the wright to speak

to draw reference to the world we that I live in…well there should be no comparison.  the only reference there  is a question for GOD and his use for me.  the reference only the beginning to the depths of a man and the man total being. smile nd the world will smile back at ya…..

play money…”deal or no deal”

Virtual my &**^$ it’s all about the all mighty green back. What’s virtual about capitalism? The world of on-line gaming is a mirror reflection of the real world. Technology gives us a window into the fantasy of the mind. The mind gave us the technology for one to venture into a self indulgent fantasy. the same mind or mindset of dungeon and dragons creators will solicit us to drink the kool aid of on-line gaming and role fantasy play. I know if I were smart enough and wise enough to foresee the future of on-line fantasy games, you would not be reading this blog.

Programmers and techno geeks is were it’s at these days. the technology is there to dream and compute all your wildest dreams into marketable venture. Play money says that is as real as real can get. The military is a witness to this unique concept. The military trains with programmers wild fantasy programs. The economics of such training is in the billions. the youth of America and the world to be accurate is buying into the gaming world at a billion dollars and pop pace. the military is getting a well educated and highly skilled pilot without spending a dime on the person but reaping all the benefits of the people playing these games. Not a dime in but millions or more off on the finished product. I’ll take those odds in a bet all day long.

Stolle’s tower wants us to believe that a person can think of something in the real world, program a computer, and there it is in the flesh. The virtual world is not as virtual as we would like it to be. Is the matrix upon us? The sum of the virtual world is as individual as the the individual function of the game being played or created.

Play money can be told as a novel of space and time vs. greed and fantasy. It’s not bad at all to be greedy with a theme, and that theme being , what! I get the fantasy part, who doesn’t. Space and time is a far cry from the gravity bound earth we all live on, and the restrains of time that is placed on us. So how does this translate into a economic windfall of play money? Good question!

the “long tail” of “house music”

Yup! “Let’s house this crowd” Chicago’s underground produces this sound that is called House Music. I had no idea that the long tail and the creation of house music are cousins, hell, brothers. The disco sucks fellows in my beloved home town of Chicago were knuckleheads. I was in high school in 1979 when the knuckleheads at comiskey park (white sox) decided to blowup disco records as a local radio stunt. disco was hot in Chicago like I’m sure it was hot all over. But to blowup disco records, I didn’t get it. But little did I know blowing up the records brought about a change in music for all the music lovers in the city. House music was born. Frankie Knuckles and Jack Master Funky Farrie Keith, Little Louis and the Dj’s in the area forged ahead to create a unique sound.

Graduating high school in 1981, Chicago was a hot bed for music. we use to call it punk rock music , but the music Gods said “No, it’s “House”. The sampling and mixing of songs were the foundation of house music, along with a deep driving rhythm to keep you on the dance floor all night, house music craved out its own niche in music history. Who the long tail effect was put into play. The sampling of music along with a unique way of blending the music and a audience that is craving with underground groove, help the create a long tail in music. People from around the world wanted this music and actually contributed to it’s success by sampling the samples, further lengthened the tail.

It seems like the head of this long tail story was the disco songs and the popularity of the songs. the disco era ushered in a time when life and responsibilities were lessened and free love and sex. the sixties were the founding fathers of free love and sex. the seventy continued that era and disco expressed in song and dance the emotions of the era. House music was created to sample the the raw emotion of the seventies and drive that niche into a unique musical genre. It’s a acquired taste but the main ingredients are the old classics that are being played at 70′s parties and on 70′s radio.

What started out as a way is a blending of music, so to create a better and longer record to dance to, ended up being a unique and a basic musical technique for all club music today. The long tail talks about the cultural and economics of the products. well this (house music) affected my life directly and is still affecting my life today. The music is such a part of Chicago’s culture that when I travel to other parts of the country or world, House Music is recognized as a Chicago creation. Sometimes you can’t tell what can first the chicken or the egg. The long tail is a modern day version of something else that took place before the book was written. I’m sure a great philosopher somewhere said “there is nothing new under the sun” I’m sorry that was the name of Stings album.

wheres the body to this “long tail”

A simple answer is required to a very simple question. Where is the body? The Long Tail is documented well but what is missing is the body to this creature. The story about how Sears was started was fascinating. A mistake started a revolution. in the catalog and shopping industry. So are you saying that if A equals B, and B equals C, then A equals C. Is that the long tail. is it no more than a continuation of a original idea of concept. So you’re telling me the concept must take on a unexpected dimension , so to grow have tail affect? Well lets put that theory to a unscientific test.

I have an idea that goes like this. my professional career deals with broadcast news gathering (video-photographer). my passion is still photography. I shoot wedding and head-shots for different clients that need my services. There is a new technology out there where your wedding pictures are part of the page in a magazine style book. The picture is the page. I wonder if the technology is out there, just yet, to produce a book that a 3D dimension of your wedding photos come up out of the book. Where is the head in that scenario? is it my idea or is it the hologram that is developed now ,but not put to use in that matter?

Well, it’s three thirty in the morning and I have a toothache.   The Long Tail is nothing new.  The Sear story example describes the long tail in a brick an mortar way.  Granted the Internet is putting a spin on things but the theory is still the same.  One idea or invention is transferred to another unique an marketable notion.  It’s like the chicken and the egg story, which came first?  But does it make a difference we all enjoy chicken fried steak with biscuits.  (biscuits are made with eggs)

The Long Tail is a evolution of an idea that manifest its way into the fabric of society.  The ipod is an idea that changed the way we (society) listen, buy , and express ourselves through music.  (The chicken or the egg)  The sale of knowledge or fantasies (books) on the Internet is another form of the chicken or egg theory.  The Internet was invented so information could be sent  with the possibility of being interrupted.  The  long tail version of the Internet is spam, youtube, amazon, eBay, intro to the digital age  at Johns Hopkins University, smart mobs and a host of interesting things.  Would we have had the same effect of the Internet if the  the Internet was not created?  The answer would be yes.  We already had sales of books and car, Johns Hopkins ( without the digital age), smart mobs were also around.  The way  in which we conduct business has changed not the business itself  ( chicken or the egg) (body or tail).  The body of the Long Tail is in our (society) ability to create and think outside the box.  Therefore, the body becomes the tail.

One of the most interesting things about the “Long Tail”, and how it can apply to my life, is just where am I in the long tail of life?  Chicken or the egg?

the smartmobs tracking devices

Nothing goes better with a pair of brand new black slacks when a pair of Kenneth Cole, three quarter length, boots. The boots were purchased some in the late summer from Anne Arundel Mills Mall, Kenneth Cole Outlet. The boots were properly a discontinued model from that year. The boots are very nice and didn’t cost much either, forty dollars to be exact. I even remember the salesperson also, a chocolate brown sister with a very nice smile. just before I purchased the boots, I purchased three dress shirts from the Banana Republic store next door to Kenneth Cole. I have never purchased anything from Banana republic before, but the shirts were nice. Back to the boots. I’ve worn the boot maybe three time before this weekends outing. Very comfortable and stylish, are the boots, but most of all, they were a bargain, in price.

Lets get to the meat of this story. I had noticed a tag on the bottom of the boots awhile ago, but didn’t pay to much attention to it until this weekend. I decided to take the tags off and noticed that it was more than just a simple price tag. After peeling off one layer of the tag , I discovered that there more the that tag. There were “sentients” between the layers of that tag. Sentients are micro-chips that are used to help locate, by transmitting information to a s satellite, products and things that businesses want tracked.

A global tracking device that monitors the whereabouts of anything that it is attached to. Marketers would be able to locate products and give a detailed account of just where their product is located. it seems to me that this is a device developed by the government, and is now being used in the commercial world. It device should come in handy when you need to spy on people.

The reason I bring up this up is the fact that the tag represents the monitoring of of my whereabouts.  I’m sure that tracing the whereabouts is a bit extreme, but is it.  If I used a credit card to purchase the boots, then there is a record of who I am.  If you know who I am, and if you trace the boots that I’m wearing, then you know where I’ve been.   My question is to the blogosphere is , where do I go to find the tracking information to my own whereabouts?  When did I loss my anonymity of privacy to buy and wear a simple pair of Kenneth Cole boots?

the mob that is smart

Keitai (mobile phone) in the Japanese culture has become a phenomenon’s. The importances of the mobile phones to the Japanese culture is a illuminating beacon for the youth. The book says this sub-culture epidemic is spreading like wildfire. The interesting part about that particular part of the reading is the ease in which the culture and norms are being change by technology. The invention of the mobile phone has created the need to buck traditional norms and build a bridge to the future. the teenagers feel as if the keitai give them a sense of freedom. the landline is considered the parents right to control the flow of information in their household. Teenagers know better because technology has given them the direct cause and effect they need to create this sub-culture. a sense of freedom is what we all wanted at one point and time in our lives. The driver license and the automobile were the ultimate rush for ant teenager. The mobile is a lot cheaper then a car and a lot more fun…well it least a lot cheaper then a a car.

The sense of present and virtual reality all in the same beneath is the BOMB. To be able to be in two places at the same time is WILD. Talking to a friend while conducting business is the new reality of us all. The business of multitasking takes on a new meaning. the business of two dimensional reality is all around us. The reality of the video camera mounted in or on the laptop to communicate to others at the same time you’re texting them is WILD. The Smart Mob is crazy and scary at the same time. Reading the first three chapters and the other assigned reading (Cathedral and Bazaar) blow my mind.

The way invent ,improve , and simplify programs for practical use is WILD. Is it just me but has the world passed me by. I had no idea that while I was sleeping the world was being saved in cyberspace. The channels of which knowledge flows and the case load of brilliant people willingness to improve a program or problem is amazing. I had no clue how the developmental stages of a program were solved. I thought the nerds of the world sat in their basement and formulated solution to all their problems. Cyberspace 911 is what it should be called, not the Internet. Next time I had a problem, I’m going to inform the cyber guys and girls that through their hard work and interest, I will have an answer to all my questions.

Once hackers were considered dangerous to the Internet world. The fact that hackers are the meat and potatoes of the innovative process of discovering new and better programs. I found that little old fact to be fascinating. The underworld of the outer world is a mysterious place for all the other folk like me in the world. To be able to put a idea into cyberspace and come back with a improved product and a solution to the problem, is all right with me.

the search…and than some…

To search is to say something is out of place. The place where you have not searched is there it is. Not knowing the location of something will require you to look (search) for it’s existence. the search engine is just that vehicle in which t search for a particular item for which you seek. Businesses are considered prey in this case of the Internet and consumers are the hunters. Some of the search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN use this comparison of sort to generate revenue. The advertisers and the consumers are linked by the constant demand for growth in their businesses and revenue. Product placement is a multi billion dollar business, and so is ad space on the Internet. These search engine companies are marketing to consumers in every way possible. The effect of crawls and pop-up ads, and even as part of your personal email attachment is overwhelming to the average consumer but great for businesses.

Location, location, location is key to a business and it is so to that businesses on the internet. The book mentioned that local by having the search engines help you locate businesses in your local area is a great thing. That may seem a little crazy in the way it was written but the bottom line is having the ability to locate the services you need in your local area will serve the busniess community well along with providing you the service that is needed. (that’s even crazier than the first explanation).

Another more important point I gathered from the reading of “The Search” is how the Patriot Act will effect the Internet and search engines. Congress decides to enact a bill that will serve as a way to protect the citizens on the United States of America. After 911 (I get it), it a concern for all to protect this nation and its interest. What concerns me is the fact that Google and others have decide to allow the government to monitor citizens email and Internet searches. Phone records and other information about yourself and others re at the disposal of others. just like a marketing firm can pinpoint your buying habits so can the others with this information. Granted, no law obeying citizen has anything to worry about, it is just that fact that Google’s search engine techniques are unique in its development of finding just what you are looking for.

The people behind with great wonderful idea have to be very pleased with the expansion and the depth of which knowledge ,information and ideas can move from one place to another.  The concern of this whole process is when will this supertrain of search engines stop to refuel.  The  search will go on until the next big idea comes along and maybe we will look back and say how did we ever get anything done with that old way of doing business.

the naked conversation… ..the sequel

The Naked conversation is just that a conversation in which two people communicate truthfully and without shame. The blogosphere gives us (bloggers) that freedom to convert in such a way that the first amendment would be jealous. finding ones voice is what this assignment is all about. Sure the reading and the comprehension of terms and basic understanding of how the blogosphere work is important, but the voice of the individual reign supreme. As I was finishing the last half of the book, something accrued to me, I have a voice that can be heard around the world. The book gives several helpful tips in establishing an effective blog site. Having the proper name as a blogger is just one of the tips given in the book. Well, what’s in a name? The name is a part of that echo chamber called the Internet. Companies rely on name recognition for it’s market brand naming that is so crucial to its bottom line. Companies must share in the highs and lows of it successes. Blogs can help that bottom line. Employees are invested in brand naming process and for the most part they are the name brand for the company. the blogosphere is the voice of the company.  Through the voice of the employees, the employees voice can become the brand naming that the company is looking for.   All the talk is about the Blog and what it can be used for in the business world.  The human factor of any campaign or study must to included in its outcome.  The unpredictability of human nature is a big hurdle to overcome.  No one can predict what consumers are going to embrace as a  product.  Who knows if the blogosphere is a temporary toy that society is fooling around with at a time when new technology is a all time high.  One thing for sure is that the Internet, blogosphere is a avenue that the voice of the mighty and less mighty have a equal voice in matters of the heart.  That is called democracy at it’s finest.  The big picture is the way we (society) decides to communicate to other consumers, and to how companies listen to what the people have to say.  Not knowing what the other hand is doing is a recipe for chaos.  The two-way exchange of concern and remedies is vital for a more productive  business community.  Advertisers can not just rely on slick ads and attractive models to sale a product anymore.  The two edge sword of knowledge,  consumers (word of mouth) vs Advertisement, gives a level playing field for all so wants to get into the game.  So ask yourself “do I feel lucky”, lucky enough to try and pull a fast one over on the consumer with the Blogosphere sitting out there?

the search in review

I found the Searches first three chapters to be of a fundamental answer to a question; Why do we search? Advertisement is the reason why we search the web. The term product placement on the web is important to its survivability. The search is that product for the Internet. Google along with other search engines are responsible for the growth of the web or Internet. The Google approach to the Net is considered the modern day, not your fathers, version of information that the world is requesting and the meaning of information.

The second chapter is the who, what, where, why, when and how much version of Google. An index, queries, URL, and the crawl are words that help describe the language of the search engine process. The bottom line for this is to say that Google has a bigger and better index or database in-which to provide a fuller more comprehensive search engines response to searches. one of the interesting things written about is the advertisement revenue generated from the search engine craze. the sponsorship of websites by big and little companies is every increasing to reward this search engines and their unlimited databases of customer and clients.

Looking back at the past and giving credit where credit is due. Archie and Veronica (maybe even a Jughead) were the first search engines of the web but the web was very young and still was in the incubation stages. Yahoo, Excite, AT&T, DEC, Alta Vista, Dell, and,Compaq, Lyco, AOL, Netscape, all were brought and sold, merged, experimented, ventured with the traffic of information and revenue. The world wide web needed a link system and Google provided that magic bullet it (WWW) was looking for. The other companies or search engine providers (searched) high nd low for answers but Page must have Googled the answer. The link and link back system gave Google the advantage it needed to become the Babe Ruth of WWW. Words were like the digitial age itself, being able to type a word (packets)in and receive a full intact response, was what Page gave to Google.

Great ideas were becoming hard to come by for the giant companies and revenue building from those ideas were at a stand still.  How to reinvent thewheel became the focus of the search engine companies.  Spam (junkmail) had flowd the Internet, having one had smething to sale and say on the WWW.  Gross (the GoTo man) decided to control the flow information.  Other companies saw a benefit in it practice.  Listing of services  and searches helped paid the bills and than some.   Google knew it had a jewel in its grip.  With the Goolges search engines havind 18 million hits or searches a day the revenue rose to a nice sum for the company.

The question is so will Google the next big idea before Google does?  The first six chapters gave me a sense of who the players are and how they came about in their quest to contribute to the WWW.  Knowledge is power. Knowledge and determination is a money maker.  Knowledge and bad timing is deadly to some but a becon of hope for others to capitalize off of.  Hey could you Xerox something for me; hand me a Kleenex, are all common sayings  and how we (society) can include Google as a household name for when we need to find something.

Naked Conversations

Well, the Naked Conversations turned out to read like, The Who All book. How Blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers, is a mild way of saying we (businesses) better get onboard with our customers or we are done. In the authors, Scoble and Isreal, introduction they state ” a blog may simply be a tool, but on the other that tool is one of the most powerful components to emerge so far in a communications revolution.” A little bit of history may help the authors right about now. The spoken word, the printing press, the U.S. postal service, radio, television were all considered important tools of communication, not to say the Blogosphere isn’t a great tool for communication, but the others helped out a bit.

The business aspect of the Blogosphere seem to have taken off after the events of Microsofts internal usage and customer feed back responses. Perhaps the chain of events had awakened the marketing departments, product development and consumers confidents fo major companies to get on board with this new form of communications. Scoble and Isreal says in one of the passages from the reading that the “Blog also humanize the companies, or at least the people who work inside of them.” That is was the blogging is all about, the human factor of an company and its product. The book or readings is loaded with how the CEOs to the factory workers are empowered by the blogosphere. Numerous CEOs (Schwartz, Bloomberg, Allen) of major companies look to seize the moment of this low cost, high return marketing tool. Schwartz, of Sun Technology, says “the participation age has been on the Net since e-mail. Moving from there to blogging is like moving from carrier pigeon to phone”.

The publicists and PR firms are having a hard time keeping wtih the speed and accuracy of the blogging world. The information gap is widening when the traditional Public Relations firms generate interest in their clients product or services. The blogosphere is a much better way of spread the news or even limiting damage control for you clients. Bloggers are bout to link their bloggs to other multiple link site with a touch of a button. That seems to be a bit faster than the phone call to that office or organization. Steve Rubel is the focus of a subtitle, Pitching the Pitcher. Steve Rubel, a male version of Oprah, when he mentions your firm in his blog, you have been kissed by the Godfather of PR bloggers.

“Blogging is like word of mouth but on steroids,”  Yossi Vardi states in the book, than that raises a question in my mind.  Steroids are used to treat many different illnesses, but in any treatment plan comes side effects.  I wonder if this new steroid inducted form of communication will eventually burn itself out sooner than it should?  If that makes any sense?  When will the bloggers become so sophisticated that companies will devise a creditable communication strategy to divert unwanted attention to their company or product.  Coporations are formed to profit and grow.  In the information game that all businesses are in, it is only a matter of time before the distribution of information will be formulated to only benefit the user.