Reactions from the Newseum
I visited the Newseum (museum of news in Washington, DC) this morning, four days after its inaugural opening. I was impressed, educated, and intrigued, and am in the midst of rearranging my day’s schedule so I can return for more.
This innovative museum tells the story of American history through a far more approachable medium than the typical museum exhibit: through the front pages of newspapers, television snippets, and even internal emails from the New York Times to its reporters on the morning of September 11th. It also tells of the important role of the media in our country, and in a democracy.
The first exhibit I approached was a collection of every Pulitzer Prize winning photograph since that prize was first awarded in the 1950s. It’s a stunning visual walk through history, from Vietnam and civil rights to Oklahoma City and Kosovo. It reminded me of the power of a photograph to deeply impact emotion: seeing a photo of the World Trade Center still shakes me to the core; an image of white students using an american flag pole to beat a black man fills me with disgust.
The exhibit made me ponder that career path I never really considered seriously, yet briefly pursued: photojournalism. The museum pays their tribute as well as that of their pen-wielding compatriots.
A video on the Sedition Acts, President Adams, and the creation of the freedom of the press made me consider the act of history repeating that occured in our own generation with the passage of the Patriot Act. It told the story of a part of our history I never knew, or at least never appreciated.
If you get a chance to stop through DC, I strongly suggest passing through the Newseum. My next visit will likely be a matter of hours away.
My Dream Machine: The Canon 40D
Canon announced yesterday the release of their new digital SLR, the 40D, which is the successor to the dated 20D and 30D models. It’s about time, since Nikon has had a far stronger model in the D80 for quite some time now. The 40D represents significant improvements in terms of LCD size, image density (megapixels), and quality.
Looks like I’ll be blowing a big chunk of change on a new camera - better start saving now! Given that my last vacation to Scotland generated over $200 worth of film development expenses, however, it will end up paying itself off in a couple years.
From Digital Photography Review:
Canon today introduces its latest digital SLR for advanced amateurs and semi-professionals: the EOS 40D. With a 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.5 frames per second burst performance, a newly developed AF system and 3.0” LCD with Live View mode, the EOS 40D makes significant advances in both performance and versatility.
Many thanks to Indranil on sending me this great news!
- Welcome to The Intrepid Mr. Fox
Welcome to the personal weblog of Mitchell W. Fox, a management strategy consultant in Sydney, Australia.The Intrepid Mr. Fox is about my personal life and adventures. It focuses on three main topics: The Good Life (things I enjoy in my leisure time), Travel, and my thoughts and ideas about the world around us.