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12:23 pm Wed
Feb 10, 2010
Frank Magid, creator of "Action News," has died
"We do recognize that we're going to incur the wrath of the traditionalists. New ideas are always in danger of being beaten to death by those whose apple carts they upset."—Frank Magid, the television executive credited for inventing "Action News" and making local TV news insipid and formulaic. He died last Friday of lymphoma at age 78. (via telstarlogistic)
Tarot decks curated
Fuck Yeah Tarot Decks is a tumblr dedicated to the resurgence of interest—tinged as it is in irony and self-reflection—in divinatory decks and the many awesome franchises and tropes they can be adapted to. The amazing thing you see above? $1 at Dollar Tree. [via Metafilter]
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No Man's Sky: culture or cult?
Forthcoming game No Mans Sky promises players the experience of exploring a nigh-infinite universe of beautiful, dreamlike worlds. But its fans are far from serene. When a journalist reported a development delay, he was sent death threats–a black hole of rage that expanded to the game’s creators when they confirmed the news.
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British punks then and now
The Guardian featured essays by UK punks who made the scene when it first emerged in the late 1970s. Above, Terry Chimes, 59, original drummer for The Clash, now a chiropractor. “I just wanted to be in a band, and this was the most exciting band I could find,” he writes. “Everyone else in The […]
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Two smartphone accessories for snapping pro-quality photos
When carrying around a bulky DSLR camera isn’t ideal, we use these impressive add-ons to help turn our smartphones into quality cameras. Flexible Tripod for Smartphones and CamerasThe Flexible Tripod for Smartphones and Cameras ($8.99) is perfect for capturing a group shot or leveling out your phone on an uneven surface. Its flexible legs can wrap around anything, even a tree branch, […]
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Here's how Big Data could change your career
With all of the digital information out there—from credit card numbers to Instagram posts to consumer behavior—there’s so much data that businesses struggle with the task of storing, managing, and analyzing the information. That’s why Big Data is one of the fastest growing career paths in the world. Big Data is a giant, intimidating subject, which is why […]
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Stop borrowing your friend's phone charger and grab this 3-pack of Lightning cables
We’re always searching for, borrowing, and losing Lightning cables, and that’s why we are loading up with the Apple MFi-Certified Lightning Cable: 3-Pack.These Apple-certified USB cables let you charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod via any USB port—whether you prefer your computer or the Apple USB Power Adapter. And since there’s three of them, you never […]
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I’d comment, but I’m busy watching what Angelina Jolie is doing in Haiti on CNN.
I didn’t know I could “thank” one person in-particular for the shitty state of news television today. God forbid you actually tell someone the news, you have to feed it to them as “entertainment” for them to give a damn.
Thanks Frank Magid. Thanks for everything.
film at 11
All he did was to replace one formula with another. When he started, the standard TV news formula was to have a middle-aged white guy read news reports (often lifted straight from newspapers or wire services) off sheets of paper.
/b/…er…the news was never good.
It was a rat-a-tat-tat sequence of very short stories with no detail or substance but there were a lot of them. I worked for a station that was advised by his company.
One night we had a story about a plane forced to land in Denver because of a bomb scare. End of story.
Another station’s more leisurely news explained the detonator was wired to detonate at below 1000 feet. Denver being at 5000 feet was safe. But by gawd we crammed that and 5 other stories into the time it would take to do one story right.
Thank god Keanu Reeves was on that plane.