Daily Archives: October 1, 2010

Information May Be Free, But It’s Expensive

Published October 1, 2010

Normally it’s WBUR asking people for money. But as our fall pledge drive got underway this week, another news organization reminded us that news has to be paid for one way or another.

A pile of American bank notes (Daniel Borman/Flickr)

The money has to come from somewhere. (Daniel Borman/Flickr)

The Boston Globe’s paywall announcement prompted some interesting reactions from our own listeners. My friend Christian Holland (@crholland) tweeted:

Globe creating subscription website BostonGlobe.com; launching 2nd half of ’11 http://t.co/hva6ucQ Guess I’ll be spending more time on @WBUR

We have received a lot of comments like this, actually, and it’s nice to hear. But I responded to Christian thus:

@crholland It’s a common misconception that @WBUR content is free. :)

Because 90.9 FM and wbur.org are free to use, people seem to forget that high-quality news and information are not free to produce. Only an estimated 10 percent of people who use WBUR give us money.

And yet our business model is arguably the most successful in the industry right now. That’s why Craigslist founder Craig Newmark this week said NPR will be the dominant news force in 10 years. Trust is “the new black,” he said. People support us because they trust us.

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Photo Of The Day: Planes At Castle Island

Published October 1, 2010

Isaac watching the planes taking off at Castle Island (Chris Devers/Flickr)

Isaac watching the planes taking off at Castle Island (Chris Devers/Flickr)

Crack photographer Chris Devers — whose work we feature frequently in the pages of this website — provides today’s inaugural Photo of the Day on Hubbub. We’re reinvigorating the long-dormant Listener Photo Project on Flickr. More about that in a moment.

Chris describes his 9-foot-by-4-foot(!) photomontage:

All of these pictures were taken over the span of half an hour or so while having a picnic dinner with the family.

I wasn’t really keeping track while I was doing this, but there are probably half a dozen or so individual planes (most shown multiple times, of course), and I dunno, maybe fifty or so images in total.

Due to Flickr constraints, the largest version available here is 2048 x 1027pixels, and a bit fuzzy in some of the details. The original is 11,454 x 5,745, or around 111″ by 52″ (9+ feet by 4+ feet) if printed at 300dpi resolution. And quite a bit sharper, too :-)

I know there are a lot of sharp shooters out there. Want to share you work with ‘BUR Nation? Join our Flickr group and submit your work now.

Every day, I’ll hand-pick a truly great image from the group and feature it here. If you submit a masterpiece and I don’t pick it, be patient — it’s probably in the queue.

The more detail you provide — names, places, camera details — the more fun we’ll have. And please do license your work with some flavor of Creative Commons.

Happy shooting!

Friday Morning: Rain, Mattapan Murders, James Levine

Published October 1, 2010

What’s news on a super-windy Friday morning in Boston:

5 Dead As Drenching Rains Take Aim At New England

Torrential downpours from a faded tropical storm marched into the Northeast on Friday, a day after claiming five lives, washing out roads, knocking out power and dousing some East Coast cities with more rain in hours than they normally get in months. (AP)

Mattapan Homicide Teams Find Guns, Evidence

“They keep telling you not to take the job personally. But you always do. You can’t help it. Especially with something like this, when a baby is involved,” said one Boston police detective. (Herald)

BPD: Tot Found Unattended Days Before Killings

Just nine days before 2-year-old Amanihoteph Smith and his young mother were cold-bloodedly gunned down in the street, EMTs found the baby boy toddling unattended at 9:30 a.m. in Mattapan swathed only in a diaper, according to Boston police and the state Department of Children and Families. (Herald)

BSO Maestro Levine Is Back At The Podium

Maestro James Levine takes the stage at Symphony Hall tomorrow night after months of recuperating from major back surgery. The conductor was forced to cancel more than half of his performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra last season. (WBUR)

T Begins Posting Real-Time Data On Trains Today

The MBTA is to release real-time data today telling riders where subway trains are located and how long it will take for the next train to arrive. That means that in a matter of days riders will be able to use their phones or go online to find arrival times and navigate the Orange, Blue, and Red lines with less frustration. (Globe)

More Republicans Favor Romney In 2012

The former Massachusetts governor and candidate for president in 2008 garnered the support of 21 percent of Republicans who consider themselves moderate or liberal, topping former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who attracted 15 percent of the vote. Even among Palin’s presumed base — conservative voters — Romney came out on top, winning 19 percent of the vote to Palin’s 16 percent. (Globe)

What else is going on?