I reflect on a 2002 report showing that internet luminaries still prioritized traditional outlets like CNN and the New York Times over blogs for news, highlighting the early tension between established media and the emerging blogosphere.
I’m noting the launch of Google News India, a new localized edition for regional news aggregation. This update, discovered via Kiruba Shankar, marks a significant step in the expansion of Google’s customized news services for Indian users.
I'm sharing The Guardian's 2002 list of favorite blogs, which features Satish’s Random Thoughts. It provides a unique snapshot of the early blogosphere and the personal sites that first caught the attention of mainstream media outlets.
I observed that mainstream outlets like USA Today and MSNBC are increasingly prioritizing weird news sections, signaling a shift where professional journalism sites embrace human interest oddities to capture reader attention across the internet.
I evaluated the beta version of Google News and found it currently unimpressive, though I predict it will follow Google’s typical trajectory to become a de facto search standard for news content.
I’ve shared a link to the News of the Weird archive, which curates bizarre, unconventional, and often hilarious true stories from global news sources. It’s a long-running collection of the world's most eccentric and strange human behavior.