When I was a young child, no dinner at my grandparents’ house was complete without a stern warning from my grandmother: “Eat your dinner! Children in China are starving!” I never could figure out why eating my dinner had any connection with children in China, but I believed her and for decades afterward thought of the Chinese only in terms of hungry children without enough rice.
Thanks to an old Microsoft buddy, Nils von Veh, I now have my own radio station. No FCC regulations to worry about, no advertisers to please, no unbearable DJ chatter. Just a simple website that streams music I like for free from any PC.
Cheskin is fortunate enough to work with some of the finest people around. As evidence of this, I’d like to publically acknowledge the recent generousity of our friends at Sun, Mattson, Method and salt.
David Brooks knows America. The conservative NY Times columnist, PBS pundit, and author of Bobo’s in Paradise, has consistently demonstrated an ability to understand the deepest motivations of the country’s citizens and accurately predict their behavior. In his column today, which recounts the utter failure of the government’s initial response to Hurricane Katrina, he predicts,
“Katrina means that the political culture, already sour and bloody-minded in many quarters, will shift. There will be a reaction. There will be more impatience for something new. There is going to be some sort of big bang as people respond to the cumulative blows of bad events and try to fundamentally change the way things are.”
I’ve been too horrified and anguished by what I saw this week to comment in a blog, but David’s column made me think about the cultural change this disaster will prompt. I agree with his assessment of the public’s reaction. When government makes us mad, we argue and complain. But when it makes us feel ashamed of ourselves, we change it. More importantly, we change the conditions that spawned it.
There are a number of ways I think people and culture in the US will change in response to what happened in New Orleans and the surrounding area. Here’s a few:
I have the first 12 or so issues of Wired magazine. It used to be my Bible back in the pre-dotcom days, but it seemed to lose its way after awhile and I stopped reading it. That is, until my recent vacation.
Building a company is not for wimps. At its best, it is extraordinarily difficult work that depends a great deal on circumstances beyond the control of any one person, or even small team. It’s probably not quite as risky as a slot machine, but it’s close.
I was reminded of this today while listening to HistoryPodcast. The author, Jason Watts, delivers interesting and obscure (at least to me) historical stories about people or events, but he also adds in small comments about the development of his company (which he prefers to think of as a hobby). Today, he mentioned that the whirring sound heard in the background of his podcast came from a $10.99 fan that he would like to replace if donations help out. He’s also reported on how his fan base is growing–he has 150 subscribers so far–and his thoughts on revenue generation (he doesn’t believe in paid subscriptions).
I blogged recently about adding podcasts to my life. The Daily Podcast offers a good overview of what’s happening in this space for those interested in more details.
iTunes caught me by surprise this morning. Instead of my normal email announcing some new music they thought I’d like, I got a note headlined “This just in: Podcasting on iTunes.” Hmm, that’s fast, I thought. Podcasting has been around awhile on the geek circuit, but most normal people don’t have a clue what it is yet.
I decided to follow iTunes advice and check it out. The result is what makes Apple so amazing…
OK, I admit it. I’m in love with another man. Despite the headache this may cause me at home, the adoration I have for Thomas Friedman is beginning to take on signs of true romance. Granted, he doesn’t know I exist, but he sends chills up my spine nonetheless.
His NY Times column is always my first read on Sunday. I loved The Lexus and the Olive Tree which gave great insights on globalization, and his latest book, The World is Flat, (a deadly accurate assessment of global competition and innovation in the coming decades), simply knocked me out.
This is not an adolescent infatuation. He’s a pleasant-looking guy, but his biceps have nothing on his brain. What really does it for me is how boldly he thinks–and that he has the courage to speak loudly and decisively. Like his June 17 NY Times column titled “As Toyota Goes”…
Denise is building a blog roll to add to this site soon, and in this role, she’s getting input from all of us on what blogs we like to read. My top three were easy to list, but not as easy to explain why I like them.
One is Corante’s The Loom, which describes itself as a “blog about life, past and future.” As ambitious as that seems, it’s an accurate description. In a recent post, An Inordinate Fondness for Beetle Horns, I was captivated by a DNA analysis that explained how, when and why beetles grow mutliple shapes, sizes and colors of horns. Why did this interest me? I don’t know, but some time soon this knowledge will come in handy.
