Ear to the ground:

"When my dad was a kid, cell phones didn't even have cameras."

– Local child telling horror stories of the dark ages of technology

Local exposure

Mancos whiz kid Easton LaChappelle, 17, is going global.

This Sunday, LaChapelle, who created a robotic arm, will appear on Al Jazeera America's new science and technology show, "TechKnow." The half hour show airs at 5:30 p.m. local time

LaChappelle was interviewed by host Kosta Grammatis, known for building bionic eyes and founding a nonprofit to bring internet to Third World countries.

In early August, Grammatis, along with Four Corners Film Office shooter Scott Ransom and Telluride-based sound technician Ron Kanter, shot the piece in and around Durango and Mancos.

In a sneak peak of the show, Grammatis remarks on the amazing resourcefulness of the young genius tinkerer "Easton works from a home laboratory," he said. "He doesn't even have a garage, poor guy."

And speaking of local exposure, crews for a French production company are in town this month shooting scenes for its upcoming "Calamity Jane" docu-drama. the secne will be shot in Durango and Silverton, and on the D&SNG railroad.

Also, as per the Four Corners Film Office, scouts were in Durango and Cortez last month scoping locations for an as-yet-to-be-named feature film. The film has already gained approval by the Colorado Office of Film for tax incentives, and  shooting is slated for October.

More news will be forthcoming, but we do know it will be directed by Terry Jastrow. While maybe not a household name, Jastrow is known for such made-for-TV gems as "Carnaval in Rio," "Killer Golf" and "ESPN Interactive Flyfishing School." But perhaps his biggest claim to fame is being married to actress Anne Archer, who has gone down in infamy for the “rabbit scene” in “Fatal Attraction.”

Wait a minute, Mr. Postman

Durango may have escaped the clutches of Albuquerque TV, but its mail hasn't.

Starting this week, all Durango mail will be routed through Albuquerque, said Durango Postmaster Sean Schtakleff. The Durango Post Office, which used to process its own mail before sending it to Denver, will no longer serve as a processor. Schtakleff said no local jobs were cut as a result of the change.

For those used to the last-minute dash to the P.O. at 6 p.m., it could be a rude opening of the mail box door. The truck for ABQ pulls out of the station a few hours earlier than the Denver one did. Last call for streetside mailboxes is 1 p.m. Monday - Friday and 3 p.m. at the P.O.

"We put a notice on the mailboxes for 35 days," said Schtakleff. Alas, just like the ever-increasing postal rates, it seems no one ever pays attention.