The intro page as the Flash-based globe of images loads in the Moment in Time project states quite frankly: “Make no plans for the rest of the day.” And they are right.
This world of pictures is a total timesuck–and we mean that in the best possible way. Don’t click on that link if you have anything else important to do in the next few minutes. This is seriously friday-afternoon-do-anything-but-actual-work-territory you’re entering.
The interactive Flash-based globe is a fantastic example of a new media innovation. This presentation is only possible in pixels and links. it’s not just paper and ink content converted to a flat page riddled with nuisance ads.
(That it is Flash-based, of course, is also so now, too, as there’s a pretty vicious battle going on between Adobe and Apple. Search Adobe Flash, Apple, and iPad on Google for more on this. So if you’re reading this on an iPad or iPhone, you’ll probably have to wait ’til you’re back on a laptop or tower to check out the globe of photos.)
There’s also very much to like that the TOS for submission to A Moment in Time are quite simple, and limited in scope:
“By submitting to The New York Times, you are promising that the content is original, doesn’t plagiarize from anyone or infringe a copyright or trademark, doesn’t violate anybody’s rights and isn’t libelous or otherwise unlawful or misleading. You are agreeing that we can use your submission on Lens, the photojournalism blog of The New York Times, and in the online and print version of the New York Times promoting or referring to the Lens post. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments regarding these terms.”
That’s right, you keep the ©. Well done, NYT!
This a very cool project, and we hope that there are more group projects in the future. For example, I’d love to see a globe of images strung out around the world as local time strikes midnight to herald in 2011.
