Mattsapundit

Local afternoon talk host Chris Baker (740 KTRH) is a funny guy, and a pretty good talk show host. The guy understands the potential in blogging, but Laurence is right about Chris’ blog:

Then the other day Ken Charles is all a flutter, interrupting Chris on his show over something new…

• A photo gallery?
• A studiocam?
• Moderated comments?
• RSS feeds?
• A decent picture of Chris?
• Permalinks for individual posts?
• Moderated forums for listener discussions when the show isn’t on?

Hell no. It’s “Instant messaging” he gasps and I look at it.

It’s just an email form. Not exactly “Instant messaging” by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it’s faster for me just to thumb in a message from Ziggy3 than jump through those hoops.

There’s so much that needs to be done, and this is a priority?

Take a look for yourself. His blog has some major problems with it. Some are aesthetic and some are functional, but they all scream “amateur.”

• Broken and incorrect links (several point to the site’s admin area)
• No blockquotes
• No permalinks
• No comments
• No feeds
• Inconsistent text formatting
• Sloppy layout

Basically, the site doesn’t work very well, and it’s uglier than a shit sandwich on a stick in the rain.
I’m not saying this to rip on Baker, but to prod KTRH and Ken Charles to action. The blog has so much potential. Stories could develop across Houston media — radio, TV, print, Internet. Listeners could become blog readers. Link love could proliferate, and the “50,000-Watt Think Tank” could be at the center of it all.

But that’s not going to happen as long as the site looks like someone tried to put out a forest fire with a screwdriver.

Chris, Ken, get on the stick and fix that blog!

Matt Bramanti | June 28, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Posted to Houston, Media, Reviews, Blogging

3 comments

The other day, I opened the door of Mattsapundit Central Command to find a package:

Everything about this box screamed “DO NOT OPEN ME,” from the recycled label to the return address:

All of a sudden, I was struck with panic, thinking of all the times I’ve ripped on the Chronicle. Did James Howard Gibbons finally snap? Is it a horse’s head from Cragg Hines? Did Jeff Cohen ship himself to my front door?

Against my better judgement, I carefully opened the box:

To my horror, I discovered a terribly contagious virus capable of crippling even the toughest immune system:

Yup, it’s a stuffed rhinovirus from GiantMicrobes, and it’s cute as a button. It turns out my brazen attacker is none other than Chron medical writer Leigh Hopper, who awarded the pathogen as part of her bird flu bumper sticker contest.

Thanks, Leigh!

Matt Bramanti | May 2, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Posted to Media, Personal, Products, Medicine

1 comment

A security breach has compromised the personal information of students of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, according to a press release from the school.

The press release recounts a previous security breach:

A similar security breach took place in 2003. Former student Christopher Phillips was found guilty of accessing protected computers without authorization and possession of stolen Social Security numbers.

Interestingly, Janet Elliott’s reporting for the Chronicle’s Austin bureau also recounts the previous incident:

A similar security breach took place in 2003. Former student Christopher Phillips was found guilty of accessing protected computers without authorization and possession of stolen Social Security numbers.

That looks strikingly similar. Maybe the newspaper should have just posted the press release?

BLOGVERSATION: blogHOUSTON, Lone Star Times

Matt Bramanti | April 25, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Posted to Media, Texas

No comments yet

Ladies and gentlemen, the image of Mohammed:

These drawings have set off flag-burning riots, attacks on diplomatic posts, and gunfire around the world.

So, it’s time for an open letter to the Muslim world:

Dear Muslim World,We thought you’d appreciate the cartoons, since your society’s literacy rate lags ours by about 35 percentage points. Should we use smoke signals to communicate?

In conclusion, knock it off.

Love,
Civilization

Matt Bramanti | February 4, 2006 at 12:35 am
Posted to Media, International, Islamofascism

2 comments