This bugged me — and when stuff nags at my mind, even weird minor stuff, I have a hard time getting back to sleep. The hotel room was dark, and my eyeglasses were out of reach. I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. But my cell phone was within reach, on the bedside table. (It’s my main alarm clock.)

So I grabbed my phone and snapped a quick photo of the building with the blue sign. Then, looking at the phone on my phone’s screen, I could easily read: Central Bank.

central bank

sign on top of their downtown Louisville, KY building.

This satisfied my nagging curiosity, kind of like scratching an itch. I was soon back to sleep.

It occurs to me that this is a potentially significant use of augmented reality enabled by mobile devices — and the only “app” I needed was the software controlling my phone’s camera!

Most AR apps I’ve seen are kinda gimmicky or not very compelling. For instance, seeing local coupon offers overlaid on a camera app (which Junaio does), or local tweets similarly overlaid, hasn’t really thrilled me.

But being able to compensate for poor vision or a lack of information about what things are? That’s useful.

Now if only someone could do a similar service for audio that would automatically filter out noise in a train or bus station to tell you what the hell those announcers are really saying…

“Democrats want to use part of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout for emergency loans to help prop up the Big Three carmakers. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are seeking an infusion of $25 billion, a figure that several Senate Democrats embraced Sunday.

“Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation Monday attaching an auto bailout to a House-passed bill extending unemployment benefits. A vote was expected as early as Wednesday.

“There’s a high degree of urgency” for federal action if GM is going to stave off a financial crisis, Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive, said Sunday in a joint appearance with United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger on WDIV-TV in Detroit.

“‘It’s really time to move on this,’ Wagoner said.”

That gets me thinking: The US auto industry is dying. It’s shown it can’t compete effectively with Japan and elsewhere for the manufacture of the kinds of personal cars people will be buying as the economy tightens.

Meanwhile, the lack of strong public transportation options is a growing problem in many parts of the US — particularly, lack of high-speed passenger rail networks, robust bus networks, and innovative flexible alternatives to car ownership (like car sharing programs and Zip Car hourly rentals). Exurban dwellers are notoriously hard hit by the transportation crisis.

So what if we bailed out the auto industry only if they shifted more of their production to vehicles that would suit these uses?

Yes, this would have to go hand-in-hand with a major shift in transportation policy that would support the expansion of public transit, especially outside urban cores and between non-urban-core locations. And so far local and state governments have been responsible for paying for public transit, and they haven’t had the cash.

Those are big, thorny issues — but they could shift. And if we’re even going to consider an auto-industry bailout, why shouldn’t we use it as an opportunity to fund a more sustainable transit system?

I suspect America’s “love affair with the car” might go the way of our love affair with cigarettes. It’s hard to stay in love with something that’s killing you and cutting off your children’s future.

The main reason I went was because my good friends Susan Mernit and Lisa Williams were presenting the flagship product, WhozAround, from their new company, People’s Software Company. I’ve been watching them endure the TechStars maelstrom this summer, and they pulled through great despite lots of pressure and stresses.

WhozAround is currently a Facebook application in alpha. It’s the first step in their plan to bypass the current communication chaos that ensues whenever two or more people try to agree on a place & time to meet. As Susan said in her presentation today, “Do all those e-mails, IMs, texts, Facebook notifications, and other messages really make getting together easier?” I can answer that with a resounding “NOT!!!”

Here’s Susan giving the presentation:

And Susan and Lisa taking questions from investors:

(Apologies for the crappy images, my iPhone camera isn’t great for that sort of lighting and distance. I was sitting in the balcony.)

I’ll be heading back to the Boulder Theater in a couple of hours for the Tech Cocktails event there:

But some more cool stuff happened today…

Last night I learned that the person who I thought was going to be teaching a video workshop I was arranging for this year’s Society of Environmental Journalists conference (Oct. 17-19, VA Tech, Roanoke) wasn’t going to be able to attend. Ack! So I had to scramble today to find a replacement. And I did, within an hour! Thanks to VA Tech communications professor Ken Garland for volunteering to help! I prefer short-lived crises

Then the mail arrived. It’s my birthday tomorrow, and I got some really great gifts from my family today:

A gorgeous handmade glass necklace from my sister Lynn:

A much-needed new memory card from my brother, the Cub!

A fun book from my parents, who know I need to laugh more:

I’ve got a really cool family Thanks, guys!

Plus, a birthday present I got for myself also arrived: Power to the People, a book by Vijay Vaitheeswaran, the very best energy journalist in the business, IMHO. (Could we get him to take over as Secretary of Energy, please?)

Well, that’s all. Just wanted to let folks know that so far it’s been a good day, and I expect that to continue…

Today I started pulling together a bunch of stray threads that have been nagging at me for some time. Anyone who reads my work knows that I have longstanding admiration for quality journalism — and growing frustration with the culture and attitudes of professional journalism.

It occurred to me that a lot of the things that frustrate me about journalistic cynicism, idolatry, and sanctimony are remarkably similar to what frustrates me about sex negativity in American culture.

So I’m writing an essay to connect the dots. There are a lot of dots to connect, it’s going to take me a while. And I’m still thinking it all through.

One think I’ve learned is that my readers can always help me think tough things through. So in that spirit, here are some excerpts from what I’ve drafted so far. Bear in mind that this is JUST a draft, I WILL be refining it. I know it sounds more preachy and strident than I’d like. Also, I need to make it more fun and flow more. All that will be worked on

With that said, here’s the draft…

When people want something badly — in fact, when they need it for their own well-being and the survival of society — and when they perceive it as scarce, they often fear its power. And they often try to manage that fear by shifting the perceived balance of power through regulation, denigration, and taboo.

That’s why so many societies are so uptight and paranoid about sex. It also may be why the culture of professional journalism is so rigid and cynical. Both of these circumstances trouble me, because today they seem to be causing more problems than they solve.

Human beings need sex… We also need to figure out what’s happening around us, and which information and interpretations we can really trust in order to make decisions in our best interests.

…Trouble is, no one is omniscient. Even if we were, our brains could never process all that stuff. We’re constantly trying to strike a balance between gathering and filtering information, so that we can figure out what’s relevant and what (or who) we can trust. …Journalism is about trust, expressed in the language of accuracy, objectivity, and credibility.

…Journalists generally take their obligation to the public trust very personally and seriously. That’s not pure altruism. To be perceived as trustworthy is to be powerful. Journalists know this and like it — a lot. In fact, gaining that power is a key attraction of this profession. (God knows journalists don’t do it for the money or the schedule.)

Where there’s a need, there’s a business. That’s as true of the trust and awareness business (news and journalism) as it is for porn and prostitution.

To help the news business grow, journalism became professionalized — thus positioning itself as even more trustworthy, valuable, and (especially) scarce. There were many benefits of the professionalism of journalism, but there was a dark side, too: Journalists and news organizations started seeing themselves (and acting like) an anointed priesthood, with special authority to declare what was important, relevant, and true.

Meanwhile, mass-media technology provided almost universal access to people’s attention. “News” as we came to know it in the 20th century became ubiquitous and popular.

It turned into a perfect storm of human nature. Humans are social creatures, so we often conflate what’s popular with what’s correct or best. Society played along with the growing visibility of news organizations. We evolved new social norms which equated paying attention to mainstream professional news outlets with intelligence and prosperity. Meanwhile we started belittling other sources of news and interpretation (from conversations to blogs). And we grew a new taboo — making it shameful to admit you don’t care about, don’t trust, or don’t defer to mainstream professional journalism.

When news organizations employing professional journalists are considered the best and only proper source of “real,” trustworthy news, despite the obvious existence and value of many other approaches to sharing information and interpretations — how different is that from declaring the only acceptable form of sex to be heterosexual, monogamous, based on traditional gender roles, and ideally within a legally sanctioned marriage geared toward procreation?

Mom + Dad = baby is neither the pinnacle nor the totality of human sexuality. Likewise, professional journalism from established news “brands” is not necessarily the best or most reliable path to “the truth.” People in communities marginalized by mainstream news have always known this. Now, it’s becoming more evident to the rest of us — especially since we have more ways than ever to check up on mainstream news, and see how that particular type of sausage really gets made

This should be a relief to news organizations and communities. It should free us up to be more creative and collaborative, to abandon outmoded assumptions and practices, to find new and more robust business opportunities, and to represent real life even better through “the news.” But so far, it’s mostly led to a backlash of fearmongering, retrenchment, and cynicism from news pros.

Well, no one cedes power gladly.

Fortunately this time of change doesn’t have to be about “killing journalism,” “destroying trust” or even “ceding power.” Instead, it can be about collaboratively building a fairer and more realistic basis of public trust, focused on managing an information economy of abundance.

The jealous, hierarchical, competitive mentality of scarcity that so far has shaped so much of the culture of professional journalism has outlived its limited usefulness. It’s now making journalists bitter, shrinking the bottom line of the news business, and generally alienating people (especially young people). Throwing off that yoke will not only keep journalism relevant and compelling, but make it FUN.

Yeah, remember fun? Don’t underestimate fun, it’s a whole other kind of power. It comes when you blend passion, connection, and freedom. It makes sex a lot better — and journalism could use a big dose of it too. Once you let go of the need to be perfect, proper, and in control, you can start having real fun. And surprisingly good stuff can result.

OK…. that’s where I’m at with this conceptual wrestling match so far. What do you think? Please comment below.

Me: Do you think someday someone will post “the collected IM chat transcripts of so-and-so” like they publish the letters of Oscar Wilde?

Lisa: I’m sure of it! Won’t someone please think of the graduate students ;->

Which got me thinking: If Oscar Wilde was alive today, he’d definitely be blogging — and probably Twittering up a storm. And he’d be damn eloquent, witty, and brilliant about it, too.

In my bio, I refer to myself as a semi-geek: I use many online and computer-based tools quite effectively. But I’m not a programmer. I don’t know how to code beyond basic HTML. I rely on my network of real geeks for coding and server-side help when needed. I manage to get a fair amount of fairly sophisticated online work done on my own, but I know my lack of coding ability definitely holds me back in some areas.

I’m also a self-taught musician. I play guitar, mostly by ear. I can follow chord notations and charts, but I never learned how to read music. I’ve still managed to write many songs, and I enjoy playing. But I’m very limited in a jamming situation with other musicians because I don’t really understand music theory — the underlying structure of the music. I haven’t been disciplined enough to learn my scales, so my fingerpicking and lead abilities are severely limited.

Right now, my husband is teaching himself keyboards and music theory. I’m amazed at how much he is learning, and quickly. He’s also a consummate software engineer, programming in several languages.

It seems to me that my status as a semi-geek has an awful lot in common with my musical illiteracy. I don’t feel any compelling need to rectify either situation, but I just thought it was interesting.