The Digital Desk

Everything you ever wanted to know about NewsOK.com

Darla's Blog Picks: Countrified hicks, big girls and zombie preparedness May 17, 2013 | Comment on this article

1. Science World Report By: This site seems to be updated by many contributors, so the credit goes to “Staff” today. What blog is about – “Science World Report reports, explores and interprets the results of human endeavor from the eyes of the researcher and the interested public.” Featured post –... Read More

NewsOK is looking to hire -- and other notes you should know

May 17, 2013 Seeking a journalist We’re looking to hire a web journalist. NewsOK.com is filling a position as a web editor. The role is covering the night shift and being responsible for NewsOK, NewsOK Mobile and other digital initiatives for OPUBCO Communications Group. Read More

7 untruths about Oklahoma people accept as fact

May 16, 2013 Oklahoma is known for many things, from inventions to historical footnotes. But how many of them are legit, and how many are complete falsehoods? Here are seven widely accepted “facts” about Oklahoma that range from “OK, this has some truth to it, kind of” to complete lies. “Facts” like… 7. The... Read More

Time to salute our neighbors

May 15, 2013 I’m a strong believer in recognizing those who have made significant contributions to their city or town, their state, their country, their world, or to others. You can toss in about anything else they have a major influence on. Each day, the names and efforts of those who qualify for that praise appear online or... Read More

Past Dense: Admittedly 0.22727272727272727272727272727273

May 15, 2013 Five reasons the White House wouldn’t as of Tuesday afternoon comment on the Department of Justice Associated Press records scandal: 5. If you want to make an omelet, you got to break a few eggs … or at least hope an AP staffer talked to someone with an awesome omelet recipe. 4. May I offer an unfettered,... Read More

Covering Oklahoma weather, one tweet at a time May 14, 2013 How we cover news has changed and continues to evolve with the use of mobile technology. The same goes for weather. When a big storm hits, people have grown accustomed to turning to Twitter to follow hashtags and share photos and video. They’re also looking for the latest information on a storm and its total... Read More

Social Hour: Ridiculous parenting tweets, recovered Snapchats and paperless tickets May 14, 2013 It’s time for another Social Hour, so let’s jump right into the social and mobile news you might have missed last week. First, Huggies has launched a new product in Brazil to alert parents when their baby needs to be changed. The new gadget is called TweetPee and has a sensor that attaches to the... Read More

Darla's Blog Picks

May 10, 2013 1. RENEWPURPOSE By: Benjamin – “What’s this renewpurpose thing. I started renewpurpose to share my observations of the intersections between art, design, and the environment, and hopefully to do something to help improve the latter. We are currently working to bring sustainably produced upcycled... Read More

Check out 12 of Oklahoma's beautifully creepy abandoned places

May 09, 2013 $(document).ready(function() {brightcove.createExperiences();}); Beautiful and creepy aren’t two words one typically puts together when describing something, let alone abandoned places in Oklahoma. But that’s exactly what the following 12 abandoned places are: beautiful and creepy. They’re also full of... Read More

Past Dense: Holding at seven fives

May 08, 2013 Five types of “Past Dense” fans: 5. Atlantic Breeze 4. Holmes Lil Blizzard Oscillating 3. Cannot read the brand name as it’s been hit by the proverbial excrement. 2. Your average Sartre-reading, obscenely bearded, Gaulois-smoking, black turtleneck-wearing intellectual; a.k.a., Smart Grandma 1.... Read More

Leaving a good taste

May 08, 2013 You’ve undoubtedly heard the idiom, “It leaves a good taste in your mouth,” or a variant of it, referring to something being very pleasing. It might be the hospitality of those living in an area you visit, offering you an unsolicited but much appreciated gift of kindness. They make you feel welcome... Read More

Social Hour: Private chats and YouTube subscription fees May 07, 2013 The aftermath of Reuters’ decision to fire its deputy social media editor, Matthew Keys, has taken another unexpected twist. Since being terminated, Keys has protected his tweets. And on Friday, he published a private conversation he had with Jared Keller, director of social media for Bloomberg News. The... Read More

4 reasons why 'Iron Man 3' was a horrible start to Marvel's Phase 2

May 03, 2013 “Iron Man 3″ hit theaters today and will likely make a couple hundred million bucks this weekend because, well, it’s a superhero movie, and superhero movies are like gold these days. The Moore Warren Theatre took my money today so I could sit for 150 minutes through what I consider a horrible start to... Read More

Darla's Blog Picks

May 03, 2013 1. BuzzFeed By: The blog is maintained by many writers. Peggy Wang posted this one. She is the DIY editor at Buzzfeed. I like shopping and bubblegum. Ask me about my UK hardcore band. What blog is about – Looks like a bit of everything on fun and cool do-it-yourself things. Featured post – 24... Read More

May 3rd site on NewsOK offers chance to look back and remember

May 03, 2013 It’s May 3. It’s an appropriate day to remember this day 14 years ago. Everyone who was in Oklahoma on May 3, 1999 remembers where they were that day. That why we created an archived site to keep on NewsOK that allows users to look back on the devastating day in Oklahoma. We created the site four... Read More

5 things Oklahomans should remember about 'The Biggest Loser' before they audition this Saturday

May 02, 2013 “The Biggest Loser” is holding auditions for an upcoming season this weekend in Oklahoma City. A lot of people are expected to show up, and that’s with good reason: In 2012, Oklahoma was ranked the sixth-worst state when it comes to obesity. Before you head to the audition, please remember that “The... Read More

What we need is ...

May 01, 2013 If you’re looking for the latest updates on current events, or you have some of your own to share, there are a few places you can go. At these locations, you’ll connect with others who have read, watched, or listened to all the news sources available, done their own analysis, and come up with solutions to... Read More

Hey, Westboro Baptist Church: You're your own worst enemy

May 01, 2013 Dear Westboro Baptist Church, Really, guys, REALLY? Tonight, you’ll be in OKC protesting Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs bout between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, all because professional basketball player Jason Collins recently came out of the closet. You blame everything that goes wrong... Read More

Social Hour: Why a digital news reporter isn't the worst job of the year April 30, 2013 “Top of the Morning,” readers. Let’s dive right into this week’s Social Hour. First, New York Times TV reporter Brian Stelter kicked off his “Top of the Morning” book tour recently. He stopped in at several publications and TV stations last week to talk about the book, which he describes as “a... Read More

NMF: 6 types of people you might have seen at Norman Music Festival

April 29, 2013 Norman Music Festival finished up its sixth year on Saturday with performances from local talent to the North Wales-based band The Joy Formidable. Norman residents and others in attendance went to the festival for the music, the drinks and the atmosphere, but half the fun is people watching. Here are... Read More