Well, at least its not green.

So its been an interesting week. My hair has changed colors twice and shortened in length. The first color change has been hidden in my soon-to-be-deleted social networking page of choice. The second, will never seen by anybody because as soon as it happened, I bought a hat. Until the situation is rectified, all photos in which I am featured will be taken under the protection of my new one-fit baseball cap. It is a particularly cool hat though.

For those wondering. I lost a bet. Well technically, I won a bet. But I lost. If you know what I mean. Before I got it done, the stylist asked an interesting question, 'is your hair virgin?'. I was taken aback by the question. But it makes sense now that its been completely fucked.

I was in Wisconsin for the Intercollegiate National Championships. Apparently Wisconsin is famous for beer and cheese. I indulged in a little of both. I also had a record five cheeseburgers.

The team came fourth, which is how we started the week. It was a slightly empty feeling in the makeshift locker room (which was actually a squash court, with a clear glass wall on one side) after the game. I think its because the boys felt that they had the tools to at least pick up a spot during the week.

However thats sport, and its generally a squad with a lot of promise that needs minor tweaking rather than wholesale change to get a lot done. So hopefully the boys will learn from it and go on to bigger and better things next year.

I think the lads think I'm completely ridiculous. I taught them the phrases,
'Face like a dropped pie'
'Face like a bucket of smashed crabs'
'A few kangaroos short in the top paddock'
(which they thought I made up, they also didn't know what a paddock was)

I also got a chance to catch up with a few Gliders, which was nice. Apparently my accent is very Australian. Which I think is a compliment of the highest order. So thank you ladies.

After a day of rest and recuperation I flew to LA to catch up with my family. For those who were hoping for Mexican shenanigans don't panic, I'm hoping to head down next month for a weekend of fun.

I'm looking forward to getting to the beach and unleashing the scotsman on Southern California.

ctb

What's black, white and red all over?

I heard today that Seattle is now without a major newspaper after the Post Intelligencer decided to go entirely online after the cost of using paper proved too expensive. This is a sign of the times as people prefer to get their news from alternate sources. While on the plane, I read that TV might also be in trouble as those in the industry look to go online.

At first I was saddened by the news that their would be no news, on paper at least. After all newspapers have been a regular feature of the home for scores of years. There are many reasons why newspapers in their current form, will continue to struggle. They simply can not compete with the up to the minute updates, of internet, mobile, TV and radio news. As a news follower it also doesn't make sense to pay for a newspaper, when you can get the same article online for free and possibly a free video update. In this scenario I get to decide what is and what is not newsworthy. Not even Cable television or satellite radio can compete with that. If the website I'm looking at doesn't have the news I'm after I can quickly and easily switch news services, much like changing channels on the TV or the radio.

I then thought, if there are no newspapers, then what will I use to squash bugs? I then remembered that I've used everything from flip flops to the bottom of soft drink cans to get the job done and they've all be relatively effective. So once again, newspapers appear to be replaceable.

It also seems that Paper boys (or newspaper delivery persons if you want to be politically correct), will be out of a job. Will this mean that more children will be asking their parents for extra pocket money, thus adversely effecting the economy? I'm not economist, so my sound financial advice is, look elsewhere for sound financial advice.

The one advantage that newspapers have is that once something is put down on paper, it is undeniable. It is there for all to see. It can not be deleted or infected by a virus, it can not be hacked into or changed.

I wouldn't suggest that newspaper reporting is flawless in its factuality, but you can generally be sure who wrote it and the circumstances in which it was written. I'm not sure the internet has the same assurances.

On that basis then it could be said that newspapers could in their current format if they manage to 'sell' integrity. Emphasize good factually based reporting, rather than sensationalism and bias. I'd like to think that facts are still important and if their important, then surely they are profitable.

I went into a record store today and saw that they were openly selling vynil records in a commercial fashion. There was a sign declaring 'Vynil is Back!'. Perhaps there is a precedent there. Vynil as I understand it and again I'm no expert, has a better sound quality than CD's, but they just don't last as long and aren't as easy to produce, therefore, newspapers could survive as long as they pride themselves on quality reporting as opposed to 'fast food' journalism.

Although I think its perhaps slightly unfair to suggest that journalists who go online are 'fast food' journalists, as there is quality out there.

Also do you really want to see a family sitting around a breakfast table, where everyone has their eyes fixed to a laptop? It would be interesting to see what the effects of that are.

Just a thought. By the way did you like my financial pun of a title? Think about it...there you go.

ctb