Blogvious

Living in Southern California and traveling for business across the US, I am frequently asked about our legendary Southland traffic congestion  (for the uninitiated, that’s everything from just north of Los Angeles to the Mexico border).

Well, yes. It sucks. However, it sucks pretty much everywhere else too. In fact, many places are much worse. If you live or work in a major US city, you are probably dealing with horrendous traffic on a regular basis.

I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago. They have an Interstate Highway (285), which forms a 70 mile loop around the city. It is actually a 70 mile long used car lot. Nothing moves. Houston, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Boston -  the list is endless. So, the next time you hear about Southern California traffic, you are actually hearing about traffic across our fruited plain.

This picture, by the way, is a city in Europe. It has nothing to do with the story but is the coolest traffic jam picture I’ve ever seen.

In the Pantheon of great comedians, those that blazed trails, smashed barriers, and changed popular culture, none stand taller than George Carlin. A master of the language and an incredible comic talent, he used his gifts to actually change society’s norms. He gave voice to an entire generation, making it OK to challenge authority - especially arbitrary rules created for the benefit of the few. He did all this while keeping us laughing.

A friend of mine once referred to Carlin as “…a burnt out remnant of the ’60’s…”. While far from burnt out (he continued creative and productive work until the day of his death), he truly was a product of the 1960’s. Shunned by the establishment, he was a huge underground and counterculture hit. I was in grammar school when I first heard the “Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television”. Even at that tender age, listening to something I know I was not supposed to hear, I began to wonder “why?”.

Carlin made us ask “Why?” on a range of social, religious, and political issues. Agree with him nor not - he always left us laughing. He was also an equal opportunity harpooner. Democrat or Republican, white or black, north or south, everyone was fair game - so long as their pomposity made them stand out.

Raised a Catholic, Carlin saved his sharpest barbs for religion. Any religion. I have no doubt this offended many. The issues he raised, for the most part, were fair game - but not normally things we are comfortable talking about. No one could do that like Carlin.

When I listen to the razor sharp comedy of Chris Rock, and note the uncomfortable feelings it brings up in his audience, all the while laughing hysterically, I can’t help but think also of George Carlin. He’s left an indelible mark, and he will be missed. Bye George, and thanks for asking “why?”

If you’ve not heard of Steampunk, you are not alone. What an unbelievable visual tour de force. The look is hard to describe. My best shot was Retro-Nuevo-Chic-Techno-Deco, but even that comes up short. A friend is really in to this look and turned me on to it. The keyboard pics are just some of the items these guys concoct. To see and learn more about this genre, visit The Steampunk Workshop. Not sure how well they work, but I want one.

For more information on the Steampunk genre, visit Wikipedia.

– Carl / Blogvious

Based upon requests from friends, I’ve added a page called “Reading
List” with recent books and my comments on them Here is the
June list. Note: I don’t always recommend these books. Check out
my views then read other reviews at Amazon if you are
interested.

Here is my June 2008 Reading List

Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking

by Andy Sernovitz

This book has forwards by Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki. While
they both annoy me, I must admire their ability at brazen
self-promotion. This was a good read. If you are seasoned
publicist you will find it familar but worthwhile. If you are
not a practicioner, you may find out a few things about stealth
marketing that will change the way you process Word of Mouth
messages from friends, associates and strangers.

High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional
Brand by Irving Rein

The third edition of High Visibility is a great read. To
survive in today’s market you need to build and maintain your
‘personal and professional brand’. Those of you that are
fans of Stanley Bing know what an impact this can have on your
life, income and career. This is not a light read, nor is it all
that entertaining. If you want a serious review of what it
takes, I recommend this book. It’s one I will keep on the
shelf for future reference as well.

The New PR: An Insider’s Guide to Changing the Face of Public
Relations

by Phil Hall

Well, I read it, but would not recommend it. It’s a very
light read - and is actually not a bad book as a PR primer. That
said, much of it is fundementals that are well worn for
marketing and PR practicioners.

We are witnessing yet another transformation of Barak Obama. From darling of the left to champion of middle America. Changing his positions, tweaking views and morphing his rhetoric to fit his needs is something at which he excels. He is certainly not the first politician to pander - in fact we’ve come to almost expect it during election season. The difference with Obama is that he so darn good at it.

One reason his chameleon routine works so well is that he rarely takes a discernable view on anything remotely controversial. He speaks in generalities and vague allusions that stir the emotions of the faithful.

For a man that claims to be “above it all”, he has certainly shown to be up to his waist in the muck he eschews. His political skills, combined with a strong anti-Republican sentiment sweeping the nation - plus the ongoing ineptitude of the McCain campaign, means that he is the prohibitive favorite as our new leader. Or should I say our old leader. We’ve seen this before. Old Book / New Cover.

 Wanting a new main header for my Blogvious blog, I ventured into my photo archives for just the right picture. Well, an hour later I was still not sure what I wanted to use. I’ve visited and photographed many beautiful places, but San Diego is my home. I finally settled on a series of skyline shots I did for a project a few years ago.

So, the new header - if it’s still at the top of the page - is downtown San Diego by night as photographed from Coronado island, across the bay. It’s a nice shot, but does not do justice to the beauty of seeing it live. Being from Chicago and a fan of great architecture, it took me a while to appreciate the beauty of this amazing city at night.

So, that explains the new header on a slow news day. These photos and many more are in my photo collection, ZoomLens, which can be found on Smugmug. If you ever visit San Diego, make the time to enjoy some of the unstructured beauty the city offers - for free.

Well, after generations of refusing to touch the issue, the Supreme Court ruled, in a majority opinion written by Justice Scalia, that the DC gun law is an unconstitutional violation of your 2nd Amendment rights. I’ll leave the penetrating analysis to constitutional law scholars, but the implications are far-reaching. Equally stunning was the sharp rift between in the court. There was no middle ground on this issue - just as in the country at large. Four of the nine justices believe that the 2nd Amendment does not guarantee the right to bear arms and believes it can and should restrict personal liberty.

Why now? Could it be that the nation is likely to see a decidedly more liberal court in the coming years? We will certainly see several judges step down in the next decade. The current 5 / 4 court will likely tip the other direction - perhaps decidedly so. However, ruling on this now sets a precedent that may stand for a very long time.

So who wins? Well clearly those that support the 2nd Amendment, strict interpretation of the Constitution, and personal liberty are celebrating. However, the celebration should be tempered by the swing to the left noted above. Twelve months from now this could clearly be a 5/4 opinion in the other direction.

Those on the fence about John McCain should take heed. The next President will hold sway over several Supreme Court appointments. If you value civil liberties, think twice before handing them over to far-left-center liberal thinker. Sadly I doubt the inept leadership of the McCain campaign will properly utilize this gold plated opening.

Speaking of boredom, (prevous post) what’s with Twitter? Do you use it? Do you know anyone that does? I’m sorry but it seems like a solution in pursuit of a problem. Other than a bunch of self-obsessed technorati feeding us a steady stream of 140 charater nonsense, I see no purpose. “Getting a cup of coffee”, “crossing the street”, “just got hit by a car” (well that one might be news).  We have a client that works with them so I’m trying hard to get excited about it.

– Carl / Blogvious

So after years of starting and stopping my blogging efforts, I have again taken the plunge. Why? Fair question. One reason is that my friends are tired of being the sole recepients of my thoughts, tirades, and brain droppings - so now a wider audience can suffer. Also, I feel that I have more to say.

I am busier than I have ever been in the past eight years so boredom is clearly not the issue - though it could be an acquired malady I give my readers. We will try to prevent that. My goal was to make my first post as meaningless and banal as a Seinefeld episode and much less entertaining. I guess I’ve succeeded. Onward. (the good news is that no one will read this post anyway)