Charlottesville to make city meetings available on demand

This is really good news, and I'm pleased they will have this in place.

Here is the press release...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — The Office of Communications with the City of Charlottesville today announced the launch of both live and on-demand access to City Council and other meetings via streaming Internet video beginning with the City Council meeting of January 2nd. The City recently implemented advanced web streaming solutions offered by Granicus Inc. to improve access to City government by offering video and audio of meetings broadcast in City Council Chambers to anyone with computer internet access.

“With our new streaming video system, citizens can now decide what they want to see and when they want to see it from any device with an Internet connection,” said Ric Barrick, Director of Communications for the City of Charlottesville. “This year has been an incredibly successful one for our website and we know this new feature will set the momentum for future enhancements in 2007.” The City of Charlottesville website, www.charlottesville.org, recently won two prominent national awards for “Best City Website in the Country.”

Wags Outside: Excellent commentary on working a second job

I tend to complain a lot that my life is too busy. I work the morning shift at WNRN three days a week, which means getting up at 4:30. I do a mixture of child-care and work throughout the rest of the day, sometimes working until very late in the evening.

But, Charlottesville blogger Wags Outside has an excellent post about the second job he took this year as a package handler for UPS.

Unloading tractor trailers is not rocket science. Grab a box, put it on the belt. Grab a box, put it on the belt. Grab a box, put it on the belt. The expected pace is a package every 3 seconds. It's easy to keep that pace when you're grabbing Aunt Edna's Christmas fruitcake or a package from LL Bean. It gets a bit more challenging when you're dealing with heavy auto parts, or picking apart a teetering wall of packages that is threatening to bury you in an avalanche.

He took the job to provide a second income, as he writes Charlottesville wages don't really cover costs very well. This is kind of inspiring, and well worth a read.

NewsAdvance.com | Developer pours energy, creativity into Lynchburg

I grew up in Lynchburg, and I'm amazed at how fast it is now growing. We spent the weekend there, and it was bustling. Charlottesville developer Oliver Kuttner sees a future there, and even says in this News and Advance article that he'd like to live there.

NewsAdvance.com | Developer pours energy, creativity into Lynchburg

I do worry about the idea of building too much by the James River. Lynchburg is built on a hill, and there's a very steep incline. But every fifty years or so, a massive flood can reach way up into the city's streets. The Flood of 1985, was particularly devastating. And, to my knowledge, there has been no flood abatement program like the ones in Scottsville and Richmond.

I'd also like to spend more time in Lynchburg. My parents live there, and there are a lot more opportunities then those that existed when I was a boy. Heck, I even went to go see Borat at a cinema less than a mile away from Liberty University.

It's interesting to read that Thomas Jefferson once said:

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be useful to the town of Lynchburg. I consider it as the most interesting spot in the state."

I'm pleased that Charlottesville developers see a profit in being useful to 21st century Lynchburg. I also see a future there. I'm working with Lynchburg podcaster Dan Portnoy on several projects, and of course, I'm on the air in Lynchburg three days a week on WNRN, which reaches into town via WNRS at Sweet Briar. I'm also working with Media General on the Gateway Virginia podcast, which includes the News and Advance.

Fun fact: Actor Skeet Ulrich from Jericho was born in Lynchburg. It's amazing what you can learn from Wikipedia.

Afternoon shift at WNRN

I'm in the afternoon today, something I've not done before. Thankfully I was able to mix up my daycare schedule for Josephine. It's a different place here in the afternoons. More people, of course, and a different style of music. I also am having a hard time seeing because I'm using my contact lens rather than my bulky glasses.

My challenge in 2007 is going to be to shake up my schedule.