I'll start this post with the disclaimer that there won't be much structure or point to this: I just had my knee scoped (torn meniscus) and have a lot of semi-drug induced hours on the couch. This couch time is mostly remote-controlled (TV remote, that is), but I'm also playing with the cats, surfing the web, and looking at a few work emails, though not really reading or replying to anything. Needless to say, I have time to actually jot down a few random thoughts (I always have a tidal wave of random thoughts, but no time to record them -- now I do!!).
Surgery
This was way easier and considerably less brutal than my two rotator cuff surgeries. In those, I was under general anesthesia for two hour surgeries and came out not only totally incoherent for several hours, didn't even want to talk and really sick to my stomach for 24 hours. Before surgery (which took less than a third of the time), I took an anti-nausea drug, and literally woke up ranting clear, concise observations with no nausea. The nurses couldn't shut me up, but seemed entertained. One other note: shoulder and hip surgeries are extremely painful; there is simply no comfort and sharp pains any time you move for several weeks.
Immediate Aftermath: I Feel Good ;-)
My buddy Paul picked me up and dropped me home, and getting in-out of car, into house on to couch was easy. I could easily walk if I had to, though I'm supposed to use crutches for a day or two to keep weight off (then you start exercising thereafter). I'm just wonderfully stoned now. Beautiful. ;-)
First TV Show: Surprised by "Jimmie Johnson 24/7"
I turned on TV and was about to fire up a saved program or On-Demand. "Jimmie Johnson 24/7" was on and kept me before I could change the channel. Huge surprise: it's a GREAT reality-documentary (more the latter). I'm not a NASCAR fan at all, but this is a really good show. It totally validates the concept that great story-telling is good no matter what the subject. I highly recommend watching this show. Now I have to watch part 3 sober, and see if it is really a great show, or if it was the drugs talking.
Economic Thought: Shouldn't I Be Passed Out Right Now?
I skimmed an article in this week's Forbes about the global wave of debt, and it reminded me of something I've been saying for 9 years since the first Bush tax cuts. We WILL absolutely have to raise taxes at some point in the not so distant future. The numbers won't ever reconcile without raising taxes, and this applies not just to the US but many other countries as well. There will never be enough revenue at current tax rates to cover worldwide government spending. I'd also bet that the US is one of the last governments to do the right thing too. Our lawmakers are just way too concerned about getting elected to do the responsible thing, and that goes for both repubs and dems. How's that for a stoned thought?!! I am truly perverted to be thinking crap like this heavily under the influence with HBO blaring!!
Other Fav Reality Show: House Hunters International
I kind of like most shows on HGTV, but House Hunters International rocks. Talk about stoking dreams: looking for second homes in Bali, Abruzzo, Spain, Costa Rica, Dominican, etc. What's not to love?!!
Hank Paulson On Charlie Rose: I Should Have Been Sleeping...
I watched Charlie Rose at 1am or some hour that I shouldn't have been awake. Hank Paulson was on, talking about his new book. When the discussion got to AIG using its government loan money to make counter-parties to retarded credit default swap deals 100% whole, Paulson squirmed and evaded badly. Rose rephrased his question so many times that this segment probably took 12 minutes of the interview. Paulson's responses were retardedly bad, making him look either stupid or guilty. Being the former head of Goldman Sachs, we know he isn't stupid.
Why can't one of these officials just raise their hand and say, "Yup, we screwed up by not asking what AIG was going to do with the money? Why didn't we ask the counter-parties to take 25-50% haircut on those deals (instead of ZERO if AIG BKed)?" What's just as amazing is: no official will say exactly who was doing the talks with AIG at the time, even a guy like Paulson who is most assuredly not responsible for that particular episode. They're all afraid to point the finger for any one thing because they know there are plenty of other items for which fingers can be pointed at them.
Sick Food: Coffee Too
Surgery requires no eating or drinking after midnite the previous night. My surgery was delayed a few hours, so I didn't get out until about 2pm. After general anesthesia, you don't have much appetite, so I wasn't hungry until about 6pm. Then, I ate a whole pizza, a half pint of Haagen Daaz and a bag of my favorite cheddar popcorn. I think that was the drugs talking...
Not sure what the deal is, but after each surgery where I've been under general anesthesia, I've totally jones'd for black coffee. Today was no different. Two huge cups of hot black coffee. Felt a lot better afterwards too.
The Next Day: Epilogue
The drugs have worn off (at least the narcotic ones), and I have to say I feel pretty darn good. End of day I'll start some bending exercises and a little walking around the house. After yesterday's feast, I'm only now getting hungry (about noon). And unfortunately, instead of spacing on the couch with the remote in my hand, I've been on three conference calls, and answered dozens of emails. However, the bottle of Vicodin is sitting right in front of me...
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Phone Rings At 2am...Your Flight Is Cancelled...
Ok, now we’re having fun. It’s 2am pst, and your phone – which doubles as your alarm clock – rings and rings. It’s American Airlines, calling to cancel your non-stop flight SFO to JFK. They’re about to totally screw you, but they generously offer to re-route your flight via Los Angeles AND Dallas. This is not good news when you’re lying in bed at 2am.
What would Macgyver do?
If Macgyver got this night call, he would put a fleece sweat suit on (cuz his 114 year old house has no f’ing insulation, it’s cold, and the furnace would take too long), pours a glass of wine, and dials American. After a surprisingly short wait on hold (amazing how the wine shortens the wait – good thinking Macgruber…), the two-hop would-be disaster easily converts into another non-stop, though 2.5 hours behind schedule (which is still an hour ahead of the two –hop disaster).
While sleep may no longer be an option, the direct flight and the earlier arrival time provide some cheap solace. I’ll take it. Now I really have to see “Up In The Air”………
What would Macgyver do?
If Macgyver got this night call, he would put a fleece sweat suit on (cuz his 114 year old house has no f’ing insulation, it’s cold, and the furnace would take too long), pours a glass of wine, and dials American. After a surprisingly short wait on hold (amazing how the wine shortens the wait – good thinking Macgruber…), the two-hop would-be disaster easily converts into another non-stop, though 2.5 hours behind schedule (which is still an hour ahead of the two –hop disaster).
While sleep may no longer be an option, the direct flight and the earlier arrival time provide some cheap solace. I’ll take it. Now I really have to see “Up In The Air”………
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Contrarian Thought On The Government's Potential Online Ad Regulations
There's a lot of chatter in the online community about potental government regulation of the online advertising industry: specifically, limits on uses of cookie-based tracking and targeting as it relates to the privacy of individuals. For the most part, the online community is up in arms about any potential regulation, rallying around the line that proposed regs would hurt targeting and hurt online businesses in general etc.
As I pondered this, it occurred to me that there might be a contrarian way for the online community to look at this -- speaking as someone who has made his living online for the past 16 years. And before I write this, I'll also caveat that I'm not advocating this idea; it's just a thought that I'm pondering, largely considering our own business alternatives if strong legislation is passed. The last thing I want is a congressman who doesn't know how to check his own email writing legislation about the internet.
So imagine strong legislation that curbs, restricts and eliminates cookie-based targeting for a second....
Will that change audience consumption habits and make people spend less time online? Absolutely not; the regs have nothing to do with media consumption. Thus, media shift from traditional media will continue to online no matter what.
What will change is the usage of cookie-based and other similar tracking technologies -- audience targeting, behavioral targeting etc -- to target that online audience as they surf around hundreds of web sites each month. So what does that mean?
Remember, the audience habits aren't changing, and media shift will happen anyway to follow those habits so the dollars are following online anyway. The spend won't change, but how it's spent will change. Instead of being able to track a user who visited a ecommerce site and/or searched for products across dozens of sites all the while displaying ads for whatever they looked at the ecommerce site or searched for, advertisers will have to find sites that have contextually or vertically relevant content or with obvious demographically attractive audience characteristics.
In other words, advertisers would have to target ads the way ads have been targeted succesfully for 150 years! What really happens is all those ad dollars will simply shift away from technology companies to content companies. In other words, the balance of power shifts back to content creators. Given there's a lot more content creators than there are ad technology companies, would this be a bad thing?
Once again, I'm not advocating this; it's something to consider because this scenario -- or some degree of it -- is possible.
As I pondered this, it occurred to me that there might be a contrarian way for the online community to look at this -- speaking as someone who has made his living online for the past 16 years. And before I write this, I'll also caveat that I'm not advocating this idea; it's just a thought that I'm pondering, largely considering our own business alternatives if strong legislation is passed. The last thing I want is a congressman who doesn't know how to check his own email writing legislation about the internet.
So imagine strong legislation that curbs, restricts and eliminates cookie-based targeting for a second....
Will that change audience consumption habits and make people spend less time online? Absolutely not; the regs have nothing to do with media consumption. Thus, media shift from traditional media will continue to online no matter what.
What will change is the usage of cookie-based and other similar tracking technologies -- audience targeting, behavioral targeting etc -- to target that online audience as they surf around hundreds of web sites each month. So what does that mean?
Remember, the audience habits aren't changing, and media shift will happen anyway to follow those habits so the dollars are following online anyway. The spend won't change, but how it's spent will change. Instead of being able to track a user who visited a ecommerce site and/or searched for products across dozens of sites all the while displaying ads for whatever they looked at the ecommerce site or searched for, advertisers will have to find sites that have contextually or vertically relevant content or with obvious demographically attractive audience characteristics.
In other words, advertisers would have to target ads the way ads have been targeted succesfully for 150 years! What really happens is all those ad dollars will simply shift away from technology companies to content companies. In other words, the balance of power shifts back to content creators. Given there's a lot more content creators than there are ad technology companies, would this be a bad thing?
Once again, I'm not advocating this; it's something to consider because this scenario -- or some degree of it -- is possible.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
In Lieu Of A New Year's Resolution...
Every year, I informally compile a few New Year's resolutions, and this year is no different. I have a few I'm pondering and have mentally committed, but none are in my mind are standing out as much as a simple western buddhist proverb. As far as attribution, I believe it was written by Portia Nelson (that's the best reference I have, but I might be mistaken; if so, I apologize in advance). So in lieu of offering a resolution, here's that simple proverb, which hopefully serves a similar guidepost to the traditional New Year's resolutions.
Here's to spotting the large holes and finding new streets to explore.
Autobiography In Five Chapters
By Portia Nelson
Chapter 1
I walk down the street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
Here's to spotting the large holes and finding new streets to explore.
Autobiography In Five Chapters
By Portia Nelson
Chapter 1
I walk down the street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street. There is a large hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Technorati Media Climbs Again, Solidifies 5th Largest Social Media Property Rank
Just in time for the holidays...
comScore Media Metrix releases its November 2009 US internet audience rankings, and Technorati Media's ranking climbs to 27.6 million US unique visitors. Technorati Media's monthly increase in audience solidifies its #5 ranking of the largest conversational/social media properties, placing us behind Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and Wordpress (and ahead of Twitter, LinkedIn et al).
Note: comScore audience measurements are based on a combo of panel and census data, and is the most widely used third party measurement for the online advertising industry; Technorati Media's actual worldwide traffic is well over 125 million unique visitors per month, with two thirds being US traffic.
Monday, December 14, 2009
It’s An iPhone Case, It’s An iPhone Stand…It’s A Great Holiday Present
I rarely write product reviews of any sort, so when I see something and decide to write, it’s usually a great product concept that delights me. I just saw a very simple one that both delighted me with its simplicity and solved a simple problem.
The Backflip is really simple, and simply a delight. The Backflip is an iPhone case that serves the same purpose as the most popular rubber iPhone cases which have literally sold tens of millions of units. It has the same shock-absorbing qualities as rubber cases, as well as the sticky, non-slip performance so that phone doesn’t move when you put it down. However, the Backflip goes way beyond the basic rubber case in that with the simplest yet ingenuous feature: it has a well-designed pop-out stand on its back.
With the stand, you can easily prop up the iPhone vertically or horizontally, making it easy to view videos, pictures, web pages or emails without needing to hold the iPhone. I view all sorts of content on my iPhone all the time, and always get tired of holding the phone. So I either end up laying it down flat – requiring me to tilt my head to see it properly – or having to Macguyver together some odds and ends to prop the phone up so I can view the content. With the Backflip, you simply flip the stand out and voila, the phone is propped up instantly for viewing.
There’s not a lot to be critical about with the Backflip, but I’ll make a few observations. The rubber isn’t quite as sticky as most rubber cases, but the stand requires a bit more rigidity to ensure it stays upright. This isn’t a big give to get the kick stand. The rubber on the back side of the case is a bit thicker than the average rubber case, but again, you have to give a little to get some great functionality.
Overall, I love the Backflip. It serves the same function as the rubber iPhone case I used before, and it has the added valuable function of including a stand to view content hands-free. Other people love it too: when friends see my iPhone standing on my desk or at a table in a restaurant, they all love it and want one for themselves – it makes that kind of impression. Best of all, it makes that kind of impression without a giant price tag; it’s in the same range as the standard rubber case. Given the combination of form, function and price, this is an ideal gift for the holidays.
The Backflip is really simple, and simply a delight. The Backflip is an iPhone case that serves the same purpose as the most popular rubber iPhone cases which have literally sold tens of millions of units. It has the same shock-absorbing qualities as rubber cases, as well as the sticky, non-slip performance so that phone doesn’t move when you put it down. However, the Backflip goes way beyond the basic rubber case in that with the simplest yet ingenuous feature: it has a well-designed pop-out stand on its back.
With the stand, you can easily prop up the iPhone vertically or horizontally, making it easy to view videos, pictures, web pages or emails without needing to hold the iPhone. I view all sorts of content on my iPhone all the time, and always get tired of holding the phone. So I either end up laying it down flat – requiring me to tilt my head to see it properly – or having to Macguyver together some odds and ends to prop the phone up so I can view the content. With the Backflip, you simply flip the stand out and voila, the phone is propped up instantly for viewing.
There’s not a lot to be critical about with the Backflip, but I’ll make a few observations. The rubber isn’t quite as sticky as most rubber cases, but the stand requires a bit more rigidity to ensure it stays upright. This isn’t a big give to get the kick stand. The rubber on the back side of the case is a bit thicker than the average rubber case, but again, you have to give a little to get some great functionality.
Overall, I love the Backflip. It serves the same function as the rubber iPhone case I used before, and it has the added valuable function of including a stand to view content hands-free. Other people love it too: when friends see my iPhone standing on my desk or at a table in a restaurant, they all love it and want one for themselves – it makes that kind of impression. Best of all, it makes that kind of impression without a giant price tag; it’s in the same range as the standard rubber case. Given the combination of form, function and price, this is an ideal gift for the holidays.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Buyer's Remorse: De-Followers & De-Frienders
I've become mildly aware of de-friending and de-following on Facebook and Twitter, respectively.
As Twitter garners many non-acquaintance followers gained from either my industry-related or one-off culture comments, some amount of de-following on Twitter is kind of to be expected -- someone sees an interesting comment, clicks "follow" and then later realizes my stream ain't their cup of tea. I definitely notice people signing up for a little RJ, then having buyer's remorse and de-following me (usually within a day or two of following me in the first place).
On the other hand, my Facebook "friends" generally aren't strangers; I am usually personally connected to FB friends via actual live connections, either personal or professional. Yet despite actual personal connections, I still experience a fairly high rate of de-friending from FB friends, and I find this more interesting than losing a few non-acquaintances who happened to follow me on Twitter. And it's really interesting when I discover the de-friending friend is actually someone I've spent some significant time with (ouch)!!!
To be objective to both the Twitter and Facebook camps (unhappy campers, actually), I do happen to write what I like to think are thought-provoking tweets and status updates. I recognize that some of these comments may cross the line for some people; the statements might even offend some (even if my intent was merely provoking thought and conversation).
In all of these de-friend and de-follow instances, I try not to take them personally -- I don't (at least I think I don't). But I also have to face the possibility that perhaps my tweets and updates aren't thought-provoking-cum-offensive to some; rather, I may just be a big bore. Crap, maybe I'm just not popular. Oh no, I'm back in junior high again. Ugh...
As Twitter garners many non-acquaintance followers gained from either my industry-related or one-off culture comments, some amount of de-following on Twitter is kind of to be expected -- someone sees an interesting comment, clicks "follow" and then later realizes my stream ain't their cup of tea. I definitely notice people signing up for a little RJ, then having buyer's remorse and de-following me (usually within a day or two of following me in the first place).
On the other hand, my Facebook "friends" generally aren't strangers; I am usually personally connected to FB friends via actual live connections, either personal or professional. Yet despite actual personal connections, I still experience a fairly high rate of de-friending from FB friends, and I find this more interesting than losing a few non-acquaintances who happened to follow me on Twitter. And it's really interesting when I discover the de-friending friend is actually someone I've spent some significant time with (ouch)!!!
To be objective to both the Twitter and Facebook camps (unhappy campers, actually), I do happen to write what I like to think are thought-provoking tweets and status updates. I recognize that some of these comments may cross the line for some people; the statements might even offend some (even if my intent was merely provoking thought and conversation).
In all of these de-friend and de-follow instances, I try not to take them personally -- I don't (at least I think I don't). But I also have to face the possibility that perhaps my tweets and updates aren't thought-provoking-cum-offensive to some; rather, I may just be a big bore. Crap, maybe I'm just not popular. Oh no, I'm back in junior high again. Ugh...
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