Here at WTNH.com, we have been in the blogging business for about two years now. For the most part it has always struck me that we get a good dialogue going on nearly any topic--from the major ones to the ones that aren't the biggest item ever--but still interesting to read.

It strikes me that our blog--like most out there on the internet--is like the various conversations at a party. There are a wide range of things being discussed by groups of people who move in and out of the conversations. Some people participate in every one it seems, others are content to sit and listen--maybe adding one thought every now and again. And some listen, but never say anything.

So we're wondering, much like hosts at the end of the party when the guests are heading home, did you have a good time? Did you find, as one person recently wrote to complain, that this blog is becoming the party you would just as soon pass on going to, because the conversations aren't that interesting? Or maybe because it seems like there are only the same people who have the same things to say about nearly every topic that is brought up?

Put another way--Are blogs becoming too bogged down with small bands of bloviators who drown out everyone else on every topic?

Do you find yourself reading this blog--or other ones--more or less these days? We'd like to know, along with any thoughts you might have about why.

Following yesterday's coverage of the winter season's first big snow storm and all of the problems it caused with the afternoon commute, I arrived at work this morning to face the small, but predictable number of emails from people who had something less than nice to say about our coverage.

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We had this unexpected issue crop up on the Noon broadcast today. While we're on the air live, we realized the chefs we expected in the studio today were actually coming in tomorrow. Ooopps! That kinda left a four minute or so chunk of the program empty. Thinking fast, our newsroom coordinator Jen called up Dave Foster from Foster's in New Haven. With no time to spare or really prepare, Dave grabbed a few simple ingredients -- shrimp, rosemary, garlic & lemon -- raced around the corner, and within a few minutes was on the air with a wonderfully simple dish! Take that, Rachel Ray!

BTW, here's the recipe and the clip:
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The internet seems to be abuzz on this windy Saturday as what once was Hurricane Noel blows up the East Coast and over parts of Connecticut. The buzz is not all about the weather mind you, but in part over Time Magazine's naming this week of Apple's iPhone as the "Invention of the Year".

Yes, that would be the same iPhone that both Darren Kramer and I own and have written about here from time to time.

I still like my iPhone a lot. It's still the technological equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket and does different things everyday that make my life just a little easier. And it has been interesting to get people's reactions to it whenever it comes up in conversation. It is pretty safe to say that its been the most talked about gadget I have ever had.

That all said, I am not sure if I can go along with Time Magazine's call on the iPhone. As good as it is, the iPhone doesn't cure a disease, change the lives of people in developing countries, or help prevent global warming from harming our planet. Not directly at least. There were inventions this year that did each of those things, but they didn't get nearly the press coverage of the iPhone and they weren't available to anyone with a few hundred bucks to spend on what is a souped-up cell phone (or breakthrough internet communicator, if you prefer Apple's marketing terminology.)

Of course only history will determine if the iPhone will join the ranks of the Electric Light, the Phonograph, the Computer, and so many other inventions--even for that matter it's older sibling, the now near-ubiquitous iPod, in terms of changing so many people's lifestyles. Maybe all inventions now are just evolutionary developments of those fundamental creations of centuries past and we are just fortunate to live in remarkable times.

Unfortunately, one thing the "invention of the year" did not do was create more time in my life. Since it is now ringing on my desk, I'd better go answer it. So do you agree with Time's choice, or do you have another suggestion for what should have the title of "Invention of the Year"?

Some of you out there have pretty sharp eyes when it comes to behind-the-scenes details about our studio. For those of you who have e-mailed or posted here and asked, YES, for the past couple of weeks we have been adding new and improved elements to our desks and work areas in the studio. Dr. Mel is using one of the more visible elements.

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A couple of months ago, we began seeing email messages here at News Channel 8, chastising us about the lack of television news coverage regarding the “Jena 6”. The emails were very similar in their wording, which is usually a signal that the emails were coordinated and sent at the urging of a particular issue oriented group or website. Some were sent by people who don’t even live in Connecticut.

Prior to today, the story of the “Jena 6” wasn’t really a local news story here in Connecticut. That changed on this Thursday, when a number of smaller rallies were held across our state in support of the “Jena 6”, echoing the larger rally that brought tens of thousands to the streets of a small town in Louisiana—similar to other rallies that were held in cities and towns across America.

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We have carried a couple of news stories in the past week about the growing concerns over a naturally occurring chemical called diacetyl. Of course no one goes around saying how much they crave diacetyl and that they just can't get enough of it, right? But there is the rub, because almost everybody loves popcorn--and diacetyl is the stuff that gives most butter flavored microwave popcorn, that delicious taste of buttery goodness.

But wait, the story gets more complicated. The problem with diacetyl isn't directly tied to eating the popcorn--it seems to be more from breathing it. The problem has been first seen in the plants where they package microwave popcorn for the large manufacturers of the stuff, where workers who have been exposed to large amounts of diacetyl have been getting sick with a rare lung disease named bronchiolitis obliterans, in which breathing the chemical in large amounts appears to destroy the function of one's lungs--which as we all remember from science class are kind of important to keep one alive.

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A sure sign of your own advancing age is when your childhood heros start succumbing to mortality and passing away. Such is the case for me today wth the news that TV newsman turned late night talk show host Tom Snyder lost his fight with leukemia and died at the age of 71.

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