I remember my first trip here 22 years ago.  My family came down to the ‘burgh for a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game.  I especially remember driving through the Fort Pitt tunnels and seeing this enormous city come into view.  As a friend of mine in New Jersey put it, “Pittsburgh is the only city in the country with a ‘front door.’”  He was right.  Pittsburgh is a beautiful town which today provides something for everyone. голова болит секс

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We have three major sports teams, a new hundred million dollar casino, the Andy Warhol Museum, a large zoo, history and art museums, three world class universities, two world-famous health care systems, high tech and financial companies, a world-class symphony orchestra, and the list goes on and on.  I’m proud to call Pittsburgh my home and will be staying here for (hopefully) a long time to come.

I didn’t believe it until I heard it on TV, but Pittsburgh still has a nasty, decades old stigma to overcome.  I hope that the 2,600 reporters from around the globe report good things about our city.  The protests were not the story.  People are focusing on them in their blog postings, etcetera, but should have been trying to make our city look good so that we can overcome the folklore of Pittsburgh.  Give Pittsburgh a second chance!

Green Day was awesome.  I have never seen a band that encourages the audience as much as they do.  Front man Billie Joe Armstrong engages the crowd with the enthusiasm of a five year old.  My introduction to Green Day was only a couple of years ago with their iTunes exclusive cover of I Fought the Law [iTMS] which preceded their now infamous American Idiot [iTMS] album.  Of course, I’m hooked.  You can’t help it with such a great band.  Next time I see them, I will pay for the best seats.  It would have been worth it!  The opening act was The Bravery; they were good, but not my thing.

The final band I went to see was Blink-182 (Wikipedia).  This was the concert I was waiting for.  I have wanted to see them, again, like Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, since 1999.  It was the summer that I was working the evening shift at an Internet service provider (Penncom Internet Company, Warren, PA) as a UNIX system administrator.  During the day I would watch MTV back when they still played videos.

As the date to the concert was approaching, I was dreading the three warm-up acts.  I mean, who in the hell has three warm-up acts!?!?  The concert was at the Post-Gazette Pavilion, about 35 miles from the City of Pittsburgh.  I had never been there before, so it was an interesting experience.  I do NOT like the fact that it is owned by Live Nation, the concert ticket people.  For a $240 VIP ticket, you get a seat in the 4th seated row.  There was a very small general admission area in front of the seats.  You also get a t-shirt and poster, but only if you remember to email them to get them.  Also add on about $35 for VIP parking.  Admission to the VIP lounge was supposed to be included in the ticket, but I think I entered at the wrong gate.  It was super expensive but so worth it.

Blink-182’s show was absolutely fantastic.  I could not have wanted anything more.  They are entertaining and haven’t lost a beat after being on hiatus for almost four years.  I was surprised that they were touring without having put out a new album.  Even with that they packed in a full crowd of 29,000 people just outside of Pittsburgh.

Blink’s warm-up acts were all good.  I did not know any of their material, but they were all great bands.  Fall Out Boy is the best known of the three, but I just don’t like that kind of music.  I find it just a tad too hard/harsh for my refined palate.  Panic at the Disco was the same thing for me.  Now, Chester French, the least known of Blink-182’s warm-up acts really struck a chord with me.  I love them!  I see them going places fast.

Green Day had the pyrotechnics, Blink-182 had the visual effects, and Jimmie’s Chicken Shack had the perfect show for a small venue.  They all put on the most entertaining shows but from very different perspectives.  As the eternal pessimist, I didn’t expect much from any of the bands I saw this summer, but I was wrong.  The summer of concerts was worth the money, time, and expense.  Assuming that I’m able, I will do it again next year.

Once I changed drugs, I thought that owed it to myself to go do things that I was unable to while on the cane.  My condition is debilitating and I really need to live like now is the best time I will have.  I may not be able to do everything I want in the future.  I took the bull by the horns and ordered three concert tickets for myself for some great bands.

The first band I saw was Jimmie’s Chicken Shack (Wikipedia) at the Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh.  The Hard Rock is a small venue with room for about 200 or so to stand and see a concert.  The stage is about a foot off of the ground.  I was able to literally stand less than 10 feet away from the performers.  That was my first up close view of a concert.

The venue’s sound system is horrible.  If you stand any more than about half way back in the room, you will hear speakers that are not much better than those in a 1986 Ford Escort.  This would be a great place to see a band if they would spend under $10,000 on a decent sound system.

Jimmie’s Chicken Shack was the third and final act.  They rocked the place.  I’ve wanted to see them since I first heard them on MTV in 1999.  They were a wonderful.  I can’t say much more.  It was a wonderfully entertaining time.  The rum & Cokes I had were expensive and extremely weak.  The first warm-up band was Mojofilter; they were good, but not my cup of tea.  The second act was LoveBettie.  They should have been called “BarfBettie.”  I’m not sure that I’ve heard a worse band.  My ears were bleeding during their performance and I couldn’t get drunk off of the rum & Cokes to drown out the noise.

More tomorrow…

Why did Pennsylvania all of a sudden become a battleground state?  I thought Florida and Ohio would cast the deciding votes again.  You see how good of a political strategist I’d make.  Of course, I’m a lifelong Democrat and live in a very important county for John McCain, Allegheny.  Pennsylvania has 67 counties, of which about 4 usually vote democratic, which is enough to carry the whole state.  You can count on Allegheny (Pittsburgh), Philadelphia, Delaware (Philly suburbs), and Dauphin (Harrisburg) Counties voting democrat.  This election we may see Erie, Beaver, Chester, Lehigh (Allentown), Cambria (suprise guess), and Lackawanna (Scranton) Counties heading in that direction also.  Pennsylvania was a big Hillary state and I know a lot of former Hillary Clinton supporters who will be throwing the towel in with Obama.

So, why so many phone calls?  I guess that John McCain believes that if he can get enough Hillary Democrats to vote for him (and his woman) instead of the black that he’ll take PA.  While we in Pennsylvania like our guns and the Pope, we have seen way too many people we know lose loved ones in the Iraq and Afganistan wars.  We have also seen our 401(k)s, 403(b)s, TSPs and Roth IRAs dwindle to nothing as of late mostly due to the failed politics of the last eight years.  We’re hurting.  We don’t want any more of this crap.  Now, I really doubt that an Obama-Biden-Pelosi-Reid administration can pull off miracles.  Let’s see.  We’re in a mess, let’s get out of it.  Things were much better here under Bill Clinton.  We haven’t forgotten that.

Jason Cable believes in PodCamps all around the country.  I’ve sponsored PodCamp Pittsburgh 1, 2, & 3 because I believe in social media.  Things such as YouTube provide us with endless entertainment.  Many blogs provide us with news and sociological case studies.  Podcasts offer the same as blogs but can be somewhat more easily devoured on-the-go.  Myspace, Facebook, and LinkedIn help us get in touch with people from our past.  Twitter allows us constant communication and create these networks of friends, some we don’t even know.  PodCamps help answer the who, what, where, when, why, and how of all of this.  It’s also a damned good excuse to drink.

Where does all this lead me?  It leads me to the heart of those intimately involved in podcamps… we want to inspire and motivate you and I to become a better (or new) social media consumer and creator.  Every year I try to get co-workers and/or friends to come to podcamp.  This year I finally did it!  I got a former co-worker and an old friend to attend.  This old friend was so inspired to create a blog while AT podcamp!  THAT is why I sponsor podcamp.  Things like that keep believing that a group of nutty ‘burghers just has to keep it going because it is important to the community.

Social media extends our ethnocentric bonds and delivers far more information that is possible with TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio.  This is just the beginning.  I remember back in 1996 we thought the Internet was connecting people from across the world to share their ideas and more.  Well, today we hear that and laugh because we are more connected to others than ever before.  This is an exciting time in our human development and I’m proud to say that I’ve seen it grow from a toddler in 1996 to something on the verge of something we can only imagine.

Thanks to PodCamp Pittsburgh’s organizers, sponsors, and participants.  Thanks to all readers of this blog.  Thanks to the listeners of this podcast from over 50 countries.  Let me focus on this and some idiots focus on Washington.  Thank god we are able to express our thoughts and ideas freely.  Thank you all!

Slides & Notes (PDF)

Slides Only

Podcast #153, Social Media: Diversity & Activism (MP3)

Wi-Fi (and the space) are provided by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, so bring your laptops.  Also, cameras, audio/video recording devices, and business cards are ALL OKAY.  Part of the joy is that everyone is open and wants people to learn.  We want to see your view on the topics covered.

My medical status update:  You will see me Friday, Saturday, and probably Sunday.  Unfortunately, the therapy I’m on for my 2 month old chronic pain disease (trigeminal neuralgia) makes me exhausted and unsteady on my feet.  That’s the reason for the cane.  I will do my best!