement to the bullet-bending thriller Wanted, while a subterranean take on the Chicago Loop was featured in The Dark Knight.
Likewise, Chicago’s critical cinematic eye drew global respect as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert became household names. Ebert now blogs about movies, but where he screens them — the Lake Street Screening Room — is one of the city’s hidden gems.
The facility is a 49-seat theater at 70th E. Lake St. and hosts Ebert as well as Second City’s other critical scribes reviewing the latest motion pictures. Only, the Screening Room isn’t just for the pros. You too can screen films at the facility for family and friends. Read all about it at my latest Chicago Explainer post.
I read an excellent article from WSJ.com contributor Jason Fry.
Fry posted on IU’s National Journalism Sports Center site about how the embrace of social media by athletes will affect sportswriters and their coverage. The discussion was part of Social Media week in New York (Feb. 1- Feb. 5).
The article caught my eye because the debate has been an issue of interest. In December 2008 while writing for stltoday.com’s Speaking Visually graphics blog, I briefly discussed the impact of Lance Armstrong’s embrace of Twitter. Armstrong, long a technology geek on and off the bike, began communicating directly with his fans through Twitter and encouraged his teammates and coach to join the micro-blogging service.
Last spring, after taking offense to an article blaming him for a rider uprising about safety, Armstrong reportedly boycotted the Giro D’Italia media last year, posting his post-race thoughts and analysis on Twitter. By the end of the race, some cycling journalists were quoting Armstrong’s tweets. Today, Armstrong has over 2.4 million followers while the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal boasts 2.8 million followers.
Fry notes that the rage of Twitter and Facebook began four years ago — and now a new crop of collegiate star athletes will soon break into the public consciousness having used social media as easily a primary means of communication as they’ve used their smartphones for voice calls.
Fry writes:
So where will that leave sportswriters?
For one thing, they will have to accept that they are no longer gatekeepers through which information must pass – reporting on a team will require not just time in the locker room, but also hours following athletes on Twitter, checking in on their fan pages, and watching their latest Ustream videos.
But that’s already happening – many sportswriters are on Twitter in part because the athletes and agents they cover are on it. As things evolve, I think sportswriters will be more free to let what athletes say through social media stand for itself. Pretty soon specifying that someone said something on Twitter will be as odd as specifying that it was said using a telephone.
The migration to social media by current sportswriters (and the new guard of journalists) likely will change the manner traditional interviews are conducted. While some athletes will use Twitter and Facebook as ways to reach out to fans, other, savvier athletes will expect beat writers and columnists to be just as comfortable using these mediums. Those beat writers and columnists must be skilled in navigating the athlete’s tweets to construct a compelling story — even if the interview unfolds 140 words at a time.
Just over one year ago on the P-D Graphics blog Speaking Visually, I briefly wrote about and linked to a NYT John Branch story about the evolution of the Super Bowl logo. Through the years, the logo (as with all NFL branding) went from somewhat of an afterthought to a primary marketing feature associated with perhaps the biggest game franchise in team sports.
This year, I’ve come across Ken Carbone’s Fast Company blog where he redesigns what he calls “the worst NFL helmet graphics. Carbone gives credit to what he considers the best NFL helmet logos: Dallas, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.
But it’s interesting to see what Carbone does with sketches and renderings of Tampa Bay, Washington and New England’s helmet logos. The Washington prototype is impressive: a nod to the features on its throwback helmet from the mid-to-late 1960s.
Carbone’s Fast Company colleague Cliff Kuang gets a primer on this year’s Super Bowl XLIV logo, designed by Attik, an English communications firm and division of Japanese ad firm Dentsu.
 In the GOP gubernatorial primary between State Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, Ill. (left) and State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, Ill. (right). Brady held a lead of fewer than 500 votes as of Thursday. There’s nothing quite like Illinois politics.
Tuesday’s Election Day turnout was much lower than expected, but three statewide races (the Democratic and GOP governor’s race primaries and the state comptroller race) were so close they are currently decided by less than one vote per precinct. Chicago’s Board of Election Commissioners abides by a series of deadlines for counting ballots, ultimately leading up to a Feb. 23 certification date. I’ve written about how Illinois counts its votes on the Chicago Explainer blog at windycitizen.com.
 The new iPad (Photo courtesy of Apple Inc.) Apple unveiled its new tablet device, called iPad (not iSlate) Wednesday afternoon. The device, available in April is a multimedia tool the folks of Apple hope will wedge its way into your life between your iPhone and laptop. Previously, I asked seven questions about the iPad. From the presentation and various coverage, here are the answers I’ve learned.
1. Will there be one tablet media format? Brad Stone reported on nytimes.com’s Bits blog that the iPad’s iBook app will use the ePub book format which is also used by Barnes & Noble and Sony. Stone also reports that it is unclear what digital rights management standard will be used with the app and whether eBooks purchased through Apple’s app store will be transferrable to other devices using the ePub standard. For those hoping for a long-anticipated Flash/Flash Lite-compatible version of Apple mobile devices, the drought continues. As the iPhone/iPod Touch before it, the iPad does not support Flash video playback — interesting considering many newspaper and media sites continue to use it for web video. But Steve Jobs and company made it clear they view the iPad as a canvas for an emerging multimedia experience.
2. Is Steve Jobs in Don Corleone mode? It still appears that Mr. Jobs is one of if not the most influential leader in guiding and developing the media consumer experience. Several of the largest book publishing houses are already on board with offerings for the iPad. Even rival booksellers have created apps for the iPhone allowing downloads from their virtual bookstores. Since Apple crows the iPad will run virtually all iPhone apps unchanged, it appears iPad customers will still have those online bookstores as a purchase option. That is, unless the iPad only reads a specific rights-managed version of the ePub virtual book standard. The proprietary nature of Apple’s iTunes-iPod system caused lawsuits in Europe and grumblings stateside, leading the Cupertino, Calif. company to jettison its rights-managed song versions. It doesn’t make sense for Apple to go through the entire ordeal again and maybe draw interest from the government over monopoly accusations. Reportedly, Jobs is also trying to get several networks interested in providing premium content on the iPad for a subscription fee. And now Apple has a larger canvas on which to promote its movie sales and more expensive iTunes LP offerings.
3. What has the competition in store? The iPad is a multimedia tool — a hybrid canvas positioned between a laptop and an iPhone. It is beyond an electronic tablet and much more expensive. Amazon’s Kindle DX is an eReader with a similar price point — making the versatile iPad look like a no-brainer choice between the two. The competition knows Apple’s new creation can easily take money from its coffers and thus will respond either with more versatile or more specific devices. Look no further than the number of touch-screen-clad smart phones pioneered by HTC but popularized on the iPhone. The iPad’s color screen alone provides a different user experience from black-and-white eReaders.
4. What of the book publishing industry? As mentioned above, the book publishing industry has taken notice of Apple’s impact upon the music industry and a few book houses have tasted the Cupertino kool-aid. What still remains to be seen is how books on the iPad will evolve. With stunning color available, will could see illustrations become a part of the virtual book reading experience. But will traditionalists rebel?
5. Are current and immediate future networks ready for tablet streaming? This is one of the more interesting portions of the iPad presentation. 3G-capable versions of the iPad will be available with network access on AT&T for a monthly fee with no contract. AT&T’s data network troubles are well-documented, but here’s where it gets interesting: the 3G versions of the iPad will be sold unlocked. We’ll see if this means you can go down to your local Apple store, buy one, walk to your tMobile or Verizon store and activate your shiny new iPad on a data plan. This seems too much like a great way for AT&T to lose business for there not to be a safeguard. The fact that iPad lacks a camera makes me wonder if it was done to prevent cannibalizing Apple and AT&T’s iPhone relationship. A camera and a broadband WiFi connection would take VOIP phone calls and make them video conferences through any number of chat programs: AOL, Apple’s iChat, Google’s GChat and Skype.
6. Will tablet PC makers open source their devices for developers? To me, the most exciting part about the iPad is that just as with the iPhone, Apple has given developers open source code to go crazy with new apps. Of course, Apple also makes a tidy little sum from each app and in doing so, created a billion-dollar industry mobile companies are all trying to emulate. The forthcoming revision to the App store will apparently contain a way for individuals or companies to manage sales of its apps.
7. What will the iPad user experience be like? The iPad tactile experience is readily familiar to anyone whose ever owned an iPhone or iPod Touch. A new version of Apple’s iWork suite incorporates the tactile interface, but will Microsoft follow suit with an iPad-specific version of its popular Office Suite? The future will tell how this new tool will be used by artists, individuals, businesses, media and media consumers. Five years ago, you couldn’t tune your guitar with your cell phone using an app. Today, you can. Other media companies are emulating Apple buy developing online media stores and, via open source, allow developers to create apps (and make money for both parties). Google is doing this with its Android OS mobile platform and various smart phones that run it, such as Motorola’s Droid and Google’s own forthcoming Nexus phone. With any good tool, people learn how to use it and incorporate it into their lives. That’s the beauty of innovation.
 Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. Media are whipped into a frenzy surrounding the “imminent” release of Apple Inc.’s tablet computer, known in some circles as iSlate. For more than a year, tech sites, geek blogs and journalism foundations have examined whether a sustainable iPod-iTunes-style content, distribution and revenue model can work.
Pundits who doubted big media would give Apple Inc., Sony Corp. and other cell phone and electronic reader manufacturers the keys to the kingdom are seeing signs of profitable new revenue streams. When Conde Nast reports selling $39,000 worth of GQ iPhone edition downloads and the New York Times announces another paywall attempt for its website starting in 2011, media companies, tech companies, tech retailers and media consumers took note.
The question is no longer whether big media will join forces to create a giant paywall for news content. Rather, the question is which media company will hit the motherlode of new revenue streams, causing its competitors to play catch-up. The resulting games of one-upmanship could lead to price wars that benefit media consumers everywhere.
Personally, here are several issues I hope to see addressed:
1. Will there be one tablet media format? With Apple set to jump into the game, will it develop is own standard for an interactive media experience, as it did with QuickTime, when the rest of the competition ran WMV or FLV media files? We’ve heard the development rumors and the top secret development projects, but will the user experience of an Apple tablet be so radically different from current Windows-driven tablet PCs or netbooks that it revolutionizes the industry — just as the iPod redefined mp3 player interfaces and the iPhone showed cell phone companies how to make paid apps into a gold mine?
2. Is Steve Jobs in Don Corleone mode? In other words, after music companies repaid his efforts to create a paid music download revenue stream with the iTunes store by ganging up on Apple to raise its iTS fees before starting an industry music download store, has Jobs already inked the media companies who get the right to get in on the alleged iSlate content store when it bows? Rumors of Condé Nast publications and the New York Times’ participation have circulated for some time, but have any other big media companies like Gannett, Tribune Co., CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC/Walt Disney Corp., CNN or Cox be an inaugural member of the content club? Will any of these companies subsidize the cost of any new media content delivery system to solidify revenue streams and attract major advertisers?
3. What has the competition in store? Considering the vast differences between the two Amazon Kindle readers and updated tablet versions by Sony and Dell, will we see a flurry of development in order to adapt to one or several media industry standards? Will media companies align themselves around particular hardware manufacturers, ensuring that a user experience of the Wall Street Journal’s online edition on the Kindle is vastly different from that on a Dell tablet PC?
4. What of the book publishing industry? Will publishers be shoved to the sidelines once media consumers experience colorful, dynamic and interactive magazines and newspapers on tablet PCs? Will the publishers’ solutions run afoul of writers holding traditional views of words-on-a-page-and-your-imagination user experiences for electronic books or will a new standard using illustrations and photography emerge?
5. Are current and immediate future networks ready for tablet streaming? If tablet manufacturers align themselves with cell providers (instead of only cable/WiFi providers) can those providers networks withstand the imminent explosion of data-driven network traffic? We’ve already seen AT&T Mobility’s public relations nightmare of iPhone-driven network traffic surges lead to spotty overall service in some major cities, the indefinite delay of iPhone-laptop tethering and the commitment of billions of R&D dollars to upgrade its network to withstand the current usage rates. As Verizon drops its unlimited usage plans from $99 to $69, and AT&T trims its iPhone unlimited voice and data plan, will the industry standard of tiered usage plans prove to be a lucrative draw for cellular providers as consumers flock to get the most bang for their tablet bucks?
6. Will tablet PC makers open source their devices for developers? This gets a bit dicey if Big Media wants to play only where an iron-clad paywall exists, but will the tradition of open source innovation continue with these new devices? Will multimedia artists, filmmakers, gamers and designers be unleashed upon this new canvas and use it to create innovations we can’t currently fathom?
7. What will the iSlate user experience be like? This one is going to be fun. If we use the leaked info about test editions of the New York Times and other publications along with the tactile/download interface of the iPhone as a guide, the possibilities are incredible. Imagine an HD-quality presentation with weblinks, tactile multimedia interfaces that allow you to view video, listen to audio, check relevant stats and other data, make VOIP or cellular phone calls (providing its on a cellular network); auto-refresh for new updates and join live, real-time discussion of the article/subject using social networking tools or a multimedia chat interface. The user experience could enhance or revolutionize eLearning from the elementary to the collegiate level by adding a structured, guided and interactive experience to the learning process. Imagine a pro football game in which a frustrated QB on the sidelines gets an instant tablet update from the Offensive coordinator above, showing video of coverages, situational graphics and charts and a revised offensive game plan. Imagine an Alpine Tour De France stage in which a directeur sportif can watch respiratory and geo-positioned data of his team, needing only to send electronic chirps or audio clips to instruct riders on what to do and when to do it.
Needless to say, the addition of a tablet PC into the hands of media consumers will lead to a host of applications and innovations. In time, these questions and many more will be answered.
Nexus One. The rumored Apple tablet. Droid. Netbooks. iPhone 3G.
It’s an amazing time from a technological point of view. The exchange of information and ideas is being revised and adapted to new technologies. Media in particular, having taken their share of lumps over the past two years, have mobile and possibly tablet-formats on which to disseminate, host conversations, and even sell advertising.
Social media, in less than two years has become a new tool for media to reach readers, sources and newsmakers in real time. Twitter is often the first conduit of media information, hearkening back to the teletype and wire cables of yesteryear. Everyone may not have a laptop, but nearly everyone does have a smartphone.
On another note, I’ve made career choices that will bring me closer to what I want to do (and allow me to do it). It’s a new year. Both the present and the future are full of opportunity.
I had a great time at the 05.16 SND-Chicago meetup. It’s great to discuss innovation possibilities in multimedia with a diverse range of journalists, marketers and programmers. And it’s always great to see classmates from grad school and the Detroit/Munster Monsters crew. Everyone in the room got it: old model – information business. new model – custom information AND delivery system business. How do you get the requested info into the eyes, ears and thoughts of your audience? Any way they want it. More to come …
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