Thursday, March 02, 2006

Rich Karlgaard talks about the New Media in 2006

This post by Rich Karlgaard of Forbes on his blog talks about how we citizens no longer want to stand by and consume media, but rather, we want to "create media".


My friend and Godfather of Nashville bloggers, Rex Hammock of Rexblog.com fame who is an inspiration to us all, has blogged about this many times---and that is, the fact that the media is in a new era, one that is embraced by some orginzations, but not others. But it goes beyond the traditional media right down to where you work in your office every day----Rex has continually articulated for every organization, however large or small, to blog, and/ or to empower people within a business or non profit to open up and to express themselves in some way, shape or form--not privately, but publicly. This is the new media. This is how communication is happening. At every door step, around every corner, in every town.

What scares the beJesus out of the traditional media cronies is that they don't know what to make of this, and they are trying to make sense of it right now, just like the rest of us!

The Brokeback Effect

Japanese Manufacturer sells out of first production of Men's Girdles : "'Men are getting so much more fashion conscious these days that they're starting to pay attention to the lines of their body and their silhouette, just like women,' said a spokeswoman at Triumph International Japan, a leading underwear firm." --Reuter's

Still Thinking about Buying a Florida Condo?

This year's hurricane season could match the record breaking destruction caused by storms in 2005, the United Nations warned. (Reuter's)

In 2005, an unprecedented 27 tropical storms, 15 of which became full-blown hurricanes, battered Central America and the U.S. Gulf coast, killing more than 3,000 people and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

'We have reason to fear that 2006 could be as bad as 2005,' Jan Egeland, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs who coordinates U.N. emergency relief, told Reuters on Wednesday.


Please consider the source here--the United Nations. They really don't know jackshit. I'd wait for the professor from Colorado State, Dr. Gray who is usually right on target. His final predictions usually come out in early to mid April for the upcoming storm season.

McNair will be back (as if there were much doubt)

Move by team assures QB McNair a Titan in 2006

From ESPN--

But, this article makes it clear that next year will be his last year as far as I can tell. This leads me to believe that the Titans will move to draft a quarterback with our first round pick. This could be Vince Young (most likely) or possibly Jay Cutler.

This article was posted around 1 pm today (thursday). This is something the Tennessean, or a local radio show should have broken, or received some advance notice on earlier today.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Risk Free Investing?

Fed Official Warns of Changes--Washington Post

A top Federal Reserve official warned yesterday that the U.S. financial system is evolving faster than the ability of investors, lenders and regulators to evaluate and manage the risks involved.


Sounds to me like he is sounding an alarm that does not need to be sounded. Most people who invest realize that there are no guarantees. Wait. I forgot about the trial lawyers. They are always out to blame somebody, and then, if successful, they then capture 99% of the "settlement", then distribute what paltry sum remains to the actual people who lost the money in the first place. But, I digress. Here is quote that sums it all up-


Geithner said recent financial innovations have helped the economy absorb various financial shocks, "but they have not eliminated risk." He added, "They have not eliminated the possibility of failure of a major financial intermediary. And they cannot fully insulate the broader financial system from the effects of such a failure."


Again, there are no guarantees.

Mac Competes with 3rd Party Vendors

Playlist: From companion to competitor

My good friend since childhood, Paul Griffin of Griffin Technology is probably the least known most successful entreprenuer/company in the entire state of Tennessee if not the entire Southeast. He has built a company off of Elm Hill Pike that is incredible, and if I was not sworn to secrecy, I would tell you how many millions of dollars in business he is doing. It is in a word, stunning. And let me just tell you that Paul still wears jeans to the office and drinks a 48 ounce Coke from the tap from MapCo every day.He has not lost his sense of "earthiness" and he hasn't gone out and bought a yacht or a McMansion in Williamson County. Hell, he thinks dining out at Flemming's is too expensive. But, he could have all of that and more.

I point to this article above because I honestly wish that Apple would stay out of the peripheral business and just keep on doing the big stuff. Let guys like Paul and the fine folks at Griffin Technology continue their roll for years and years to come. Congratulations to Paul, Stephen Woolverton, Jeff Pack, and all the gang at Griffin. Here's one guy that will not buy a Mac made peripheral.

Colt sells for record $16 million

Colt sells for record $16 million

Bet you were thinking about the Indianapolis Colts. Wrong Football Breath. This story is about a real colt, you know, a horse. With spring in the air, it's time to start thinking about horse racin'! Steeplechase is just around the corner!

She probably drank beer from her Tippy Cup

Child brings cocaine to second-grade class from USA TODAY

The President must play Rugby--

Bush Vows Bin Laden's Capture During Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

Check out these quotes from the Fox story-

The president and his wife stepped off Air Force One under a bright, sunny sky against a background of snowcapped mountains. Security was extremely tight.

Secret Service agents were deployed around the plane with automatic weapons-

Bush's entourage flew into the city from Bagram Air Base in a flotilla of heavily armed helicopters. Two door gunners on a press helicopter fired off a short burst of machine gun fire at unknown targets as the aircraft flew low and fast over barren countryside.

Monday, February 27, 2006

World Cup Friendly in Nashville!

The U. S. National Soccer Team to play at the Coliseum on May 23rd

This is HUGE HUGE News Soccer Fans!! This is the summer for the World Cup, held every four years, this year in Germany!! Rewind to 2002 when our men's team went all the way to the semi-final round (in Japan I think) and gave the U. S. so much to cheer about after 9/11! Remember in 1999 when Brandi Chastain tore off her shirt after the women won the World Cup with Mia Hamm, everyone's favorite?? This is soccer at it's best. The U. S. National (men's team) will come to our fair city (soon after Sasha and company) to play a friendly (a serious match but one that is not as serious as to count for anything) at the Coliseum. Expect mega huge stars like Landon Donovan, Josh Wolf, Eddie Pope and more. The game will be played against an as yet to be determined opponent on May 23rd at 6 pm at the Coliseum!! Wow! The next week, our guys will head to Germany for the whole enchilada.

Yes, skeptics, the Olympics do mean something

USATODAY.com - Mike Lopresti from USA Today finally speaks to me and analyzes the 2006 Olympics for what they are and what they aren't (probably should have used past tense as in were/weren't). Plus, he bashes Bryant Gumball, and gosh, I wish so many other media types would do the same. This is my favorite quote from the article-

Perfectly within his province as a critic (to bash the Olymics). But it is unsettling to ever hear anyone measure a sport's worth because of its racial profile? Do we accept the person who says the NBA is too black to watch? Can't we all get along, even if no one cares about the Nordic combined?


"

Look Who's coming to Nashville!

Champions on Ice

Sasha, Michelle, and all the gang!

Apple could bid for Disney

Apple could bid for Disney: Barron's - MarketWatch

If this happens, all bets are off----Apple will adopt Windows as their operating system (OS) and Apple will officially move 100% into the entertainment world. They will be a purveyor of all things music and video, digital that is, and they will continually come out with neat little gadgets (hardware), and they will control and own the content. Of course, this is just my prediction, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see that the stars are aligning for Jobs and Co to get out of the OS business, and just do things where they can dominate, or , at least lead. It has to get in their craw that only 4-5% of the total computer world love and use their OS. On the other hand, I read where 70% of portable music digital players that are sold--are IPODS.
Let's hope this insanity over IPODs starts to subside, or at least, let's hope I'm wrong about all this.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

The Diary Of Anne Frank plus today's War in Iraq.

Anne Frank Center

I woke up early on Sunday morning, brewed some java, and turned on HBO. The Diary of Anne Frank caught my attention. Although I was aware of the story behind Anne Frank, I have never read the book, seen the play, or watched the movie. No one else was up around my house, so I settled in and became captivated with the flick.

The movie was filmed in 1980, but the story will live forever as a true depiction of the German Jew haters of the 2nd World War, as well as the struggles inherent in hiding in a four room apartment for 2 years. The protagonist teenager, Anne Frank, kept a diary of her family's self-induced captivity above her father's office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They were Jews hiding from the Germans and trying to wait out the war while avoiding capture.

Unfortunately, the Frank's and their friends were ratted out, and they all got sent to Auschwitz. They all die except the father Otto. He returned to Amsterdam, and eventually found and published the diary in memory of his daughter.

The movie is a stark reminder of the Holocaust, and of the barbaric behavoir of a regime that would send a 15 year old girl and thousands of other ordinary folk to prison camp in the 1940's for the "crime" of being a Jew. Auschwitz and the other gas chamber camps run by the Germans were the highest crimes committed by any regime during the 20th century.

I went to the Anne Frank Web site (link is above), and it filled in the blanks that the movie left out. How incredible for Anne Frank to sum up her life by saying she had a profound belief that people are basically good.

Here's a quote--


"It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.

It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more" - July 15,
1944



What a courageous young girl and what a poignant story that reminds us all how real the Holocuast was and is. How incredible for our country to wait and wait and finally get sucked into World War 2, and then be seen as the nation that helped bring an end to the tyranny caused by Germany and Japan during this period.

I can't help but to compare and contrast this war with the war in Iraq. We were the aggressors in Iraq, not in WW 2. We were told that we would be liberators, and that people would dance in the streets of Baghdad upon our arrival, much in the same way the people of Europe reacted after D-Day. We were told that we would find mass quantities of chemical warfare items in Iraq. We were told that there would be no insurgency and that violence would end in Iraq. While many of the pronouncements by our government came true after WW2, I am sad to say that virtually none of them have come true during this war in Iraq.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Sweet Sasha

NBCOlympics.com Cohen planning to skate in World Championships

Hopefully, you saw the women's finals last night in figure skating in Torino, sight of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Sasha Cohen was just mesmerizing. I could not believe her inner fortitude after (what proved to be) her minor falls. Her grace and elegance on the ice were extraordinary.

This morning the media is highlighting her falls, and her disappointing silver medal. All I am reading and all I am hearing is how disastrous her entire long program turned out to be..

Excuse me, but did those big media types see the same performance that I saw? Yes, she hit the ice a couple of times, but that was very early in the 4 minute program. She completely and totally overcame those mishaps and put together an awe-inspiring performance. She deserved the silver much more than the Russian, who had no little artistry.

Can you believe the pressure packed environment in that ice rink last night? I really cannot think of any thing similar in amateur athletics. In an effort to compete under those circumstances, each skater must have composure and nerves of steel to pull off an artistic, elegant, and athletic peformance.

Sasha Cohen is my new favorite women's skater since Tara Lapinski. I've always admired Michelle Kwan, but never have had a connection with her through the t.v. set. Sasha just jumps out of the screen and steals your heart.

Things are Worsening in Iraq

As Violence Ebbs, U.S. Envoy Warns of Danger to Iraq''s Future - New York Times


Lost in all the news about the port management snafu with the United Arab Emirates, the Dick Cheney hunting fall out, the Olympics, and my personal infatuation with the Tennessee Men's Basketball team, I now realize how badly things are going in Iraq. This is completely serious business about the sectarian fighting that has erupted surrounding the attempts at forming a new government in Iraq. Many people are now expecting a full blown civil war, something which Al Quaeda would love to see. This situation is very tenuous and tensions remain high, thus, a city wide curfew in Baghdad today, and probably for most of the weekend.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

New Beasts of the East-How 'Bout them VOLS

Typically, winter is a slow season for sports fans, particularly University of Tennessee sports fans. I mean lets' face it, who watches the NBA anymore? When the Super Bowl is over, it's hibernation time until the MLS cranks up (that would be Major League Soccer to the uninitiated), and/or until football cranks up again, both pro and college. Speaking of soccer, this year is a "bonus year", as we have the World Cup cranking up this summer. More on that later.

What a special treat this winter has been. Although I have not blogged about it, the Winter Olympics has been great. It reminds me every 4 years of the finer things and finer sports that surround cold weather.

But the real surprise and the real treat has been the performance of the Vols Men's Basketball team. I'll bet we've watched more basketball this winter than the past 10 winters combined. Check out this article from the Knoxville News Sentinal about the stunning victory last night over the Gators.

'Survivor' producer Mark Burnett looks to Web

'Survivor' producer offers tips

Mark Burnett sees a complete revolution of how television is watched, particularly as broadband continues it's march across America, and as DVR's (aka TIVO devices) become commonplace in homes.

That is probably pretty much common sense. But what is fascinating to me is that Burnett is working his way towards the internet and will begin producing "shows" available only on AOL, and other huge portals.

And then he wants to take on newscasts for the web to produce news shows as they have never been produced.

This guy will be fun to watch in the coming years. Which begs the question--why is Katie Couric reportedly going to leave the Today Show and move to anchor the CBS evening news?

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Sounds like someone is running for President

Frist at odds with Bush over ports deal

Um, that would be Bill Frist. Get an issue that the general public knows nothing about, throw in a little terrorist scare, and voila, you've got a perfect opportunity for a politician to capitalize with headlines like this one in today's Tennessean.

Let me tell you, this port thing is the biggest political hooey that makes Washington---Washington, and that provides so much fodder for radio talk shows.

Our ports have been run by "foreign" companies for decades. The United Arab Emirates is not Saudi Arabia or Iran, or Iraq. These people know what they are doing, and besides it's a private company, not the government of UAE.

But, that's hard to explain, and Frist is looking to score some political points after all of his negative publicity lately.

You've read it here First---Frist will go nowhere in Presidential politics--UNLESS, as has been rumored---Cheney resigns, and Frist is named VIce President some time next year. The odds of that happening are 30/70 right now.

Based Upon the ELVIS standard, this will last another 10 years

Convictions for Diana paparazzi

The "Elvis standard" is the length of time it takes the conspiracy theorists and the population at large to give it up, and to realize that their human icon is a mere mortal, and that, he or she has in fact, gone on to the Afterlife, hopefully Heaven. So, based upon the fact that Elvis died in 1978, and based upon the fact that it took about 20 years, or until 1998 for the Elvis sightings, and the "Elvis is still alive" propoganda to subside, we will continue to hear about Princess Diana stuff for another 10 years or so . There will be lawsuits, and the British press will hunt down every possible scenario of that night in Paris as well until about 2017. Again, based upon the Elvis standard---since Diana died in 1997---we've got a total of 20 years for similar articles to appear out and about. No one loved Princess Diana more than I (figuratively speaking). She is truly a Lady for the Ages. This article above is from the BBC. It seems now that they are still chasing after blame for photos taken the night of her untimely death. Rest in Peace Diana, we miss you.