matthewryanvincent's posterous http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com Most recent posts at matthewryanvincent's posterous posterous.com Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:29:46 -0700 Remember When http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/remember-when-15 http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/remember-when-15 In the future, I wonder what I'll tell the grandkids (not mine, just some random grandkids) about the internet.  This might be nerdy, but I think it's cool.  I grew up when everyone started getting home computers.  I remember when everyone had dial-up connections.  I met people from around the world in the first chat rooms (leave out the stuff about those weirdos trying to "cyber").  I hope I will not have to tell them I remember when bandwidth was unbridled, access was ubiquitous and the playing field was level and any webpage could be accessed as easily as the next.  

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:49:09 -0700 Our Media? Not yet. http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/our-media-not-yet http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/our-media-not-yet
Sure it was for a good cause, but when the NY Times and Wikipedia team to keep stories off the 'net, we all lose.  Yes, lose.  And not gracefully.  I'm talking lose like America against Brazil after blowing a 2-0 halftime lead yesterday.

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=165932

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:13:58 -0700 Embarrass Yourself http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/embarrass-yourself http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/embarrass-yourself Test yourself.  Question yourself.  Normal = self aware.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:26:04 -0700 Her. Me. http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/her-me http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/her-me Her: You just don't want to be alone. Me: Duh.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:00:40 -0700 Where Were You When the Iranian Twitter Revolution Began? http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/where-were-you-when-the-iranian-twitter-revol http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/where-were-you-when-the-iranian-twitter-revol I was on break from the restaurant in between lunch and dinner shifts. For an hour I saw pictures of the gathering crowds, saw video of thousands chanting in unison. Soon, the twitter hashtag #iranelection was widespread. There are deep divisions in America, but we all (cheese alert) love freedom. We all might have different definitions or emphasis on freedom(s), but as Americans, I think we are all quick to want what we have for others. If anything, those of us applying shades of green to our Avatars are proponents of truth. We know what screwy elections are like. And we also know that change can happen. Essentially, Americans elected a reformist, and so their (yes, our) sympathy for Iranians is really empathy. By the way, what about those journalists in Korea, Laura Ling and Euna Lee?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Thu, 28 May 2009 03:02:04 -0700 Changing of the Guard http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/changing-of-the-guard-2 http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/changing-of-the-guard-2 A nursing home romance in five acts. ACT ONE The arrival. Family drops off grandpa. He didn't want them to follow him inside. Suitcase in hand, he enters the building. No one at front desk. He walks behind desk, puts on glasses and checks out the computer. Granpa checks himself into the registry. He starts walking around the facility... TO BE CONTINUED

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Wed, 27 May 2009 13:14:42 -0700 Hello http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/hello-3396 http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/hello-3396

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Wed, 27 May 2009 09:37:29 -0700 My First Blog Post http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/my-first-blog-post-7869 http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/my-first-blog-post-7869

Yea, right.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Mon, 25 May 2009 18:50:27 -0700 Content (Re)Removed http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/content-reremoved http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/content-reremoved I removed everything on this site that wasn't original, except for the YouTube video of the baby panda sneeze that gives it's momma panda a heart attack / freeze frame moment. And the teaser to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. The first video I embedded was actually a Muppet Rickroll. It only took about five minutes to master, but it's still funny that the impetus for learning how to embed videos on a blog was a corny gag video. As I contemplate the internet and the intellectual property rights of things shared on the Internet, I couldn't in good conscience leave all that stuff posted here without permission. I have left some excerpts from columns I enjoyed, but they are cited and hopefully, if read, would leave the reading wanting more and likely to find the source material. And as far as Baby Panda Sneezing video goes... the more people see that the closer we will we get to true World peace. I believe that. So it lives. Bless You!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Sat, 23 May 2009 03:14:14 -0700 Grades of Participation http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/grades-of-participation http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/grades-of-participation A basic thing you learn in J-School, at least for local features you write, is that for every person you quote, another 3-5 people that know your quoter is going to pick up the paper. That number seems small. And should the journalist take into account how the marketing side of his story? Should a journalist be concerned with distribution, numbers of readers... Well, the more people you quote/interview, the more complete the story becomes, hopefully. And if a journalist has these altruistic aspirations of gluing communities, more involvement serves readership and the "community" of a community. Enter: Internet! Peep this advert: http://mashable.com/2009/05/12/sprint-youtube-campaign/ I found the link from these guys: http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/mojodojo/ So, it's advertising, but it's advertising using a basic rule that journalists, even old skool journalists, are not getting credit for these days: Audience Participation. It seems so obvious. And I'm sure it is to plenty. But I just realized it.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Thu, 21 May 2009 08:53:33 -0700 Whatever She Would Say http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/whatever-she-would-say http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/whatever-she-would-say Sitting in my garage, I was doing two things I usually have to do alone: reading about Susan Sontag and smoking cigarettes. When it comes to Sontag, be it her own words or those of others as with Phillip Lopate's new "Notes on Sontag," I like peace and quiet, such is the flurry of intellectual stimulation. The smoking is for another part of my brain. Anyway, a few moments ago, I remembered something. I know Lopate has an affinity for Michel de Montaigne. So do I. Here's a story I've shared with many, but no one seems to revel in it the way I do. It's not all that amazing or profound. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to share it with you. I was living with my girlfriend at this time. Often, when we walked around campus she would take to the sidewalk and I would keep to the grass beside. This annoyed her. I explained that my feet didn't understand flat surfaces and for some reason I kept twisting my ankle on them. I said it was probably because people weren't meant to walk on flat surfaces and feet were invented to expect rough, uneven terrain. Whatever, she would say. I attended a liberal arts school in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, and in my second or third year there, I took a course in the Humanities. It was a requirement. We reached that transitional period between the late Renaissance and Early Enlightenment, and bridging that gap was Montaigne. That's when I found this: "I am most apt to stumble in an even country, like some horses that I have known, that make most trips in the smoothest way." This quotation can be found in the "Of Experience" essay. Right away, I recognized a kindred spirit. It was the first time I really experienced a connection through the writing of someone who'd been dead for centuries. I went home that night and told my girlfriend, showed her the exact words I had underlined with my ink pen during class. She wasn't exactly the vessel brimming with new ideas of human continuity I was in those moments. I still walk in the grass. And so does my new girlfriend. Whatever.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Thu, 21 May 2009 06:30:13 -0700 Nom Nom Nom de plume http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/nom-nom-nom-de-plume http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/nom-nom-nom-de-plume

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Tue, 19 May 2009 18:05:59 -0700 On Second Second Thought http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/on-second-second-thought http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/on-second-second-thought I was thinking about rebooting this site. Then I wasn't thinking about it. Then I was thinking what a bad idea that would be. I need a new site. Fresh. It's just that time again. I'm not leaving this one. But I want to try something new and most the stuff here is half-assed, embarassing and je ne sais quoi? I've never been more connected. It's never been easier for an individual to marshall an arsenal of digital representatives with just a few keystrokes. I want to harness this power. Not in order to produce something of magnitude. Really, I just want to produce something focused and coherent, prosaic and stylistic. My zygote of an idea is something along "going behind the means of production." As I begin my foray into free lance journalism, I want to comprehensively document everything I do to get the story, what I think the story means as I go along, and how my opinions change about the subject matter and the subjects. Reinventing oneself, I've discovered recently, is essential. Certain things must be left behind, and other things thrown into to the furnace to be cast anew. Long live this blah blah Blog, anyway...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Tue, 19 May 2009 06:45:47 -0700 Yes, We Change http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/yes-we-change http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/yes-we-change

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Sun, 17 May 2009 04:07:59 -0700 Getting Back http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/getting-back http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/getting-back Been a while since I waxed on the bourgeois suffering. But I have some new tips. 1. It's probably not OK if a loved says, "After you fall asleep I am going to strangle the frak out of you until you die." 2. Tickling hurts and leads to #1. 3. The moments after waking and you start to nuzzle-cuddle but then you remember the #1 and/or #2 (listed above). And you stir yourself up again.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Fri, 15 May 2009 04:17:05 -0700 Trichotomy v Trinity http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/trichotomy-v-trinity http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/trichotomy-v-trinity Body, mind and soul... Blog, twitter and SEO I've been trying to learn a balance between blogging and tweeting. The tweeting is new, and I've been spending many hours learning and doing, at the sacrifice of blogging here. Also, I'm wondering how important a face is. I'm sure a pretty picture gets you more attention, but I like my porta potty avatar as a sort of branding for my self. Also, I think I'm going to have to go back and streamline my user names. I'll keep the Failed Minimalist blog title, but all future user names will be MinimumFailure... and I hope it wont be perceived as hubris to use my full three names. I don't think I'm being disingenuous when I think a self portrait seems to narcissistic...for me. Online identity is about personality, words and thoughts. Not sure if I've posted it hear but here's a pic of my avatar:

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Thu, 07 May 2009 03:42:08 -0700 Story is Home http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/story-is-home http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/story-is-home The business model for News will work itself out. The best thing one can spend their time on is good old fashioned journalism. Hone the writing and story telling chops and interviewing skills and ability to cut yourself off and not write run on sentences. Your story will find a home, in one form or another. For most of us amats/novice journalist writers we really will not be having an affect on the successful business models. Writers Unite! You Write!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:40:47 -0700 Twit Happens http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/twit-happens http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/twit-happens Follow Me! www.twitter.com/minimumfailure

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:34:30 -0700 A Stalwart Bulwark http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/a-stalwart-bulwark http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/a-stalwart-bulwark Newspapers! Can we live without them?  It's art and craft combined.  A surgeon who builds the most beautiful scarecrows.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:20:25 -0700 Internet as Metaphor http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/internet-as-metaphor http://matthewryanvincent.posterous.com/internet-as-metaphor We like our books, and most everything, to be self contained.  We perceive ourselves as self-contained, denying the truth that we are all connected, separated by an interplay mere molecules.  The Internet, I think, makes a great metaphor for the truth of life, that everything chaotically connected.  Organization does not exist, only brief experiments with focus.  The Internet is perceived by many as intangible.  But to think of digital data as any more fragile than a leather-bound book is a bit disingenuous.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/67333/EpiphanyBox.jpg http://posterous.com/people/168BgQbIvbr Matthew Vincent Failed Minimalist Matthew Vincent