news & brews.

Today’s Sun Sentinel front page is so special, it needed...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:23:16 -0400

Today’s Sun Sentinel front page is so special, it needed two pages. For a feature on Chris “The Birdman” Andersen (and to kick off our conference finals coverage), I wrapped his tattooed arms around to the back page, where the story jump is. It took quite a bit of work and communication with the press room to pull this off, but I’m glad we made the effort.

Playlist: Miami Marlins' walk-up songs

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:05:00 -0400

Playlist: Miami Marlins' walk-up songs:

I quickly put together this embedded Spotify list of the Marlins’ walk-up songs. And lets be serious, we’re running out of things to say about the worst team in baseball.

Celebrating Dr. @laurenpetrik! (at The Granfalloon)

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:53:03 -0400

Celebrating Dr. @laurenpetrik! (at The Granfalloon)

When baseball was two words. (at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum)

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:31:20 -0400

When baseball was two words. (at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum)

USA Gymnastics considering prosthetics

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:17:26 -0400

A talented eight-year-old named Bailee Iorg has fallen in love with what was likely my first love: gymnastics. The difference is that she only has one leg. Her limb difference has caused USAG to consider prosthetic limbs. If they allow her to compete, her competition should be nervous. Watch her video here.

I strongly hope they allow her to be a competitive gymnast. I had many years full of wonderful memories as a competitive gymnast, and I know the experience will turn this strong young girl into an unstoppable woman, and she’ll inspire others along the way.

You can sign the petition here to let USAG know you’re with Bailee.

Love these pretty blooms in our front yard.

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:59:40 -0400

Love these pretty blooms in our front yard.

espn reinforcing gender stereotypes

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:55:53 -0400

There isn’t enough time in the day to discuss ESPN’s sins against journalism, but my latest problem with the media giant is found in their magazine. Usually, I love ESPN the Magazine. I think it’s the best journalism they produce, and they design is fantastic. The latest issue celebrated the 15th anniversary of the magazine, and it brought back many of the favorite features from the last 15 years.

In the Playbook section, which spanned 10.25 pages, six sports were highlighted, and they asked various athletes to play along in beloved features. Only one woman was featured, WNBA player Elena Delle Donne, and her feature was her cooking skills, featuring her favorite recipe for Mediterranean pasta. There was only one word about her athletic skills. Literally one word, found in the subhead: “Score, sure, but this rook can dish too.” She was also given the least amount of real estate: only half a page. The space breakdown is as follows: NBA - 5, NHL - 1.75, MLB - 1, Lacrosse - 1, WNBA - .5, Motorsports - 1.

It’s easy to see the problem here, but the solution would have also been easy. Here are some simple ways they could have avoided reinforcing gender stereotypes and making me mad:

Do the cooking feature with a male athlete. They eat too.
Feature more than one woman so the cooking feature wasn’t the only feature associated with female athletes.
Give Elena more editorial space by moving her to a full page and dedicating half the page to her athletic talents and half to cooking.

It would be unfair to feature an equal number of female athletes and male athletes — there are simply more male athletes. But c’mon, ESPN, I can’t be the only one who noticed this.

It’s easy to love life when this is your Monday. (at...

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:15:43 -0400

It’s easy to love life when this is your Monday. (at Sunrise & A1A)

My portfolio website

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:32:00 -0400

My portfolio website:

I updated my portfolio for the first time since joining the Sun Sentinel. Finally.

"Anytime somebody comes to me with something, my first instinct when I look at it is to think bigger...."

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:18:33 -0400

“Anytime somebody comes to me with something, my first instinct when I look at it is to think bigger. That’s my instinctual piece of advice. Think bigger. Whatever it is, blow it out of proportion and see where that takes you. Come back to me when you’ve thought about that times 100. Show me what that looks like.”

- Joe Gebbia, cofounder of Airbnb, shares how design and user experience transformed their business. This is exactly why I love what I do, and I believe it can positively impact all companies.

An appropriate color for @sunsentinel employees right now!

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:22:00 -0400

An appropriate color for @sunsentinel employees right now!

The newsonomics of the Koch Brothers

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:04:00 -0400

The newsonomics of the Koch Brothers:

An interesting read about what it might mean if the Koch brothers buy the Tribune newspapers, which include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

"User engagement is like exercise. Small doses on a regular basis will keep your audience engaged and..."

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:58:00 -0400

“User engagement is like exercise. Small doses on a regular basis will keep your audience engaged and happy.”

- Barry Graubart

Awesome infographics

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:50:00 -0400

I absolutely love visual.ly, and every so often I take a little bit to go through their data visualizations on various topics. Here’s what I learned today:

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last twenty years in children ages 12-19.
Two-thirds of the world’s poor live in Asia.
Local businesses generate 70% more local economic activity than big-box stores, generating 3.5 times more wealth for the local economy.
In 2012, 26 million bags were mishandled at international airports — down from 47 million in 2007.
28 percent of people now use a tablet as their primary computer.
Full-time web designers earn an average salary of $95,000 per year, and almost half are between the ages of 25-34.
Drake has more than 41 million followers when combining Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, making him the king of hip-hop on social media.

Newspaper Barons Resurface

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:35:00 -0400

The Tribune Co. newspapers (The LA Times, Chicago Tribune and Sun Sentinel, among others) are still up for sale, and there is some concern over the wealthy few who have invested in newspapers recently. Some push very clear agendas, and that can be a problem for an editorial staff that does not. Some just want to experiment with a new hobby. All in all, I love this quote from the post that tries to explain why people would want to get involved with such a shaky industry.

Newspapers may be short on profits, but they have become a new form of ostentation. How rich is he? He can afford to own a newspaper, for crying out loud.

I’m so lucky to call these beautiful ladies my best...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:56:47 -0400

I’m so lucky to call these beautiful ladies my best friends. (at Tarpon Bend Food & Tackle)

happy hour with the best friends! (at Rock Bar)

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:32:39 -0400

happy hour with the best friends! (at Rock Bar)

Boston Children's Hospital's wish list

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:39:23 -0400

Boston Children's Hospital's wish list:

I absolutely love this. Amazon has lists of children hospitals around the country who need donations. You can buy toys and other products online, and the items get directly shipped to the hospital. It couldn’t be easier to make a child smile! After the Boston Marathon explosion yesterday, the Boston Children’s Hospital added a few items they need for the influx of patients they’ll have this week.

South Florida Sun Sentinel wins Pulitzer

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:34:00 -0400

South Florida Sun Sentinel wins Pulitzer:

The South Florida Sun Sentinel was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism on Monday for its investigation of off-duty policy officers endangering the lives of citizens by speeding. Read all about the project, and hear our editor’s champagne toast for a glimpse at how much this means to our newsroom. It was an exciting day in the newsroom, and I couldn’t be more proud to work with these talented journalists. It is especially thrilling to win the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service because making the world a better place is truly why we do what we do every day.

It’s an excellent day to be a journalist at the Sun Sentinel....

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:37:00 -0400

It’s an excellent day to be a journalist at the Sun Sentinel. Congratulations to our investigations team for winning a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service! Making the world a better place is why we do what we do every day, and I couldn’t be more proud to work here. (at Sun Sentinel)