Denver Rocks (Pun Intended)

[LINK] (Picture Gallery)

In September I was asked to speak at a conference in Denver. I spoke about blogging to a few hundred government webmasters. I also learned something...there is a reason Greensboro truly is "Blogsboro", we live in a bubble. Everyone had so many questions about blogging, and the concept of a "blogger meet-up" was like candy to a few I talked to.

On the last day of the conference I teamed up with a couple of friends, one of which lived in the area, and we went to the mountains.

When we left Denver we were at 5,200 feet, and it was 86F degrees. We drove to Mt. Evans which tops out above 14,220 which is also the highest paved road in North America. We had to stop at about 13,000 feet because of snow on the road.

We stopped along the way at Bear Creek, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Goliath Peak. After hiking at Goliath Peak (12,220 feet) I have a whole new appreciation for low oxygen at high altitude.

By contrast Mount Mitchell in NC has a height of 6,684 feet.
If I ever decide to move across country, Colorado will have my attention.

Treo - 12:30

Hilarious Video

Picked this up from Greensboro is Talking…

And you think you have a bad job...[LINK]

Do not watch this video if foul language offends you, you’ve been warned.

Treo - 6:02

Define Double Speak

"Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a "communication bypass". Such language is associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination"). " - Google

[LINK]
"A Roman Catholic high shool has ordered it's students to remove their online diaries (BLOGS) from the internet, citing a threat from cyber predators."

"Thompson said students aren't being silenced, but rather told they cannot post online writings about school or their personal lives."

What does a catholic high school boarding student have to talk about besides themselves and school?

What's more, why are they not teaching these students how to deal with online advances, what information is unsafe to give out, and how to keep themselves from becoming a victim? That is what these students need to know, not only for now, while they are in school, but also for the future. The same principles apply to dealing with spammers, phishing, and scammers all of which every online American deals with on a daily basis. Why not educate rather than regulate these students, and help them prepare for their own future.

Are they going to also ban instant messaging, chat rooms, message boards, and email? All of these have come under fire in the past for exposing minors to unwelcome advances.

Treo - 5:33

Christine Todd Whitman

Sandy Carmany discusses a session, chaired by Christine Todd Whitman, that she attended at the recent NCLM conference.

The points that Sandy recaps, could not be more correct. I was at the conference, I only wish I could have attended that session.

I also learned that I am a RINO.

(At time of writting the NCLM site was unavailable.)

Converge South

I'm blogging live from Converge South. Currently Stewart Pittman is talking about how blogging has changed journalism, specifically as how it related to Hurricane Katrina.

The entire team which put this conference together should be highly commended. Classes all seem to be well attended, and people are really involved in watching the discussions.

Most of the attendees in this class are Journalism students here at NC A&T, and it excites me that these future journalist are truly understanding the power of blogs...something that most media outlets are still coming to terms with.

Treo - 11:45