In the News subforum, discussion was rather light, although ongoing conversations about the current URTV controversies and classic photos of Asheville are still going strong.
Local Arts & Entertainment discussions proved lively this week. For instance, a thread asking about the local music coverage you’d like to see from Xpress has proved both popular and informative. And while it may be a little grisly, forum posters started a list of predictions about which celebrities might not make it through 2009, a topic that should prove to be quite interesting as the year goes on.
It may be a bit meta-forum for some readers, but an experiment with “chatterbot” conversation simulator GoonHAL yielded some interesting (and funny) insights about all manner of local topics.
Steve: Did you read [last] week’s MountainX.com cover story?
GoonHAL: Yes.
Steve: Do it think it treated the local indie rock scene fairly?
GoonHAL: That’s not the problem.. I can answer.. The problem is that I don’t want.
Steve: You don’t want local indie rock?
GoonHAL: Not from the likes of you.
Social networking is a hot topic these days, and the Xpress isn’t just covering subjects like the most popular local Facebook pages. In fact, the Xpress web team may have just found a way to make Twitter a useful local news-gathering tool.
In other Community subforum topics, Xpress Multimedia Editor Jason Sandford started a discussion about breastfeeding in public, an eternally popular subject for parents and people who would rather not watch the wonders of nature happening at the next table over. Meanwhile, posters had plenty to say about the recent news that Belief In Creationism Is Widespread In Britain, and were more than willing to chime in on trailblazing female NASCAR driver Danica Patrick‘s recent(ish) photo shoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. In a discussion that is sure to capture the attention of any caffeine addict, the Best Coffee in Town thread asks is simply “Where’s the good coffee in WNC?” And has the crumbling economy sparked interest in the relative merits of open source and free software? Forum regulars certainly have some good suggestions on the topic.
Don’t see a discussion about that burning topic you’d like to talk about? Why not start your own? All registered members of MountainX.com have forum accounts, and if you aren’t a member, joining is easy — just click here.
— Steve Shanafelt
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