Bold Words

Exploring how bold words can give life to bold ideas.

By The Power of Grey Skull August 15, 2007

Filed under: Film — Britt @ 9:11 am

Today’s post title comes from one of my new favorite movies. Ewan Spence recommended Hot Fuzz to me way back at SXSW, and few movies have made me laugh so hard. Since I’ve written several posts about my despair over the crap Hollywood insists on producing, the time seemed perfect to highlight a good movie that just happens to be British. (Note: I have a soft spot for British film and humor.)

Hot Fuzz combines several seemingly unconnected themes into one hilarious story. The movie starts with Sgt. Nicholas Angel, an over-achieving police officer with the Metropolitan Police. His arrest record is 400% higher than everyone else, making other officers look bad and resulting in his transfer to Sandford, the safest town in England.

The safest town ends up not particularly safe after a series of four murders mistaken for accidents. Shooting and mayhem ensue. I don’t know how they got any good takes and kept a straight face. I couldn’t quit laughing.

Not everyone will share my enthusiasm for Hot Fuzz. Bloody murders and shoot’em out scenes aside, the thread of humor running throughout the film, combined with a fabulous story, just clicked for me. Who hasn’t wished they could use shopping carts as a battering ram into the meat section?

Hot Fuzz breaks the mold of typical movies and tells a good story. My aggravation with many movies lies in the use of one cataclysmic event after another to move the story along. The action in Hot Fuzz follows a more traditional arc, closer to a mystery or an old Hollywood western. However, this arc actually requires you have a story to tell, so it’s not an option for most of the films floating around.

You may recognize some of the faces in Hot Fuzz from Shaun of the Dead. This earlier film did many of the same things as Hot Fuzz—it turned a particular genre, in this case a zombie film, on its head and told a good story. Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead show that you can make good, funny movies if you want to. For some reason, most Hollywood movie studios choose not to, and I fail to understand why. They’d be better off if they paid attention to Sgt. Angel and noticed that “the little hand says it’s time to rock and roll.” Shake things up and tell me a good story. I promise I’ll watch.

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Did You Keep Your Promise? August 14, 2007

Filed under: Promises — Britt @ 11:14 am

We played Jeopardy in my house a little different than other families. Instead of the traditional board-game version, we shook things up a bit—we raided our game of Laser Tag and used the guns to shoot the TV. First shot won, followed by a yelled answer in a crazy attempt to beat the on-screen contestants. For these memories alone, I’m grateful that Merv Griffin saw fit to import Alex Trebek into American living rooms. However, even more than the memories, I credit Jeopardy with sparking my eclectic knowledge collecting.

The more random or weird the information, the more excited I was to collect it. Jeopardy eventually went from being the reason to the excuse for why I collected chains of unrelated facts. Those facts, not too surprisingly, have come in handy for things like making first date conversation and writing blog posts. My fond memories of Jeopardy aside, I also admired Griffin for his lifelong success. Well-known for his long-running talk show, Griffin expanded his reach by developing and later selling both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, along with investments into real estate. (Link to full NYT’s piece.)

Griffin’s death this past weekend reminded me of something he said about promises, “If you make the customer a promise…make sure you deliver it.” (link) Based on his success, I’d venture to say he followed his own advice. Experience has shown that promises can be difficult for companies to fulfill. Companies like JetBlue have created a “customer bill of rights” after ugly public events. After announcing its intention to merge with Sirius Radio, XM Radio issued a customer promise. What if XM just delivered what its customers expected and paid for? Does that really require a published customer promise?

A door open for business, virtual or real, represents a promise that companies can’t take back, a promise to meet customers’ expectations. While I laud the idea that companies acknowledge they’ve made customers promises, it still feels a bit like lip service. And the words don’t matter if they aren’t backed up by action. What happened the last time you said, “I promise?” Did you follow through? If not, why?

The words, “I promise,” have been treated casually for a long time and meant more during the days that people did handshake deals versus calling in the attorneys. Maybe we ought to asks ourselves why we’re more concerned now with what happens before the deal rather than after. I believe companies would be required to issue fewer customer promises if they just did what they promised from the beginning rather than cleaning up the mess left behind.

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Gnomedex Recap August 13, 2007

Filed under: Gnomedex — Britt @ 1:16 pm

Flying home from Gnomedex last night, I contemplated all the conversations and presentations. I met some amazing people and enjoyed the presentation variety. As you can imagine, not everyone necessarily felt the same way, but the great thing about blogging is that anyone who cared enough got his or her opinion out there. In spite of recent trends, I think bloggers, and anyone else involved in “web 2.0″ (whatever that means), sometime undervalue what’s taking place—people who would otherwise never interact are finding each other and creating amazing communities.

Maybe it comes from my relative newness to the party, but I’m still impressed by how easy it is to write content and post it to the web. I’m even more excited by the people whose paths have crossed mine because of it. Part of me feels like it’s taken for granted, the other part wonders if I’ll reach a point where I’ll treat it with the same casualness.

One thing did seem to be missing from Gnomedex—I didn’t hear many conversations (doesn’t mean they didn’t happen) about making all the amazing things that were discussed accessible to a general audience. At times, discussions felt very inward focused. I was also amused by the surprised reactions when I shared that I didn’t live in either the Bay area or Seattle or back East. A very small number gave me the impression they weren’t sure how I expected to make a living if I didn’t relocate to one of technology’s Meccas. It was nice to change some minds. My final analysis? Gnomedex was unlike any other conference, tech or not, that I’ve attended. And I can’t wait to go back next year. Thanks again to Chris and Ponzi Pirillo for hosting an enlightening and entertaining event.

Comments?

 

Gnomedex: Ignite Seattle August 11, 2007

Filed under: Gnomedex — Britt @ 2:33 pm

Saturday morning at Gnomedex started a bit gloomy. Cali Lewis and her husband Neal, creaters of GeekBrief.tv, meant well but felt a bit flat. Although Neal’s humor, mostly unintentional, made for some high points. My favorite? Pointing out that his wife sweats a lot and the tech people needed to use a lot of tape to secure her microphone. Knowing that it was their first time speaking at an event, I’m willing to bet they’ll get better because they do have a good story.

Michael Linton added more content to the open source discussion, this time on the subject of money. Tris Hussey has saved me from making a fool of myself trying to explain Linton’s presentation with his thoughtful write up. My brief recap: money needs more transparency…I think.

By far, however, the best presentation(s) of the morning goes to Ignite Seattle. In a little under 45 minutes, seven presenters got on stage and blew away the audience. You could feel the energy in the room, something not common in all the presentations at Gnomedex.

Ignite Seattle defines itself as follows: “…a geek event that combines on-site geekery, sharing, and innovation (and drinking).” What I saw were focused, entertaining, and insightful takes on a wide range of topics (I’ve linked where I could to the particular individuals):

The frame for the presentations was simple: 20 slides + 15 seconds per slide = 5 minutes. The messages were succinct and powerful because the speakers knew they didn’t have time for the clutter that normally pops up in conferences. I know my posts can run long, so I’m always impressed when I see individuals share their ideas in a concise and informative way. I hope at some point the actual presentations pop up somewhere.

The verdict? Ignite Seattle saved Saturday morning at Gnomedex. Yeah!

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Gnomedex: Friday Afternoon August 11, 2007

Filed under: Gnomedex — Britt @ 9:51 am

Yes, yes, I know it’s know Saturday morning, and I’m getting this post up late. If you can forgive me, here a brief recap. Following the Bad Sinatra taping during lunch (I only caught the very end), Justin Kan from Justin.tv spoke for a short (very short) time about live streaming. The most exciting thing was the bidding from ad space on Justin’s camera hat. Jeremy Wright, CEO of b5 media, won the contest with a final bid of $750. It ended up the most interesting part of this particular presentation.

Opinions on live streaming vary. Personally, I’d be livid if someone was streaming me without my knowledge, particularly audio, as conversations can be taken out of context. Transparency practitioners, individual comfortable placing the details of their lives in front of the world, are less concerned with being caught on tape. To me, it feels a bit contradictory to promote permission-based systems but not understand the privacy issues issues of live streaming.

Following Justin, Ronni Bennett gave a fascinating presentation on the impact of aging and how it affects one’s ability to access the Internet. Very succinctly, she reminded us that we’ll all get old. Beyond the general application, I appreciated it for the insight it gives me into my grandparents. I provide tech support for their computers and have to been easily frustrated in times past when they don’t “get it.” I appreciated Ms. Bennett’s perspective and reminder that I won’t be young and dexterous forever.

Vanessa Fox took the stage next. Titled, Controlling Your Life 2.0, Vanessa led the most interesting conversation of the day. Controlling your information, and by default your brand, is tricky. Once the information is out there for the world to see, you can never take it back. One of the biggest conversations nodes settled around the topic of controlling/managing the tone of your blog. In essence, what kind of behavior do you promote with the content you’re producing? What does your tone provoke in readers?

A few comments raised the issue of women in technology and how privacy issues affect women differently. However, this part of the discussion stalled a bit and moved on to another area. I’m relatively new to the tech world in the sense of attending conferences and whatnot. I’ve worked with developers on and off for the last seven years, and for the most part, have enjoyed those projects and relationships. But part of me knows that I’m not viewed in the same light as the guys. I adjust my work behavior to mesh better and ignore (mostly) cracks aimed at women in general. I need to give some more thought to the subject.

The final speaker of the day, Jason Calacanis, started out great with the subject of the Internet’s environmental disaster but managed to rile a few conference attendees about a third of the way through—he started talking about his own project, Mahalo. Claiming status as the first human-powered search engine, Mahalo apparently works alongside other search engines, validating the quality of the algorithm results—I think. Chris Pirillo twittered the excellent point that how would get his parents to use Mahalo instead of just Google. Dave Winer shouted down that Jason’s battle against spam was a joke given that he was spamming the audience with his business.  Jason was pretty deflated after that exchange.

The evening ended with a great party at the Seattle Aquarium. Thanks to Ponzi Pirillo for organizing such a fun event.

The highlight of this trip has definitely been meeting new people. I also can’t forget my dinner with my new BFF, Chris Brogan. The conversations have been amazing, and I’ll be a bit sad to head home Sunday. I’ll be back with more about Saturday’s speakers. Have a lovely Saturday.

Comments?

 

Gnomedex: Friday Morning August 10, 2007

Filed under: Gnomedex — Britt @ 2:10 pm

Robert Steele opened Gnomedex, and based on some of the Twitters I read, wasn’t greeted with open arms by all. I’d venture a guess that the audience was more Democratic leaning rather than Steele’s more libertarian viewpoint. I know very little about Mr. Steele, but his address spoke about technology through the lens of politics. My too simple synopsis is shamed by Tris Hussey’s great write up of Steele’s presentation. He does a much better job than I could manage given I got here late.

I also noticed that tech bloggers are frustrated by a political presentation at Gnomedex. My take? The tech world ignores politics at its own peril. I do appreciate technology’s agnostic approach to most subjects. However, the tentacles of government will not leave technology alone, and hoping that the Internet will simply adapt to government intervention isn’t necessarily a plan.

Darren Barefoot followed, and I’m learning I stink at live blogging. So I’ve given up attempting to live blog. Anyway, Barefoot  combined a fantastic sense of humor with a great message. In essence, I came away thinking that action can accomplish things that money alone cannot. I also never knew that Canadians were happier than Americans.

The final speaker before lunch was Guy Kawasaki. Giving the audience a couple of topics to choosing from, Guy settled on evangelism. The key take aways included create something great and don’t let the bozos drag you down. Before hearing him speak, I was undecided what I thought about him. He had this amazing history with Apple and advancing evangelism, but then he launched Truemors this year, not a service I’m particularly enamored with. I’m happy to say that the former is much more applicable than the latter. He was engaging and focused, clearly a believer of what he’s promoting.

Lunch was fabulous, and I had a great conversation with Jason Harris and Josh Bancroft. Jason is a first timer too, like me, and Josh is on his third Gnomedex. Probably the best part of Gnomedex has been all the amazing people I’ve met. Everyone has been so friendly. I also have to point out that it’s not bad being one for the few women at a tech-oriented conference. It means no lines for the bathroom, a rarity at any large gathering.

Comments?

 

Kicking Off Gnomedex August 9, 2007

Filed under: Gnomedex — Britt @ 11:00 pm

Tonight I attended the Gnomedex registration party and had a blast. Kudos to Rachel for recommending Gnomedex last spring. I had some amazing conversations and met some incredibly interesting people:

Chris Brogan: My new BFF started the evening off with bang and asked what cause I’d be willing to fall on my sword for. That’s definitely not a conversation starter I’ve ever heard before. It led to a great discussion about privacy.

Dave (from Emma) Delaney: Dave entertained with his stories of working in a house in Nashville with a screen door and a porch. Alas, the company’s grown enough they’ll have to move soon. He was kind enough to compare favorably my sketch of me to Emma’s. He also shared details about the Nashville Barcamp coming up next weekend (August 18).

Todd Martini: I had the pleasure of chatting with Todd on a wide range of subjects, from living in Seattle (probably can’t, I don’t like seafood), to being an Italian named “Todd.” His company, Alex’s Coupons, is doing great things for children with cancer too.

John Blue: I was surprised to learn that John and his company are doing podcasts targeted at the agricultural industry. My family farms, and while my dad can’t go a day without checking his email, I not sure he’s familiar with podcasts. However, it sounds like John’s group has hit the right balance.

Identity Woman aka Kaliya Hamlin: Kaliya shared the cool story about a community rallying around its local, family-owned grocery story after a union came around making noises about boycotting(?) the store. She helped the store create a blog to tell its story. Thanks for the tip about outside.in.

Karin Klein: A truly charming individual, Karin was very enjoyable to talk to whenever I ran into her throughout the evening.

Jon Staenberg: My first official meeting of a VC (yes, I’m a newbie) was fascinating. Unfortunately, he only got to attend this evening’s event.

Vanessa Fox: Vanessa gave her first had account of winning Werewolf last night. She also had some great insight into maximizing local ads. I’m embarrassed to say that it took me a second to place her. Sigh. I’ll figure out where everybody goes—eventually.

I think that’s most everyone, at least everyone I got a card from or remember names of. All in all, I had a great time and can’t wait for things to get started in the morning.

Comments?

 

What Happened to Please and Thank You? August 9, 2007

Filed under: bold words — Britt @ 2:43 pm

I’ve just arrived in Seattle for the Gnomedex conference. The biggest thing to stand out so far is the courtesy, or more accurately lack of courtesy, from fellow travelers. Given this trip is my first to Seattle, I was surprised at how strongly I felt about writing on the issue. Not that it hasn’t been commented on before, but when exactly did people become so rude? Do saying “please” and “thank you” require that much effort? I probably wouldn’t have been as irritated if not for two passengers seated next to and in front of me on my flight.

Already in my aisle seat, the lady who had the window seat boarded with some odd shaped package, which would never fit in the overheard of a full-size plane, let alone our smaller aircraft. She didn’t give me an opportunity to stand and make way for her. Instead, she tossed her package and purse across me and into the seat, then proceeded to force her way between my legs and the seat back, making for some very undesired contact with a perfect stranger.

My sardonic, “Sorry,” was airily brushed aside as she plopped into the seat next to me. She then proceeded to wedge her purse between the two of us without a word. I’m not sure she’d have moved it if the attendant hadn’t commented. Her odd-shaped package was shoved under the seat in front of me, clearly taking up more than her allotted space. With a straight face, she asked me if she’d left enough room. I didn’t even know where to begin. How to you take someone to task who doesn’t even realize she’s crossed the line? We spent the rest of the flight jockeying for position on the center armrest, neither of us saying a word.

The gentleman in front of me was the typical air traveler who believes that he can take as much space on the airplane as he wants. He shoved bags into two separate overhead bins, both behind him, to ensure a pleasant deplaning experience for all. I had placed my bag in the overhead directly above my seat. Unbeknown to me until I replaced an item in my bag, he had shoved it backwards to make room for his. I seriously contemplated throwing his bag on his head. Instead, anxious to get to Seattle, I controlled my wilder impulses and simply did a little shoving of my own to relocate my bag to its original spot. Petty? Hell yes, but at that point I was so taken aback, I’m claiming the devil made me do it.

I suspect this behavior wouldn’t have been as noticeable if not for the absolutely stellar service and courtesy I received from Horizon Airlines and Inn at the Market, my new favorite home away from home. Horizon Airlines’ staff, both on ground and in the air were friendly, helpful, and service-oriented, a direct contrast to previous flight experiences on other airlines. I haven’t had an airline offer me more treats or beverages than Horizon in the last five years. There were zero calls for “correct change” because they didn’t charge for anything. Even more fascinating, all passengers were offered a refill of their beverage as the attendants made their way back down the aisle. We actually left on time and arrived early. When was the last time that happened to you?

When I arrived in Seattle my taxi deposited me at the hotel where a helpful attendant directed me to the front desk. I wish I could remember her name, but the lady who checked me in assured me my room was ready, here were my keys, and the information for my free wi-fi access. Welcome to Seattle.

Like all the other words we’ve treated poorly, “please” and “thank you” make a huge difference, particularly when they are meant. I remember the people who make that little effort, and I’m impressed when people in positions of authority practice this courtesy. John Wanamaker, a well-known businessman and later the Postmaster General, made the point that, “Courtesy is the one coin you can never have too much of or be stingy with.” (link)

Repeat after me, “Courtesy, literally, costs you nothing.” Wouldn’t civilization be a little bit nicer if we heard “please” and “thank you” more often?

Comments?

 

McDonald’s Even Makes Carrots Taste Better August 8, 2007

Filed under: Branding, experts — Britt @ 8:16 am

Growing up, I ate plenty of Happy Meals, seduced by the little piece of plastic made in Taiwan included with the meal. I didn’t give much thought to the food. But apparently I didn’t realize the strong pull of advertising directed my way. Researchers have found that pre-schoolers recognized and based food likes on their familiarity with the Golden Arches. In essence, researchers proved, yet again, that young kids are susceptible to branding messages.

The study, funded by Stanford University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, included three different foods available at McDonald’s, plus milk, juice, and carrots. Kids were given two sets of food. One set was presented in the recognizable McDonald’s wrapper. The second set was presented in unmarked packaging. The results (I think you know where this is going) showed that every time a child was presented with the food wrapped in the McDonald’s brand, it beat the plainly wrapped food. The research also found only two of the 63 children in the study had never eaten at McDonald’s and that a third went there once a week.

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin.

For several years now, the experts have loudly debated the impact of advertising on children. This study seems to confirm the fears of those advocating against child-focused advertising:

“You see a McDonald’s label and kids start salivating,” said Diane Levin, a childhood development specialist who campaigns against advertising to kids. (link)

And if you can imagine, advocates feel enough isn’t being done to protect children:

Dr. Victor Strasburger, author of an American Academy of Pediatrics policy urging limits on marketing to children, said…”Advertisers have tried to do exactly what this study is talking about—to brand younger and younger children, to instill in them an almost obsessional desire for a particular brand-name product.”

While I don’t advocate turning children into brand robots, I can’t help but wonder who is driving those children to McDonald’s. And even older children have to get money from somewhere if they’ve ventured to McDonald’s on their own. Every time I hear the arguments against advertising to children, I’m surprised they don’t mention cutting off advertising to unsuspecting parents. Given that the study was a question of branding’s power:

Pradeep Chintagunta, a University of Chicago marketing professor, said a fairer comparison might have gauged kids’ preferences for the McDonald’s label vs. another familiar brand, such as Mickey Mouse.

“I don’t think you can necessarily hold this against” McDonald’s, he said, since the goal of marketing is to build familiarity. (link)

No doubt, outside sources impact our individual decisions. But have we reached a point where we’re willing to limit speech with the intent of protecting children? How many programs have started with the intent of protecting children and slowly expanded into protecting adults from themselves? I propose that educating, both children and adults, can do as much if not more good, than simply protecting. At some point in their young lives, children will be exposed to advertising, regardless of any limitations placed on producers of “dangerous” things. Don’t children deserve to be equipped with the basic knowledge that explains branding’s power “to instill in them an almost obsessional desire for a particular brand-name product?”

Comments?

 

Uncle Sam Wants to Know Your Shoe Size August 7, 2007

Filed under: Government, Propoganda, Rhetoric — Britt @ 9:31 am

I take national security seriously, but apparently not as seriously as the U.S. Congress. Driving to a business meeting yesterday, I was stunned to hear that Congress has bent over like Gumby for the president and extended warrantless wiretapping and seizure. Steve Hodson has an excellent write-up about the situation that explores a bit of the law and the blogosphere’s reaction (or really, lack of reaction) to it. Via the Threat Level blog that Steve quotes in his piece, Ryan Singal lays out the situation:

A new law expanding the government’s spying powers gives the Bush Administration a six-month window to install possibly permanent back doors in the nation’s communication networks. The legislation was passed hurriedly by Congress over the weekend and signed into law Sunday by President Bush.

The bill, known as the Protect America Act, removes the prohibition on warrantless spying on Americans abroad and gives the government wide powers to order communication service providers such as cell phone companies and ISPs to make their networks available to government eavesdroppers.

I’m in total agreement with Steve. Who honestly believes that once these powers are granted they’ll every be taken back? Sigh. Any time the government starts acting like my mother, I worry. Politicians must believe that Americans no longer pay attention to what they are doing in Washington. Otherwise, what politician in their right mind would pass such a shoddy piece of legislation? I’d also love to hear the rationalization for why Congress’s approval rating on they’re handling of the Iraq war is at 3% if they believe we don’t notice what they’re doing in Washington. (link) Talk about an example of non-bold thinking.

On a slightly different note, the passage of this law reminded me of two earlier posts I wrote, The Illusion of Safety and Bold Words Used for Bad. We’re told that laws that continue to nudge at our personal freedoms are about protecting us and that we’ll be safe if we just trust other people who know better to look out for us. Benjamin Franklin said, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” (link) What is your safety worth to you? What happens when they go from demanding you remove your shoes to fly on a plane to requiring a strip search? Perhaps I’m exaggerating, but it’s worked so well for the government, why not for me too?

To borrow a line from Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I question how many of our leaders subscribe to this thinking.

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