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We're Not Who You Think We Are

Archives for August 2007

The Daily Loper – August 31, 2007

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Sent from my iPhone Edition

Today’s links of interest:

  • Apple won’t sell NBC programs on iTunes
    NBC is the latest entertainment company to accuse apple of attempting to use digital content to sell hardware. A shocking claim. And somewhat surprising when you consider all the talk about how iTunes was responsible for the crucial early success of programs like the Office (and probably Heroes, to a certain extent).
  • The Office Summer Vacation
    What the people from The Office did on their summer vacations.
  • Sony Unveils Video Walkman, Drops Connect Music Store
    Not only has Sony given up on selling digital music, they’ve dropped their proprietary DRM scheme — in favor of PlaysForSure. Guess they haven’t heard about the Zune.

That’s What I Like: Somethingness

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I’m not a wine snob. I don’t feel the need to discuss vintage discrepancies or the loaminess of the terroir. It’s just that there are few things as pleasurable as finding a truly great wine. There are some objective truths to a great wine but like all arts, it’s largely a subjective exercise of the senses. Above all else, it fills one with a sense of wonderment as you recognize its endless possibilities. In other words, it’s just so cool.

What makes a wine great can be debated ad nauseam (please, no more about the tannic structure or I will have to get medieval on your %$#) Yet, I find that amidst all the clammer, there is that constant refrain of somethingness, for lack of a better word. In itself that somethingness is indescribable, you just know that it’s there. It’s the a-ha moment.

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The Daily Loper – August 30, 2007

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Rest My Weary Bones Tonight Edition

Todays links of interest:

At the Tone, the Time Lady Will Be Gone

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I was fairly young when some unsuspecting adult thought it would be a good idea to explain to me that I could always get the current time by dialing POPCORN.

I proceeded to abuse that information by dialing the number every five minutes to find out what time it was — among other things. I figured if the Time Lady was so all knowing about the time of day, she might have the answers to other questions as well. What can I say, I was young and Google hadn’t been invented yet.

I never did get any other answers from the Time Lady. She stuck to the time with a zen-like focus. In retrospect I think she might have what we now call “obsessive compulsive”.

Over the years I lost track of the Time Lady. Recently there hasn’t been much need to call her. In fact, I was sort of surprised to discover that she was still around and giving out the time to anyone who called — but not for much longer.

This week AT&T announced that the Time Lady’s time has run out. After September, California residents will no longer be able to pick up the phone and dial the time. AT&T is discontinuing the service, citing failing equipment, the need for additional phone numbers, and, presumably, a general lack of use, as reasons.

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Potpourri: Download Service Explosion, Miss South Carolina, iPhone Hacking

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I don’t have the juice to go in-depth about anything this week, so I thought that I’d take a few swipes at some things:

Download Service Explosion — With Nokia’s recent announcement announcement of their download service on the heels of CD Baby and Wal-Mart’s services, it looks like we are in another round of download service offerings. Add these to the DRM-free service that Universal announced last month, and the long-rumoured Amazon download stores, and consumers will have every type of choice.

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The Daily Loper – August 28, 2007

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Some People Out There in Our Nation Don’t Have Maps Edition

Todays links of interest:

The Daily Loper – August 27, 2007

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U.S. Americans Edition

Todays links of interest:

The Advertising Conundrum

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As eyeballs and earlobes move away from traditional media, it will the challenge to advertisers to move to where the body parts are. After decades of selling to a relative few number of media outlets, advertisers will be chasing down consumers all over the web and the world.

This will lead to a serious challenge as the places where the kids — and let’s be honest, advertisers remain stubbornly stuck in a world-view where only kids have cash for discretionary spending — hang out are not necessarily as family friendly or wholesome as advertisers prefer. When you’re beholden to shareholders, you cannot, for example, advertise on a site that extols the virtue of pot smoking. Even if the audience captured (and retained) by that site represents the nadir of marketing goals that can be achieved.

This is the problem with MySpace, Facebook, and just about every blog worth noting. In the past, advertisers had sufficient clout to, if necessary, control the message. Television networks were more likely to bow to advertisers pressure than politicians spouting off about “family values”. If you couldn’t sell the spot, then you might consider changing the content.
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The Weekly ‘Loper – August 26, 2007

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While you were busy trying to fill one of the last two weeks of summer with too many activities, this is what we were doing:

The Daily Loper – August 24, 2007

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McLovin Edition

Todays links of interest: