Learn to Adapt

Jon Stewart and crew provides a 5 minute introduction to Twitter:

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Completely off topic, but I was mesmerized by Edgar Mueller’s work:

Thanks to Steve Hodson for the lead!

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Developed as group effort during the chilly walk back from the Obama Inaugural Concert:

Ingredients:

• Whole-bean Kenyan coffee
• Whole-bean Hawaiian (Kona) decaffeinated coffee (to maintain the “Yes We Can” energy without getting too carried away and upsetting the “No Drama” balance)
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract (more vanilla than you expected, eh?)
• One shot of Kahlua liqueur (please note that “Kahlua” is not Muslim.  Really – it’s not.  Rush Limbaugh lies.)
• One-half shot of blended Irish whiskey (single-malt whiskeys are not Bono-approved)
• 4 ounces organic skim milk (preferably from open-range, grass-fed, communally-owned cows that are gently milked while listening to Gregorian chants.)
• Hawaiian pineapple slices
• Optional: Chunks of organic ice (preferably chipped from the sidewalks of Chicago’s South Side)

Directions:

1. Mix coffee beans, grind, and brew coffee.
2. Add the vanilla to the pot of coffee.
3. In an oversize coffee cup, blend the Kahlua, whiskey, and skim milk.
4. Fill the cup with the brewed coffee.
5. Garnish cup with pineapple slice
6. Optional: For those of you who want to feel part of the inaugural cold, allow the coffee to cool and then prepare as above only over Chicago South Side ice chunks in a highball glass.

Enjoy!

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Excuse me while I vent.

Media companies are all battling uphill (upload?) against piracy.  One of the questions I often ask them is: “What pricing and distribution model would you need to put pirates out of business?”  One scenario I ask is, “What if we blew up the current stilted distribution model (i.e., theaters – pause – DVD – pause – VOD – pause – HBO, etc.)?  What if we just say “This new movie releases Friday – how would you like to see it?”

We have already seen movement toward a more compressed distribution model in 2008 when some studios announced DVD + VOD day-and-date delivery.  But, how much longer will we have to wait to get to Theater + VOD day-and-date?  When we do, the pirates will lose some of their advantage.  Let me vent my personal gripe to illustrate:

I have an old buddy coming to visit for the Inauguration (yes – we are unbalanced enough to join the insanity down in DC).  He and I used to love to hang out, crack a few, and watch Clint Eastwood movies (mostly the spaghetti westerns, mostly TGTBTU).  So, it would be great if he and I could watch the new Clint movie, Gran Torino, while he is here.  But, of course, the only legal way to see it right now is in a theater.  There is no way that we can work that into our schedule while he is here.  Now, I would gladly pay $25 bucks to be able to rent this VOD in my home.  But I can’t.  C’mon Warner Brothers – the money is yours – just let me VOD!

Of course, if I was The Bad or The Ugly, I could watch the video right now.  All it would take is a short stroll over to Pirate Bay to download a pirated copy (kids – stop that!).  It would probably be crappy quality but since I have a PC connected to my HDTV, my buddy and I could enjoy it any time we chose.  Now, because I don’t want to do anything to upset Clint (he’s always cranky and often armed), I will not do that.  But there may be others with less of The Good that might choose piracy out of last resort.  If someone is willing to pay instead of pirate, why not let them?  Trust me – it won’t cannibalize your box office receipts.  Theater going is an event/experience.  I will still go to movies.  I may even watch something on VOD and think, “Man – that would be great on the big screen – let’s go next week!”

I’m not the only one frustrated by not being able to VOD when I want and the studios are missing a revenue opportunity. How much longer do we have to wait?

(BTW – when I was growing up, my Dad had a Gran Torino.  I don’t think the rifle is standard equipment.)

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I rarely wax poetic about restaurants, but I had such a wonderful experience in Melbourne that I wanted to share it. I was down under to deliver a keynote and masterclass at KM Australia 2008. (I promise I will have the summary of the keynote posted soon!)  While there, I had the great good fortune to join some members of the Knowledge Management Roundtable Victoria for dinner.  The ringleader for the evening was Michelle Lambert and through her sheer determination, we were able to land a table for eight at Longrain Resturant and Bar. (Much thanks to Geri Overberg for modeling the restaurant’s shingle in the photo!)

The menu is nouveau asian fusion and because we had a large group we ordered a banquet menu.  The banquet include a wide range of dishes and each of they was simply delicious.  From the curries to the seafood, from the silken tofu to the young coconut gelatin – everything was simply delicious!  If you are ever in Melbourne, be sure to make Longrain part of your trip.  You will not be disappointed!

Despite it being mid-winter down under and my only have a few non-working days, I did get out to see a bit of the city. If you would like to see the smattering of photos from the trip that I posted on Facebook, just click the picture below:

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