[ caught In between ] b.s.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Thursday, August 17, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {08172006}
  2. {08:01:50 AM}
  content
  1. Billionaire backs youth teams
    
    (Dallas Morning News)
  2. [H]e worries about whether the boys are getting too much, too soon – whether it will be a letdown when they graduate to junior high and yellow buses and hand-me-down uniforms.
    
    Third-graders flying in private jets to play in hoops tourneys, oh my. It must be nice to have priorities when raising your children.
  metadata
  1. 08:01:50 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. sports
  3. culture
  type
  
  {atompost}
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {08092006}
  2. {08:07:41 PM}
  content
  1. Technorati's Numbers are Wrong
    
    (Feed Blog)
  2. Do the math. I like this post-within-a-post: "When one looks at population statistics, one doesn't count all the dead people."
  metadata
  1. 08:07:41 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. weblogs
  3. internet
  type
  
  {atompost}
1. datetime
  1. {08092006}
  2. {06:58:05 PM}
  content
  1. Web 2.0? It’s the same old media
    
    (The Internet is People blog)
  2. Unless it really is world-beating, what are the odds of your content rising to the top and catapaulting you into web-media superstardom? When it comes to your content, yes, you are in control; however, when it comes to what everyone else in the world does with it, you aren’t.
    
    Amen to that; a brilliant and thoughtful post that really speaks to what the Web is devolving into, circa 2006. All this Web 2.0 talk, spoken by a startingly homogenous group of men, anxious for their big payday when ___insert_name_of_big_media_company_here___ buys them out, just sounds like the next bubble to me. In search of greedy ends, a lot of potential is being missed.
  metadata
  1. 06:58:05 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. economy
  4. tags:
  5. web2.0
  6. bubble2.0
  type
  
  {atompost}
Thursday, August 03, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {08032006}
  2. {11:21:31 AM}
  content
  1. Madonna Speaks About Her Big, Big Project
    
    (TIME.com)
  2. Malawi, a Pennsylvania-sized country in southeast Africa, has four things in abundance: AIDS, malaria, drought and tobacco (its major crop). It also has a functioning democracy and little conflict. To date, therefore, it has not attracted much attention from the rest of the world. But that's about to change. Malawi is about to be hit by a force that has thrown much more robust countries for a loop. Her name is Madonna.
    
    I applaud her apparently well-meaning intentions, but I just have a gut-feeling that this is going to end badly. Celebrities think that they can just throw money at a problem, show up for few photo shoots, and then -- voila -- all problems are solved. (Thanks, Bono. Like Africa needs more well-meaning Western people; let's look at the historical record on that!) That's how it happens in the movies. But it doesn't work like that in real life. Especially when you're talking about problems that have been brewing for decades and generations. Does Madonna think AIDS and malaria happened to Malawi just yesterday? Please. Money and media attention are not enough, they're just sparks, at the most. Total commitment is required; so, will Madonna move to Malawi and live there for, say, five to ten years, to see her program launched? Yeah, I didn't think so either. Entertainers should stick to what they do best: entertain. Madonna is taking her name, Madonna, a little too literally, because she ain't no saint!
  metadata
  1. 11:21:31 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. world
  3. regional
  type
  
  {atompost}
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {08012006}
  2. {10:26:07 PM}
  content
  1. What the Internet really looks like
    
    (Fortune/CNN.com)
  2. Huge diesel generators, enormous electrical switches and fat, concrete pipes [that] all occupy big swaths of space in data centers. Their purpose? To power and cool the vast number of computers, known as servers.
  metadata
  1. 10:26:07 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. internet
  type
  
  {atompost}
Friday, July 28, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {07282006}
  2. {08:29:30 PM}
  content
  1. Barkley eyes Alabama governor's office as a Democrat
    
    (USATODAY.com)
  2. "Alabama, that's my home. I'm thinking about running for governor; they need my help," the always quotable Charles Barkley said.
    
    For those of you who think Barkley could do it -- after all, bad actor and pro wrestler, Jesse 'the Body' Ventura, became governor of Minnesota, and bad actor and steroid-pumped bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzeneggar is currently inflicting my home state of California as governor, so why can't bad golfer and great baller Sir Charles run a backwater state like Alabama -- well, I offer you this photograpic evidence:
    
    Clearly, the guy is bananas, no, really, crazy! What sane brutha, in these f*cked-up times, would choose to pose for a national magazine cover in chains? On purpose? Now, if it was at gunpoint, that would be a different story, but this knucklehead made the decision on his own. I have a word for that: moron. Boy, wait 'til he gets to the governor's mansion, huh? But as long as people keep putting mics in his face, he'll keep talking, and we'll all have a continuous stream of cheap, dumb humor.
  metadata
  1. 08:29:30 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. humor
  3. politics
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  {atompost}
Saturday, July 22, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {07222006}
  2. {10:58:07 AM}
  content
  1. Inside LeBron James' Marketing Summit in Akron, Ohio
    
    (Advertising Age)
  2. Emerging marketing endorsement heavy LeBron James convened an unusual 'marketing summit' for himself in Akron, Ohio, last week. Attending along with reps from Coca-Cola, Nike, Microsoft, Bubblicious and other interested corporations was Ad Age.
    
    More on LeBron. Here's what I like about it: a group of young Black men, all childhood friends of the young hoops phenom, and none older than 30, are showcasing some real business and strategic acumen as they roll-out what essentially is becoming an advertising agency called "LeBron James, Inc." Here's what I hate about it: by courting the Nikes, Microsofts and Cokes of the world, they have become corporate lapdogs before you can even spell the words "s-e-l-l" and "o-u-t." Does Coke, Nike or Microsoft need to make more money? Wouldn't it be better for regular people (i.e. consumers) if these companies actually had to compete for your attention? Why not, in the same strategic way that Team LeBron is thinking about exploiting (a word I don't use lightly, because that's the real name of the game here) LeBron, why not build your empire with a new set of companies. What about helping some Black-owned companies get a foot into the global game, for example? Instead, h'ep Da Man rob and plunder by painting a slam-dunking brown face on things. Oh well. So much for idealism. The rich get richer. And corporate monoculture continues to spread worldwide.
  metadata
  1. 10:58:07 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. marketing and advertising
  3. sports
  4. tags:
  5. entertainment
  6. lebron+james
  7. nba
  8. coke
  9. nike
  10. microsoft
  type
  
  {atompost}
Friday, July 14, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {07142006}
  2. {11:41:17 AM}
  content
  1. Scientists grow sperm from stem cells
    
    (Telegraph UK)
  2. Scientists have turned stem cells from an embryo into sperm that are capable of producing offspring, it was announced... [t]he advance in reproductive science raises new opportunities to treat male infertility and the possibility that women could make sperm.
    
    Well there's one argument against stem cell rresearch, if you are a man, that is: it can make you obsolete!
  metadata
  1. 11:41:17 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. biology
  3. science
  4. tags:
  5. stem
  6. cells
  type
  
  {atompost}
Saturday, July 08, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {07082006}
  2. {09:50:19 AM}
  content
  1. A Few Bad Men
    
    (SPLCenter.org)
  2. Ten years after a scandal over neo-Nazis in the armed forces, extremists are once again worming their way into a recruit-starved military.
    
    Here we are, fighting a so-called 'war on terror' and we have enlisted men who themselves are terrorists, domestic terrorists. It's absurd, but these goons are a cancer within the ranks, and it probably explains why we're going to have problems 'winning' this war: all the soldiers are not on the same page.
  metadata
  1. 09:50:19 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. military
  3. white supremacism
  type
  
  {atompost}
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {06272006}
  2. {02:10:18 PM}
  content
  1. Rap Mogul's Boycott of Cristal Champagne Unlikely to Hurt Brand
    
    (Advertising Age)
  2. Rapper and Def Jam Records President Jay-Z's much-hyped boycott of Cristal isn't likely to cost the vintage champagne brand any dead presidents, according to beverage industry experts.
    
    Who knew 'trifling' was spelled 'J-A-Y-Z'? This is what bruthas with money do: boycott companies that make $200 bottles of champagne, because that really matters. It's going to make a big impact -- in the make-believe world of rap videos. Maybe entertainers should really just stick to, well, entertainment.
  metadata
  1. 02:10:18 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. economics
  3. entertainment
  4. tags:
  5. jay-z
  6. hip-hop
  7. cristal
  type
  
  {atompost}
Sunday, June 25, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {06252006}
  2. {07:50:11 PM}
  content
  1. Clowns Sabotage Nuke Missile
    
    (military.com)
  2. [A] retired Catholic priest and two veterans put on clown suits, busted into a nuclear missile launch facility, and began beating the silo cover with hammers, in an attempt to take the Minuteman III missile off-line. Seriously.
    
    Well, if clowns can run the most powerful country in the world, then I guess clowns can easily break into a nuclear weapons facility. Seriously.
  metadata
  1. 07:50:11 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. humor
  3. government
  type
  
  {atompost}
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {06142006}
  2. {10:04:00 AM}
  content
  1. Magazine Chief Calls Ad Industry Racist
    
    (Advertising Age)
  2. "A general-market agency will have one or two African-Americans or Latinos on staff to represent that point of view, but essentially they believe African-Americans and Latinos are white people in black skin. They put black and Latino faces in an ad and say, 'Hey, we advertise to them.' At an ethnic agency, we live in the communities; we know the populations."
    
    The reasons given for this problem are stale and typical (ie. but we have one Black person on staff, or but we produced a spot starring P.Diddy -- or whatever his name is this week.) Black ad professionals can't move up the ladder at so-called traditional firms. So they start their own firms, which is the rational thing to do, only find that they can't get clients to spend with them. The more things change, the more they stay the same: but let's be clear about this, it's not just the advertising industry, it's the entire culture. But things will change, rest assured.
  metadata
  1. 10:04:00 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. marketing and advertising
  3. racism
  4. tags:
  5. media
  6. business
  type
  
  {atompost}
Friday, June 09, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {06102006}
  2. {06:35:32 AM}
  content
  1. Why Getting the User To Create Web Content Isn't Always Progress
    
    (WSJ.com)
  2. "[U]ser-generated content," referred to by the smart set as "UGC." Most of the time, when companies talk about user-generated content, they mean nothing grander than the pictures you store on Web sites or the pages that MySpace members spend hours fussing over. But for those preaching the glories of the new mash-up culture, UGC is bringing about a new golden age, with the Internet giving a platform to everyone, not just elite writers or filmmakers.
    
    While this guy has a few keen observations here, he does come off sounding like a bitter, old-school newpaper guy who's worried about all the eyeballs that are no longer reading his paper. Another clueless guy from the MSM. (Hey, journalists have to eat too, so I hope newspapers find a way to reinvent themselves.) But what's really lost on him is one of most important reasons why users would create content in the first place: because the so-called elite filmmakers and writers aren't creating material that people truly care about. Now maybe this is because the suits make production decisions based on revenue potential, and their artistic taste is deplorably inferior -- I'm sure there's a grain of truth to that -- but hasn't it always been the case that the money guys give the greenlight?
    
    The real problem is lack of compelling, interesting, and universal ideas in the first place. Elites, where art thou? Examine the all-too-rapid decline of HBO's The Sopranos, look at the crap that was the last three Star Wars epics, pick any book off of the bestseller list of your choice: all garbage, no timeless classic anywhere to be found. So, if the elites are producing garbage, all in pursuit making a buck, then UGC seems like a rational step to fill a void created by the overflow of commercial garbage content manufactured by the so-called elite. Morever, if all the so-called elite can do is crank out garbage, then why should ordinary users be expected to do better? That this guy refers to a programme created in 1966 as an example of guilt-free quality content attests to the fact that the contemporary so-called elite isn't delivering anything worthwile. At least when they're tinkering with the digital age's equivalent of home movies, users are doing something constructive. The so-called elite needs to give users reasons to remain passive, and right now, they don't have the will or are simply not capable of doing that.
    
    b/w: Scripting News
  metadata
  1. 06:35:32 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. cyberculture
  3. internet
  type
  
  {atompost}
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {06062006}
  2. {12:37:29 PM}
  content
  1. Vote Or Whatever! Manifesto
  2. Do you remember the last presidential election? It was more than an election...[t]he tastemakers and the trend-setters were totally into it, and let the rest of us know that voting was a really cool thing to do...[A]t Vote or Whatever...we wish to encourage people to vote. Second, we wish to mock opportunistic celebrities.
    
    This one seems appropriate on this day. Not only is it "666" Day, for all you gah-damned satanic fools, but it's also Election Day. Coincidence, or just another marketing opportunity? Think again, Old Boy.
  metadata
  1. 12:37:29 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. popular culture
  3. politics
  4. tags:
  5. elections
  6. voting
  7. parody
  8. red+state
  9. blue+state
  type
  
  {atompost}
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {05302006}
  2. {07:50:52 AM}
  content
  1. Anything But iPod
  2. MP3 Player Reviews.
    
    Is it me, or is anti-iPod sentiment on the rise?
  metadata
  1. 07:50:52 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. music
  3. technology
  type
  
  {atompost}
Saturday, May 27, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {05272006}
  2. {07:48:25 AM}
  content
  1. QOTD: 'You have to buy a new iPod at least once a year.'
    
    (Engadget)
  2. My track record: four years, three iPods. OTOH, in the last ten years, I've had about nine different cellphones. Disposable technology is a feature of my life.
  metadata
  1. 07:48:25 AM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. technology
  3. business
  type
  
  {atompost}
Monday, May 22, 2006
1. datetime
  1. {05222006}
  2. {07:04:50 PM}
  content
  1. Viewer-Created Ad Message = V-CAM
    
    (Current.TV)
  2. I think that user-created videos for their own sake are fine. Better, cheaper tools mean that today's home movie crowd ought to be able to crank out better clips. Of course one look at YouTube, GoogleVideo and this CurrentTV site makes you realize that creativity and talent, or lack thereof, always comes into play. But user-created video as a replacement for professional commercials probably isn't going to work. And I'm not saying that just because I'm in the ad game. Check out some of these "spots" and see for yourself. Cheesy and/or sentimental don't sell.
  metadata
  1. 07:04:51 PM
  categories
  1. keywords:
  2. marketing and advertising
  3. media
  4. tags:
  5. web2.0
  type
  
  {atompost}

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Thursday, August 17, 2006

(Dallas Morning News)

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

(Feed Blog)

(The Internet is People blog)

Thursday, August 03, 2006

(TIME.com)

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

(Fortune/CNN.com)

Friday, July 28, 2006

(USATODAY.com)

Saturday, July 22, 2006

(Advertising Age)

Friday, July 14, 2006

(Telegraph UK)

Saturday, July 08, 2006

(SPLCenter.org)

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

(Advertising Age)

Sunday, June 25, 2006

(military.com)

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

(Advertising Age)

Friday, June 09, 2006

(WSJ.com)

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Saturday, May 27, 2006

(Engadget)

Monday, May 22, 2006

(Current.TV)

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