Saturday, June 21, 2003
Dept. of Getting & Spending
Drove into Manhattan today--in the rain-- to buy some things. First stop, J&R, where we picked out a digital camera. Got an Olympus Stylus 400 Digital , small, with good resolution, and a memory card. Since we're going to Florida soon to celebrate my mother-in-law's 75th birthday, plus Spencer spends a lot of time with some amazing blues and gospel greats, there's a family wish to have a digital camera. And of course, now we can take constant pictures of our dog and our son, at least till the novelty wears off.
I'm a pretty dreadful photographer, and I greatly admire bloggers like Tony Piece and Mark North, who snap great street shots and post them, so I am hoping practice with this camera will improve my skills..I need it.
After that, it was on to Howard Street, where we went into Ted Muehling to look at the amazing jewelry this designer fabricates and sells. My mother-in-law bought some of his earrings about 20 years ago, and they've remained favorites, so this seemed the right place to look for a gift.
Short version, I wished I could buy half the contents of the store. Or, maybe I could have just moved in. Muehling's speciality is an exquisite, highly refined simplicity, with a sophisticated use of natural materials such as mother of pearl and shell. The word "organic" has been so over-used to be meaningless, but Muehling's earrings have names such as gnat, moth, shell, melon--and you can see why when you look at the curves, colors, and textures of the shapes.
We picked out something wonderful, which she should love, but I can;t say what it is cause she reads the blog sometimes--so Mom, you have to wait!
But here's a picture of one of Muehling's porcelain pieces, just to give you a feeling for his work.
Meanwhile, here's what I did NOT buy:
Muehling earrings for myself--$110.00
Fujitsu Lifebook laptop--$1700.00
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life--$27.99 (!)
Comment
I'm a pretty dreadful photographer, and I greatly admire bloggers like Tony Piece and Mark North, who snap great street shots and post them, so I am hoping practice with this camera will improve my skills..I need it.
After that, it was on to Howard Street, where we went into Ted Muehling to look at the amazing jewelry this designer fabricates and sells. My mother-in-law bought some of his earrings about 20 years ago, and they've remained favorites, so this seemed the right place to look for a gift.
Short version, I wished I could buy half the contents of the store. Or, maybe I could have just moved in. Muehling's speciality is an exquisite, highly refined simplicity, with a sophisticated use of natural materials such as mother of pearl and shell. The word "organic" has been so over-used to be meaningless, but Muehling's earrings have names such as gnat, moth, shell, melon--and you can see why when you look at the curves, colors, and textures of the shapes.
We picked out something wonderful, which she should love, but I can;t say what it is cause she reads the blog sometimes--so Mom, you have to wait!
But here's a picture of one of Muehling's porcelain pieces, just to give you a feeling for his work.
Meanwhile, here's what I did NOT buy:
Muehling earrings for myself--$110.00
Fujitsu Lifebook laptop--$1700.00
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life--$27.99 (!)
Comment
Friday, June 20, 2003
Alec Klein: Stealing Time
I spent a day with Alec Klein back in 2001, when I was at Netscape. Alec was interested in covering our dynamic young president, Jim Bankoff, a long-time AOLer who'd come West to help steady and grow the brand. Alec was interested in seeing Jim in action, so the PR department arranged for Alec to shadow Jim. One day, Jim, myself, Alec, and the PR guy spent the day in a series of meetings in Mountain View and Los Angeles, with the economy travel showing Alec was a down to earth company we were.
Here's the thing that was so interesting Klein's a superb reporter who uses silence and a cover of sleepiness to gather information. Although his writing is as sharp as it comes, Klein's persona that day was low-key and definitely naive.
Clearly, it was a tactic that worked, because in addition to the sweet feature he turned out on Jim for the Washington Post (unfortunately it ran the same day AOL announced layoffs of about 300 people), he went on to report on the company's financial and business practices, stories which led to investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Comment
Here's the thing that was so interesting Klein's a superb reporter who uses silence and a cover of sleepiness to gather information. Although his writing is as sharp as it comes, Klein's persona that day was low-key and definitely naive.
Clearly, it was a tactic that worked, because in addition to the sweet feature he turned out on Jim for the Washington Post (unfortunately it ran the same day AOL announced layoffs of about 300 people), he went on to report on the company's financial and business practices, stories which led to investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Comment
When AOL Let the Dogs Out
Super piece with no byline in the London Times on a situation where AOL's BA teams bum-rushed the Wembley Stadium crew in order to book $16MM plus in ad revenue before the quarter ended, and ended up reportedly lifting artwork to make banner ads promoting a to-be-launched dog racing site, running the banner ads, everywhere, and crashing the Wembley dog-racing site.
This author gives Alec Klein a run for his money (hey, maybe it is Alec Klein) in producing a well-written, carefully researched and pretty scaldalous account of how business was conducted. For AOL-watchers, a must-read.
Yep, this is probably by Alec Klein--his book Stealing Time, was just published in the UK anbd is getting good press.
Comment
This author gives Alec Klein a run for his money (hey, maybe it is Alec Klein) in producing a well-written, carefully researched and pretty scaldalous account of how business was conducted. For AOL-watchers, a must-read.
Yep, this is probably by Alec Klein--his book Stealing Time, was just published in the UK anbd is getting good press.
Comment
Hollywood BoyToys go for Grown-up Gals
Seems like the latest proof of manhood in Hollywood is bedding a more mature star. If you're 25 or less, proving you can attract a major movie star shows you have the goods.
Ashton Kutcher, 25, is reportedly dating Demi Moore, 40. Supposedly, Justin Timberlake, 22, and Cameron Diaz, 30, have hooked up. Strokes dummer Fabrizio Moretti, 22 is dating Drew Barrymore, 28.
Comment
Ashton Kutcher, 25, is reportedly dating Demi Moore, 40. Supposedly, Justin Timberlake, 22, and Cameron Diaz, 30, have hooked up. Strokes dummer Fabrizio Moretti, 22 is dating Drew Barrymore, 28.
Comment
Blogging: The power of linking
Spent part of last night reading comments about the New York Times story on various blogs. Jarvis commenting on how "a blog he knows"--I assume mine, that linkmiser--got so much less traffic based on the Times piece than he gets in links from Instapundit. JD Lasica commenting on how he seems to know everyone quoted in these pieces--we're old friends and I think he's a superb journalist.
Photodude picks up and posts about the link thing and adds his views. He writes:
"On Tuesday, I got one link from Instapundit during the sea of mockery over Bill O'Reilly, and garnered 967 hits that day. From that one link (Glenn's stats show he had about 85,000 visitors that day). Michele's link to the same piece brought 334 visitors.(BTW, Michele writes a mean About me...girl's got attitude in a major way--course, she's from Long Island.)...You don't have to be a professional writer or a journalist with the backing of a major newspaper ... to write a link."
My old friend, Nava, who now runs a marketing newsletter, blogged me, too.
Dave Sifry, the Technorati whiz who started this all--I posted on his site in response to an invite/query he was handling--has a great entry on the Times story, etc. today.
What's interesting is that when I talked to Catherine Greenman, two of the people/sites I emphasized were technorati, which I check at least twice a day, and megnut, because Meg Hourihan is my model of a good blogger and her book, We Blog, was a great help (which I told the reporter, BTW). Her comments here.
Wonderful kudos from friends on the mentions on The Busy Mom's Site.
If this seems like self-congratulatory navel-gazing to you, well, maybe it is, a little, but it's also the joy of people in a far-flung community connecting to one another. Many of us live far apart, have never met, and yet we send out voices out into the air--and this is a way to know we're linked and talking with other real people.
Comment
Photodude picks up and posts about the link thing and adds his views. He writes:
"On Tuesday, I got one link from Instapundit during the sea of mockery over Bill O'Reilly, and garnered 967 hits that day. From that one link (Glenn's stats show he had about 85,000 visitors that day). Michele's link to the same piece brought 334 visitors.(BTW, Michele writes a mean About me...girl's got attitude in a major way--course, she's from Long Island.)...You don't have to be a professional writer or a journalist with the backing of a major newspaper ... to write a link."
My old friend, Nava, who now runs a marketing newsletter, blogged me, too.
Dave Sifry, the Technorati whiz who started this all--I posted on his site in response to an invite/query he was handling--has a great entry on the Times story, etc. today.
What's interesting is that when I talked to Catherine Greenman, two of the people/sites I emphasized were technorati, which I check at least twice a day, and megnut, because Meg Hourihan is my model of a good blogger and her book, We Blog, was a great help (which I told the reporter, BTW). Her comments here.
Wonderful kudos from friends on the mentions on The Busy Mom's Site.
If this seems like self-congratulatory navel-gazing to you, well, maybe it is, a little, but it's also the joy of people in a far-flung community connecting to one another. Many of us live far apart, have never met, and yet we send out voices out into the air--and this is a way to know we're linked and talking with other real people.
Comment
Morning news
It's raining in New York. What a surprise! Nothing to do this am but read the news. Thank God I took the dog out while it was still a light mist. It's a curtain of wetness now. Here's what's caught my eye--so far.
Broadband connections grow 49% this year
CNET is finally going to raise some money
They surf too much porn over at the IRSActress Kate Hudson, 24, is pregnant
Is Whitney Houston pregnant, too?
Harry Potter about to hatch; new book is best one. There now are 10,000 Harry Potter listings on eBay; Scholastic's order 8.5 MILLION copies for the first run.
Spike TV ain't gonna be--not till case is resolved.
Comment
Broadband connections grow 49% this year
CNET is finally going to raise some money
They surf too much porn over at the IRSActress Kate Hudson, 24, is pregnant
Is Whitney Houston pregnant, too?
Harry Potter about to hatch; new book is best one. There now are 10,000 Harry Potter listings on eBay; Scholastic's order 8.5 MILLION copies for the first run.
Spike TV ain't gonna be--not till case is resolved.
Comment
Thursday, June 19, 2003
The Third Nigerian Email Conference
Saw this last week and lost it, blogging it now so I can find it again.
" I am Mr. Laurent Mpeti Kabila, a senior assistant leader of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone.
I present to you an urgent and confidential request: I request your attendance at The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your distinguished colleagues, learn new marketing techniques, and spend your hard-earned money. Attending this conference demands the highest trust, security and confidentiality between us."
Comment
" I am Mr. Laurent Mpeti Kabila, a senior assistant leader of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone.
I present to you an urgent and confidential request: I request your attendance at The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your distinguished colleagues, learn new marketing techniques, and spend your hard-earned money. Attending this conference demands the highest trust, security and confidentiality between us."
Comment
AOL and WSJ team up in IM data feed
Via Heath Row's Media Diet:
The Wall Street Journal Online has launched a new feature on AOL Instant Messenger that allows you to get the latest news using this real-time tool.
By sending an instant message to screen name "WSJOnline," you can read continually updated summaries of top U.S. and global business news, and get updates on the markets and the technology sector. You can also access stock quotes, get the very latest headlines on companies and more. Links take you back to the Online Journal Web site so you can get full news and in-depth company research.
This is just another version of the Smarter Child/Active Buddy and the bot thing.
Comment
The Wall Street Journal Online has launched a new feature on AOL Instant Messenger that allows you to get the latest news using this real-time tool.
By sending an instant message to screen name "WSJOnline," you can read continually updated summaries of top U.S. and global business news, and get updates on the markets and the technology sector. You can also access stock quotes, get the very latest headlines on companies and more. Links take you back to the Online Journal Web site so you can get full news and in-depth company research.
This is just another version of the Smarter Child/Active Buddy and the bot thing.
Comment
Today's Blogosphere Faves
Some Geniuses: The wonderfully modest undergrad, Ezra Klein, has a new blog with some friends. Not Geniuses is mighty-fine. I love the fact this guy goes to UC Santa Cruz--he's sharp as a tack and he's at this laid back, hippy, Slugs school. Good readin' here.
Neva, Ms Feva, Blogging: Neva makes Portland seem as interesting as, say, New York. Now I know what Portland is really nice, and Neva's blog seems livelier than Portland. Sample:
Thanks to the Bookslut, I have been introduced to a new blog called Amazon World. It's a blog totally devoted to posting the best-of-the-worst Amazon book reviews.
JD Lasica: I'm kind of amazed that as the blogging world gets bigger and bigger (400,000 to 1 million active blogs, at last word), I seem to always know the people quoted in these articles. This one quotes my friends Susan Mernit (who began blogging earlier this year at my prodding), Meg Hourihan and David Sifry, and mentions Doc Searls. Looks like big media picks up on the blogosphere's small self-referential world.
Venture Blog: Know your burn rate, and what VCs look for in a company.
Sean's CheeseBikini: Do you now what flash moblogging is? Film right here.
"Here's photographic evidence of the flash mob's successful takeover of the Manhattan Macy's fancy-rug department, courtesy of moistandtasty.com (above). Visit that site, as well as Satan's Laundromat, for more photos.
New Yorkers used e-mail to coordinate a huge, instant gathering of people around a particular rug. Participants were instructed to tell questioning salesmen that they all lived together in a Long Island warehouse, and they were considering purchasing the item for use as a "Love Rug" back at the house. After precisely ten minutes the crowd dissipated."
Another event I missed (okay, that was a joke.)
Also: Matrix Mobs Take Osaka....more mobblogging in the real world.
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Neva, Ms Feva, Blogging: Neva makes Portland seem as interesting as, say, New York. Now I know what Portland is really nice, and Neva's blog seems livelier than Portland. Sample:
Thanks to the Bookslut, I have been introduced to a new blog called Amazon World. It's a blog totally devoted to posting the best-of-the-worst Amazon book reviews.
JD Lasica: I'm kind of amazed that as the blogging world gets bigger and bigger (400,000 to 1 million active blogs, at last word), I seem to always know the people quoted in these articles. This one quotes my friends Susan Mernit (who began blogging earlier this year at my prodding), Meg Hourihan and David Sifry, and mentions Doc Searls. Looks like big media picks up on the blogosphere's small self-referential world.
Venture Blog: Know your burn rate, and what VCs look for in a company.
Sean's CheeseBikini: Do you now what flash moblogging is? Film right here.
"Here's photographic evidence of the flash mob's successful takeover of the Manhattan Macy's fancy-rug department, courtesy of moistandtasty.com (above). Visit that site, as well as Satan's Laundromat, for more photos.
New Yorkers used e-mail to coordinate a huge, instant gathering of people around a particular rug. Participants were instructed to tell questioning salesmen that they all lived together in a Long Island warehouse, and they were considering purchasing the item for use as a "Love Rug" back at the house. After precisely ten minutes the crowd dissipated."
Another event I missed (okay, that was a joke.)
Also: Matrix Mobs Take Osaka....more mobblogging in the real world.
Comment
A year in Rarotonga: Good luck, Mark!
Mark Frauenfelder and family are picking up amd moving to the South Pacific for a year. I've been getting their weekly emails about this trip for a few weeks now, and it seems they're just about to leave LA and head West. Their web site/blog and emails about The Island Chronicles are something I look forward to getting every week.
"Two more days before we fly off to Rarotonga. At this point, there's not a lot to do besides wait. A couple of days ago, we gave Sarina's (our five year old) last remaining pet, a firebelly toad, to her friend, India. I told India's mother how she would have to drive to the pet store once a week to buy live crickets. I also gave her the "Cricket Corral," cricket food and "cricket hydrator" (which looks like globs of orange Jell-O). She was surprised when I told her the frog might live 20 years or more. "Don't worry," I told her, "it'll probably escape like the other one." More here.
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"Two more days before we fly off to Rarotonga. At this point, there's not a lot to do besides wait. A couple of days ago, we gave Sarina's (our five year old) last remaining pet, a firebelly toad, to her friend, India. I told India's mother how she would have to drive to the pet store once a week to buy live crickets. I also gave her the "Cricket Corral," cricket food and "cricket hydrator" (which looks like globs of orange Jell-O). She was surprised when I told her the frog might live 20 years or more. "Don't worry," I told her, "it'll probably escape like the other one." More here.
Comment
Department of How the world has changed via blogging
I posted a couple of days ago about going over to my friend's house and making dinner for her and her family so she could have a break (her father is dying). So, last night, as we're all clicking away on our computers, my son says, "Mom, come see this.
This is a blog by my friend's son, a high-school senior, who has a blog and who has posted: This is why Susan Mernit rocks hardcore (she is Zach Jarrett's mom and i've known her for many many years):
Because she knows about my dying grandfather and because she is really sympathetic, she brought over food and made us a nice dinner tonight. Susan, you are awesome.
Now this made me feel really great, of course, but I also thought it was amazing that Matt has a blog.
And not only does Matt have a blog, but all l his friends at Columbia High School have blogs (I would give you the links, but they're pretty, well, high-schoolish, for the most part).
Then, last night I had dinner in Manhattan--Mesa Grill--with a friend. She said, "I like to read your blog to see what you're up to and what you're thinking."
So on one hand, this means that we can all read posts by one another obsessing about tests, and calories, and presents for relatives--things it might be better not to share--but on the other hand, we have this really cool, somewhat personalized, external communications tool.
Is this any different that the oersonal home page fad of a few years ago?
What do you think blogs are best used for? What kinds of blogs do you read?
If you feel like using this new comments feature I put in to add your 2 cents, please do so.
Comment
This is a blog by my friend's son, a high-school senior, who has a blog and who has posted: This is why Susan Mernit rocks hardcore (she is Zach Jarrett's mom and i've known her for many many years):
Because she knows about my dying grandfather and because she is really sympathetic, she brought over food and made us a nice dinner tonight. Susan, you are awesome.
Now this made me feel really great, of course, but I also thought it was amazing that Matt has a blog.
And not only does Matt have a blog, but all l his friends at Columbia High School have blogs (I would give you the links, but they're pretty, well, high-schoolish, for the most part).
Then, last night I had dinner in Manhattan--Mesa Grill--with a friend. She said, "I like to read your blog to see what you're up to and what you're thinking."
So on one hand, this means that we can all read posts by one another obsessing about tests, and calories, and presents for relatives--things it might be better not to share--but on the other hand, we have this really cool, somewhat personalized, external communications tool.
Is this any different that the oersonal home page fad of a few years ago?
What do you think blogs are best used for? What kinds of blogs do you read?
If you feel like using this new comments feature I put in to add your 2 cents, please do so.
Comment
I made the Times!
Woke up this morning, checked the email per usual, and in the middle of deleting spam about growing my penis, etc. got a note from someone who said, "I saw your blog in the piece in the Times".
Short version: I've got alot of quotes in that article. Very cool.
Jayson Blair-esque fact-checking errorL don't live in San Francisco, never lived in San Francisco, don't plan to live in San Francisco.
South Orange, NJ is my current place of residence, with move back to Silicon Valley planned for later this summer.
Oh wel,, no real complaints, just being a little snarky.
Comment
Short version: I've got alot of quotes in that article. Very cool.
Jayson Blair-esque fact-checking errorL don't live in San Francisco, never lived in San Francisco, don't plan to live in San Francisco.
South Orange, NJ is my current place of residence, with move back to Silicon Valley planned for later this summer.
Oh wel,, no real complaints, just being a little snarky.
Comment
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Preserving the technology past
Ramana Rao: Brewster Kahle's Box
Brewster's Box
One morning a few weeks back, I ran into Brewster Kahle at the SFO airport before an early morning flight. The 2nd such coincidence of SFO x Brewster, the previous event being last January. I was off to a sales call in Arkansas, and he was off to testify at a DMCA hearing in Los Angeles. We were both tight on departures, but that didn't stop Brewster from steering me to the nearby waiting lounge.
"You've got to see this, it's really cool." He proceeded to pull an aluminum-cornered hardcase box from his back pack. From the box, he lifted out an original VisiCalc package still in shrinkwrap. "Look at this, this started it all. They want us to destroy it. They don't want Libraries to preserve it!" (He also showed me a box of MS Basic for an Atari.)
Also, Before the Web, Taylor Walsh's wonderful oral histroy project has pre-Mozilla war stories.
Comment
Brewster's Box
One morning a few weeks back, I ran into Brewster Kahle at the SFO airport before an early morning flight. The 2nd such coincidence of SFO x Brewster, the previous event being last January. I was off to a sales call in Arkansas, and he was off to testify at a DMCA hearing in Los Angeles. We were both tight on departures, but that didn't stop Brewster from steering me to the nearby waiting lounge.
"You've got to see this, it's really cool." He proceeded to pull an aluminum-cornered hardcase box from his back pack. From the box, he lifted out an original VisiCalc package still in shrinkwrap. "Look at this, this started it all. They want us to destroy it. They don't want Libraries to preserve it!" (He also showed me a box of MS Basic for an Atari.)
Also, Before the Web, Taylor Walsh's wonderful oral histroy project has pre-Mozilla war stories.
Comment
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Cruising the Blogosphere
Would Mark North teach me photography? His street shots always make me look twice.
More photos here.
Comment
More photos here.
Comment
Google vs. Ebay: Distribution channel rivals?
Smart piece by Bambi Francisco explaining that Google Search and Ebay stores can be regarded as competing paradigms for serving surfers buying needs--and therefore potential rivals. More here.
News flash: Overture sells AltaVista Search, a mostly enterprise little product, to FAST, Press release here.
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News flash: Overture sells AltaVista Search, a mostly enterprise little product, to FAST, Press release here.
Comment
Bunker Hill: Battle anniversary--and AOL 9.0 code name
On this day in 1775, near Boston, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. The battle, which actually occurred on Breed's Hill, was a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses while dislodging the rebels.
Okay, boys and girls, the AOL 9.0 beta client has the internal code name "Bunker Hill." Does anyone in the class think that maybe AOL represents the Americans, and Microsoft are the British, and the Hill is actually the wallets of suburban Americans?
Yes, Johnny, you say that any consumer with his head screwed on straight isn't going to pay any of those guys for access, they all cost too much?Mary, yes? Oh, your Dad said that AOL had a bunker mentality because they still thought it was the glory days of 1998 and refused to believe anyone would pay an additional $14.95 for their add on broad-band service...
Hmmn...
Spike, yes?...Never mind, son, we're not talking about TV networks now...
Comment
Okay, boys and girls, the AOL 9.0 beta client has the internal code name "Bunker Hill." Does anyone in the class think that maybe AOL represents the Americans, and Microsoft are the British, and the Hill is actually the wallets of suburban Americans?
Yes, Johnny, you say that any consumer with his head screwed on straight isn't going to pay any of those guys for access, they all cost too much?Mary, yes? Oh, your Dad said that AOL had a bunker mentality because they still thought it was the glory days of 1998 and refused to believe anyone would pay an additional $14.95 for their add on broad-band service...
Hmmn...
Spike, yes?...Never mind, son, we're not talking about TV networks now...
Comment
Helping out a friend
Spent part of today shopping and cooking for an old friend whose father is dying. He's 80, lives a few hours away and has been in poor health for quite a while. After the last bout of problems, he began to think about stopping dialysis--he made that decision in the past week and now the family is waiting for him to die.
I lost both my parents within two years of each other, one to a lingering illness, the other suddenly, so I want to be as supportive of my friend as possible.
Today, that turned into buying 4 lbs of roast chicken, orange juice without pulp, bananas, crunchy granola bars and other things her family needs, then stopping by with the groceries and making them a nice dinner.
I've had a strong feeling her father is going to die the day of her son's graduation party; hope that's not the case. These difficult situations remind me how lucky I am to be in a position to help someone else.
Comment
I lost both my parents within two years of each other, one to a lingering illness, the other suddenly, so I want to be as supportive of my friend as possible.
Today, that turned into buying 4 lbs of roast chicken, orange juice without pulp, bananas, crunchy granola bars and other things her family needs, then stopping by with the groceries and making them a nice dinner.
I've had a strong feeling her father is going to die the day of her son's graduation party; hope that's not the case. These difficult situations remind me how lucky I am to be in a position to help someone else.
Comment
Rowling to read Potter live on web
Great news for the development of streaming media:
"A special Harry Potter event starring JK Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall is to be broadcast live on the Internet
The boy wizard's creator will read extracts from her eagerly awaited fifth book and answer questions from an anticipated global audience of millions.
The one-off London show will be held on June 26, five days after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits the shops."
One of the disappoints of thedot com bubble bursting has been the slowness for broadband and the web to develop a viable business model for live webcast events. Live events permit an interactivity with the audience that most TV doesn't support, and can be repurposed as VOD after the event, but media companies have been slow to embrace the form. While it's true the Rowling event is purely a marketing event, it's exactly the kind of live programming I'd like to see more of.
Comment
"A special Harry Potter event starring JK Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall is to be broadcast live on the Internet
The boy wizard's creator will read extracts from her eagerly awaited fifth book and answer questions from an anticipated global audience of millions.
The one-off London show will be held on June 26, five days after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits the shops."
One of the disappoints of thedot com bubble bursting has been the slowness for broadband and the web to develop a viable business model for live webcast events. Live events permit an interactivity with the audience that most TV doesn't support, and can be repurposed as VOD after the event, but media companies have been slow to embrace the form. While it's true the Rowling event is purely a marketing event, it's exactly the kind of live programming I'd like to see more of.
Comment
Monday, June 16, 2003
Anniversary: 4 month blogging anniversary
I started this blog four months ago today. Looking back on the early entries, I see some differences--as in I didn't know what the hell I was doing (but I knew that).
Also:
--Used lots more pictures in the beginning.
--Had this idea everything should be titled with active verbs: Reading, Writing, Thinking, etc. That was going to be a signature (didn't last).
--Wanted everyone to think I was really smart (got over that one).
As I told the New York Times reporter, this is a hobby, and a way to communicate. I've already published more that 20 stories and articles in media outlets with circulations over 2 million, and I've run one of the biggest portals on the web--so blogging is not about getting myself a platform I didn't have before, or couldn't have otherwise.
It's about the pleasure of taking one of the walls away from the people I write for, and about writing as a form of talking and communication, rather than a carefully crafted series of articles. With the addition of the comments forms, it's hopefully more of a dialogue as well.
Thank you for reading this, and hope it's worth your time.
Comment
Also:
--Used lots more pictures in the beginning.
--Had this idea everything should be titled with active verbs: Reading, Writing, Thinking, etc. That was going to be a signature (didn't last).
--Wanted everyone to think I was really smart (got over that one).
As I told the New York Times reporter, this is a hobby, and a way to communicate. I've already published more that 20 stories and articles in media outlets with circulations over 2 million, and I've run one of the biggest portals on the web--so blogging is not about getting myself a platform I didn't have before, or couldn't have otherwise.
It's about the pleasure of taking one of the walls away from the people I write for, and about writing as a form of talking and communication, rather than a carefully crafted series of articles. With the addition of the comments forms, it's hopefully more of a dialogue as well.
Thank you for reading this, and hope it's worth your time.
Comment
Driving your SUV to the dump & other Bay area recycling stories
Good issue of San Francisco Magazine this June, with a special focus on the impassioned yet contradictory behaviors of Bay area environmental activists, a distinct group. SF Mag did in-depth interviews with 22 top Bay environmental leaders and reports on the results as part of their research. One interesting finding: 25% of these heros drive SUVs.
Some quotes:
Paul Hawken: We have to be able to imagine a life where having less is truly more satisfying...I buy organic food, walk to work, buy used clothes, shop at Rainbow Co-op, and don't subscribe to newspapers,. I don't do this for moral or ethical reasons. I do it because I like to live this way. It's freeing, lovely, and exciting."
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Some quotes:
Paul Hawken: We have to be able to imagine a life where having less is truly more satisfying...I buy organic food, walk to work, buy used clothes, shop at Rainbow Co-op, and don't subscribe to newspapers,. I don't do this for moral or ethical reasons. I do it because I like to live this way. It's freeing, lovely, and exciting."
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Googlisms: "He's just a big baby."
Pit Bull Rescue: Poseidon and Neptune find new homes.
Bo the Wonderdog: A black Lab sniffs out drugs in Valparaiso
14-year old boy and his dad's girlfriend : He isn't violent or doing drugs; he's just a big baby. ..I want to send him to one of those Boot Camps. Does anyone know if those are any good?
Scottie Pippen: You've got the ever unsatisfied Scottie Pippen, who has proven that without Michael Jordan, he's just a big baby who's crying for attention.
Jack Nicholson, in About Schmidt
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Bo the Wonderdog: A black Lab sniffs out drugs in Valparaiso
14-year old boy and his dad's girlfriend : He isn't violent or doing drugs; he's just a big baby. ..I want to send him to one of those Boot Camps. Does anyone know if those are any good?
Scottie Pippen: You've got the ever unsatisfied Scottie Pippen, who has proven that without Michael Jordan, he's just a big baby who's crying for attention.
Jack Nicholson, in About Schmidt
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Good n' Plenty: Aphrodisiac and SARS-killer?
About a week ago, my husband started buying Good & Plenty, the sugar-coated licorice candy we ate when we were kids. "Hey, you want some?" he kept asking.
Yesterday, he confessed that the Good & Plenty was an experiment; he'd read an article that said that the smell of licorice, specifically Good & Plenty, boosted sexual arousal in women.
Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and psychiatrist at Chicago's Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation, conducted a study involving 30 women, aged 18 to 40, and discovered that while some men's colognes impaired women's physiological sexual responses, some food odors increased them. The winners? Good & Plenty combined with cucumber.
Did it work on me? I'm not telling.
In related news, an ingredient in licorice has shown to be successful in fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), at least in the lab. German researchers, reporting their results in the latest issue of The Lancet, say that the compound, glycyrrhizin, was effective in stopping the SARS virus from reproducing, according to an Agence France Presse account.
More on that here.
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Yesterday, he confessed that the Good & Plenty was an experiment; he'd read an article that said that the smell of licorice, specifically Good & Plenty, boosted sexual arousal in women.
Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and psychiatrist at Chicago's Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation, conducted a study involving 30 women, aged 18 to 40, and discovered that while some men's colognes impaired women's physiological sexual responses, some food odors increased them. The winners? Good & Plenty combined with cucumber.
Did it work on me? I'm not telling.
In related news, an ingredient in licorice has shown to be successful in fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), at least in the lab. German researchers, reporting their results in the latest issue of The Lancet, say that the compound, glycyrrhizin, was effective in stopping the SARS virus from reproducing, according to an Agence France Presse account.
More on that here.
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San Jose Weekend: Food, house hunt, people
In San Jose for the weekend, looking for houses in Naglee Park, a urban neighborhood with amazing architecture and a strong sense of community.
Fueling the hunt with some really good meals--bun ga (chicken with rice vermicelli) on North 1st Street at Pho Banc; bean curd with green onion, fish in wine sauce, baby bok choy and black mushrooms at Sheng Deng; chicken burritos and jarritos at a little taqueria on Park Avenue; more bun--with shrimp grilled on sugar cane--back on North 1st Street.
Everything freshly made, flavorful, and inexpensive.
In the process of house-hunting, I've noticed that people on the East and West coast approach these transactions differently. We spent much of the weekend talking to people about houses they owed and we he West Coasters see the disussions as a chance to interact and learn about the other people, very proicess-oriented, while the East Coasters are more focused on the transaction--ie, the result.
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Fueling the hunt with some really good meals--bun ga (chicken with rice vermicelli) on North 1st Street at Pho Banc; bean curd with green onion, fish in wine sauce, baby bok choy and black mushrooms at Sheng Deng; chicken burritos and jarritos at a little taqueria on Park Avenue; more bun--with shrimp grilled on sugar cane--back on North 1st Street.
Everything freshly made, flavorful, and inexpensive.
In the process of house-hunting, I've noticed that people on the East and West coast approach these transactions differently. We spent much of the weekend talking to people about houses they owed and we he West Coasters see the disussions as a chance to interact and learn about the other people, very proicess-oriented, while the East Coasters are more focused on the transaction--ie, the result.
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