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Buying In by Rob Walker

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:29:00 +0000

The message of Buying In is that while modern consumers have becomes smarter and more discriminating, they are nonetheless embracing brands like never before.

Despite cynicism in general toward the persuasion industry and new technologies that allow people to bypass advertising in some contexts (using TiVo, DVRs, website ad blockers), author Rob Walker contends that people are increasingly finding value by bringing their own meanings and interpretations to brands. Using varied examples including Hello Kitty, Timberland, Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR), Red Bull, and the iPod, Walker cites case after case where the consumer brings her own meaning to the brand, often ascribing an interpretation totally unanticipated by the company owning and marketing the brand. Bottom up interest in pink Timberlands is just one of many examples from the text.

This phenomenon has led to what Walker calls "murketing", partially a range of tactics that blur the lines of the traditional sales pitch, but also a whole new, closely-connected relationship between consumer and brand. Murketing includes brands quietly sponsoring extreme sports and music, tapping popular youth as commercial persuaders, and facilitating buzz agents to push products in everyday conversation.

I've only touched on what you'll find in Buying In, but if you have any interest in what we buy and why, like me, you will probably find this fascinating.

You can also learn more about the author and find links to his popular "Consumed" column at http://www.robwalker.net/contents/consumed.html.

The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:25:00 +0000

As the Internet has collapsed the relative costs for forming and maintaining large groups, it has paved the way for a new breed of distributed, decentralized organizations. The Starfish and the Spider is all about emerging, leaderless organizations in comparison to traditional, centralized organizations.

The authors use the great title metaphor to setup and explain the two types of organizations. Here, centralized organizations are like spiders, with a head and command and control system, and distributed organizations are like starfish, with no central brain and nearly-autonomous parts that can function so well indpendently that you can cut off a starfish's leg and the leg will grow an entirely new starfish.

Practical examples follow, with studies showing how Alcoholics Anonymous, Craigslist, Wikipedia, Napster, and Skype all flourished as they embraced distributed models or aspects.

The text does a good job elaborating the differences between centralized and decentralized organizations, and it also concedes that many organizations have evolved to use a hybrid model. Perhaps the best example of a hybrid organization is eBay, which is decentralized in how it lets users sell to each other and centralized in how it has established a reliable rating system and relationship with PayPal to ensure transaction security.

Bottom line: The Starfish and the Spider is interesting and and well worth reading.

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Following Polly is a fresh and fun novel about Alice Teakle, a women who tries to inject some excitement and pulse into her nondescript life by following a more interesting woman, a former classmate named Polly. Alice finds the stalking strangely affirming, but things turn when Polly ends up murdered and Alice finds herself the prime suspect in the murder.

I started Following Polly not sure what to expect. I suspected that the book was written primarily for women (in the vein of The Nanny Diaries), but I was intrigued enough by the hook of a bored and lonely person following someone much more interesting that I knew wanted to start reading. I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed the evenly-paced plot, the dialog, and the blurring of genre elements, especially as the book shifted from a traditional romantic fantasy to a comedic murder mystery thriller and then went back and forth. Ultimately, the book will likely appeal more to a female audience, but I think male readers will enjoy it as well, especially those who enjoy light murder mysteries.

Following Polly is the debut novel by Karen Bergreen. The author has a distinctive but smooth style that made for easy, enjoyable reading.

Full Disclosure: The author is the best friend of the wife of one of my best friends, and I learned of the book through that relationship.

The City & The City by China Miéville (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:29:00 +0000

The City & The City refers to two overlapping and interspersing cities -- Beszel and Ul Qoma -- somewhere in Europe. Despite the proximity of the cities, that at times is so tight that part of a street may be in Beszel while the rest is in Ul Qoma, it is both law and custom that people observe only the environs of their city and "unsee" the other city. So, if they are in Beszel, they only see Beszel buildings, streets, and people, just as people in Ul Qoma only see people and places that are in Ul Qoma. To do otherwise is to commit breach, a serious crime enforceable by a secret power that mandates the perception of Beszel and Ul Qoma as distinct cities.

If this all sounds confusing, I submit that it is probably due to my inability to capture what Miéville has done in this novel, which is to take a speculative premise that completely jars against our expections and sense of what should be, and make it work and flow.

We are introduced to Beszel and Ul Qoma through Inspector Tyador Borlú, who's investigation of a murder leads him to travel through and explore both cities. As the plot develops and at least ostensibly follows a police procedural, the implausibility of Beszel and Ul Qoma lessens and we begin to accept the cities as they are. It does help that the cities are in Europe, which allows us to recall Berlin when it was divided and find something familiar and real to which we can compare Beszel and Ul Qoma. By the end of the novel, the notion of two cities occupying basically the same physical space or unseeing someone or something right beside you doesn't seem strange at all.

I don't normally give books a numeric or star rating, but if I did, I would hand out top honors for The City & The City. Both thought-provoking and enjoyable, this is speculative fiction at its best.

Randy's a Dandy

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:43:00 +0000

After sharing the Buffalo and Cleveland post that compared sports failures between the two cities, I wanted to follow up with something positive. I've been tossing some ideas around when a co-worked forwarded me this great clip from the 1978 NBA All-Star game featuring Randy Smith (a former Buffalo Brave) going on a tear and hitting shot after shot. When I saw this, I knew immediately this was what I wanted to post.

Enjoy!

Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:14:00 +0000

Cognitive Surplus continues where Here Comes Everybody ends and examines how excess free time and the adoption of social media are transforming us from consumers into collaborators.

We've had surplus free time for a while, Shirky contents, at least since the postwar boom. However, because we spent so much of this excess time watching television, the surplus was mostly used for consumption. It has only been in recent years, with the emergence of online social networks, that we're beginning to see our cognitive surplus applied beyond consumption, to all manner of sharing and collaborative creation.

It's worth noting here that the application of our cognitive surplus to social networks is instrumental. It won't by definition produce output of higher quality. You will instead get everything from Wikipedia to Napster to millions of blogs and Twitter posts. But because the Internet has removed the barriers to entry for amateurs creating and sharing content, the pool of content and user cultures is an order of magnitude greater and beyond what it ever was before. This is transformative change, the results of which won't be clear for years, if not decades.

If you liked Here Comes Everybody, you'll probably enjoy Cognitive Surplus too. If you haven't read Here Comes Everybody, I'd suggest you start there first.

Buffalo and Cleveland: Let’s Make a Pact!

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:53:00 +0000

I'm a Buffalo sports fan, but I found myself acutely disappointed when LeBron James choose the Miami Heat over the Cleveland Cavaliers. You see, it's not easy being a Buffalo sports fans, with the Bills' four Super Bowl losses and the Sabres' inability to win the Stanley Cup. I've always felt that the only fans who truly understand the continual disappointment and ache of no championships are Cleveland sports fans.

So, somewhere along the way, I've become a stand-in Cleveland fan, and I always cheer for Cleveland teams to win when they make the playoffs (excepting on the rare occasion when the Browns and Bills meet in the post-season, when I root for the Bills). This year was no different, and I really thought it was the Cavs' year and LeBron would lead them over the top.

It was obviously not to be, though. But the Cavs' loss to the Celtics and LeBron's decision to play for Miami got me thinking about other famous sports letdowns and disappointments in Buffalo and Cleveland sports. The similarities were striking, and I am now more convinced than ever that the two fan bases are united in shared misfortune by their sports teams.

Below is a comparison of significant Buffalo and Cleveland sports failures, misfortune, and near misses. I should note that my purpose in compiling this list is not to dwell on the negative and find company in misery, but to issue a clarion call of sorts for both fan bases to consider coming together and supporting each other's teams, at least until both cities win a modern day professional sports championship.

The List

Buffalo	Cleveland
No Goal Team: Buffalo Sabres Sport: NHL When: 1999 Stanley Cup Finals Opponent: Dallas Stars No Goal is associated with the controversial goal scored by Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals. When Hull scored the series-clinching goal in triple overtime of game six, his foot was in the crease but the puck wasn't.^[1] Beyond the controversy surrounding the goal, Sabre fans painfully remember the loss to this day because it represented the best look the Sabres had at a Stanley Cup, possibly ever. It was also the closest they got with all-world goalie Dominik Hasek.	The Drive Team: Cleveland Browns Sport: NFL When: January 11, 1987 Opponent: Denver Broncos The Drive refers to an offensive series in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game played on January 11, 1987, between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns.^[2] Broncos quarterback John Elway, in a span of 5 minutes and 2 seconds, led his team 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation. Denver won the game in overtime with a field goal, 23-20.^[2]
Music City Miracle Team: Buffalo Bills Sport: NFL When: January 8, 2000 Opponent: Tennessee Titans Music City Miracle is the name commonly given to the game winning kickoff return that took place as time expired on January 8, 2000, during the 1999-2000 NFL Payoffs when Tennessee pulled off a nearly impossible cross-field lateral to create daylight for returner Kevin Dyson.^[3] After the Bills's first Super Bowl loss, this might be the most painful Bills playoff defeat.	The Fumble Team: Cleveland Browns Sport: NFL When: January 17, 1988 Opponent: Denver Broncos The Fumble refers to Earnest Byner's fumble in the AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos on January 17, 1988. With 1:12 left in the game, running back Byner appeared to be on his way to score the game-tying touchdown, but lost a fumble at the 3-yard line.^[4]
The Drop Team: Buffalo Bills Sport: NFL When: January 6, 1990 Opponent: Cleveland Browns The Drop describes the play when Bills' running back Ronnie Harmon dropped a potential game winning catch in the end zone on January 6, 1990 during a wildcard playoff game versus the Browns.	Red Right 88 Team: Cleveland Browns Sport: NFL When: January 4, 1981 Opponent: Oakland Raiders Red Right 88 was the designation of a Cleveland Browns passing play that was infamously called during a Browns playoff game against the Raiders in 1981 that led to an interception and eventual loss.^[5]
The Disappointing Finish Team: Buffalo Sabres Sport: NHL When: May 19, 2007 Opponent: Ottawa Senators The Disappointing Finish describes the failure of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006-07 season to win the Stanley Cup, despite winning the Presidents' Trophy for most regular-season points for the first time in franchise history. The suffering of Sabre fans did not end with the elimination by Ottawa, as the offseason saw the exit of two of the teams most productive and popular players, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.	The Wedge Team: Cleveland Indians Sport: MLB When: October 21, 2007 Opponent: Boston Red Sox The Wedge recalls the 2007 ALCS when the Indians held a 3-1 lead in the series over the Boston Red Sox with a 19-game winner going at home in Game 5 -- and still lost the series.^[6] The series loss is generally characterized in Cleveland as a major choke, such that the term "The Wedge", named for former manager Eric Wedge, is now synonymous to Cleveland fans with this series loss.
The Wrist Shot Team: Buffalo Sabres Sport: NHL When: May 10, 2001 Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins The Wrist Shot describes the game-winning goal and overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals of the 2000-01 season. Darius Kasparaitis beat Hasek 13:01 into overtime with a long 30-foot wrist shot from around the left faceoff circle. This series and its aftermath will forever haunt Sabres fans. In Game 6, the Sabres were leading 2-1 and 1:18 away from advancing to the Eastern Finals when Pittsburgh tied the game on a fluke bounce and eventually won the the game in overtime. The Sabres would blow a lead in Game 7 as well and lose in overtime on the Kasparaitis goal. This would prove to be Hasek's last game with the Sabres, as he was traded in the offseason.	The Shot Team: Cleveland Cavaliers Sport: NBA When: 1989 NBA Playoffs Opponent: Chicago Bulls The Shot is the game-winning basket made by Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls in the fifth and final game of the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, on May 7, 1989, on Cleveland's home floor in Richfield, Ohio.^[7] The buzzer-beater gave Chicago the best-of-five series, 3-2. It was both a game and series winner. The Shot is considered one of Jordan's greatest clutch moments, and the game itself is considered a classic.^[7]
Wide Right Team: Buffalo Bills Sport: NFL When: January 27, 1991 Opponent: NY Giants Wide Right describes kicker Scott Norwood's missed 47-yard field goal attempt during Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991. Wide Right (and the loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XXV) is widely regarded by Buffalo fans as the most heartbreaking professional sports moment of all. Wide Right is sometimes associated with the Bills' loss of four straight Super Bowls, and has become viewed as the one consummate game the Bills should have won.	Two Outs Away (Jose Mesa) Team: Cleveland Indians Sport: MLB When: October 26, 1997 Opponent: Florida Marlins Sometimes associated with the labels Two Outs Away or just Jose Mesa, Cleveland's loss in the 1997 World Series is best remembered by the team entering the ninth inning of Game 7 with a 2-1 when closer Jose Mesa blew the lead, culminating in a Marlins win in the eleventh inning. In the modern era, this series is the closest a Cleveland team has come to winning a championship and is bitterly remembered by Indians fans.
Championship Drought Despite reaching the Super Bowl in four consecutive years from 1990-1993, the Bills have never won a Super Bowl. The Sabres have also failed to win the Stanley Cup. The Buffalo Bills did win the AFL championship in 1964 and 1965, and the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL have won 4 Championships in 1992, 1993, 1996, and 2008, but fans want what they consider the real thing, a modern day championship in football or hockey.^[8]	Championship Drought Cleveland has waited longer than any other city with three major sports franchises to win a title. The last time a Cleveland professional sports team won a championship was in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl era). The Cleveland Indians last won the World Series in 1948 (the second-longest drought in MLB, after the Cubs) and the Cleveland Cavaliers have never won an NBA championship. The city even had a short-lived NHL hockey team called The Barons, which never won a championship either.^[9]
Abandonment During the early years of the 1970s, Buffalo hosted three professional sports teams: the Bills (NFL), the Braves (NBA), and the Sabres (NHL). The era was short-lived, though, as the Braves left Buffalo forever after the 1977–78 season. The departure stands as one of the early sports losses endured by the city and came about because the team's ownership prized short-term financial gain over building an enduring NBA franchise in Buffalo.^[10] In some ways, the loss of the Braves was also a sign of serious sports disappointments to come. Over the past 30 years, Buffalo has shed population and jobs, giving rise to the notion that the market may not be big enough or viable for the Bills in the future. This uncertainty is exacerbated by Bill owner Ralph Wilson's refusal to discuss succession plans for the team. The Bills currently play one of their home games in nearby Toronto as part of an ongoing to regionalize the team, but skeptical fans view the move as a sign that the Bills already have one foot out the door. So the Bills endure, but with a veritable Sword of Damocles hanging over the franchise and fanbase.	Abandonment For a three year stretch, from 1996–1999, Cleveland lost the Browns and there was no football in Cleveland. Art Modell's decision to move the franchise has made him as one of the most reviled figures in Cleveland sports history. The city did get the Browns and the NFL back, but the scar from the relocation of the original franchise remains. With his decision to leave the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, LeBron James immediately joins Modell as one of the most self-centered figures in Cleveland sports history. There's no doubt that the sting of the departure was heightened tremendously by the manner in which James made his decision: during a prime time ESPN special, but it would have hurt no matter how he announced it. As it was, though, to Cleveland fans, "The Decision" special was an hour long knife in the heart, and it's doubtful they will ever forgive him.

References

1999 Stanley Cup Finals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Stanley_Cup_Finals. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
The Drive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drive. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Music City Miracle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_City_Miracle. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
The Fumble. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fumble. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Red Right 88. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Right_88. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Cavaliers' failures are something that could only happen in Cleveland. http://www.cleveland.com/dman/index.ssf/2010/05/only_in_cleveland_1.html. Cleveland.com. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
The Shot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shot. Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Drought (sport), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_(sport). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Drought (sport), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_(sport). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
Comment, buffalonation, http://ravenhost.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-and-cleveland-lets-make-pact.html#comments. ravenhost.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 14, 2010.

10 Reasons Why Independence Day Is the Best Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Earlier this year, I gave ten reasons why Memorial Day is my favorite holiday. I stand by that list, but, in full disclosure, I really like Independence Day too, almost or even as much as Memorial Day. To flush this out, I decided to make a case for Independence Day as the best holiday of them all. Don't worry, I won't do this for every holiday.

Note: As with Memorial Day, I'm aware that Independence Day (on the Fourth of July) is a U.S. holiday, but I know other countries have similar holidays, so I figured people everywhere can relate. I also tried to pick qualities that aren't specific to America. If anything, they're more season-specific.

Here's the list:

It's a holiday for everybody. Almost everyone gets off work on Independence Day and most businesses are closed. It makes the day feel extra special and celebratory, and there are only a few holidays where this is the case.
It's affordable. Unless you're hosting a giant party, you won't spend a fortune on Independence Day. You can spend what you want on food and drink, of course, but it's often less than what you'll spend on other large meal or gift holidays, like Easter and Thanksgiving. And if you like holidays that don't dent your wallet, Independence Day entertainment will suit you just fine, with free fireworks in the evening.
The time of year. Falling in the first few days of July, Independence Day arrives right as the summer festival season blossoms. Where I reside, in the Buffalo/Niagara region, whenever the fourth approaches, I know other great summer events are coming, like the Friendship Festival (a celebration between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, NY), Shakespeare In Delaware Park, and various ethnic and cultural festivals, including the Taste of Buffalo, the Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival, and the Canal Fest of the Tonawandas.
Outdoor Gatherings. Take a moment and think how you've previously spent the day on Independence Day. Chances are, you've enjoyed time at barbecues, picnics, beaches, parks, backyard parties, and consumed all manner of delicious food and spirits. Independence Day lends itself to fun, outdoor gatherings like no other holiday.
Summer movies and drive-ins. If Memorial Day kicks off the summer movie season, by Independence Day, we're in the thick of it, and by the fourth we typically have a nice selection of big-budget action films and easy summer fare to choose from. One year on the fourth, we actually got one of the schlockiest summer movies of them all, Independence Day (you remember). Of course, since the weather is so warm by the fourth, you can take in a movie in air-conditioned comfort or make a long night of it at the drive-in.
Work shutdowns and vacations. Many companies still have summer shutdowns during the week of July 4th, prompting a number of employees to take vacations. This gives the week of the holiday some extra buoyancy, as more people are out of work, on vacation, less stressed, and generally happier.
True Summer holiday. Independence Day is our only holiday that's pure summer. That is, it's right in the gut of summer. For those of us who love the season, early July is a wonderful time, with over two months of boundless summer still ahead.
Party. Let's all be honest, for a moment. Independence Day is a great day for summer parties and responsible consumption. This isn't to say that there isn't a lot of drinking going on during other holidays, and of course nothing can top New Year's Eve for sheer partying and holiday carousing, but Independence Day is different. It's warm and you can drink in the sun, in your backyard or on the beach, and parties often stretch out through the day and into the evening.
Fireworks. As Chandler Bing might say, "Fireworks are cool and you know it!" Yes, you know it, I know it, we all know it. There are bottle rockets, lady fingers, M-80s, sparklers, just to name a few. I loved watching fireworks when I was a kid, and I expect I always will.
The Birth of a Nation. Ultimately, the best case for Independence Day may be that it's a celebration of our country and a reminder of how our freedoms were won and why it's so important to preserve them.

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Groundswell is a really great survey book about the importance of social media for business. Here, the authors interpret social media as the groundswell, "a spontaneous movement of people using online tools to connect, take charge of their experience, and get what they need -- information, support, ideas, products, and bargaining power -- from each other."

The book is well-structured and begins at a high-level, defining the groundswell and why it's vital for businesses today. Next, the authors include case studies and go through various strategies for tapping into the groundswell. The final section includes tactical examples detailing how to implement social media initiatives and gain buy-in throughout an organization.

As you read the book, it's easy to tell that Groundswell pulls together a ton of relevant information, and the authors did an excellent job of leveraging data from their parent organization (Forrester Research) and gathering new information though many in-person, telephone, and email interviews.

I'd rank Groundswell as one of the best books that's been written to date about social media. Along with Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, it's the most useful text on the subject I've read.

As a final aside, it's worth noting and fitting that in my case I was compelled to read Groundswell after hearing about it, well, within the groundswell. Those who are familiar with LinkedIn know that the popular social networking site for professionals allows you to join Groups which feature Discussions. A few months ago I joined the LinkedIn Group Social Media Marketing, and, shortly after joining, I quickly noticed an active discussion entitled "What is your favorite book on the subject of Social Media Marketing?"

As of this writing, this discussion has generated 369 comments, with lots of great suggestions and back and forth. I haven't done a tally, but my sense is that Groundswell has received the most recommendations from people who have responded to this thread.

She's Out of My League (Movie Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:48:00 +0000

She's Out of My League is a mildly funny and easy-going-down comedy about an average guy named Kirk (played by Jay Baruchel) who finds himself dating Molly (Alice Eve), who's better looking, smarter, and more successful than he is. Basically, he's a 5 out of 10, and she's a 10.

The premise works because the characters are likable and we want them to work it out and be happy. This is true despite the fact that there are no real surprises here, and the plot paints by the usual romantic comedy numbers. I did like that the story took place in Pittsburgh, and that the writers gave Molly some substance -- she is ridiculously pretty, but she's not an airhead.

I recommend She's Out of My League if you're interested in a light romantic comedy with some probable rising stars, especially Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve.

Connecting with Strangers on Social Media Sites

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:50:00 +0000

I love using social media sites to meet new professionals for networking and sharing ideas. LinkedIn and Twitter are my favorite social media sites for this, as they bring you into contact with a ton of people in all different fields and specialties.

Over the past few months, I've been trying to add new professional contacts and I've reached out to people I didn't previously know. At first, this was a little awkward, as I had to overcome my own hesitation about connecting with strangers. I was worried I was being too intrusive or even spamming people. I tried to balance this by being transparent about my intent to connect and never bothering anyone with duplicate messages or invitations.

Overall, this process has been rewarding and very positive, as the majority of people with whom I've interacted have been very receptive to networking and connecting on LinkedIn or Twitter, and I now am connected to many more interesting professional contacts that I would be otherwise through simple, organic network growth.

I'm interested in other perspectives about this. Do others also connect with strangers, or only with known friends and colleagues? Why?

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010 - Intent to Register

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:57:00 +0000

I recently discovered the Book Blogger Appreciation group which works to "recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers". Even more, the group also sponsors a Book Blogger Appreciation Week to recognize the contributions of book bloggers everywhere.

I'm by no means a full-time book blogger, but I comment about enough books here that I wanted to participate in their event. I also like the intent of the Book Blogger Appreciate group, and want to do my small part in publicizing their activity.

For the BBAW awards, there are several niche categories you may pick from to enroll your blog. After traversing the categories and looking at what I posted this past year, I decided to select the Best Nonfiction Book Blog category and have selected the following as representative review posts:

Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn McKenna (Book Review)
Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford (Book Review)
Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Book Review)
Less by Marc Lesser (Book Review)
Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott (Book Review)

Bloggers are also invited to register in a featured category, and I selected Best Written Book Blog. Below are my selections:

Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn McKenna (Book Review)
10 Reasons Why Memorial Day Is the Best Holiday
25 Days of Christmas (25 post blog series)
Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford (Book Review)
TiMER (Movie Review)

What's Your Favorite Version of the Leonard Cohen Song Hallelujah?

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:10:00 +0000

Lately, I've been hearing more and more covers of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah". This includes adaptations for TV, the movies, and special events, like the last Olympics and the recent Hope for Haiti fundraiser. The song was also performed by two recent American Idol finalists, Jason Castro (in 2008) and Lee DeWyze (this season, 2010). According to a Wikipedia article summarizing the song and the website The Leonard Cohen Files, the song has been covered by different artists almost 200 times. There's also a great awmusic.ca blog post that goes into more detail about the many covers of Hallelujah, and suggests that it is now "the most overused song ever". Good stuff.

Anyway, after hearing DeWyze attempt the song last month, it got me thinking about the different versions of the song, and which interpretation I like the best.

For my part, while I appreciate the emotional intensity of the the Jeff Buckley version, I favor the controlled sincerity in the John Cale treatment, and I was really impressed when I heard Kate Voegele's version a short time ago. She brings a lot of fresh energy to the song, and I think helps make it accessible for a new, younger audience.

What about you? What's your favorite version of the song? To help you think through some of the options, I've listed some of the more famous cover versions below.

Hallelujah - The Original
Leonard Cohen - Various Positions (1984)

Hallelujah - Famous Versions
John Cale - I'm Your Fan (1991)
Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)
k.d. lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel (2004)
Kate Voegele - Don't Look Away (2007)
Jason Castro - American Idol (2008)
Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris - Hope for Haiti Now (2010)
Lee DeWyze - American Idol (2010)

Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn McKenna (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:38:00 +0000

Often, the books that frighten me the most aren't horror novels. Instead, I'm more likely to be disturbed after reading texts detailing real-life threats, especially dangers that are under reported and not taken seriously.

So it's probably no surprise that Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA scared the hell out of me. As the text's title indicates, Superbug is all about MRSA, a bacterium responsible for a range of difficult-to-treat infections. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus but is commonly labeled as staph, or, more appropriately, drug-resistant staph. It is especially dangerous because is has developed resistance to many antibiotic drugs that are normally used to counter bacterial infections. In this sense, MRSA has become more drug-resistant in part because of our societal overuse of antibiotics.

There are a variety of strains and manifestations of MRSA, from minor skin infections to severe necrotizing or flesh bacteria syndrome. The fear with MRSA, as author Maryn McKenna conveys, is that we may be approaching a MRSA strain, or superbug, that's untreatable.

The book doesn't offer much consolation or conclude with a silver bullet that's on its way to defeat MRSA, although the author does touch on some of the current research exploring MRSA vaccines and mentions some of the tactics used in preventive MRSA screening.

As a reading experience, Superbug was accessible and well-paced. The author smartly alternated between true stories of people with MRSA to more technical passages that delved into the history and science behind the bug. There were some spots that were a little too esoteric for me, but, overall, Maryn McKenna is a fluid and accomplished writer and I learned a lot.

In a media-saturated age that can't wait to report about the next pandemic, sometimes it's hard to know which looming diseases to take seriously. When I mentioned I was reading Superbug to a friend, he questioned the threat of MRSA and contended that, if it was so serious, I should probably know some people who had MRSA. I considered the claim but disputed the logic. I personally don't know anyone with HIV or Juvenile Diabetes, but that doesn't mean those conditions aren't serious. Ultimately, I think the facts and cases Maryn McKenna presents in Superbug speak for themselves, and we need to take MRSA seriously.

See Also:
Superbug - Offical Website

Movie Roundup - Memorial Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:46:00 +0000

I had a chance to watch three movies during the recent Memorial Day break. As it turned out, it was a case of really good, decent, and just so-so.

Whip It!
Whip It! was a lot of fun, with a quirky, indie feel and great performances. The movie follows Bliss (Ellen Page), a small town teen who joins a women's roller derby team in Austin, Texas. Drew Barrymore really impresses in her directorial debut -- the film has a lot of energy, the characters are believable, and the film avoids the girlsploitation trappings that might have been tempting or hard to avoid in a story about a provacative women's sport.

Bottom Line: Definitely recommended.

Date Night
Date Night was pure comfort food. Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are two of the funniest people on the planet, and you generally are guaranteed to be entertained when you watch one of their movies. They don't disappoint in Date Night, and even though the script isn't great, they wring as many laughs and funny moments as they can from the material.

Bottom Line: Worth seeing if you like Steve Carrell and Tina Fey but lower your expectations.

Couples Retreat
That Couples Retreat had some funny parts is the most I can say about it. I'm probably being generous, too, because I still revere Swingers and always give Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughan the benefit of the doubt. But this was just okay, and maybe not even that good.

Bottom Line: Steer clear unless you have to see everything starring Favreau and Vaughan.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:17:00 +0000

I first discovered Nick Hornby after a friend recommended I read High Fidelity. Like so many readers, I immediately loved the book and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites, in large part because Hornby centered the novel around pop music.

When I heard Hornby was returning to his roots in Juliet, Naked, with a new book about music and obsessive music fandom, I couldn't wait to read it.

In large part, Juliet, Naked delivers, and like almost every Hornby effort, the book is very readable and entertaining, with believable characters and crisp, funny dialogue. But High Fidelity it definitely is not. This book is darker and far more focused on regret and wasted time and youth. Duncan (the fan), Annie (Duncan's partner), and Tucker (the ex-rock star) are the three focus characters and have all arrived at middle-age with varying levels of regret at the time they wasted and how their lives turned out.

While you can argue that High Fidelity touched on the exact same themes, the characters in Juliet, Naked seemed stuck and unable to move past their regret, and they just weren't as interesting as Rob Gordon and the supporting cast in High Fidelity. Perhaps this is because Rob, for all his faults and top five lists, gets it in the end and moves on and grows, and that story is funnier and more affirming for it.

I do recommend Juliet, Naked, but I would steer new Hornby readers to his classic High Fidelity first.

Reviews of Other Nick Hornby Books
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Slam by Nick Hornby

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:49:00 +0000

I can't pretend that I've absorbed even half of what's in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan, but I feel wiser for having read it. This book is all about unpredictability, randomness, and the fundamental problem of forecasting -- that we believe past events repeat more than they do and that there is more order to actions than there really is.

After establishing the extent to which uncertainty figures in our lives, the author pulls back and offers up some ways to approach uncertainty and still live productively and without undue anxiety.

In the spirit of the text, I can't predict with any certainty that you'll like this, but I recommend it anyway!

10 Reasons Why Memorial Day Is the Best Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:24:00 +0000

We all have our favorite holidays, of course, but some have been given short shrift when compared against the standard heavyweights like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. A case in point is Memorial Day which, when looked at objectively, not only compares to any of the five star holidays, but is actually superior to them all.

I'm aware that Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday and might not translate for everyone, but I tried to pick qualities that aren't really specific to America.

Below are ten reasons why Memorial Day is the best holiday of them all.

Memorial Day always falls on a Monday. This guarantees a long weekend. Plus, Monday holidays are easier to plan around and less disruptive than a mid-week holiday where you get a day off and then have to drag yourself back into the office for a day or two before the weekend.
Memorial Day traditionally kicks off summer movie season and the release of highly-anticipated movies. This year we'll be able to sit back for a stretch and choose from Iron Man 2, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Sex and the City 2 (for the ladies), or Shrek Forever After (for the kids).
Good weather. Falling as it does near the end of May, the weather on Memorial Day
is usually sunny and pleasant without being oppressively hot (like on the Fourth of July).
Memorial Day is a "marker" or gateway holiday, signifying the arrival of summer. There are other such holidays, including Labor Day, which portends the winding down of summer and imminent arrival of fall, but Memorial Day remains the best, because of what you have to look forward to: three or four months of sunshine, short-sleeves, and flip flops.
Extended family get-togethers are optional on Memorial Day! This one cannot be understated. Though many of you out there can't go on the record and say that sometimes you prefer not to spend your holidays with your extended family, I have no such hesitation. Memorial Day rules because you're not locked into some long dinner or tedious discussion with some relative you see only twice a year.
You can eat what you want. Good food can make a holiday all the more memorable, but it can also restrict if you're bound by custom or family tradition to serve the same fare year after year. Fortunately, Memorial Day is wide open. Grill, bake, or go out. It's your day to eat the way you want, and you can go ahead and do something totally different next year.
Manageable expectations. People have modest or even low expectations for Memorial Day. Unlike Christmas, New Year's Day, or even the Fourth of July, when the pressure is higher and you need to buy gifts, entertain, or shoot off fireworks, Memorial Day doesn't demand as much and in fact can be an entire day of pure relaxation.
Few Distractions. While there might be an NBA playoff or a baseball game on during Memorial Day, generally the holiday has few distractions and even sports fans can disengage for awhile and enjoy the weekend.
Commercial-free! Listen: you don't have to buy any gifts on Memorial Day and there are no Memorial Day cards to send! It's the ultimate non-commercial holiday. Even people who work in advertising take the day off.
Because some gave all. I've had some fun with this, but let's not forget that the reason we have a day off the last Monday of every May. Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in military service. For this reason above all the others, I elevate Memorial Day as the holiday I appreciate most. Many men and women died to build this country which allow me to write posts like this, and I respect and do not take lightly their sacrifice.

Enjoy Memorial Day, everyone.

The Sound of Social Media Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:24:00 +0000

In the hours leading up to the "Lost" series finale that aired last Sunday, many people updated their blogs, Facebook statuses, and Twitter pages with a statement indicating that they'd be staying off the Internet and powering off mobile devices until after they watched the finale, so as to avoid surprises and spoilers.

Of course, you don't have to be a fan of "Lost" to relate to the impulse to disengage from online distractions, but the willingness of so many people to do so to watch a television show made me wonder what else qualifies as a reason to steer clear of the Internet and social media.

Do people just pull away for media that's prone to spoliers and leaks, like anticipated television shows and movies? What about pro sporting events, particularly when someone attempts the often tried but difficult to accomplish feat of recording the game, avoiding the score, and then watching it later without knowing the outcome. And what about people who disengage for personal reasons, like during holidays or on weekends?

No doubt, people have widely varying thresholds and preferences here. For my part, I tend to disengage on weekends, to spend time with my family and also to recharge and enjoy other hobbies and interests. That said, there are degrees of disengagement, from mostly tuning out but keeping the cell phone on and getting online for a few minutes here and there to full-on bunker mode, with Internet and mobile devices powered off. And the growing convergence of our communication devices with leading social media vehicles, like Facebook and Twitter, is definitely blurring the boundary. If I regularly connect with my real-world contacts through social media sites, how disruptive is it to disconnect?

I suspect it will become harder to disengage from social media as these vehicles become even more a part of our lives, like when they are accessible easily through our televisions and cars. But I bet people will find a way to unplug when they really want to, like when the series finale of their favorite show airs.

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:49:00 +0000

I rarely say this about any book, and think I've only done it once before, for Night by Elie Wiesel, but Half the Sky is one of those books that everyone should read.

It's both an unflinching and brave piece of journalism that reveals the widespread plight of women in the developing world (even in this day and age), and a clear call for change through awareness and action.

The authors present their case by focusing on some of the major problems facing millions of women worldwide, including sex trafficking, sexual violence and rape, and maternal mortality. Then, they look at the solutions that are having the greatest positive impact, especially girls education, access to healthcare, and microfinance.

There's a lot to take away from Half the Sky, but perhaps the most memorable point is how uplifting and educating women in countries where they have been traditionally held down can begin to transform the country's entire society -- economically, socially, and even politically. The best proofs of this come from East Asia, which has prospered in recent decades by educating females and incorporating them in the workforce in ways that haven't been present in other parts of the developing world.

The book concludes by providing additional information for learning more and helping.

Larry's Kidney by Daniel Asa Rose (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:28:00 +0000

With Larry's Kidney, author Daniel Asa Rose hits the ball hard and deep, but ultimately foul.

The premise of a man and his cousin traveling to China to try and obtain a kidney for a transplant the uncle desperately needs is great and the setup draws you in at the start. But the story didn't maintain momentum or keep my interest, in large part because, though the book is a true story, it felt like neither memoir nor fiction. I'm not sure why. The events seemed plausible but the characters spoke and acted at really odd angles. They didn't come across as real to me, and certainly didn't capture my sympathy. However, they didn't read like fictional characters either. Perhaps the problem is with me and that I've read too many memoirs that are so fabricated and scripted that my sense of a real person in a memoir is blurred and really off.

In any case, the book never come together for me.

TiMER (Movie Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:04:00 +0000

TiMER is a fresh and fun Indie film where the technology exists (TiMERs) to show people the numbers of days, hours, minutes and seconds until they will meet their soul mate. The film is ostensibly a romantic comedy but it resists easy categorization and at times feels as much like a drama or a science fiction film as it does a romantic comedy.

We learn about TiMERs through two sisters -- Oona (Emma Caulfield) and Steph (Michelle Borth) -- who approach dating and relationships in large part based on the readouts of their TiMERs. For example, Steph knows that she won't meet her soul mate for many years, so she is casual in her encounters and resists intimacy. Oona's TiMER is blank, which indicates that her soul mate hasn't installed a TiMER yet, and the impasse leaves her frustrated and impatient for her one to emerge.

In this state, Oona departs from her calibrated routine and begins a relationship with a younger man. The change and excitement wake Oona up, and she finds herself enjoying her life and not fixated on her TiMER and romantic destiny. This continues until Oona's TiMER comes on and when she learns that her soul mate is not the young man she's been seeing.

The climactic tension is appropriate to the plot and conceit of the film, but the movie doesn't establish a path for defying the TiMER. In the world of the film, TiMERs are always right and what's interesting and compelling are the complications and relationships that emerge because of the devices, and not the prospect that the technology might be faulty. In this sense, knowing the exact moment when your soul mate will arrive in your life is not unlike knowing the day when you'll die. Such fore-knowledge would change so much about how we behave.

Overall, TiMER is a good, enjoyable film with solid performances from Emma Caulfield and Michelle Borth. I hope to see more of them in future films.

The Politics of Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:00:00 +0000

When you're connected to someone on a social media site like Facebook, Twitter, or even LinkedIn, and the person uses the service regularly, it doesn't take long to learn some new things about the person that you might not have known, including likes, interests, and affiliations.

This can create some interesting dynamics and bedfellows, especially when you're interacting online with people you haven't connected with in a long time (like high school or college friends) or have only met professionally. To me, this is most acute when I begin to parse that someone I'm connected to is my complete opposite, politically.

This got me wondering -- what do people think and do when they notice their connections have different politics? Do people disconnect from people if someone's at the other end of the spectrum? Do they keep the connection but ignore the person? Conversely, are social media sites rare vehicles where we actually talk to and listen to each other? It's interesting and complex, and you wonder at the implications as we use these services more and more.

For my part, I like being connected to people with a diversity of opinions and viewpoints. I enjoy good-spirited oppositional debate, and I think a healthy back and forth bolsters us all and prevents ossification. I would never personally disconnect from someone because of the person's politics unless the person advocated violence or engaged in some form of hate-mongering.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:10:00 +0000

Peeps is a fresh and original take on the vampire story where vampirism is actually a disease caused by parasites and vampires are parasite positives, or "peeps," who carry the illness.

Full disclosure: I'm one of those people who think there are way too many vampire books and movies, and that the whole vampire sub-genre has become pretty stale and tired. I know, millions of people love Twilight and its sequels, so I concede it's a me thing.

That all said, despite my jaded preconceptions about vampire novels, I thoroughly enjoyed Peeps. I thought the book's conceit was original and intriguing, and the rest of the story held-together pretty well. Peeps is targeted at young adults but will be enjoyed by adult readers as well. I know, as I'm one of those adult readers who liked it!

Food Rules by Michael Pollan (Book Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:07:00 +0000

I'm a big Michael Pollan fan and thought In Defense of Food was one of the most important books to come along in years. Food Rules recasts much of the important information from In Defense of Food into 64 rules for selecting real food, eating in moderation, and getting off the Western diet.

While I thought In Defense of Food was already pretty accessible and easy to get into, Food Rules pares down the material even further, by relating eating to our daily lives and using simple, everyday language. Most of the rules are just one page in length and, in some cases, the rules are just a single sentence, as with #20, "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car." It's likely that the streamlined book format and simple rules will allow Pollan to reach many new readers.

I don't know about the utility of Food Rules for those who've already read In Defense of Food. The book felt like a refresher to me and I will probably look to loan it to people who would not otherwise read the longer and (by comparison) denser In Defense of Food.