Steve Jobs, iPad 2, Marketing, and 'Just Spell My Name Right?'

"Steve Jobs' reality distortion takes its toll on truth"
Seth Weintraub, Fortune Tech, CNN (March 3, 2011)

"Apple twisted facts and used an erroneous quotation to try to convince crowds that all other tablets had no shot at de-throning the iPad in 2011.

In what seems like a ritual at this point, I watched Apple's iPad 2 keynote in disbelief, noting the factual errors that kept coming up minute after minute. See previous:..."

"...That was just the beginning. He next pulled out a thoroughly debunked, mis-translated quote from a Samsung VP:..."

The quote, as presented by Mr. Jobs, is shown in a photo. The text reads:

" 'As you heard, our sell-in was quite aggressive ... around two million. In terms of sell-out, we believe it was quite small.'
Samsung VB Lee Young-hee"

Back to the CNN article/op-ed:

"...Some people only hear what they want to hear, but that quote should have ended with "quite smooth." That translation was officially corrected a long time ago...."

There's quite a bit more.

The Lemming hardly knows where to begin.

Opinions, Quotes, and Creative Marketing

Seth Weintraub has a fairly well-defined opinion about Mr. Jobs' and the Samsung slam. He may be right.

Short quotes are not, in the Lemming's opinion, all that reliable when used by someone's opposition. Wading through reverse-cherry-picked sound bites is a wearisome routine during each election - and that's almost another topic.

Throw in translation errors - and the Lemming is not going to start ranting about Speed Racer dubs. Another topic. Topics.

The Lemming has no personal experience with Apple's iPad 2. It's not that the Lemming hates Apple - there are many intriguing bits of tech that the Lemming hasn't personally used.

As for Mr. Jobs' apparent focus on criticizing competing products: That's a familiar marketing strategy. Not, maybe, the most prudent: but it's been used. Back in the Lemming's day, laundry detergents were often compared to "brand X." Later, competing brands were singled out.

Done with moderation - and careful research - pointing out how your brand is better than the competition is arguably a good idea.

'Better Than Roadkill'

The Lemming remembers when 'comparison ads' got out a little out of hand, and comics had a field day. Gags like 'our frozen dinners - better than roadkill' may have encouraged advertising agencies to change strategies. For a while, at least.

A key phrase in that discussion of comparison ads is "careful research." Even before the Information Age, making a claim that wasn't true was - not smart. If word gets around that 'brand X' lies about its product, potential customers have another reason to buy something else.

Creative license is fine - take the Aflac Duck ads, for example. A talking duck? Nobody really believes that: and it's obvious that we're not intended to. Creative facts? Like the Lemming said: those can give potential customers a reason to buy something else.

'Any Publicity is Good Publicity' - Maybe

There's an old adage: "There's no such thing as bad publicity." The Lemming ran into it in connection with entertainers: along with the "I don't care what you say, just spell my name right."

There really is value to getting your name in front of people - but that's show business, not information technology.

CNN's not the only place that Mr. Jobs' creative marketing has been discussed:

• "Was the 'Reality Distortion Field' in Force at the iPad 2 Event?"
  Michael Santo, HotHardware (March 4, 2011)
• "Steve Jobs slams Android, Samsung and iPad 2 rivals as 'copycats' "
  Rich Trenholm, CNET UK (March 3, 2011)
• "Oops: Steve Jobs Misquotes Samsung At iPad 2 Event"
  Elizabeth Woyke, Mobilized, Forbes (March 2, 2011)
• "Jobs Takes Shots At The Competition"
  Gabriel Perna, International Business Tech (March 2, 2011)

In each case, they spelled Mr. Jobs' name right. Whether that's good news for Apple is more than the Lemming knows. This is just speculation, but the Lemming suspects that Mr. Jobs' creative quotation hasn't helped Apple's credibility.

Whether or not Apple's iPad 2 isn't as rotten a product as the rest? That's something that may become apparent as folks start using it. If they start using it.

An Alternatively Factual Statement From North Africa

Comparisons are famously "odious,"¹ but Steve Jobs isn't the only high-profile person to make a hotly-contested statement recently:

"...Told by the BBC's Jeremy Bowen that he had seen demonstrators in the streets that morning, Gadhafi asked, 'Are they supporting us?'

"Gadhafi, wearing sunglasses and clad in brown tribal clothing, refused to accept the reporter's assertion that they were not. 'No. No one against us. Against me for what?'

"He repeated his assertion that he is not president, but one of the people. 'They love me, all my people with me, they love me all. They will die to protect me, my people. No, no.'..."
("Gadhafi denies Libyans oppose him," CNN (February 28, 2011))

Yes, there's a huge difference between dubiously-accurate assertions from an infotech CEO and the boss of Libya. Steve Jobs may simply be doing his job, getting Apple's iPad 2 out in front of the public.

iPad 2 and the Emperor of the Galaxy

There are quite a few other possible explanations, some more improbable than others.

• Steve Jobs has gone crazy
  • And nobody at Apple noticed
• Mr. Jobs is doing a public service
  • Warning us about those awful products that aren't iPad 2
• It's all some kinda plot to
  • Undermine Apple
  • Discredit Steve Jobs
    • Who is really Emperor of the Galaxy
    • And all that stands between Earth and the shape-shifting space-alien lizard people

With a little effort, the Lemming could work Elvis and Big Cheese into the mix. Or that Bill Gates is really the Galactic Emperor's evil twin.

Seriously? iPad 2 Probably Works Okay

At this point, the Lemming could probably do some angsty hand-wringing and bemoan how tawdry journalism is unfairly besmirching the fair name of Jobs, and that iPad is doomed, d-oo-oo-oo-med by bad publicity.

Not gonna happen.

The Lemming hopes that the iPad works - and that its competitors do, too. It's hard on executive egos, and worker's paychecks, when a brass hat lets a shoddy product get into production. It's no picnic for consumers who buy junk, either. In the Lemming's opinion.

As for the 'copycat' claims? Mr. Jobs could be right - or maybe Apple doesn't have all the smart designers in the world on its payroll. It's possible. In the Lemming's opinion.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Google, Bing, Microsoft, 'Original' Work, and Getting a Grip"
  (February 2, 2011)
• "Top Tech Nifties, 2010"
  (January 1, 2011)
• "New Google OS, Cloud Storage: Spiffy"
  (December 9, 2010)
• "Extinction of the Desktop Mouse? No, It's About Apple's Magic Mouse"
  (February 11, 2010)
• "iPhone 3G - Incredible! Amazing! Stupendous! (WHY?)"
  (July 10, 2008)

---

¹ "When his friend Mr. Strahan, a native of Scotland, at his return from the Hebrides asked him...what he thought of his country? 'That is is a very vile country to be sure, Sir;' returned for answer Dr. Johnson. 'Well, Sir!' replies the other, somewhat mortified, 'God made it.' 'Certainly he did,' answers Dr. Johnson again; 'but we must always remember that he made it for Scotchmen, and - comparisons are odious, Mr. Strahan - but God made hell.' - Piozzi, Anecdotes, p. 172 - Croker" (footnote 1, page 74, "The life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D...." James Boswell (1884)) (via Google Books)

Gliese 581g, Space Aliens, and the Canals of Mars

"Claim of Alien Signal from Planet Gliese 581g Called 'Very Suspicious' "
Denise Chow, Space.com (October 11, 2010)

"The recent discovery of Gliese 581g, an alien planet in the habitable zone of another star, has been an exciting development for scientists probing the galaxy for signs of extraterrestrial life. At least one claim of a possible signal from the planet has already surfaced – and been met with harsh skepticism among the science community.

"Following the Sept. 29 announcement of the discovery of Gliese 581g, astronomer Ragbir Bhathal, a scientist at the University of Western Sydney, claimed to have detected a suspicious pulse of light nearly two years ago, that came from the same area of the galaxy as the location of Gliese 581g, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail online. [Alien Planet Gliese581g: FAQ]

"Bhathal is a member of the Australian chapter of SETI, a non-profit scientific organization that is dedicated to research, exploration and education in the field of astrobiology. ..."

So far it's like that stock situation in old-school science fiction: brilliant scientist discovers new planet/alien menace/mutant mouthwash; tries to warn others; is ridiculed by scientists who aren't as handsome as he is; is vindicated in the final reel.

Think Jor-El and the Kryptonian Science Council.

That can make a pretty good story.

In this case though, I think we're looking at something a bit more like the canals of Mars. Back to that Space.com article:

"...'Whenever there's a clear night, I go up to the observatory and do a run on some of the celestial objects,' Bhathal told the Daily Mail. 'Looking at one of these objects, we found this signal. We found this very sharp signal, sort of a laser lookalike thing which is the sort of thing we're looking for – a very sharp spike. And that is what we found.'

"Still, there are some scientists who are skeptical of Bhathal's assertion.

" 'I know the scientist, and when he first announced it, I asked him for the details, and he wouldn't send them to me,' astronomer and SETI pioneer Frank Drake told SPACE.com. 'I'm very suspicious.'..."

Scientists, when they've got something really hot to share with others: generally share it. Moderately hard evidence of space aliens signaling us from a planet that was discovered just last month? That's hot.

Or would be, if the evidence exists.

Rainbow Acres, Percival Lowell and Barsoom

There are three (at least) reasons why something that doesn't really exist may be presented as if it's real.

Honest Mistake

The Lemming's mentioned Percival Lowell before. He's the astronomer who says he saw "canals" on Mars. He probably did: or, rather, thought he did. There's a bit of a story behind that. (March 14, 2009)

Opticians, psychologists, and others have written quite a bit about just what they think Lowell really did see. But when we started sending spaceship to Mars, the canals weren't there.

The Lemming thinks that Lowell really did think that he saw "canals" - helped along by a bad translation of an Italian astronomer's observations. And less-than-stellar viewing conditions. He lived before adaptive optics and orbiting observatories.

Writing Fiction

Then there's Barsoom: Edgar Rice Burroughs' setting. That was a fictional Mars, and Burroughs knew it. Unless he was nuts, of course: and that idea I haven't run into. (Most) of Burroughs' readers knew Barsoom was a fictional setting, too.

Burroughs wasn't lying, as the term's usually used. He was writing stories. People don't, generally, expect places like the worlds of the Star Wars movies or Burroughs' Barsoom to be real places.

Deceit

A novelist is expected to make up 'facts' for the story. The rules are different when property's being sold.

Shady real estate brokers of a few decades back inspired terms like "rainbow acres." Quite a few folks heard or read glowing descriptions and rushed to grab a 'deal of a lifetime.' When the suckers got a look at their property, it often turned out to be a tract of swamp, a forsaken patch of the American southwest, or some other comparatively useless bit of land.

"Secluded" was one of the terms used to describe places like that: as in "you need a helicopter to reach it."

Aliens on Gliese 581g - And Drumbeats Across the Water

I rather hope that we're looking at a 'Percival Lowell' scenario here - and that the astronomer's unwillingness to let others look at the data has an innocent explanation. One possibility is that he took another look, and got skeptical himself.

Last excerpt from that article:

"...Bhathal claimed to have detected the puzzling signal in Dec. 2008, almost two years before researchers announced the Gliese 581g finding, and long before it was announced that habitable planets were found orbiting the star Gliese 581 itself.

" 'I'm not aware of the location that was claimed for the source of that light, and [Bhathal] refused to tell me where it came from,' Drake said. 'I think it's very unlikely that it came from the direction of Gliese 581.'..."

'Puzzling' Doesn't Mean 'People'

Puzzling signals are nothing new. For example, the first pulsar discovered didn't act like stars were expected to. It flashed, or pulsed, too quickly. Then another rapidly-pulsing star was found. Pulsing at a different rate. As more pulsars were discovered, it wasn't entirely unreasonable to speculate that we were looking at navigation beacons set up by some starfaring culture.

More data came in, and it turns out that pulsars are stars. Odd ones, really small, and spinning like crazy: but stars.

So much for the 'beacon' idea.

Space Aliens May Not be Human

The Lemming would be delighted if there really were people out there - who were so much like us that they:

• Wanted to communicate
• Used communications channels that we do

Wouldn't everybody use radio, or light, or something like that, to communicate over long distances? Here on Earth, for the last hundred years or so - yes. Actually, semaphore signaling is much older than radio.

Space aliens might use radio, or some sort of electromagnetic radiation, to send signals to other stars. Or, they might not.

Think about it this way: let's say that folks living on a really, really remote island decided to try detecting signals from someone 'out there.' The islanders use drums to communicate - so they sent folks with unusually keen hearing out as far from shore as was safe: and listened for drums.

Those drum-listeners had the right idea: listening for signals. What they didn't take into account was the possibility that not everybody uses drums to communicate over long distances.

Finally, the drum-listeners and most SETI proposals I've encountered share a common assumption: that the people 'out there' are very much like us.

That assumption may be accurate. Space aliens, if they exist, may all be highly social people with an occasionally-lethal urge to boldly go where anyone with good sense - wouldn't. Like Antarctica, or Minnesota in winter.

Or, ET may be - alien. I've discussed that in another blog. (Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009))

Related posts:

• "Gliese 581g, Alien Angst, and the Lemming"
  (October 4, 2010)
• "Gliese 581g: Life? Maybe"
  (October 2, 2010)
• "Gliese 581 Planetary System: Possible Habitable Planet"
  (September 30, 2010)
• "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
  (September 24, 2010)
• "Gods, Demons, and Used Spaceship Dealers"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (February 13, 2010)
• " 'All We Want is Peace and Quiet' - Another Look at the Mind of the Alien"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009)
• "Move the Planet - or - Safety First"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009)
• "Earth May Not Be a 'Class M' Planet"
  (December 5, 2009)
  Particularly
  • Doesn't Everybody Dream of Flying?
• "Happy birthday, Giovanni Schiaparelli: Observer of Canali on Mars"
  (March 14, 2009)

More related posts:

• "Posts About the Gliese 581 Planetary System: Including Gliese 581g"
• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"
• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"

Gliese 581g, Alien Angst, and the Lemming

The planetary system of Gliese 581 has been in the news again. It looks like there's a planet there - Gliese 581g - that's not much bigger and not much chillier than Earth. It's too early to tell, but there could be life there. Anything from pond scum to those groovy space aliens folks have been talking about.

Media coverage of Gliese 581 has gotten into the op-ed phase, it seems:

---

"Doppelganger Earths hint at a whole galaxy of trouble"
The Sydney Morning Herald (October 4, 2010)

"The discovery of an Earth-like planet may be bad news for our future.

"CAPTAIN Kirk never had trouble finding planets that were just like Earth. Even the Klingons lived on one. But astronomers have found it more difficult. After 15 years of searching star systems far, far away, they hadn't located a single one - until this week.

"Using planet Earth's biggest telescope, the Keck in Hawaii, researchers uncovered the most Earth-like planet so far. And it's orbiting a sun that, in the scheme of things, is quite close to us. Now you might think that's a good thing, but having a galaxy full of doppelganger Earths may actually be bad news for the future of humanity...."

"...One decidedly depressing resolution of the paradox is that all alien civilisations eventually destroy themselves with environmental collapse, nuclear war or some technological stuff-up well before they've had a chance to drop in on their galactic neighbours...."

Which reminds me of a cartoon: two serious-looking cavemen in the foreground; in the background, an excited crowd looking at a small fire; one serious caveman says, 'just wait - someday it'll get out of control and kill us all.'

Or words to that effect. The Lemming hasn't seen that cartoon in decades.

We've still got folks whose tagline could be "and we're all gonna die!" By the way: fire really is dangerous. Just keep an eye on the news.

That op-ed follows the familiar old 'technology kills' line. Here's something with a more psychological point of view:

---

"Will We Die of Cosmic Loneliness?"
Space News, Discovery News (October 4, 2010)

"Top astronomy news items last week wrestled with the question of whether we are alone in the universe.

"One story gave a dire warning that aliens are already here because they are mad at us. The other report, that inhabitable planets are everywhere in our Milky Way galaxy.

"In reality, our own civilization's biggest threat to long-term survival may be cosmic boredom, say a pair of theorists.

"Things got started in a highly publicized event at the Washington Press Club where UFO investigator Robert Hastings offered spooky testimony by several retired military officers. They described seeing flying saucers shaped like 'pregnant cigars' snooping around and sabotaging our nuclear missile bases.

"His hypothesis: aliens are upset that we are 'playing with fire.'..."

That 'playing with fire' explanation is a little more plausible that some others.

---

If UFOs and nuclear bases sounds familiar, maybe you read this post:

• "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
  (September 24, 2010)

The Lemming briefly discussed a few reasons that space aliens might - or might not - give a rip about humans having nuclear weapons. The alien motive cited in that Discovery News article would make them the "standard-issue benevolent and highly-evolved space aliens who are determined to help us. Whether we want it or not."

The Inevitable Upward March of Progress, Angst, and Getting a Grip

Anguished speculation on the hopelessness of it all has been popular for several decades now. The Lemming hasn't decided whether it's more or less annoying than the silly optimism of the 19th and early 20th centuries. And that's another topic. Almost.

The Lemming has become accustomed to angsty speculation about whether we're alone in the galaxy because everybody else killed themselves - AND WE'RE NEXT!!!!

There seem to be other possible explanations, though.

For one thing, it's possible that space aliens aren't human. Quite a few folks seem willing to assume that non-human people won't look quite like us. The Lemming thinks it's likely that they won't have quite the same interests and preferences, either.

Strange as it might seem, there may be entire races who would never dream of "riding a tower of explosives to an airless hell of barren rock." Or if they did, would wake up screaming.

I've discussed that before. (December 5, 2009)

Maybe the angstigators are right. Maybe civilizations everywhere are doomed, doomed, doooomed!!

Or, maybe not.

Humanity somehow survived lethal new technologies like fire, flint tools, and the bow and arrow. The Lemming suspects that we'll muddle through things like nuclear power, fluoridated water, and television remotes, too.

Related posts:

• "Nuclear Weapons, Space Aliens, Conspiracy Theories, and Getting a Grip"
  (September 24, 2010)
• "Gods, Demons, and Used Spaceship Dealers"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (February 13, 2010)
• " 'All We Want is Peace and Quiet' - Another Look at the Mind of the Alien"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009)
• "Move the Planet - or - Safety First"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (December 9, 2009)
• "Earth May Not Be a 'Class M' Planet"
  (December 5, 2009)
  Particularly
  • Doesn't Everybody Dream of Flying?

More related posts, at:

• "Posts About the Gliese 581 Planetary System: Including Gliese 581g"
• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"
• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"

A Book Narrated by a Dog: a Micro-Review of a Review

"The Art Of Racing In The Rain"
Animals That Give Pause (June 3, 2010)

"This is a book about dogs. Thus it goes on Missouri Books and Animals That Give Pause too. The Art of Racing In the Rain is by Garth Stein. I'd give it a 9 out of 10 or maybe an 8, not the most intellectually stimulating read I've had but it's a dog talking, gimme a break...."

Sounds like a pretty good book, based on what's in that review. Which is short, slightly autobiographical, and very readable. Also with a link to Amazon.com, in case you want to buy the book.

Which isn't the worst idea I've read about lately.

Me? The Lemming isn't buying it, not now anyway. I blew my book budget on Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" and Mccloud's "Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels:" for personal and professional use, respectively.

What are you waiting around here for? Go read that book review!

Oh, Look: It's a Cute - - - Thing

"Cat…No Bunny….No Guinea Pig…"
Daily Squee (May 4, 2010)

"I'm gonna go with 'bunny'… You guys?"


(from Nancy, via Daily Squee, used w/o permission)

Several folks opined that it was a plush toy - or a rabbit with fake cat ears - or a photo montage - or something else. Me? I think it looks cute. Whether it's a strange rabbit, odd cat, some sort of animal cyborg optimized for "cute" - I'll be content to say 'it's cute,' and leave it at that.

Favorite Foods in New York City

"The Year That Was: Best Bites"
Serious Eats New York (December 31, 2009)

"Over the course of a year, we at Serious Eats experience an awful lot of deliciousness. But there are some dishes that go beyond delicious—the ones that we can't stop thinking about, even months and months later. Here, the Serious Eats staff recounts their best bites of 2009. Here's to many more in the New Year!..."

The rest is a 17-part slide show that starts with Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Pizza at Motorino, followed by The Jalapeño Hush Puppies at Dirt Candy.

This is probably of more interest to people who live in or near New York City, but the rest of us can get a sort of culinary tour of the Big Apple without the hassles of travel.

---

A tip of the hat to williamcooks, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.

Blogging to Boost Creativity

"How To Stimulate Your Creativity With A Blog"
Made by Steve Hoefer (September 28, 2009)

"Much to my surprise it's been a year since my first post here and a ton of pleasant and unexpected things have happened. One of the unexpected and pleasant things was learning that a blog wasn't just a tool for the narcissist, but could be used to provoke creativity...."

The author gives key paragraphs headings in bold, like:

• "Learn how to make a good blog post."
• "Make predictions, post in-progress reports."
• "Don't aggregate."
  • I'll get back to this.
• "Develop an audience."

Here's the start of that "Don't Aggregate" paragraph:

"...Don't aggregate. There are two kinds of blogs, Creators and Aggregators. You already know many Aggregators, they take other people's content and pull it together it into one place. Fark, Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Digg, Reddit...."

I see Mr. Hoefer's point.

On the other hand, Apathetic Lemming of the North does a lot of aggregating. Most posts these days are what I call micro-reviews: an excerpt from something I found on the Web, to give a sample of its content and style; and a short discussion of what I found, sometimes with a bit extra about the subject of what I'm 'micro-reviewing.'

Later, still on the "Don't Aggregate" subject:

"...Your first goal is not to have millions of visitors, it's to be the best creative person that you can be, so keep it focused on what you're creating...."

I don't know: I wouldn't mind having millions of visitors a year. But again, the author has a point: "...if you think it's been too long between posts, don't post your favorite lolcat, get out there and create something to post about!..."

(Today, that lolcat links to a photo of three birds on a branch: The caption makes it worth the visit, I think.)

What didn't get mentioned, but was implied (I think) in that paragraph is another important part of making good use of a blog: regular posting. Ideally, one or more posts a day: but that, I think, depends on your subject. Some of my blogs are updated when I've got something to say - which can be several times a day, or once every week or so. Another gets an update late in the evening each Wednesday and Sunday.

The author has good ideas, expresses them clearly - which makes this a useful resource for seriously creative bloggers.

Now, some shameless self-promotion:

• A Catholic Citizen in America
  • Following Catholic beliefs and practices in America: One man's experience
• Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space
  • Notes and ruminations of a writer, recapturing traces of a decades-old dream.
• Narcissus-X
  • A blog entirely devoted to Narcissus-X
• Sauk Centre Journal Blog
  • Showing the positive side of small town America, at least the part I live in.
    And, the negative: when it happens.

Throw it Against the Wall, See if It Sticks

TheWISDOMWALL.com

"Welcome to 'The WALL'. Here is a place where you can share the lessons you have learned in life. There is no specific format of the content you can submit, so be creative. The purpose of this is for you to share the lessons you have learned in life so far...." ("The WALL," this website's 'about' page)

From the global culture's many multi-millennial-long roots, "wall" could call quite a few allusions to mind. The one that dropped on my mind's front desk was the Western phrase, "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks." It's derived, I'm pretty sure, from practical cookery. "Throw it against the wall" is also a good way of saying that an idea should be tested, to see if it works.

TheWISDOMWALL.com is a place where people can share what they've learned in life - and have their experiences and observations compared with others. "Share" sounds nicer than "test" - but it's by sharing experiences that we test our own against those of others.

Enough with the philosophy. TheWISDOMWALL.com looks like a good place to dip into the pool of human experience, and maybe pour a few buckets in.

Recent posts on TheWISDOMWALL.com include:

• "Dream and Believe"
  • "Here is a great quote from Anatole France about achieving your goals:..."
• "A Dying Man's Last Words"
  • "Here is a very upsetting but inspirational video for you to watch:..."
• "Don't Be Ignorant to Someone's Health"
  • "Well, we live in a dog-eat-dog world, and it seems as if we are all competing against each other for what we want and what we need in order to provide for our family. However, there is no excuse for offering a helping-hand when someone’s life is in danger. Check out the following video:..."
• "Happiness Sunset"
  • "Check out this picture of a beautiful sunset with a happiness quote:..."

Thumbprint ID Policy Great: For People With Thumbs

"No Thumbprint, No Check-Cashing, Bank Told Armless Man"
FOXNews (September 2, 2009)

"A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa bank would not let him cash a check because he couldn't provide a thumbprint.

"It was supposed to be a quick stop at the Bank of America...."

"...Valdez said he was cashing a check from his wife, who has an account at Bank of America. But the teller told Valdez she needed a thumbprint in order to cash it — it was company policy.

"It's not that Valdez didn't want to provide it. He couldn't provide it, and the teller even acknowledged it...."

Reasonable enough, so far. Tellers have to follow policy as written. They don't, as a rule, have that much discretionary power. The teller checked with the supervisor. The supervisor confirmed that there was zero tolerance for people who didn't provide thumbprints.

Mr. Valdez was given two options.

"...'One is, you can bring your wife with you. And the other one, you can open up an account with us. And I said, no, I don't think so,' Valdez added.

"Valdez said he reminded bank officials the American for Disabilities Act would have a problem with their unfair treatment, but that didn't seem to bother them...."

Hey, this is the Bank of America: apparently federal regulations are for the little companies. Besides, Mr. Valdez looks funny: he was born without arms, and uses prosthetics. Which don't have thumbprints.

Eventually, Mr. Valdez got an apology from a regional supervisor with Bank of America. Which was, I thought, awfully nice of the bank.

I see at least two solutions that might prevent this sort of Dilbertesque cluelessness from happening again in America:

• (Traditional approach)
  • Require all prosthetics with hands to have unique print patterns on
    • Fingers
    • Thumb
    • Palm
  • Establish a Federal Agency to Make sure
    • The prints really were unique
    • Anything else wanted by
      • Legislators
      • Agency officials
      • Federal judges
• (Daring approach)
  • Let bank officials decide that they don't want to alienate customers

I'll admit that both solutions involve risk: but I like to think that the hapless, hopeless company that Dilbert works for isn't typical, here in the real world.

On the other hand: It took a regional manager to realize that a man with no hands - or arms - couldn't possibly provide a thumbprint?! Valid identification, sure: but that one type?!

To be fair, I suppose Bank of America may be one of those outfits with rigid rules, run by control freaks and bean counters.

In a situation like that, in today's job market, I can imagine a local manager being much more concerned about making sure that every rule, no matter how daft, was obeyed precisely; and less about not making the company look like it was run by control freaks and bean counters.

Just the same: This was a lot of fuss over an obviously 'armless chap.

Jazz and World Music - in Minnesota - No Kidding

Jazz and World Music Examiner
part of examiner.com/twin_cities ("get inside Minneapolis")

Recent posts:

• "Ten best world jazz discs: number 7, Vira Loucos by Cyro Baptista"
  (March 31, 2009)
  "Two extremes of Brazilian culture come together and duke it out with the Downtown NY jazz scene. How will that work? That it does, and gloriously, is one of the wonders of world jazz: the most unlikely elements meeting together and establishing a fascinating conversation...."
• "Ten best world jazz discs: number 8, Mad Nomad(s) by Henri Texier"
  (March 31, 2009)
  "This has been one of my favorite world jazz discs since I acquired it over a decade ago. There’s a bristling urgency about this recording that never fails to draw me in, largely due, I think, to leader Texier's unique vision and the incredible diversity of the band he's assembled. The idea's a simple one: The nomadic way of life--be it that of 'traditional' nomads (Berbers, Gypsies, Bedouins, Tuaregs, Afghanis) or 'symbolic' nomads (sailors, musicians, troubadours)—is slowly being eaten up, eroded away by the forces of industrialism, trans-nationalism, and global capitalism. Thus the title, 'Mad Nomad(s)'—crazy nomads, angry nomads, wandering souls who appear to be mad but are really no(t)-mad...."
• "Ten best world jazz discs: number 9, Koine by Rita Marcotulli"
  (March 30, 2009)
  "She's relatively unknown in North America, but a star in Europe. Koine is among the ten best world jazz discs because Marcotulli so expertly explores such a wide range of world musics. For example, the longest piece, “'Il Richiamo,' features the voice and violin of Swedish folk-jazz performer Lena Willemark...."

This looks like a good resource for keeping track of Jazz and Jazz performers, through one man's eyes.

Congress May Delay Television Digital Switch - I am Not Making This Up

"Delay in analog TV shutdown presents challenges "
Wired (January 23, 2009)

" WASHINGTON (AP) -- With the clock ticking toward the Feb. 17 deadline for TV broadcasters to shut off their analog signals and go entirely digital, analysts say more than 6.5 million households are not ready. Now Congress appears poised to postpone the transition to June - but a delay could bring its own problems.

"To avoid blacking out TV sets in unprepared homes next month, the Obama administration is seeking the delay to give the government more time to fix a subsidy program that has run out of money for coupons that help consumers pay for digital converter boxes for older TVs...."

Oooh-kay.

Let's review.

• For about three years, we've been hearing and reading about
  • Analog television going away
  • Digital television coming
  • In February, 2009
• The federal government has been spending money telling us about it.
• The television industry has been spending money, getting ready
  • And has plans in place, deals made, and people ready to make the change
  • February 17, 2009
  • Less than a month away, now

Now, some politicos in Washington discovered that they didn't authorize enough money to pay for their coupons, so they want everybody else to wait?!

Honestly: How Many People Couldn't Get Ready?

I suppose that there are people in remote rural areas (like where I live), who either didn't hear about the switch, or heard about it and couldn't raise the $50 or $60 dollars it takes to buy a converter box - in three years.

(I got the $50 to $60 price rage from "Digital TV converter boxes: First Look" (Consumer Reports (March, 2008)). I checked a few minutes ago, and I can get a Magnavox Digital-to-Analog TV Converter Box at at Walmart for $49.87, so those Consumer Reports prices should still be in the ballpark.)

My opinion: it might feel good to wait until everybody, everywhere, could be given a converter box - and a television set to go with it, while we're at it. But the other 300,000,000 or so Americans would be in for a long wait. And, we'll wait even longer, if we're going to wait for Congress and the bureaucrats to 'fix' the system. (I'm not cynical: I just think that they don't get things done very fast over there.)

I've written about this before:

• "Analog-to-Digital Television Switch: Oh No! How Will I Ever Afford a New Television Set?!"
  (January 8, 2009)
• "Analog-to-Digital Television Switch Coming February 17 - Or Not"
  (January 8, 2009)

An IMAO List of Top Interior Design Sites

"The 10 Best Interior Design Websites in
the Whole Wide World"
Design Training (undated)

"Like all ten best lists this one is purely 'IMAO' (In My Arrogant Opinion). These are sites that, for me, capture the moment, extract the best from the physical world of interior design, and convert it in inspiration...."

The list goes from "10. This Ain't No Disco (it's where we work)" to "1. Ikea Hacker."

Photos, a brief description, and a link go with each entry.

As the writer said, it's a matter of opinion - but this does look like a list of pretty good interior design sites.

The Most Beautiful Words in English

"Most beautiful words in the English language"
Listology (September 20, 2006)

The 223 most beautiful words in the English language. In the opinion of diaskeaus, anyway.

It's in alphabetical order, from adroit to zyzzyva, with a short definition for each word.

Diaskeaus is on to something: they are nice-sounding words.

Design Today - and Yesterday

"Urban Flea"
"design is design is design: loving the high and the low since 2008."

Lots of photos, some text, lots of attractive (or interesting) designs, some opinions.

The World's Most Beautiful Beach

"Where is the most beautiful beach?"
discussion thread on BlogCatalog (started April 14, 2008)

I don't think the question will be settled any time soon, but meanwhile, there are a lot of good beach photos to see. And opinions to read.

I think the most beautiful beach in the world must be in Minnesota, but I may be biased.

"What is an American?"

"What Is An American?"

"A while back there was a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper that offered a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American!

"So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is, so they would know when they found one:"

Space Aliens: Maybe This is Why They Aren't in the News

Then again, maybe not.

tab.jpg
A cartoon about space aliens and J.Lo-obsessed reporters.

It's on "Daryl Cagle's Profesional Cartoon Directory."

A pretty good collection of editorial and op-ed cartoons,

artblog - All Lower Case, But Worth Seeing

"artblog" is one of those blogs about art that I can respect. The photos are good quality, and the author makes no pretense of impartiality. It's a good, opinionated, upbeat but not gushy(the parts I read in detail), and with some level of knowledge and critical skill.

What really impressed me was that I could imagine paying to have some of the pieces shown, instead of paying to have them hauled away. Not that I've got the budget for either.

Chicago Architecture and Miscellaneous Relevance: A Blog

" ArchitectureChicago PLUS A daily blog on architecture in Chicago, with a supplement of other topics cultural and political...." Miscellaneous Relevance

Today's post is "Farnsworth Saved From Drowning - Documentary Debuts Tonight" If you haven't a clue why this is important, except to Farnsworth, it's about Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House.

Yesterday's is "Chicago Streetscene - Voyagers," which is a photo of part of a crowd. That's all.

The September 11th post is "Emerging Chicago Architecture on CAF October 6 tour."

Preceeding posts include " No Escape(s) for The Palmer House," "Marsha White joins Marshall Fields Protesters" (what they're protesting, I haven't a clue), and "Tigerman, Wimer, Kerwin and the 2016 Olympics - late additions to the September calendar."

New Blog, Good Writing

"Delve into the Mind of A Budding Blogger" is off to a good start. The most recent post is "IM Language Improves Grammar and Vocabulary!!" - a statement that I don't entirely agree with, but which is rather well defended.

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