I was feeling good on Wednesday about working at a weekly business journal after years at daily newspapers — mainly because the heat index hit 100 and I wasn't out somewhere interviewing people at a swimming pool or ice cream parlor, and spending a 20-minute drive home wondering how I was going to make this heat wave story different from all the other ones.

It was bad enough when people still read the newspaper, but now, the Web has given us nonstop heat-related tweets and interactive heat maps, so you don't have to leave your air-conditioned home to know that it's hot outside. Several tweets in the afternoon broke the "news" that there were no heat-related illnesses yet at New Jersey hospitals. Remember when something had to happen before you could write about it?

Actually, what I kept remembering was this gem about the media and weather (just substitute "sun" for "snow"):



Anyway, I was coasting on that good feeling until late in the day, when Twitter struck again. While we've had lots of coverage of the activity behind the coming Rutgers-Rowan merger, I got slapped in the face when I saw there was an angle we hadn't considered: What does Miss New Jersey think about the merger? NJTV was there with the inside scoop, proving that you don't need state-funded broadcasting to turn out quality journalism. Skip to the 3:25 mark for Rut-Ro:



Hopefully, the Legislature asks for Lindsey Petrosh to testify before the controversial plan makes it to Chris Christie's desk.

I'm even more irreverent on Twitter @joe_arney.