Multimedia
TOP 10 | The most-clicked stories of 2012
The Tribune-Democrat’s online content saw nearly 25 million pageviews through 2012, averaging 67,000 views a day — or almost 3,000 clicks an hour. We put together a list of what got the most of your clicks this year.
10. Johnstown police probe murder-suicide (3,310 views)
In late April, police were called to Oakhurst Homes in the city’s West End to investigate a murder-suicide. Demont Morris, 40, allegedly shot his estranged wife Royale Lee Morris, 38, in her apartment before killing himself. 9. Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July (3,400 views)
A widespread hacker scam hijacked thousands of unwitting users’ PCs this year. The FBI put a “safety net” in place to keep infected computers from going to the dark side. When that network needed to be shut down in July, it meant the hacked would, without warning, lose Internet service. Warnings and instructions on how to test PCs for the malware and remove it were widely distributed on the Internet — including on TribDem.com — and the switch caused little incident. 8. Flight 93 video emerges 10 years later (3,910 views)
Although it was posted in September of last year, this video from Dave Berkebile of Shanksville that shows smoke plumes rising from the Shanksville crash site on Sept. 11, 2001, maintained its popularity through 2012. The video caught fire when it was first posted on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, making the rounds on YouTube as well as national TV news outlets. 7. Police: Bank robbery note sought $1 (4,676 views)
AmeriServ tellers in Northern Cambria weren’t sure what to make of a note that read, “Federal bank robbery. Please hand over $1.00,” which was handed to them by Jeffrey McMullen in October. The tellers — who thought it was a joke — told police that McMullen said he would wait for police to take him in. McMullen, who has no prior criminal record in Cambria County, waived his right to a preliminary hearing. 6. Ex-mail carrier sues post office (5,345 views)
In June, a Johnstown postal worker filed suit against the agency, claiming she was sexually harassed, then fired for complaining about it. Hillary Kacian told The Tribune-Democrat that a supervisor repeatedly made remarks about her appearance and asked for bikini pictures. Shortly after being assigned to a new supervisor and an unfamiliar route, she was terminated after the new supervisor caught her driving through an intersection with her door open — a violation of agency rules. 5. Westmont couple inseparable, even in death (5,608 views)
James and Marjorie Landis of Westmont did nearly everything together. James, who was at his wife’s side when she died, was taken by a heart attack only 88 minutes later. 4. Local couple appears before Pitt bomb threat grand jury (5,871 views)
A Jackson Township transgender couple, subpoenaed in relation to bomb threats made at the University of Pittsburgh, made a loud appearance before a normally quiet federal grand jury in April. Both Katherine Anne McCloskey and her spouse, Seamus Johnston, made separate testimonies before the panel and reportedly espoused traditional strategy by demanding warrants and choosing to speak at length. After another bomb threat was reported during the daylong proceedings, Johnston said he sure couldn’t be blamed for it. 3. Early Africans mated with mystery species of humans (6,505 views)
In July, a new species of hominid was discovered through scraps of foreign DNA found in modern-day Africans. Geneticists postulated that it means Neanderthals mated with this “sibling species” sometime around 20,000 to 50,000 B.C. The hotbed of genetic diversity in ancient Africa gave rise to species of varied physical definition but time produced only one evolutionary victor — homo sapiens. 2. Dude, what's with the Pirates' Z? (7,660 views)
It was the hand sign that signified — well, no one was quite sure what it signified. That’s how it became the No. 2 most-clicked story of the year. The “Zoltan” sign shared by the Pittsburgh Pirates during their rallying 2012 season supposedly came from slacker comedy “Dude, Where’s My Car?” 1. Crews paint over dead raccoon on Franklin St. (45,508 views)
Surely, the No. 1 most-clicked story on TribDem.com must be a poignant and stirring exposé — a story molded by the nuance of our local culture and an honest critique of the human condition. Unromantically, it was a photo of a road-killed raccoon sporting a bright yellow stripe — courtesy of PennDOT — that came across our desks in August. With our latest viral sensation came an onslaught of social media traffic and a clear-cut No. 1 most-clicked story of 2012 — by nearly a 40,000-vote margin. Considering it was something we simply handed off to our summer intern, Josh Byers, it was born in the true spirit of Internet journalism: Money for nothing. |
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US gov't collecting huge number of phone records
The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret court order, according to the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration is defending the National Security Agency's need to collect such records, but critics are calling it a huge over-reach.
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When nature invades: Deer where they don't belong
Bambi's relatives don't wait for an invitation before crashing the party. Video cameras have captured deer wandering through stores, crashing into buses and jumping into zoo exhibits. Here's a collection of some of the best videos of deer where they don't belong.
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Google flirts with what chairman Eric Schmidt once called 'the creepy line'
Google is flirting with what company chairman Eric Schmidt once called "the creepy line."
At its recent developer conference, the Mountain View search giant showcased a number of new personalized technologies that many consumers will find useful, such as alerts of upcoming flights and restaurant recommendations.
But the new services underscore the vast amounts of ever more personal data Google has collected on its users. And given its history and the apparent attitudes of its leadership toward consumer privacy, the new services raise concerns about how Google collected that data and what else it's doing with it.
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Pentagon programs target of China cyber threat
New revelations that China used cyberattacks to access data from nearly 40 Pentagon weapons programs and almost 30 other defense technologies have increased pressure on U.S. leaders to take more strident action against Beijing to stem the persistent breaches.
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VIDEO | Sci-Fi expo connects with fans
The Force is strong with Casey Bassett.
In two years of feverish planning and laborious love, the 24-year-old has roughly tripled the size of his homegrown geek convention, Sci-Fi Valley Con, being held this year at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona. Today is the 2013 convention’s final day. -
VIDEO | Deer gets on, off city bus
A CamTran bus picked up an unscheduled passenger on Tuesday evening – a white-tailed deer.
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VIDEO | Bards behind bars
In the latest endeavor for Brian Murphy, the 33–room Grand Midway Hotel in Windber might be refitted to become a penitentiary – a commune for delinquents, but specifically for delinquent writers. He calls it “Writer’s Jail,” and it serves the artistic community by forcing writers to do the one thing they often cannot bring themselves to do: Actually write.
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Internet sales tax bill to hit roadblock in House
A bill to require Internet shoppers to pay sales taxes for online purchases may be cruising through the Senate but it will soon hit a roadblock in the House.
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Setting standards for cyber sharing
A cybersecurity bill that riled privacy advocates when it was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives last week is looking like a non-starter in the Senate this week. And both opponents and proponents say its best chance at resurrection is to put a leash on exactly what types of information companies can share.
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VIDEO | Drill provides glimpse of reality: Responders stage grim demonstration of accident scene
Police, fire and EMS responders from Patton and Carrolltown rushed to Cambria Heights High School Thursday afternoon, responding to a call that detailed a two-vehicle accident with entrapment.
Although it was a drill, designed to be a graphic depiction of what happens when unsafe driving practices lead to a wreck, the message sent to the dozens of students surrounding the scene was clear. - More Multimedia Headlines
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