Tim Pool - A star is born

Building a bit on the last post, law enforcement is trying to control the optics by keeping the established media from covering the crack downs. But they've been thwarted by technology. More specifically by a kid from Chicago with a cell phone who live streamed from NYC non-stop for 16 hours. And it's not even high-tech.

The quality of his video stream -- both in content and technology -- is surprisingly good. And the simplicity of his gear can't be beat. He's using a Samsung Galaxy S2 on Sprint's 4G network to stream video, using the onboard camera and microphone to record, and connecting the phone to a small but powerful backup battery. If you want to know, it’s an "Energi to Go" 18,000 battery produced by Energizer which provides 18,000 milliamp hours (roughly 10 cell phone charging cycles). When his backup battery drained dangerously low, he put out a plea for help on his stream and received two more donated batteries.

And thanks to social media, Tim Pool's stream instantly delivered unfiltered, on the scene footage that echoed around the globe.

Enjoy the moment. Somehow I feel certain that even as you read this, the government and corporate gatekeepers of public information are devising ways to shut this sort of thing down.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]