Mainstream Media Sticks Foot in Mouth Again

In the same vein as my recent smackdown of the Independent comes news that another mainstream media pundit has no clue about the blogs and the Internet. Elon journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Skube apparently wrote an op-ed piece in the LA Times blasting blogs, yet freely admits he’s never read any. Josh Marshall and Greensboro’s Ed Cone called him out on it, with Ed having even done it once before.
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Too Far Away

I had a good day at work. I got done early and got a chance to tour neighboring Independence Hall. It even stopped raining here in Philadelphia. Then Kelly let me that Travis’s fever hasn’t broken all day and he is being taken by ambulance to the UVa emergency room.

I can think of nothing else right now. Dammit, I wish I wasn’t hundreds of miles away.

Cheap Thoughts: Acoustic Cooling?

If exciting molecules generates heat, would it not be possible to create cooling by somehow resonating those molecules, perhaps through the use of sound waves? If you could get air molecules lined up, for instance, using acoustical harmonics, would they not immediately drop in temperature as a result of their lessened interactions with each other? Even if only some molecules are harmonizing?

Its my understanding microwave ovens work similarly, only they add heat by exciting molecules. If a microwave was tuned to instead resonate those molecules, I would think it could be made to actually cool things, rather than heat them.

Ah, the things I don’t know and wish I did.

Rain?

It’s been drizzly ever since I arrived in Philadelphia. Around the time we were done at the client site it began to really rain. I packed for drought and blazing heat, not for heavy rain and 65 degrees!

Luckily a street vendor sells umbrellas not far from the hotel. I’ll wait for a break in the weather and hope to catch him before he vanishes.

Club Quarters

I’m staying in downtown Philadelphia at the Close Quarters … er, Club Quarters on Chestnut Street (slogan: Your Belongings Stay Within Convenient Arm’s Reach!). It was another Hotwire deal and one whose “star rating” I might question. The rooms are small, perhaps 10′ by 18′, though it does have a great location, is nicely furnished, has impressive free Internet, and is about $100 cheaper (!) per night than neighboring hotels. Since I’m the only one traveling its no big deal, but if there were two people in this room they’d better be on friendly terms.
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In Philly

Got into Philly about two hours ago. My flight here was delayed 2.5 hours due to weather here. Missed the first train from the airport by seconds, so that added an extra 30 minutes to my night.

I checked the flight status before leaving but only found out about the delay upon arriving at the airport. I chose to return home and spend the extra time with the family. I got to help tuck the kids into bed before returning. I’m still savoring the feeling that gave me.

I was very hungry once I got here so I stopped by Little Pete’s, a neighborhood diner, for a late-night dinner. My cheese steak was incredibly good (fresh bread!), though most anything would be to me at this hour.

I meet my colleague around 8 tomorrow and we go meet the customer. Should be a fun and relatively easy visit.