I am addicted to Leo LaPorte. He is a tech maven who used to be on the now defunct TechTV. TechTV was purchased by G4 and then killed it. Leo LaPorte left before G4 took over and started a radio show and then a whole podcasting network. For the past two years, the show was exclusively on an LA AM news station called KFI. The show was called KFI the Tech Guy. Incidentally, the show was on his podcasting network. That is where I listened to it.

Twit.tv, Leo’s podcasting network grew to the point that he was looking for a way to cut back. He told KFI that he was going to stop the radio show. KFI replied and said that they would help him syndicate the show nationwide.

This past weekend was the first week of the nationwide show and the podcast changed. It’s different now and I like it. I was a little skeptical when I saw the length of the show. It is quite long because the show is nearly 3 hours now. The reason is Leo has left all the back-channel chat during the breaks in the podcast. It is pretty cool.

Now, you get to hear all the conversations between Leo and the producers in the studio. It is a little like audio voyeurism. Go to the iTunes music store, click on podcasting and then search for Leo LaPorte. If you like tech talk, then you will like this show. He answers all sorts of questions and it is quite entertaining. You will especially like it if you were a TechTV fan.

Great change in the radio show Leo. I, for one, like the change. I have to go. Heroes is on. What a geek…

Today at lunch I got the opportunity to hear a presentation from one of the Little Rock 9. For those of you who don’t know what the Little Rock 9 is, back in 1957, Arkansas and a number of other southern states were still in the grip of segregation. African-Americans and Whites went to separate schools, went to separate public bathrooms, drank from separate water fountains among other things.

The idea was that Whites and African-Americans could co-exist in “separate but equal” worlds. That of course never worked. So in 1957, after years of conflict the President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the end of desegregation in schools.

The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus refused to integrate and called out the Arkansas National Guard to keep out all people of color from entering Central High School. This is one of the most embarrassing moments in Arkansas history. If we as Arkansans could take one thing back, it might just be that.  It was ugly.

There were 9 African-American students who bravely put their lives on the line and be the first non-white students to attend Central High School.

Today, I got to hear Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock 9 speak. (You need to check out the picture that is in Elizabeth’s article in Wikipedia. It is chilling.)

Ms. Eckford was the guest of Tyson Foods, Inc. which brought her in to address its employees in recognition of Black History Month.