Nick Bergus Thoughts on what media do, and can do better, and other things

For the last 17 months, I’ve been roller skating in counter-clockwise circles around women hitting each other while also skating in counter-clockwise circles, blowing a whistle and shouting projecting at them. Except not really. For the first several of those month, you could barely call what I was doing roller skating. It was mostly falling [...]

My career as a personal-lubricant pitchman started with a favorited tweet on Stellar that linked to Amazon where, for just $1,495, anyone could purchase a 55-gallon drum of Passion Natural water-based lubricant (and save 46 percent off list!). “What are you going to do with all this lube?! Wrestling match? Biggest adult party ever?” the pitch for the [...]

Embattled (there’s a journalism cliche I’ve always wanted to use not really) University of Iowa journalism professor Stephen G. Bloom told Jim Romenesko: “I’m at an undisclosed location. I left because I don’t want some of these crazy people who are reading everything they want to read into my story to know where I am.” [...]

I’ve been watching the West Region Area Derby Action Playoff  Tournament, or whatever WFTDA wants everyone to call the western regional now, and the announcers keep shouting about five-point grand slams. It drives me crazy. A grand slam in roller derby is always five points. Referring to it as a “five-point grand slam” is like referring to a six-point touchdown. But the [...]

I’m intrigued (and bothered) by the fear of writing out or saying obscenities in public spaces. Audience is, of course, a consideration and might require avoiding or writing around, but if the word “fuck” is integral to your meaning, step up and use “fuck.” Using “the f word” shirks responsibly and leaves me to supply [...]

I’ve been digging the neat little image (and video) sharing site mlkshk (Mlkshk? MLKSHK? MlkShk? MlKsHk?) for a while. I’ve got some invites if you’d like to join me. Get in touch.

The phrases “fail” and “epic fail” appear all over the place. Yet, they are so ugly and say so little. Let’s do better. Please.

As a teenager, I was introduced to, and loved watching, The X-Files. Sunday appointment viewing and when it jumped to the big screen, it was one of only two movies I made a point to see opening day. Then David Duchovny quit and the Agent Mulder disappeared and Robert Patrick joined and became the new [...]