And Now For Something Completely Different

It was a nice day to do a little research. I wondered what was going on in Laurel in January 1912? One hundred years ago. But I fell asleep after reading a few Laurel Leaders from 1912. That led to a dream, a time warp and then hearing a Laurel radio station from the past, long before there were commercial radio stations. How strange. Perhaps I should stop eating at Red Hot and Blue before napping ...

January 1912 News from Laurel MD

Whither Newspapers, Universities Next?

The web disintermediates.  The middle man between creators and consumers crumbles under the power of the web.  Newspapers, travel agents, and real estate brokers have all been strained to the breaking point.  What's next?

The web is now the place where almost every idea is borne.  And better yet, where we can all witness the birth and life of most ideas for free.  Not just in our own city or country but throughout the world.   Billions of people are thinking out loud every day.  We simply need to listen.

In the early 90's the web was like a school girl's shoebox.  A place to keep memories. Here's a list of songs I like. Here's a collection of my favorite stories.  Over here is a catalog of films.  Since then the web has morphed from list keeper to the nursery of innovation, knowledge, and new connections.

Today, the web serves as the generator of new knowledge; a garage for the tinkerer, classroom for the curious, lab for the scientist, the writing loft for the freelance journalist, stage for an edgy comic to expose new material,  basement studio for the musician, a visual artist's canvas, a photographer's lightbox, ...

I love new ideas.  99.9999% are useless, but .00001% will change the world.  How can we find the useful bits?  How do we find the trends?  Innovation happens when dissimilar ideas rub together.  How can we liberate exciting innovation from this miasma?  Not for money or fame.  But just because it's so damn fun to learn.

Number 1 daughter is now a big shot producer and host of a radio show on WFUV in NYC.  She interviewed a Fordham University Law professor on her show this morning.

"The Internet has shaken the foundations of both politics and news.  Are colleges next? So says Zephyr Teachout, former director of online organizing for Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. "

My friend Greg Krehbiel over at the  Crowhill Blog, in a post entitled, "The free market shoots and kills two bastions of liberaldom?" says huzzah for the internet. 

The Giant Pool of Money: Housing Bubble Explained

According to the proposed FY2009 budget, the property within the city of Laurel is worth a total of $2,288,481,268. But of course this value is based on property assessments that were calculated while real estate in this region was surfing the housing bubble. The challenge will be to see how our residential and commercial real estate values fair over the next few years.

I have been trying to figure out this housing bubble business for months now. Two years ago, real estate prices were climbing to dizzying heights. Today they are wiping out in a death spiral.

Why? Where did all the money go? Who caused this problem? Should I blame West Laurel for this irrational exuberance? Is it Jack Johnson's fault? Will approving slots make it better? Why would banks arm wrestle each other to see who got to give a $400K interest-only loan to my unemployed tabby cat in 2005? Who got paid off? Why did we get left holding the litter box?

I'm a big fan of a radio program called "This American Life" hosted by Ira Glass. It is one of the best shows on public radio. They recently broadcast a show that answered all of my questions called, "The Giant Pool of Money." The show runs an hour and I recommend it to anyone trying to understand what caused the housing credit bubble. I found their experts easy to understand and compelling.

You can listen to the show on your computer or download it to your portable mp3 player via iTunes. I found it to be a valuable way to spend an hour. Besides, I don't have much else to do since my tabby cat's house went into foreclosure last month. Does anyone need a used litter box?

Maryland Public Affairs Radio

Local news and public radio are two of my lifelong passions. That explains this Laurel Connections Blog and also my recent experiments with producing audio podcasts here.
Last night Joanne and I joined a large and happily eating crowd at St. Vincent Pallotti High School's annual Bull & Oyster Roast fundraiser where we met Sheilah Kast.

Sheilah Kast is one of public radio's most accomplished reporters and she recently began hosting a new local public affairs show called Maryland Morning on WYPR (88.1 FM). Maryland Morning is heard from 9 to 10 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with interviews about Maryland news, arts, politics, science, and history.

The only other source of Maryland public affairs radio is Kojo Nnamdi's Maryland Politics Hour on WAMU (88.5 FM). Unfortunately, Kojo's Maryland show only airs a couple of times a month. Kojo visited Laurel last March and he had the courage to provide me with a microphone.

The addition of Sheilah's Maryland Morning to the local affairs radio spectrum provides our community with new opportunities for local news and information. However, there is a problem receiving WYPR's signal here in Laurel. I can only get their signal on my radio on the second floor of my home or in my car.

But this is not really a problem in the information age because Maryland Morning is available via the web. You can always listen live via streaming media at 9 AM. Or simply point your browser at one of their recorded shows and listen at your convenience.

Joanne and I enjoyed the Pallotti event and it was a real pleasure meeting Sheilah Kast. I forgot to mention that Sheilah's escort for the evening was a tall, good looking fellow named Jim Rosapepe, her husband and Laurel's very own 21st District State Senator and all around good guy. Good luck to them both.