Triathalon finished..

Don't worry about the government...

Was reading the Business section of the New York Times when I came across an article about Blogging - and how it can get you fired from your job. Fair play - It would be no different than if a professional sports player had a Blog and that Blog consisted of exclusively of calling out their teammates and revealing 'behind the scenes' secrets. The article referenced that you could get fired for Blogging at work. Fair play, again. After all, Blogging (for the most part) is a recreational tool that should not use up company time (and bandwidth). But... the chilling part was when the article referenced the fact that some companies have put in clauses that you could get fired for having a Blog. Doesn't matter if you use that Blog for anecdotal stories about how your sister's dog polished off a plate of chicken enchiladas while the sister wasn't looking. The Blog could be about music reviews. Some clauses say 'if you have a Blog, that may be grounds for termination.' Ok, here's the problem. Yes, Blogs are considered to be journals. But they are also, basically Web pages. They're Web pages for people who either can't code or can do the bare minimum of coding. Many of these clauses may not object if you have a Web page (providing it doesn't reveal company secrets or your maintenance doesn't interfere with company time), so why can't you have a Blog? It seems that more and more, free speech isn't under fire from the government, but from business. Some business require a dress code outside of work - even on your off days, because "you're representing the company when you're off work just as much as when you're here in the office." Unfortunately, due to the competitive job market, you have no choice but to abide by the rules set by your company. Sadly, however, if the government ever opted to enact some of these clauses set by some companies, they would be reamed by the public. Current listening selections Franz Ferdinand - s/t Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx The Libertines - Up the Bracket Radiohead - Kid A

Just a break

Since I always point people to this site, I thought I would reward them by posting nothing other than a few photos of my niece and nephew, Dakota and Riley.

Here's the link if you can't read it: http://www.ucomics.com/doonesbury/2005/07/03/ I gotta say, as a journalist, Blogs are still the equivalent of 'Letters to the Editor.' There are some exceptions. You are always going to have a blogger get an inside scoop or call out a journalist on an incorrectly-reported element of a story. But for a sustained stream of factual content, I will most always put my trust in journalists. Just by design, they have an army of editors and a bevy of libraries at their service - not to mention back issues of newspapers. Newspapers also have the constant threat of getting sued, so, despite of what you hear on Rush Limbaugh, newspapers are sensitive as hell to reporting bias. There's no way that a journalist can be an expert in all things - and that's where bloggers come into the fold - these bloggers are free to expose gaps in a story. Current listening selections: Lucinda Williams - Live at the Fillmore The Verve - Urban Hymns Prince - Sign O' The Times