Last night’s speech by Barack Obama might have been the greatest political speech of modern time. He brought purpose to his candidacy that before last night had escaped the issue content that America desired. The convention bounce stood at 6 points before his speech and without doubt stands to gain considerably.

Skeptics were silenced about his stand on the issues and his ability to take his opponents to task. This could be the turning point that leaves the McCain campaign in the Obama dust. In political campaigns months are like years and days like months so there is considerable time until Election Day. Stay tuned. If McCain can’t match the Obama-Biden coronation his campaign may be over quicker than he had hoped.

Bob
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

I will never profess to be a technologically savvy person. It amazes me when I visit all of my friend’s houses to find them equipped with fun gadgets like flat screen TVs, wireless internet access and surround sound. One of them recently informed me that unless I buy a new TV soon, the switch to digital television in 2009 will make me the only girl in the country not glued to Gossip Girl on Monday nights.

In an effort to be more in-the-know, I set out to read the Wall Street Journal’s daily technology updates. Surely here was a place I could learn all about what I’m missing. That’s when I found it. And even though Walt Mossberg really receives all the credit for spreading the word about this nifty new application, I can take full credit for its introduction at Peritus.

What is this wonderful program I speak of? It’s called Xobni. And it’s revolutionizing the world of email. Well, at least—if it hasn’t already—it will.

Xobni is a free application one may download onto their computer that integrates into Microsoft Outlook. Once downloaded, it indexes your email, making it easier to find the information you need faster.

When I open up my inbox and highlight an email therein, Xobni pulls up the sender’s contact information and pulls a photo up from their LinkedIn account (if they have one). But that’s not all, email analytics allow you to see what time of the day that particular contact sends you the most emails (and can often help you determine when they are most likely to be at their desk.) In a matter of seconds, you can know who you’re likely to hear from only after lunch or who is seemingly attached to their email at all hours of the day.

But my favorite Xobni feature is the attachments feature…which allows me to see every single attachment exchanged between the highlighted contact and myself. Gone are the days of, “Oh yes, I remember sending that you to. Let me sift through the 10,000 emails in my sent folder and find it again.” Rather, any attachment I might need to quickly reference is conveniently located at the bottom right hand corner of my screen. Thank you, Xobni.

Furthermore, if you’re into analytics (ahem, Gary Gerdemann), Xobni will occasionally show you fun, random facts. Like who your #1 emailer is. Or who responds to your emails the fastest.

I’ve been using Xobni for a little over a month now and I highly recommend it to all Outlookers. Hopefully, you’ll all go to your computers and immediately visit the Xobni website (www.xobni.com) for the free download. Meanwhile, I can feel a little bit more tech-savvy knowing I spread the word. Now, if only I had a flat screen television, I’d be set.

Charissa
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Pictured above from left to right: Tim Mulloy, Mark Mulloy, Brett Guthrie for Congress, Congressman Roy Blunt, Scott Jennings and Bob Gunnell.

There are countless online software tutorials out there, but none is as entertaining as the “You Suck at Photoshop” series created by Kentuckians Troy Hitch and Matt Bledsoe of Big Fat Institute. Each episode is narrated by Donnie Hoyle, a frustrated, hard-luck Photoshop wiz whose hilarious delivery will keep you watching even if you don’t know a thing about pixels or image resolution. Underneath all the attitude are some very useful tips that will help nearly all Photoshop users suck a little less.

Although the series has been a huge hit, with millions of YouTube views and even a Webby Award, I have to thank Steven Heller’s blog for introducing me to this great series.

Jon
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

(Pictured above Mayor Jerry Abramson at the My Morning Jacket concert on August 16, 2008. Photo Courtesy of mymorningjacket.com)

It takes a rare occurrence to bring the community together in a way that My Morning Jacket did earlier this month. Over 10,000 people flocked to Louisville’s Great Lawn at Waterfront Park to watch the city’s must popular band return home. The band hails from Louisville and hasn’t forgotten its roots.

With the Derby city’s skyline and the Ohio River as a backdrop, the band played a three-hour set that reminded Louisvillians why Jim James and My Morning Jacket are one of the most popular groups on tour this summer.

The event was more than your typical rock show. The lawn was equipped with Louisville.com’s Local Village that featured information about the city and its “places to go and people to know”. The band also donated $1 from every ticket sold to benefit Louisville’s Center For Women and Families. The hometown theme was continued on stage with a performance by the Louisville Leopard Percussionists.

Over the past two years, My Morning Jacket has reached new heights and emerged as one of the hottest tickets in the music industry. The band, made up of mostly Kentucky natives, just capped an eventful summer that included appearances on Saturday Night Live and with the Boston Symphony on David Letterman’s show.

It was refreshing to see the entire community embrace the band as they returned home. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson introduced the band and both community and corporate sponsors showed their support as well.

The band is led by singer Jim James, a 1996 graduate of St. Xavier High School who grew up in Hikes Point and still lives in Louisville. Other locals in the band include Tom Blankenship, a graduate of Oldham County High who was raised in Crestwood, and Patrick Hallahan, a drummer and Male High graduate who still resides in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood.

If you’ve never heard or seen the band, they can be hard to explain. You would think a rock band from the Bluegrass State would stick to southern rock, but My Morning Jacket has expanded its repertoire to include a wide-ranging style that includes funk, soul and jazz sounds.
The group will stay busy this fall as it heads to Europe in November with sold-out shows scheduled in Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany and the UK The band will finish 2008 in style with a New Year’s Eve performance in New York City’s Madison Square Garden…..not bad for a couple of local guys from Hikes Point!

Matt
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Captain Morgan of Diageo’s Captain Morgan Rum is launching his presidential campaign alongside the “Morganettes.” See the first campaign ad here.

Gary
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Having attended three previous Democratic conventions and two Republican conventions I decided to sit this year’s out. I’ll be watching on television. There are advantages. I will be able to avoid the long lines, the demonstrations and best of all I can turn the channel on bad speakers that say nothing. Conventions have become nothing more than infomercials and the American people have tuned them out.

The Democrats and Republicans will make promises at their conventions to bring true change the next four years. The Democratic convention does promise to be historic because of the nomination of Barack Obama. The Clintons should also make it interesting in how they pass the torch. The Republicans offer great contrast by nominating someone who would be the oldest serving first -term President. Both conventions could have made for great political theater but instead seem destined to say nothing more than rhetoric of the past. All we need as proof is to look at the actions of both campaigns in how they deal with the convention activities.

Take for example Obama’s promise not to accept contributions from lobbyists and to make his campaign free of special interests. Mark Hebert’s WHAS11 blog report on the lobbyist-paid receptions in Denver for congressional leaders points to the contradictory policy of the campaign. The Obama campaign could have shut this type of activity down but decided to turn the other cheek. The Republicans are guilty of the same contradictory rhetoric with numerous lobbyist-sponsored receptions. Now in all fairness, I am a registered federal lobbyist. I think that the ban on lobbyist influence in the campaigns was ridiculous and nothing more than empty words from the inception. Let’s hope that we have a true change in Washington this January regardless of which party wins. Come November I wonder how many voters will still believe that these candidates represent true change or just more of the same?

Bob
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

While some of my colleagues spent part of their weekend wondering how to acquire tickets (or better tickets) to the Ryder cup coming to town this next month, I spent the better part of my Saturday in the former meat locker of the Fischer Packing Plant working on a slightly different golfing event.

What was I doing in a meat locker and how does that even remotely relate to golf you ask?

Well, to start, the Fischer Plant is now the Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center, and has been for several years, though there is still a large local population who is unaware of its existence. And as for what I was doing - I was helping work on “18 Art Holes,” a series of miniature golf holes designed and created by both local Louisvillians and others across the country. It’s an interactive art project that Mellwood is hosting to coincide with the upcoming Ryder Cup with the goal of bringing more people to a growing facility. The fully playable golf course is set to open this Friday during the FAT Friday Trolley Hop.

So if you can’t get tickets to the ‘main event’ or are just looking for a unique way to spend some time, pick out your favorite club and we’ll work out a tee time.

Zack
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

The end of summer is near and while parents are packing lunches and purchasing school supplies for their kids we are also heading back to school.

After a two year hiatus, we are heading back to school – books, homework and all - this time a little bit older and hopefully wiser. The University of Louisville and Bellarmine won’t be the same after we complete our graduate degrees.

Danielle & Kelly
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a national program sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical companies, has its focus on helping Kentuckians in need. This week, the Help is Here Express Bus Tour has made a trek across western Kentucky with stops in Henderson, Owensboro, Brandenburg, Shepherdsville, Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Paducah and Murray.

Nearly 200 Kentuckians have visited the bus this week and received help paying for their prescription drugs.

Since 2005, the PPA Help is Here Express has made six trips to Kentucky and has visited more than 30 different cities. In that time, more than 110,000 Kentuckians have received help through the PPA program.

Steve
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it