I’ll admit it. I’m a writer. While I haven’t yet written (or even started writing) the Great American Novel, I have penned two tech books. Of course, my timing being what it is, they were published just as the Dot-Coms were all becoming Dot-Bombs, and the bottom fell out of the tech book market. It’s just now coming back. Lest you think this is sour grapes on my part, I offer up this factoid: In 2001, technical books was the number two category in sales at Barnes & Nobel, nationwide. Just one year later, it was 6th. That’s a huge drop, but it reflects economic conditions more than anything. When you get laid off, the last thing you think about is buying more tech books. [Read more…] about Talking Tech (Books).
Media
The Five Nines.
Back when you could get any kind of phone you liked, as long as it was connected to a wall and was provided by Ma Bell, phone service was simple. It just always worked. The industry calls it “the 5 nines,” meaning your POTS (Plain Old Phone System) line is expected to work 99.999% of the time. Through power outages. Through storms. Through just about anything. And if it DID go down, you could be sure that it would be working again ASAP. Those boys didn’t fool around. [Read more…] about The Five Nines.
Spin.
What is spin, exactly?
At one level, “spin” is nothing more than perspective – it’s the writer’s take on the subject. So why is spin so controversial? Simple. Because the real difference between spin and perspective is that spinning is an attempt to cloak the writer’s bias (or perspective) with a veneer of impartiality.
We presume that certain kinds of communication are supposed to be devoid of spin. In a newspaper, the editorial (and op-ed) pages are reserved for opinion. The rest of the paper is supposed to offer news that is straight reporting – and devoid of spin. While that is virtually an impossible standard, few media outlets seem interested in doing anything more than to pretend to be without bias. [Read more…] about Spin.
Paris is Burning.
I’m curious…has anybody made the connection yet between the news coming out of France, and Ayn Rand’s masterwork, Atlas Shrugged? While I am always saddened to hear about riots, loss of life, and attacks on police and rescue workers, I’ve got to admit, I’m not surprised. This has been a long time coming, and I hear the sounds of chickens coming home to roost. Allow me to explain… [Read more…] about Paris is Burning.
Who is Captain Digital?
What is this all about? Simple. I’m a marketing guy/graphic designer/copywriter/animator/whatever. As you might expect with all those “/” in my vocations, I have a lot of opinions on a lot of things. Mostly marketing and advertising, but we may wander ocasionally. Check back here for random thoughts on the state of marketing, advertising, politics, pop culture, and (un)common sense.
Penguin Theory.
My dad is a pretty smart guy. He’s a musician – not a marketer, but I’ve always been impressed with how much he intuitively understands about marketing and advertising. He has some wise words to say about the phenomenon of copycat TV shows, movies, and radio formats. He calls it his “Penguin Theory.” Here’s how it goes… [Read more…] about Penguin Theory.