Two "alternative journalisms" collide, while an essay on newspaper survival makes it to Slashdot.

First, Amanda Congdon of Rocketboom (which is not your grandpa's TV) interviews Joshua Davis, 125-pound "underdog"... who takes on a Sumo wrestler... grabs a cape and heads for a bullfight-ring... and has himself par-boiled in a sauna, all to get material for magazine articles, a book and a documentary film. 

See the interview (and video clips) on the Nov. 30 Rocketboom when you need a short pre-exam tension breaker.

And if you're thinking, "I could do that!," you may be right: Here's what it takes to do Rocketboom, including a consumer-quality video camera.

To find out what it takes to try Sumo wrestling, buy Davis's book. Also try the "comments" button at the bottom left under the Rocketboom video to see the instant feedback the show gets from viewers, something else you don't see on old-fashioned television.

Speaking of old and new kinds of journalism and online interaction, the "news for nerds" folks at Slashdot have an essay titled "A Recipe for Newspaper Survival in the Internet Age" to kick around this week. Lots of discussion... and so little reading time. But I'll get back to it after those exams.

2:52:32 AM  #