Big Sky Blog

Craig has a nifty roundup (plus a few pix) of last night’s radio show — I’m really sorry that I missed it, but I am very glad that he, Karen, and David represented the Montana Blogosphere so well.

And while we’re on the subject — if any of you readers are new to this “blogging” thingamajig and would like to give it a shot, leave a comment below or register here at the Big Sky Blog…you’ll be contacted by a veteran Big Sky Blogger with further instructions. Heh…

From Yellowstone Public Radio:

Blogs, Bloggers, and Blogging

a live call-in
Tuesday, March 29, 7pm (that’s TODAY!)
call 657.2941 or 800.441.2941

Join YPR New Media Manager Ken Siebert for an hour-long panel discussion about blogs: what they are, who’s doing it, and what it means for traditional journalism and the Internet. The discussion will also feature the community of Montana bloggers and what they’re saying about the state and the people who live here.

Guests include Ed Kemmick of the Billings Gazette, Billings Outpost Editor David Crisp, Craig Sprout, who runs the mtpolitics.net blog, and Karen Hergenrider, who runs the karbonkountymoos blog. Listener comments and questions are welcome throughout the program.

Don’t forget — if you’re ever looking for Montana news, a quick Google search will always yield something of interest. You can narrow it down to a specific town, too. Same thing with Topix.net; you can customize it to news centered around your town or ZIP code.

Well, this bewilderment has come to rest in the west, goldarnit. Ed Kemmick at City Lights announced an upcoming Yellowstone public radio program on Blogs, Bloggers, and Blogging, featuring him, David Crisp and Craig Sprout. A discussion began in the comments (ever so gently initiated by Patia) and continues here, about the absence of women on the panel. The panel is also pale.

Nothing particularly fresh here. If you are interested in reviewing the conversation so far, I have a fairly extensive list of links in my del.icio.us women blogging bookmarks.

I was absolutely delighted to find, when I opened my Newsweek this afternoon, that they point readers interested in this to Body and Soul — some of the best writing on the web — and to Chris Nolan, whom I’ve not read before.

There are many women bloggers here in Montana, some of whom can be found in my Montana Links, or on the blogroll here at Big Sky Blog.

A commenter at City Lights says:

White male bloggers who focus on news and current events have a lot of interesting things to say. But couldn’t it become more interesting if someone like Moos were included?

And I concur.

UPDATE Saturday morning 26 March: Annnd . . . Moos has been included!

[A somewhat longer version of this post is here.]

I am a log home builder in Tennessee. I would like to move to Montana next spring (2006) after my son’s freshmen year at college. I would be willing to build a log home including daily supervision, handcrafting custom features and organizing sub-contractors for a suitable piece of land in Montana. Preferably close to the home I would be building. Owner would have to provide materials and laborers along with a modest salary so that I could continue to feed my family while construction is taking place. I would also be willing to oversee the construction of an entire development on the same basis. I am a master carpenter with experience in almost all of the trades. The only thing that I would be lacking is a knowledge of the local codes which would not take me long to grasp. I can also help in the pre-construction phase, helping to get your ideas and concerns taken care of before construction begins, along with ways to contain cost and still achieve the look you are after. I am also looking for employment in the same field and would be willing to work with a backer on spec projects. I have built projects ranging from the small to multi-million dollar level. Nothing is beyond me in the building world. Serious Inquiries only Thank You LRG II drenchzgrinch@yahoo.com

Most of you know that I love — LOVE — snow. This morning I woke up to about five inches of the fluffy white stuff on the ground, and it’s still coming down – yay! I figured it was time to learn a bit more about this magical stuff, so I went a-Googling and found a great site. For instance, why is snow white?

Visible sunlight is white. Most natural materials absorb some sunlight which gives them their color. Snow, however, reflects most of the sunlight. The complex structure of snow crystals results in countless tiny surfaces from which visible light is efficiently reflected. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed uniformly over the wavelengths of visible light thus giving snow its white appearance.

So – is it snowing in your part of Montana? How much?

Anyone who’s driven the highways & byways of Montana has encountered roadkill; I saw my first dead deer on my first day in Montana, in fact. But now a UoM invention might help cut down on the quantity of roadkill:

The University of Montana has patented a professor’s invention to help small animals get across busy highways without getting killed. It’s called “critter crawl” and consists of a metal mesh shelf suspended inside a culvert — to let animals go under the road instead of across it.

As Craig noted the other day, the entertainer Carrot Top was in Montana recently, and he stopped by Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls to say hi to the troops, sign some autographs, and spread good cheer. I’m not a really big fan of stand-up comedy, but Carrot Top seems to be a cut above the rest; the few times that I have seen him on TV he has been pretty funny — except in those awful collect-calling commercials, which are a pox on TV no matter who is “starring” in them. So I’ve gotta give props to Carrot Top for taking the time to visit Malmstrom Air Force Base — in the 2+ years I’ve lived here, I believe he’s the only entertainer to do so. Here’s the picture from the Malmstrom newspaper (click for larger view):

The University of Central Florida has completed a study regarding the graduation rates of both men’s and women’s basketball teams competing in the NCAA tournaments. The results were less than stellar, with many schools not even graduating half of their players. However, on the womens’ side, The U of Montana Lady Griz are one of only three schools with a 100% graduation rate.

Here’s a link to a .pdf listing the actual results of the study

One of Montana’s more famous part-time residents is in the news: according to the Great Falls Tribune, a man has been arrested for concocting a scheme to kidnap David Letterman’s young son. Cripes. If it’s true, I hope the creep spends a long time in jail. And even if it’s not true, he’s facing a felony theft charge, “…for allegedly overcharging Letterman for painting.”