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Saturday, February 01, 2003
Columbia 1981-2003
I'll defer to Glenn Reynolds and his InstaPundit for much of the thoughts and analysis of today's Columbia tragedy. The running thread about some at CBC Newsworld blaming the tragedy on American "arrogance" definitely rubs me the wrong way, but check out this excellent reply.
A couple of other things that struck me about the events of today, though. One of my friends said he got a lot of shrugs and "who cares" responses when the news first hit. That was very disconcerting. This may not have the same impact as Challenger, but I'd hate to think that because of 9/11, the only tragedies that would create any emotion would have to involve large-scale losses (oh, only seven dead?).
Oddly enough, I felt a lot more shock today than I did on 9/11. Maybe that's because I was over at KSC just last year, and that I've always been a big fan of the space program, always hoping they'd do more (which obviously won't happen for a while now). Some of it could be that other than Iraq and some anti-Israel groups, I thought it would be hard to cheer this demise.
Conversely, while I was glued to coverage as I woke up to the news (thanks to a clumsy description from a weekend morning DJ just before a Dave Matthews song), it didn't seem like I had to throw away my whole day to watch the news. Part of it could be that I had some other plans, part of it could be that I wasn't working today, part of it could be that after a while you knew the who/what/when/where of the story, and the rest of the day was spent figuring out how/why -- and that's sometimes too much to take over a long period of time.
Also, it's hard to believe it's been 17 years since Challenger. Many people about my age still remember it clearly -- it was one of the unfortunately defining moments of our grade-school education. It showed very clearly how time really does seem compressed. At the same time, it's also hard to believe NASA hasn't made bigger steps in the space program since then. Columbia was actually older than Challenger, and the other shuttles only seemed to be marginal step-ups from the originals. Granted, Challenger really put a crimp into everything, but you get the feeling there hasn't been a lot done since even before the Shuttle, and that maybe Apollo or Skylab was the peak of real forward thinking in space exploration. Put it this way, think of what computers and other personal technological devices you were using when Challenger exploded. Now think of what you have today. With all of the advances in those techonologies, you'd almost think that there would be greater advances in the space realm.
Regarding media coverage, sometimes you wonder why a news network would have a space correspondent, it's for instances like this, I guess. Miles O'Brien did a solid job running things in the first hours after the tragedy, although he seemed to be flustered by overmatched producers and control room folks. This happened on a Saturday morning, so let's just say you're not always dealing with the most experienced staff or even a full staff. The "Breaking News" bit may have stayed on the screen a bit longer than probably expected, but they at least kept it toned down when "branding" the tragedy. Fox News went with "Tragedy in the Sky," which for many of us in sports still reminds us of FoxSports.com's unfortunate "Tragedy in the Ski" headline when Payne Stewart's plane crashed.
posted at 9:48 PM
Friday, January 31, 2003
No, they're only coming to your school via WGN or ABC Family
Well, the news and publicity concerning the fake CNN news generator will be picking up in the next few days as the operators of the Web site and the tool used to create all those hoax pages issued a press release, which is sort of an apology for what they've done. I say sorta, because you could tell that they wanted to keep this up for a while but were stopped when everything hit the fan. Instead of those funny "Olsen twins go to (fill in name of college here)", it got to the near-libel/slander stage with accusations of people being child pornographers, etc.
On my end, I had to field a couple of phone calls concerning fake sports stories being generated, even though it's not anywhere close to looking like the pages on the work site. But try explaining that to someone not completely Web-savvy (or at least savvy to the stuff done internally), and, well, it becomes an exercise in futility. At that point, this whole adventure went from silliness (with reservations) to actual concern.
Now the site has message boards discussing this little slice of Internet history. Many of the posts are just talking about how these fake stories generated silly buzz around many college campuses. A bunch are explanations of the operators' actions, and if I don't agree with everything they say, their responses have been well thought-out and coherent. On the other hand, a couple of the regular posters have just reinforced my stereotypes of many message board folks -- lots of middle-school name-calling and ad hominem attacks that prove nothing. Plus, one of them used a handle that would probably make Charlie (and people of his ilk) cringe. These are the people that probably led to the quicker downfall of the site, and they probably don't even realize it.
And maybe that's the scary part of this little episode: With the Web, and especially the rise of blogs, just about anyone can post anything they want. While it has helped give many people a deserved voice in the public arena, it also gives as many people who don't deserve it.
posted at 1:25 AM
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
Living the geek life
Scary to think that you replace debate with quiz bowl and you pretty much have this Onion gem. I guess the same could go with mock trial or Model UN. I take that back, I wish some I did more of the geek debauchery. Now that's a tad sad, eh?
posted at 11:10 PM
This much is true
I guess the Brits are showing some taste and restraint by clamping down on celebrity boxing. However, the funniest part of this article is that the next fight was supposed to feature Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet. I guess that answers that question of "Where are they now?"
posted at 10:18 PM
I think one word best describes the latest controversy in college basketball these days: Candygram.
posted at 10:09 PM
Potvin still sucks
Well I've discovered that I'm very bad luck for NHL coaches. First, Montreal fires Michel Therrien a few days after I see the Thrashers blank the Canadiens in Bob Hartley's debut. Now, my formerly beloved Rangers get rid of Bryan Trottier after getting swept by the Thrashers.
I'm not sure what this says, other than losing to the Thrashers is dangerous to your job security. Then again, the team has played much better under Hartley, and there's actually some feeling of hope among the die-hard fans. Yes, they do exist. I've become acquainted with a group of them the past couple of games, and then there's Thrashheart -- a fan usually dressed up as Braveheart, complete with face paint. Then again, last night he had no face paint and with his beard and long hair, he just looks like a bunch of quiz bowlers I know.
posted at 10:04 PM
Minute Maid Park, hello
Somehow, Larry King has gotten his way into writing a sports column on our site starting today. But to get you in the right frame of mind, you must read this Onion classic followed by these classic bits by Norm McDonald on SNL.
posted at 6:51 PM
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Hoax of the day
I suppose with the array of actors and other famous people who have come through the alma mater, a story like this might actually draw some legitimate interest, even though it's not for real. Then again, I blanch at the attention given to them across the board from all demographics.
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