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Posted 6 hours 12 minutes ago WALTER MOSSBERG And VIndu GOEL

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Tech columnist: An increasingly dead-end profession

These days, when any 12-year-old with Wi-Fi can fancy himself a blogger, well-researched, thoughtfully formed opinions on the future of technology and its broader implications for global humanity are worth about as much Romney 2012 bumper stickers. While past generations of ink-on-dead-trees journalists might well have imagined columnizing as the pinnacle of their profession, replete with lavish expense accounts and brandy-sniftering at Larry Ellisons pad, nowadays the gig primarily consists of standing around at oh-dark-thirty with a bunch of pencilnecks from GigaOM who are about to faint with anticipaHot new blog sensation tion over just what bells and whistles will be featured at the latest iPad unveiling. Blog Tot devles into topics Little wonder, then, that those poor saps still stuck with the thankless gig have been sprinting for the exits. such as the meaning of life from Pampers to Depends, Lashinsky? Writing books, thanks. Herhold? Holed up at City Hall, counting down the days until his pension rises above the most mesmerizing crib waterline. Stewart Alsop got wise years ago and decamped for venture capital (hows that Justin.tv investment working out mobiles and anonoblogging for you, big guy?). Michelle Quinn had a cup of coffee in the job, briefly switched to some dead-end Southland newspaper in the momosphere. Tot is and, last we heard, was trying to revive her journalistic cred after flacking for Governor Moonbeam. Get the picture? Its ugly, the third youngest blogger kid. in the Bay Area, at least If you ask us, a guys far better off getting an anonymous reporting job at some ponderous, barely solvent rag still clinging as of this morning. to the 20th Century vestiges of its reputation. Theyll lose track of you and barely notice that you havent filed in two weeks. Look at Vindu; his job titles Agriculture Editor, for Christs sake. As for Walt, well, its well known hes been coasting for years, taking on a Colonel Sanderslike corporate front for a cadre of ghost-writing twentysomethings in Bangladesh. See NOFUTURE after the jump. Posted 12 hours 12 minutes ago PETER dELEVETT

The many faces of Chris OBrien

So youve been wondering how this guy OBrien finds time to write columns for the Merc, crank out blog posts for Silicon Beat, update prolifically on Facebook, fire off multiple Tweets every day And teach his kid how to design video games? Answer: Theres more than one Chris OBrien. Theres OBrien the serious thinker... Then theres the feisty journalist... Theres also OBrien And finally, that guy who looks like he just woke up... the family man...

Top 10 Reasons Why OBrien is leaving the Mercury News:

1. didnt want a new column sig with the short hair to save his Berkeley cred. 2. It was part of his deal for securing the @ SiliconBeat Twitter handle. 3. He has seen the future, and it is clicks. Apple. Apple. Apple. 4. Los Angeles Times agreed he could cover Silicon Valley from the Bolinas bureau. 5. He got tired of explaining the Internet and social media to the glass offices. 6. Merc bean-counters refuse to approve expenses submitted from Burning Man. 7. Benefit of working in an LAT bureau: Since he dropped Comcast, needs reliable source for duke basketball broadcasts.

Posted 14 hours 6 minutes ago

MIKE CASSIdY

OBrien to print dinosaurs: Let them eat paper

Every now and then you get a shift in the digital landscape that registers on the Richter scale. Chris OBrien leaving the newspaper of Silicon Valley is just that. OK, it isnt. I mean, come on. This is a digital first world, dude. People leave places all the time. People leave places they dont even know theyve been to in the digital first world. In the digital first world, nothing is permanent. nothing lasts. nothing is much worth keeping. In fact, everything is crap, which is why we never put it any of it down on Chris OBriens digital ranking on paper. digital baby. the Richter scale. Oh yeah, Chris OBrien. I was going to ask him why hes leaving, but this is a blog. I dont actually interview people. (Motto: If it aint in the press release, it aint getting in here.) I did read, though, where he said that he decided he had to leave the day he realized the Mercury news was still printed on paper. Jesus, OBrien told some real reporter, a dead tree version. Who publishes a dead tree version? When is the Mercury news going to see the light? Its all about quick, light, incomprehensible content delivered on a platform that leaves no trail of your ineptitude. The real reporter asked OBrien, who lives and often works in Oakland, and sometimes in Bolinas, where he writes columns while overlooking the ocean, how it was that he was on the staff of the Mercury news, but didnt realize the thing was actually published on paper. Yeah, that, OBrien said. Its been six years since Ive actually been in San Jose. I just assumed theyd gotten rid of the albatross. Maybe OBrien can be forgiven. Hes a digital guy. A blogger. Check out Silicon BeatIt. In the two months since its relaunch, OBrien has put up 3,237,693 posts and attracted 678,239,543 page views. But whos counting? (Answer: Butlers counting. Or at least Randy Keith is counting for him.) Its in OBriens blood. Can digital stuff be in your blood the way ink can be? Tell me what you think. Contact Mike Cassidy at mcassidy@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5536. Follow him at Twitter. com/mikecassidy.

8. Trousdale shot down proposal for a biz staff yoga retreat with real-time metrics on how many downward dogs everyone did. 9. dFM turned down Chriss proposal to change the companys name to digital Whenever. 10. Los Angeles Times is giving him a 10,000 click handicap. 13. He listened to Jen.
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At least eight people dislike SiliconBeatIt on Facebook, but were sure they have their reasons...

Hurd it through the grapevine

Look out, theres a new Mayer in town

Just call me Mr. Chips Otellini

Ill be Cookin the books for profit soon

doesnt give a Whit about SiliconBeat, man

And then there was one Barbarian at the Gates

Ha! Everybody likes *MY* Page

Larry, Larry, Larry. need I say more? OK. Larry

Tweets ... just because

@obrien: Later, digital Whenever! @jxpaton: Innovate or die. @obrien @jxpaton: I am innovating, you gas bag. And have been for more than a decade. @jxpaton: Chris, you cant leave. We want to make you digital Whenever Czar. And were getting a new CMS in 2013! @obrien: Too little, too late.

@dbutler: OK, I finally got on this thing called twitter. Wish OBrien could tell me what the point is.
@jhrobinson: damn, Chris. Were so totally fucked without you.