I am many things - observant, bacon mad and power hungry to name a few. But I like to also think of myself as pragmatic, so if I can find a practical use for something, I usually will do so.

With Halloween a few days out, I thought I would create a Google Map showing parties, hayrides, haunted houses, walking tours and other events.

As we've discussed more than a few times before, I've been a man divided over the last few months. Circumstances have found me chasing politicians more than bacon news and as a result I've been splitting my time between the NXT Desk and the Political Affairs Desk.*

Well we're almost at the finish line, but first you guys can all do your civic duty by watching today's 1st District Congressional Debate and providing some questions by e-mail.

The weekend that was, uh, was, a tiring one. Pop!Tech put a serious drain on the batteries, but I won't let that stop me from serving up some of things you may have missed in the last 72 hours.

Just when you thought we were done with Pop!Tech…we're not. The conference wraps up today and I thought it would be a good time to give a run down of some of the highlights (or at least what I thought were highlights) from yesterday.

We're back live with another session at Pop!Tech 08, the unveiling of "Project Masiluleke," which could change how non profits, human rights groups and health care workers fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

I'm away from the NXT Desk and political desks for today, and coming to you live from lovely (autumn-y) Camden for Pop!Tech 2008!

You may remember I made the same trip up to Camden last year when I first discovered the annual conference on how technology and innovation can solve some of the world's biggest problems.

This year is no different. The theme is "Scarcity and Abundance," and one of the new initiatives, Project Masiluleke which will use cellphone networks to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa by spreading information and directing people to health care.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. In a little bit I'll be back to start live blogging some of today's sessions, starting off with Wired editor Chris Anderson and renegade (or pirate if you like) music advocate Matt Mason talking about Digital Freedoms!

The Scanner lives, albeit in shortened form...but it lives nonetheless! It's a short take today because things are lively on the NXT Desk. We're splitting time on the politics desk at the moment and getting read to hit the road for Pop!Tech tomorrow.

More details on that later.

So we've got people who believe that an unseen hand guided the evolution of life in the Universe, a guy who turned himself into a rampaging green monster, a guy from Jersey who has made bank off dick and fart jokes and Peter Griffin.

No one ever said new DVD release day was not without some diversity.

Videoport Jones is here to help make sense of it all.

If today's Monday Fix seems a little TV-heavy it's because there was a lot of action on the flat screen this weekend. Sports, politics (I guess that's on TV all the time now) and dancing moose, this weekend had it all.

I have seen amazing things over the last Week In Bacon. Things that have made me question some of my core values (outside of my pure, unflinching love of bacon).

Take a break already! New movies are on the shelves, so what better way to relax than catching up with a few old favorites like Indiana Jones or Homer Simpson?

As always Videoport Jones is here to cut through the bad and get to the good.

My friends, I've been a bad, bad blogger, this I know. Last week was a hectic one here on the combined NXT/Political Affairs Desk. It's actually quite the messy desk at the moment. Last week I got tied up in election projects, including a few videos of the paper's endorsement interviews with Senate and Congressional candidates.

I'll try to make it up to you this week, I promise.

Need a break - if only for a minute - from politics? A diversion to take your mind off the ominous signs for our nation's economy? What you need, friend, is a movie.

Luckily there are some new DVDs on the shelves today and Doctor of the Cinematic Sciences, Videoport Jones, is here with some suggestions.

The Monday fix was a bit of a necessity for me this morning, as I was off in Chicago over the weekend and in somewhat of a media blackout. No news, no blogs, not even a single Tweet for two days.

Actually, that was kind of nice, now that I think of it.

In these unsure times of financial turmoil, rest assured that some things are always constant, like The Scanner.

That is until The Scanner becomes insolvent and has to file for bankruptcy or gets bought out by AOL, who in turn gets bought out by General Electric, and so on.

So, relax. Really.

It has been said by too many people to count that my love and undying hunger for bacon is not only weird, but fanatical.

And that may be true. I have professed a devotion and passion for bacon that some would say borders on zealotry.

But hey, at least I can say this - I haven't created an organized religion out of it.