The Toronto skyline is stunning at night...a million dollar view from the Shag the Smog fundraising cruise that cost considerably less for supporters of The Lung Association.

Awesome Powers and The Shagadelics performed a great set - even the most reluctant dancers headed to the dance floor to cut a rug.

Mariposa Cruiselines pulled out all the stops and helped make it a most memorable evening. Our crackerjack photographer, Aaron Adams, did a great job capturing the thrill of the moment and the allure of the skyline. He's one to watch.

Only negative comment about the event was because a few guests were smoking on the upper deck. It's hard to explain the obvious to some folks - um... it's a fundraiser for The Lung Association??? Get it? We've said it's a no smoking cruise. What do others think? Am I going "overboard" with the concern?

Social media conference in Chicago

As any square peg will tell you, conferences are the best stimulant for creative thinking. Bringing together a room full of visionaries and eager students is more than inspirational... it's a necssary break from the mundane thinking that can assume a strangle-hold with every purchase order or time sheet that needs completing.

Being a social media conference, it's only fitting the tragic news of Michael Jackson's death broke via Twitter. It seemed all at once everyone in the room was receiving the tweet and shocked looks and whispers began. Only a couple of years ago we would have had to wait until the afternoon coffee break to catch a glimpse of the breaking news on CNN. But now there is no room for pause. For media - and everyone else it seems - it's post and boast time.

Managing a message seems neanderthal now.

I walked to my hotel from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Tower, taking the riverwalk route. The river was a rich blue colour, lively but unhurried. I wondered how it would appear if it moved along at rapid speed, shooting immediately and aimlessly... would I enjoy the experience as much? It's hard to say...there wouldn't be any time to stop and think about it.

Chicago in the summertime is magnificent, well beyond Michigan Ave.