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I spent four days last week training at UC Berkeley's Knight Digital Media Center, a nonprofit that aims to help good journalism succeed in the 21st Century.

Along with 20 other reporters from across the country, I spent most of my time there learning how to use databases as a reporting tool (thrilling, right?).

Between draining sessions in the computer lab, we listened to a variety of speakers on topics related to journalism in the digital age. I'm sure most non-newspaper people will find this stuff mind-numbingly boring, but in the behind-the-scenes-of-journalism spirit that defines the Reporter's Notebook Blog, I'll share a link to videos of the presentations. In case anyone's interested, this is what journalists talk about when they get together.

If you live in District 2 (if you're not sure, go here) and plan to vote on June 3, tonight's debate among the five candidates vying for a seat on the Merced County Board Supervisors should be worth your while.

If you can't make it, we'll have coverage in tomorrow's Sun-Star.

If you can, here are the details.

WHEN: Thursday at 7 p.m.

As newspapers everywhere struggle to adapt to the digital age, we're all trying new ways to tell stories online and get readers to our Web sites. In terms of those efforts, I've seen a lot that works. I've also seen a lot that doesn't.

In the latter category, I'd say this one, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer in Ohio, takes the cake. Talk about no-value crap. To me, this just seems like a desperate, uninspiring plea for Web clicks.

I am a native Californian. My dad was a native Californian, and so was my grandmother and my great-grandmother. In fact, my nephews are both natives too, so that makes those two boys fifth-generation Golden staters.
Most of those folks were born in the San Joaquin Valley. My dad and my nephew were both born in Oakland, but the rest of us claim good old Fresno County as our birthplace.
So I can pretty much say that I know what I like about this area, and what I don’t like. I’m not going to make a list or anything--just bring up one thing that’s been bugging me.