I didn't win big in Vegas, but the 4 day adventure was sure fun and we made some good memories. I know what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but I didn't do anything that I couldn't share with you on the blog. After all, there could be some Wichita or Kansas viewers out there and I can't embarrass myself.
There were several flight delays on the way there and coming home, but I managed to survive and my luggage was there both times. By the way, the people attending this conference have some sort of career connection to Bryan Busby in Kansas City and that's why we get together every 2 years to share some laughs, learn from one another, and catch up on where the broadcast business is going. We stayed at the Flamingo Hotel and that's where the workshops and presentations were conducted. The first night was Texas Hold'em in one of the suites at the Flamingo. I don't know how to play, so it was a sure loss of money for me. I seem to have more luck with the slot machines and even that luck runs dry from time to time.
The second day was highlighted by a presentation from Roger Edwards, a meteorologist from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. His presentation dealt with natural disasters at large, outdoor venues such as a KC Royals game, a K-State or KU football game. What would you do or where would you go if large hailstorm or tornado hit during the game?
I did my presentation and presented some research on mobile homes and tornadoes and how they are still very unsafe. One meteorologist did a presentation on how we cover weather on the web, showing how technology has changed and is allowing you to interact more with the local meteorologists during major weather events.
Of course, this group of meteorologists has many KU and MU graduates and there is a definite (but friendly) rivalry in the bunch. The Rock Chalk chant was heard more than once during the trip. This picture is the group of KU graduates that attended the trip. We outnumber the MU graduates (insert joke here) and plan to keep it that way.
I don't want to be boring with all of the other details, but if you haven't been to Vegas, the lights of the city make for an amazing view. And if you plan to go in the summer, well, it's hot. The temperature was 105 each day we were there and at night, it's about 82. So I was happy to come home to some 80 degree weather (during the daytime)
I'll be back on the air Wednesday. Looks like more rain is coming this way with a storm from Canada. Should be an interesting one to watch. And are the kids already going back to school? Where does summer go?
There is some rather sophisticated technology on board, including Doppler radar to help see and locate the actual center of the system. If you have time, take a closer look at the picture I posted. Although it is a little hard to read, you can see one type of radar dish is located toward the front of the aircraft with the Doppler radar in the back. A "dropwindsonde" is dropped out of the plane (hence the name) into the storm to find out temperature, humidity, and other pressures within the rainbands surrounding the eye.
