One would expect a new, $380 million sports arena to impress with its amenities. And, as I wrote in October, the City of Orlando's new Amway Center is nothing if not impressive. One of the many ways it manages to impress? Its seamless integration of technology with the Orlando Magic fan experience.

Amway Center houses more than 1100 high-definition screens on its eight levels of concourses, for instance, allowing the team to broadcast any number of messages to visitors. Most impressively, though, is the center-hung scoreboard and video screen. The bottom is configured in a standard, four-sided format to show the score and replays. Atop that unit sits eight smaller, auxiliary scoreboards, also with video capability, which can show league leaders, in-game stats, and sponsor messages.

The best use of the scoreboard comes during pregame introductions, when, as shown in this video, all the screens function as parts of a whole, which allows for absurdly larger-than-life images of Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and their Magic teammates to pump up the crowd. Remarkably, the scoreboard and other LED lighting features can show 4.4 trillion different shades of color.

Technology comes into play even outside the context of the game experience. Touch-screen displays allow fans in certain ticket levels order concessions directly from their seats. Further, the 20 concession stands have digital displays, which allows for a menu customized to fit fan demand. As a bonus, these displays can show high-definition photographs of menu items, giving potential customers a better idea of what the day's offerings.

There are more benefits to Amway Center outside of technology, of course, not least of which is making the Magic a more prominent part of downtown. Yet the incredible features inside do indeed enhance the fan experience even more.

In FreeDarko Presents the Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History, Pasha Malla argues "YouTube represents a new kind of communal mythmaking, on that resists the great dictatorial hegemony of the NBA administration in favor of something approaching democracy." In times past, the NBA, along with networks licensed to package its highlights, determined canonical plays and events. As Malla notes, the enduring image of Michael Jordan's "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo, Jordan's post-shot exuberance, was not seen on the live telecast; the camera cut to Chicago Bulls coach Doug Collins instead of showing the celebration.

But now, thanks to YouTube, hoops fans have a sort of say in what we remember, which is great news for Orlando Magic aficionados. User luismirovic has ensured we'll never forget Pat Garrity's improbable dunk on Samuel Dalembert, for example. Britton Johnsen's facial over a rookie LeBron James--in a summer-league game!--lives on, due to the efforts of FLsummerball. Prior to YouTube, only the few thousand people or so who saw the game live would have access to those plays essentially on demand. Taking a broader view, high-five hijinks between Andrew Bogut and nobody in particular, and Kevin Love and Wesley Johnson, have become memes unto themselves solely due to their shared presence on these here internets. The game's reach in cyberspace meets, and perhaps exceeds, its reach on terrestrial earth. That's not a development we can overlook.

Twitter's rise has drastically altered the way in which we receive news, across all disciplines and fields. Yet Twitter has proven particularly indispensable in covering the NBA. It's enhanced my experience, both as a fan and as a writer.

As a fan, I find the ability to have NBA news from sources I trust beamed directly to my Samsung Impression essential. No matter where I am, I can receive up-to-the-minute news and commentary from my favorite writers and analysts. With Twitter, I am never out of the loop.

But I wear two hats, so to speak, when it comes to the NBA: I'm also a writer, and Twitter enables me to join the conversation no matter where I am, regardless of my proximity to a computer. At Orlando Magic Media Day last season, I pointed out that J.J. Redick was wearing a Kings of Leon shirt, which got some attention. I was able to pass along Commissioner David Stern's line about Amway Center being the best facility in the world, just moments after he said it during last night's press conference.

As sports fans, we want to stay connected. That's why chat rooms and message boards gained so much popularity prior to the development of sports blogs, like the one you're reading now. Twitter is the next logical step in that progression, the newest virtual water cooler around which we all gather to shoot the breeze.