Click play button to watch Eric demonstrate Augmented Reality.

Howdy gang. Reading this blog is finally going to pay off for you! Click the play button above to watch Eric demonstrate one of the coolest things we've seen in a long time. Definitely something you'll be showing off to your friends and family. WATCH »

Cool right? OK... to do it yourself, you need a printer and a web cam... then click over to plugintothesmartgrid.com and have at it! Let 'em know "News To Me" on HLN sent you!

Have fun with that. We'll see you this weekend with even more coolness from the web on "News To Me."

Back in December, iReporters provided "News To Me" with an almost TOO-close view of the devastation caused when a military jet crashed into a suburban San Diego neighborhood. The pilot ejected and survived, but, on the ground, one man’s entire family was killed.

I know I will never forget how I felt watching Dong Yun Yoon talking to the media the next day. It had only been hours since learning that he’d lost his wife, daughters and mother-in-law to the crash. With emotions still so raw, he came out and eulogized his wife and daughters… and then, he asked us to pray for the pilot as well. His press conference was one of the most touching and “real” things I have ever seen on TV.

"Horrible thing to happen" watch »

The Marines have been investigating what went wrong that day... and have determined a number of things, including deferred maintenance and faulty decisions by the pilot, contributed to the accident. Four people have been fired... and nine others have been relieved of duty.

Full Story »

Today's blog entry is by the "News To Me" winter intern Brandon. He's been with us for a few weeks but he hasn't had much time to introduce himself because Mike has been keeping him VERY busy transcribing interviews. In fact did you see Eric's interview with Debbie Fletcher about her long lost childhood playground which is now under 300 feet of water? Brandon was on the front lines of that one, writing down every word of that conversation so Will (the writer/editor) could turn it into TV. Since then he's done the same for three MORE interviews you'll see on upcoming shows!

So without further ado... please say hi to Brandon!

My First Day…

Brandon takes a break from logging interviews long enough to pose for a quick pic.

Do you remember the first day of your internship? How did it go? Was it what you expected? Were you impressed? Were you nervous? Were you disappointed? These are just a few questions that come to mind when people ask others about their first day experiences. While some might feel unaffected by the “first day jitters,” others like me need some reassuring and self-coaching before the first day of a new internship.

Dressed in khaki pants, a white button down shirt, and a blue blazer, I thought that my first day was a great one. What a privilege and a blessing it was to be accepted for an internship at HLN. I would be interning for "News To Me," and I was utterly excited. After going through CNN Center’s elaborate security checkpoint, Mike Kane, my new supervisor and Coordinating Producer of the show, came down to greet me. Before taking me to the place I would be working, located on the upper level of the HLN Loft, and telling me my responsibilities, Mike decided to take me on what I had been dying to see all along, a tour of the HLN/CNN headquarters. It was all happening so fast, and it was truly a dream come true. Walking through the hustle and bustle of the newsroom, seeing Tony Harris talk about the impact of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life at the news desk, admiring the director’s immediate action and responsiveness to new stories in the control room, were all wishes I had seen fulfilled. This was some place I knew I wanted to work at someday. By the time we got back to "the loft," it was well over time for me to go, but I could hardly wait to return for work again the next day. Not only was I thrilled to be working at CNN Center, but I had met some of nicest people, including my new supervisor, Mike Kane, and Associate Producers Aaron Rustom and Grayson Thagard. This was truly a first day I’ll never forget.

While there might be many different tips that people have for making a first day experience a great one, here is my recipe to a successful first day:

ADD A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE:
It is definitely ok to be a little nervous, but confidence is everything. It sets the first impression. Remember that you already have the job, so there was obviously something special about you.

DON’T FORGET TO SMILE:
First day’s can be a little overwhelming, but a smile can set a great tone. It helps to show your excitement for the new job.

REMEMBER EYE CONTACT:
This not only shows that you have great self-confidence, but also lets others know that you are interested in what they are saying.

MAKE THE HAND SHAKES FIRM.

PUT THE IMPRESS IN YOUR DRESS:
Make sure you find out from your new supervisor the suitable attire required for the job. It is important to come appropriately dressed for the new job, because this can create a negative or positive first impression.

A LITTLE PREPARATION IS KEY:
Before you start your first day, make sure you find out what will be needed for you to bring on the job. Come ready to work, and always have some kind of note pad and pen, so that you can write down any notes that will be helpful in the future.

*MIKE'S NOTE:
Great advice for future NTM interns! Thanks Brandon... and let's hope you still have that smile when you leave here.

Some may say that Mr. Eric Lanford, host of "News To Me" on HLN already has the best job in the world. Cushy office, flexible hours, star of an international TV show, free high speed internet access, screaming fans everywhere he goes... kind of like Seacrest but without the hair products.

It would have to be a pretty special job to lure him away from all that, right? I mean, it would have to be like, the BEST JOB IN THE WORLD!

You may remember our story about Tourism Queensland's search for an island caretaker who would live rent free in a villa, take part in all the adventures and excitement Hamilton Island near Australia's Great Barrier Reef has to offer, keep a blog AND get paid 100 grand? Well Eric's made and submitted an application, which has been accepted and is up NOW on their website!

As much as we'd hate to have to relocate the entire show to a gorgeous island paradise for 6 months if Eric were chosen, it's a sacrifice we are willing to make for his happiness. So whaddaya say? Show the guy some love... click the pic above, give Eric 5 stars and maybe we'll be coming to you from deown undah next summer!

Almost exactly one year ago I was in Beijing on vacation. It is one of the most electric and exciting places I have ever been. I've never been anywhere else in the world where science fiction and ancient history come together like they do in China. That juxtaposition is exactly what led to some of the most spectacular video in "News To Me" this weekend.

During my visit the Chinese were celebrating the beginning of the year of the Rat, and from our high rise hotel room my partner and I could see fireworks going off all over the city. Not "official" displays, just happy Beijingers setting off high powered pyrotechnics on their own, in the streets, in front of their apartment buildings. Explosion after explosion echoed off the concrete and glass walls of the buildings all around us. Beijing's notoriously hazy air seemed to amplify the light so that each explosion lit up the entire city. Underneath it all, the constant crackle of firecrackers. This went on all night. It was joyous and we loved it, but I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this safe?"

"The Chinese INVENTED fireworks and they've been using them to celebrate happy occasions for millennia, they know what they're doing," I reassured myself. "You are just being a typical overcautious American."

One of the highlights of my trip was seeing the massive construction site where the two buildings that will soon house the government run China Central Television Network are being built. The complex includes the gravity defying, Möbius strip of a skyscraper that some have dubbed "The Big Pants" and second structure that they call "The Boot". Together these two Blade Runner-esque towers equal an investment of over $700 million!

Fast forward 12 months...

It's still not completely clear why or how, but earlier this week on the final night of celebrations to ring in the new year of the Ox, some China Central Television employees took advantage of the fact that neither "the big pants" nor "the boot" is occupied yet and set off what are being officially described as "firecrackers" between the two buildings. Those "firecrackers" somehow started a massive blaze that completely engulfed "the boot" in flames. iReporter Fred Rice called it a "Towering Inferno."

Incredibly, given the restricted nature of information coming from inside China, the spirit of citizen journalism filled the crowds who gathered to watch the blaze. Reports of a massive fire in the Central Business District started POURING into iReport.com. Henry Hanks and other iReport producers began to send out emails to HLN and CNN staffers containing links to the incredible pictures and video. I was shocked at how easily information was flowing from a country that is notoriously tight lipped when it comes to disseminating bad news. In fact, as it turns out, iReporters provided coverage of the fire even before some Chinese news outlets did!

Big thanks to ireporters Fred Rice, James Marks, Ant Yeung, Chad Moore, Ray Ally and everyone else who sent in pics and video from the scene.

Catch "News To Me" tonight on HLN to see their work on the air!

Yesterday, a WHOLE lot of you (I'm not allowed to say exactly how many... more than a ton, but less than a gazillion) watched Eric get to the bottom of how a horse got stuck in a tree.

Thank You!

BTW, if you'd like to get a daily e-mail (just like the one you see here) with links to all the top video from CNN.com all just visit your profile page, sign in, scroll down to the newsletter section and subscribe to the Daily Top 10!

The strange and exciting tale of Gracie the horse and her owner Jason Harshbarger continues.

After our story about Gracie aired last weekend the video was streamed to CNN.com where it's not only quite popular, but it has also spawned a T-SHIRT! As far as we know it's the first "News To Me" headline to be worthy of the CNN.com/tshirt machine! Needless to say we're very excited and hope to start a fashion trend! Get em while they last!

Meanwhile, if you haven't seen the story that spawned the shirt... click the play button on the image below and let Eric regale you with the tale of Gracie the horse who got her noggin wedged in a tree trunk and inadvertently became world famous!

If you liked Gracie, be sure to check out two of the other stories Eric brought to the small screen this last weekend:

'Abilities', not disability »
A filmmaker gave a group of mentally challenged people video cameras so that we could see ourselves through their eyes.

iReport: Breastfeeding frenzy »
Facebook breastfeeding controversy heats up on iReport!

If you are a "News To Me" newsletter subscriber, you understand why we've got a picture of a horse with its head stuck in a tree on the blog today.

What? You're not a "News To Me" newsletter subscriber? No worries. Just go here: CNN.com/profile. Scroll down to "My Newsletters" and just follow the instructions! We'll only spam you once a week (usually Thursday) with a message from Eric to let you know what's coming up on the next "News To Me."

Newsletter subscriber or not, here's the good news... the horse is OK. In fact, she's become world famous! Newspapers, magazines, websites, even Prime Time TV!

OK, so you and everyone else on the planet has seen the photo and wondered, "how did that happen, and what happened AFTER the horse got caught in the tree?" "News To Me" knows. Hit the play button on the image below and find out for yourself!

"News To Me" – Number ONE on CNN.com on February 3. Thanks!

Being on an international cable news network like HLN means that "News To Me" is on in a LOT of time zones. For simplicity's sake we usually only promote our Eastern Time Zone air times, and then let you do the math.

I've always felt bad about that. You know? There are people all over North America (and elsewhere in the world) who get HLN on their cable boxes... It's always seemed a little rude to force them to crunch the numbers in order to find "News To Me."

So HERE, in all their glory, are all the times you can watch "News To Me," the the first cable news program to spotlight user-generated content, iReports, web culture and viral video, almost everywhere:

EASTERN TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Sunday – 12:30am, 5:30am, 7:30pm & 9:30pm
Monday – 12:30am & 5:30am

CENTRAL TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 6:30pm, 8:30pm & 11:30pm
Sunday – 4:30am, 6:30pm, 8:30pm & 11:30pm
Monday – 4:30am

MOUNTAIN TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 5:30pm, 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Sunday – 3:30am, 5:30pm, 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Monday – 3:30am

PACIFIC TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 9:30pm
Sunday – 2:30am, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 9:30p
Monday – 2:30am

ALASKA TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm
Sunday – 1:30am, 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm
Monday – 1:30am

HAWAII TIME ZONE:
Saturday – 2:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Sunday – 12:30am, 2:30pm, 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Monday – 12:30am

Of course, no matter where you are, you COULD just set a Season Pass for "News To Me" on your TiVo. It's on enough times over the weekend that it's unlikely you'd have a conflict no matter how far down it was on your Season Pass list!

Allrighty then! No excuses! We'll see you on "News To Me" this weekend and every weekend on HLN – no matter where you are!