For a media guy, I don’t really watch a lot of TV. When I was a kid, I did. LOTS of TV. In fact, my folks told me that my first word wasn’t “Mama” or “Dada,” but “Popeye.” They also told me that I used to run out of the room when the programs were on, and run back in to watch the commercials. Frankly, they thought I was nuts. As an adult, I’ve learned that the average network 30 second spot has the same budget as a 30 MINUTE television sit-com. Think about that. second for second, the commercial has better acting, much better special effects, better writing, frequently better story lines, and better directing. I’m afraid, though, that television is changing, and the way advertising works (or doesn’t work) is changing, too. Let me explain… [Read more…] about Do Not Adjust Your Set.
Media Bias.
Think the only bias you see on TV is in the network news departments? Think again. Last night, Law & Order featured a script whereby the Minutemen were depicted as ultra-right-wing fanatics who find it acceptable to murder to prove their point.
Give me a break.
Let’s see…the Minutemen are a bunch of unarmed volunteers trying to illuminate the wholesale invasion of our country by illegals (sorry…”undocumented workers”) whose ranks include terrorists, drug runners, murderers, and others who would do our country harm. I live in the Texas Panhandle. There are more Hispanics in this area than there are Blacks or other minorities. Think they want the borders open? Nope. They are all for enforcing immigration laws. [Read more…] about Media Bias.
Uniqueness.
Once upon a time, Steve Martin used to do a gag in his stand-up routine, where he’d get everyone to repeat the “Individualist’s Oath.” He’d say, “repeat after me…I promise to be different…I promise to be unique…I promise to stop repeating things other people tell me to say.”
Funny stuff. As with most of Martin’s stuff, there was a serious point underneath the veneer of lunacy. Everyone wants to be unique, for being unique is a great way to be noticed. It’s what Seth Godin talks about in his book, Purple Cow.
Why is unique better, and why do so many people settle for “just like”?
I have a theory. (Big surprise.) Unique puts you apart from the rest of the pack. Unique is uncomfortable – at least until the rest of the pack acknowledges it, and copies it. Unique is…difficult.
Ries & Trout made their careers in marketing talking about mindshare – being first in the public’s mind when they think about a category. Without mindshare you won’t get marketshare. So…how do you go for “unique”? [Read more…] about Uniqueness.
Everything Old is New Again.
Most things work in cycles, like the swinging of a pendulm. Hemlines go up and hemlines go down. Pants legs go from flares to straight and back again. The country swings towards liberalism and back to conservative values. Some cycles take longer than many people observe in their lifetimes. To understand those cycles, we must study history. For instance, did you know that there have been several periods in American history where the two sides were as polarized (if not MORE polarized) as they are today? There are periods in our past where politics were even more nasty than what we see today – with more dirty tricks than Watergate, with more scandals than the Clinton era, and with more bile than a Howard Dean speech. [Read more…] about Everything Old is New Again.
Avoiding the Obvious.
What happens when your worldview clashes with reality? For most people, it seems they will go to almost any length to ignore the obvious.
Case in point, Sony. They maintain that there’s nothing wrong with their DRM software – people just misunderstand it. Uh huh. As if we all fail to grasp that Sony is using their goal to prevent (mis)use of their copyrighted IP and just happen to endanger every computer by installing a back door for hackers. They think they are justified in doing whatever it takes to protect their property – even putting customer’s property (their PCs) at risk. When confronted by the folly of their actions, they first ignore, then spin it, then back down but refuse to acknowledge the obvious – they were wrong. [Read more…] about Avoiding the Obvious.
Talking Tech (Books).
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).
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.
Future Computing.
Thoughts as I spend day three rebuilding my laptop due to a catastrophic crash of the registry…
As PCs and televisions merge and PCs attempt to take over our living rooms as “media centers” I make the following observation:
Things are moving in the wrong direction.
I don’t want a PC that plays TV. I want a PC that works like a TV. [Read more…] about Future Computing.
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.