This is the site of The Digital Futurist, also known as Howard Finberg’s reflections, ramblings and remembrances. During my career in journalism, I’ve looked at the future of newspapers and online media, at the future of journalism education and at technology’s impact upon journalism. My short bio: 40+ years in media and teaching and training. My latest [last] official bio can be found elsewhere on the site. As you read this, know that I’m retired so this site is a passion project to reflect on the past and ponder the future of an industry that I loved.
Most of the site’s focus is in creating a digital timeline. This is an opportunity to review a number of files from a number of careers and jobs. It is a “bits and pieces” project includes some personal stuff [ego], a bit of history and a touch of interesting connections as we looked back at our attempts to lunge toward the future. It’s a little like creating an autobiography in digital bytes.
There are a number of interesting historical items. For example:
- A look at the future of design from a 1988 perspective. At an API seminar, editors and designers tried to look at newspaper design in the year 2000 and beyond.
- A brief history of the e-learning project at The Poynter Institute, News University [also known as NewsU].
- Remembering the Apple Newton, the forerunner to the iPhone
The other areas on the site that I’m constructing include:
- Memos and presentations and other bits and pieces of newspaper history.
- An archival sections that have documents that aren’t worth a story or post but might have some historic value in the future.
- A section has has pictures from various newsrooms and projects
In 2024, site www.newsroomhistory.com was merged into this site with the domain of newsroomhistory.digitalfuturist.com. It seemed silly to pay for two domains.
As with all projects, it is important to thank those who make it possible. In this case, it is Casey Frechette, a former colleague, a friend and currently the chair of the journalism department at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg.
Update, 2025: I’ve started to use a custom ChatGPT to help organize and write entries to the timeline. This speeds to process of posting. All AI created items are identified.