OK.
You know what?
I don’t want to appear to be a sore loser.
(unfair! unfair! unfair!)
OK.
Now that I got that out of my system, as I said, I don’t want to appear to be a sore loser… however….
…….
For the second year in a row I have made it to the finals of the Knight Foundation News Challenge, only to be eliminated at the last culling.
OK.
I mean, I understand and it’s their money. They can do with it as they please.
So this morning, the Knight Foundation announced their winners – $2.74 million awarded. Here’s the list.
The vast majority of the winners (you will notice I am not on it… again), were for new technologies, as opposed to applications.
OK. Like I said, it’s their money.
In any event, the one that really annoyed me (or that I found lyrically ironic) was for $200,000 to something called Stroome.
The idea is (and let me quote them directly here)
“To simplify the production of news video, Stroome will create a virtual video-editing studio. There, correspondents, editors and producers will be able to upload and share content, edit and remix with friends and colleagues – all without using expensive satellite truck technology.”
Well, first of all, anyone with a iPhone knows that you don’t need ‘expensive satellite truck technology” any more. This is hardly ‘breaking news’ to anyone – except perhaps the folks at Knight (which, after all, is a newspaper).
But even more annoying whimsically ironic, is the fact that today, Youtube announced the release of a free online editing system that is really simple to use. Free!
So why is the Knight Foundation paying out 200k for someone to ‘create’ a ‘virtual editing stuido’? Maybe the folks at Stroome will simply link to the new Youtube software and take their checks and head for the Bahamas?
OK.
Call me a sore loser.
Just call me a loser.
But I am gonna win next year’s Knight Foundation News Challenge Grant Awards.
I know what I am gonna submit.
Rosenblum’s List.
A new technology that allows people to upload and share classified ads.
I only need $200,000 to ‘develop’ the technology.
I think it’s a winner.
2 Comments
Rachelle June 18, 2010
Ah man! You should have won.
Michael Rosenblum June 18, 2010
THANKS!