Neil Arun didn’t want to miss a rare but risky opportunity to embed with an Iraqi police unit, hunting members of al Qaeda. But his employers -- responsible for Neil’s security -- weren’t happy. This film by Richard Pendry nvestigates how a frontline journalist balances risk and reward.
JK Rowling's Daily Prophet edges a step closer to reality with the wizard news that an issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine will next month include a video advert inside its pages. An ad produced by broadcast network CBS will play inside the magazine on a 320x240 pixel screen - around the same size a mobile phone screen.
True, it's an expensive gimick that's only going to certain parts of the magazine's audience, but editorial deparments will take note of the technology that allows it: a tiny chip that can hold up to 40 minutes of video, powered by a battery that can be recharged by plugging a jack into a PC's USB port. Convergent technology that could bring print and broadcast journalism still closer.
Last year Esquire magazine pioneered the use of E-ink on one of its covers:
The development of such 'high-tech' newspapers and books is something I've been trying to follow closely for the last two years or so. This is something that will inevitably change the form of newspapers/books - the question remains, how significantly? There are still various problems associated with such form - re-usability (together with pay-walling, will/could news be updated while on the bus through wifi/social-bluetoothing/3G/etc?), charging and mobility (USB ports, public plugs, etc?), advertising accessibility (ads, personal ads, etc?) and personal use customability (opensource, choice and filtering of news/ads, etc). A lot of these questions will be solved by time itself - including how far the tech itself can go (batteries, networking within 2-4mm, and so on). But a lot will also be solved by the industry adapting and offering solutions itself. The industry (especially for distribution and creation of news) could take accessibility to news to a whole new level. This tech-development is definitely something that should be watched closely.