The iPad - All Shenanigans?

The critically acclaimed "iPad" is nothing but a toy with a poorly chosen name.

I am not at all impressed with the iPad, although in class today, I did get a chance to see its benefits. Nonetheless, it has no real practical use - at least in my life.

If I have intentions of becoming a sports journalist in broadcast and print/online, I do not see where the iPad can add to my experience. As someone in the class mentioned earlier, an effective journalist is going to need multiple apps open at once, and to be able to maneuver between these apps and what you're typing fairly quickly. I completely agree with this.

The iPad, however, is good for people who don't really want a computer or an iPhone, as the professor said today.

I can see the benefit in having an iPad as an virtual album for pictures and music that one would keep in their living room to show guests. It would be much simpler than keeping the pictures on a laptop where:
a.) you might want the space on your laptop for necessary downloaded programs, or
b.) you can find pictures on an iPad without fumbling through the documents and, well, inappropriate pictures you might want to leave on the laptop.

No worries, Apple Sheep. I'm sure Apple will come up with a much more advanced version of the iPad (with a new name that will not compete with the iTampon). And I'm not hating - after all, they're making money. I sure am not. Winning team: Apple.

Blogging As A Credible Source

Earlier this month, I was hired by The Hockey Writers to be their Washington Capitals correspondent. The Hockey Writers is a hockey news blog that often reports trade rumors and in-depth analysis about the 30 NHL teams and other aspects of the league.

It is similar to a typical news blog site where there are multiple writers updating the site constantly. If you have seen the sports section of The Examiner, for instance, it is very similar to that style.

My duties would include writing at least 1 article about the Capitals per week during the regular season, at least 2 during the playoffs, and attend some games and practices. This sounded similar to what a regular news correspondent for a sports team would do.

Before I started my own blog, Crashing the Net, over the summer, I never paid attention to blogs for legitimate information. This is because I also fell into the trap of thinking that bloggers were nothing but people just spewing out information.

However, prior to starting Crashing the Net, I didn't realize that a lot of the hockey "news sites" I looked at were considered "blogs" until the person who convinced me to blog on my own explained to me what a blog can really be.

Especially since I hope to become a sports personality, my blog (along with Twitter) has really opened some doors for me to practice my role as a sports personality.

The experiences with Crashing the Net and now THW showed me that bloggers and blog sites can be credible, especially if an organization like the Washington Capitals is so open to allowing people who have proven their credibility to technically attend "free games.

Yes, I now accept the idea of "the blog".