Power and Inspiration.....

"This story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain." Watch the video below to see just how much. (click on the arrow)




Hat tip on the Hoyt's comes from --Black Five.

I found this incredible, and a GREAT story....

Fall 2006 Images from my Lense on life....

Halloween Parties for the kids.

"Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air...."

Enjoy the changing colors, fallen leafs, Hannah Montana & The Magician.
(click on any picture below to enlarge)

"Scatter the ashes and turn the page".
Ramrod Shurtliff, on life and livin'.....

The Grateful Dead have had a huge impact on my life.
Musically, Spiritually, and most of all -- Enjoying.

Since Jerry Garcia's passing - I've had the pleasure to allow into my life, tour with a bit, and collaborate on a fun project with a guitarist named, Steve Kimock. Here is his Steve's MySpace page. You can listen to more of his music on his MySpace link. Steve is immensly talented, and amongst the best guitarists on the planet.

It's great to see when Kimock joins with Grateful Dead members to go on tour.
The Rhythm Devils Are:
Mickey Hart • Bill Kreutzmann • Mike Gordon • Steve Kimock
Sikiru Adepoju • Jen Durkin

Here are 2 live cuts from last week's excellent Rhythym Devils show in New Jersey.
10-18-06
***takes a few seconds to load****

New Speedway Boogie: (click here to listen)

Sugaree (click here to listen)

US Blues (click to listen)

As Mickey Hart states, "Music is the salvation for me. It's everything. Without the music it would be hard to make it through in one piece."

I agree.

Enjoy the evolution of music and life, Grateful Dead Style.....2006.

With music, and good energy.

Travelin' Wilbury....(or Travelin' Lotame)

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I've been consumed by work.

We have added a bit of clarity to our new venture.

Lotame.

And, our site can be found HERE.

Rock on.

Cell Phones and Web 2.0.....

I did not want to let this opportunity pass by.

We are living through an amazing time in the history of our world. Technology advances, communication -- and socialization have reached new heights.

The ability to extract data, and make decisions based on information extracted from defined environments.....is simply staggering.

To give you a idea of how much money is following this TREND:

VC Breakdown - deals and money flow by sector online: (first half of 2006)
Social Networking Sites - 21 Companies - Raised $95.8 Million
Business Social Networking 3 companies - Raised $21 Million
Video Sharing/Social - 14 companies - Raised $60 Million

Why am I sharing this information?

Because a tremendous amount of capital is flowing into a sector, called Social Media (and all the components that make it up) -- and around all of this money and deal flow is one important, yet under utilized element......

THE EFEECTIVE USE OF DATA.

Privacy of course needs to be respected and preserved, however WE BELIEVE that many of the tools, and solutions in the marketplace today, were far more effective and more useful when the internet was in its earlier stages. (Web 1.0)

We are in a different phase of maturity as far as the internet is concerned -- but the one aspect that has remained the same?

Ad-Serving.

Ad-Serving has become commodotized. A few large players dominant the ad-serving space....2 of the largest, consist of DART and Atlas.

Ad-Serving is a complex, difficult and evolving issue for publishers online. Many large publishers use one of the two solutions above as the BACKBONE of their website (outside of content) -- to manage inventory, advertising....and analytics.

I want to compliment DART and ATLAS for their dominance and forsight to have basically built tools and functions that allow them to own the ad serving market for the past 10+ years. My hats are off to them for accomplishments in web development and monetization of online media.

Times they are a Changing....

We see the marketplace changing abruptly from under these 2 giant Ad-Serving Solutions of the past decade.

I use the example of the telephone.

The telephone works and it is GREAT. We used it for 100 years, and it was effective and revolutionary at enhancing and developing business....and connecting people and commerce.

The telephone enhanced socialization between people.

But then, the wireless (or cell phone) came along as a technological advancement.

Wham.

Telephone evolved -- AND THE CELL PHONE BROUGHT A NEW TWIST TO A ALREADY REMARKABLE ADVANCE IN COMMUNICATION. You cannot walk down a street, go to a conference, or be in a airport without seeing many people USING THEIR CELL PHONE.

The standard phone was excellent, and if we had asked the average person in 1976 - the rotary phone was just fine....(in terms of communication advancement - the normal phone was the standard).....

Imagine if all cell phone service went down today. The communication problems that would develop with people would, AFFECT SOCIALIZATION in a monumental way.

That is what the current technology of Ad-Serving, is doing to the data of Social Media.


I use this analogy to explain the difference in DATA between normal web sites, (standard phones) -- and social media in Web 2.0, and the advances in DATA and information that is usable.....(cell phone.)

But, we are still using ad-serving systems (DART and ATLAS) akin to the standard phone of yesteryear, in the Cell phone (web 2.0) world.

Because user-generated content (social media) is so dynamic and variable, it's contextual value is VERY LIMITED. It's all the other components -- similar to using a cell phone instead of a standard phone, that make up the uniqueness of social media - and it's ACTIONABLE and INSIGHTFUL DATA.....

Ad-Serving today is not answering this call.

Very soon a system will. Trust me.

Yahoo's Growth.....


19% year over year.
Not good when the YOUR COMPETITION is growing at 40-50%.
The chart is their stock price over the past year.

Believe it or not - the Right Media investment, that I wrote about below, may go along way toward helping Yahoo get, RIGHTED.

Smart Move by Yahoo.

Today marks the 1st day in a long while, that I can actually say that Yahoo did something RIGHT.

They purchased a 20% stake in a company that I admire.

Right Media.

You see, I come from a internet company where data, optimization and most of all -- RESULTS matter.


That is what my team and I are building -- a company that delivers superior results for our clients.

News on Right Media & Yahoo.
"SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday announced investments into two online ad providers. It's buying a 20% stake in Right Media Inc. and its Right Media Exchange, which is used by thousands of companies to buy and sell online advertising through an auction process. The investment by Yahoo is part of a new $45 million round of financing into led by Yahoo, a new investor into the 3-year-old firm, and previous investors including Redpoint Ventures. Yahoo also announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AdInterax, which is used by online publishers to create and manage online ad campaigns. Financial terms of both deals were not disclosed."

Right Media has built a platform that allows for both publishers and advertisers to monetize their media. Publishers get to sell their space to the highest bidder, and advertisers get placement on sites that yield the best result.

Yahoo has made a solid move with this investment -- but more than the 20% stake they took in Right Media, they acknowledged a few key things that years ago, (or months ago) would not have happened.

1 - Yahoo's attitude of -- "we can build it here" is out the window.
(most of the systems that Y! employs are homegrown technologies -- and the internal bureacracy an mantra that existed of "if we did not build it here it does not exist" ideal is gone. Trust me , I know this from my own experience dealing with Y's operational folks)

2 - Yahoo's inventory -- "we are the best at monetizing our space." (well, I dont think so. Ad-serving, optimization and RESULTS based marketing practices have passed Yahoo by, and this investment sounds like a opportunity to gain a bit more of a understanding as to "WHAT MIGHT WORK" for Y's tremendous inventory)

3 - Yahoo's Class 2 Sales Group -- GREAT people, amazing service. But, clearly NOT armed to deliver the best way possible for the CPM's they are forced to ask for in the marketplace of internet media. (performanced based advertisers looking for ROI opportunities)

Today marks the first time (since the Overture acquistion) that Yahoo has responded in a SMART and targeted way, to a landscape of the media world -- passing them by.

Kudos to Yahoo for a smart investment.

Congrats to Right Media.

The Portals of Tomorrow....

Yahoo is in deep trouble.

They are in the process of getting SMOKED by Google.

Google has been continually taking market share, valuation, as well as advertising dollars from Yahoo's bottom line.

I believe Yahoo will be acquired, within the next few months.

Portals (as we have known them) will cease to exist in the format we have become accustomed to. America Online, Yahoo, and MSN are in the midst of -- MASSIVE UPHEAVAL, on both the technology, infrastructure, consumer, and most of all -- THE CONTENT FRONT.

There is a HUGE WAR going on, in regards to the largest players on the internet - that will shape the future - as it pertains to, YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION. (How you will use your computer online.)


Possible Suitors for Yahoo.

AT&T or Comcast.? -- (they have the pipes and need the content)

News Corp or Disney or GE? (they have the content and 2 out of 3 of these companies are rooted in the offline media business)

AOL or MSN? (they know the value of Yahoo, but can they combine their cultures into their established internet businesses?)

A dark horse? (Google, dont think anti-trust will allow this one to pass, but it just may)

Fred Wilson piece titled, "Who Should Buy Yahoo!" is a excellent piece, as it breaks down the companies as well as competitors who may be in-line for a bite of Yahoo's empire.....

Is it not a little weird to think that Yahoo is "old school"?

I mean with all the Web 2.0 hype, and the buzz around "Social Media" -- is it too late for Yahoo to make a resurgence, and recapture it's preminent position as the "Pioneer" of the Internet?

Yes, it is too late.

WHY?

In one word: Google.

Google has a $129 Billion Dollar Market Cap.
Yahoo! has a $34 Billion Dollar Market Cap.

Google is innovative, and has taken one, GIANT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION -- and THEN, and only then, it branched off into other avenues of online marketing. (video, network, email, shareware)

The one Giant Step that Google executed on? SEARCH AND KEYWORD MARKETING FOR ADVERTISERS. Google delivers results. Plain and simple, marketers want to work with Google.

Yahoo has instead focused on many other avenues to acquire marketing dollars -- but over time, has EXCELLED AT PRECIOUS LITTLE......BUT RATHER RELIED ON IT'S BRAND NAME, FOR JUSTIFICATION AS TO WHY IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON MANY RFP'S FROM ADVERTISING AGENCIES.

Yahoo has become a political machine, with employees leaving in droves - and marketers dissapointed with the delivery from Y's operations....

"The situation at Yahoo may have been exacerbated by employees leaving over the last year, particularly in its ad sales force, May said. "Whenever you have that sort of turnover, particularly in your sales force, it makes it more difficult to plan around advertiser category softness," he said. "

Google over the past few years has become the unparalleled leader based on, "Return on Investment" marketing (ROI) for advertisers.....


My biggest fear?

MSN buying Yahoo.

Why?

Then Google will go unchallenged for years to come. The cost will be to all of us, as it relates to our online experiences.

Creativity and Innovation will be the property of a couple of companies.

And, there will be NO COMPETITION ONLINE...with 2 behemoths running this thing called, "the web." Google will win again.

People a few years back called the web, "the wild west" -- and it still may be.

But, when you wake up in the morning (in the not too distant future) - and hear the news that Yahoo has been purchased, understand that, THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY.

The balance of power is shifting away from, WHAT MADE THE WEB GREAT.

Innovation, freedom, and creativity -- will be being replaced soon.....

By Billion Dollar Companies that DO NOT HAVE roots, in the internet.

Except one company that does : Google.

Too much influence and power is evolving towards, VERY FEW players.

A eery reminder of history's valuable lesson from 100+ years ago.

THE RAILROAD.

Shea Stadium in the Fall....
A great place to be. Last night was excellent. I took these pictures from my seats (click on any image to enlarge) -- but, it was a GREAT GAME. A pitchers duel. Tom Glavine pitched wonderfully, as did Jeff Weaver. Seeing Darryl Strawberry throw out the first pitch, brought back many memories of years past.. See below. GO METS.

Another reason to love YouTube.

Without commenting on the content of this video -- there is SOME GRAIN of truth to this production.
In fact, in the future I believe political advertising online will be like this -- or VERY similar. Low budget, lots of content - and not constrained by time.

No more 30 second spots. Here is a taste of future political advertising.

The Steady Hand of Change....

As much as we all would like many things never to change, we are constantly confronted with tremendous change.

The web is changing.

Socialized Media is more dominant.

It is becoming more prevelant for people who are older, more mature -- and frankly, represent the precise eyeballs that advertisers want to reach.

From ADWEEK.

NEW YORK As top social networking sites mature and become more popular, their visitor age profiles are also on the rise. More than 50 percent of all MySpace users are now over the age of 35, according to ComScore Media Metrix.

That represents a sharp increase from 39 percent over 35 a year ago. The increase came at the expense of 12-17 year olds, whose attendance on the most popular social networking site was halved to 12 percent.

The botton line of this story -- is that change in the online media and consumption world is quickly colliding with SOCIALIZED content and distribution.

Shopping experiences online will become "socialized transactions."

Music distribution online will become more "social friendly."

Advertising will be MORE targeted, and instead of content targeting -- you will see -- Social Targeting.

What does this all mean?

The Steady Hand of constant change is rapidly happening around us......and many forces, HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

"The smoothest executive: CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves. Years of coping with inflated Hollywood egos have made him a natural at the investor schmooze. He sweeps away worries about Web videos threat, confidently declaring that were looking at the Internet as our friend, one that will strengthen CBS by allowing more-flexible distribution of programming, rather than simply cannibalizing CBS network and far more important its TV stations.

Moonves exudes so much confidence that you almost forget that CBS revenues and operating cash flow are expected to increase less than 2% this year. Or that the CBS networks ratings actually fell 5% last season. Or that the future of CBS radio and billboard units is far from riveting."

Big players in the content world are VERY slow to embrace this rapid change.

They will pay a steep price....and it may even cost them their companies in the process...

The James Gang....

1971 Joe Walsh.

You want to know why YouTube is so amazing?
Want to understand why it is worth MORE than $1.6 Billion? The Below video is a GREAT reason why YouTube is a monster presence -- because they RELEASE CONTENT that has yet to be seen on a wide scale.

I would never have seen this performance.....thanks to whomever uploaded it, and thanks to YouTube, I now have seen this -- and it made me sit back and smile.
Joe Walsh - The James Gang....click on the arrow and turn it up.

A Trend Or a Blip.....


My friend, Jeff Burak poses a interesting question, and I ask you to think about it....

Just finishing up my day, roaming the internet to supposedly understand what is going on in this world. This Foley story is nuts and getting nuttier; this Amish school massacre is maddening; what is going on? Is this news coverage self-fulfilling prophecy just linking unrelated events or is it a real trend of note? I did notice a common theme though. Grown men acting out, in response to something that happened in their childhood or distant past. A molester murders young girls. A molestee makes sexual advances toward young men. What the hell is going on? Oh, and there is more. The Molestee who is a democratically elected Republican was in fact molested by a catholic priest. Oh man. Is this a game where you get points for incorporating a certain number of real events into a single story? He or she with the highest score wins. Someone, please, explain this. Is this indicative of the trend for the human condition?

Stuck Inside of Mobile.....

I'm stuck. Extremely busy.
But, while I'm "stuck inside of work"
Enjoy this 7-12-87, Dylan and The Dead from Giants Stadium.

Grateful Dead 5/7/81
Tom Snyder Show,On the Road Again---Direwolf.
Click on arrow below, turn it up.