I made my first-ever appearance on Tom Merritt’s Daily Tech News Show, embarrassing myself early on with ill-timed inattention, but hopefully redeeming myself later with a discussion about alternatives to the recently ruled-illegal Aereo service.

Local tech types like to give Joe Soucheray grief for his Luddite tendencies.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist recently railed against the use of iPads in K-12 classrooms, for instance. Shortly afterward, the Minnov8 Gang let Joe have it.

I happened to be a guest host on that podcast episode, and I defended Joe (up to a point).

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This over-the-top P.R. pitch in honor of “National Columnist Day” is off the mark for a couple of reasons:

• I’ve worn many hats in my tech-journalism duties over the years: columnist, editor, reporter, blogger. Currently, only the latter two titles apply.
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• I’m no Ernest Hemingway or Kurt Vonnegut. C’mon.

Nice try, Max Borges Agency, and much appreciated.

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My friend Steve Borsch recently photoshopped me into a classic “Star Trek” picture, which is awesome.

Even more awesome? My wife and son printed out the image, framed it and presented it to me as a Father’s Day present.

As one who grew up reading science fiction and worshipping shiny vehicles that go whoosh, I was thrilled today when St. Paul’s decades-in-the-planning Green Line light-rail route finally opened after years of construction and months of of trial runs.

I shot this video for the Pioneer Press. I wasn’t ordered or scheduled to do so, I just did.

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I talked Apple and consumer tech with Roshini Rajkumar of WCCO-AM.

This was after Apple made a host of  exciting software-related announcements (but unveiled no new hardware) at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

My pal and former colleague David Steinlicht has released his second and final collection of fine Pioneer Press “In This Corner” comics.

The comics until recently appeared in the paper’s feature section, but David decided to retire “In This Corner” in good Bill Watterson fashion.

More on David’s new book (along his first volume of comics, and three other interesting books of a local nature) here.

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I don’t believe I’ve ever photobombed before. Now I can check that item off my bucket list.

My sharp-eyed friend Mike Keliher today spotted me lurking in a recent Pioneer Press photo.

I wasn’t intentionally trying to be in the shot, to be clear. I appeared in the photo by accident while I was reporting for a story about a budding podcasting empire called the Tom Barnard Network.

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The new “Star Trek” exhibition at the Mall of America figures prominently on today’s installment of the Minnov8 Gang Podcast, with yours truly guest-co-hosting.

And, naturally, Minnov8 Gang regular and Photoshop virtuoso Steve Borsch went to maximum warp with his blog-post artwork for today’s episode. Here’s the source image.

Much respect and many thanks, my friend. Live long and prosper.

Journalists can do a lot worse assignment-wise than covering a “Star Trek” exhibition.

In my case, as a lifelong Trekker, this definitely falls under the heading of “fun” as well as “work.”

OMG I GOT TO SIT IN KIRK’S CHAIR.

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The Mall of America’s media people made my day with this modest press kit consisting of a cleverly decorated box containing a press release related to an upcoming “Star Trek” exhibition … and a set of Spock ears.

I’ve never owned such ears despite a lifetime of “Star Trek” adulation, so I savored the moment … and then gave them to my son, who is also a Trekker. That is what a good nerd dad does.