In one of the breaks for executive session during today’s council meeting, Chronic took the opportunity to play with the new, shiny info-toy in the lobby of City Hall, the Austin: Past and Present booth.
This potted history of Austin, covering everything from its geological formation to the last time a bat pooped on the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, is actually quite fun and loaded with “well, I never” factoids. Navigated by trackball, (showing his age, Chronic’s first thought was “ooh, Missile Command!”), the system contains two hours of video and some excitingly rare images of the birth of the city. Actually, as an educational resource and a way to while away a few minutes while, say, stuck at the airport, it’s really quite spiffy.
But there’s some odd choices for what’s covered. In fact, it’s slightly miraculous that they can talk so long about Sixth Street without mentioning the words “beer,” “well drinks” or “body shots.” But oddest is the very informative section about the history of KTBC. While a fitting tribute to the station created by Lady Bird Johnson, it then gets all mysteriously gushy about the fact that Fox 7 (as it is now known) is known for its “host of innovative programming, innovative sports packaging, and impactful news.” This eBackslap is accompanied by clips of The Simpsons, The X-Files, American Idol and an Orioles game.
This article appears in October 5 • 2007.
