It isn’t every day that I get to do the “I Told You So” (ITYS) dance twice. Remember some months ago when I ranted about the release of the Apple iPhone and iPod touch API being a clear and present danger to major wireless carriers? Remember? Remember when [...]
“Everything is relative”
Okay, okay, context is important. Like much of the country, Crested Butte has been getting pounded by winter storms for the couple of weeks. In fact, I can only remember two days out of the last 14 that it didn’t snow. Yesterday, we woke up to 18 inches [...]
Ran across this on Technorati’s State of the Blogshere. It is a good read and has some interesting demo and revenue data. The thing that just jumped out at me was this quote:
Whether or not a brand has launched a social media strategy, more likely than not, it’s already [...]
Strike
Yes, I’m still bitter that Mike beat me at our impromptu Lucky Strike outing by less than six pins. Check out the swagger.
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Via Greg Sterling, Dynamic Logic research shows consumer reaction to ads in various media. Perhaps surprisingly, consumers are a lot more amenable to ads in traditional media than new, and newspapers are at the top of the heap with 42% of respondents having a “somewhat positive” view of [...]
I discovered the Wall Street Journal’s Blackberry app via Silicon Alley Insider a few weeks ago, but I waited a while before posting a note on it to see if it’s the real deal. It is.
It’s a great, utilitarian way to browse the Journal, and it’s free. Not sure [...]
I am. Drop me a line if you want to get together to compare notes, hear about Maroon Ventures’ schemes for world domination or just get caffeinated …
I’ll be participating in the Optimize and Monetize panel on Friday, Sept. 12 from 2:30 to 3:45. Here’s [...]
Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo
Via LifeHacker, I came across this intriguing guess at what life on the Web will be like 10 years from now. Is it just me, or does it seem rather Apple-esque? And that creepy music in the background. [...]
Root Clip, which has emerged from the innovation group at Scripps newspapers, has opened voting on its second film, Chance Encounters. The site has [...]
I don’t like to toot horns that are reasonably in my proximity but this is a milestone to which I have to draw attention. Yahoo! recently announced that it has provided over 100 million referrals to the newspapers of the Newspaper Consortium. Multiply that by a reasonable 2.5 or 3 subsequent [...]
Social Networking - you hear about it everywhere. Just about anything that involves communication from one person to another is being branded as “Social Networking” these days. Tired of consultant-speak presentations about how Social Networking will do everything including balancing the budget and curing cancer? Still don’t see the “there” [...]
I bought an iPhone. This goes out to all the ADD Crackberry heads out there. Gonna do it fast and tell you everything you need to know in 10 definitive statements. Ready?
Greg Sterling discusses Local and the Future of Ad Serving on his Screenwerk blog, and it’s definitely worth a look.
In short, he argues that sophisticated ad serving platforms are moving us much closer to true one-to-one marketing, and the end result will [...]
Ken Doctor is a smart guy, and I enjoy reading his assessments of the industry. But I think he’s overreacting a bit in his recent post on the turbulence at Yahoo! and its impact on the newspaper consortium. Without a doubt, [...]
Mark Glaser had a good post today on MediaShift that looks at academic responses to the disruptive hit journalism is suffering. He notes that lots of universities are talking about the problem, but some also are doing something about it. His post includes the [...]
Via Lost Remote, I stumbled across this Slate piece on how we read online. Fascinating and pretty much on the mark. So much so that as I was reading it, I found myself skimming through the [...]
MSNBC and others are reporting that journalist and NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert died today of a heart attack. He was 58. We’ll miss ya! Thoughts go out to his family and coworkers.
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In one of the worst kept secrets of the modern era, Steve Jobs announced the 3G iPhone slated for launch this Wednesday, June 11th. Entry model starts at $199. It also comes in white. Not sure about 2 way conferencing.
Bummer: Charity Huff is going to own an iPhone before [...]
As I ranted about a month or so ago, the VOIP iPhone app was finally built. The new iCall app for the iPhone does it. It allows the iPhone to hop on whatever open wifi network it finds - even in mid call. So there you have it, circumvention of [...]
In case you missed this, the Patent and Trademark office just released the details of a recently filed patent by Apple. It looks like it is for the 3G version of the iPhone. It details, among other things, that the iPhone will support two way video conferencing. Depending on adoption etc… [...]
adolphus_dallas.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
The Rooms with a View group that I started on Flickr is starting to get some traction, at times looking like an interactive media all star team. Bill Blevins, [...]
I detailed problems I’ve been having with my Macbook Pro wireless here. Now, the latest installment in my efforts to master the wireless life in every corner of my domain …
[...]Rob Curley and his interactive merry pranksters are pulling up stakes at the Washington Post and heading to the Las Vegas Sun and Greenspun Media Group. This has been rumored for weeks, but Curley made it official today with this blog post.
“Due to the [...]
Since we are talking carnivores… thought I would throw this out there.
What is the absolute most powerful force in marketing in the last 20 years? Oprah! Seriously, whatever Oprah endorses or touches usually turns to gold. Remember when Obama was a 35 point underdog and she went up on [...]
EWeek reported this week that Apple took a commanding lead in the sales of high(er) end PC’s in Q1. When I say commanding, I’m not exaggerating. Just see for yourself (and then read the rest of the post).
Q1 Retail PC Sales (over $1000) - Apple market share
Desktops - [...]
I’ve spent entirely too much of my life staring listlessly out of hotel windows, too tired to enjoy the city that lies beneath me and knowing full well that I really [...]
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
The partners of Maroon Ventures have been infiltrated by a pair of vegetarians, and it’s taking a toll on our meat-loving ways. During a MV confab in Denver this week, Chris Tippie tried to convert [...]
Microsoft will begin paying searchers who use Microsoft Live Searchand complete a transaction. Think of it as a rebate. This is either:
A) Genius - right up there with the wheel and sliced bread
B) Idiotic - equivalent to the “make your own change night”
C) Meh - feed mayo to the [...]
Another day, another Twitter crash. Twitter is rapidly becoming a victim of its own success. Outages have become frequent and unfortunately, predictable. Twitter’s inability to scale has resulted in turnover of key technical staff and a complete rethinking of their technology strategy with the very public abandonment [...]
Scripps’ Jay Small notes that RootClip, a startup video play that emerged from the company’s new venture fund, is starting to generate some positive buzz. RootClip really is one of the more innovative video plays I’ve seen in a while, and as Jay notes, [...]
Yes, it is that time of the year here in Crested Butte. In a town where dogs can sometimes outnumber people, the snow is melting and things are getting quite odiferous. Crested Buttians figured out how to solve this years ago - throw a party. Well, pick up poop and [...]
Today theacquisitionof Ars Technica by Cond Nast(publisher of Wired magazine - among others) hit the blogsphere. The acquisition was rumored to be in the $25 million range. Ars Technica is officially a technology blog but in reality a bit more. I would put it more into [...]
So I have to go to Appleton, Wisconsin, in a few weeks. I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, given the escalating air fares that are plaguing business travelers these days. I checked Expedia and a few other sources, realizing it would cost about a grand for the roundtrip ticket no [...]
I found myself a captive audience on an elliptical at the Seattle Westin yesterday, and my TV choices were slim. After some sweaty channel surfing, I settled on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money on CNBC. He’s always good for a few yuks.
Yesterday’s show featured [...]
I am all about utility. Life gets chaotic if you dont keep the clutter and noise under control. I wanna have fun while Im moving through my day, but when it comes right down to it I want to get things done. With that in mind, Ive become pretty selective [...]
If you are looking to burn some hours this weekend and don’t have anything to do, head over to Microsoft’s Photosynth. Photosynth isn’t exactly new but if you haven’t seen it before, it is sure to elicit more than a few “hey, that’s cool’s”. Photosynth take a collection of [...]
Josh Bernhoff over at Forrester just released some interesting research around a recession’s impact online marketing buying habits. That is to say, they asked over 300 interactive marketers the following:
Assuming the economy is in a recession in the next six months, how would you change your investment [...]
Why are Mac converts so damn annoying? Have you noticed that? I was once a happy PC user content to never know of or much less use a Mac. However, I had all these Mac friends who would pester me about just how superior their machine was. It was annoying. [...]
The Silicon Alley Insider’s Henry Blodget has a gleeful post today lauding the demise of the newspaper industry. Their loss, he argues, is interactive advertising’s gain.
“The $42 billion that was spent on print newspapers in 2007 isn’t going to vaporize–it’s just [...]
I can almost hear the Mac whore giggling with delight as I write this. I’ve switched to the Mac. It was time to get a new laptop, and I just couldn’t bear choosing between the aging Windows XP and the feable Windows Vista as an operating platform.
So I bought a [...]
Jack Lail has a good post on Random Mumblings arguing that we’re in the “golden age of web news.”
Lail writes:
“It’s a deadly serious battle for audience and ad dollars.
“But it’s also fun, tremendous fun. The community will certainly win through more intense and competition-honed [...]
Just read a good article in the NYTimes on Apple’s encroachment into RIM’s hardcore business user domain.Mostly a synopsis of what has happened with a few salient data points on market share. What I find most interesting are the rumoredretaliationdevices from RIM as well as the “um, in other [...]
Confirming something that everyone already knew or suspected: the 3G iPhone will have GPS and will be slightly thicker. Also, it sounds people are betting on a 3G release date of June 9th. Too bad my Verizon plan doesn’t expire until October. Hmmmm, must explore thepenalties…..
[...]I’m deeply worried about the economic woes the newspaper industry is facing. I’m even more worried about what will become of journalism amid this turbulence. As news moves online and the economic model turns upside down, will the capital J survive?
In the April issue of Wired magazine, a profile of [...]
Sadly, the folks at Avis got a taste of Bad Bob this week. Twice. During my travels, I rented cars in both Denver and San Diego. Upon leaving, the guard at the Avis shack asked if I wanted the fuel option.
“No,” I said.
“Sign here.”
So I signed and went on my [...]
It’s official. We put out a press release last week announcing that Heather Lamm and Mike Higgins are now officially partners in Maroon Ventures. Higgins struggled a bit while we gave him the Official Maroon Ventures Tattoo, but otherwise the indocrination went smoothly.
I’m thrilled [...]
Father Sarducci was a product innovator. One classic invention was Mr. Tea. As he would explain, “you add the hot water and the tea bag, and Mr. Tea does the rest”. OK, so Mr. Tea wasnt such a hot product. That doesnt mean we cant learn from him.
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The iPhone is a sexy accessory, similar to a Louis Vuitton handbag. It is a fad that will fade. Ultimately people want simplicity in their mobile devices. So said a very savvy Swedish publishing executive this week at a newspaper conference I attended in Paris. Normally I would tend to [...]
In keeping with my end of the world rant, let’s turn our paranoia to GPS manufacturers - Garmin and Magellan.
Premise: Google and Apple have it out for you. The only thing that is standing between you and the utter erosion of your handheld and portable business is the fact that [...]
Years ago I learned the story of the three stages of professional development. It goes something like this.
As a young person in high school you look around and notice the people that know a lot seem to be ahead of the game. So you learn that its what you [...]
Community activism is alive and well at 9000 feet. Here in Crested Butte, CO, the booming metropolis that is the world headquarters of Maroon Ventures, the community is celebrating a victory over the latest threat to our way of life - a giantmolybdenum mine project just outside of town.
So several folks have asked me why I find the release of the iPhone (and iPod Touch) SDK’s such an earth shattering event. I admit, I love to go a little Oliver Stone at times but let me walk you through a scenario. The iPhone (and iPod Touch) sport 802.11b [...]
Spring hasn’t quite sprung here at Maroon Ventures HQ but for one fellow Crested Buttian, it’s close enough. While leaving the office the other day, I spotted a large black dog across the street. Very large. Upon closer inspection it was an adult black bear (full grown). In the summer, [...]
Rob Curley rocked the house at the University of Tennessee’s “A Public Conversation on Web Journalism” last night with a 2 1/2 hour rollicking look at his greatest hits, which include some amazing examples of what Web journalism can be.
But I was most geeked when Curley looked forward to identify [...]
You don’t have to be an April fool to love this one. Maroon Gadgeteering, a subsidiary of Maroon Ventures, has announced the launch of OpenMic, a new widget on Facebook. It’s designed to let people on social networks tell jokes, applaud jokers they like and heckle bad humor.
Amid all the Chicken Little coverage of the newspaper industry’s woes comes this post by Long Tail author Chris Anderson. To quote:
“If you’d ask me to describe the state of the newspaper industry based on the scary coverage about it alone, [...]
The University of Tennessee is holding “A Public Conversation on Web Journalism” this Thursday and Friday (April 3-4) in Knoxville. I’ll be participating in a panel on Thursday at 2 p.m. and I’ll be introducing the inimitable Rob Curley that evening.
Rob [...]
The long awaited PWNAGE application for the iPhone has beendelayed. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the PWNAGE app, it allows you toflash unsigned firmwareto your iPhone and iPod touch. Yep, that’s right, your chance to take control of your device and install whatever applications you [...]
Jeremiah Owyang over at Forrester’s Marketing Blog wrote about Sony’s sponsorship of the popular Facebook widget Vampires topromote their movie, 30 Days of Night. His take on the sponsorship is pretty spot on my my opinion but it does beg some delicate questions. The Sony sponsorship was nicely targeted… [...]
The February issue of Release 2.0 focuses on CRM, specifically weaving the social and business aspects of our lives into meaningful patterns and useful, accessible information. (Release 2.0 is a subscription newsletter that descended from Esther Dyson’s Release 1.0 …)
To quote: “Both online networks [...]
When some people hear we’re called Maroon Ventures, they think of the famous Bugs Bunny malapropism: “What a maroon, what an ignoranimous!” We constantly remind our selves that we’re only a few vowels away from being Moron Ventures …
The second thing people often ask [...]
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