I think it’s important to quote the entire sentence that Luc wrote: “In Redheaded Peckerwood Christian Patterson is working out something that hasn’t been done much before, if ever: a kind of subjective documentary photography of the historical past.” Further, he goes on to say that Redheaded Peckerwood “walks the fine line between fiction and nonfiction.” I think that Luc is referring to the creative license I took with this well-documented pre-existing story that has been the source of inspiration for numerous books, films and movies over the past 50 years. But I think my handling of this material is dramatically different from anything else that’s been done before, and that to me is part of what makes it worthwhile. (via Conscientious Extended | A Conversation with Christian Patterson)

For years, reports in the US indicated that numbers of birds, including America’s national bird, the bald eagle, were dropping alarmingly. Ornithologists also noted eggs were often not being laid while many that were laid did not hatch. Something was happening to the birds of the western world. Several causes were proposed – poisons, viruses or other disease agents – but no one had a definitive answer or seemed sure of the cause – with one exception: the biologist Rachel Carson. For most of 1961, she had locked herself in her cottage in Colesville, Maryland, to complete her book, Silent Spring. It would provide an unequivocal identification of the bird killers. Powerful synthetic insecticides such as DDT were poisoning food chains, from insects upwards. (via Rachel Carson and the legacy of Silent Spring | Science | The Observer)

On Sunday evening the great and good of UK telly will gather at the Royal Festival Hall for the British Academy Television Awards – a celebration of the best programmes and performances of the past year that also tends to provoke controversy. (Last year’s big, although entirely foreseeable upset: TOWIE beating Sherlock to the Bafta YouTube audience award. This year’s potential upset: Celebrity Juice doing the same). So who should be sweeping off with what? We discussed the nominations – and in some cases lack of them – in a blog when they were released. But now it’s time to pick our winners. (via Bafta TV awards 2012: who should win? | Television & radio | guardian.co.uk)

J.J. Abrams’ Revolution boasts a spectacular-looking teaser and a post-apocalyptic premise that could spell success in the fantastical realm where Terra Nova (cancelled by Fox ), Alcatraz (canceled by Fox) and tepid Falling Skies (back for a second season on TNT) have faltered. The hook: 15 years after a total power blackout, humans make their way through the world without any of the conveniences modern civilians take for granted.

Creator Eric Kripke worked on the CW’s low-impact Supernatural drama, but it gets better: Iron Man’s Jon Favreau directs the pilot. Executive producer Abrams’ recent shows Undercovers and Alcatrazflopped, but the man who co-created Lost, working with Fringe producer Bryan Burk, might just turn a marathon power outage into compelling fare. Cast includes Andrea Roth (Rescue Me), Billy Burke (Twilight) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad).(via 7 Most Intriguing TV Shows Coming This Fall | Underwire | Wired.com)

Visit the website of Forbes.com and read the earnings forecasts for the New York Times Company, and you will notice the byline “By Narrative Science”. Normally you have to open a copy of Wallpaper* to find someone with such a florid monicker. Except of course Narrative Science is not a person but a robot journalist – actually a set of algorithms which take data and turn it into words. What started as an experimental lab at Northwestern University with journalists and technologists working together is now a fully-fledged business that turns data into stories of a type which will not be winning many Pulitzers, but which certainly pass the Turing test of making one unsure whether they were written by a person or machine. The lovable “stats monkey”, which came from the same series of research experiments, does the same for sports stories, without the attendant vet bills, bananas and spelling errors associated with employing a real monkey. (via The robot journalist: an apocalypse for the news industry? | Media | The Guardian)

The Advanced Mobile Photography team (AMPt) is a worldwide collective of mobile photographers dedicated to presenting mobile photography as a legitimate art form; to cultivating its advancement through presentation, education, and fostering of community. 

The Vision

AMPt believes that mobile device photography is a tool for documentation and can be a legitimate avenue for artistic expression.  We strive to stretch our imagination and generate original thought, explore new territory in development of mobile device imaging, all the while taking a closer look at ourselves and the world we live in.  We are enthusiasts and seek to push the boundaries of this art form by learning from each other and other artists who share our same sentiments.  Our shared experiences in mobile device photography assist in continuing to inspire, develop and progress this growing art form. We are committed to the promotion of unique established and emerging artists.

(via AMPteam)

Juxt is the brainchild of four friends based in Seattle, WA. We are enthusiasts of mobile arts. We are fans of other art forms. We are artists in other art forms. Juxt was formed with intentions to learn and share more about this emerging and amazing world of mobile device artistry. (via About | wearejuxt.com)

To Cacioppo, Internet communication allows only ersatz intimacy. “Forming connections with pets or online friends or even God is a noble attempt by an obligatorily gregarious creature to satisfy a compelling need,” he writes. “But surrogates can never make up completely for the absence of the real thing.” The “real thing” being actual people, in the flesh. When I speak to Cacioppo, he is refreshingly clear on what he sees as Facebook’s effect on society. Yes, he allows, some research has suggested that the greater the number of Facebook friends a person has, the less lonely she is. But he argues that the impression this creates can be misleading. “For the most part,” he says, “people are bringing their old friends, and feelings of loneliness or connectedness, to Facebook.” The idea that a Web site could deliver a more friendly, interconnected world is bogus. The depth of one’s social network outside Facebook is what determines the depth of one’s social network within Facebook, not the other way around. Using social media doesn’t create new social networks; it just transfers established networks from one platform to another. For the most part, Facebook doesn’t destroy friendships—but it doesn’t create them, either. (via Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? - Magazine - The Atlantic)

Matrix Kinetic Typography (by shinwoooozy)

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg has announced that his company will acquire photo-sharing app Instagram for a whopping $1bn in cash and shares. Why did Facebook pay such a massive price? We’re collecting insights and observations from industry observers, reporters and readers. Tweet us @GuardianUS, or toss in your thoughts in the comments below.

Guardian Technology Blog

I started with landscapes, and I want to continue to tell the story of the American landscape, but I also want to tell the story of the people who are shaped by the land. Like Richard Avedon’s pictures taken in the West. I want to drive my truck out into America. Now that I have the camera and figured out the process, it’s time to create. (via Cool Hunting: Ian Ruhter)

This project was created with the same spirit that america was founded on. Our intentions are to connect everyone in america through the lens of this camera and social networking sites. We can’t do this without you. We want to tell your story and show your city or town through photographs of you, and people you know. As we travel around america looking for people and places to shoot you will be able to keep track of where we are going and help us decide where we go next. Join us in our journey by liking our facebook to get yourself photographed by us. (via SILVER & LIGHT on Vimeo)

I was struck by something Richard Koci Hernandez said in his Knight lecture on visual storytelling: that this is a great moment for storytelling and that he hunger for story can be seen in the move towards story based advertising. Some great examples of that here in these story/commercials produced by @radical media.

richardlawson:

Oh my god watch this forever.