Anyone need a first-rate copyeditor? Then meet Karen Wise. I can attest to her formidable chops, as she has cleaned up my prodigious messes for over a year now.

Make sure to read her extraordinarily well-written blog, Verbatim, the “Musings of a stay-home mom of 3, freelance copyeditor, voracious reader, and enthusiastic cook.”

If you wish to contact her, please click on the e-mail link on her blog.

Thank you, Karen. Best of luck with everything.

Graham Griffith, a former On Point senior producer, reflects on the passing of Ian Docherty, a singular personality and prescient journalist who last graced these hallways eight or so years ago. Graham observes that in August 2001, the Scotsman sniffed something afoot in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and was mystified why the American press so blithely ignored that country.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Ian worked with Graham on developing “Special Coverage,” the original incarnation of On Point:

His prescience that August meant that he and I had already educated ourselves on Afghanistan and Islamic terrorism of that time. We were as prepared as we could be to create programming that would help people try to make sense out of what was seemingly senseless. As I worked with producers, Ian worked with the talented—but new to radio—worldly journalist Tom Ashbrook and taught him some of the basics of “presenting radio.”

My Ian story: The American-led invasion of Afghanistan had begun and I was working the graveyard shift, updating WBUR’s website with the latest news. Ian ambled over to my station and commended me for my dedication. He then invited me to take a nip from his ever-present flask; with manhood at stake, I complied, maintaining a stoic composure despite the burning Scotch.

A tip of the flask to you, Ian, one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever encountered during my time with the station.

My neighbor the, estimable Namita Raina, clued me into this “Mad Men Yourself” phenomenon that is apparently sweeping the continent.

I feel so out of it

For those few under a rock like I once was, this online version of Colorforms lets you choose from a variety of body and face types and eyes and hair most closely resembling your own, as well as an accompanying retro wardrobe and accessories plucked straight from the Mad Men universe.

The result: Your own personalized Mad Men cartoon character. To the left is me. Notice a resemblance?

The above are three of public radio’s most beloved and distinctive personalities. Any guesses? Hint: None are Tom Ashbrook. I tried it to do the On Point host and the result was most unsatisfactory. He resembled Ron Howard with hair. To keep on Tom’s good side, I resolutely refuse to unveil the atrocity.

Look forward to your guesses.

trapped in bubbles, originally uploaded by leodirac.

Bubbles are pernicious things to be trapped inside of.

If solid in color, then obviously, the world outside becomes invisible.

But bubbles of clear plastic or soap can be quite transparent.

Viewed from inside, the inwardly curving or sloping soap-filmed surface area registers the same effect as a fun house mirror. Outside objects are larger, or smaller, or hazier, or trippier then in real life. The dull can look really interesting and the interesting dull.

The same distortion will tease out your reflection on the interior surface: You’ll appear either uglier or prettier, taller or shorter than you really are. Soul-cleansing, honest, “looking oneself in the mirror moments” are impossible once illusion has become your reality and vice-versa.

And, like a hamster in a ball, while in a bubble you can roll (or float) to places but never truly arrive. Motion doesn’t mean freedom.

Here’s to popping all bubbles: institutional, personal, regional, national, political, cultural, you name it.

What makes one station different from another – one digital solution different from another – is its voice. Its humanity.

Good luck budget-cutting your way to that.

Amen.

beginnings.., originally uploaded by Sir Mervs.

Well, folks, that’s all she wrote….

I am leaving WBUR for the wilds of Upstate New York to take a position as Web Director at Union College.

My last day here at the station will be August 7.

It’s time for a change before the moss grows too thick. I’ve been at the station just shy of nine years. Nine exhilarating, at times frustrating, never, ever dull years. And I honestly can say that the last year and a half have easily been the most professionally rewarding. I have WBUR, the social media revolution, and you to thank for that.

Union is an excellent school, boasting a long history (how many American schools have been around three centuries?) and helmed by the estimable Stephen Charles Ainlay, formerly vice president for academic affairs at Holy Cross. And it is an especially exciting time to be joining the school as it is embarking upon a new digital marketing campaign that includes a soup-to-nuts overhaul of its website.

Moreover, my spouse and I have for years now talked about getting away from the hustle and bustle of the “Big City.” More greenery and space, a puppy for the boy, and a five-minute commute beckon us west. That check-to-jowl 62 Bus will not be among the many things I’ll miss about the Hub.

Perhaps I’ve drunk too liberally from the Kool-Aid, but I like to think some of the station’s Web 2.0 experimentation has fostered deeper connections between the station and you, our listeners (you know, the folks who cut the checks and not incidentally, own the airwaves). One thing for certain: It’s been great fun.

Thank you all. For the advice, participation, engagement, collaboration, and donated labor. (Anyone in need of a crackerjack copy editor?)

In the coming weeks I plan to express my thanks directly to as many folks as possible in addition to saying goodbye. (But of course, when you think about it, social media means never really having to say goodbye.)

Please keep in touch.

Now for the $50,000 question: What about the Tweet-Ups and PRK?

Stay tuned. I hope to know more in the coming days

The mothership has redesigned its website as well…

The station has now entered the manic, terminal phase of wbur.org’s redesign.

Light trickles in from the other end of that damnably long tunnel, slicing through that suffocating, Stygian darkness. We should be on the other side in a matter of days weeks. Fingers remain tightly crossed.

And no huge surprise here: Like the current one, the new site will be news-focused. This time ramped up by a factor of ten. What to expect? A bevy of WBUR-produced content as well as stuff from NPR and other news sources.

As with past endeavors, the bones are Word Press … actually this phase was completed some months past and should be fairly obvious if you have visited the site in recent months or are aware of some of our other work.

You have visited the site, haven’t you?

Coincidentally, NPR is planing a launch of a revamped site on July 27. So a double-toast will be in order once both sites go live. I’ll plan on bringing the bubbly.

Here is a screen capture of a still-very-much-under-construction homepage.

Whaddya think?

WBUR Homepage Redesign (Still a Work in Progress)

Here’s an archive of “Uncle Walter’s” series of reminiscences he recorded for National Public Radio from 2001 – 2005.

Types of Social Capital, originally uploaded by DuncanWork.

Please read Robert Patterson’s excellent post about how in some markets public media is helping members of the public especially hard hit by the cratering economy.

My experimentation with social media outreach has given me just a small taste of what is most likely a prodigious vein of “social capital” out there beyond the studio glass. I am convinced that with a little elbow grease, risk-taking, and imagination, this “social capital” could be mined and applied to exciting, new creative ends that speak to our public service mission.

Here is one excellent example of this in action.