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Tesla
What I’ve seen in five years of owning a Tesla Model Y
I’ve just hit five years owning a Tesla Model Y Long Range, one of the earliest owners to hit that mark with a Y because the first ones were only delivered in mid-March 2020, just as COVID was beginning to shut down much of the economy.
Fast Charge TN Network plugs in slowly
Tennessee and TVA’s plan to fund a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations along every 50 miles of the state’s interstates and major highways is moving at a trickle charge pace.
Tesla Model Y: What I learned in three years of ownership
I bought a Tesla Model Y Long Range, my first electric car, in the midst of the Pandemic sight-unseen. No test drive. No look at a friend’s car. Never sat in a Tesla or electric car of any kind.
Tennessee governor wants highest electric vehicle registration fee in nation
If Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee gets his way – and the Republican governor probably will with a General Assembly that has a compliant Republican super-majority – Tennessee will triple its electric vehicle registration fee in 2023 to the highest in the land.
A short list of features a Tesla does not need
Tesla has decided to drop the mobile charger as part of the standard accesssories with its all-electric cars.
Hope you are in a Tesla if you get stuck in a traffic standstill for hours
A winter storm this weekend is stretching from Arkansas through Tennessee into the Carolinas and moving in Virginia.
East Tennessee Tesla owners line up for photo shoot
Tesla’s Knoxville Service Center is officially opening after a few weeks of a soft opening. As part of the grand opening, East Tennessee Tesla owners gathered Friday morning for a group pix of around 40 cars coordinated by the Knoxville Electric Vehicle Association.
What’s it like to own a Tesla Model Y for a year
If you are thinking about buying a Tesla – and perhaps any electric vehicle – here are some random observations after one year of ownership.
Tesla: How a MY does on a 1,635 mile road trip
One of the biggest worries electric vehicles is how practical is it to take an electric car on a long road trip.
Tesla Supercharger opens in Pigeon Forge
UPDATE: The Pigeon Forge Supercharger is up and running. It’s at a shopping center on Teaster Lane near Wears Valley Road. It has 12 stalls (up to 250 kW).
Training
FFmpeg tips: Quickly cut video clips or extract audio
Updated: Additional code examples, resource links, some corrections.
How to use (yt-dlp) youtube-dl to grab an online video
_Updated: Youtube-dl has not been updated in months, try using the actively maintainedyt-dlp. _
Poynter’s Al Tompkins coming to Knoxville
If you’re a journalist in East Tennessee, this is a “can’t miss” event, a chance to attend a workshop led by Al Tompkins for free! (Make sure to RSVP.)
Free Facebook Journalism Project Workshop
The Facebook Journalism Project
Free Facebook Journalism Project Workshop
The Facebook Journalism Project
Google Tools training for journalists coming to Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_2088” align=”alignnone” width=”525”]
SPJ Training Program in association with Google News Initiative[/caption] Don’t miss an upcoming free training opportunity in Knoxville for journalists. The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is bringing SPJ’s Google Tools training to town on Saturday, June 2. The four-hour session begins at 10 a.m. at the Scripps Lab, 1345 Circle Park Drive, on the University of Tennessee campus. While free, registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2IJ1cCR Participants need to bring a laptop and phone to the session. [caption id=”attachment_2087” align=”alignnone” width=”510”]
SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox.[/caption] The instructor will be Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox, a treasure-trove of journalism resources. Reilley (@journtoolbox) is a visiting professor in data journalism and digital journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a consultant to national media organizations on digital innovation. This innovative training is made possible by the Google News Initiative and the Society of Professional Journalists. The Google News Initiative partnered with SPJ in 2015 to teach Google digital tools for news and storytelling at conferences, workshops and newsrooms across the country. Google and SPJ are committed to training as many journalists as possible. This intensive course will help make you be a better digital journalist, teaching you how to take advantage of Internet sources for researching court cases, public data and news archives, among other sources. It is designed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of your in-depth research. Here is an outline for the course.
Journalist training opp coming up in Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_1995” align=”alignnone” width=”1200”]
Journalism Writing Workshop with Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute on Saturday, October 7, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Scripps Convergence Lab, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. To register, contact contact Brenda Heidt at brenda@tabtn.org, or (615) 365-1840.[/caption]
Journalism training opportunity in Knoxville in October
From the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters president Whit Adamson:
EV
What I’ve seen in five years of owning a Tesla Model Y
I’ve just hit five years owning a Tesla Model Y Long Range, one of the earliest owners to hit that mark with a Y because the first ones were only delivered in mid-March 2020, just as COVID was beginning to shut down much of the economy.
Fast Charge TN Network plugs in slowly
Tennessee and TVA’s plan to fund a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations along every 50 miles of the state’s interstates and major highways is moving at a trickle charge pace.
Tesla Model Y: What I learned in three years of ownership
I bought a Tesla Model Y Long Range, my first electric car, in the midst of the Pandemic sight-unseen. No test drive. No look at a friend’s car. Never sat in a Tesla or electric car of any kind.
Tennessee governor wants highest electric vehicle registration fee in nation
If Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee gets his way – and the Republican governor probably will with a General Assembly that has a compliant Republican super-majority – Tennessee will triple its electric vehicle registration fee in 2023 to the highest in the land.
What’s it like to own a Tesla Model Y for a year
If you are thinking about buying a Tesla – and perhaps any electric vehicle – here are some random observations after one year of ownership.
Tesla service center coming to Knoxville
With a Tesla Service Center rumored to be opening in April in the former Sears Automotive building at West town Mall (after being touted as “as opening next year” in by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2018), East Tennessee interest in the car company’s models should increase.
Journalism
A portrait of Adolph Ochs
The East Tennessee Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is holding three events in September about Adolph Ochs’ early years, when he lived in Knoxville. The last event will dedicate a historical plaque about Ochs on Market Square
Poynter’s Al Tompkins coming to Knoxville
If you’re a journalist in East Tennessee, this is a “can’t miss” event, a chance to attend a workshop led by Al Tompkins for free! (Make sure to RSVP.)
Tell a story like it’s about your mother
“My mandate for news teams is that I want them to shoot every story like it’s about their mother, brother, sister, father, and cousin. Tell it that way. That’s the road to clarity, truth, understanding and fully becoming global.”
First McGill Medal awarded
You might have missed this. The University of Georgia awarded the first “McGill Medal for Journalist Courage” on April 30 to Clarion-Ledger reporter Jerry Mitchell for his reporting that has put four Ku Klux Klansmen behind bars.
His investigation and reporting on the Byron de la Beckwith case alone was enough merit the award, said E. Culpepper Clark, dean of the Gray College of Journalism and Communication. Beckwith murdered Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963.
Dusty Nix, writing in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, said: “There is no statute of limitations on murder, nor should there ever be an expiration date on atrocities like those Jerry Mitchell has dug deep into ugly history to uncover. In that regard, his mission is not so unlike that of Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor who spent much of his life after World War II tracking down Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice.”
Here’s another piece about Mitchell in the Christian Science Monitor.
About Ralph Emerson McGill.
_(Mitchell photo by Patrik Johnson, Christian Science Monitor)
_
You can take the newspaper out of the journalist …
What do journalists after newspapers and TV. Journalism.
Open Records
Sunshine Week approaches
Sunshine Week is March 14-20 which highlights and celebrates access to public information and open government.
Sunshine Week approaches
Sunshine Week is March 14-20 which highlights and celebrates access to public information and open government.
Everything you need to know about Tennessee open records
Everything you need to know about Tennessee open records
Can I take photos of public records?
Even Tennessee lawmakers sometimes tire of government open records silliness.
ETSPJ
A portrait of Adolph Ochs
The East Tennessee Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is holding three events in September about Adolph Ochs’ early years, when he lived in Knoxville. The last event will dedicate a historical plaque about Ochs on Market Square
Ask a lawmaker on Saturday
The League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County and the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists are holding a “Legislative Webinar” on Saturday at 10 a.m. to hear lawmakers talk about key issues that will be taken up by the Tennessee General Assembly this year.
Learn more about the Black in Appalachia podcast
Journalist and activist Angela Dennis and University of Tennessee sociologist and critical studies scholar Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin will talk about the Black in Appalachia podcast in a session for the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists on Feb. 2 at noon.
Google Tools training for journalists coming to Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_2088” align=”alignnone” width=”525”] SPJ Training Program in association with Google News Initiative[/caption] Don’t miss an upcoming free training opportunity in Knoxville for journalists. The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is bringing SPJ’s Google Tools training to town on Saturday, June 2. The four-hour session begins at 10 a.m. at the Scripps Lab, 1345 Circle Park Drive, on the University of Tennessee campus. While free, registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2IJ1cCR Participants need to bring a laptop and phone to the session. [caption id=”attachment_2087” align=”alignnone” width=”510”] SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox.[/caption] The instructor will be Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox, a treasure-trove of journalism resources. Reilley (@journtoolbox) is a visiting professor in data journalism and digital journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a consultant to national media organizations on digital innovation. This innovative training is made possible by the Google News Initiative and the Society of Professional Journalists. The Google News Initiative partnered with SPJ in 2015 to teach Google digital tools for news and storytelling at conferences, workshops and newsrooms across the country. Google and SPJ are committed to training as many journalists as possible. This intensive course will help make you be a better digital journalist, teaching you how to take advantage of Internet sources for researching court cases, public data and news archives, among other sources. It is designed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of your in-depth research. Here is an outline for the course.
Journalists
An insider-turned-critic’s view of health insurance, COVID-19, and the fate of the Affordable Care Act
A don’t miss event is coming up on Thursday evening from the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists and you can join us via this Zoom link.
Poynter’s Al Tompkins coming to Knoxville
If you’re a journalist in East Tennessee, this is a “can’t miss” event, a chance to attend a workshop led by Al Tompkins for free! (Make sure to RSVP.)
Press Freedom Tracker
Check out the Press Freedom Tracker. Story here.
You can take the newspaper out of the journalist …
What do journalists after newspapers and TV. Journalism.
Newspapers
A portrait of Adolph Ochs
The East Tennessee Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is holding three events in September about Adolph Ochs’ early years, when he lived in Knoxville. The last event will dedicate a historical plaque about Ochs on Market Square
Praising print in video
A video is a better idea than a special section!
(via Scooping the News)
Tom Chester honored
When our paths cross
Peter Krasilovksy, Jay Small, and Steve Yelvington had some thoughtful comments late this week about when online ad revenues will intersect with print ad revenues. Whether it’s five years, 10, 12 or more, it’s interesting that people are beginning to stake out a date instead of just “sometime in the future” and “someday.” The “tipping point
SPJ
A portrait of Adolph Ochs
The East Tennessee Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is holding three events in September about Adolph Ochs’ early years, when he lived in Knoxville. The last event will dedicate a historical plaque about Ochs on Market Square
Google Tools training for journalists coming to Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_2088” align=”alignnone” width=”525”] SPJ Training Program in association with Google News Initiative[/caption] Don’t miss an upcoming free training opportunity in Knoxville for journalists. The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is bringing SPJ’s Google Tools training to town on Saturday, June 2. The four-hour session begins at 10 a.m. at the Scripps Lab, 1345 Circle Park Drive, on the University of Tennessee campus. While free, registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2IJ1cCR Participants need to bring a laptop and phone to the session. [caption id=”attachment_2087” align=”alignnone” width=”510”] SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox.[/caption] The instructor will be Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox, a treasure-trove of journalism resources. Reilley (@journtoolbox) is a visiting professor in data journalism and digital journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a consultant to national media organizations on digital innovation. This innovative training is made possible by the Google News Initiative and the Society of Professional Journalists. The Google News Initiative partnered with SPJ in 2015 to teach Google digital tools for news and storytelling at conferences, workshops and newsrooms across the country. Google and SPJ are committed to training as many journalists as possible. This intensive course will help make you be a better digital journalist, teaching you how to take advantage of Internet sources for researching court cases, public data and news archives, among other sources. It is designed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of your in-depth research. Here is an outline for the course.
Google Tools training for journalists coming to Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_2088” align=”alignnone” width=”525”] SPJ Training Program in association with Google News Initiative[/caption] Don’t miss an upcoming free training opportunity in Knoxville for journalists. The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is bringing SPJ’s Google Tools training to town on Saturday, June 2. The four-hour session begins at 10 a.m. at the Scripps Lab, 1345 Circle Park Drive, on the University of Tennessee campus. While free, registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2IJ1cCR Participants need to bring a laptop and phone to the session. [caption id=”attachment_2087” align=”alignnone” width=”510”] SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox.[/caption] The instructor will be Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox, a treasure-trove of journalism resources. Reilley (@journtoolbox) is a visiting professor in data journalism and digital journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a consultant to national media organizations on digital innovation. This innovative training is made possible by the Google News Initiative and the Society of Professional Journalists. The Google News Initiative partnered with SPJ in 2015 to teach Google digital tools for news and storytelling at conferences, workshops and newsrooms across the country. Google and SPJ are committed to training as many journalists as possible. This intensive course will help make you be a better digital journalist, teaching you how to take advantage of Internet sources for researching court cases, public data and news archives, among other sources. It is designed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of your in-depth research. Here is an outline for the course.
Tom Chester honored
photos
Taylor Swift’s Bench: A bench for Taylor Swift … where she’s never sat
Here’s a photo of “a bench for Taylor Swift,” one of the odder features of the popular Centennial Park in Nashville.
The ‘castle’ at Jockey’s Ridge visible again
A castle buried at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has emerged from the dune’s shifting sands, according to The News & Observer in Raleigh.
Essential photo, video, productivity tools
This is a listing of programs I use regularly on my Pixelbook, a Chromebook introduced in 2017. That is to say it’s not the most powerful or fastest Chromebook and all the apps listed here work with it.
9/11 from my photo archives
A lot will be written and broadcast about 9/11 on its 20th anniversary on Saturday. Here are a few glimpses from my personal time machine.
Awards
Golden Press Card Awards open for entries
Get you best work of 2020 recognized by entering the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists Golden Press Card Awards.
First McGill Medal awarded
You might have missed this. The University of Georgia awarded the first “McGill Medal for Journalist Courage” on April 30 to Clarion-Ledger reporter Jerry Mitchell for his reporting that has put four Ku Klux Klansmen behind bars.
His investigation and reporting on the Byron de la Beckwith case alone was enough merit the award, said E. Culpepper Clark, dean of the Gray College of Journalism and Communication. Beckwith murdered Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963.
Dusty Nix, writing in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, said: “There is no statute of limitations on murder, nor should there ever be an expiration date on atrocities like those Jerry Mitchell has dug deep into ugly history to uncover. In that regard, his mission is not so unlike that of Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor who spent much of his life after World War II tracking down Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice.”
Here’s another piece about Mitchell in the Christian Science Monitor.
About Ralph Emerson McGill.
_(Mitchell photo by Patrik Johnson, Christian Science Monitor)
_
Congratulations are in order
Congratulations to Lauren Spuhler for two first place awards and Erin Chapin for a second in the Tennessee Associated Perss Managing Editors journalism contest. Also, Knoxnews won a second and Knoxville.com a third in the best Web site category of large newspapers in Tennessee.
Chromebook
Essential photo, video, productivity tools
This is a listing of programs I use regularly on my Pixelbook, a Chromebook introduced in 2017. That is to say it’s not the most powerful or fastest Chromebook and all the apps listed here work with it.
FFmpeg tips: Quickly cut video clips or extract audio
Updated: Additional code examples, resource links, some corrections.
Chromebooks just got a lot more interesting
My desk with the Pixelbook connected to a KVM switcher with a PC mouse, keyboard and 26 inch monitor. I can switch from a Windows 10 desktop to the Pixelbook.
Upgrading the Wi-Fi seemed such a simple idea
A few weeks ago I decided to upgrade my aging, but rock solid Wi-Fi network.
Sugar Daddy Google
Google is funding news projects with up to$300,000 per grant.
Google Tools training for journalists coming to Knoxville
[caption id=”attachment_2088” align=”alignnone” width=”525”] SPJ Training Program in association with Google News Initiative[/caption] Don’t miss an upcoming free training opportunity in Knoxville for journalists. The East Tennessee chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is bringing SPJ’s Google Tools training to town on Saturday, June 2. The four-hour session begins at 10 a.m. at the Scripps Lab, 1345 Circle Park Drive, on the University of Tennessee campus. While free, registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/2IJ1cCR Participants need to bring a laptop and phone to the session. [caption id=”attachment_2087” align=”alignnone” width=”510”] SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox.[/caption] The instructor will be Mike Reilley, founder of SPJ’s Journalists Toolbox, a treasure-trove of journalism resources. Reilley (@journtoolbox) is a visiting professor in data journalism and digital journalism at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is a consultant to national media organizations on digital innovation. This innovative training is made possible by the Google News Initiative and the Society of Professional Journalists. The Google News Initiative partnered with SPJ in 2015 to teach Google digital tools for news and storytelling at conferences, workshops and newsrooms across the country. Google and SPJ are committed to training as many journalists as possible. This intensive course will help make you be a better digital journalist, teaching you how to take advantage of Internet sources for researching court cases, public data and news archives, among other sources. It is designed to improve the efficiency and efficacy of your in-depth research. Here is an outline for the course.
Google Trends
Google 2022 search trends for Knoxville
I love Google’s year end search trends each year, but this year’s presentation of local searches is particularly look. Here are the screen shots for Knoxville in 2022.
Elon Musk is TIME’s latest Person of the year, but Dolly Parton has never won it?
TIME magazine on Monday named entrepreneur Elon Musk its “Person of the Year,” seemingly more based on his influence than his outsized accomplishments of which there many.
Top 25 Google search terms in Knoxville for 2020
The top 25 rising Google search terms for the Knoxville area in 2020 are not much of a surprise – almost of them had to do with “Life in the Pandemic” or the election. Popular Google Doodle Games, Kobe Bryant, Tesla stock and PS5 may be the exceptions.
Knoxville
Time marches through the neighborhood
Second Knoxville Tesla Supercharger under construction
UPDATE: This 250 kW supercharger recently became operational and should make supercharging in Knoxville a bit easier. The 150 kW supercharger in Turkey Creek was often full and with a line on weekends.
Tom Chester honored
Media
Organized randomness
I think the new Netscape (beta.netscape.com for now) is a good move for the portal site owned by AOL.
Tom Chester honored
When our paths cross
Peter Krasilovksy, Jay Small, and Steve Yelvington had some thoughtful comments late this week about when online ad revenues will intersect with print ad revenues. Whether it’s five years, 10, 12 or more, it’s interesting that people are beginning to stake out a date instead of just “sometime in the future” and “someday.” The “tipping point
Tennessee Legislature
The Tennessee Three: Petty, partisan and profoundly racist saga
The question I have is was it after the fourth or fifth round at the Good Ole’ Boys Bar did it begin to sound like a good idea to bring expulsion resolutions against two young black Democratic lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and one of the few women in the Legislature, Democrat Gloria Johnson.
Tennessee governor wants highest electric vehicle registration fee in nation
If Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee gets his way – and the Republican governor probably will with a General Assembly that has a compliant Republican super-majority – Tennessee will triple its electric vehicle registration fee in 2023 to the highest in the land.
Ask a lawmaker on Saturday
The League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County and the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists are holding a “Legislative Webinar” on Saturday at 10 a.m. to hear lawmakers talk about key issues that will be taken up by the Tennessee General Assembly this year.
Weather
Riding out Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina
Today, two weeks after Hurricane Helene it is hard to comprehend the scope, scale, and fury of the storm that hit western North Carolina, East Tennessee, the Upstate in South Carolina and parts Georgia and Virginia.
Hope you are in a Tesla if you get stuck in a traffic standstill for hours
A winter storm this weekend is stretching from Arkansas through Tennessee into the Carolinas and moving in Virginia.
Flooding in Knoxville
Just seven days ago, Knoxville was flooded by historic rainfall, more than five inches on in a day on top of 10 days of continuous rainy days. Here is what it looked like just outside my subdivision.
video
Essential photo, video, productivity tools
This is a listing of programs I use regularly on my Pixelbook, a Chromebook introduced in 2017. That is to say it’s not the most powerful or fastest Chromebook and all the apps listed here work with it.
FFmpeg tips: Quickly cut video clips or extract audio
Updated: Additional code examples, resource links, some corrections.
Flooding in Knoxville
Just seven days ago, Knoxville was flooded by historic rainfall, more than five inches on in a day on top of 10 days of continuous rainy days. Here is what it looked like just outside my subdivision.
Elon Musk
A short list of features a Tesla does not need
Tesla has decided to drop the mobile charger as part of the standard accesssories with its all-electric cars.
Elon Musk is TIME’s latest Person of the year, but Dolly Parton has never won it?
TIME magazine on Monday named entrepreneur Elon Musk its “Person of the Year,” seemingly more based on his influence than his outsized accomplishments of which there many.
First Amendment
Back to Top ↑Linux
Essential photo, video, productivity tools
This is a listing of programs I use regularly on my Pixelbook, a Chromebook introduced in 2017. That is to say it’s not the most powerful or fastest Chromebook and all the apps listed here work with it.
Chromebooks just got a lot more interesting
My desk with the Pixelbook connected to a KVM switcher with a PC mouse, keyboard and 26 inch monitor. I can switch from a Windows 10 desktop to the Pixelbook.
Sunshine
Sunshine Week approaches
Sunshine Week is March 14-20 which highlights and celebrates access to public information and open government.
Can I take photos of public records?
Even Tennessee lawmakers sometimes tire of government open records silliness.
TCOG
Sunshine Week approaches
Sunshine Week is March 14-20 which highlights and celebrates access to public information and open government.
Everything you need to know about Tennessee open records
Tools
Ditching the file cabinet in 2023
I’m going paperless with all those pieces of paper in file folders.
Essential photo, video, productivity tools
This is a listing of programs I use regularly on my Pixelbook, a Chromebook introduced in 2017. That is to say it’s not the most powerful or fastest Chromebook and all the apps listed here work with it.
Wordpress
New year, new CMS
After years of hosting my own site on Wordpress I have moved it to Jekyll.
Updated site
I overcame inertia and turned the lights out on my old Movable Type blog CMS and moved to Wordpress and SSL. Things went pretty well (it seems). 
data visualization
Remember the COVID toll in Tennessee on this ‘more normal’ Thanksgiving
While Tennesseans look toward enjoying a more normal Thanksgiving Holiday this week with family feasts and fellowship, take a moment to remember the those who have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic and to ponder what is yet to come.
COVID-19 vaccinations by day in Knox County
Here’s a look at how COVID-19 vaccinations are going in Knox County, according to the Tennessee Deparmtent of Health. They can’t come fast enough; the rolling seven-day average as of Dec. 21 was 23.11% of the coronaivrus tests were coming back positive. (Simple visualization using Google Flourish.)
newspapers
Shots were fired
Registering complaints
It seems most everybody is saying newspapers should drop registration on their Web sites.
supercharger
Fast Charge TN Network plugs in slowly
Tennessee and TVA’s plan to fund a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations along every 50 miles of the state’s interstates and major highways is moving at a trickle charge pace.
Second Knoxville Tesla Supercharger under construction
UPDATE: This 250 kW supercharger recently became operational and should make supercharging in Knoxville a bit easier. The 150 kW supercharger in Turkey Creek was often full and with a line on weekends.
9/11
9/11 from my photo archives
A lot will be written and broadcast about 9/11 on its 20th anniversary on Saturday. Here are a few glimpses from my personal time machine.
APME
Reading online comments shouldn’t be icky
There’s been a lively discussion about online comments as a result of the APME Online Credibility Roundtable on Comments we held recently in Knoxville. Our excellent Roundtable guests raised many points that others are reacting too.
The comment threads are spread across at least three different URLs. You can see the discussion on Knoxviews, on News Editor Jack McElroy’s column about the Roundtable and on knoxnews’ “This is How We Roll” blog.
We’ve posted two video pieces from the Roundtable plus the complete session as an audio file (they’re linked from the “This is How We Roll” post).
The goal is to develop strategies and solutions to curb the meanness and hate that too often deelops in comment threads. Join the conversation. We think this is a bigger problem than just one newspaper news site in Knoxville. if you blog it, let me know and I’ll add a link to our coverage links.
But it’s more than just talk. We’re developing a strategies to improve comments on the News Sentinel’s web sites on five fronts. We’re be talking about those efforts in more detail in the future.
Advertising
When our paths cross
Peter Krasilovksy, Jay Small, and Steve Yelvington had some thoughtful comments late this week about when online ad revenues will intersect with print ad revenues. Whether it’s five years, 10, 12 or more, it’s interesting that people are beginning to stake out a date instead of just “sometime in the future” and “someday.” The “tipping point
Big Bald
Sun on Big Bald Mountain
Here is a photo of Big Bald, part of the Bald Mountains as seen from the Wolf Laurel Country Club in June 2021.
Bonnaroo
Live on the scene at Bonnaroo
Wow, we have some terrific Bonnaroo coverage with our KnoxNews team on the scene …
CMS
New year, new CMS
After years of hosting my own site on Wordpress I have moved it to Jekyll.
COVID
Remember the COVID toll in Tennessee on this ‘more normal’ Thanksgiving
While Tennesseans look toward enjoying a more normal Thanksgiving Holiday this week with family feasts and fellowship, take a moment to remember the those who have died of COVID-19 during the pandemic and to ponder what is yet to come.
Digg
Digging into all this . . .
The Digg Revolt is fascinating: It’s stage-setting.
Dolly Parton
Elon Musk is TIME’s latest Person of the year, but Dolly Parton has never won it?
TIME magazine on Monday named entrepreneur Elon Musk its “Person of the Year,” seemingly more based on his influence than his outsized accomplishments of which there many.
FFmpeg
Create video slideshows with ImageMagick and FFmpeg in minutes
Updated: Sept. 21, 2022. Code examples have been updated after noticing some issues.
Free Facebook Journalism Project Workshop
The Facebook Journalism Project
Google Earth
Back to Top ↑Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Ella V. Costner: Poet, nurse, veteran, storyteller, bootlegger
In the spring of 2015 I participated in a GoSmokies group hike near the Cosby Campground that included a stop at a cemetery that includes the grave of Ella V. Costner, known as the “Poet Laureate of the Smokies.”
IRMA
Back to Top ↑
ImageMagick
Create video slideshows with ImageMagick and FFmpeg in minutes
Updated: Sept. 21, 2022. Code examples have been updated after noticing some issues.
Jekyll
New year, new CMS
After years of hosting my own site on Wordpress I have moved it to Jekyll.
Journalism jobs
The reason why media (and news) job cuts are the lowest in years
Media and news job cuts this year are expected to hit the lowest level since at least 2008, according to data from Challenger Gray & Christmas reported by the Axios Media Trends newsletter.
Journalist
Back to Top ↑Leonard Pitts
Back to Top ↑Music
Live on the scene at Bonnaroo
Wow, we have some terrific Bonnaroo coverage with our KnoxNews team on the scene …
NASCAR
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s life was shaped by an event in Knoxville
ESPN’s E60 documentary “Fistful of Steel – The Rise of Bubba Wallace,” which debuted Tuesday night, highlights how an event in Knoxville changed the NASCAR driver’s life and the life of his family — forever.
Netscape
Organized randomness
I think the new Netscape (beta.netscape.com for now) is a good move for the portal site owned by AOL.
New York
9/11 from my photo archives
A lot will be written and broadcast about 9/11 on its 20th anniversary on Saturday. Here are a few glimpses from my personal time machine.
News
Organized randomness
I think the new Netscape (beta.netscape.com for now) is a good move for the portal site owned by AOL.
Ditching the file cabinet in 2023
I’m going paperless with all those pieces of paper in file folders.
Photos
Live on the scene at Bonnaroo
Wow, we have some terrific Bonnaroo coverage with our KnoxNews team on the scene …
Pixelbook
Chromebooks just got a lot more interesting
My desk with the Pixelbook connected to a KVM switcher with a PC mouse, keyboard and 26 inch monitor. I can switch from a Windows 10 desktop to the Pixelbook.
Podcasts
Learn more about the Black in Appalachia podcast
Journalist and activist Angela Dennis and University of Tennessee sociologist and critical studies scholar Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin will talk about the Black in Appalachia podcast in a session for the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists on Feb. 2 at noon.
Poynter
Poynter’s Al Tompkins coming to Knoxville
If you’re a journalist in East Tennessee, this is a “can’t miss” event, a chance to attend a workshop led by Al Tompkins for free! (Make sure to RSVP.)
Right to Privacy
Back to Top ↑Rules
I’ll take a long neck
The “long neck” concept is a new one on me.
Schools
More than 340 books banned in Tennessee public schools
(Update:More than 1,100 books have been banned by Tennessee school systems in the first half of the 2024-2025 school year.)
Second Amendment
Back to Top ↑Tom Chester
Back to Top ↑UGA
First McGill Medal awarded
You might have missed this. The University of Georgia awarded the first “McGill Medal for Journalist Courage” on April 30 to Clarion-Ledger reporter Jerry Mitchell for his reporting that has put four Ku Klux Klansmen behind bars.
His investigation and reporting on the Byron de la Beckwith case alone was enough merit the award, said E. Culpepper Clark, dean of the Gray College of Journalism and Communication. Beckwith murdered Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963.
Dusty Nix, writing in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, said: “There is no statute of limitations on murder, nor should there ever be an expiration date on atrocities like those Jerry Mitchell has dug deep into ugly history to uncover. In that regard, his mission is not so unlike that of Simon Wiesenthal, the Holocaust survivor who spent much of his life after World War II tracking down Nazi war criminals and bringing them to justice.”
Here’s another piece about Mitchell in the Christian Science Monitor.
About Ralph Emerson McGill.
_(Mitchell photo by Patrik Johnson, Christian Science Monitor)
_
Video
Watching video
One of favorite blog sites, NewTeeVee, has an interesting take on online video.
Virginia
Birds at the beach
These photos were shot at dusk from the porch of the condo where we’re staying in Chincoteague Island, Va. On a nearby pier is a bar where a guy is playing guitar and singing Steve Miler’s “The Joker.”
Cause I’m a picker
I’m a grinner
I’m a lover
And I’m a sinner
I play my music in the sun.
I’m a joker
I’m a smoker
I’m a midnight toker
I get my loving on the run Wooo Woooo
Year in review
2020 in review from Google, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter
2020 is nearly done and here’s a look back at the year that got sick.
YouTube
My top YouTube videos of 2021
Here are my top YouTube videos based on views in 2021. The No. 1 video had more than four times the views of the next one.
analytics
My top YouTube videos of 2021
Here are my top YouTube videos based on views in 2021. The No. 1 video had more than four times the views of the next one.
broadband
Rural Tennessee tangled in turn-of-the-century internet speeds
Lack of high-speed internet in much of rural Tennessee is well known, but today the White House is emphasizing the disparities in broadband access with a new map that visually and vividly highlights the problem.
business model
The music business is back; are there clues for news?
The music business has been growing for the last few years after going into a decline in 1999. And it doesn’t have to do with buying MP3s. The news and music industries have long been compared; they were disrupted by the Internet at about the same time and forever changed. Are there still lessons to be learned between the two industries. Would a “Spotify model” work for news? Some efforts have been tried and failed from traditional media companies, the tech powers that control the platforms and entrepreneurial startups. 
chincoteague
Birds at the beach
These photos were shot at dusk from the porch of the condo where we’re staying in Chincoteague Island, Va. On a nearby pier is a bar where a guy is playing guitar and singing Steve Miler’s “The Joker.”
Cause I’m a picker
I’m a grinner
I’m a lover
And I’m a sinner
I play my music in the sun.
I’m a joker
I’m a smoker
I’m a midnight toker
I get my loving on the run Wooo Woooo
contests
Congratulations are in order
Congratulations to Lauren Spuhler for two first place awards and Erin Chapin for a second in the Tennessee Associated Perss Managing Editors journalism contest. Also, Knoxnews won a second and Knoxville.com a third in the best Web site category of large newspapers in Tennessee.
credibility
Reading online comments shouldn’t be icky
There’s been a lively discussion about online comments as a result of the APME Online Credibility Roundtable on Comments we held recently in Knoxville. Our excellent Roundtable guests raised many points that others are reacting too.
The comment threads are spread across at least three different URLs. You can see the discussion on Knoxviews, on News Editor Jack McElroy’s column about the Roundtable and on knoxnews’ “This is How We Roll” blog.
We’ve posted two video pieces from the Roundtable plus the complete session as an audio file (they’re linked from the “This is How We Roll” post).
The goal is to develop strategies and solutions to curb the meanness and hate that too often deelops in comment threads. Join the conversation. We think this is a bigger problem than just one newspaper news site in Knoxville. if you blog it, let me know and I’ll add a link to our coverage links.
But it’s more than just talk. We’re developing a strategies to improve comments on the News Sentinel’s web sites on five fronts. We’re be talking about those efforts in more detail in the future.
crowdsourced
The storming of the Capitol is archived
The FBI and District of Columbia police are searching for people involved in the violence at the Capitol on Wednesday – and they’re finding them and they are likely to find and arrest more.
digital divide
Rural Tennessee tangled in turn-of-the-century internet speeds
Lack of high-speed internet in much of rural Tennessee is well known, but today the White House is emphasizing the disparities in broadband access with a new map that visually and vividly highlights the problem.
entreprenuership
A peek out the box
Some of my younger co-workers say their perception of out-of-the-box thinking at a newspaper is of someone ever-so-slightly opening the top of the box and taking a furtive glance; maybe on a bold day, cautiously extending a moistened finger to check the direction of the wind.
future
Post-Pandemic: Return to normal after COVID-19 pandemic unlikely
As more American get COVID-19 vaccinations, people are looking forward to a “return to normal”; visiting relatives, eating in restaurants, nightlife and concerts, and even casual shopping in a store.
honors
Congratulations are in order
Congratulations to Lauren Spuhler for two first place awards and Erin Chapin for a second in the Tennessee Associated Perss Managing Editors journalism contest. Also, Knoxnews won a second and Knoxville.com a third in the best Web site category of large newspapers in Tennessee.
hurricane
Back to Top ↑innovation
A peek out the box
Some of my younger co-workers say their perception of out-of-the-box thinking at a newspaper is of someone ever-so-slightly opening the top of the box and taking a furtive glance; maybe on a bold day, cautiously extending a moistened finger to check the direction of the wind.
medical
A mostly forgotten medical first on June 14, 1965
June 14th of 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of a little-known medical miracle involving one of my cousins.
movable type
Updated site
I overcame inertia and turned the lights out on my old Movable Type blog CMS and moved to Wordpress and SSL. Things went pretty well (it seems).
networking
Upgrading the Wi-Fi seemed such a simple idea
A few weeks ago I decided to upgrade my aging, but rock solid Wi-Fi network.
newscasts
The newscast belongs on the telly
Angela Grant has it right.
online comments
Reading online comments shouldn’t be icky
There’s been a lively discussion about online comments as a result of the APME Online Credibility Roundtable on Comments we held recently in Knoxville. Our excellent Roundtable guests raised many points that others are reacting too.
The comment threads are spread across at least three different URLs. You can see the discussion on Knoxviews, on News Editor Jack McElroy’s column about the Roundtable and on knoxnews’ “This is How We Roll” blog.
We’ve posted two video pieces from the Roundtable plus the complete session as an audio file (they’re linked from the “This is How We Roll” post).
The goal is to develop strategies and solutions to curb the meanness and hate that too often deelops in comment threads. Join the conversation. We think this is a bigger problem than just one newspaper news site in Knoxville. if you blog it, let me know and I’ll add a link to our coverage links.
But it’s more than just talk. We’re developing a strategies to improve comments on the News Sentinel’s web sites on five fronts. We’re be talking about those efforts in more detail in the future.
online media
Registering complaints
It seems most everybody is saying newspapers should drop registration on their Web sites.
open records
Back to Top ↑photography
Birds at the beach
These photos were shot at dusk from the porch of the condo where we’re staying in Chincoteague Island, Va. On a nearby pier is a bar where a guy is playing guitar and singing Steve Miler’s “The Joker.”
Cause I’m a picker
I’m a grinner
I’m a lover
And I’m a sinner
I play my music in the sun.
I’m a joker
I’m a smoker
I’m a midnight toker
I get my loving on the run Wooo Woooo
press freedom
Press Freedom Tracker
Check out the Press Freedom Tracker. Story here.
site registration
Registering complaints
It seems most everybody is saying newspapers should drop registration on their Web sites.
slideshow
Create video slideshows with ImageMagick and FFmpeg in minutes
Updated: Sept. 21, 2022. Code examples have been updated after noticing some issues.
vacation
Birds at the beach
These photos were shot at dusk from the porch of the condo where we’re staying in Chincoteague Island, Va. On a nearby pier is a bar where a guy is playing guitar and singing Steve Miler’s “The Joker.”
Cause I’m a picker
I’m a grinner
I’m a lover
And I’m a sinner
I play my music in the sun.
I’m a joker
I’m a smoker
I’m a midnight toker
I get my loving on the run Wooo Woooo
Social Media
Digging into all this . . .
The Digg Revolt is fascinating: It’s stage-setting.