Founded in Japan in 1983, Zoom have been around for a little over 30 years now. They initially worked with manufacturers developing sound generators for musical hardware. I'm glad that in 1989 they shifted into making their own hardware as for the last 7 years I've been a fan of their audio recorders. In 2007 I shelved a naff digital dictaphone for the Zoom H2 Handy Recorder. It was my first … [Read more...] about Zoom H5 Handy Recorder Review
Journalism
Interview Techniques
I'm currently preparing slide decks for both the Milton Keynes International Festival and the Digital Wine Communicators Conference. In both instances I've been asked if I can talk on Networked Storymaking with a focus on interview techniques. This is interesting as if I'm honest it's not something I've thought about in depth. Until now that is. I have over one and a half thousand … [Read more...] about Interview Techniques
The Picnic is a Political Act
On June the 25th 2014, it will be the seventh continual year there has been a symposium (picnic) at George Orwell’s grave. It's also of course his birthday. Back in 2007 we sat on the grass sharing food and drink, experiences and stories. As we have done every year since. Asking questions, discussing threatened freedoms and eroded civil liberties... all things Orwellian. We once used the … [Read more...] about The Picnic is a Political Act
Working in Digital Journalism (Case Studies)
When I first started working at a daily newspaper there was a darkroom alongside a bank of neg scanners. It was 2001 and thankfully I had arrived armed with a digital SLR. I learned that to deliver what the news desk demanded within 12 hours or less, I had to move fast, get the shot in a few frames and get to the next job as quick as possible.After a while I discarded the map book for my PDA with … [Read more...] about Working in Digital Journalism (Case Studies)
Public until proven otherwise
I once heard of a TV journalist who kept the names and addresses of his Syrian sources in a little black book, and all the video he shot of activists, complete with faces, on an open hard drive. He was detained by the secret police in Damascus, which was scary for him, but worse for his contacts. In his easily accessible files he had neatly identified, catalogued and given phone numbers for a … [Read more...] about Public until proven otherwise