Fall cleaning

Just a few changes to help make my site look a little more spiffy. I've added a module to the right showing my latest blog posts. It seemed kinda silly to post elsewhere and leave this blog hanging. It's not like I haven't been writing, just not on this blog. Hopefully that'll change soon, but there's a lot of other things I've got to work on. Stay classy.

What's next for Al Gore?

I don't know why I did it, but I watched what seemed to be all 82 hours of this year's Emmy telecast Sunday on FOX. The creative arts Emmy show (a two-hour affair Saturday on E!) was much breezier -- they cut out the lists of nominees, most of the speeches and thankfully all of the singing numbers. Anywho, I was interested to see Al Gore win an Emmy for his broadcast baby, Current TV. As I watched the audience's resounding ovation, I wondered what was next for the former vice president. Since he's already won an Oscar (for "An Inconvenient Truth") to go with his Emmy, what is his next entertainment conquest? I think he should form a barbershop quartet and go for a Grammy. What do you think? A Grammy? I don't think Al will go for an American Music Award because it's not classy enough. Perhaps a Tony for a Broadway production of "An Inconvenient Truth"? Heck, if they can turn "The Producers" and "Hairspray" from cult films to top-rated musicals, who knows what they can do to an environmental documentary. I can't wait to see a musical "Truth" come back to movie cineplexes.

Open-mic night at the Chuckle Hut

I've got a topical joke, but I know it won't go further than this blog:

The U.S. military is working on a futuristic anti-mob energy beam that makes people think their skin is on fire. Unfortunately, the military refuses to deploy it because some might view it as a torture machine. The military's had this problem before -- the device's first name was TortureBeam 5000.

That's my time. Thanks, folks. You've been great.

Chance encounters

Chico can be a pretty small world sometimes. On Friday, I happened to head downtown for a slice of pizza where I ran into one co-worker at City Plaza. Later, I ran into another co-worker near Duffy's. I guess I didn't expect to see them -- I usually don't see anyone I know when I visit downtown. Still, I run into people enough times to keep things interesting. Oh, I walked through part of City Plaza's fountain and emerged with a sharp, distinct smell of chlorine on my clothes. I wonder if the city increased the amount of chlorine after some parents complained.

Different worlds

I know some groups are worried about "freaking," that genteel style of dancing involving dance partners sexually grinding against each other. China apparently has a similar problem -- kids holding hands while dancing. BBC News has the story. Interestingly, the Chinese government is promoting dance as a way for increasingly overweight kids to get exercise, but some are worried.

Some parents had expressed fears that if boys and girls danced hand in hand they might fall in love and put their studies at risk.

I wonder if the Chinese might be receptive to square dancing. It seems less scandalous than the waltz.

Good news and, well, good-er news

Hey all - I wanted to share two of the best things to happen today. First off, someone installed those paper towel dispensers that auto-magically whirl paper out when you wave your hand in front of them. Truly, we live in a wondrous age. Perhaps more importantly, I'm proud to announce that I helped relaunch my newspaper's Web site today at ChicoER.com. The redesign has been a long time coming, and I'm glad to turn our site on its head (esp. with the help of my co-workers). Oh, I also devised a slightly corny slogan to go with it. "The new ChicoER.com - the power of more." One huge reason why I'm not in public relations, although I'm all right with it.

ChicoER.com - It's for real. It's a modest effort compared to the most progressive of the "Web 2.0" sites. I mean, where are the delightful search "clouds," jerky 30-second video clips and user-defined 'news' sections? Still, it's a pretty big step forward for a 30,000-circ. newspaper used to putting out stories just once a day. I'm happy with this blend of old-fashioned journalism with the best the Web can offer, including multimedia, mashups and some user-contributed material. I hope those interested enjoy it as well. Please let me know what you think. -- Ryan - Learn about the redesign -- Including the "power of more." (Just one of the three or four things I've had to write about the redesign). - Watch Editor David Little discuss the new site.

So ... the future

I might have gone a little overboard on the blogs lately. I've got:

• my.rtomedia.com
• rtomedia.com/pro
• MySpace
• rtomedia.com/unity (or something)
• TVGuide.com
• norcalblogs.com
• TextAmerica

Unfortunately, many of them are languishing from a lack of attention (that and TextAmerica has broken my heart). That's something I probably should've known going in. While there are some really cool ways to display a news feed that displays everything I write (from FeedBurner), it's probably just easier in the long run to simplify -- especially when I want to try new features like chicopedia.com. That's why I'm thinking about merging my personal and "pro" RTOmedia.com sites together. When I started the site in 2004, I was worried about keeping my personal "life" separate from my professional. To some extent, that's still true, but I've realized that I should always act in a respectful and professional fashion. It's 2007. Many journalists with Web sites combine their personal and professional persuits. Employers look to a job candidate's MySpace profile for information. Heck, newspapers have MySpace pages, for cryin' out loud. Regardless if it's under my own domain or under MySpace, people will probably be able to find me and I should be prepared for that. A merger has additional benefits. My professional work could still be profiled (and marked differently from non-pro stuff), but I can update it more quickly. Who would've known that my photos pages would have languished while I've expanded dramatically into the realm of video and audio? I don't know when the merger will take place. I've got a pretty wide open week after the craziness of preparing coverage of fairs, fires and summer pools. However, I may want to work on Chicopedia or create that überfeed I've been meaning to. Nonetheless, the times are a-changin'.

Missing since March 12

Where is BBC journalist Alan Johnston? The Gaza-based reporter has been missing since March 12. Hopefully, he will be found safe and sound.

Test

Testing new stuff. I'm looking at different ways to combine multiple RSS feeds into one. Hopefully, there's a simple and snazzy way to do it. FeedBlendr is pretty easy to work with, but the feed I created was too big to work with on some other services I'm currently using (like FeedBurner. Yahoo! has a beta of a new service called Pipes, but it looks like it uses AJAX. Oh well, I'll figure it out in the morning, I'm sure.

You have the right to remain silent

And look at the Enterprise-Record's newish public safety section, featuring a map of where property crimes happen in Chico and the most wanted.

A rehash from E-R Labs

For the E-R:

Click here.

No bets

Today is Election Day. I encourage anyone reading this to do their part and vote. Although there's always a ton of speculation swirling around each election, I've braced myself to not make any predictions whatsoever about the outcome. Hopefully, if I don't get my hopes up, I'll be able to better absorb the impact of the results whatever they may be.

A novel idea

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to begin my likely futile effort to write a novel before the end of November. It's all part of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for those in the know. There's 26 days left in the month to write 50,000 words. I really don't know how I'm going to be pull it together, but I've got a title all ready to go. It's going to be called "Mr. Mediocre" and chances are its protagonist will likely be a fictional version of me. As I develop the story, I'll determine what wacky situations my character will get into. All I can say now is, "Prepare to be whelmed by Mr. Mediocre!" ;-)

Another perspective

As I go about looking at different aspects of my life, I've thought about considering a different perspective. I don't really know what the signifigance of it all means, but I made a map showing a considerable number of places I've been to over my life. I had some time on my hands and I was curious. Here it is.. Many of the locations indicated on the map aren't specific, but some have a unique twist to them.

Belief

Every Monday, National Public Radio airs the latest in the ongoing series This I Believe where a member of the public reads an essay about the ideals and beliefs that guide their lives. Some of the essay readers detail poignant examples of faith and personal expression. I'm not always by my radio to listen to the essays but every time I do, the underlying question always nags me. What do _I_ believe? Not that I will come up with some fantastical essay that will win me the prominence of being on NPR, but what are the core beliefs I stand by? For a while, I didn't have a good answer. There are some ideals I will definitely stand by, but do they strike the core of my essence? Last week, my discovery about a former classmate's big step forward in life prompted some introspection. None of my thoughts truly define who I am or what I stand for in total, but it cleared some things up although I don't know for how long. My mind drifted back to simple playground that I visited often when I lived in Georgia. I was too old to really play on the playground, but the wooden structure was frequently vacant and it gave me a quiet space to capture my thoughts. My thoughts often reflected on the type of person I was and the type of person I wanted to be. It wasn't necessary what career path I would want to travel, but more what I would need to do to consider my efforts a success. For a while, I settled on some words from Garrison Keillor from his "A Prairie Home Companion" radio program -- "We are who we are, make the best of it." One part of my mind views the words as possibly limiting, but in the tenth grade I viewed it as an opportunity. It worked for a time. I boosted my grades to the best level in years and focused on core activities. I needed some more emotional development, but things were looking up as I focused on being myself. Anyway, since then, things drifted slightly as the structured environs of high school gave way to college and then life. Distractions increased while I fell to the lure of the Internet and other pastimes. I haven't gone out of my way to find a new place to focus. Today as my world spins in a dozen different directions, it would be instrumental for me to find a place for contemplation and reflection. Is this the path on what I want to be one? Perhaps I can determine the things that I truly believe in. Maybe I've uncovered an element of what I believe in -- at least at work. Over the weekend, I looked upon humanity as a giant gem with as many facets as there are people. Just as some view humanity as a tapestry, this giant gem relies on each facet to be complete. As a writer, I can view each side individually or collectively in my duty to describe the jewel's elements. Some sides sparkle, casting off twinkles of light and creating awe. Others are shaded and fractured with cracks. The vast majority lie somewhere in between. As a journalist, I believe it's my duty to discover, describe and detail these facets accurately. It might be a little hokey, but a spiraling gem of humanity shimmering in the light is an interesting image for me to behold in my mind. The joy of seeking out and discovering new dimensions is something I can definitely get behind.

The little things

Sometimes trivial things get under my skin, like how my computer could be faster than it is. However, the small things life can get me revved up too. Case in point -- The Associated Press has been offering streaming video for months. You may notice it on many newspaper Web sites (like this one). It was a little irksome that the service was offered for Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer for XP -- no Macs or people surfing with Firefox allowed. Although both Firefox and Mac have relatively small marketshare, I would try to find a way to provide the option for those users to access a product. At long last, the AP managed to switch things up and now their video is available for Mac users and others. Just being able to access this feature is a joy.

North state votes: Candidate videos

Online video Candidates forum -- Butte County Supervisor: Candidates forum -- Chico City Council:

One more thing ...

Not only shouldn't Ryan be allowed on TV (see previous post), he shouldn't be allowed to be downloaded on to your computer. And yet, there I am -- the anonymous and fresh voice of the new daily podcast "Newsroom Update" from the Enterprise-Record. I'm not saying that you should run out and have a listen, but I'm excited about what it might lead to for our newsroom. I won't be the only voice for long. I'm more than willing to pass the baton around now that we're safely launched. Enjoy. And consider the peril if you would to subscribe via the iTunes Store. :-D Not only shouldn't Ryan be allowed on TV (see previous post), he shouldn't be allowed to be downloaded on to your computer. And yet, there I am -- the anonymous and fresh voice of the new daily podcast "Newsroom Update" from the Enterprise-Record. I'm not saying that you should run out and have a listen, but I'm excited about what it might lead to for our newsroom. I won't be the only voice for long. I'm more than willing to pass the baton around now that we're safely launched. Enjoy. And consider the peril if you would to subscribe via the iTunes Store. :-D

Not only shouldn't Ryan be allowed on TV (see previous post), he shouldn't be allowed to be downloaded on to your computer.

And yet, there I am -- the anonymous and fresh voice of the new daily podcast "Newsroom Update" from the Enterprise-Record. I'm not saying that you should run out and have a listen, but I'm excited about what it might lead to for our newsroom. I won't be the only voice for long. I'm more than willing to pass the baton around now that we're safely launched. Enjoy. And consider the peril if you would to subscribe via the iTunes Store. :-D

E-R Labs: Two takes

Or why Ryan should not be allowed on television. ;-D See if you can tell the difference between the two videos. Please leave me a comment with your guess. Update - Oct. 14 -- The videos have served their purpose and have been taken down. Thanks for the input.

Off to the races

Here's the latest from E-R Labs -- coverage of Saturday's Chico Palio at the Municipal Center.

Threshing day

You know, throwing away (recycling) year-old newspapers isn't as hard as I thought it would be, especially when they're papers I haven't worked for. That whittles down some of the chaff in my stacks of newspapers. Now, I need to sort through the wheat, or something that would carry on this harvesting metaphor a little long.

Together, at last

Some of this site's more avid readers may notice that I'm starting to include posts I made on other sites (MySpace and TVGuide). After noticing that some of the posts from this blog were missing, I decided to put everything together to make a more complete archive. This could be a better record of my writing over the years.

Fire on the Ridge video

Here is the latest from the E-R Labs:

The Office - 9-21 - Laughs with a cringe

Originally posted on my TV Guide blog at 1:45 AM on 09/22/06 As I watch each episode of the American version of "The Office", part of me always compares it to the British original, particularly when it comes to taking risks. In particular, the UK version's boss, David Brent, was awful when it came to handling awkward and sensitive issues. One memorable example included David retelling a joke where the punchline included a black man's body part. Is the American "Office" going for cheap laughs and forgoing some of the cringe-worthy humor? I was worried that the American version is foregoing the cringes that defined the original and going for easier, and more sitcom-style laughs. Well, Thursday's episode (Gay Witch Hunt) put some of those fears to rest. The way Michael Scott handled the sexual orientation of his employee Oscar was completely contradictory, offensive and insulting if Michael wasn't such a goof. The worst, yet funny, moment came after Michael is rightly crushed when Oscar calls him ignorant and small. Oscar permits Michael to give him a hug (for Michael to show that he's "OK" with employees being gay). Michael goes forward with a horribly uncomfortable kiss that was stunning to watch. Much like the UK version, I wonder if Michael learned anything from the experience. There were plenty of awkward moments (especially regarding the issue of homosexuality), but there was some good laughs mixed in there.

MySpace: 'Suit Up' for Sacramento karaoke contest

Originally posted on my MySpace blog at 1:57 AM on Friday, September 22, 2006. Current mood: burger-licious I know the chances of my winning any karaoke contest are slim to none, but there is one contest that is intriging. The Sacramento CBS affiliate (KOVR-TV 13) is holding a karaoke contest next Thursday where the national top prize is a walk-on role on the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." The winner will go on to Los Angeles to face the winners from contests at 8 other CBS stations across the nation. It would be fun to try it, but the odds wouldn't be in my favor. They will be picking out 20 people from the crowd _at random_ to sing in front of the audience. Combine that with the fact the contest is on a Thursday and that the other prizes include Carl's Jr. burger packs add up to me not going. Currently watching : Late Night with Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special Release date: By 10 August, 2004

MySpace - What do you expect for nothing?

Originally posted on my MySpace blog at 2:28 a.m. on Thursday, September 21, 2006 Current mood: blase I took the title of this post from the song "Rubber Biscuit." I don't quite know who wrote it, but the Blues Brothers sang it once upon a time. It wsa exciting to see karaoke compadre Allen owning a disc of songs from various Blue Brothers performances. I tried out Rubber Biscuit at the Bear on Monday. It was _rough_ because they weren't any lyrics for most of the song. Instead there was often the phrase [Ad lib singing] which left it to me to try to remember what Jake and Elwood were singing back in the day. I managed to get through song and I still had a blast. Many of my colleagues said they hadn't seen a karaoke song calling for ad libbing before. I sang more Blues Brothers songs at The Maltese on Wednesday. It was fun, but I really want to sing "Riot on Cell Block No. 9" next week.

The golden era of television?

Originally posted on my TV Guide blog at 7:31 PM on 09/18/06 I'm sure some old-timers will rise up to challenge that claim, but it's hard to ignore the onslaught of truely enjoyable television coming down the pike this year from all the broadcast networks (except i and MyNetwork). The sheer numbers of excellent shows on every day of the week will make it difficult for me to keep up, even using a TiVo, cable on demand and the Internet. It's so bad, I'm thinking about hooking up my VCR to get everything. The fall television season is just getting started and already my schedule and TiVo are full. It's not just my TiVo, I've got several hours of TV downloaded from the iTunes Store that is dying to be watched (including season finales from Lost, Desperate Housewives and Greys Anatomy). Not only is the programming excellent, but this is an excellent time to sample new shows. Before this season even started, I've had "sneak peek" access to new shows via DVD (several FOX pilots), Cable On Demand (Monk, Psych), the iTunes Store (Heroes) and TiVo (The Class). I don't think the average viewer has had so much access to television before. I don't forsee this glut lasting -- someone has to pay for all this after all. Some formats will have to fall by the wayside as advertisers grow increasingly fickle. This fickleness has led to the ratings people discounting TiVo viewers if they don't watch the show "live." It's understandable because of the limited commercial skipping, but it's still sad that viewers are being "discounted." Just for laughs, here's my planned TV schedule for fall 2006: Monday - There's a lot of variety on Monday with sitcoms The Class (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS) playing early in the evening with the more dramatic Heroes (NBC) and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) wrapping my night. Tuesday - Veronica Mars (CW) is my lock for the night although I'm tempted by Knights of Prosperity (ABC). I'll give Gilmore Girls (CW) a shot, but I may tackle Friday Night Lights (NBC). At 10 p.m., maybe I'll try Smith. Wednesday - There's some good stuff that I'm not watching (like Lost). 30 Rock (NBC) is probably the show I'll go out of my way to watch, but Jericho (CBS) sounds interesting. Thursday - Again, a lot of good stuff I probably won't get to, but The Office and My Name is Earl (NBC) are my locks for the night. Friday - On the face of it, Friday looks pretty bleak ... on the broadcast networks. That's why, aside from Betty the Ugly (ABC), I'll be watching Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who (Sci Fi). Saturday - OK, Saturday is bleak. Still, I'll tune in to Saturday Night Live (NBC). Sunday - Wow, I'll be all over the dial on this night. FOX has me for The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad. I'll be watching CW for Everybody Hates Chris. For late night, I'll catch Iron Chef America on Food Network and the Adult Swim slate on Cartoon Network.

Bursting at the seams

I've posted this on MySpace and my new TV Guide blog Phiring at Phosphors, but I'm so excited about this news I _had_ to repost it here. Screw NBC's "Football Night in America", Sunday is going to be "Hockey Night" at my home. I'm bursting with excitment about my previous hometown's pending television date. For 3.5 years, I worked in Houghton, Mich. in the rural Upper Peninsula. One of the highlights of my time there was the pleasure of taking part in the 100th anniversary of the brith of professional ice hockey in the town.

On Sunday, Canadian TV viewers can see Houghton's role in the evolution of a sport beloved by millions. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. will air the first two parts of the ten-part Hockey: A People's History. The second episode, "The Money Game" details how a game previously dominated by amateurs transformed into a sport where athletes are paid.

Here's part of the blurb from the CBC site:

Pro hockey is born in the heart of Michigan's mining country, while heavy-handed amateur bosses drive Canada's top talent south of the border.

The Daily Mining Gazette, my former newspaper, has the story.

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NOTE -- I'm referring to CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" which predates "Football Night" by more than 50 years. Sadly, I won't actually be able to watch the show because I'm several hundred miles away from the Canadian border.

Myspace: Get ready to geek out

Originally posted on my MySpace blog at 4:06 AM on Thursday, September 14, 2006 Current mood: drowsy Just in case people couldn't get more obsessed with karaoke, Griffin Technologies has a new toy. Meet iKaraoke It's a mic that plugs into the base of your iPod so you can fade the vocal track on your favorite songs and add your own voice when piping the whole thing to a stereo. It looks pretty cool although I'm curious how they'll be able to "fade" the vocals. Notice the product doesn't have a firm release date (Winter 2006) and a price tag. Clearly, there's more to come.

A milestone

I had a much longer post, but a browser crash ate it. Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the launch of my first "official" blog. Aside from the first two test posts, I didn't really start posting in earnest until a year later. As a historical note, I find it eerie the county changed forever after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks just a few hours after that first post. I regret not posting more in the aftermath and generally over the past five years. Ultimately, I've enjoyed keeping a chronicle. I hope it's been enjoyable for those that drop by. Including work, I've created nine blogs over the past five years. This week, I'm going to launch a podcast and start blogging about TV at TV Guide's community site. The site's 10-year anniversary is in October. I'll have more to say and show off then.

Battlestar Galactica: Good to see some frakkin' new stuff

Originally posted on my TV Guide blog at 1:41 AM on 09/11/06 I've been jonesing for a "Battlestar Galactica" fix before the Season 3 premiere on Oct. 6. Thankfully, Sci Fi is showing a 10-part online series leading up to the premiere. New episodes (or "webisodes" if you insist) of "The Resistance" debut each Tuesday and Thursday on scifi.com. It's good to see the series, but the short running time of each capsule leaves you wanting more. It'll be interesting to see all the pieces put together. Sci Fi will apparently air the whole 10-part series over the "air" shortly before the launch of the new season. Chances are, the story will be more coherent and enjoyable. That brings up another point about "webisodes" that I'll probably expand on later -- the short, online episodes are nice, but they're kinda disappointing because they're not on the larger canvas of the television screen. They're also _way_ too short. This isn't a new phenomenon, networks have been producing new content for the Web off and on for a decade (going back to NBC's "Homicide: Second Shift" which detailed the other, previously unseen crew that worked in the Baltimore homicide unit). On the other hand, it's nice to see extra material on a new platform. I'm looking forward to see where things are going.

Some frakkin' good news

I've been jonesing for a "Battlestar Galactica" fix before the Season 3 premiere on Oct. 6. Thankfully, Sci Fi is showing a 10-part online series leading up to the premiere. New episodes (or "webisodes" if you insist) of "The Resistance" debut each Tuesday and Thursday on scifi.com. It's good to see the series, but the short running time of each capsule leaves you wanting more. It'll be interesting to see all the pieces put together. Sci Fi will apparently air the whole 10-part series over the "air" shortly before the launch of the new season. Chances are, the story will be more coherent and enjoyable. That brings up another point about "webisodes" that I'll probably expand on later -- the short, online episodes are nice, but they're kinda disappointing because they're not on the larger canvas of the television screen. They're also _way_ too short. This isn't a new phenomenon, networks have been producing new content for the Web off and on for a decade (going back to NBC's "Homicide: Second Shift" which detailed the other, previously unseen crew that worked in the Baltimore homicide unit). On the other hand, it's nice to see extra material on a new platform. I'm looking forward to see where things are going.

Irony

I was watching VH-1's Reality Show Secrets 2 (or something like that), the whole episode dealt with how "fake" reality shows are. While it was pretty fun to watch, I was entertained by the fact the show featured clips from "The Joe Schmo Show 2" (which parodies how reality shows cliches). So the show has clips from the show, but they don't talk about the show. At all. I thought it was a little ironic. I was also a little bummed because I liked the show and cast and crew. Oh well. It was also weird that I'm watching VH-1 on a Friday night.

Random, crazy guess

Two of my favorite tech companies in the world, Apple and TiVo, are on the verge of some big announcements next week. On Tuesday, Apple will make an announcement in San Francisco. In the other corner, PVRblog has a post referring to wild rumors that TiVo will release its new Series 3 HD-capable DVR on Tuesday. The fact that both of these announcements is supposed to come on Tuesday has got me thinking -- what if they're related in some way? They've been rumored to get together in the past, but nothing ever came of it. Well, let me just add my wacky, pie-in-the-sky prediction -- Apple and TiVo are going to jointly announce something on Tuesday. I don't know what, but I can see a minor/major announcement including TiVo finally releasing TiVo-to-Go for the Mac which Apple could somehow integrate into its Front Row home entertainment suite. Having the TiVo service that ports recorded programs to the computer and the iPod could bolster Apple's efforts to integrate its box into the living room. That could benefit both companies, while playing up the technologies that both are known for.

The latest from E-R Labs

A realm of amazement and wonderment!

More journalism related stuff on pro blog.

Party like it's 1996

POWAY -- Although the anniversary has come and passed, I'll be celebrating my 10-year high school reunion tonight. My early enthusiasm to see everyone again is slowly giving way to trepidation. It may surprise some of my loyal readers, but I wasn't the most popular kid at Poway High School. Without a circle of close friends, I'm largely going to the reunion to see how everyone has changed. I'm an observer so I know I'll have a good time on that score alone. One of my regrets is that I won't be able to be in two places at the same time. Roswell High School choose this night to have their reunion as well. Having transferred to Poway in 1994, I don't know if I would be welcome there, but it would be great to see some familiar faces if only for a night. It's a big reunion weekend. In addition to the Poway and Roswell events, my parents are attending their 20th reunion in SLC. All these events hearken back to an earlier time. I recall some of the things that I was when I was 10 years younger. Obviously life doesn't always live up to expectations, but I wonder about all those days that went past. One of the things that our organizer is providing is an e-book of photos and people's updates. I had to condense 10 years of my life down into a few paragraphs. It was tough but this is what I came up with:

The decade since PHS has been a messy blur of challenges, most positive. I went to UCSD, graduating in 2000 with a B.A. in Communications and minors in history and theater. After stints as a cafeteria worker serving the Chargers, working for a dot-com and temping, I launched my career as a reporter. From 2001-2004, I was at The Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton, Michigan (avg. 180 inches of snow per year). Returning to California in 2005, I'm working at the Enterprise-Record in Chico. In addition to writing, I'm spearheading the paper's efforts to expand Web reporting. Music remains a part of my life. I play clarinet in the UCSD Pep Band. Spun discs as a college DJ. I'm often found singing karaoke at various Chico nightspots. Currently single, I'm hoping to star in the next edition of "The Bachelor." For more, check out http://my.rtomedia.com

It's pretty concise of the bright highlights of the past 10 years. I'm off to check some old yearbooks and to get ready. Here's hoping they have karaoke. :-D

MySpace cheeses me off

It's killing me how often a crucial feature of MySpace is offline. Two weekends ago, their whole system went down because of an L.A.-area blackout. It's understandable, although a service so large should be prepared for such eventualities. Tonight, their log-in is disabled. It's frustrating. If it's not the log-in, the search is down or it's a specific user's profile. I would be careful if I were MySpace. Users may be willing to forgive some things, but these sporadic and all-too-frequent outages can be a massive turnoff.

Eureka

It took Google nearly two days to process, but it finally spit out the new video I produced over the weekend.

At a crossroads...

Not really, but it seems like an appropriate title because I'm continuing to experiment with Google Maps. This trial run is hampered/enhanced by the fact I don't have too much Javascript experience. I'm leaning really heavily on Google Maps API documentation page. Still I'm enjoying gleaning a little bit about the language's syntax and some other ins and outs. It definitely makes me want to experiment more.

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And while I'm not really at a crossroads, some of my friends are as they move on to bigger and better things. Best of luck to them as they move to new jobs or new houses.

A whole new world

Just got a Google Maps API code. Let's take it for a whirl: Edit: Well, Blogger didn't seem to like my code so I removed it. I'll be working on the test page instead.

A future view of City Plaza

There's been a lot of discussion about the renovation of Chico's City Plaza. The city placed a video of what the completed park will look like on its Web site. Unfortunately, the video is in Windows Media -- unviewable on the Mac I have. So here it is after being uploaded to Google Video: Edited out link on Aug. 31, 2006 -- I removed the video from Google Video because I'm using my account for work-related features.

Bring on the pomp

Just a quick shout-out before Melinda and 749 other Poway senior graduated on Wednesday night. Good times.

So you say it's your birthday

POWAY -- When I was young, I liked watching the weathermen on Salt Lake City newscasts. I guess it was because they were funny, they stood in front of computer graphics and seemed to know what was going on. I guess I identified somewhat with them, but I was probably more interested in my Legos. However, one family took a three-year-old child's love of TV program one step further with a NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" birthday party. The Washington Post was all over it with a June 15 column. Henry Schally's parents wrote the PBS production for photos and some other items. The WaPo published a photo of Henry wearing a Lehrer birthday hat in front of one of those cakes with a publicity photo on it. I don't know what it all means, although I'm curious. Even Schally's parents admit that it's not the most exciting program on TV, but their son apparently loves it. I, for one, would be interested in seeing how little Henry turns out in 15 years or so.

Better than late than ... waitaminute

Thanks to the county political party that sent me their recommendations yesterday on who to vote for in the primary election ... nine days ago. Me thinks this isn't an example of where slow and steady wins the "race."

LostUP: 'Pure Michigan'

One of the blogs on the Detroit Free Press is asking what "Pure Michigan" means to its readers. Apparently, the state of Michigan is looking to boost tourism to its beautiful state and is working on the "Pure Michigan" angle. Here's my take on what Michigan means to me.

"As a former Upper Peninsula resident, I'll always remember those cool summer nights in Houghton sitting on a wooden deck watching as cars make their way over the mechanical majesty of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. Aside from the cars, most of the area is silent as the thin strand of Lake Superior that forms the Portage Lake Shipping Canal slowly floats by. I would enjoy the view with my friends as we drank Bell's Oberon and marvelled at the connections in the world. These connections -- bridges, waterways and friendships -- seem to be vital to Michiganians. They are definitely things I would consider to be 'Pure Michigan.'"

I don't know if it's meaningful or anything, but that's what I think about when I miss Michigan.

I'm like Jack Bauer ...

... if he worked a 14-hour day in an office and had a more mundane deadline that didn't involve, you know, death and terrorism. Well, aside from my puffery, it's been a hectic past couple of days from top to bottom. Most of it has dealt with my work on ChicoER.com. We've done a lot in the past couple of days and we're working on a whole lot more in the months to come. I'd write more, but this isn't the place for it. My rarely updated pro blog would work well if I stay away from too much "inside baseball." Time to reset and begin again tomorrow.

Reflection on vlog Rocketboom

There's a ton of articles about the vlog Rocketboom. It's a five-days-a-week take on technology, Internet culture, viral video and pretty much anything else that catches the fancy of the small staff. Anywho, there's a lot of articles about the meteoric rise of the video blog and its host Amanda Congdon. Some articles, including one in a national journalism magazine, are pretty interesting to read. Some writers speculate that thousands of these blogs may overwhelm national broadcast news. I certainly see that being possible given how fragmented our media landscape has become with increasing diversity in both the high-price mass media and the other venues (such as the Internet). I'm simultaneously elated and sad because as it becomes easier to disseminate a message, the mass audience grows more diffuse. The whole point is this -- with all the questions about the importance of Rocketboom, it seems that not even its partner TiVo knows how to describe the program. In its "Now Playing" section on my TiVo box, Rocketboom is listed as having "Quality: Unknown". It refers to the image quality, but it might open a box of other questions too.

Tears in my eyes

The gray skies of winter have lifted, but not before planting the seeds of spring's sorrow -- allergies. It's actually not too bad, but my eyes are having the worst of it. They were extremely watery and strands of gooey stuff built up. They didn't react well to whatever pollen or dust quafted through the air. I guess it looked worse than it felt because a lot of people were commenting about it. Things seem to be better now, I hope it's because the pollen has settled down. I've armed myself with the usual medicines and treatments.

I must invent this word

Here's a new portmanteau word: "carnarcade" It's the excitement of a carnival and the lights and sounds of an arcade smushed together. It's the best of both really. I've searched for the word on Google with no hits so ... Copyright 2006, Ryan Olson. ;-)

A lightning bolt

My 10-year high school reunion is in August. I don't know why I'm getting excited about the event, but for some reason I'm eager to see my classmates and learn what's happened. Of course, I went to two high schools (Roswell then Poway) and would like to know what happened at both of them. I might have to resign myself to going to just the one in San Diego, but hope springs eternal. Since I'm a reporter -- a seeker of knowledge and storyteller -- I want to start the experience now. With the Internet, there are plenty of tools to do it (MySpace, e-mails, Web pages, etc.). With the rise of podcasting, there's a terrific tool to relay conversations and photos to a scalable audience. "Scalable" is a word I've learned in the past 10 years. :-D Anyway, here's a letter that I wrote to my classmates. It refers to a previous letter where I encourage a classmate on the fence to come and share his experiences with others in August.

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As I said in the other e-mail, I'm a writer and I love hearing good stories. Hopefully in August, we'll be able to meet in person and share our experiences. However, that's months away. What do we do now? I say we should do something now to start sharing our stories and recalling growing up in suburban San Diego in the mid-1990s. This Yahoo! Group is a start, but one of the first graduating classes with the Internet should be able to do better. Let's do a weekly podcast. There's so much ground we can cover each week. These are our experiences, and who would be better equipped to help share them than us? We can catch up with old classmates and our favorite teachers. Whatever happened to Most Likely to Succeed or Best Dressed? Let's track them and others down and hear what their recollections and what's happened since then. We can do a segment remembering what was big 10 years ago. TV, radio, computers and more -- there's so much ground to cover. We can keep it relatively short, but we can reach out to so many people before August. So who would be interested in helping out? I'm willing to do a lot of work to pull this together. But perhaps I'm not the best person to do it -- I'm a bit out of the loop in Northern California. I also readily admit I was a bit of a loner dork in high school and don't know my class as well as I would like. I don't think the podcast has to be overly involved or over-produced. I hope each week will be an interesting chat about the people and our times building up to the actual reunion itself. Cordially, Ryan Olson Chico, Calif. my.rtomedia.com 530-321-4114 (cell) poway -at- rtomedia.com

Video examples from still cameras

It's probably an oxymoron, but it's possible to capture video with most consumer-level digital cameras intended for still photography. Here are two samples from my Connecticut colleague who shot these clips with her digital camera: A steel-drum musicial group practicing its instruments: A softball game:

Google video test

Let's learn about the fun of Google Video with this clip from the Quebec Winter Carnival:

What comes around ...

How weird is it that BBC America is airing Ed Vs Spencer when GSN has aired its father -- Kenny Vs Spenny? Some explanation -- Kenny Vs. Spenny originally aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. but the creators have sold the format to other countries (incl. apparently the UK). Both shows seem familiar -- two friends are challenged to be the best at a certain task (like lose weight or pass as a woman). The UK's Ed refers to his opponent as "Spenny." Even the presentation of the title graphic and promo materials are similar. In KvS (as the hipsters refer to the series which now airs on the Canadian channel Showcase), Kenny cheated while Spenny tried to remain on the up-and-up. The loser, in most cases - Spenny, would be forced to endure a "humiliation" which was usually pretty childish and sometimes funny. So we find ourselves in a situation where both the Brit clone and the Canadian original will have aired in the United States. I guess there are similar situations (like Food Network simultaneously airing Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, TLC airing the UK's Scrapheap Challenge as a part of its own Junkyard Wars), but those are most often an American take on the original format. How often do we see a Canadian show and its British knock-off airing on American television? Of course, some GSN fans loathed Kenny Vs. Spenny. I wonder what sort of reception their Brit cousins will receive?

Springfield meets Slough

I'm pretty psyched about tomorrow night's broadcast of "The Simpsons." Ricky Gervais, best known for his work as crummy boss David Brent on "The Office," wrote the episode and will guest star. I don't know what to expect. Most of my experience with Gervais has been with the cringing humor of the British sitcom. I'm curious to see what he does with Our Favo(u)rite Family. It will be interesting to see his take on the American version of "The Office" when he writes an episode next season. Bonus cool -- Sunday's broadcast will include the live action opening credits developed by Sky One as a promo. The Simpsons take human form, if only for a few brief seconds.

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Not-so-bonus cool -- It's a bummer that last week's rumor that "Futurama" is coming back for a full season didn't pan out (yet). Happy to see the DVDs seem to still be on track, but it would've been sweet to see the adventures of the Planet Express crew.

Belated first look: MacBook Pro

Apple's latest Intel-based notebook computer has been out on the market for a few weeks now. I was able to get my hands on a demo unit briefly during January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. It's impressive to say the least. Sure, there are concerns about running older software on the new computers, but the Intel chip has put some speed back into Apple's notebook lineup. My conclusion is based on my very basic testing method -- movie playback. The Apple employee helping to demo the machin loaded 3 high-definition movies into QuickTime Player. The computer played all three simultaneously. The playback looked quite smooth even as I used Expose to zoom the playing movies in and out. Compare that performance to the sluggish time a G4 PowerBook had playing one HD movie. It's a powerful indication of where we might be going with this new processor. Aside from the Intel chip inside and the slight redesign of the MacBook Pro (which suceeds the PowerBook line), the operating system and the overall experience remains consistently Mac-like.

A list!

I know I've done it before, but here's a list of things that I'd like to write about or expand upon in the coming weeks. I still want to write about most of those topics on the older list too. Feel free to add a comment if there are other things you think I should get to. - Expand "Drunk is when I say 'I love you'" if possible. - Grannypoppers! - The surprising disappointment after losing a karaoke contest. - Working out a silly podcast. - Writing to my friends and family. - Recapping my travels over the past few years.

Deal or No Deal?

No, I'm not talking about the TV show (which I've yet to see). On Tuesday, I was faced with a decision and I chose to make a deal. Just not with those cheezy costumes from the '80s. Let's hope I don't find a barnyard animal behind curtain number one. I've stunk things up enough so far.

LostUP: Blasts from the past

Lost on the U.P., Part 4 -- A quick post tonight as I fondly reminisce about posts past detailing the missing or misaligned Upper Peninsula. Back in June 2005, I noted the Visited States Web site which omitted the Keweenaw Peninsula (the thumb of the U.P.). They still haven't fixed their mapmaking program.

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In an October 2004 broadcast of CBC's The National, host Peter Mansbridge notes the crew painting the 50 U.S. states onto the Rockerfeller Square ice rink initially omitted the upper portion of the Lower Peninsula and had to repaint it. I don't know where that post went although I knew I wrote it. Oh well. It's back know.

LostUP: Fantanas fail geography

Lost on the U.P., Part III -- With all due respect to Stephen Colbert, I was just kidding when I said I was pulling the plug on my ongoing expose about people excluding the U.P. on their maps. As a matter of fact, I'm starting to doubt that there _is_ a Mustard County in Michigan. I'll be slapping more examples on my site as we go forward. I might even build that standalone page one of these days. Remember that Fanta commercial a while back featuring the "Fantanas"? The commercial asked "Where are the Fantanas going to turn up next?" Apparently, it won't be the Upper Peninsula based on the map they flashed on the screen. This is a classic example of where the U.P. is present, but it's not included as part of the United States. I can only guess what the the illustrator thought the U.P. was when assembling this ad. For the sake of full disclosure, I can't find the "Fantana Island" where the Fantanas are purported to come from.

Belated Olympics commentary

Just some quick thoughts from this year's Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies (three weeks ago). Consider it super-tape-delay: - It's interesting there were two Brian Williams on the U.S. and Canadian broadcasting teams. NBC's Brian Williams normally anchors the nightly news, but helped out with the opening ceremonies. The CBC's Brian Williams is a sports anchor who typically pitches in during the Games (although I heard he stayed in Toronto this time around). - Is it a little hypocritical that it's impressive when the Italians bring out a racing car for their opening ceremony, but it's tacky when the Americans brought out their pickups during the 1996 Atlanta Games? I'm just asking. - I really liked the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. It was very potent with the rings of fireworks culmonating with the lighting of the cauldron. Well done. Well, those are my thoughts from the opening ceremonies. Let's see how the rest of the Games go. :-p

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line

Here are some more thoughts on "Cars" based on what I saw last weekend at Wondercon. I've noticed a lot of traffic from Cartoon Brew regarding the Pixar segment of my last post. One of the biggest things that convinced me to check the movie out this fall is the Pixar's continued attention to detail on many levels. This is something I'm sure fans have come to expect from Pixar over the years. On first blush, this tradition seems to apply to "Cars" as well. According to the members of the panel, film director and writer John Lasseter is a huge car/racing fan and that fever spread to the rest of the "Cars" team. I'm not a racing fan, but I think many of the film's details would please racing enthusiasts as well as the general public. Who doesn't love a snobbish tire salesman who quickly loses interest in a driver because he's not in the F-1 circuit? I was hoping the guys from the "Car Talk" radio show would be in the movie (well, they are according to IMDb. When I saw the teaser last year, I thought the cars were extremely similar to the Chevron Cars used to peddle gasoline. Looking at both of them now, a lot of differences become apparent (aside from the different animation styles). For the Chevron campaign, the headlights double as eyes and it makes sense -- the cars hold human passengers. For "Cars," the front windshields make up the eyes. That difference wasn't readily apparent in the teaser poster. While windshield eyes look a little odd at first, it makes sense because the cars _are_ the only inhabitants in this world (as a panelist pointed out). Looking at the giant windshield eyes, I thought about the giant eyes on bit characters (literally) in the "Reboot" TV series. Still anything is better than those freaky half-fish, half-people used in the Will Smith movie last year. It's great that Pixar can base many of the characters on classic automobiles, according to the panel. It seems a lot of automakers are reluctant to license their vehicles to things such as video games. Other characters were based on original designs. A panelist said the personalities of the characters were often based on the type of cars. Hot rod car = upstart racing rookie. Mini vans = soccer parents. And so on. When the cars are racing in the movie's opening moments, there's a tremendous amount of detail. The animators had a TV director who oversees NASCAR broadcasts show the team where he would place the cameras in the CGI stadium and the shots he would use as if it were real. Then the animators asked the director for his "fantasy" shots -- those he would use if it was physically possible. I think the angles used in the opening sequence is a good balance of the TV-based angles and the fantasy shots which would likely show up in a movie anyway (paging "Days of Thunder"). The rendering in the stadium looked really strong. The speedy blurs of the surrounding environment as the cars zoom across the track. There is tremendous detail in the cars themselves as they reflect direct light upon them. This shine is a marked contrast to the Silly-Puttyish look of the Chevron cars, which I think is Claymation or some similar technique. Small details showed up in the forgotten, dusty Route 66 town where our brash, young protagonist is stranded. I smiled when I noticed the "teepees" at the roadside motel where actually traffic pylons (or cones). A panel member pointed out that the ridges surrounding this town are modeled on old Cadillac tail fins. These nice touches, along with some lighthearted humor, will likely enhance the story involving a racing rookie seeking to win the championship before getting waylaid in the town on Route 66. It seems like a coming-of-age story that, again, is something Pixar excels in.

Wonder world

[Edit -- Feb. 16: I've added more thoughts about "Cars" here] I journeyed to San Francisco to attend Wondercon Saturday to check out the show and hopefully meet some of my friends from TrekBBS (where most of this entry was first posted). The convention was a blast and there was a ton of people (at one point, the line to get in stretched around the Moscone Center West). Although smaller than the über-con Comic Con in San Diego, it was a "world of pure imagination," to steal a phrase from Willy Wonka. I actually ran into one poster after the late-night screening of Star Wars fan films. So while it would've been cool to hang out with my fellow TBBSers, but I hope those people that went had a good time. Some observations (taken from memory): - I felt like my geek card was left at home. A lot of these people know their stuff and I had to sheepishly admit several times that I'm not really a "comics" guy. I can still redeem myself with "Star Wars" references. - Nonetheless, I liked the comics-related stuff I did see, including meeting Keith Knight of "The K Chronicles" and his wife Kerstin. He pens a weekly alt-newsweekly comic. I asked extremely predictable questions, but it was a pleasure to meet him and Kerstin (who BTW looked strong after going through surgery recently). - The "Ultimate Avengers" screening was popular with an added screening. The animated film comes out on DVD on Feb. 21. I thought it was good -- the style is very similar to DC's Batman/Superman work, voice performances were pretty dramatic and not too hammy for a superhero cartoon. I don't know if I would buy it or the two follow-ups -- maybe I'd rent. - Kevin Smith was funny as all get out. I loved his stories about Prince (and how some of his footage for a behind-the-scenes video ended up in a video for Jehovah's Witnesses). We laughed and cried at Smith's stories about the cast and crew of "Clerks II" chilling at the hotel across from the set. People in the mostly full audience also ate up the Clerks II clip (which was preceded by countless reminders for people to turn off their video cameras, seriously. He wasn't kidding. He wanted those cameras turned off. Or else he would stop the clip and we'd sit quietly. He meant it.). Oh, and the people booing the guy trying to pitch him a film project was a good time. - I felt more lukewarm about the Superman stuff because of the relatively weak Q&A with Brian Singer and Brandon Routh (who was a surprise guest). I came in towards the end, but Singer and Routh's responses just seemed awkward and unrevealing. - "Cars" looks a lot better with some of the fully-rendered clips presented by a panel from Pixar. The details are pretty breathtaking, IMO. Before I was concerned because the cars looked like Silly Putty in last-year's trailer. I'm still a little ambivalent, but I'm willing to see it. [Edit: I've added more thoughts about "Cars" here] The Oscar-nominated "One Man Band" short was awesome and hilarious. - TV personality sighting: I saw Blair Butler from the G4 cable network with a film crew for "Attack of the Show." Speaking with her briefly before the Star Wars Q&A, she was polite and funny (referring to herself as "P-list celebrity") and looked great in person with her hair down. - The Star Wars stuff was OK. There was nothing too revealing in the Q&A (the cartoon series will highlight both American _and_ Japanese animation styles, Lego Star Wars II will be out this year, etc.). The film fest was cool although I had seen several of the shorts before. But they gave us buttons and stickers, so I can't complain. - The Browncoat meeting was a mild disappointment. The SF and Sacramento clubs had intended to show some of the panels from other cons, but the con operators wouldn't let them do it. So they were watching episodes of the show (which isn't bad, just that there's a lot more going on outside). "Shindig" was good. - Peter David had a "big announcement" at his panel. He said he was going to go exclusive with Marvel for the next three years. It was a winning proposition for him -- he will be able to continue the other comic projects he has on the table (some with other publishers) and he gets medical benefits. His latest New Frontiers book "Missing in Action" was available early at the show for the fans to purchase. Several of his fans proudly held up their copies of the large paperback. I'm very excited about his new "Next Generation" book about the Borg with the intended purpose to get the Borg back to their original, horrifying roots. David said the Borg are supposed to be an unrelenting force like a million Terminators (from the first movie). The novel will be set post-Nemesis. Asking David later, my concerns about why he had the crew of Excalibur skip the Dominion War were entirely unfounded. He's writing a new Battlestar Galactica book (something like "Sagittarius Rising") which he said primarily deals with Roslyn after "Epiphanies." David said he loves the new series, but he initially stayed away because he thought they were doing a disservice to Richard Hatch. He changed his mind after some fans told him Hatch has a recurring role. He was blown away after seeing his first season one episode -- "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II." That's a doozy of way to break into the show (especially the end).

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There was a lot of stuff going on Saturday and there was very little downtime between sessions. The sessions were informative and there were lots of available seats in most of them. I didn't hit the vendor floor for very long, but I couldn't afford anything anyway. The floor was crammed with so many comic books and collectibles, I wouldn't know where to begin with my exploration. If there was time, I'd hunt for a copy of the Star Trek Mirror Universe saga released by DC Comics in the Â?80s (or the trade paperback re-release) and Futurama stuff from Bongo Comics. I heard from others that this Wondercon seemed smaller this year and that it's definitely smaller than San Diego Comic Con (which I've never actually experienced). Still, it rocked and I would love to go again next year.

Passing the word

I received this mass e-mail from a former classmate from Poway High School Class of 1996. It says to pass the message on, so here we go. BTW, I tweaked the links slightly because I don't like to direct spam to anyone. - RTO ------------------------------- Hello Class of 96!!!! I hope each and everyone if you is well. It's great to see all your names again!!! I just wanted to let you know that we are busy planning our reunion. (Can you believe it's been 10 years already!?) The date has not been set but time wise we are looking at the end of August/early September. (Not Labor Day weekend as I know everyone tends to have big plans.) More information and updates will be forth coming. If you haven't so already please add your name to the PHS alumni list so we can get in contact with you: [It's in the alumni section on the PHS Web site - RTO] Also please pass this along to the rest of our class if you have their e-mails!!! We look forward to seeing you!! It's going to be an unforgettable and FUN NIGHT!!! Warmest regards, Anna Massengill anna_massengill -at- yahoo

Half-time hijinks

Quick thoughts about tonight's halftime show at Super Bowl XL. The Super Bowl organizers teamed up the Rolling Stones in Motown, just like they would pair up peanut butter and spaghetti. Criticisms that the NFL missed an opportunity seemed to ring true. Don't get me wrong, the Stones seemed like a nice act although one viewer noted that Mick danced like a 60-year-old grandma. However, the fact that the NFL wouldn't take advantage of the homegrown Detroit talent is an indication of this post-Janet world that we live in. Since that horrible faux pas that brought Western civilization to the brink of collapse, the NFL has changed the rules with the Rolling Stones this year and Paul McCartney last year. All these rules are geared to avoid another wardrobe "malfunction." Thanks to my exclusive access to Paul Tagliabue's computer, here they are: - They must be older. Perhaps because they're less likely to do ... you know. - They must be British. I don't know why it is, maybe the "No sex please, we're British" rule is in effect. - They must be men. Hey, if there _is_ a "malfunction," it will be less serious because they're dudes. Following this pattern, we should expect to see another aging British icon hauled up on stage for Super Bowl XLI. A friend suggested Sting. I don't mind that they're Brits. I guess it's sort of cultural exchange program. We get McCartney and the Stones for the NFL Championship. The Canadians got the Black Eyed Peas for their CFL championship. Following that pattern, German pop star David Hasselhoff will be singing midgame during a Premier League Championship in England sometime soon. Anyway, the second half of the game was pretty exciting with some key plays. Thanks to Joel for hosting the party at his very nice pad (and cooking!). It was quite nice.

Pro Football Pick-em

I'm not a football expert, but I'm picking the Steelers to win a close game in Motor City today.

Five years

Sunday marked five years since I drove into Michigan and started my first job as a daily newspaper reporter. All these memories come rushing back into my mind, all the people I've met, all the things I've done (for better or for worse). I wonder what the next five years will hold.

TV - C-Ya CW!

Some thoughts about Tuesday's announced merger of The WB and UPN into a new fifth network -- the CW. First -- the name is lamer than i (the new name of Pax -- the former seventh network). The CW seems to stand for the new dynamic duo of CBS and Warner Bros. But come on -- CW? I tried coming up with good jokes about the new name all day and didn't do so hot. How about CU -- as in "C-U on some other channel"? People, including moi, quickly wondered if this new network follows "Conventional Wisdom" or if it will offer "Country Western" shows. I'll bet that we'll see a better name when the new network launches in the fall. Here's hoping. (BTW, i apparently stands for "infomercials", which is what they air in primetime.) The deal seemed surprising because there didn't seem to be any public word that it was coming -- right now. At the same time, you could see that the "netlets" would need to do something -- both WB and UPN were struggling to keep their own schedules filled with shows worth watching and getting people to watch. Back at the 1995 launch, pundits said both networks couldn't make it and that at least one would have to die. They were right -- neither of them will make it intact to the fall. There's a lot of talk about which of the current roster of shows airing on both networks through the spring will survive. I don't think it's a big issue although I hope that my favorites (UPN's "Veronica Mars" and "Everybody Hates Chris") makes it through. The new network will have to get serious about what it wants to be. Both have tried, with varying levels of success, to reach young adults, black families and the like. Both networks have stumbled when they try to switch gears on the audiences they're trying to attract. I don't know what the studios will do with The CW, I just hope they do. There's been a lot of chatter about what will happen to the local stations airing WB or UPN programming. Just to keep things clear regarding local broadcasters. This deal involves the networks at the national level. The networks own only a handful of the local affiliates that broadcast their programming (and they seem to have priority for the new network). So WB 4 in Anywhere, USA may air WB programming, but the local station is owned by Smithco Broadcasting. We still need to see what the fallout is at the local level. This deal might leave Smithco and the other station owners scrambling (especially if their UPN/WB rival station is owned by CBS or WB-partner Tribune). Considering that local broadcasting stations are highly valued ($100,000s to tens of millions), they aren't going to go away. I'll bet some of them will go back to syndicated programming and do all right. They'll probably be able to sell more local ads instead of airing national ads in primetime. I think this merger may be an ideal time for many local stations to jump to ethnic-language programming. Spanish language programming is growing and getting increased recognition (this season, Nielsen started listing Univision's ratings alongside the Big 4 plus UPN, WB and i). ---------- Parts of this commentary were first posted on the TrekBBS

First Impression: A MacBook?

Apple's announced its first Intel-based computers at the MacWorld Expo. The computers include an upgraded iMac at the same price and a MacBook Pro. I'm impressed by the announced specs for the MacBook, but the name leaves something to be desired. On first blush, the name "MacBook" doesn't seem to roll over the tongue. It seems less sexy or impressive than "Powerbook" or even "iBook." I don't know why Apple wants to abandon the Powerbook name. Aside from some gaffes with the first Power PC-based 'books (silly overheating batteries), Powerbook has had a pretty strong reputation for more than 10 years. Time will tell if "MacBook" will catch on, but I wonder if it's the best name out there.

Lost on the U.P.: Guess I was wrong

Well, folks. I'm pulling the plug on my nascent project to document examples of people excluding the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from their maps. I've been told I'm wrong and I now heartedly admit the error of my ways. Steven Colbert, of "The Colbert Report," took a phone call from a Mustard County, Mich. resident last Monday. The resident pointed out that the show's map of every congressional district omitted the U.P. (which is part of Michigan's 1st). Colbert denied the allegation and told the caller that if it isn't on his map, those people live in Canada. Thanks for straightening that up, Steven.

R.I.P., Pat Morita

Word is that Pat Morita has died. While I pretty much only recall Morita in his memorable roles as Mr. Myagi in the Karate Kid films and Arnold in "Happy Days," this CBC Arts story revealed parts of his career that I didn't know about. I didn't even know he was nominated for an Oscar for Karate Kid. I last saw him playing himself on the Adult Swim series "Robot Chicken." It was funny that he was poking fun at himself. He will be missed.

Missing U.P.: Fact-checking the Wal-Mart movie

Just got back from seeing Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices at the Pageant Theater. It was an interesting film -- they had a lot of ground to cover and I don't know how effectively they navigated it. Before landing on some towns that successfully fought off the discount retailer, the film bounced around from how Wal-Mart is against small-town businesses, the employees, the customers and the workers making their goods. They were interesting in their own rights, but they could've been tied better into the film's overall message. Anyway, there were at least two errors in the film that I'm interested in. 1 - What U.S. map were they using? It looked to me that the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula was missing. Not cool, especially because the map looked pretty good otherwise. 2 - During the segment where the film detailed the number of violent crimes occurred in store parking lots, they listed a number of crimes that they said happened in the "first 7 months of 2005" (which drew a response from the audience). Unfortunately, one of the listed crimes may not be accurate. I saw a knife assault at the Houghton, Mich. Wal-Mart listed. I remember when the assault happened and it wasn't in 2005. According to a Jan. 27, 2005 item from The Associated Press, the knife assault on the 92-year-old man occurred on Sept. 28, 2004. I recall the assault's brutal details -- the man's throat was allegedly slashed in broad daylight (the man survived). So if these details are inaccurate, how reliable are the film's other details? UPDATE - I was checking the list of parking lot crimes on WalMartMovie.com. Houghton isn't currently on the list. I distinctly recall seeing it on the big screen (and I'm fairly certain I saw it on the on-screen list). Interesting.

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I'm also seeking a better name for this "Missing U.P." segment. I would welcome ideas for something catchy and memorable. Drop me a line, ryan -at- rtomedia.com

Adult Swim stuff

In a post last month, I commented that I wasn't able to view Adult Swim's "Friday Night Fix" online streaming episodes. I couldn't even easily determine what technology Williams Street used to for the service. I tried to get the "fix" on my work computer Friday. I was able to tell that [as] wants a newer version Windows Media Player. That's something I'm not going to be able to get until I upgrade my home computer. Bummer.

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Another bummer is that "Arrested Development" had its full-season order cut to 13 episodes -- again. Many critics see the writing on the wall for this show, which is a bummer. It looks like the show is "monday-d" for good. At the same time, it's nice the show got three seasons.

New: Missing UP

This is something I've been meaning to start for a long time. For four years, I lived on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Michigan is a state consisting of two large peninsulas jutting out into the Great Lakes. The Lower Peninsula is more well-known because the bulk of the population lives down there (including Detroit).

Map from Google Local Now, one thing that I've noticed in recent years is that some people don't include the Upper Peninsula in maps of the United States or Michigan. Sometimes they clump it with Canada or associate it with Wisconsin. I don't know why they do it -- whether it's an oversight, design error or just plain ignorance. Here's an example from FOX's "Family Guy": The screen cap is from Planet Family Guy. I didn't see the episode in question, but the character of Ollie Williams is clearly in front of a U.S. map missing the Upper Peninsula. Some Yoopers get offended by these errors, and I think I can understand where they're coming from. The U.P. isn't a relatively tiny island like Long Island (which is often dropped from maps of New York). This is a large landmass about a third of the state andthe size of Denmark. So to chronicle these goofs, I've decided to create a special section on my.RTOmedia.com. Under the "More" section, you'll shortly be able to find examples from the Internet and TV of the missing Upper Peninsula. I've got a ton of examples saved on my computer from The Los Angeles Times, TextAmerica, the U.S. Weather Service and more. I can't wait to share them with you. If you've got some examples, zip a message to ryan -at- rtomedia.com

What about that sexy audience?

My two friends currently living in Connecticut happened to be in the audience of the episode of "Late Show with David Letterman" that aired Friday. I was trying to spot them in the audience throughout the episode, and I quickly grew anxious. The show was dragging quite a bit. Who cares about whatever the heck guest Billy Crystal was talking about? Where's the handsome -- and possibly sexy in places -- audience? Show more of them. After the broadcast, I went back to the one (one!) time the audience was shown on the screen and spotted them. The show was recorded a week prior and it showed -- the delaying tactics were really obvious. How can they do a "Week in Review" segment and not talk about Supreme Court nominee Alito? No Scooter Libby mention either, but they had plenty of time for the "wacky" antics of Letterman and his cast. It also seemed like Crystal's segment lasted 700 Sundays. OK, it wasn't that bad, but it seemed much longer than it needed to be -- the whole show did. I also wish I was a bigger Ryan Adams fan, but nyeh. I just got very anxious during the song too and took a short break. I did tap my feet watching the segment the next day, but only a little. However, it would be fun to be in a live television studio audience one day. I can either sit quietly or use my patented guffaw (patent pending).

Attention shoppers

My pro blog has received a much-needed infusion of a couple of posts, including a brief word about two ex-Gazetters moving on in the world.

Spooky

I was browsing around on Comcast's On Demand service last night. I was surprised to discover they have a karaoke section where people can sing along to the same songs one might find at the local taverns. So what's scarier -- that Comcast has such a section for its viewers or that I tried to sing along to some of those songs in the darkness of night?

'Sports. Johnson.'

After a small intro, I have an even smaller exchange with departing E-R sports editor John Johnson whose last day was Friday. Although Johnson's traditional greeting is only two seconds long, I think it was worth preserving for a lifetime. And I'm only partly kidding. I wish I had the chance to chat with him on the phone for a little longer.

Circling the wagons

Is it bad of me when I consider buying a minifridge for my room? I'm having some problems with some items in the common fridge being "misappropriated" by my roommates, and I'm getting tired of it.

Am I just avoiding the problem? They're not too cheap, but I think it might save me some headaches in the long-term. It might also encourage me to remain at home more often -- I would know that I have stuff to eat and drink in the apartment.

Recent releases

I'm just dying to hear the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!'s take on Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl." I saw a blurb that a Davis-area station was playing the song occasionally. I liked the song's sound featuring low brass and bass drums (totally dug the live band on SNL in April). I think a marching band of the Band-uh!'s caliber could rock that song. Now I have a big reason to go to Picnic Day next April. I know I sound like a geek, but marching bands can totally rock some songs (like the Leland Stanford Jr. University Marching Band's take on "Welcome to Paradise"). In other news, The Digital Bits has reviewed two awesome films that recently underwent "special edition" DVD releases -- Office Space and The Big Lebowski. I only need to say "TPS reports" or "The Dude" and many, many people would know what I'm talking about. Just as if I were to say that I was going "to go 'office space' on the fax machine." It's nice to see them getting new releases, but it's kind of a bummer that the extras weren't super according to the review.

Dis 'n dat

Just some random stuff surfing around the 'net this weekend -- - Pluming the depths of MySpace, I rediscovered "The Gleib" -- aka Ben Gleib (name seems shorter than I remember). Anyway, The Gleib is a comedian and is responsible of dispelling two beliefs that I've held for a while -- that Screech from "Saved by the Bell" is funny and that dating shows are real. Sadly, Screech (Dustin Diamond) was dreadful live a few years back and "Blind Date" seems capable of pulling fast ones over its audience. - Saturday Night Live hasn't been super funny this season. I don't know why exactly. Interesting seeing Catherine Zeta Jones sing (and wondering how different she looks "live"), but it wasn't very funny. One positive note is Tina Fey's return to Weekend Update after becoming a mother. I got some belly laughs over some of the jokes there. - If you're looking for some interesting stuff to watch or listen to, there's ZeD from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. It's a combination TV show/Web site featuring a mix of short films, musical performances and trippy stuff. - While I've previously plugged CBC Radio 3's podcast, I don't know if I mentioned their magazine. It features lots of music and articles about culture and music in a solid Shockwave presentation. Hours of fun listening and browsing.

Being sociable

It seems I'm sucked into wacky online communities to see what my family's up to. First, I signed up for a Xanga site to post comments. Now, I've plunged into the depths of MySpace. It's nice. I found my sisters and some people from around town. I've been engrossed with my profile (esp. if it's to be used as an epitaph). It's interesting how my tastes have progressed over the years. Now that I've got such a nice little pad over there, I'll probably use it to post TV show reviews or something. After all, my user name is "galatican" after "Battlestar Galactica." I'm such a geek. Anywho, off to bed. Busy day tomorrow.

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Late update: When I say "epitaph," I don't think I'm going to kick off anytime soon (I hope). However, if the time comes I want there to be enough information about me. Maybe I'm a little paranoid. - RTO

Speedy snail mail

Last Saturday, I was in quite a rush to get some VHS tapes and DVDs to my friends and family. It seems the U.S. Postal Service was in a rush too -- my sister in Berkeley and my friend in Connecticut both received their packages on Monday. That's technically one business day after I sent the item. It's practically overnight delivery -- albeit with a Sunday in between. I'm impressed. I'm slightly less impressed with my own response time -- two of my friends got tapes of shows that aired last spring. Oh well, my sister is able to catch up with the new season of Battlestar Galactica that aired until a few weeks ago.

'Arrested Development' Gets Monday-d

I'm worried that the TV comedy "Arrested Development" will sink further into the abyss by moving from the cushy post-Simpsons Sunday spot to Monday night. They're trying to make fun of it with ads of the cast trying to make "Monday" a curse word. They're probably going to "monday" themselves in the foot. After two years, the show has had a hard time trying to find an audience for their quirky brand of humor. The ad does nothing to convey that.

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Floundering tech -- I was trying to access [adult swim]'s Friday Night Fix, featuring streaming episodes of their top shows and new premieres. I quickly hit a snag -- the streaming video wouldn't load and I couldn't tell what technology it was using. I think I'm hitting some technological walls with my five-year-old computer. I'm running a processor that's two generations old and an OS that nearly no one writes for anymore. Still it's amazing how much I can still do with this computer.

The day is done ...

And what a day it was. I was out of the river ... working. It was my own bright idea though because I thought it would be interesting to cover one of the biggest local events of the year. In the past, tens of thousands of people showed up to float down part of the Sacramento River on Labor Day. The police launched a crackdown this year because of the large number of law enforcement and public safety officials needed in years past. Additionally the event was becoming such a large party that it was bringing lots of people from outside the area. I also thought that covering this in blog form could boost and enhance our offerings on Chicoer.com. So I spent all day at the bar of a restaurant by the river. I'm kinda curious to see how well it's received. There were some interesting comments. Unfortunately it appears my "The river -- without the crowds" slogan I used on the house ads to promote the blog came true both virtually and in reality. Instead of getting the anticipated 20,000 participants on the river, they just a small fraction of that -- about 665 people. The blog is Labor Day Live.

New Orleans is sinking...

My thoughts go out to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's hard to grasp the enormity of this storm's effect. I'm disheartened by the news that the effort to try to patch the levees didn't materialize when expected. Amid all the footage on CNN, I didn't see any shots of helicopters dropping the 3,000-pound sandbags into place. Now we know why -- the helicopters were apparently diverted for search and rescue. I hope they can get those levees patched and staunch the horrendous flooding affecting the Crescent City.

Worst. Slogan. Ever.

Must be late at night, but I thought this to be a pretty awful way to tout one's product. "Your local newspaper. We write good."

Rest in peace, Jeff

Now it's official, Jeff died from the injuries he sustained in the crash, which apparently happened Saturday morning.

Too soon

Word from Garrett is that my former co-worker and current Daily Mining Gazette sports editor Jeff Arnold has been critically injured in a car accident on Friday. The last update indicated that things aren't going to turn out well, but I'm waiting for more information. It's way too soon for this energetic man to be leaving us. I'm in shock, especially because this is the second car accident involving a Gazette staffer this summer (the other put the paper's intern into a coma). Like many sportswriters, he had passion and a loud, yet almost comforting, presence in the newsroom. His love of Chicago and its teams were second to none. He always seemed confident and knowledgeable no matter which sport he was covering -- the hockey game in Calumet or slow-pitch senior softball or any other sport rural Michigan could come up with. He was also willing to learn new things. He was extremely patient as I helped him clean up the first sports front he laid out while Barry was on vacation. I didn't hang out with Jeff all that much, but it was fun tossing back beers with him and Will at Nutini's or the Downtowner on a Friday night. I remember that his tradition was to enjoy a juicy steak downtown on Sundays. I saw him a couple of times enjoying his steak at Armandos watching the game on the TV. It's funny. There's people that you say farewell to and hope to meet again. Jeff is definitely on that list.

R.I.P., Peter Jennings

It was sad to log on tonight and discover that Peter Jennings has died. Like all of the big network news anchors, he was a landmark where many people tuned to get their daily dose of information. They were certainly the faces that I grew up with and now they're fading away. He will be missed.

Missed anniversary

I hardly believe that I missed it, but the anniversary of my last day at The Daily Mining Gazette passed on July 14. I was thinking ahead of the big day that I would have a beer and make a toast to my 3.5 years at the DMG, but I plumb forgot about it. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. Oh well. I think that I'm in a better place now although I miss my time in the Copper Country.

Singing the 50 states

I haven't listened much to Minnesota Public Radio's new station The Current, but I hear it's doing extremely well. After sampling a bit of their Fourth of July offering (after following a link from TVBarn.com) I can understand why. They had 10 hours of music covering the 50 states. Dubbed Fifty Songs for Fifty States, it aired from 2 p.m. to midnight on July 4. The playlist is chock full of classics and some unknowns. Definitely worth checking out the streaming MP3s.

Cost of hubris

Well, tonight was a slight downer. I was trying to think of songs for the Fourth of July to sing. After sorta passing through the more patriotic songs (which typically get mixed response), I settled on Birthday by the Beatles as one of the cooler birthday songs. So to introduce the song I decided to make it a little joke. I said something like, "230 years ago we declared our independence from the British. So what better way to celebrate our birthday than to have the British wish us happy birthday." Or something. During the fireworks, someone shouted "These colors don't bleed and they never will," I said "Except the War of 1812." Some guy took offense. Oh horrors! I mentioned the Beatles being British -- although Paul McCartney has certainly done his share of playing for an American audience practically draped in the red, white and blue. And, OMG, the War of 1812 -- the one war we had our tuckuses practically handed to us, nearly 200 years ago. I didn't mention one word about the actions in the past 40 years, which certainly have been controversial and difficult to justify. There's certainly power in pride, but there is a cost of hubris if we're not careful. Unfortunately, we've made mistakes over the past few hundred years and it's ridiculous not to acknowledge them -- and to learn from them. I wanted to defend my positions and the right to do so under the First Amendment -- one of the supposed rights we allegedly have. Instead I bit my tongue because the whole darn thing wasn't worth it. I know not to make my stand in a bar where tolerance, understanding or even comprehension go flying out the window (I been a bystander and minor participant in a stupid New Years fight). Instead I'll make a defiant stand on the blog I control and edit. ;-) Anyway, that freakin' incident pretty much ruined the whole night, although I loved singing "New York, New York" and "You and Me and Bottle Make Three."

Frak yeah!

Geez, that Ron Moore is seriously slacking on his blog about Battlestar Galactica. No updates since April. Hopefully that means the show's going to be really good. :-D Anyway, scifi blogging update. TVBarn.com was linking to a new press release pimping executive producer David Eick's video blog and has some stats. - Series premiere "33" has been viewed more than 100,000 times online, legally. - Moore's podcasts have been downloaded more than 150,000 times - Moore's blog has had 347,000 visitors for a total of almost 1.5 million visits Oh and Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II will be streaming on SciFi.com ahead of the season 2 premiere on July 15. BSG returns to the broadcast network airwaves in just over a week with three episodes airing on NBC on Saturday, July 9. Episodes include the action-packed Hand of God as well as the two-part season finale Kobol's Last Gleaming. These will be in HD where available. Lots-o-stuff in that press release. Frak yeah!

Not-the-American Flag

Once again, the anti-flag burning amendment has passed the U.S. House with a required two-thirds vote. After six previous failed attempts in the Senate, there's the possiblity that the amendment might actually pass this time. If it gets Congressional approval, it goes to the states for approval. And yet again, I'm puzzled as to what this amendment might actually achieve. That politicians love the American flag? Check. That's pretty obvious. Is solving flag-desecration a burning issue (sorry for the pun)? Statistics for years have shown most people don't consider flag-burning to be a pressing issue especially when weighed against the First Amendment right to free speech. This amendment does gag free speech -- by only allowing the positive use of the flag as a symbol. Of course, the proposed amendment gives Congress the ability to draw up rules regarding how Old Glory will be treated. I've always been intrigued how far these restrictions would go. Let's say they make it illegal to burn a flag. What about a photo of the flag? What about a photo of a photo of a flag? A crudely drawn description of the flag? What about a flag that has only 12 stripes? It's not the American flag ? which has 13 stripes. (BTW, the flag at the top of this post is a 12-striped flag. Please feel free to download and use as you see fit). I call it "Not-the-American Flag" (tm). When you get down to it, no matter how hard they try to pass these rules, there's going to be serious challenges to enforcing them. Although they're trying to regulate a symbol, people wishing to express themselves through the use of the symbol will find other symbols to use. The scary thing is -- If people are willing to place restrictions on how we express ourselves with a symbol, would they be willing to place restrictions on how we use a symbol of a symbol? Where does it end? I poised these questions to my Congressman around 2000, the currently embattled Randy "Duke" Cunningham (who is the amendment's primary sponsor). Sadly, I didn't hear back from the representative or his staff. Interestingly, President George Bush was photographed during last year's election placing his signature on American flags for the Republican faithful. Surely that would be desecration of the flag, right? After all, what's good for the rabblerousers is surely good for the president, right?