More on Edison Nation; Tweet Chat Tuesday Night

One of the things I enjoy most about covering Charlotte in my work as a freelance writer is the fact that I'm always learning something new and interesting, which I then try to convey to the reader. And, oftentimes, I learn more about something that I'd previously encountered. That's the case with Edison Nation, a Charlotte-based idea-to-shelf product development company I profiled in the December issue of Charlotte magazine: "Being Thomas Edison."

I wasn't aware of Edison Nation until earlier this year. I'd been familiar with its parent company, Enventys, and had actually visited Enventys' office in 2007 for the premiere party they held for the launch of Everyday Edisons TV show (Enventys, Edison Nation, Everyday Edisons, and Inventors Digest magazine are all now housed in that building on the edge of Uptown). You should definitely read my Charlotte magazine article (if you haven't already; the December issue has been on newsstands for about three weeks now) to see how Edison Nation was spawned, largely from the TV show, and how the company has helped inventors as well as ordinary people with good ideas get their ideas patented and developed into products you might have seen in stores or perhaps even own. Eggies, Emery Cat, Gyro Bowl, Mister Steamy, and Total Wrench, to name a few.

One of the reasons Edison Nation has become so successful is that it has created an online community for inventors, idea people, and entrepreneurs. EdisonNation.com members (it's free to join) from around the country communicate with each other daily in forums on the website.

The staff at Edison Nation also fosters interaction through social media sites and, in fact, is hosting a tweet chat this Tuesday, December 13 at 8 p.m. It'll be an hour-long, live chat session on Twitter to discuss important topics in the world of invention. You're invited to "Come ask and answer questions, meet new people, share resources or simply hang out with idea people just like you!" The hashtag for the Tuesday night session is #InventChat. Edison Nation plans to hold these tweet chats every second Tuesday of the month.

Also, to further illustrate how its idea-to-shelf process works, the company put out this video last week: Learn How Edison Nation Works!

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Kemba's Kicks

Now that the NBA lockout is over, the Charlotte Bobcats are getting back to the business of basketball. The team signed their top draft pick, guard Kemba Walker, over the weekend and I'm sure the former UConn star is happy and relieved that some NBA checks are on the way. I know it had to have been tight for rookies like Kemba who haven't been able to get paid by the teams that drafted them in June. But I'm sure a lottery pick like him didn't have to resort to Ramen noodles, thanks largely to the endorsement deal he signed with Under Armour in July.

Credit: facebook.com/uabasketball

It's an interesting fact that our city's top two rookies--Kemba from the Bobcats and quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers--both have endorsement deals with Under Armour. It would be great if UA put up a billboard in Uptown Charlotte of the two of them. Who knows, that probably would've happened by now had the NBA lockout ended sooner and not have caused any loss of games the way the NFL lockout was able to be resolved before preseason.

Because of the NBA lockout's long duration, it has sort of stifled a promotion Under Armour had planned for Kemba. The sportswear and apparel company was planning to commemorate the Bronx, New York native's homecoming, the scheduled December 10 game between the Bobcats and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, by releasing a special color of his sneakers. A limited edition of the PE "Homecoming" UA Micro G Jukes were produced in white/silver/orange. But all is not lost, Under Armour is going to hold the promotion to coincide with Kemba and the Bobcats' January 4 visit to the Garden.

Under Armour released a previously shot promo video over the weekend, though it still refers to the original December 10 game.

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Read About It: Carolina Christmas at Charlotte Motor Speedway

I plan to put my Christmas tree up this weekend, which will be a week earlier than I did last year (*pats self on back*). So in my house, it'll begin to feel like Christmas. Where it already feels--and looks--like the holiday, however, is at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The second annual Carolina Christmas display, featuring more than 3 million lights, a Bethlehem Village with a live nativity scene, pony rides for kids and a petting zoo, local food vendors, and more, is open at the speedway through December 31. Click here to read my review at CharlotteMagazine.com, which I wrote after visiting Carolina Christmas during its opening weekend.

Credit: Charlotte Motor Speedway

This Friday night, December 9, Carolina Christmas will feature an old-fashioned drive-in movie with a modern twist when it shows Polar Express on the world’s largest high-definition television screen at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The movie will begin at 8 p.m. and is included with regular admission to Carolina Christmas that night. Click here for more details on the movie night.

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Watch the Pilot Episode of '282', Charlotte TV Show

My latest gig as a freelance journalist is an exciting opportunity to work on a new, Charlotte-based television show called 282 (represents the first three digits of the city's zip code, by the way). This new venture is derived from a partnership between CLT Blog and WTVI (Charlotte's PBS affiliate), and it's a weekly, roundtable news show where media personalities will discuss hot topics prevalent in the Charlotte area. Former Creative Loafing Charlotte editor-in-chief Carlton Hargro is the host of the half-hour show, and my role is Andy Rooney-esque (but not so angry) in that I'll be contributing a three-minute-or-so editorial segment each episode about a current topic I happen to feel strongly about or that I think you will be interested in.

We taped the pilot, or first, episode of 282 at noon today at WTVI's studios, and it's now posted online. The show is in beta right now (so please pardon the flubs), and the first few episodes will run online only. After we've gotten some practice and worked out the kinks, 282 will begin airing weekly on WTVI on Mondays at 6:30 p.m., starting January 30, 2012 (WTVI is channel 42 on digital television a.k.a. regular TV, DirecTV, Dish Network, and AT&T U-verse; channel 5 on Time Warner Cable). And because it's important that the show has a strong web and social media presence (Twitter @282tv), beginning next Monday, December 12, we’ll be live-streaming the show online each Monday at noon at cltblog.com/live. So you'll watch it as we tape it.

Below is today's episode, embedded from YouTube. Featured with Carlton are three guest panelists: freelance journalist Rhi Fionn-Bowman, restaurant/nightlife connoisseur Larken Egleston, and The Charlotte Observer columnist Mark Washburn. My segment begins at the 14:07 mark. "I'm on TV talking like it's just you and me."—Kanye West

Click here to learn more about 282 and the pilot episode, and expect to see the show grow, evolve, and get better over the next two months (an improved set—we hope—enhanced graphics, presentation, its own website, etc.; but the one thing that's already great is the opening theme music—love it). There are some talented people involved with 282 so I think it has the potential to be something you'll look forward to watching each week.

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Rev. Billy Graham Will Probably Outlive You

The Rev. Billy Graham is many things, but dead he is not. The 93-year-old Charlotte native, and one of the world's most famous evangelists, was admitted to an Asheville hospital last week with pneumonia. And while reports over the last couple of days were saying his condition is improving, WBTV mistakenly reported during its Saturday morning news show that Rev. Graham had died.

According to a statement by WBTV, Charlotte's CBS affiliate, the morning show producer read what he thought was a breaking news crawl on an off-air network feed about Rev. Graham. Without verifying it first, the news was given to anchor Kristen Miranda through her earpiece, who then announced that Rev. Graham had passed away. Fortunately, this wasn't true, and within 10 minutes WBTV made an on-air correction.

That didn't stop the station from getting phone calls and emails throughout the day, but they did the best they could to try to rectify the situation, including posting an apology on their website, Facebook page, and having anchor Sharon Smith address the mistake during the Saturday night newscast, which I happened to see. I'm sure all those involved in the production of the show will forever think twice before reporting breaking news without first verifying it.

The spiritual icon speaks to staff at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte last December.
Credit: facebook.com/ReverendBillyGraham

Rev. Graham could live to 100 and beyond, but certainly at his age and the fact that he's had a couple of health scares in recent years, people are more likely to believe it if they hear he's passed away. Because the erroneous report was made early on a Saturday morning around 6:30 a.m., when most people are still sleeping, and the fact that WBTV corrected the mistake rather quickly, the misinformation didn't have long to spread. Had this happened in the afternoon, it would've become a trending topic on Twitter before it could've been retracted.

Now, it is actually common practice for major news outlets to pre-write celebrity obituaries for those famous people who are either very old or are living dangerous lifestyles in which the media believes could lead to their early demise ("Lindsay Lohan and the risks of 'pre-written' obituaries"). When it's done regarding elderly famous people, it can be a benefit such as was the case when Elizabeth Taylor died earlier this year. Within an hour of her death, national television news stations and websites were broadcasting and publishing in-depth reports about her death, which included only a little bit of details about when and how she actually died but more about her recent health problems and the legacy of her 50-plus-year career, which was clearly comprised of reports and footage they had on standby. But when it goes wrong, a celebrity becomes the latest to be "Murdered by the Media."

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