The newspaper killer.

I'll admit, being a young, frivolous 20 something year old, I very rarely rush to my nearest newspaper stand and grab the newest copy of the paper.  In fact, I really don't engage in news reading much at all, which is something I'm ashamed to say.  You could say that the reason for the decline in newspapers is because of people like me.  Young people who have always had a different medium for acquiring their news.  Young people who would rather read news from an electric glowing screen called an iPhone, than off of a piece of paper.

I say that the vast advancements in technology are responsible for leaving newspapers sulking in the corner, jealousy pouring from every pore of their skin.  Being a 21-year-old who recently started taking classes on the evolution of news and media, I decided that I don't know nearly enough to tell someone "I told you so!"  I figured I better do a little research before I start pointing fingers.

What is the real reason for the decline in newspapers?

I discovered an interesting article written by Jay Yarow on CNN that talked about the influence of advertisers.  It was a surprise to read that many people blame blogs for the rapid decrease of newspapers.  Until I began writing my own blog, I wouldn't even have known where to begin looking for news in the blog world.  I'm still unsure how to do that.  Others blame sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  These sites don't give you world news, rather, they tell you what your sister is doing or which one of your friends is engaging in what George Carlin called, “involuntary personal protein spill” the morning after drinking at the local watering hole.

Advertisers have moved to bigger and better things, like the internet.

The article focused most of its attention on advertisers, and their extremely stealthy influence on everything news and media.  Advertisers are "fleeing newspapers for the greener, cheaper pastures of the internet" according to Yarow.  They have left newspapers and are now providing their wonderful services to the internet. 

It makes sense.  My professor told us earlier in the year that advertising is a big part of most newspapers income.  If a newspaper couldn't make the vast amount of income it needed when it was popular, it will obviously struggle when its main form of income bolts for the new, better looking girl in town.  I am simply amazed at how secretively they are doing it.  Framing blogs and social networking?  That is ingenious, if you ask me.       

Thank you Chipper Jones, for everything.

In a city full of history, there are few icons that have a profound influence on a large number of people.  Chipper Jones was the exception.  Men looked up to him.  Woman looked up to him.  Children literally looked up to him.  Birds perched on the top of Turner Field looked down at him.  All eyes were on him.  For 19 years, he was a symbol of strength and devotion in the city of Atlanta.  After this year, that symbol will change forever.

Chipper came to this city in 1993, when I was still sipping on baby food and figuring out how to say simple words like Mom and Dad.  As his legacy grew, so did I, and I watched from the silvery glow of my television set as he strolled to home plate, Crazy Train blasting over the loud speakers around him, and clubbed balls out of the park, like Tiger Woods at the driving range

Chipper Jones came to the Braves in 1993, and created a legacy

The Braves were a hot ticket in the 90's, and Chipper and company were solely responsible for that.  They became the perennial power house in Atlanta.  You thought sports in this city, and you thought Braves.  Chipper was the leader.  He ushered in an era of winning, an era of tradition.  An era where people of all ages, young boys and girls, flocked to Turner Field by the masses, all wearing shirts with the number 10 on the back, blue and red caps with the bright letter "A" pulled over their heads.  He became the iconic symbol of a team that represented something that was more than itself, and he accepted his role with the kind of diligence and patience that not only makes for a good baseball player, but a good person.

Fans flocked to Turner Field in the hundreds to watch Chipper and company

This is the part of this post where all the snide jabber comes to an abrupt end.  This is the part of this post where the meaningless stats get thrown out the window.  This is the part of this post that commends a man using the only means necessary.  Respect.

Chipper Jones was integrated with my childhood.  He was the one constant thing I had known since I was a young child.  When I would attend games, my heart would pound when number 10 stepped up to the plate, because I knew something great was about to happen.  Even when he struck out, or hit a pop fly, the crowd still cheered with an exuberant vigor, because they knew he would be there again, and next time, he wouldn't let them down.  He never had.

Chipper Jones has 454 home runs, but he meant more to the Braves than just a slugger

With Chipper's retirement, I feel like my childhood just died.  It wasn't when I graduated high school, it wasn't when I got accepted to college and it wasn't when I got my first job.  It was when I realized the hero of my youth would step away from the game he so loved, and the game I so loved watching him in.  I know my pain resonates with Braves and baseball fans everywhere.  I don't know if he will get elected to the hall of fame or not, although I'm sure he will.  What I do know, is that he will always be in my hall of fame.  He will exist in my heart, a heart that still beats with the energy of young boy who stood and cheered whenever he crushed a ball into the 755 Club.  He will exist there because he so rightly deserves it. 

Not bad for a chip off the old block.

Data growth and new technology are lowering the spectrum.

You are out at the mall with your friends.  After hours of shopping and walking around, you guys stop at the food court to grab a seat and sip on a cold drink.  Your friend mentions a video he saw on the internet, some video of a father shooting his daughter's laptop computer with his Colt .45 pistol.  Your friends haven't seen the video, and you decide to pull out your wicked awesome smart phone to show it to them.  Your phone can't load the video.  Something is wrong.

It's called Spectrum Crunch.

What exactly is Spectrum Crunch?  Described in an article written in the tech section of CNN Money, the Spectrum Crunch is the lack of airwaves necessary to provide voice, text and Internet services to U.S. mobile phones. 

It blew my mind when I read that the invisible infrastructure over which all wireless transmissions travel, is a finite source.  You always imagine that wireless technology has unlimited capabilities, but that is not how it works.  We as Americans are taking up the necessary space required to have our mobile phones access their data plans.  How exactly are we doing this?

By looking up videos of ridiculous laptop shootings at the mall, Americans are increasing their network traffic.  New technology has contributed to this.  The iPhone uses 24 times as much spectrum as a standard cell phone, and the iPad uses 122 times as much, according to the Federal FCC.  The overload of data will have a negative effect on the economy as well as the wireless infrastructure.  Companies will have to up their prices when the demand for wireless networks becomes limited.

The wireless data growth leads to spectrum deficit

 

 

As far as taking care of the spectrum problem, I'm not sure there is much that can be done.  We could use less data, but let's be realistic, Americans love to surf the web, check email, and watch videos.  The data use won't come down, and we might have to reap the results.

Make Blackmon a Ram, or else.

The St. Louis Rams finished 2-14 this season.  This record left Rams fans all over the country watching tape of Kurt Warner, tears streaming from their eyes, remembering the days when the Rams were Super Bowl contenders.  Fans of the team out of St. Louis could have another reason to cry in just a few months, and no, it's not because of the disappearance of Sam Bradford's throwing arm.  The Rams however, could be making a decision that would hinder Bradford's ability to reestablish himself as an elite quarterback.

Rams QB Sam Bradford had a tough 2011-2012 season

NFL insider Adam Schefter (a man who continually seems to pull information from any NFL team without wearing a costume that conceals his secret identity) reported that the Ram's are looking to trade their second overall pick, and possibly gather more picks in the first round.  That makes about as much sense as Snooki and her baby making the Hip Hop Headlines.  Let me explain to you why this is a bad idea.

The Rams were awful this season.  They couldn't pass.  They couldn't block.  They couldn't play defense.  To sum up the last four sentences, they sucked.  Bad.  Firstly, I feel the players didn't fit the system.  Josh McDaniel's offense has been about as successful as the year that Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed the Super Bowl Halftime Show.  His offense didn't work in Denver, and it certainly hasn't worked in St. Louis.  He doesn't have the pieces.  McDaniel's offense requires a deep threat, like a Randy Moss or a Mike Wallace.  The closest he has is Brandon Lloyd, who after two years in McDaniel's offense, has about as many touchdown's as Darrelle Revis, and he plays defense.  Believe me, I know.  I had Lloyd on my fantasy team this year.

The Ram's don't have the receivers they need to execute a prolific offense, and give their quarterback, Bradford, a shot at throwing down field.  With the second pick, they could solve this problem.

Enter Justin Blackmon.  Never heard of him?  He's a receiver out of Oklahoma State, and he's a freak.  He's the top receiver in this year's draft class, and he could be everything the Rams are looking for.  Blackmon finished the 2011 regular season with 121 catches for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the Big 12 in receiving and ranked second nationally in both receptions per game and total receptions.  In the Fiesta Bowl, he made the Stanford defense look like a high school junior varsity team.  He caught 8 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game.  Read that sentence again.  He caught 8 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game.  That's ridiculous.  That's 62 yards and a touchdown every three catches!    

Justin Blackmon was a nightmare for Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl

I get it.  The Rams think that if they trade for more picks, they will be able to build their defense and their offensive line.  It's a good idea.  They need as much help in those areas as they can get.  However, they think that if they trade the second pick to the Browns for their fourth pick, or the Redskins for their sixth pick, they can still nab Blackmon.  That's not going to happen.

The Minnesota Vikings have the third overall pick in this year's draft.  They have a young and talented quarterback in Christian Ponder.  They have arguably the best running back in the game in Adrian Peterson.  They have a young and talented defense led by stud lineman, Jared Allen.  A receiver will make them complete, and you can bet your life savings that if they get a shot at grabbing Justin Blackmon, they will jump on him like Lindsey Lohan and cocaine.

Blackmon is going to make an NFL team extremely happy.  Whether it is the Rams or not, passing up on a sure fire opportunity to grab him would be a huge mistake.  It's the kind of mistake teams make like trading Babe Ruth or releasing Jeremy Lin, and I have a bad feeling that history is repeating itself.