Hi everybody - well my kickstarter project ended without full funding. That said,I learned a lot about doing this. I learned that people considered giving but felt that the Amazon interface was too confusing to deal with . I learned that some folks felt my airfare was too expensive. I learned that some folks needed to try and independently research all the research I have been doing nonstop for months before they would consider funding the project. Bottom line, I think I offered my public too big a challenge here: the time to dollar ratio was too high. It was too much money to raise in too short a time.

Oh, I also made a movie but was too busy with other things related to my work life to actually post it. Maybe I will have the chance to use it at some other time.

So I learned some things and maybe I will try again some time. Bottom line, it is unlikely that I will be going to this conference. I really wanted to go, and it is too bad.

If anything changes, you will learn about it on my blog or at Huffington Post Chicago.

Thanks once again and enjoy the sunshine!

The news from the planners of the Economic Models for news conferences is that NEWS will soon be made on the news front. I am that much closer ot being there thanks to you. Did you see that Dan Wasserman, the cartoonist at the Boston Globe cut his cartoon by 23%?

http://www.eandppub.com/2009/06/boston-globe-cartoonist-protests-salary-cut-his-way.html

Don't you give a hoot about the future of the US news stream? Do you care about your locally generated news? Luckily - you still have three days to fund my project to report on Economic Models for News from Minneapolis. I just posted this project to WindyCitizen - maybe the Chicagoans who go there will like my idea enough to fund it. It's not as though Minneapolis is a happening city and I am going there to goof.

Still, I believe.

Tomorrow, my video!

Thanks to the very generous pledge of $100 from a journo friend of mine, I am 11% toward my goal. I feel energized to receive other pledges. Yes - one pledge makes it feel like the trip could be doable. Those of you sitting on the fence, please come on in, the water's warm and no pledge is too small.