NPR has been runnin a lot of stories about Detroit latel in their “Remaking Michigan, Retooling Detroit” series. Of particular interest is Detroit’s Big Screen Image Problem, Why Can’t Detroit Cash in on its Music Scene? and Why I Love Detroit, and This Sculpture. . . . → Read More: Some links, many about Detroit]]> Here are some Sunday morning links foryou, many of them local.

NPR has been runnin a lot of stories about Detroit latel in their “Remaking Michigan, Retooling Detroit” series. Of particular interest is Detroit’s Big Screen Image Problem, Why Can’t Detroit Cash in on its Music Scene? and Why I Love Detroit, and This Sculpture. Last Monday on “The Story” Dick Gordon interviewed Jerry Balanger, owner of Park Bar in Detroit, who has a very interesting perspective on business in Detroit, including a fun alternate currency he invented.

Speaking of alternate currencies. here’s an article about it by Douglas Rushkoff, who also has a show and podcast called “The Media Squat” on WFMU.

Back to local, I just discovered this blog page on Wayne State’s site. I looked at a few, and they are interesting, but this is puzzling to me. I don’t know who these undergrads are or how they were selected to blog on Wayne’s main page. There is no “about” section and no contact info for the administrator. What is this?

HASTAC is hosting a discussion called Blogging and Twetting Academia, which has not yet had a ton of activity, but what is there is interesting.

View Larger Map

click on the above image and you can move it around with the arrow keys. If you look down at the car you will see the top of the car, and an envelope in the back seat, like this: View Larger Map

And . . . → Read More: The google vehicle]]> I have captured some reflections of the google vehicle.

View Larger Map

click on the above image and you can move it around with the arrow keys. If you look down at the car you will see the top of the car, and an envelope in the back seat, like this:

View Larger Map

And here’s another, better reflection:

Also broken. Click here.

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

I will have a lot to say about this, but here are some initial personal reactions.

I find it interesting and compelling to walk through neighborhoods I know, but also a little disconcerting to . . . → Read More: Google Streetview Detroit]]> Google unveiled Streetview for Detroit this week. Here is a view of the bookstore at Wayne State.

View Larger Map

I will have a lot to say about this, but here are some initial personal reactions.

I find it interesting and compelling to walk through neighborhoods I know, but also a little disconcerting to know someone has taken pictures of, say, the house I grew up in, although my current residence is missing by only about 1/4 mile.

A weird function of this app is that when you “walk” down the street, you may see a person but if you walk forward, the person disappears or moves in a strange way. Try it at a crosswalk, like the one above.

I am also obsessed for some reason to find out when these pics were taken. I may try to drive by like a bank or something with the date on it. So far, I have gathered that it is probably late summer/early fall. I found my car at my friend Kev’s house, which doesn’t say much but that it was probably Sunday morning, which I think is a likely time for me to be there. There are a lot of students on WSU campus and they are mostly wearing pants and short sleeves with no coats, which tells me it is Fall semester. This mail carrier, however, is wearing shorts:

View Larger Map

Gas cost $3.17 that day at the corner of Forest and Woodward. There was no Tigers or Lions games that day. More later as I explore and think about this.