Harry Truman said it...and it sure works at times. I applaud this one. I am tired of celebrity somehow qualifying one for important office.
Now this guy seems able to stand the heat but it would be nice if he gave her company.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Archie
Within this past week our lives have been doubly blessed. First came our Grandson Jackson...
and then our new puppy, Archie.
Archie is getting settled in and is a huge delight. He seems to have a calm, gentle side and yet is playful. No doubt as he matures he will be more active - especially as he becomes a teenager.
Clearly he is a brilliant dog so we have already enrolled him in preschool. Hazel and I went by the school the other day to view the curriculum and meet the staff. We wanted to be sure it would provide a challenging growth opportunity. Perhaps President Obama might send his new dog to the same preschool.
We haven't decided on a university for Archie but expect to take applications in the near future.
and then our new puppy, Archie.
Archie is getting settled in and is a huge delight. He seems to have a calm, gentle side and yet is playful. No doubt as he matures he will be more active - especially as he becomes a teenager.
Clearly he is a brilliant dog so we have already enrolled him in preschool. Hazel and I went by the school the other day to view the curriculum and meet the staff. We wanted to be sure it would provide a challenging growth opportunity. Perhaps President Obama might send his new dog to the same preschool.
We haven't decided on a university for Archie but expect to take applications in the near future.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Record Labels
The New York Times has an article about Steve Kopper's new book, "APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age." Koppers describes the mistakes the labels have made and suggests that their demise is largely their own doing. I certainly agree.
The labels and Big Three could be managed by the same CEO. Give the customer what the company wants to provide, not what the customer wants. The mentality that made them unable to adapt and conform to changing conditions such as the digital era or foreign competition.
Even now the labels hate Apple iTunes and seek ways to circumvent. They only see what could have been if only life were different and they could still force customers to buy the product the choose. Hollywood must still snorting cocaine, they are in a dream world. We hated paying $18 for one song bundled with a bunch of other junk. So when opportunity appeared to not do that...duh.
Personally I think Steve Jobs has saved the industry and their butts. Better to have some market vs. none.
I have to admit that a part of me cheers when industries like the recording labels and automakers face hard times or possible demise. I don't wish that on the many people that suffer for the stupidity of a few but my anger says Ha Ha!
The newly announced pricing of iTunes does not trouble me. Frankly I don't think $.30 more for a song is not going to have a negative impact on sales and the removal of DRM is well worth it. DRM hasn't been a real issue for me but I have always resented having a limit placed on my purchase - and again annoyed at the Labels for forcing that.
And behind all these corporate myopia is, I suspect, screwed up graduate schools. I have a Masters in Business but got it a long time ago so I can't say with certainty that graduate educators are responsible. I can see, however, how market manipulation via course content and case study could heavily influence the attitudes of students and their eventual roles as corporate heads. Gee it would be nice if the focus was in providing what the customer wanted and understanding why a business even exists.
I only hope now the labels begin to wise up but doubt it will happen. The intransigence they have displayed gives little encouragement.
The labels and Big Three could be managed by the same CEO. Give the customer what the company wants to provide, not what the customer wants. The mentality that made them unable to adapt and conform to changing conditions such as the digital era or foreign competition.
Even now the labels hate Apple iTunes and seek ways to circumvent. They only see what could have been if only life were different and they could still force customers to buy the product the choose. Hollywood must still snorting cocaine, they are in a dream world. We hated paying $18 for one song bundled with a bunch of other junk. So when opportunity appeared to not do that...duh.
Personally I think Steve Jobs has saved the industry and their butts. Better to have some market vs. none.
I have to admit that a part of me cheers when industries like the recording labels and automakers face hard times or possible demise. I don't wish that on the many people that suffer for the stupidity of a few but my anger says Ha Ha!
The newly announced pricing of iTunes does not trouble me. Frankly I don't think $.30 more for a song is not going to have a negative impact on sales and the removal of DRM is well worth it. DRM hasn't been a real issue for me but I have always resented having a limit placed on my purchase - and again annoyed at the Labels for forcing that.
And behind all these corporate myopia is, I suspect, screwed up graduate schools. I have a Masters in Business but got it a long time ago so I can't say with certainty that graduate educators are responsible. I can see, however, how market manipulation via course content and case study could heavily influence the attitudes of students and their eventual roles as corporate heads. Gee it would be nice if the focus was in providing what the customer wanted and understanding why a business even exists.
I only hope now the labels begin to wise up but doubt it will happen. The intransigence they have displayed gives little encouragement.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Street Name
I'm in the fire department and carry a pager. When I leave the town I switch to county wide calls because a couple times I heared of traffic accidents that directly affected my travel. Today I did that and heard a medic call for a person experiencing seizures.
Nothing exceptional except the patient lived on Scorpian Dr. It made me wonder what the other streets were named in the vicinity. Was there some bright bulb working in a developers office coming up with the street names? Perhaps there was a Cockroach Ct. or Wasp Way.
So I checked Goggle maps and confirmed I had heard correctly, I had. Then checked surrounding street names but they had normal sounding names.
Was the street named by some antisocial redneck as a means of antagonizing others? I don't know of course, but it can't be pleasant to have seizures on Scorpian Drive.
Nothing exceptional except the patient lived on Scorpian Dr. It made me wonder what the other streets were named in the vicinity. Was there some bright bulb working in a developers office coming up with the street names? Perhaps there was a Cockroach Ct. or Wasp Way.
So I checked Goggle maps and confirmed I had heard correctly, I had. Then checked surrounding street names but they had normal sounding names.
Was the street named by some antisocial redneck as a means of antagonizing others? I don't know of course, but it can't be pleasant to have seizures on Scorpian Drive.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Man Overboard
Just read of another person going overboard from a cruise ship. This is the second in about a week. Having just returned from a cruise I have been wondering if the railings are different on different cruise ships.
Although the woman missing off the Norwegian Pearl sounds suspicious, witnesses saw an entertainment staff member accidentally go overboard from Carnival Cruise.
The railings on Celebrity Galaxy, my cruise ship, were more then waist high (about 4 feet) and it wouldn't have been easy to go over.
Although the woman missing off the Norwegian Pearl sounds suspicious, witnesses saw an entertainment staff member accidentally go overboard from Carnival Cruise.
The railings on Celebrity Galaxy, my cruise ship, were more then waist high (about 4 feet) and it wouldn't have been easy to go over.
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