I apologize for not posting anything in the past several months. It has been a very busy time in my life. However, I plan to change that — starting now.

However, first, please indulge me as I fill you in with what you may have missed.

The past has been about change. If it were a chapter in a book, a potential title would be “transitions.”

Since leaving FOX News in May, 2009, I completed the majority of course work needed to earn a masters in Interactive Communications from Quinnipiac University. It has been an eye-opening experience — and has connected me with some inspirational people.

While working toward my degree, the Connecticut Post, a Hearst Connecticut-owned newspaper, was generous enough to take me in. I have been working there four to five nights a week as a part-time copy editor and page designer. In addition to working on Post pages, I have also had the opportunity to work with editors and reporters from Hearst’s other Fairfield County entities, namely The Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time and Danbury News-Times. Folks are putting their hearts and souls in these papers, and if you have the opportunity to read one, I highly encourage you to do so. In addition to working on the copy desk there, I have also written technology pieces. You can check out my blog, Tech Talk, here. It is updated daily, and so I hope you check it out often — and offer suggestions and potential topics.

In addition to the Hearst properties, Quinnipiac generously offered me a graduate assistantship. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting a few dozen of the Hamden-based university’s best and brightest students, faculty and members. I was delighted to write about my experiences that have been used across numerous platforms.

Well, the graduate assistantship worked out so well it has become my next adventure. Beginning Monday, I will begin a new job — as assistant director of public relations and social media at Quinnipiac. You heard it here first, folks. It is a position that promises to be as rewarding and enjoyable as it will be challenging and cutting-edge.  I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you here.

I have also been contributing to the Radio Television Digital News Association, a fantastic organization for journalism professionals. You can read some of my writings — as well as the perspectives of others — here.

And, speaking of journalism, I have continued my work with the great people of the Society of Professional Journalists. I am the vice president of the Connecticut pro chapter. If you are not yet a member, please consider this your personal invitation to join. The organization is composed of some really talented and great individuals. Particularly in a time of uncertainty in the industry, it is important to be part of such an esteemed and important organization. You can learn more about events happening in Connecticut here. Most of the events are free, so what are you waiting for?

OK, enough with the pitches. I look forward to continuing where we left off.

Oh, and if we’re not yet connected on Twitter, let’s do so.

Until next time, rock on.

Don’t do it!

 

The “heartbeat” of New Haven’s Union Station will soon stop — and with it yet another fiber of the state’s colorful history will be stripped away unnecessarily and ignorantly.

The state Department of Transportation will remove the Solari board (seen in action above) from the train station within the next year and replace it with LED screens, according to the New Haven Independent.

This is just ridiculous.  It’s always easier to replace something than to preserve it.  And once again, the state is opting to take the easy way out.

The reason for removing the historic and rare board?  Kevin Nursick, a DOT spokesman, told the Independent that it is difficult to find parts and expertise to fix that style board anymore.  Hmmm.  Well, Mr. Nursick, what are the other cities with the boards doing?  You know, like Philadelphia?  They are finding a way to preserve their past.

And further, Mr. Nursick, I suggest that you LOOK HARDER — or maybe talk with Philadelphia officials.  I hear they’re friendly in the city of brotherly love.  Make an investment of time.  Do it for your kids.  Do it for your kids’ kids. 

In the long-run I would think the state will get a bigger bang for its buck if it invests in performing regular maintenance on the sign than on purchasing LED screens.  After all, LED screens don’t last long — certainly not as long as the Solari board did.  Think about all the technology the Solari board has outlasted.

If you are Connecticut citizen, I implore you to take a stand.  If you care about our state, and what made it so great — or even if you think your children or grandchildren might give a damn — I suggest voicing your opposition to this plan.  Don’t forget, Mr. Nursick works for you — not the other way around.

While I am certainly a proponent of adapting to new technology, I strongly believe the state also has a responsibility to preserve our history.  Considering that the board is the last one on the entire New Haven Line says something right there.

And beyond the historical reasons, it is easier to see such a board than a LED monitor.  Have you ever tried reading such a monitor from the side or from an angle?  It’s not easy.  And the noise that the sign creates with each update is sure to capture your attention, something a stagnant, and eye-straining LED sign won’t accomplish.

Much too often the state’s most prized and beloved relics meet the wrecking ball unnecessarily and prematurely and thus stripping future generations of the opportunity to see what made our past tick — or, in this case, clicker-clack.

New Haven Urban Design League President Anstress Farwell described the Solari sign’s sound as the heartbeat of the grand waiting room in an e-mail to the Independent, and I agree.

We mustn’t let it flat line.  Because once we do, it will be too late to come to our senses.

A Facebook group and a petition have already been established in hopes of saving this historic item — and I hope you will consider checking them out.

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