i believe good commercial should emphasize product, which is why i liked gmc boulder ad. suggests strength of truck.
But in truth, the part that blew me away was the music, and the way that it integrated with the animation, then with the truck, then with the messages. (The fact that the messages at the end were in the style of Oracle messages probably resonated with me also.) [LATER: JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.]
But, now that the Super Bowl is ended, I really wanted to know more about the song. As did others:
[---Xaldin---] Sunday, February 03, 2008 7:22 PM whats the name of that song
BC Engineering O==========C Sunday, February 03, 2008 7:49 PM Whats the name of the song and made it. I love that type of music, It's mind elevating.
CorE The Grasshopper (what happened to Myspace?) Sunday, February 03, 2008 7:59 PM What is the name of that song?!!!
Other MySpace users had the answer:
Nick Sunday, February 03, 2008 7:58 PM I was blown away when I first heard the song playing. I knew I'd heard it before, and eventually it hit me. Ulrich Schnauss - Bluemenwise Neben Autobahn From the Album - Far Away Trains Passing By
bryan Sunday, February 03, 2008 8:04 PM The song is by Ulrich Schnauss.... Blumenwiese Neben Autobahn.... took me all night to figure it out!
oemperor : @superbowlads #* etrade baby. do you want that easy access? 2 stars. << (2008-02-03 20:53:39)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* wall e introduces character, but not sure what movie is about. 2 1/2 stars based on toy story intro. << (2008-02-03 20:46:27)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* genesis hyundai. WHY is it better than a mercedes? 1 star. << (2008-02-03 20:44:59)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* jockey shaq cute, but what does it have to do with vitamin water? 2 stars. << (2008-02-03 20:33:55)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* #caprimary now we have a pro casino ad half truth. 1 star. << (2008-02-03 20:02:46)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* #caprimary local ad against gaming propositions same old half story 1 star (pro ads are just as bad) << (2008-02-03 19:56:29)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* underarmour was apple 1984 starring the bad guy. 1 star. << (2008-02-03 18:51:02)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* bud wine and cheese got a lol. 4 1/2 stars. << (2008-02-03 18:49:16)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* diet pepsi max what is love. i'm a sucker for the song. caffeine. four stars. << (2008-02-03 18:47:09)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* audi pointless one star. << (2008-02-03 18:37:42)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* bud lite fire blah two stars. << (2008-02-03 18:36:56)
oemperor : @superbowlads #* ford looked fake two stars. #superbowl << (2008-02-03 18:30:37)
So my highest rated ads were Diet Pepsi Max (What is Love), Budweiser (wine & cheese), FedEx (giant pigeons), Tide (the talking stain), the GMC Yukon (Sisyphus), and Coke (parade).
Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about recent #twittout conditions on Twitter during major scheduled events such as Steve Jobs' speech. Various Twitter representatives have assured the Twitterverse that performance improvements are their number one priority, but that you can't wave a magic wand and have things fixed immediately.
All of us - Twitter employees, Twitter users, what have you - know that the system is about to be tested about 3 1/2 hours from now - 3:00 pm my time, 6:00 pm Eastern time, 2300 GMT - but, most importantly, 4:00 pm Arizona Standard Time - the time that the Super Bowl begins.
In general, there have been a number of questions about what will happen. At 1514 GMT, I asked:
we are having a partial #twittout. items are not showing up on my mobile recent page - what will it be like in 8 hrs when #superbowl starts?
Just wondering - If we all start tweeting during the Superbowl to see if Twitter can handle it, is that like an unintentional DoS attack?
Shashi Bellamkonda wanted to say something that took more than 140 characters to say, so he wrote a post that touched upon the general issue of Twitter reliability. He didn't explicitly talk about the forthcoming Super Bowl, but he did ask the question: "What will it take for Twitter folks to move to a Competitor?"
So, even under normal circumstances, a lot of people will be watching the 'Net and asking the question, Is Twitter Down?.
But these aren't normal circumstances. For better or worse, a LOT of people are going to be watching Twitter at that time to see how it performs.
I've already blogged about Jeremiah Owyang's @superbowlads account that he has set up as a forum to review the Super Bowl commercials in real time. And it sounds like this isn't just an isolated thing that a few twitterers will be playing around with. Jeremiah reveals some additional interest. For example, in resopnse to my question about whether ad agencies will be watching what has been dubbed (by David Armano) as the "Twitter Bowl," Jeremiah replied:
I’m positive some will, as I know several PR people will be participating, and therefore advertising and interactive agencies.
Even though the Dallas Cowboys won't be playing, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game. I'm interested to see the reaction to the commercials tomorrow, and welcome your comments here.
Beyond that, I saw that Jeremiah Owyang set up @Superbowlads on Twitter to allow the community to rate Super Bowl commercials in real time....
I'll post the Dell (PRODUCT) RED Super Bowl commercial here in this post once it airs tomorrow. We welcome your comments here, and I'll be watching the overall reactions via @Superbowlads in Twitter and the Terraminds RSS feed.
Now I don't know Menchaca's relative position within the Dell hierarchy, or whether or not he has evangelized @superbowlads within his company, but what will the reaction be at Dell if this conversation occurs on Monday morning?
MICHAEL: So, Lionel, what was the online reaction to the ad?
LIONEL: Well, Michael...um...Twitter went down, so no one could vote on the ad.
MICHAEL: (expletive deleted)
At this point, I don't think any of us know what is going to happen. Will the switch to NTT America pay off for Twitter, or will they be troubled by the same type of #twittout problem that has been plaguing them for the past few weeks?
Yup, I found the Miami Washington Super Bowl on satellite.
Yes, I know that the Redskins are going to lose.
It's nice to see how clean the TV is. No electronically generated first down lines. No obtrusive graphics. However, I do miss the display of the current score, down, and time remaining.
If the players are smaller than today's players, I can't really tell.
It's 7-0 Miami. Maybe this version will have an alternate ending.
I encourage you to read the May 2007 Weekly Standard article The Sane Fringe Candidate. Both humorous and telling, it describes the story of a candidate who is running for President who doesn't want to sell his soul to the devil. A few excerpts:
A good Reaganite conservative, Cox has tried to be self-sufficient, financing his campaign thus far to the tune of $800,000. After 20 trips, he's been to all 99 counties in Iowa. He's been to New Hampshire 14 times, and South Carolina, 10. He's won a Republican straw poll outright in Aiken County, South Carolina, and finished fifth in total votes among all Republican contenders when three other counties were totaled. And yet, he's lucky if he ever gets mentioned in mainstream media candidate roundups. Meanwhile, doing interviews with the Small Government Times just isn't putting him over the top....
I've spent a fair amount of time around fringe candidates, but he didn't seem like the others. He doesn't own a sandwich board or a megaphone. He never says "blood for oil" when critiquing the war in Iraq. His suits fit, and he has no tendrils of out-of-control ear hair....
Cox, 51, is a self-made man. He finished college in two and a half years "because I was paying for it," he says, adding, "My daughter finished in five years--because I was paying for it."...
In the mid-'90s, he led a group that purchased the Jays Foods potato chip manufacturer, sparing more than 600 local jobs and taking it from a $17-million loss to a $3-million profit in less than a year....
He spent around $200,000 of his own money running for the [Cook County] recorder's job on the promise to eliminate the position as wasteful spending if he won--the kind of idea that used to fire up conservatives back when they were, how to put it, conservative....
The advantage of writing about someone who has absolutely no chance of winning is that you get to dictate terms. I agreed to see John Cox, but told him there'd be some conditions. I would not be manhandled or warded off at crucial junctures by any punk press secretaries. Also, I would be granted exclusive access. He told me nobody wanted access, so that wouldn't be a problem. He added that I'd better get out there shortly, he was having an important press conference on Monday. That would mean I'd have to fly to Chicago on Sunday. But it was perfect weather outside, and I wanted to get some fishing in over the weekend. "Can you bump it to Tuesday?" I asked. "I don't see why not," he said....
Cox feels that none of the current crop of Republicans is actually carrying the leadership mantle of Ronald Reagan. And it's not, he wishes you to know, like he's one of those weirdo Reagan fetishists. Reagan had plenty of faults. "It's not that he was some giant," Cox says. "It's just that he stood head and shoulders above all the other midgets."
Cox feels he can do the same, given the faux-conservative "Rudy McRomney" midgets currently in the on-deck circle. He says he doesn't even necessarily want to be president--he has a great life--he just wants to see the job done properly. "I'm pissed, because I expected something better out of a conservative Republican president. On everything--Iraq, immigration, spending." And many true conservatives he meets feel the same, which is how a no-name like him can win a South Carolina straw poll, a feat he mentions at the slightest prompting, or at none....
[At the press conference] Cox eyes us two journalists, then says, "No need to go there," nodding at the podium. Instead, he pulls up a chair next to us. "It's much more intimate this way," I say, trying to make him feel better. "Most of my gatherings are pretty intimate," he says, with a pained smile. He tells us he is on the South Carolina ballot, and hits the highlights of his platform: how he wants to eliminate the IRS and our disastrous, confusing, punitive tax system and go to a "fair tax" (a consumption tax), how he's pro-life and pro-Social Security reform, how he's anti-spending and anti-corruption. I can't speak for the radio reporter, but to me it sounds pretty good. Though he didn't have to go into all those details. He had me at "eliminate the IRS."
Matt Labash felt so sorry for Cox that he arranged for Cox to infiltrate a 2007 debate at the Reagan Library (to which Cox, the passionate Reaganite, had ironically been excluded).
Before joining up with Cox, I'd told him that I was credentialed for the debate, so he should get someone from his campaign to apply to be my photographer, which Herren had done. The next day--debate day--we arrive early at the press credentialing table. I pick up my lammie, and Dan picks up his, giving it to Cox. Cox and I board the media shuttle bus at the bottom of a hill that runs us up to the Reagan Library. Cox, it appears, will have his day in the spin room.
But he is unhappy about the whole arrangement. It demeans him, he feels. I tell him to get with the program. His look is all wrong. For one thing, he's wearing American eagle suspenders over a crisp, white dress shirt. If he wants to pass for a journalist, he can't go around looking patriotic. "Put on your suit jacket," I tell him. As we arrive at the Library and walk through its gates, I give him more pointers on how to pass for a reporter. "If you see anything free, especially a drink, take it," I say. I hand him a prop reporter's notebook, and tell him if anyone asks why he's not holding a camera, since he's supposed to be my photographer, tell them he's taking mental pictures.
As I leave him at a courtyard buffet table, where journalists are inhaling raspberry sugar cookies and iced tea (the bar doesn't open until later), I turn to interview some elderly docents, who give me details on the Library's architecture and vegetation. I watch out of the corner of my eye, as Cox, on his cell phone, walks across the lawn. He might as well be wearing a neon "imposter" sign: His posture is too good, his clothes are too pressed, he is way too distinguished-looking and silver-haired, like Blake Carrington out for a stroll--really un-journalist-like. He disappears from my radar. Minutes later, when I find him again, he is standing next to a burly security goon outside the gate. I ask him what happened. "Umm, the guy came over and found out who I am." I ask how that could've happened. Not a single person had recognized him since we'd been there. "I told him," Cox says unapologetically. "I'm not going to lie to anybody."
We are bounced from the debate before it even begins.
This story is followed by one of the most impressive sentences that I have ever seen from a journalist:
As we ride past the fringe-sters on the curb--Ron Paul supporters wearing dolphin suits to illustrate Mitt Romney's flip flops, guys in "Stop Chemtrails" hats, etc.--Cox grows reflective....
A few months later, Cox put together a music video.
It’s GOP fear-mongering meets cheap ’80s hair band rock.
My favorite part is where the video has several pictures of key Republicans and Democrats on the Hill and that of a storm trooper from the film Star Wars. I’m. Not. Kidding.
I’ve seen 7th grade A/V class productions better than this.
Unfortunately, the Right's Field unintentionally drummed up support for Cox from the all-important Led Zeppelin wing of the Republican Party:
Wait, what!? “cheap ’80s hair band rock?!”
Anyone who calls The Mighty Zep “cheap ’80s hair band rock” loses all credibility.
John Cox has raised the bar for supreme YouTube awesomeness. This is postmodernism at its finest. This is what we’ve been waiting for!
Left by Jed August 8, 2007 at 5:07pm
By October 2007, Cox had moved to a stairway to Iowa, unfettered by other Republican candidates who didn't bother to court the black women at Sisters on Target.
It was a tough crowd Saturday night - at least for the sole Republican who spoke at a dinner for Sisters on Target, a nonpartisan alliance of black women, in Des Moines.
Three Democrats attended: Joe Biden, a senator from Delaware; Hillary Clinton, a senator from New York who is the Democratic front-runner both nationally and in Iowa; and Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois.
The night started off well for Republican businessman John Cox of Chicago. He got a laugh when he said: "I'm not a celebrity. You won't see me on 'Law & Order' tonight."...
But Cox apparently was a little ahead of his time. Remember the questioner in the Hollywood Obama-Clinton debate a few days ago who talked about having Bushes and/or Clintons on the national ballot for 30 years? No one really complained about that question a few days ago, but they certainly weren't pleased when Cox raised the same issue a few months back:
He ran into trouble when he gave his reason for running for president: "Because for 20 years we've had nothing but Bushes and Clintons in the White House. With all due respect to Senator Clinton, she's a lovely lady, but I think in a country of 300 million people we ought to be able to do something better than Bushes and Clintons."
That was met with murmurs of displeasure and scattered, weak applause.
"Yeah, he messed up. Not going to vote for him," said Artelia Hoffman, a retired teacher aide from Des Moines. "He might as well sit down."
But while Cox turned people away for raising the issue, guess who raised the issue and got away with it?
Obama said nearly the same thing minutes later.
"There are a lot of good candidates in this race, and I admire them all, but the fact is that we've been hearing the same thing from Republicans and Democrats for the last 30 years," he said. "The question is not who can say the right words but who will have the judgment and courage to act on those words, even when it's inconvenient."
Never heard of him? Neither have we, but NewsMax says John Cox is the shit. Why? Because he is awesome and will return the Republican Party back to the people who suddenly got sick of Dubya a month ago, after six years of catastrophe and more gay abortions than ever.
Dude doesn’t have much (or any, actually) name recognition....
Is this the new century’s Ross Perot? Crazy rich guy from out of nowhere dispatched to do away with another failed Bush White House and hand it over to a Clinton?
Cox should just call himself John Perot just so everybody understands exactly how it works. Jesus ....
I think his stands on the issues look good, but he must have something wrong with him to keep him so dry in financial contribution money that we have not even heard of the man.
The criteria for admission to the [Iowa] debate, according to the Register, were that a candidate must have filed papers with the Federal Election Commission; that he must have publicly announced his candidacy; that he have a campaign office in Iowa as of October 1; that he have at least one full-time paid staff member in Iowa; and that he score at least one percent support in the Register’s October poll.
Keyes has indeed filed the required papers. He did announce, in September, that he is a candidate. And he scored two percent support in the Register’s October poll, although he showed zero percent support in the same poll in November. As far as having a campaign office and at least one full-time paid staffer, well, that’s where things get a little fuzzy....
“It’s a question. How many paid staff in Iowa?”
Keyes had had enough of such details. “You are working, I guess, for the elites who want us to believe that campaigns are about money,” he told the reporter.
“Do you not wish to answer the question?”
“No, I want you to understand that you don’t have the right to dictate our political process. It belongs to the people, not to you. And money doesn’t buy votes.”
I jumped in again. “Ambassador, I’m going to ask you one more time. Have you personally been doing campaign events here in Iowa in the last few months?”
“I have had several campaign events here in Iowa, but I will not define those events as you do,” he said.
“In the last few months?”
“I don’t define those events as you do. And I don’t think you have any right whatsoever to establish yourselves as the arbiter of what constitutes an event. I will do that in a way that reflects the best needs and purposes of the people who are working with me. Because as I see it, every time somebody comes forward and takes the pledge, that’s an Iowa event.”
Alan Keyes ought to be in the game and in serious consideration by conservatives everywhere. From what I understand, he still needs help securing spots on various state ballots, so if you want to measure the other candidates with a man who, in my opinion, seems to be a reasonably complete package, then I think we should at least help him get in the game.
This writer (Citizen Phil) then proceeded to analyze the other candidates (with the notable exception of John H. Cox, or for that matter Tom Tancredo):
Senator McCain seems to have a good handle on defense and the war, except for his understandable sensitivity to the rough handling of certain prisoners. I only wish he would remember that he was a "good-guy" when he was a prisoner, as opposed to the "bad-guys" from whom we need information. Senator McCain also has trouble knowing who the enemy is in the Senate, from time to time. It's the liberals John… stay away from them!
Mike Huckabee seems to be on my page regarding abortion, marriage, and matters of faith. To hear various pundits express an icky-fit about whether a cross intentionally was placed in his ad, just about makes me break out in hives. The "thing" was indeed a bookshelf. Huckabee would likely swear that he is not a woman too, even though he probably has man boobs. Perhaps he should be crucified for that as well. On the down side, Mike Huckabee seems to have a problem, knowing when and how best to criticize a sitting President. That shows a lack of judgment that I would expect from the loony left.
Duncan Hunter seems to be a fine fellow, but true or false, I get the impression that he is driven by a single issue, and that would be illegal immigration. There is just so much more on our plate than that, and I need to feel that my President has his hands on all the knobs.
Mitt Romney really makes you feel good while watching him speak. He is very articulate, well groomed, and obviously cool under fire. I really do not believe his Mormonism would be a problem, but the purity of his conservative blood might. The fact that under his watch, same-sex marriage flared up out of control in his state makes me cringe. Just the idea that the most liberal state in the Union could tolerate him enough to elect him Governor… makes me clinch my…. oh, you know what I mean. Mitt may be a little bit too smooth to earn my trust.
Fred Thompson is one of my favorites. He speaks with authority, and what he says sounds well reasoned and generally wise. Unfortunately, he comes across as if his fire is a bit too regulated. Up against a bile-spitting democrat contender, who will cover their ineptitude with bald-faced lies, I am not certain Fred will sell as well as he needs to. I also would like to see Fred take a more direct stand on fixing the abortion affliction.
Ron Paul has many good things to say, and conservative may be hard-pressed to disagree with too much of it. Unfortunately, he does not seem to comprehend the idea that in this modern day and age, it is extremely important that we make our defensive stand well away from our shores. Ron also seems to have attracted certain folks to his camp, such as those who are incensed that the likes of Alan Keyes, Barack Obama, and Joe Lieberman are allowed to hold public office.
Rudy Giuliani has proven to be an effective leader. You cannot deny that he did a great job cleaning up New York, making it a better place to live and work. He also did a good job after the terrorist attacks, and whether you like him or not, he put a good hard face on the city for the world to see. There is just a lot of liberal social baggage on his cart though, and I do not want my President to be fighting me on moral principles.
If you're interested, ontheissues.org has collected short statements from Keyes and Cox.
Last month I noted that California Secretary of State Debra Bowen had published, way back on November 29, 2007, the "Official Certified List of Candidates" for this Tuesday's election. As a reminder, the 11 Republican candidates on the ballot are as follows:
Sam Brownback John H. Cox Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter Alan Keyes John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Fred Thompson
What I didn't mention at the time was that the certified list also included websites for the various candidates. I figured I'd visit these websites and get a feel for what the candidates (or, at least those candidates who have not withdrawn from the race) are saying.
Saturday, January 19, 2008 "Today we end this campaign"
We started this campaign a year ago right here, in San Diego Harbor, against the backdrop of American Naval power. We launched a campaign emphasizing a strong national defense, enforceable borders and restoring the industrial base of America.
Today we end this campaign. The Nevada caucuses reflecting only 2% of the vote for me. I ran the campaign exactly the way I wanted to, and at this point not being able to gain traction in conservative states of Nevada and South Carolina, it's time to allow our volunteers and supporters to focus on the campaigns that remain viable.
It's time for me to gear up for 2008's defense bill that will be put together over the coming weeks. There is work to be done in the areas of troop protection and new capabilities to be deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And over the horizon, the emergence of Communist China as a military super power will require a new emphasis on U.S. capabilities in undersea warfare, space, and long range air-power....
McCain Gets Two Major Endorsements From Gov. Schwarzenegger and Mayor Giuliani
The underlying theme is interesting. Note the use of the "Governor" and "Mayor" (i.e., not Washington) titles. Apparently the maverick chafes at his Washington establishment role.
Yes, it reflects Paul's monetary policy, and yes it's a subliminal tweak at Mitt Romney's continuous Olympic references. But I'm starting to think that Paul and Huckabee are competing for IRS Commissioner, not President.
Uh oh. Sounds too much like "Big Mo" to me. Perhaps Romney's running for Vice President. And to be fair, the second message on his home page refers to his economic stimulus plan.
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
Well, if I were basing my vote on the strength and...um...gravitas of the home page message, I'd vote for Duncan Hunter in a heartbeat. His home page message wasn't glib soundbite, a list of a bunch of links, or a fundraising plea, but instead stated Hunter's beliefs about our country.
However, all of the candidates except Brownback submitted candidate statements. Here are excerpts from the six candidates who, as far as I know, are still actively in the race.
Huckabee:
I am running for President because I believe that the American dream is still alive, and right now our country needs a leader who can lift the nation up and optimistically address the challenges we will face.
Cox:
The past 20 years have seen only Bushes and a Clinton as President. During that span, our government has added trillions of debt, failed to reform a broken tax system, failed to fix Social Security and Medicare, failed to deal with illegal immigration, watched health care costs explode, done nothing for education but spend money with few results. We have turned over control of government to the corrupt who make money from public service while selling out our principles and piling more debt on our children. If you are tired of these failures, I suggest you support my candidacy for President.
Paul:
I am Dr. Ron Paul, the champion of the Constitution.
McCain:
I believe our nation’s best days are ahead and remain committed to an America with a strong national defense, a smaller, more accountable government, and a robust economy.
Romney:
I am running for President because I want future generations to live in an America that is safe and prosperous and free.
Keyes:
The sovereignty of the American people is being destroyed. To address this crisis we must restore our moral sovereignty, beginning with the truth that all people are endowed by God with certain unalienable rights, starting with the right to life itself.
One of the reasons that I rarely refer to my employer by name is because, as far as my employer is concerned, I am not an official spokesperson for said employer. While I have spoken on behalf of my employer on occasion, it has been in very limited circumstances. I am certainly not authorized to speak for my employer in any and all circumstances, and the few of you who know who my employer is are very well aware that there's been a lot of news going on here lately - news which all employees have been officially instructed to keep mum about.
So you can guess where my employer stands on this whole Web 2.0/social networking thingie.
Needless to say, other companies have embraced social networking more closely. Or, perhaps it's accurate to say that PORTIONS of other companies have embraced social networking more closely.
A good portion of my readers are aware of the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). OTN has taken the lead in evangelizing use of various social networking technologies with people outside of Oracle, ranging from footing the bar bill at blogger meetups to setting up several networks to allow those interested in all things Oracle to communicate with each other.
Yet it's helpful to remember that we (or at least I) don't know what's going on inside of Oracle's hallways, and what type of resistance is being found within. Justin Kestelyn's recent post on the internal "Marketing 2.0 Leaders Summit" hints at the obvious - the number of Oracle employees who have fully embraced these types of two-way interactions is somewhat less than 100%.
I was pleased to have an opportunity to meet Charles Phillips, who took the time to speak with each group individually about their learnings. It was also nice to hear acknowledgment that OTN has been on the leading edge in this area for some time, and that it's time for the rest of the organization to catch up.
This demonstrates a truth about organizational behavior. Even if you have enthusiastic proponents such as Kestelyn (plus Jake, Julio, Marius, et al), and even if you have influential sponsors such as Phillips, you cannot change an entire organization overnight.
We're proud to announce our strategic alliance with a company known for reliability. A subdivision of the historic Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, NTT America is part of an organization capable of restoring power to an entire nation in the wake of devastating natural disasters.
Verio continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT America.
At the end of 2005, the backbone and some dedicated hosting centers moved to NTT America, with the web hosting business staying with Verio.
The Last Podcast, which is also skeptical that this hosting deal is the necessary prelude to an investment deal, says the following:
Now the next part of the rumors were that this will be the lead-in for an announcement of Twitter’s acquisition by NTT or at least some form of investment by NTT. I don’t think there is a necessary link between the choice of host and any other announcement, so I am still on the fence about this rumor.
Here is for hoping that the service will become more stable thanks to this move and all the other infrastructure work the team at Twitter is putting into this. I hear there is an important football game coming up this weekend. Might be a good way of testing the system.
Are you a superbowl ad critic? Of course you are, everyone is. Even if you don’t watch the superbowl, those pervasive ads will end up in YouTube, Digg, and your cousins blog and your best friends Facebook profile. Tired of others choosing which one was the funniest/stupidist/biggest waste of time? Well this year, you can rate your own superbowl ads using Twitter, and see what everyone else in Twitter thinks too.
Owyang has set up the Twitter account @superbowlads and is encouraging people to follow and reply to this account, using the "commercial name/stars" format. Here are some examples:
“@superbowlads That Pepsi commercial was funny 4 stars”
“@superbowlads The Hillary Clinton advertisement was bunko 2 stars”
“@superbowlads Bud-wise-er, that was so 10 years ago, weak. 1 star”
Twitter will once again display [its] uncanny ability to seize the momentum of an event and act as a conversation ecosystem. Remember, this isn't mass communication, it's niche communication. It's less important that there are millions of conversations going on about both the game and the Ads—what's important is that for thousands of people, their behavior has been altered. Instead of passively sitting in front of a TV cheering on the game or laughing at the Ads, many of us will actively be tapping away at mobile devices—texting away and connecting with people from all over the globe.
But what does this indicate about us?
[A]s you are watching the game tomorrow (or just pretending to watch). Look at the people around the room. How many of them will be fiddling with some kind of mobile device? Yeah—phone calls count too. Point is that tomorrow will most likely be an interesting case study for partial attention. One eye on the game, another on conversations in the room and for some, yet another on remote conversations.
As long-time readers know, I often refer to blog posts by John at True Discernment and Clifford at Red Stick Rant. While I don't necessarily agree 100% with John, I do understand his desire to highlight apostasy in various churches that call themselves Christian. Similarly, Clifford often decries things that occur in that organization that he calls The Episcopal Church(tm).
Well, I ran across an Episcopal story from John, rather than Clifford, a few minutes ago. While my reaction was slightly different, I am in complete agreement with John that the service described by the Los Angeles Times has nothing to do with Christianity.
Perhaps my reaction to the article will be better explained when you understand what I was doing before I read the article. Earlier this morning, I was at church with my wife. My wife is in the Altar Guild, and she was preparing the elements for tomorrow's Holy Communion. Coincidentally, I will be serving Holy Communion tomorrow. So this will help you understand my point (though I thoroughly agree with John's point in his blog post).
Hindu nun Pravrajika Saradeshaprana, dressed in a saffron robe, blew into a conch shell three times, calling to worship Hindu and Episcopal religious leaders who joined Saturday to celebrate an Indian Rite Mass at St. John's Cathedral near downtown.
The rare joint service included chants from the Temple Bhajan Band of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and a moving rendition of "Bless the Lord, O My Soul" sung by the St. John's choir.
Here's what bent John out of shape:
During the service, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, issued a statement of apology to the Hindu religious community for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination by Christians, including attempts to convert them....
The bishop...said he was committed to renouncing "proselytizing" of Hindus. Bruno had been scheduled to read the statement himself, but a death of a close family friend prevented him from attending the service.
Swami Sarvadevananda, of Vedanta Society of Southern California, was among about a dozen Hindu leaders honored during the service. He called Bruno's stance "a great and courageous step" that binds the two communities.
"By declaring that there will be no more proselytizing, the bishop has opened a new door of understanding," Sarvadevananda said. "The modern religious man must expand his understanding and love of religions and their practices."
John rightly pointed out that Bruno pretty much removed Mark 16:15 out of his Bible with that statement. (This is Mark's version of the Great Commission, which is of course also found in Matthew.)
But, possibly due to what I was doing earlier today, I was more struck with what followed the apology. First, I will quote the article as originally written:
All were invited to Holy Communion, after the Episcopal celebrant elevated a tray of consecrated Indian bread, and deacons raised wine-filled chalices.
In respect to Hindu tradition, a tray of flowers was also presented. Christians and Hindus lined up for communion, but since Orthodox Hindus shun alcohol, they consumed only the bread.
Now, let me note the subsequent clarification that the Los Angeles Times offered:
An article in Sunday's California section about a joint religious service involving Hindus and Episcopalians said that all those attending the service at St. John's Cathedral in Los Angeles were invited to Holy Communion. Although attendees walked toward the Communion table, only Christians were encouraged to partake of Communion. Out of respect for Hindu beliefs, the Hindus were invited to take a flower. Also, the article described Hindus consuming bread during Communion, but some of those worshipers were Christians wearing traditional Indian dress.
Note the statement "some," which implies that some Hindus did consume bread during Communion.
Now it's my turn to quote from Scripture. First, consider the lilies - whoops, I mean whatever flowers the Hindus had - in light of I Corinthians 10:14-21:
14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
So I ask, what place do flowers dedicated to pagan gods have in a supposedly Christian service of Holy Communion?
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
This, incidentally, is why my denomination (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) practices "close communion" (a/k/a "closed communion"), and does not encourage everyone willy-nilly to come up to the altar.
And I'm "proud" to say that this story has a local angle also, as the Los Angeles Times points out:
During the service, the two faiths also blended practices during the handling of an icon of Jesus.
The Rev. Karen MacQueen, an associate priest at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pomona, who was the celebrant, carried the icon, a large painted image, during the procession. She placed it before the altar.
Then, as she and the others knelt before the icon, a second Hindu band, Adoration Chant Band, sang a hymn while the icon was anointed with sandalwood paste by the Episcopal celebrant. A flowered garland was placed on it and a lamp was lighted, a sign of Christ, the light in the darkness
Both Hindu and Christian texts were read.
In her homily, "A Vision for Inter-Religious Dialogue," MacQueen said in both Hinduism and Christianity devotees believe that "the Divine Presence" illuminates the whole world.
MacQueen, who spent two years studying Hinduism in India, said both faiths revere "great figures who embody the divine light, who teach the divine truth."
For Christians, Jesus preeminently embodies the divine light, she said. For Hindus, she said a number of figures embody the divine light and teach the divine truth.
Jesus is the focus of our journey. We regard him as the embodiment of the lovingkindness of God, and of God’s passion for mercy, justice, and peace. We strive to live out Jesus’ teaching, and to enter into the relationship that Jesus has with God as “Abba”, as loving Father.
MacQueen has also stated the following in regard to the service:
Ms MacQueen said on Tuesday, “The Christians were invited to receive holy communion. The Hindus were invited to receive a flower from a tray of flowers that had been placed on the altar.
“The Times reporter became confused by the large number of Indian Christians present who were dressed in traditional Indian garb, and who received communion.
“As one of the two priests giving out communion, I noticed that those I recognised as Hindus understood the invitation and received a flower.
“One has to understand how important this is for both Christians and Hindus. For Christians, we understand that holy communion is for the baptised. Hindus, especially religious leaders, do not want to be co-opted into a situation where they are expected to act as if they are Christians.”
Ms MacQueen said that she had worked very hard to get the trust of the many Hindu leaders who were guests at the service. “The trust would have been destroyed if these leaders had thought that I would invite or expect them to receive communion at a Christian mass,” she said.
Of course, this doesn't answer the question of why a joint Christian-Hindu service was even held in the first place. And I wonder how MacQueen feels about this:
Hindu extremists launched a spate of violent but meticulously planned attacks on Christians in Kanhdamal District, Orissa State, on 24 and 25 December 2007. A total of 95 churches were burnt to the ground, as well as 730 homes of Christians. In cases where a Christian ministry operated from rented premises owned by a Hindu, the attackers were careful not to damage the building, but took all the contents outside and set them on fire. The death toll is unknown at the time of writing, but taking into account all known cases of “arson, murder and assault” the violence was, in the words of the All India Christian Council, “the largest attack on the Christian community in the history of democratic India”.
Ah, she'd probably justify it because the evil Indian Christians were, heaven forbid, proselytizing. And why would Christians do that?
P.S. It should be fair to note that my own denomination has had its share of controversy over church services with non-Christians. See my previous blog post on this topic.
Forget everything that I ever said in my post Danzig with Fears in Disguise about the horrors of nuclear war and how they can penetrate a young person's psyche.
Consider the lyrics of the Ultravox song as is, as a sad set of lyrics about the loss of a relationship.
Now think about the heartbreaking nature of these lyrics and juxtapose them with a smiling woman, her male dancers, and a 21st century version of Lawrence Welk bubbles.
Novaspace does get one point for pointing to her eye at one point...as she smiles away.
I offered this comment at YouTube:
I take a perverse pleasure in this version of the song. Ignore the original video for the moment and think of the lyrics, sad about the end of a relationship. To juxtapose these lyrics with a smiling, dancing performance complete with dancers and 21st century Lawrence Welk bubbles is a thing of delight, kinda like the 2.0 version of Devo from a year or so back (with the difference, of course, that Ultravox didn't engineer this performance).
(Aside: my previous post about Dev2.0 and the involvement of some of the original Devo members in the project can be found here.)
A postscript. The title of this post refers to the blog Superfluous Juxtaposition, a Los Angeles blog which I used to read regularly but haven't lately. I just added it to my Google Reader feed.
Yes, it's that time of the year that I absolutely hate when the National Football League limits freedom of speech by forcing people who haven't paid the NFL to refrain from using the words "Super Bowl."
See my 2005 and 2004 posts on this restriction of freedom of expression.
And now the NFL is getting into the churches. While True Discernment sees the following story as a victory to keep non-Christian influences out of the sanctuary, I see it as a heavy-handed attempt by the NFL to prohibit freedom of assembly.
For years, as many as 200 members of Immanuel Bible Church and their friends have gathered in the church's fellowship hall to watch the Super Bowl on its six-foot screen. The party featured hard hitting on the TV, plenty of food -- and prayer.
But this year, Immanuel's Super Bowl party is no more. After a crackdown by the National Football League on big-screen Super Bowl gatherings by churches, the Springfield church has sacked its event. Instead, church members will host parties in their homes.
Immanuel is among a number of churches in the Washington area and elsewhere that have been forced to use a new playbook to satisfy the NFL, which said that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets violates the NFL copyright....
The Super Bowl, the most secular of American holidays, has long been popular among churches. With parties, prayer and Christian DVDs replacing the occasionally racy halftime shows, churches use the event as a way to reach members, and potential new members, in a non-churchlike atmosphere....
The NFL said, however, that the copyright law on its games is long-standing and the language read at the end of each game is well known: "This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL's consent is prohibited."
The league bans public exhibitions of its games on TV sets or screens larger than 55 inches because smaller sets limit the audience size. The section of federal copyright law giving the NFL protection over the content of its programming exempts sports bars, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
And why is the NFL doing this? Money.
Large Super Bowl gatherings around big-screen sets outside of homes shrink TV ratings and can affect advertising revenue, McCarthy said. "We have no objection to churches and others hosting Super Bowl parties as long as they . . . show the game on a television of the type commonly used at home," he said. "It is a matter of copyright law."
And now the churches are scared into submission, even about what they say:
To avoid attracting the ire of the NFL, some churches are even giving Super Bowl parties a more generic name. Broadfording Bible Brethren Church in Hagerstown will call its annual event the "Big Game Party."
So who's on the front lines, defending churches against these archaic copyright laws? None other than the Rutherford Institute:
John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, a Charlottesville civil liberties group that focuses on religious freedom issues, is threatening to sue the NFL on behalf of an Alabama church that wants to host a big-screen Super Bowl party. He is also seeking sponsors for federal legislation to exempt churches from the ban.
"It's ridiculous," Whitehead said. "You can go into these stores now and buy 100-inch screens. The law is just outdated."
Frankly, I don't agree with exempting churches from the 55 inch ban without exempting other people. I think the whole thing is stupid. It's not my church's problem if the NFL is unable to count viewers correctly.
Back in the time of the Old Testament, this group of people would have one god, while another group of people would have another god. Some people believe that the true revolution (or revelation) in Hebrew theology was the concept of a God who was God everywhere, even if you were in Egypt or Babylon.
Well, we have a god in California that many people worship. And it's not Ronald Reagan. It's Howard Jarvis.
Q. Why don't People's Advocate and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) join forces and merge together?
A. Each organization has different issues which it addresses as well as some common ones.
The Howard Jarvis organization was founded by Howard Jarvis in Los Angeles and People's Advocate was founded by Paul Gann in Sacramento. When Jarvis and Gann decided to take on Prop 13, the property tax initiative, they formed a coalition but retained their own autonomy. Although they worked very closely together to push Prop 13 into law, they were nevertheless separate organizations working toward one goal: to reduce the property taxes of property owners. Prior to the joint venture, such a enormous undertaking by just one organization would not have been possible. After that historic effort, they never saw any reason to amalgamate the two organizations. In fact, they both believed they could better serve the taxpayers as separate entities. Since that time both Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann have died but their organizations live on as extremely effective keepers of the beleaguered tax payer.
HJTA continues to focus primarily on Prop 13. People's Advocate -- while continuing to protect Prop 13 anytime a threat is made-- works to educate our members on public policy, and also has worked on other issues as well. See Our History page.
Although People's Advocate and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have similar aims, we believe, as did Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Gann, the two organizations can better serve the taxpayer by remaining separate so as to allow for more varied policy options. It is more important to have as many groups as possible fighting taxes and government waste so the movement will retain widespread notoriety and strike fear into the minds of public officials everywhere. With several groups studying the problems we face, more diversity and ingenuity will inevitably surface.
Rest assured, those of us with common goals unite when the cause requires it.
Just in case you didn't catch it in the comments, Biz Stone responded to my post on the January 30-31 #twittout. You'll recall that my earlier post asked the following:
Does Twitter have a customer advisory board that is under non-disclosure and can provide an external evaluation of Twitter's plans, both for scalability and for monetization?
Thanks for your comments. In fact, Twitter does have a group called "Friends of Twitter" which we run various ideas by--mostly in the form of features or changes to the way Twitter works for feedback. We also have an advisory board--all of which are Twitter users.
We spend a good deal of time reading blogs like yours, we read every email that comes into support, we read the comments on our own blog, and we engage with users directly in our forums at Get Satisfaction. We also have a developers group and a developers blog.
Twitter employees engage personally with our community at meetups (tweetups) locally and when we travel and we make time to speak with people about Twitter whenever we are invited to participate in conferences around the world.
Indeed, we spend a good deal of time listening to what other people are saying and suggesting. So far, I'd say paying attention to feedback from users has been the most important factor in our success.
I couldn't find out a lot about the "Friends of Twitter" (now THAT sounds Clintonesque, but I digress). Of course, due to the nature of the group, you probably SHOULDN'T find out a lot about them. But I found an intriguing reference to "friends of twitter" in some notes taken by Sean Bohan at an April 2007 panel discussion in which Biz Stone was on the panel. It appears that the name of the panel was "Building awesome websites and services using the power of happy users." Here's the relevant excerpt (participants are Ted Rheingold, Josh Schacter, and Biz Stone):
TR - do you have cust part of a special group to go to ?
JS - yahoo group where people sign up and they talk to them - will toss out stuff, ideas, very user facing - try to get diff viewpoints pretty helpful nice
active when he was runngn things alone
couple people good thermometers some who use flickr as utility - will use as blogs - serious amateurs or hobbyist photogs def certain people to go to common pattern where people sign up and add a photo or two and dont come back for months some learn to love it - where the bumps are on that path - take analytic approaches for state of users, 2x week or once every 3 months really really hard
listening solely to the people who love it
weird or confusing - flickr terminology ones who are willing to speak already love it
BS - do the analytics too do a friends of twitter group - who can release a halfbaked feature on for feedback have an non trad feedback loop
According to one source, the move to Verio wasn’t related to issues with Joyent, but due to a yet to be disclosed investment from Japanese telco NTT, who are also the full owners of Verio. They did not provide the amount of the investment or terms, but they suggested it was finalized at the same time the Digital Garage investment was announced. Apparently it had been a done deal for months prior to that, hence the talk that Twitter had been planning a move away from Joyent for months. The Digital Garage deal was announced January 16, so presuming reasonable preparations before that, 15 days after signing to make the move is a reasonable enough time frame.
Frankly, I'm doubtful. If I had planned such a move for months, I wouldn't be praising my business partner the day before I dumped it.
I've already referred to Stowe Boyd's line about the Microsoft-Yahoo merger. Here is the entire paragraph from which I quoted:
Personally, I think the Microsoft and Yahoo matchup is like two tired swimmers who bump into each other and then wind up drowning each other in their scramble to survive. But Yahoo will be the first to go under in this embrace.
I'm just kind of absorbing everything at the moment, but regarding your comment and Euan's comment about Microsoft itself, my first impression is that I wouldn't necessarily classify Microsoft as a tired swimmer or an old star just yet.
Microsoft is still the company that we love to hate (sorry, Apple), primarily because they continue to recover from their mistakes and return with an adapted technological vision. They have adapted themselves several times over the years, addressing new markets, new competitors, and national governments.
Regardless of whether Microsoft acquires Yahoo and fails with its newly acquired group, acquires Yahoo and succeeds with it, or fails to acquire Yahoo, I suspect that Microsoft will continue to thrive in some form or another.
Exxon and IBM have managed to survive over the years, and I suspect that Microsoft will survive also.
However, my view seems to be in the minority.
Many other people are visualizing Microsoft as the tired old proprietary company. Boyd himself updated his blog post to link to Jeff Jarvis. This is what he said:
It’s appropriate...that Yahoo is being [sought] by what one could say is the last old technology company, Microsoft. For Microsoft still operates on a model of control: closed in an open era....
Will this be big enough to beat Google? No, because big won’t win in the end. Open will.
For Microsoft, this move is a final admission of the utter failure of the company’s effort to build an online business for itself over the past decade — in services, advertising or content. Winning Yahoo would surely bolster Microsoft in this area in the short term. But in the long term, these efforts at lashing together two failures in hopes of sparking a success have never prospered. For Google, the target of Redmond’s chess move, there is really no danger here.
But it turns out that I'm not the only person who is bullish on Microsoft for the long term.
We are on a good path with our existing search and advertising product roadmaps. To date, we have made progress in our organic online services and advertising efforts, and by joining with Yahoo!, we will take the next step toward becoming a major search destination and social platform for consumers....
Through our recent acquisitions of aQuantive and Tellme, we understand what it takes to successfully integrate new talent, assets, and infrastructure into our company. Leaders from both Microsoft and Yahoo! will work together closely on the integration process to ensure that we are thoughtful about the questions we ask and the decisions we make. As we move forward, we’ll look carefully at how to bring our assets together to create the greatest value for customers, employees, and shareholders.
It’s the fear that Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets might someday take marketshare away from Office that I think was driving this deal.
Sad thing? I still own Microsoft stock, which went down today on the news. But I think that long-term this is a good deal for Microsoft’s shareholders too. With one caveat: Microsoft and Yahoo employees need to work together to create value, not destroy it. That’s going to be pretty tough since the cultures of the two companies aren’t a total fit....
Microsoft has a world-class advertising sales team and this gives that team a ton of new inventory to sell.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to "Never under estimate Microsoft...". Microsoft seems to be one of the companies that when others have written it off, it just bounces back and has always been able to re-invent itself.
You see, I suspect that I had heard about Bacon Salt (discussed in the "Salt of the Earth" post) from Dethroner, who discusses all things bacon.
Well, they have a new product (actually, a very old product) that they're discussing, which is the perfect complement to "Cheeseburger in a Can" (subject of the top post).
Before it was popped open, its insides splayed out for the world to see, this was one of the last known samples of Canned Sliced Bacon (Product of Hungary). This particular can was about twenty years old, but the bacon inside was still as fresh as a New Jersey breeze.
There is a picture of a can with the label "Celebrity Sliced Bacon." And yes, it is a product of Hungary. (Or is that Hungry?)
Watch this site [canned-bacon.com] for an announcement on the next generation of canned bacon - produced in Ohio under direct license from MREwholesalers.com, the exclusive importers of Red Feather Canned Australian Cheddar Cheese and Red Feather New Zealand Canned Creamery Butter.
Pastor Kevin quoted N.T. Wright: "The ascended Lord is the one who disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed... the result is reckless adoration."
My Motorola Q holster broke a few days ago, and I had to order a new one, which I ordered online.
I received the following notification yesterday:
We thought you’d like to know that we shipped your items today, and that this competes your order.
Competes instead of completes? In a canned message that is going to many people? That's odd.
Or perhaps it was intentional. If so, I fully expect to get the following notification today:
Hello, this is the Blue Team. We thought you'd like to know that WE shipped your items today via next day air. This competes your order, so when the other slowpokes on the Red Team finally get their stuff to you via ground shipment, simply refuse it.
Of course, this will spark the following notification:
We thought you'd like to know that we, the original Red Team that shipped your order, and who has been committed to your order longer than any other team, have upgraded your order in transit to be delivered by Virgin Galactic. Stand by to receive your order within minutes.
Of course, by this time team 2 will have to resort to negative campaigning:
The old Red Team has old ideas. Originally they shipped your order via ground service, the same service that is the preferred choice of deadly domestic terrorists such as "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski. The old team then flip-flopped, showing a lack of conviction. Don't accept their shipment.
Team 1 will then step in:
The Blue Team has made outrageous statements linking us with the Unabomber. That's the type of dirty campaign that Tricky Dicky Nixon would have employed. Don't bring Watergate back to your cellp hone holster.
I think that by this point, I'll change my email address.
All politics is not local
-
I write about ESRI in this blog on occasion - most recently, in March 2016.
And ESRI just made the news again - not a local news outlet, and not a geo
news...
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