Pieces, Particles XII
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.

45701: One Day, 114 Cameras by Larry Nighswander, National Geographic, January 2003
Lights? No. Action? Plenty. From dawn to dusk on a dismal fall day, 114 students fanned out from Athens, Ohio -- home to Ohio University's Visual Communication school -- to focus on 45701. Thanks to the VisCom school, this is one of the nation's most photographed zips. Click. A bus rolls, a farmer rests, a horse snorts, cans clatter, a prisoner walks, and a day is caught in the act.

Alt-weeklies Play Hard to Get with Adult Ads by Sarah Schaffer, American Journalism Review, January/February 2003

Battery-Powered Learning by Jeff Clark, Down East, February 2003
The boldest experiment in public education in Maine history is under way in every seventh-grade classroom across the state, and the results so far are beyond what anyone expected.

Cat People by Louis Menand, The New Yorker, Dec. 23 and 30, 2002
What Dr. Seuss really taught us.

Clean Slate by Richard Byrne, The Boston Phoenix, Jan. 17, 2003
In six years, Slate has weathered the dot-com bust and played a seminal role in Web journalism. Now can it shake its corporate sugar daddy and make a profit?

Couch Potato Heaven by Brad Stone, Newsweek, Dec. 23, 2002
Cable companies may have finally figured out how to give TV viewers what they want: the ability to watch a movie, any time, without a schlep to the video store

Dream Weavers by Cathy Newman, National Geographic, January 2003
Ever since our ancestors flung a pelt over themselves to shelter against the cold, textiles have protected us from weather, war, and much else. Now designers envision textiles smart enough to monitor heart patients, strong enough to move buildings, and sophisticated enough to camouflage soldiers in changing terrain.

E-Commie by David Waldes Greenwood, The Boston Phoenix, Jan. 17, 2003
If the feds start reading my e-mail, alerts may fly

Every Last Word by Barb Palser, American Journalism Review, January/February 2003
Sources who publish transcripts of their interviews? It's becoming more common.

Ground for Contention by Steve Ritea, American Journalism Review, January/February 2003

Life in the Fast Lane by Ed Leibowitz, Smithsonian, January 2003
Harry Truman's pals installed a bowling alley at the White House so the new president could escape the heat of the kitchen

The Newspapers Tell Only Half of the Story by Wes Carter, Newsweek, Jan. 13, 2003
Americans read about acts of racism daily, but most of us know things aren't nearly so bleak

On the Road by Paul Conrad, Tricycle, Winter 2002
Although we spend countless hours behind the wheel, we often overlook the excellent opportunity driving presents for the practice of mindfulness. Trucker Paul Conrad tells us how the road can be our teacher.

Poll Crazy by Lori Robertson, American Journalism Review, January/February 2003
America's news organizations poll the public on a staggering variety of subjects, from Iraq to the sniper to whether Elvis is still alive. Does all of this surveying increase understanding, or does it simply amount to more random noise?

The Right Channel by Michaela Cavallaro, Down East, February 2003
THat's what many Mainers feel they've found when they hear Vicki Monroe connect with their departed loved ones on her Thursday morning call-in program.

Rockin' with My Son by David Macfarlane, GQ, January 2003
He may never get groupies, but writer David Macfarlane discovers the satisfaction of playing rock 'n' roll with a motley crew, decent equipment and, mostly, his 14-year-old son

Scrap Happy by Andy Steiner, Bitch, Fall 2002
Scrapbooking may be big business now, but its roots are in homegrown history

Shopping the Dharma by Bhiksuni Thubten Chodron, Tricycle, Winter 2002
Consumer culture has spawned a class of spiritual shoppers who bring their acquisitive instincts to the practice of the dharma.

Smile! You're on Slanted Camera!, Busted!, October 2002

Sophisticated Pursuits by Lynn Pyne Davis, Southwest Art, January 2003
Elaine G. Coffee's figurative paintings capture the cosmopolitan crowds at restaurants, museums, and galleries

Telemarketers Are People Too by Kathryn McKay, Family Circle, Jan. 14, 2003

The 10 Secrets of a Master Networker by Tahl Raz, Inc., January 2003
Keith Ferrazzi needs two PalmPilots to keep track of all his contacts, people like Bill Clinton and Michael Milken. But there's far more to cracking the inner circle of the power elite than just taking names

This Is Going to Be Big by Tad Friend, The New Yorker, Sept. 23, 2002
How publicity really works in Hollywood.

Tile Fighters by Martin Wong, Giant Robot #27
In Thailand, Scrabble competitions are not gathering places for geeks, but linguistic battles fought in arenas packed with screaming fans.

Who Is Axel Zwingenberger by Matt Van Hattem and M.R. Valentine, Trains, February 2003
And why does he take photos of steam engines at night>

You've Got Mail, Sports Illustrated, Dec. 30, 2002
In case you don't get holidat greetings from a pro athlete, or a team, or even a league, we went through our mailbag and picked some of our favorites to share

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