One Laptop Per West Virginia Child

While we have done a pretty good job of putting computers in West Virginia classrooms and getting broadband in the rural parts of West Virginia. We have done nothing to put laptops in the hands of every West Virginia child.

The economic reality is that not all WV families can afford to buy there children laptops. This is a disservice to the children of WV, and I call today for a private/public partnership to fund this project.

One laptop per WV child can be achieved with inexpensive netbooks running either Windows XP or linux. With this laptops children who do not currently have access to their own computers at home could write, make music, learn to program, and do homework.

If public funds are not made available, this project could be funded with private money from the WV blogging community, or from some other online donation model.

Please leave you suggestions as to how we can achieve one laptop per West Virginia child in the comments.

New Works by Sharon Lyn Stackpole Opening Next Week at The Purple Moon

Excited to see new works from one of my favorite artist, Sharon Lyn Stackpole, scheduled to open during next weeks FestivALL Art Walk at the Purple Moon. '3 Art Openings - 1 Night' will also feature 'Hard Times: a new dollar for america' and Dario Cardenia from Italy back for another FestiALL show.

'A Better West Virginia Challenge' 2009

Jason Keeling has posted a new challenge for West Virginia Day this year. Keeling who has the A Better West Virginia blog, hosted a challenge last year were WV bloggers changed WV stereotypes. This year Keeling challenges WV bloggers and Twitter users to identify challenges and obstacles facing West Virginia and offering solutions.

Jason writes:

"I am working various media channels to promote the challenge and greatly appreciate your potential contribution, no matter how large or small. Last year we countered stereotypes. This year the objective is to facilitate conversation about obstacles and solutions in West Virginia.

Thank you for your consideration and feel free to contact me with questions.

Sincerely,
Jason Keeling
p.s. – For those on Twitter, you can update thoughts there using the #aBetterWV tag, which allows everyone’s comments to be tracked.
__________________________________

Keeling Strategic Communications
P.O. Box 7423
Cross Lanes, WV 25356

Mobile | 304.989.3262

jason@keelingstrategic.com

Visit our blog at aBetterWestVirginia.com

It's Almost Time for FestivALL

When A City Becomes A Work of Art

This years list of events are too long to list here. For the complete 2009 schedule see the FestivALL website. The events run from June 19 until June 28 this year.

Are you part of the Underground?

http://24theunderground.wordpress.com/

“Y” I Give to the YWCA

http://24theunderground.wordpress.com/

Art Walk Video

Great Art Walk Video by Jerry Fugate.


Jerry we'd like to see your stuff on Shouts and Hollers.

304blogs on MyZ 10 pm News

I was interviewed via Twitter for a feature on 304blogs for MyZ 10 pm News. It will air tonight.

Sharon Lyn Stackpole at the Purple Moon

Looking forward to attending the opening reception for "Filters of color, words & light" Works by Sharon Lyn Stackpole" tonight at 6 pm at The Purple Moon.

Are you ready for 10 digit dialing

The new 681 area code goes into effect on Saturday. No one will be assigned the new area code right a way. Only new numbers will receive the new 681 area code. All old number will keep the old 304 area code.

The big change is you will now have to dial 304 + the seven digit number to dial a local numbers.

CharCon - This weekend

This weekend gamers will gather at the Charleston Civic Center for two days. For more info go to charcon.org.

Jesco White at the Empty Glass tonight

Jesco White returns to the Empty Glass stage tonight for the first time in a long time. Some of you might remember Jesco from the documentary Dancing Outlaw.




Here's a sample from Dancing Outlaw:

Sorry about the audio.

If you go it's important to remember that Jesco is a real person. He isn't a character made up by an actor like Unknown Hinson. His jokes can be corny, but laugh anyway.

iPhone APP RjDj: A Soundtrack For Your Life

This iPhone application is hard to explain. Let just say I'm addicted to it now. I downloaded it last night, but it was a little too quiet to test. I used it on the way to work this morning and really enjoyed it.

I agree with TechCrunch , "The application is difficult to describe and on paper it sounds sort of silly." Check out the video below for more details.

Virgil's New Project

Charleston restaurateur Virgil Sadorra wants to help people live downtown. Virgil, owns and operates Cilantro's in the old Delish spot on McFarland Street and Delish Express on Washington Street East wants to add another title to his resume: loft developer.

Why is Sadorra's project different? First is the price point, he said. A move-in-ready, 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath loft will start at about $200,000, he said.

His price is based on what people are asking for, he said. He's targeting the young professional crowd, who, in some cases, are already paying $600 to $800 a month for apartment rents, he said.

A $200,000 mortgage wouldn't cost that much more - in the $1,000 to $1,200 range, he said.

"And you own it," he said.

His plans call for movable walls so residents can change the layout if they choose, he said.

There will be on-site parking and other amenities, including a rooftop pavilion and workout room. Also in the plans are a tenant grocery store and room service, he said.

The grocery store will feature carryout pastas and Sadorra's signature sauces once featured at the McFarland Street Delish.

Why do this project now?

Sadorra admits that downtown living isn't for everyone. With a wife and two small children it doesn't make sense for his family anymore.

But the want is there, he said.

He points out that the recent downtown loft walks by the Charleston Area Alliance's Generation Charleston, a young professional's organization, have had 100 attendees.

For now, Sadorra is finishing up details with a contractor and architect. He doesn't have a start date on the project, but he wants it done sooner rather than later.

I wish Virgil all the luck in the world hope he see results soon on this really cool project. I also look forward to seeing what he does with revamping the Vandalia Lounge on Hale Street.

www.visitappalachia.com

I get a few press releases. None have turned into posts until now. Today I received a email about www.visitappalachia.com.

Dear Mr. Gardner,

I'm working with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to get the word out about a new website devoted to travel in Appalachia, www.visitappalachia.com, and I think readers of "Oncee@Blogger" would appreciate a chance to see what this site has to offer.

Not only does www.visitappalachia.com provide information about the 13 states that make up Appalachia, it also includes access to the recently released Appalachian Driving Tours Map. Commissioned by the ARC, the map features 28 driving trails throughout the Appalachian region, each of which leads to a broad array of historical, archaeological, cultural, and scenic sites.

Autumn is the best time of the year to visit Appalachia, and taking one of the tours found on www.visitappalachia.com is a great way to catch the foliage and to learn more about the multitude of sights the region has to offer; the website is as useful whether you're journeying across the tree-lined roads of West Virginia or down along the river in Mississippi. What's more, visitors can search for drives by state as well as by theme. As a result, www.visitappalachia.com can just as easily help you plan a trip through Tennessee as through Pennsylvania, while pointing out sights of interest whether you love music or history.

In addition, www.visitappalachia.com has a Google maps feature to help travelers plan their next driving vacation to Appalachia, as well as links to the 13 Appalachian state tourism offices for additional information.

I noticed that your blog speaks about Appalachia so I thought your readers would be interested in www.visitappalachia.com. As such, I was wondering if you would be kind enough to post a link to the site. I can provide you with a button or banner to use for your link.

The Appalachian Region possesses a wealth of scenery and culture and the driving maps featured on www.visitappalachia.com are a great way to discover both. I hope you'll look around the site and pass the information along to your readers.

All the best,
Joe Killiany
Breakthrough Strategies
Joe@btsrategies.com

Creative Communities Under Construction: Richwood, WV

Richwood, WV: My home town. Ramp Capitol of the World. The Lumber City. Richwood is many things, and it is also a Creative Community Under Construction.


Photo by Oncee

Richwood is named for the large timber holding around the town. It was once home to the largest saw mill in the world. It was also at the regional center of a coal boom in the 70s. While Richwood is still the Home of the Lumberjacks, the Big Mill isn't so big anymore. The train tracks have been replaced by hiking and bike trails.

Why is Richwood a Creative Community Under Construction? Richwood has "Quality of Place". Richwood is the Gateway to the Monongehela National Forest. Three tributaries of the Gauley River (Williams River, Cranberry River, and Cherry River) all flow wild within the forest. The Cherry River flows through the town. These rivers has home to some of the greatest trout is the nation.

The forest is also the home of the Highland Scenic Highway, Hills Creek Falls, Summit Lake, and Cranberry Mountain Visitors Center are a few miles east at the intersection of WV 39 and WV 150, which is close to the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area and the Cranberry Wilderness, and some of the best biking and hiking trails in the nation. The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is the southernmost Canadian bog in the world.

A hour drive to the east is Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, which is home to the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope and the world's largest land-based movable structure, and Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.


"The Sterling Spencer Memorial Sculpture Garden replaced a dilapidated vacant hotel that had partially collapsed near the center of town. The park is named in honor of a respected wood sculptor from Richwood." (Source: Wikipedia)

For a list of other Creative Communities Under Construction see www.createwv.typepad.com or www.abetterwestvirginia.com

See the No Pants Players this weekend

Everything Fiesta Tent Sale

This is my first time at the Everything Fiesta Tent Sale. The crowd was huge. I took us an hour to checkout.


The sock on the right hand is used to wipe away dust to look for imperfections.


The price list.


The crowd was huge, and the sound of clinking china was deafening.

Check out my other photos on my Flickr stream.

Obama made a mistake picking Biden

I usually don't write about politics, but I think Obama pick of Joe Biden as a running mate was a mistake. Obama has the chance to make history by picking someone to take his message of change forward, but instead he goes for the old white guy who has been in the Senate for years. He could have picked a woman, a latino, or a war veteran, but we get more of the same old Washington establishment pick.

Having lived through the 80s I also remember the Biden plagiarism scandal, which caused him to drop out the 1988 race for President. Opponents haven't rolled out the plagiarism scandal yet, but it won't take much a Fox News talking head to do a Google search to dig it up.

In 1987, Joe Biden ran as a Democratic presidential candidate, formally declaring his candidacy at the Wilmington train station on June 9, 1987. In his speech, he challenged Americans to step beyond the materialism of the Reagan years. When the campaign began, Biden was considered a potentially strong candidate because of his moderate image, his supposed appeal to Baby Boomers, his fundraising appeal (Biden's $1.7 million raised in the first quarter of 1987 was more than any other candidate, including the then front-runner, Gary Hart), his high profile position as chair of the Senate Judiciary committee during the Robert Bork confirmation hearings, and, perhaps above all, his soaring oratory. Biden often seemed to try to inspire the same hope and idealism associated with 1960s liberals such as Robert Kennedy, especially as related to civil rights. He received considerable attention in the summer of 1986 when he excoriated Secretary of State George Shultz at a Senate Hearing because of the Reagan administration's support of South Africa, which continued to support a system of Apartheid. By August 1987, however, Biden's campaign had already begun to lag behind those of Michael Dukakis and Richard Gephardt.

Then in September 1987, the campaign ran into serious trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party. Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video. Within days, it was also discovered that, while a first year law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Though the then-dean of the law school, as well as Biden's former professor, played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find that Biden drew "chunks of heavy legal prose directly from" the article in question. Biden said the act was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F in the course, which was subsequently dropped from his record when he retook the class. Biden also released at the same time the record of his grades as an undergraduate which were C's and D's with the exception of two A's in physical education, one B in a course on English writers and an F in ROTC during his first three semesters. His grades improved later in his undergraduate career but were not exceptional. Further, when questioned by a New Hampshire resident about his grades in law school Biden had claimed falsely to have graduated in the "top half" of his class, (when he actually graduated 76th in a class of 85) that he had attended on a full scholarship, and had received three degrees. In fact he had received two majors, History and Political Science, and a single B.A., as well as a half scholarship based on financial need.

Faced with these revelations, Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987, saying his candidacy had been overrun by "the exaggerated shadow" of his mistakes. After Biden withdrew from the race it was learned that the Dukakis campaign had secretly made a video showcasing the Biden/Kinnock comparison and distributed it to news outlets. Dukakis fired John Sasso, his campaign manager and long-time Chief of Staff.

Charleston Tweet-up Pictures

Thanks to everyone who came to the Tweet-Up. Paul McNeely told me the gathering was so large that the staff at Capitol Roasters asked us to warn them the next time.


Blair and David


Nick and Heather


Heather, Mona, Dan, and Mark


Jason, Robin, Mike, Paul, and Rachelle


Mike, Robin, Rick, Rachelle, David, Nick, Mark, and Dave


Paul and Mike


Mark and Dave


Paul and Blair


Jason and Rick

Thanks to everyone who came. We hope to do another one soon.

The new 304blogs

We rolled out a new version of 304blogs this morning. If you have any question or suggestions, please put them in the comments.

304blogs in today's Charleston Gazette

I did this interview with a couple of weeks ago Five questions: Bloggers in search of bloggers

The print version includes pictures of David and myself.

Charleston Twitter Meet-up this Tuesday

Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Capitol Roasters
Street: 160 Summers Street
City/Town: Charleston, WV

304blogs welcomes 17 new blogs

David updated 304blogs today to included 17 new blogs:

Shouts and Hollers
West Virginia Business Blog
Appalachian Greens
The Glamorous Life of a Hausfrau
Martin Bowling.com
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra Blog
Jennyville
All Click, No Point
kitchen geeking
Jason Means Photography
Ron's Thots
wventrepreneur
Family Voice
Pimp My WV
Mountain State Motherhood
NONAME
this and that

A guide to biking in a safe and civil manner

With more people using bikes to save gas, I have been thinking a lot about bicycling lately. Not just cycling, but cycling safely.

This morning I followed a guy, not wearing a helmet, weaving down Capitol Street. Over the past few weeks I have almost been hit by bicycling citizens on Capitol Street. Almost all of them are not wearing helmets and are riding ill fitting bikes showing they care as much about their safety as they do yours.

Before everyone thinks I'm a cycling hater, I'm a avid mountain biker who has many miles under his belt. I advocate biking in a safe, civil manner.

In the interest of educating riders, I point to the State of West Virgina Bicycling Safety page which includes sections on helmets, bike size, hand signals, and first aid.

First there is the helmet. It's for the riders safety, and it should fit correctly. If you decide not to wear a helmet, that's fine. It's your head. On one occasion a helmet probably saved my life. I know it saved my head. I kept the cracked helmet around for a number of years as a reminder to always wear one.

Second there is the bike size. A bike like a suit should be sized correctly. A good bike is like a good suit. Getting it sized correctly, while you might have to make a few adjustments, it will serve you for many years.

Third there is hand signals. Without signal lights and brake lights you really need to let cars, walkers, and other bikers know what you are doing.

Last there is first aid. If you ever take a header, you needed to know how to patch up yourself or your friends. Hopefully you will never need to use it, but you should learn it.

As well as endangering themselves, some riders might be breaking the law. The WV Code sections on bicycling addresses who must wear a helmet and the duties of the person riding a bicycle on public roadways.

§17C-11-2. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application.

§17C-11-5. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.(a) Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. (b) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. (c) Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.

§17C-11-7. Lamps and other equipment on bicycles. (a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the department which shall be visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector. (b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle. (c) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

§17C-11A-4. Requirements for helmet use. (a) It is unlawful for any person under fifteen years of age to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle or any attachment to a bicycle used on a public roadway, public bicycle path or other public right-of-way unless at all times when the person is so engaged he or she wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet. (b) It is unlawful for any parent or legal guardian of a person under fifteen years of age to knowingly permit such person to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle or on any attachment to a bicycle used on a public roadway, public bicycle path or other public right-of-way unless at all times when the person is so engaged he or she wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet.

I can't find any City of Charleston regulations for bicycles. Can anyone share a link?

304blogs swag

Visit the 304blogs cafepress store for all your 304blogs swag needs. Products include shirts, stickers, magnets, and mouse pads, and they make great gifts. We are selling everything at cost (we are not making any money off the sales).

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Parkersburg has an anonymous crocheter

Just saw this story on the Parkersburg News and Sentinel site.

An anonymous crocheter has placed colorful crocheted creations in different spots around town, including in City Park by the horseshoe area on a one-way sign, outside the downtown parking garage on a lightpost and by the Wood County courthouse steps on a directional sign to Blennerhassett Island.

In an e-mail sent to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel this morning, a person claiming to be the artist responsible for these creations describes what she is doing by making Parkersburg cozier.

Her work was created to get people to change the way they think of handicrafts, cozies, graffiti, and light poles.

Each piece has a tag which reads "Public Art Courtesy of Los Crochet Locos" and a web address for a blog about the graffiti cozies.

It's good to see the idea of knitted and crocheted graffiti making it to other cities in West Virginia.

304blogs blog button

Chuck Hamsher, aka Just a Modern Guy, has crafted a very nice 304blogs button for use on blogs listed by 304blogs.com.

Please host his image on your own site. No hot linking please, and the link on the button should be http://304blogs.com.

Thanks to Chuck for doing this for 304blogs.

Sohovich lauches new restaurant

Soho's and Blossom owner Bill Sohovich is getting ready to launch a new restaurant: Billy's

Sohovich, the owner of Blossom and Soho's, has leased a building in the Southridge Centre off Corridor G, a space once occupied by the barbecue restaurant Smokey Bones.

He is set to open his new restaurant, Billy's, right after Labor Day, in the spot near a Red Lobster, an Olive Garden and a Quaker Steak and Lube.

It's quite a departure for the man best known for serving up osso bucco and beef carpaccio to the lawyers and lawmakers who dine mostly within a mile of so of the state Capitol.

"I'm a downtown man, I am," says Sohovich, 56. "My heart and soul is there. I fought coming up here for a long time, what with the traffic and everything, but, man, this is like hitting the lottery. I walked in and I just knew. This was just it."

What is "it?"

Well, don't call it "home cooking" or "comfort food."

Sohovich plans to open soon after Labor Day.

Chickens in the Road author profiled in the Daily Mail

The Charleston Daily Mail profiles Chickens in the Road blogger Suzann McMinn.

The sad saga of Marketing Genius from Maple Creative, and the happy ending

The Charleston Daily Mail has an account today of how the Marketing Genius from Maple Creative blog got taken down, how the deleted blog was then used by spammers, and how it got restored by Google.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Skip Lineberg lost his blog.

Lineberg is the chief creative officer with the local marketing firm Maple Creative. He has a site on the Web known as Marketing Genius, which he uses to discuss marketing strategies.

Skip Lineberg has started a more in-depth account of the events on the restored Marketing Genius from Maple Creative blog.

Fork You has an account of the Underground Kitchen

The fine folks over at the Fork You blog has an account and pictures from the recent Underground Kitchen gathering.

10-digit dialing practice

The West Virgnia Public Service Commission wants you to start practicing 10-digit dialing so you will be ready when it becomes mandatory in February of next year: Practice Makes Perfect Dialing

Breaking News: Marketing Genius from Maple Creative is back online!

Marketing Genius from Maple Creative has been restored to its former glory.

The first rule of Underground Kitchen is...

...don't talk about Underground Kitchen. The second rule of Underground Kitchen is...(Oh you get the idea.)

Go read Scrabble Crush: NOW there's so much I CAN Tell You About the Underground Kitchen to learn more about the latest Underground Kitchen event, but no talking about Fight Club.

Local adults using Facebook for business networking

The Charleston Daily Mail has a story on how local adults are using Facebook to network. I know quite a few West Virginians who are using social media to expand their social and business connections.

Skip Lineberg, 42, is chief creative officer at Maple Creative, a Charleston marketing company. He said Facebook has helped him network, recruit, promote events and notify his friends when his company blog is updated.

Lineberg was a member on LinkedIn, a professional networking system. A friend recommended Facebook, saying it would someday take over the business-networking site.

"I still use both," Lineberg said. "To me, LinkedIn is more of a chamber of commerce atmosphere. It's more professional. Facebook is business after hours."

The fun format and interesting ways of staying connected also appeal to the adult crowd.

While many opt for MySpace, the other major social networking site, Morgado believes that site appeals to a younger crowd. He also finds the design unappealing.

He said Facebook is more aesthetically pleasing and its users have more power over their pages.

Maple Creative responds to the hijacking of the Marketing Genius blog

Jason Keeling helped Maple Creative develop this statement, which has also been released at the ABetterWestVirginia.com blog.

Here is Mapple Creative's entire statement:

Bloggers Beware: Award-Winning Site Hijacked

July 21, 2008 (Charleston, W.Va.) – Since 2004, marketing firm Maple Creative has been sharing professional insights and gaining national recognition via its “Marketing Genius” blog (marketinggenius.blogspot.com). This week, however, Internet cyber-jackers overtook the site and stripped its original content.

Maple Creative’s award-winning blog is now infected with solicitous ads that may be part of a phishing-type scam, according to Skip Lineberg, chief creative officer. He is warning the public not to click on any of the site’s links at present. “Even though I knew what to look for, they still duped me, and I lost my domain,” admits Lineberg. “I am urging all bloggers to be extra careful. I have always been very skeptical of email scams and bogus claims.”

Lineberg says the hackers may have portrayed themselves as Blogger.com representatives, and over the course of several correspondences, they somehow gained control of the “Marketing Genius” blog. Maple Creative is working to regain control of the site, which was hosted by Blogger.com, a subsidiary of Google, Inc. Lineberg contacted Google several days ago to assist in confirming what occurred and helping to rectify the situation. At present, he is still waiting for a response. ”We are going to use this as an opportunity to recover, rejuvenate and re-launch our marketing blog,” Lineberg promised. “Let me be perfectly clear. We will not be deterred by this incident. Instead, we will harness the power of social networks and call upon the tremendous voice of all our friends across the online community to help us prevail. ‘Marketing Genius’ will be up again, soon and stronger than ever.”

For now, readers are advised not to visit the site to avoid potential harm or exposure to malware that spammers have recently placed upon the domain MarketingGenius.blogspot.com. The company plans to notify readers when the blog is re-launched.

About Maple Creative
Maple Creative is a full-service marketing firm based in Charleston, West Virginia. To its diverse clientele Maple delivers comprehensive solutions, which comprise a strategic blend of marketing, advertising, public relations, lobbying and e-business services. Recently, “Advertising Age” recognized Maple’s “Marketing Genius” blog on its Power 150 listing of the most influential media and advertising blogs in the world.

For additional information, please visit MapleCreative.com.

If you had you blog taken over by spammer or if you know someone who had a blog taken over by spammers, please leave a comment or email me. I would like to talk to you.

David and I have left the listing of 'Marketing Genius from Maple Creative' on 304blogs in the hopes that Blogger who respond to Skip's request to give him his blog back soon. For now 'Marketing Genius from Maple Creative' is a listing on 304blogs with no post.

Marketing Genius Blog MIA

I noticed last night while looking at blogs on 304blogs.com that the Marketing Genius Blog has gone missing in action. I pinged Skip Lineburg last night via Twitter, but it appears this morning that the blog is still down. Skip's Facebook status simply reads, "Dealing with adversity (again) but I'm getting good at it!"

I hope skip and the fine people at Maple Creative gets this figured out soon. I just sent Skip an email in case he wasn't aware of the situation.

Update: Skip has posted an update via Twitter: "Looking for MarketingGenius blog? It was cyber-jacked. We're working to remedy."

ArtWalk

ArtWalk is this Friday Thursday. I'll be out of town for a wedding, but I encourage you not to miss ArtWalk.

Update: Thanks to Blair for pointing out my mistake.

Fork You reviews Kaifu Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar

Blair and I make an appearance in this Fork You... review of Kaifu Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar.

Ten-digit dialing coming to a phone near you

Until Feb. 28 you can only dial seven digits and still get connected, but the whole thing is rather complicated. The Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail reports:

Starting July 26, phone customers in West Virginia should begin dialing 10 digits (the area code plus the seven-digit phone number) whenever a local call is placed from the 304 area code.

Customers who forget and dial just seven digits will still be connected. But this "permissive dialing" period will end Feb. 28, 2009, when customers must use the 10-digit dialing procedure for all local calls. After this date, if customers do not dial 10 digits their call will not be completed. A recording will instruct them to hang up and dial again.

Beginning March 28, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the 681 area code.

This is all part of the transition to a system whereby the state will have two area codes: 304 and 681.

AT&T sent information about the transition to some business customers last week. Verizon is enclosing a brochure about the transition in its July bills. Byron Harris, director of the state Public Service Commission's Consumer Advocate Division, said information about the transition will be on the division's Web site, www.cad.state.wv.us, next week.

We took a chance when we named 304 Blogs with the new area code coming soon, but 304 will be forever be West Virginia's area code as far as most are concerned.

Are you a blogger if you read blogs?

More and more I hear people refer to people who read blogs as bloggers. Here's an example from WSAZ-TV.

West Virginia has below-average public transportation

The Associated Press reports West Virginia is one of 26 states that have below-average public transportation.

West Virginia is one of 26 states that have below-average public transportation service, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. That lack of service is felt hardest in rural states; the federal agency reports that 40 percent of rural counties nationwide have no public transportation at all.

"On average, rural Americans drive older vehicles, more fuel-thirsty vehicles, and they travel farther to work and to shop,'' said Brian Dabson, president and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute in Columbia, Mo.

With few other options, rural Americans have to drive, which can mean a much bigger expense in areas where per capita income is below the national average.

Central City Cafe Follow-Up

The Central City Cafe has seen an increase in customers after being featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives.

The comfortable eatery is expanding its business - now selling to customers trekking to town just to eat there - all because of a short clip that aired on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" earlier this month.

Luther said he owes thanks to another local eatery - Hillbilly Hotdogs.

"(The Food Network crew) was here filming Hillbilly Hotdogs and Rocco's and the truck stop in Olive Hill, Ky., and they asked the people at Hillbilly Hotdogs where they could film another place in the area and they sent them down here, so we're very thankful for that," Luther said.

The clip originally aired on the Food Network on June 15, and Luther said he's seen a bit of a change in the amount of customers he's had.

"We've had a small increase in the number of people coming," Luther said. "I'm excited about the phone calls I get...I've gotten calls from St. Louis, Denver - you name it. People just say they're going to be in the area and they want to stop by and they want to know my menu. I don't have fax machines or anything like that so I try to explain to them over the phone what we have here. It's exciting to know that people 2000 miles away are thinking about you."

I wonder how long it will before we see the Rocco's footage?