Ever wanted to know exactly who are the folks involved with and working behind the scenes at this growing digital news site? Ever thought about contributing to Flipthemedia.com? Now is the time to come and chat with us in person. We here at the Flip are making a concerted effort to be more visible this year.  We will be attending more events throughout the Puget Sound area and also throwing a couple of our own.

Next Friday, February 10th, we’re putting on a Flipthemedia mixer at Big Time Brewery in the U-District from 6-9pm. It’s all about getting together, having a few drinks and talking casually about digital media. Something right in between a focused happy hour and just hanging out on a Friday evening. Our idea is to make this an informal gathering where people get in the same room and have a few good laughs as we promote Flipthemedia and introduce the editorial staff currently involved with the site.

Big things are brewing with us in 2012 and we’d love to have people come by Big Time Brewery for a drink (or three) and figure out better ways to work together in the future.

The Strip by Brian McFadden

After the Consumer Electronics Show binge in Las Vegas last week, the guilt and remorse settle in — kind of like the day after Thanksgiving.  Was it too big?  Too flashy?  Why did we collectively gorge on stuff that we don’t really need?  Shouldn’t we reflect more upon the slave labor that makes these toys for us, rather than on the superficial novelty they provide?  (The cartoon above, and Flip The Media’s excellent Your Phone Was Probably Made in a Sweatshop expose this harsh reality).

Then there was the oft-shared Fevered Dream of a Guilt-Ridden Gadget Reporter:

There is a hole in my heart dug deep by advertising and envy and a desire to see a thing that is new and different and beautiful. A place within me that is empty, and that I want to fill up. The hole makes me think electronics can help. And of course, they can.

They make the world easier and more enjoyable. They boost productivity and provide entertainment and information and sometimes even status. At least for a while. At least until they are obsolete. At least until they are garbage.

And I couldn’t avert my eyes from the Wall Street Journal’s above-the-fold front-page headline trumpeting the much-anticipated Chinese uprising, but then throwing in the twist: not due to politics, but because of the newly-released iPhone 4s.

Fine.  It’s all true.  And all many of the tech blog post-mortems have concluded that this year’s show as more evolutionary than revolutionary.  However, as I consider what I saw — from fridges, to cars, to TV’s — it’s pretty clear what’s driving this consumer electronics gold rush (this year’s CES after all, had the most attendees and the most exhibits): mobile and social.

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I’ve been reading the horror stories about surviving the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show with some trepidation. There’s Survival Gear for Battling 100,000 Nerds in a Desert. Then I spied our own intrepid Todd Bishop of GeekWire in his lovely fly fishing vest.

Me?  Well, I’m in an unusual situation.  I’m there to promote the MCDM through Storyteller Uprising (which has a new chapter) as well as cover the event (for KUOW, GeekWire, KING 5, Flip The Media).  But I’m also looking forward to being “covered” as a subject matter expert.  I have interviews already scheduled with Wired, Reuters, PRWeek and the Seattle Times with my take on the show, seen through the optic of Storyteller Uprising and the MCDM.  So I’ve got to look Chic while being practically prepared for any eventuality as would any good Geek.

“Chic”: dark blazer, polished boots, dress shirts, make-up, brushes, spot removal wipes. I’ve even got a business card that actually doesn’t have a telephone number.  But it does have four URL’s, a QR code for journalists to download my e-book, my e-mail address, and of course, my Twitter handle.  Which means of course, that we’ve already moved into the “Geek” section of this post (considerably longer than the “Chic” one!):

I don’t have to worry too much about the gear, which is a relief.  I’m traveling with my colleague (and former student) Filiz Efe who’ll be capturing the show (and me) through a Canon 5D with a fancy Zacuto add-on viewfinder, and a multiplicity of microphones.  The MCDM’s new Program Manager, Ashley-Rose O’Mara will be our enforcer as she manages my interviews and schedule, while she makes friends for our degree program by handing out brochures and copies of my book.  We’re also supported through our terrific partnership with public relations firm Weber Shandwick Seattle.

But I’m forever the backpack journalist and I’ll be the only one in the team who’ll have access to certain events.  So I’ll be filming with my Galaxy Note “phablet” in 1080p video mode (read Todd Bishop’s feature on my mammoth conversation starter of a phone), which will probably be announced for the American market this week.  I’ll also have an Olympus XZ-1 point-and-shoot (with external mike setup), a Macbook Air, a backup mobile broadband hotspot (T-Mobile, how congested could that network be at CES?), and a plethora of cables. Another first for me?  We won’t be editing in Final Cut, but rather with Adobe Premiere.  It’s all a sign of the times.

Follow me on Twitter (@hrhmedia) for my latest #CES reports.  I’ll also be filing on Storyteller Uprising, and here, regularly.

Last week, Netflix announced new pricing structure to split online streaming and DVD delivery into separate plans. So instead of paying a minimum $10 per month for both, users will pay at least $8 per plan, for a total of $16 to keep both plans. Netflix’s 60% price increase has sent shock waves through its user community. To date, there are over 5000 comments on Netflix’s official blog, over 70000 comments (including multiple comments from same users) on its Facebook page, with plenty of complaints going around.

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I feel strangely satisfied as I conclude my fourth academic year as MCDM Director.

This unusual feeling (it is for me!) began to develop late last month. At a Department of Communication faculty meeting, my colleagues enthusiastically supported our request to kick off a national search for a new MCDM assistant professor, who would bring further rigor to our one-of-a-kind program. It was a vote of confidence during a tough time for the University of Washington, as severe budget cuts and hiring freezes descend upon the entire institution.

We haven’t been immune; we’ve been asked to streamline our own staff and faculty over the last year as we continue to prioritize how to provide excellence to our community while keeping a close eye on finances.

But the university also sees us as inspired, slightly hyperactive regional and global ambassadors for the higher education business model-in-transition. They’re full supporters of our schemes, experiments and expeditions, from faculty hires to Four Peaks to our show on UWTV.

Still, my current state of “happiness” is much more aligned to the intrinsic state of the MCDM.

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“We talk about technology because there is nothing else to talk about if you want to sound intelligent.” Evgeny Morozov

Evgeny Morozov, author of “The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom,” spoke to a large crowd in Kane Hall at the University of Washington Tuesday night with his twist on a topic that generally accepted by digital missionaries: Does Internet access and social media spread democracy? Morozov says not necessarily.

“Some people have an almost religious approach to the Internet. They hold the internet as the Great Liberator,” Morozov said.

Morozov brings up a number of examples to illustrate his main point: Internet access and social media do not automatically lead to more democracy and less oppression.

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The world is watching as Arab citizens in North Africa and the Middle East gather to protest against authoritarian governments, restricted freedom, and poor economic opportunities. Twitter feeds, liveblogs, videos and photos are disseminated across the web almost instantly despite limited internet access in many participating countries.

In Western media, platforms like Facebook and Twitter are being credited with helping to propel this “Arab Revolution.” But in countries like Egypt, where only 20% of a population of 80 million people have ever used the Internet, the question is not if but how could digital and social media possibly become the conduit for tens of thousands of protesters?

Photo courtesy Essam Sharaf

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The Seattle Times has a couple of niche sports apps on the market right now and both are doing very well. As a newspaper guy, this is exciting. There is likely a future here for newspapers and plenty of money to be made. Identify a niche audience (that you already write for) and develop an app that caters to their interests. I’d pay lots of money for these Seattle Times apps, they are that good.

I have a journalism degree and daily newspaper experience, but I’m also a digital media nut and a huge Husky football fan. Imagine my euphoria when I first saw the Seattle Times was launching a Husky football app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Their Husky football blog is like the Bible to me, and an iPhone app sounded too good to be true.

But how useful would it be? Would I trust the content? How about the functionality? I didn’t want this to be a giant advertisement for the Seattle Times.  I wanted it to be all Huskies all the time. One season in, I’m happy to report this is purple and gold nirvana. It’s the most immersive, accessible and, of course, portable Husky football experience I have ever known. Thank you, Seattle Times!

OK, OK. Enough gushing.

I respect this app. It’s a big step for journalism and the newspaper industry in general. Readership is down across the country. Revenue is shrinking, and newspapers are struggling to reach new audiences in a digital age that crippled their business model long ago. Enter the niche app. This is a new dawn for newspapers.

I could already find the information and stories featured in this app on my iPhone using mobile Safari. But I don’t always want to tap dance through various bookmarks and zoom in to the content I want to read. The app puts it all in one place. It costs $2.99 for a one-time download, but I would pay $2.99 a month for this. I’m not the only one, either. Managing Editor Heidi de Laubenfels told Lost Remote the app reached “20 percent of our total expected sales in the first two days and continues to do quite well.” The Times’ latest app, one for the Husky men’s basketball season, currently ranks on the iTunes list for top paid sports apps.

My question initially was whether or not I would trust a similar app released by a non-objective news source. The UW Athletic Department did just this, releasing a Coach Sark app not long after the Seattle Times released its football app. The content, not surprisingly, was not as deep. The interface was wonky, and it wasn’t objective in the slightest. Not even the fact that proceeds from the $2.99 purchase went to charity could rescue this app from the bottom of the league standings.

Time and trust are in limited supply these days. The Seattle Times is an organization I trust and provides me with content I believe in. Newspapers everywhere should take notice of this endeavor. Find a market—foodies, concertgoers, American Idol-lovers—and meet them where they are. Smartphones are growing exponentially and apps such as this are, hopefully, a sign of things to come.

I love free stuff, but this is the kind of content I want and will pay for. Are you listening, newspaper executives? I would pay for this. I would pay monthly. And I would pay a lot more than $2.99.