Category: North Carolina
North Carolina Drought 2008
By now the bad drought the South Eastern United States is experiencing is old news. We are already in stage two [PDF] water restrictions here in Orange County, North Carolina. But today I found a map that blew my mind. North Carolina looks like the worst hit overall than any other state right now. Check this out.
via: U.S. Drought Monitor, University Nebraska – Lincoln
See that state that is almost completely covered in dark oranges and reds? Yep that’s North Carolina. We’ve got a bad drought going on. Not to belittle other states around us who are suffering too like Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. So now check out the close up.
Here are the NC archives of this map since 2001.
Soon we may go into stage three water restrictions. But I feel good about our local PUBLICLY owned water and sewer system. Its managed by OWASA. They have planed well and so far we’re not feeling it too bad. I chalk that up to the progressive people in our county that have cared about conservation LONG before it was mandatory. Some real wisdom to be inspired and motivated by.
I found these maps at the NC Drought Management Advisory Council website. Thank you! Such a good way to spend our tax dollars. A website that is actually USEFUL!
NCSBC 2008: Open Science Session Video
Here is around 80 minutes of video I shot at the 2008 North Carolina Science Blogging Conference. This session’s full title is Open Science: how the Web is changing the way science is done, written and published. The discussion leader was Dr.Hemai Parthasarathy (former editor at Nature and PLoS). Because of length and file size I split it up into four parts. Enjoy and please share on your site. You can get the embed code on the blip.tv video pages linked to bellow. I’m working on video for the Blogging public health/medicine session.
NCSBC 2008: Open Science Session
Part 1 of 4
NC Science Blogging Conference 2008: Opening
This is the opening ceremony of the 2008 NC Science Blogging Conference. I’m working on two other sessions I recorded. A total of three hours of video content.
Jim Neal in Cabarrus County, NC
Video: Why Jim Neal is going to Win
I went to a fundraiser for the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Neal. Shot a some video of him speaking. Its so great to have a progressive North Carolina Democrat running against Sen. Dole. I hope to get some more video of him as he campaigns. Stay tuned. (BTW… I donated my time and energy to produce this.)
Here is a full rez Mov file. JimNealforsenate120907.mov
Techies Building Community in RDCH
So I told you about the creation of SocialCarolina.org the other day. Its a google calendar and blog about local tech events here in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. (That includes Cary, Carrboro, RTP, Morrisville, etc.)
Well.. some of the coolest events recently have been happening at the new Refresh the Triangle. They are organized by the folks over at Viget Labs. A new web design consultancy in Durham. Last night they had an event. Sadly I couldn’t attend. Next time hopefully.
So far there are seven people who can add events to this calendar. Today I added Peyton Crump to that list. He’s the Creative Director over at Viget Durham.
I’m blogging about this seeming mundane activity because I think its a milestone. Why? COLLABORATION! A bunch of cool people who organize amazing events are working together to inform a ton of people.
You would think this would be an easy thing to do. What with all the web 2.0 collab software out there. But… its not. I mean try to get a bunch of people to meet on a regular basis. Its hard. Syncing individual schedules is tricky. A group calendar is a good step towards making this easier.
In some ways the fractured nature of community is ok. Individuality is an important concept. We all have individual lives. But the concept of community is important too. I’m looking for a balance between the two.
To see the desire of people to get together and build community is awesome. We can all benefit from our collective intelligence. The more we come in contact with each other the smart we all become.
We have so much going on around here and lots more ways to find out about it. Very exciting times to be living in this part of North Carolina!
Props to the Refresh the Triangle folks for making a cool website for their events. Social Carolina isn’t a unique idea. I’m glad many of us are on the same page.
EVENT REMINDER: Meet Congressman Brad Miller
Please Join Congressman Brad Miller
For a discussion hosted by Ruby Sinreich of OrangePolitics.org and Brian Russell of Yesh.com about the impact of blogging on today’s political environment.
When: Thursday, November 29, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Where: Mill Town Restaurant, 307 E Main St, Carrboro, NC
Suggested Donation: $10
Cash Bar
Congressman Brad Miller is currently serving his third term representing North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District. He has often blogged on many progressive sites, including the DailyKos and Blue NC. Congressman Miller serves on the House Financial Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Science and Technology Committee where he chairs the subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.
RSVP by calling 919-834-2343 or e-mail andy@bradmiller.org or just stop by www.bradmiller.org
FYI — You don’t have to be a blogger or donate $ to join us! See you there!
Stop Media Consolidation
Watch this Bill Moyer’s video about the latest FCC attack on our media freedom. It explains the threat very clearly. Such amazing footage of the Seattle FCC hearing held recently.
More info here on Freepres.net. Bipartisan Bill to Put the Brakes on FCC
If you are on Facebook consider joining the 100,000 by 12/18/07 to Fight Media Consolidation group. Here are some action items.
1. Invite all of your friends this group. Most of the “100,000” or “1 million” strong groups are meaningless. If we can get thousands of people on facebook to contact the FCC and their Senators there is a good chance we can actually stop this disastrous rule change.
4. Learn More
Please do whatever you can to spread the word about this. Media consolidation is one of the most overlooked issues in contemporary political discourse. Without access to diverse and distinct media sources, our Democracy itself is in peril. Make sure your voice is heard on this critical issue.
Social Carolina: Tech Events Calendar
Wayne Sutton is on top of local tech events in our area. So a couple of us asked him to create something to keep track of these events. He set up a blog at socialcarolina.org and I created a google calendar. Plus we have the Twitter user RDCH to follow and stay up-to-date.
Know about a cool event that involves technology of some kind? Is it happening in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area? Then contact us with the blog form. We’ll put it up on the calendar and promote it. We already have a few cool events up there. Check it out.
Brian C. Russell 