Author Archive

Earlier this week I wrote a piece discussing my thoughts on Riverfest. The cost for the five bands that played this year – The Grass Roots, Survivor, The Guess Who, Trapt, and The Beach Boys – was  $141,500.  This seemed like a lot, so I did a Google search to find out how much it cost to book a band. I... »

I first moved to Beloit last winter.  When my coworkers at Beloit Daily News found out I was a music fanatic, there response was similar. “You're going to LOVE Riverfest!” All through the winter and spring, the accolades for the summer music festival rained down.  As it drew near, I found myself getting excited to find out the lineup.  Finally the official... »

“We aren't in an information age, we are in an entertainment age” - Anthony Robbins. Entertainment.  It’s what we consume in those rare free moments when life gives us time off.  Each of us has our idea of the perfect way to spend a free evening.  Some enjoy flipping channels or popping in a DVD.  Other prefer heading to the theater... »

The Internet is a bastion for different forms of journalism.  Video, audio, photo galleries and even tweets can compliment or sometimes even replace the written word.  Websites like CNN now often provide only a video newscast of a story.  We've experimented a bit with image galleries and Soundlsides as different mediums to cover an event. Last week I asked my friends... »

At Beloit Daily News, we are always looking for new ways to keep the community current and informed.  In that vein, we are pleased to announce our partnership with StatelineAlerts.com. Stateline Alerts is a site designed to keep you informed throughout the day when you are not near a computer.  From the site: Stay connected to us wherever you are! With Stateline... »

As I write this, I am listening to the Senate hearings on the newspaper industry.  As print media attempts to adapt to the Internet, there are concerns about how news organizations make money by giving their product away free. While some of the largest newspapers in the country debate the best way to proceed, the Janesville Gazette implemented their plan last... »

Soundslides bills itself as “Software for Storytellers.”  It's simplistic yet powerful product that allows users to create audio slide shows for the web.  In a way, it reminds me of the presentations my uncle would show of his vacation when I was a child. Beginning soon, you will see Soundslides slide shows appearing in articles on the Beloit Daily News website. Unlike... »

More people are getting their news through social networks.  Digg, Facebook and Twitter allow the tech savvy to find stories of interest and deliver them to their friends.  Popular stories on Digg have crashed servers, an occurrence known as the “Digg effect.”  Facebook gained 100 million users since August of last year. It's... »