Last Third Eye rounds in Reno for two months….

open mic, Java Jungle, Feb. 23rd

I have to catch up on preparations for my two month plus absence from Reno, so tonight I made one final pit stop at the site where I usually go online.  I now have a temporary mailbox address (for at least three months) and my phone is set to be disconnected on Monday (when I actually leave for the coast).  Posting will resume early next week and I have decided to share happenings from that area.  Reno is closely tied to the northern California area so dispatches from there might be of interest to people who check in here once in awhile.

I’ll be sad to miss the upcoming “New Media” summit.  (I think it has another name now, with “Interactive” in the title.)  I just saw the line up of speakers yesterday and this event (at UNR in their Reynolds School of Journalism) will be a great introduction to all these new tools we now have available.  Check out the details at http://www.nevadanewmedia.org

Speaking of interactive, new media resources, David Bobzien and Tracy Viselli have created new groups that may be of interest:

David’s:

http://groups.diigo.com/groups/nevada-legislature

Tracy’s:

http://groups.diigo.com/groups/government-transparency

Adios for now!!  Back online early next week.

UPDATE: spent Tuesday packing and cleaning place.  Basicly caught up (with stuff now ready to store!)  Will likely have to leave Saturday morning now, due to days of heavy snow storms being predicted.

Flickr, valuable tool for bloggers

I have recently been adding pages of photos at my “eurekamoksha” account, using an older generation Olympus camera (that requires “smart media” compact flash cards that are no longer manufactured, but nevertheless pics can be erased from these cards after downloaded).

When I first opened up this account, I only had a cheap camera from Walgreens (and, the photos posted from that camera reflect that fact).  Here’s the link to my Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28424275@N06/

As my friend Kevin from Napa noted, I have a lot to learn (he mentioned something about composition), so I have been photographing under various conditions (i.e. like various times of day with different lighting conditions).  The camera I am using  now has 10x zoom power and that’s something I really, really like using (as many pics demonstrate). 

There are some other prolific posters (from Reno) of photos at Flickr  and many of them are very good at taking great photos.   I will be adding links to specific Flickr accounts that really do a good job of revealing the many faces of Reno and Renoites.  (For now, note the link to the Flickr group Reno and Its Discontents in the Photo Gallery category on the right side of the page.)

BTW, when I’m in the Point Arena, California area during March and April, I will be likely posting photos like crazy from there!  Point Arena is about 15-20 miles north of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (Sea Ranch is just south of that and Gualala is just north of it).  I already have a Mendocino County photo set at my Flickr account (all photos so far from that cheap Walgreens camera that I USED to have). 

Anyone is welcome to use or repost any photos from there.  I don’t care.  My name, btw, is not “atiasrama” or “eurekamoksha”, but Mike Jamieson.  So, that’s the name you can use when identifying the photographer.  Hopefully, I will learn a thing or two by my heavy experimentation in photography.  But, for now, I at least now have a tool to use in “fleshing out” blog articles.  A picture is worth a thousand words sometimes.

Reno’s Tallcan TV, pioneers in finding new paths in “new” or “interactive” media.

I saw my very first episode of TallCan Tv, when I am Indisposed’s Wolfy posted a nearly 10 minute video of the recent Sierra Arts’ sponsored BrewHaHa event (showcasing prime and locally brewed beers).  I viewed this at http://renonv.ning.com, but you can see that and the other episodes here:

http://www.tallcan.tv

The beginning credits identify “I am Indisposed” presents, in association (usually) with “Mr. Jerz.org” and something called Stoddard Industries (and “Turbo Jones”).

CORRECTION:

“It’s Scriptard Industries and Sturbo Jones.

Our new umbrella name is Podlatch Media. Look for us soon @ Podlatch.com…

-M”

In early March, there’s going to be a day long workshop/meeting/summit on “interactive Nevada media” or “new media”, covering that whole scene including the all the new tools associated with, and used by, people communicating in the all the various ways granted by new technologies and means.  This tallcan tv is clearly an example that demonstrates the pioneering spirit alive in the “new” or “interactive” media scene.  For further information and news related to this upcoming March 7th summit (on the campus of UNR), go to:

http://www.nevadanewmedia.org/

There are likely no limits to the capacity of humans to imagine.  Meaning, in the end, that there will be some very interesting vehicles of interacting and communicating that will be created down the road.

Third Eye housekeeping…….

A new link category was added today (with an initial posting of two links) for the Art/Music scene in Reno.  I will be trying to also expand the number of links in the other categories.  Especially links to photo galleries related to Reno.

Speaking of which, I got an email from someone apparently associated with http://www.schmap.com; they told me that one of my photos at Flickr (account name “eurekamoksha”) had been shortlisted for their 6th edition of the “Schmap Reno Guide” (to be published in mid-February).  Their website states that people can “explore [their] destination online with our unique integration of maps, photos and place reviews”.    It’s the photo above.

We now have a new President and he is calling everyone to serve in some way.  A website, http://www.usaservice.org , will enable people to find volunteer service opportunities in their communities.  As I learn of more specific vehicles for serving here in Reno, I will report on that.  (There’s a posting category already here for “volunteerism”  All posts related to volunteer activities, and opportunities, can be found by clicking on that category.)

Now,  an unusual number of people are finding this blog by searching for “reno, ufos”; they have been doing so before I even mentioned UFOs here.  So, I hope to gather more “intel” related to possible UFO sightings here, as well as anything else that could be said to be “strange” or “mysterious”.  There is already a link category at this blog called Reno x-Files, where relevant links take the curious to various resources involved in investigating such things in our area.

Finally, I will continue with a special focus on the Rebirth of Oxbox Nature Study Park.  There will be additional articles and photos documenting that.

Reno Bloggers plan dinner gathering to meet each other….

A dinner gathering for bloggers, the first of its kind here in Reno, is being planned for later this month, as Wolfy reports here:

http://www.iamindisposed.com/blog/2009/01/06/1st-semi-bi-monthly-reno-blogger-dinner/

Also see:

http://www.mobaganda.com/renoblogger1

Burning question: Will Zeke grace us with his presence (and cheap scotch)??

Hopefully turnout will be good.  Bloggers are noted for being very shy people who prefer to stay at home in their pajamas.  (The next edition of the DSM will have a new disorder included that covers this pathology.)

Discovering more of Reno’s “new media”…

First, when discussing Tracy Viselli and Ed Lenert’s upcoming Nevada New Media Summit yesterday, I was unaware of this article (it helps to actually scroll down when visiting a blog in order to see what’s previously been written):

http://www.mrjerz.org/blog/new-media-is-not-what-you-think-it-is

I found the above article by going here:

http://outside.in/Reno_NV

That’s a site that “tracks” news and conversations from thousands of communities.  Zeke of ZekeSaysSo always, and I mean ALWAYS, shows up at the top when he posts something new, even ahead of anything our local daily paper writes!!!!  I’ve never seen anything by the Turd Eye on Reno.

Often when people post comments at different blog articles, they can choose to have people check out their own blogs.  (Clicking on the name, if hypertexted, does the trick in taking you to the blog of the commentator.)

In that way, I discovered two great blogs:

First, is one by Laurel Busch from “Rabbitbrush Ranch” where she focuses on Northern Nevada and gardening.  It looks like a valuable resource to me (with great photos posted):

http://blog.laurelbusch.com

Then, there’s one by Bob Conrad (communications officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) where he addresses “crises, public relations and the news media” in his blog “The Good, The Bad, The Spin”:

http://thegoodthebadthespin.com

Also, I should add a note on the blog where I first really read about all this “new media” stuff.  It’s written by a young man named “Wolfy” who identifies his blog as the “HQ of the i am indisposed media conglomerate corp worldwide (iaimccw)”:

http://iamindisposed.com/blog/

update:

I just saw a forum discussion thread started up by Wolfy at http://renonv.ning.com which led me to this interesting ning group discussing “new media” here: http://newmediacrusaders.ning.com

Third Eye Rounds and discovering (a) “Nevada New Media” and (b) coworking setting in Reno.

Thanks to the feeding of blog articles into places like http://nevadamojo.blogspot.com and http://zekesaysso.blogspot.com ,  I come across many interesting new things just by simply scrolling down the margins of these sites (where the various fresh and new articles are linked from).  So, in that way I found a note (with a useful link) on something called “Nevada New Media” at Ryan Jerz’s blog: http://mrjerz.org  And, Mr. Jerz linked to a blog article elsewhere, where one of the founders of something called Nevada New Media (see http://www.nevadanewmedia.org) was engaged in an active conversation addressing the questions and criticsms of the blog writer: http://www.iamindisposed.com/blog/2009/01/02/nevada-new-media-right-where-right-when/

Tracy Viselli (Myrna the Minx from http://www.renodiscontent.com) along with others (including a fellow sponsor, UNR’s Reynolds School of Journalism) are developing a new site here:  http://www.nevadanewmedia.org

On March 7, 2009, the Reynolds School of Journalism is sponsoring a Nevada New Media Summit (at UNR) to explore the impact of new media and technology in Nevada and also examine how to “develop an innovative new media culture that anticipates trends and issues…….”  (I think a ticket to this was posted as costing only $25.)

At this yet to be completed Nevada New Media website, I found some interesting sites in the blogroll.  And, started on the road to new discoveries, chief of which was this concept of “coworking” (manifesting here in Reno through a vehicle called the Reno Collective).   Two guys from Reno, Ed Adkins and Colin Loretz, are the founders and there site is here:  http://renocollective.com  Go to http://renocollective.com/about/ and learn about their intent to create a “coworking” setting here in Reno.

What is “coworking”?  Well, Adkins and Loretz had a link to a wikipedia article on this concept.  I am reposting the definition offered at that page:

Coworking is an emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically work-at-home professionals or independent contractors or people who travel frequently end up working in relative isolation.^[1] Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values^[2] and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.^[3][4]

Some coworking spaces were developed by nomadic internet entrepreneurs seeking an alternative to working in coffeeshops and cafes, or to isolation in independent or home offices.^[5][6][7]

Business accelerators, business incubators and executive suites do not seem to fit into the coworking model, because they often miss the social, collaborative, and informal^[8] aspects of the process, with management practices closer to that of a Cooperative, including a focus on community^[9] rather than profit.^[10] Many of the coworking participants are also participants in BarCamp^[11] and other related open source technology activities.^[12][13][14]

In Third Eye’s field of vision: Blogs, News, Upcoming

Ryan Jerz revisits the matter of bicycles and the people who ride them in this blog article:

http://www.mrjerz.org/blog/bike-dudes-are-an-angry-bunch

In that article is a link to his first article on this issue (of bike riders’ behavior).  I was recently visiting with friends in Davis, California and as we walked downtown and through the farmers’ market on a recent Saturday, I learned a lot about the New Bike Religion from many  of their missionary friends encountered along our walk.  Let’s just say 5th Street in Davis isn’t too popular.  (Note: Davis has a Bike Church, for real!)

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Zeke is strongly encouraging someone(s) to start up some serious blogging from Elko:

http://zekesaysso.blogspot.com/2008/11/hey-elko-get-blogging-sucker.html

And, he means serious.  (i.e. Politics).   He doesn’t want to hear about the grandkids and the puppies.  Or, presumably about our garden or most favorite recipes.

***            ***            ***

On another front (one which Zeke probablys hangs out on, I presume), the Washoe County Democratic Party is going to be hosting a Holiday Party at its next scheduled monthly meeting (and quarterly Central Committee meeting).  It’s a potluck and more (but, only briefly an actual “business” meeting).  There will be information presented regarding the upcoming 2010 races and about forms of ongoing participation (like with an affiliate group).

So, if you are a Democrat, living and registered in Washoe County, here’s the information you need to party that night, Tuesday, December 2, 2008.  It starts at 6:30 pm and will be on the fourth floor of the Joe Crowley UNR Student Union building in Ballroom A.

***            ***            ***

At Sven’s My Silver State community blog of progressive Democrats, there is a promoted article written by a member of the volunteer service group called Democrats Work.  Information about an effort, and how people can help in their own areas with helping supply their local Food Banks, is given here:

http://mysilverstate.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=8E617BAADDCFC871BE7A13F163A90518?diaryId=882

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The news of Democrats Work’s efforts to aid Nevada Food Banks brings to mind this note I got from Barack and Michelle Obama yesterday.  I’m reading it now, having taken it with me to do so while I dogsit up on the western slopes of Peavine Mountain.  I’m just here for the day, mainly because of a major doubleheader down at UNR today (where the dog’s owner will be till late tonight). 

The undated, but just received note gives a heads up, yet again, on what’s hoped for from all of us: Michael, this is your victory.  But even as we celebrate, we know the challenges are the greatest of our lifetime–two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.  The road ahead will be long.  Our climb will be steep.  And we will be asking you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years–block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.  What began 21 months ago in the depth of winter must not end on a night in autumn.  This victory alone is not the change we seek–it is only the chance for us to make that change.

***            ***            ***

The steel skeletal structure of the new Triple A baseball stadium of the Reno Aces is now complete, over on W. 2nd and Evans Ave.  Construction is reportedly ahead of schedule.  The Aces are set to have their first game there a little less than a half of a year now!

All that is like a bit of a silver lining in the news, where today it’s reported that the unemployment rate in Nevada during the month of October was at 7.6%, 1.1% higher than the national rate.

On Channel 2 news last night, someone was saying that tickets would be a an accessible level of pricing: $7 for general admission.  This is something to look forward to, especially now.

Followup note from Zeke on local campaigns and Ross writes about Byllie Andrews

Zeke expands on this article

 http://renothirdeye.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/a-national-campaigns-impact-on-local-races/

with these comments:

“The Problem that I saw was that the out-of-towners were not sold on promoting local candidates. The Derby campaign may have given out Lit, but there wasn’t much of it and there was no “talk up” done to explain who she was: it was left up to the skill of the Canvas Launch volunteers with a variety of skill levels. If a launch was done by an out of state Obama staffer or volunteer, local candidates were often not mentioned at all.

Also, with so many new people running for office, the candidates themselves took very little advantage of the massive army of canvassers that could have spread their word. Some candidates used the resources, like Bobzien, Townsend and Schumacher, while most candidates “go-ed alone” to their peril.

I think in the next presidential election cycle, the local party and candidates should definitely insist and be involved in instructing the out of Stater’s about the local election.

Consider this: no local candidate won a race in this county because of canvassing. There were no surprises. Think of what could’ve happened if there had been an actual coordinated effort between the campaigns?”

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A Washoe County Democratic Party activist (and currently a law student in Oregon), Ross Armstrong recently shared with readers of his blog his support for Byllie Andrews (who now plans to make a run for the Assembly seat currently held by Sheila Leslie):

http://rossarmstrong.blogspot.com/2008/10/vision-coming-alive-byllie-andrews-for.html

Note on upcoming articles: My time online will be significantly reduced as I prepare future stories and reports.  Right now, there will soon be an article (with Photos) of the recent Join The Impact rally in Reno and another article on the Resurrection of Oxbow Park (with photos).

Bloggers and their election wrap-ups

Sven from My Silver State discusses the “good” and the “bad” coming out of the recent election results in Nevada:

http://mysilverstate.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=872

Zeke from ZekeSaysSo offers an autopsy of the Jill Derby campaign for Congress:

http://zekesaysso.blogspot.com/2008/11/derby-campaign-autopsy.html

Zeke also offers a general wrap-up of the results:

http://zekesaysso.blogspot.com/2008/11/washoe-county-election-wrap-up.html

Texex of Texex-Xpress offers his take on the election results, and more…:-)   :

http://texex-xpress.blogspot.com/2008/11/ok-kiddos-its-time-to-pick-up-election.html

Ross Armstrong offers his perspective on the results and looks up the road:

http://rossarmstrong.blogspot.com/2008/11/american-sunrise-brighter-nevada.html

Jay Balagna of the Nevadasagebrush suggests a major impact on Nevada government following the election:

http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/11/11/democratic-wins-could-bring-new-revenue-to-state/