3/3/08 Episode 1: The News From The WWW - Volunteer Now!

Austin Grammer

The Pilot Episode of "The News From The WWW" is now-online and ready to download. Go to www.austingrammer.com/IRR to have a listen to the one hour program (30MB MP3). Please post your comments / suggestions etc. A roll of SMARTIES goes to the first person to correctly identify the 60second music bit at the middle of the program (the cd of the soundtrack to "The Net"that I ordered hasn't arrived yet so I had to find a temporary music bit!). This is a temp. website for the time being.

I think the pilot turned out very nicely - thank you to everyone who participated. For those of you that missed the chance to be in the pilot now is your chance to get in on Episode One! And everyone who volunteered for the pilot, I would love to have you volunteer again!

Instructions:

Select a news article that you would like to read. Create a post in this thread with the title of the article and a link to the article to claim or get "dibs" on that story so no one else will take it, then record the story in Mono 96 or 128k MP3, and then edit your first post and add the recorded article as an attachment and add the runtime in your post so we can track the length of the program (we need one hour worth of material). Please submit your recorded article by Sunday at Noon 3/1/07.

You can pick your own article / news story. Please keep in mind that the target audience is mostly older people with vision issues who already get a lot of the mainstream news from the RIS service through other volunteers reading local and regional newspapers in addition to listening to TV. So I would avoid political and breaking news as those are already covered and change from day to day. Pick articles that will have a week or more of shelf life. Also avoid celebrity gossip, stories of a sexual nature, murder, abuse, etc. Articles that you would feel comfortable reading to someone you just met etc. Articles that are interesting, funny, clever, etc. I have a list at the bottom of this post of some recommended articles for you to get an idea of what I am talking about.

Here is the intro I would like each person to read before reading their article in order to have consistency from one article to the next:

"Hi, this is MY NAME from CITY, STATE and YOUR DOT COM WEBSITE (if applicable) with an article about __________(very short but intriguing summary about the article you chose). PAUSE From SOURCE, TITLE OF ARTICLE, READ ARTICLE"

Example:

"Hi, this is Homer Simpson from Springfield, Illinois and homersimpson.com with an article about how one small town is dealing with a skateboarding hooligans. PAUSE From the Springfield Gazette dot com, City Council Outlaws Skateboarding In Downtown: Youth Unhappy"
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Here are some good places to look for news articles:

The Drudge Report
http://www.drudgereport.com/

Yahoo News Most Popular Stories
http://news.yahoo.com/i/964

Newhouse News Service
http://www.newhouse.com/

AP Wire Top Stories from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/aponline/index.html
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Here are some articles I have come across in the last few of days that I would recommend if you are unsure what to read:

The Next Slum? (This is a longer piece but a very intersting article!)
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime

Bullitt: Chasing the detective's mystique
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-neil27feb27,0,5837610.story

Why pregnant women don't topple over
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22217822/

Antidepressants no better than placebos: study
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080226/antipdepressants_080226/20080226?hub=CTVNewsAt11

Suicidal pets get anti-depressants
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23271578-1702,00.html

From tips to clicks: restaurants try e-menus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080225/wr_nm/technology_restaurants_dc

Biodiversity 'doomsday vault' comes to life in Arctic
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080224/sc_afp/norwayarcticenvironmentwarmingcrops

Diet change gives hyperactive kids new taste for life in Norway
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080224/hl_afp/norwayhealthchildrenmedicinehyperactive;_ylt=AuMHy4ItzeffbpuuuhpuZGgDW7oF

Austin Grammer · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 08:04 (GMT) Post subject: Soup Story

EXAMPLE POST:

I'll take the Soup Story!

Campbell's Lowering Sodium in Kids Soups
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Campbell-Soup-Sodium.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

EDIT:

Article attached.
Runtime: 3:08

Scott Pollak · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 12:36 (GMT) Post subject:

I can't name the music, but I like it. It sounds somewhat Gaelic to me.

I'll take the 'Biodiversity: Doomsday Vault' article from Yahoo News.

Diane Havens · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 12:43 (GMT) Post subject:

Hi, Austin --
Love to do another one!

I'll take the one about Contaminants in National Parks (Yahoo).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_re_us/park_contamination;_ylt=Ai1N6uUMHfmic4Q4VPIovL0DW7oF

Study: Contaminant Level High in Parks
Run time 4:34

Roger Baker · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 13:24 (GMT) Post subject: Story

Hi
I'll take the Bullitt article from the LA Times
Thanks
Roger

Here is the link:
Bullitt: Chasing the detective's mystique
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-neil27feb27,0,5837610.story

Mine ran 7:49

Austin I sent you an email with it attached again. This file was too big to post again.
Thanks

Scott Paxton · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 14:13 (GMT) Post subject:

I'll take the suicidal pets getting antidepressants.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23271578-1702,00.html

Thanks

Time-1:51

Dave DeAndrea · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 14:43 (GMT) Post subject:

Article from The Boston Globe about America's changing religious identity.

US RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IS RAPIDLY CHANGING

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/us_religious_identity_is_rapidly_changing/?page=1

1:28

Tom Pagnotti · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 15:08 (GMT) Post subject:

Ancient Ceremonial Plaza Found In Peru
Run Time: 2:53

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_sc/peru_ancient_plaza;_ylt=AsyJff035HC4MOmLPEhSjVoDW7oF

Cameron Thomas · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 15:56 (GMT) Post subject:

I'll give that doomsday vault a shot.

Scott Paxton · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 16:05 (GMT) Post subject:

Cameron,

I think Scott Pollack has the Doomsday Vault.

Thanks,

Cameron Thomas · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 16:16 (GMT) Post subject:

Ooops, you're right, I zipped right by that part by accident

thanks

Cameron Thomas · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 16:19 (GMT) Post subject:

I'll give the Hyperactive Kids article a shot

Ed White · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 17:11 (GMT) Post subject:

I'll work on this one.

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/health/index.ssf?/base/national-9/120367494959500.xml&storylist=health
http://www.nj.com/
Study: Being fit can lower stroke risk

3:49 sec

Scott Pollak · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008, 19:15 (GMT) Post subject:

"Doomsday Vault" from Yahoo News.
Read by Scott Pollak
TRT: 4:34

NOTE: Be sure to check whether a story has the words "Arctic archipelago" in it before you decide to take it! Ugh!!!

Cameron Thomas · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008, 19:39 (GMT) Post subject:

Austin,

Please check your PM...for some reason, my file is not uploading.

Thanks,
Cameron