• Village Voice
• Musto occupies the CLog

Warning: I love the Village Voice's Michael Musto. Always have. So my CLog post today fairly beams with Musto love. And there's much to love about a man who celebrates global catastrophe.

What does a Michael Musto cover story in the Voice have to do with Charlotte? Well, glad you asked: We have occupiers, too, and they've made, to quote a dead '70s glam king, life a gas.

Replace "New York" and "Wall Street" with "Charlotte," and Musto's words here may also resonate for those of us living in the Wall Street of the South in these last days of 2011. Y'all.

New York became fun again in 2011.

Thanks to a global economic meltdown! The lingering desperation in the air brought down our emotional walls, and New Yorkers became friendlier and more open than we've been in ages, most of us no longer propped up by elitism as we reached out to one another like we were having a massive midlife crisis together—in a good way.

Even better, activism replaced bottle service as we saw the rise of Occupy Wall Street, a grassroots movement hating on the corporate greed and corruption that has led to drastic social inequality, unemployment, and crappy pizza. . . .

The generation being propelled into the hopelessness of someone else's making wasn't going to take it in a prostrate position, even if incidents of police brutality and neighborhood antagonism were trying to wet-blanket the excitement. "Get a job!" yelled the idiots, forgetting that this uprising was happening because there weren't any!

Enjoy the rest of Musto's glee here.

Cursing the latest hack job that's brought your computer to a halt?

Curious about putting your social media profiles to productive use?

If you could be any superhero, would you want to be a PowerPoint wizard?

If these types of questions pop up in your internal monologue, then THE Geek Fest is the place for you.

Now in its 8th year, The Geek Fest 2011 (TGF2011) is a free community event highlighting emerging technology, industry, career opportunities, startups and innovators. It's an eclectic celebration of the “geek” in everyone. And it happens today.

The main draw of the day will be the 39 conference-style presentations and topic sessions, covering everything from “mobile development and animation to social media and education.” For those looking to experience the more entertaining pleasures technology offers, a Halo Reach death match tournament will also be taking place, during which top-placing participants can win a VIBRAS Five.One headset by Track Scan.

TGF2011 is a locally-spun effort: the event's website proudly boasts that “in addition to showcasing many of CPCC’s programs, technologies, and resources, the festival features innovative regional and national businesses and their contributions to new technologies and the hottest fashions and styles.”

TGF2011 is being held at CPCC' Levine campus. Sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. and last about an hour with 15 minute breaks between. Limited seating. Email geekfest@cpcc.edu of tweet @thegeekfest if you have any questions.

In discussing social-media websites like Facebook and Twitter, some are guilty of looking the gift horse in the mouth, complaining that ever-expanding online communities are huge time-sucks that take people away from physical interaction. Others, however, believe social media can be a catalyst for social change, an important tool in uniting and empowering like-minded people. The Social Media Masquerade at Gil Gallery Thursday night highlighted the positive effects of this staple of the Digital Age on young Latinos.

The event celebrated the group Latinos in Social Media (LATISM), a nationwide non-profit organization which has launched five new chapters in the last three months, including one in Charlotte. The nonpartisan group, dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community, has a strong online presence, with about 90,000 Facebook members and 10 million hashtag impressions daily on Twitter.

Brian Cockman, director of LATISM Charlotte, describes himself as “a 100% gringo who is somewhat of a Latin-phile.” He first got involved with LATISM by browsing through Twitter. “Every Thursday night at 9 p.m. there's a LATISM party on Twitter, and it's people discussing education, health, and other issues affecting Latinos," Cockman said. "I just started joining the party, at first as a voyeur." A little more than a year ago, LATISM national's communications chair Elian Ramos contacted Cockman and asked if he would be interested in starting a Charlotte chapter. Cockman was thrilled: "I said, 'most definitely!'"

Edwin Gil, the artist whose gallery hosted the launch, learned about LATISM through Cockman. Gil said the group seemed like a “great way to promote Latin culture through social media," so he decided to mix LATISM with an art exhibit. The party proved successful, with more than 100 mask-wearing attendees mingling among Gil's colorful conceptual paintings. “These relationships were formed through Twitter. Until tonight I had never met any of these people in person," said Cockman. “One of the main things that we wanted to do here in Charlotte was to take all of these online conversations and turn it into off-line community action.”

Halfway through the night Cockman, along with Rafael Rodriguez, co-director of LATISM Charlotte, spoke more in-depth to the crowd about the group's goals. “Technology has changed the way we communicate,” said Rodriguez. “Now we have the power to tell our own stories, not only for ourselves. Social media is here to stay, to open up communication channels.”

Cockman stressed the importance of community on LATISM. “You don't have to be a Latino to be part of Latinos in Social Media," he said. "You just have to be willing to support your fellow brothers and sisters, no matter where they come from or what kind of accent they have.”

Find out more about Latinos in Social Media on Facebook and Twitter.

• Latinos and others throw a Twitterific social media party at Gil Gallery