Brett Goffin's Blog

12/22/11 - The Worst Day of My Life

2012-01-06T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's been two weeks since the worst day of my life and so I think I'm ready to write about it. We'll see how this goes...

On Thursday, December 22 2011, I woke up expecting a pretty low-key day at work. Instead I got one of the biggest nightmares any expecting parent could imagine.

My wife was 38 weeks into her pregnancy. For those not in the know - that's in the "can go any minute" zone. Due dates are 40 weeks for reference. On Wednesday (12/21) - Amy got a perfect report from the doctor: Heart-rate was perfect; fluid was perfect. They talked about possible induction dates. That night (Wed) - Amy mentioned that she hadn't felt the baby move that much during the night-time and was a little concerned. We thought the baby was just sleeping. On Thursday morning she still hadn't felt the baby move that much so we went to the doctor's office for peace of mind. The doctor wasn't in but the nurse mentioned she was working at the hospital so we went there. They brought Amy into a "triage room" and then brought me in a minute later... It's the scene we will remember forever - where doctors were searching for the heartbeat but couldn't find anything... We didn't understand. We were sure there was a mistake. We were wrecked and absolutely lost.

Our doctor came to us in tears with the "when am I going to wake up from this nightmare" look... She, too, had that look on her face a little...

For those that are reading this saying "that's gotta be the worse of it" - it was the worst from the shock perspective for sure ... but the worst day of my life wasn't close to over...

After we were told that the baby Amy was carrying for 38 weeks was no longer alive - we were told that Amy would have to deliver it - just as if it were alive... This process took about 13 hours. 13 hours of Amy in a hospital bed hooked up to machines feeling beyond lost and sad. 13 hours to ask ourselves every question you can think of... Amy described it like being a POW just waiting to be tortured. Her torture was obvious and the only thing that got us through was knowing that every step brought us closer to the nightmare being over.

Amy delivered the baby in an amazing and remarkably strong fashion. Looking at her go forward (and fight through that) is something I will never forget. In such a painful day at a horrible moment - my love for my wife actually grew seeing how brave and strong she was. We asked the sex; It was a girl (something we kept a surprise). The pain got more intense/more real after we knew that. Cause of "fetal demise" was determined a "cord accident" with the cord wrapped around our unborn daughters neck and legs extremely tightly. While rare - it's apparently a known cause for stillbirths throughout time and nothing technologically can prevent that.

We decided not to hold or look at her (or get any other visual details) as we didn't want any more visual scars for the rest of our lives. We cried. A lot.

Our Doctor was such a big part of us getting through the torture. We are convinced that while she has seen these cord accidents before, that it's never happened to any of her direct patients. She was supposed to go away with her family - but rescheduled it to make sure she was there for us that night. While leaving - she said "Guys - I will remember this day until I'm 80 years old." That was something that will stick with Amy and I for a while. What I'm also hoping will stick with us for a while are the facts that:
1) There is no one/thing to blame. Just bad luck
2) If we were to go back in time and do anything differently - there really is nothing we would do. Again - just bad luck.

So - that's the summary of our worst day ever. It still hasn't been two weeks - so I can't say we expect the pain to have eased much - and it hasn't. Our friends and family have been incredibly supportive - but it's a hard thing. There's nothing anyone can say, do, buy, etc. that will make us truly feel better. The only thing is time and experience I suppose.

We are so thankful for our absolutely amazing daughter, Alexa. Telling her was undoubtedly one of the hardest things I will do in my life. Amy and I are thankful for the love, support, and bond we have for one another. We are determined in the long-run to not let this horrible occurrence define our lives. This said - it's going to take some time to allow for that. We appreciate the support throughout our lives - but there's going to be a point when we will expect our family and friends to treat us the exact same they did before this happened. We are going to try and move forward as best as possible. Alexa mandates that we don't stay and sulk all day, every day - and we are determined to not let this effect her needs.

So - that's the worst day of my life. There will always be a scar in my heart - but I will not let the size of that scar overwhelm my family's life. I truly hope that this experience brings perspective to Amy and I that actually can enrich our appreciation for the great things in life and dissipate the nuisance of daily frustration as much as possible.

If you have any questions about this experience - feel free to reach out over time.

2010-2011 NBA Season

2011-06-13T14:42:00.000-04:00

The Dallas Mavericks are this years NBA Champs - and while I'm not happy about it - I respect it. They did everything a championship team should do and they were just the better team in June.

It's been a long few weeks - with a number of thoughts running through my head - so thought I'd just document them here:

The Miami Heat are the villains of the NBA. I get it. I think the critisism is extreme - but again - I get it. The truth is that this entire season had zero upside for this team. They made it to the NBA finals - and everyone (especially the media) is saying "See - we were right - you failed". C'MON people! This team did such amazing things (um - including financially for the NBA and every other team) - so be glad that the Mavs won -- but slow your roll on the lack of greatness/accomplishment of this team. At the start of the play-offs - The Heat were not the hands-down favorite to win it all -- yet come The Finals -- suddenly they always had been..
As an NBA fan - you cannot hate on Dirk. Period. Love to see him get a ring. Love that Cuban got a ring. Outside of "hating" Jason Terry right now -- I got respect for the Mavs team and organization - so respect due.
This said - Lebron James sucks(?) Again - C'mon people. He didn't perform at Superstar status at the end and when it really counted. He's still an unbelievable NBA player and oh yea - only 26 years old. I actually think losing in this years' finals was better for his long-term career accomplishments. In 2004 - he was playing with house money. This year - I think he really tasted it - but it was taken by a team that wanted it more and executed much better. He will learn from it and again - I think the loss will sting and this will drive him.
So - why did the Dallas win? Well - for starters they just exectuted better. Another part for me is that I saw the Heat just wore down. That's not an excuse that makes me feel better - again - Dallas won - period, however - this team was literally in play-off mode for pretty much the entire season. Every game they played was the other teams biggest game of the season... They had to justify their play to the questioning media after every single game. This is a team that was known for it's defense forcing contested shots - and in this finals series (even in the games they won) - Dallas had a plethora of open shots. I don't think a great defense all year forgets how to play -- I think mentally and physically drained teams are a crucial reason why defenses looked mediocre.
Jim Carey did all the right things. SUPER-impressed at his post-season run. I think coaches are generally limited in their true impact in the NBA - but Dallas coaching staff did every single thing that they could to add their value. Match-up changes - Defensive sets - time-out control. I don't hate on Coach Spo - but I think he was out-coached in this series and hopefully he learns from it.
Such a big deal was made of the fact that the Heat are D-Wade's team. So what? They are! Seems as if everyone (especially the media) are so obsessed with Lebron's legacy with total disregard for D-Wades. I suppose one positive to this finals series is that D.Wade was put back on the map (as I have always known he should be). This said - the Lebron legacy thing is so frustrating for me. It's like asking how the movie is going to end within the first 30 minutes. I get that it eats up air-time, but at some point it's just useless. Tom Cruise is crazy or Vin Diesel is is a horrible actor .... Do Americans really care when it comes to being entertained (or spending money). Absolutely not - and it's the same with Lebron and the NBA. Who sold more Nike Shoes - MJ or LBJ? Maybe that's a more appropriate question in 2011. Guy is a beast and perhaps people's expectation level of "greater than MJ" are the real issue rather than LBJ himself. So what - he's not a top 5 player of all time .... That's HIS inner demon - not ESPNs.
To that note - assuming there is a season - who do you think are the 2011-2012 favorites to win the ring? Would anyone hate it if their team was favored every year? At some point it's annoying - but generally - I was able to watch over 100 games of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade do amazing things and I look forward to that continuing. I don't think anything gets blown up on this team minus some supporting cast help and I'm OK with this.

That's all that I got right now.

I'm definitely bummed - but it's not like a feel slighted as a fan. My team just lost to a better team this series - and all I can hope for is that the pain they are feeling right now will drive them to win more in the future. These guys have PLENTY of basketball left in them - and so I'm approaching "the big 3" from marathon perspective and not sprint.

Let's Go Heat!

Appoinment TV (Sorry Honey!)

2011-01-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows I'm a die-hard Heat fan.

When Lebron made "his decision," I was torn about it. While I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the Heat being the favorite/villain -- I was looking forward to the opportunity to watching the team play. For my birthday, my father-in-law bought me the NBA package. When this happened, I expected to catch many of the games - but I was never one of those guys that revolved my schedule around NBA regular season games. For NFL football - ok - there are only 16 games that happen at the same time each week - but there are 82 games in the NBA - no way that's reasonable....

This said - over the last 21 games, "my Heat" have only lost only once - and I think I've caught 18 of those games. Last night, I was riveted by a true overtime show in Portland ... I don't remember the last time I'd stay up way past my bedtime to catch a west coast regular season game (and let me tell you - it was worth it!) .... Now I don't know when the next time is that I won't do stay up.....

Having Lebron and Wade on the same team is just an insane thing to watch as a fan of that team. They haven't totally shown just yet that they've got what it takes to win when it counts, but they've shown that they are worth the price of entertainment and then-some. Rooting for this team is definitely more fun than I thought it would be and I recommend the Heat as appointment TV for any fan of NBA basketball - it's unquestionably the best show in town any night they play.....

Fantasy Football 2010

2010-12-29T17:01:00.001-05:00

Quick update / documentation on my 2010 Fantasy Football season .... As many of you know - I take a great deal of pride in fantasy football - in particular - the league I have been commissioner for the past 13 years (The BigTime).

2010 was a remarkable all around year for my fantasy football efforts. I was in three leagues:

The BigTime (I share the franchise with Colediggy)
Funk Air (Wah-Nee league) (I share the franchise with BBBC)
"Goodie League" (Goodie is the commissioner - I only joined last year because they needed another team and Colediggy/Salis owned one of the other franchises.

Anyway - In all three leagues - I made it to The Finals in every one! I am really proud of this and recognize that I sound like a complete geek - but I'm not ashamed to say it.

The end result: We won the Funk Air and lost the other two in the finals - but again - still very proud of the overall effort. I don't know if this will ever happen again which is one of the reasons I'm sharing on my blog... and ... here's a picture of Alexa and Daddy cheering on "The Commission" with T-shirts made by Tuna Glantz:

Our Bed Bug Experience

2010-10-13T14:15:00.000-04:00

In case you don't watch the news - Bed Bugs are a huge problem in the US right now (and particularly in NYC). We currently went through a few weeks of hell on the issue (a lot of which was self-imposed hell) and thought I'd share it with others to learn from ...

While I'm not allowed to write about why I called a company to come and check our apartment out for bed bugs, trust that it was a good reason. Also trust that the reason I called the specific exterminator was of sound thinking...

This said - here's what went down ... I called an exterminator to come to our apartment with a dog to come sniff for bed bugs. Before (and after) they came - we had looked and there were absolutely no signs of them - but again - I had good reason to call. The dog "alerted" at our bed. Not anywhere else in the apartment but in our living room. When I asked the guy who came with the dog a question or two - his response was literally "Dude - I don't know - I'm just a dog trainer. Call the company for a quote and plan of attack." Suffice it to say that both Amy and I were freaking out ... When I called the company - they said they gave me a ~$2,000 quote to treat our apartment and basically sent over a one page document of how to prep for treatment. Because we have a little baby - we obviously wanted the issue treated as soon as possible - and we somehow got them to find an opening for the end of that same week (4 days later). Before hearing about what needed to get done - I honestly thought it may take a day or two to prep and definitely never could have imagined the amount of work that needed to be done ... So ... that's what Amy and I did. We spent the next 72 hours putting all of our clothes in the dryer - folding them - putting them in bags closing them and putting them in our living room or bedroom. All of our daughters stuff. All of the stuff in our closets. EVERYTHING CLEANED AND PUT IN BAGS.

Amy then called a friend who went through this bed bug hell a few weeks earlier and told her what happened. Being more educated on the topic she said that the story sounded a little off and recommended that Amy call the exterminator she used for a "second opinion." They were scheduled to come a day before we had planned for treatment from the other company. When the other company came - the same thing happened - where the dog "alerted" at our bed but no where else. The difference was that the people with the dog looked to verify - and couldn't find anything. They said that we DEFINITELY went overboard with prepping our apt. and had we called them instead of the original sketchy exterminator - we would have saved ourselves hours of stress and work. It's fair to say that neither Amy nor I slept very well for those 2 weeks...

Because we had already prepped our apartment and the dog had alerted - it just made sense to do the treatment. We decided to not treat the whole apartment (avoiding chemicals with a baby in the house seems like smart parenting to me) but rather our bedroom only. This obviously was at a much lower cost - but more importantly - gave us much better piece of mind with what was going on. We got the treatment - and then gradually put all of our stuff back to where it belonged. It sounds minimal but trust that it's a huge time-suck.

Fast forward to earlier this week - and we are 100% bed bug free. They came out 2 weeks ago and pretty much said the same thing - but we needed earlier this week to be 100% sure. I can speak for myself by saying how relieved I was. The scary part is that apparently over 10% of NYC is infected with the epidemic - and so you have to be very careful everywhere: In cabs, public transportation, putting your bags down on the floor (at work for example) especially overnight, etc.

Based upon my experience above - here are my Top 5 Bed Bug related tips:

1) Before you assume you have bed bugs - look for the signs:
a) Blood spots on your sheets
b) Black marks (like a felt pen marking) on your mattress, etc
c) Bites - which usually come in a linear line in 3's - but can be single ones as well.
- If you don't show any signs - there probably isn't a huge rush to have someone come out. Dogs coming to your apartment can range from $100 - $350 - so it's definitely not cheap - but for me, personally, it was worth the piece of mind for the dogs to come.

2) Get a reference from exterminators and don't be scared to get a second opinion.
This business is like .com boom of 1999. Everyone (especially these companies) are trying to make money and they know that many people in NYC will pay whatever they need to in order to get rid of the problem. They have more business than they know what to do with - but - that doesn't mean that companies can treat people like crap. Make sure you feel comfortable with the company you are using to treat the problem and if you are someone who needs to be hand-held - make sure you find a company who can accommodate that.

3) If you rent - talk to your landlord about treating for bed bugs before making the treatment plans yourself.

4) Try not to let your mind think of the worst. (I should have listened to my own advice - but didn't)
Bed bugs are ENORMOUSLY mental. I can't tell you how many nights/days I wake up still feeling like something is crawling on me -- and -- nothing is or has! The truth is that while bed bugs are a huge pain in the ass - outside of the pain of the bites - they are not harmful. They don't carry disease. So - yes - the worst case scenarios are that you are inconvenienced - and while that is still mentally daunting - you have to try and put it all in perspective. This said - I recognize how horrific this issue is - and definitely stressed out majorly while it was going on. While I still freak out once in a while - I'm really trying to beat it mentally. I don't want this experience to change the way I live or think in my own home.

5) Learn how to limit your risk
Bed bugs are a problem and while there is nothing you can do to guarantee you'll never get them - there are some things you can do. For example, if you're staying at a hotel - leave your bag by the door as soon as you enter - and check out the mattress. If there are black dots on it - BOUNCE. When you travel, use a bag that can be put in the dryer. When you get home (outside your door), put all your clothes from the bag in a plastic bag then immediately put the bag in the dryer (Heat of 120 degrees+ for 20 minutes+ kills them). Then put the clothes from the bag in the dryer after. Buy mattress and box spring covers - they're expensive - but they limit places that the bed bugs can hide.

Again - just some thoughts for those that were interested. A horrible experience for sure - but definitely could have been worse and I'm so glad it's behind us.

My Disdain for a Specific Type of Reality TV

2010-08-13T19:50:00.002-04:00

I'm not a frosty old man (yet). While I may not know what the current "hot spots" around town are - I'm not completely out of the loop (yet). I may not be familiar with all of the artists who compromise the top 10 songs on iTunes - but I know and download most of them (today). Bottom-line - this isn't a post about why I'm old or why "kids these days" are _____ (insert your frosty comment here).

This said - I CANNOT stand the current popular format of some reality TV. By "cannot stand," I truly mean that I get ill merely listening to the voices of these characters. It's the type of RealityTV that the Hills brought us... So ..Anything "Kardashian", anything "Housewives of," "Bethany Getting Married," etc. Really - anything that's premise is: Here is a train wreck of a person or people - let's follow their lives, have some forced drama around ridiculous things, and make these people think they are the class of America.

While I can bucket Jersey Shore into the description above - it also falls into the "let's put random people in the same living environment and see who hooks up, doesn't get along, etc. I don't watch the show (and don't know why literally 10X times more people watch that show than Mad Men), but the show doesn't make me physically sick if it's on in the same room as me... I can at least understand why people watch this kind of show...

Given that my wife works in the television biz, she likes being in the know of hit TV shows. She's DVR'd them in our bedroom - which means that before going to sleep she thinks it's a good time to watch them. I disagree. Those shows make my blood boil - so that's like saying - let's drink a case of red bull and then try to go to sleep ... My wife and I definitely do not have to agree on every TV show that will be on when we're together -- compromise is obviously needed. I try not to watch too many sports or poker shows with her in the room, (I definitely don't have anything UFC on, etc) and to me - this is really the only thing where I have a very low tolerance.

If given the choice of listening to 2 hours of Oprah or 15 minutes of hearing Chloe Kardashian pontificate on the BS that are forced plot lines for a reality show - I'm choosing Orprah every time!

While I really want to .... I can't judge people who watch the show because different people like different things ... I just don't want to watch or hear these kinds of shows, personally. Is that so wrong?

The New-Look Miami Heat

2010-07-12T11:02:00.000-04:00

If you're a friend of mine at all, you will know that I'm a rarity: An original Miami Heat fan. I can name the entire roster of the inaugural 1988-89 Miami Heat. It's been my favorite sports franchise of my lifetime - and 2006 was an extra special year for me (and not only because it was the year I asked my wife to marry me)....

It's unfortunate that everyone (myself included) has met their "Lebron" quota for a while -- but I wanted to take a second to document my thoughts of the new look Heat...

For starters, it's such a weird feeling for me. The Heat have NEVER been the true favorites in the NBA. They've been contenders and one-time champions ... but they've always casted a heavy shadow of doubt for it's fans... Regardless if the new trio works or not (and I'll get to my thoughts on that soon) - they will be the "NY Yankees of the NBA" for the next few years. The team that everyone outside of Heat fans will vigorously root against and frankly I'm not used to that with them or for almost any team (Michigan is like that in Football I suppose - but they've won one National Championship in the last 20 years ... so ... it's a little different and tempered for sure).

When D.Wade and Bosh announced earlier in the week - I was PUMPED. I never imagined that they'd be joined by the reigning MVP and so my brain is honestly still processing what just happened....

At first glance, how can I not be happy? Seriously! In watching every game of my favorite franchise, I will get to watch arguably the best and most exciting 2 players in the league - plus Chris Bosh who is arguably the best power forward in the league... I've read almost every writers opinion on why it won't work -- or what a jack-ass Lebron made of himself, but here are my top take-aways:

Anyone who says that "there won't be enough balls to go around" is making super-star generalization and doesn't know Lebron or Wade's game at all. Neither of them actually NEED to be 30 PPG guys. They are just a true superstar and realized that in order for their teams to win games - that's what they had to do. Season stat averages do not mean anything to either of these guys! They are arguably in the top 5 in the league in Basketball IQ - and I honestly think the number 1 reason why they decided to join forces was because they both enjoy "the right way" to play the game rather than the new-school 1:1 game -- and that's why they decided to join forces.

Lebron wasn't happy in his old job. He loved it for a while, and then something last season just wasn't right and he wanted a change. I think I know 2 people who've worked at the same company for more than 10 years. Why is it any different for these guys?

The way he announced was douchey and very un-Lebron. I think he was just naive rather than anything else. People are jumping on him aggressively for it - and that's fine - but the guy is 25... Let's settle down a little bit people...

I'm so excited to watch these 3 guys play together - I can't even explain it - but for those that know me - this will resonate: I am more excited for The 2010-2011 Miami Heat than I have for 2010-2011 Fantasy Football. (Note: This doesn't mean that I'm any less excited for Fantasy Football - it is merely a barometer of my excitement).

Three players can't win a championship on their own - but analysts are all enjoying the reasons why the Heat won't be that good a little too much. The Heat will find serviceable players. Pat Riley historically can find plenty of no-name role players (U. Haslem, B. Bowen, I. Austin, M. James, A. Carter, etc).... And this doesn't even include Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony who WILL flourish with the 3 superstars!!

So - that's how I feel today. I'm sure I'll write more when the season approaches.... THE HEAT IS ON BABY....!!! Let's GO!

My Cable Salesperson of the Year!

2010-06-15T11:16:00.001-04:00

A quick note to let my wife know that while she may not have won the actual award ... I am so proud of her for being recognized as one of the absolute best at what she does!

In case you didn't know, Amy was in the final two of "Cablefax's Sales person of the Year - National Cable Sales."

Excerpt from today's Cablefax Daily:

Amy Goffin, AMC
We hear nothing but good things about Goffin, who is a rising star at AMC. Get to know her now before she takes over the world.

Amy doesn't know how to half-ass anything - and this is especially true when it comes to her job and career, which is why it's great to see her recognized. I couldn't be prouder!!!

iPad, the Wife's Perspective

2010-04-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

(Authored by Amy Goffin)

Advertising Works! There is no other way to begin this post. I sell TV advertising and my husband and I continue to have fun debates over TV ad effectiveness versus online advertising ROI. This is a case study of why advertising and product integration works.

A few weeks ago Brett and I stumbled into the Apple store in our neighborhood. Not because we were looking to buy anything, but mostly because it was raining, we needed to kill some time and it was a cool new store that I have not been in. As we were walking out Brett said, " i think i want to put myself on the wait list of the iPad." Since I am not an early adopter (Brett had to sell me on the iPod when we first started dating and a big part of the sell was him agreeing to manage my music which he still does today) my response was - "Why don't you let some people get it first and see how it works." Second response was "Can't you leave something out there that I could buy you as a gift?" (knowing he is a tough person to buy for! - it was out of love, I promise). That was the end of that. We left the store and didn't speak about it again.

Last Wednesday we watched our new favorite show, Modern Family. The episode centered around the husband wanting the iPad the day it came out the the wife, wanting to be a good wife, trying to get it for him. We laughed, and that was the end of the discussion...until Friday evening.

Brett mentioned the iPad was coming our the next morning (I had no clue) and that many friends had asked him that day if he was getting it. As I went to sleep that night I mentioned that we should go in the morning, but we made no specific plan. I was up before Brett and I called the Apple store in our neighborhood to see if they were opening early, nope - normal hours. I went back to sleep and when i saw the clock said 8:45am I jumped out of bed and went to the living room and suggested we go to the Apple store and get it. The Modern Family episode really helped me to understand the mind of an "Early Adopter" and realizing my husband is one of these people, that getting the iPad on the day it was available would be exciting to him - and that got me excited. Brett wasn't as excited as I was at first - anticipating a crowd, long line and it being overall annoying. It was a beautiful morning so I suggested it would be a nice walk and if it was crazy we would leave. As Brett described in his post, while there was a line, it was an interesting experience. And that was what it became for me: an experience. As I said, I am not an early adopter, so being one of the first to experience the iPad was not a goal for me but, I am a shopper...and once we decided to go for it I wanted to be part of the iPad experience. There were camera crews filming people and as we left the store there were 4 store employees who cheered for you - how exciting! It felt like we were part of technology history. And that is the same way I felt the first time I used it...

As I started exploring I wanted to see if I could do the same 3 things I do online, email, photos and shop - they all work...I already won my first ebay auction using the iPad! Testing the book feature really was incredible. It is light and I would be so happy to have this with me on a plane or on vacation instead of a few books making my bag heavy. I think my only issue is that a new form of technology is another thing to that gets in the way of normal communication. It could be very easy for an entire family to sit on the couch, TV on, iPads in hand - and never have a conversation with one another. That part I do not like.

As an advertising gal, I can't wait to see how iAd does in the marketplace. Just another evolution in the business and the chatter is that the application for advertising will be a good one. But for now, I am impressed and can admit that product placement (paid for or not) and advertising worked on me!!

iPad Review

2010-04-09T14:31:00.001-04:00

I've now owned my iPad for almost a full week. As many of you know - I'd like to think of myself as a "standard consumer" early adopter. The "regular consumer" descriptor speaks to the point that although I may work for a tech company -- I'm not really a "techie" ... I don't speak in tech jargon nor do I get excited about things like processing speed, etc. I just like cool gadgets that make my everyday life activities more convenient.

Anyway ... Onto the specific task at hand ... So I bought an iPad....

At 9 AM Saturday morning, Amy, Alexa and I went to the Apple Store 6 blocks from our apartment and waited on a line for 15 minutes or so. It wasn't bad at all, in fact, it was actually really interesting. While waiting on the line, we were accompanied by friendly Mac employees who offered us water, as well as being greeted by people from Starbucks giving away coffee and food (as well as other folks giving away fruit drinks, etc). When we got into the store - it felt like there were as many employees as customers jammed into the place. When we got set-up with our 1:1 sales person, I was on the fence as to which memory size I should buy - and when I told the sales rep what I was planning on using it for (web browsing on my couch), he told me that the less expensive model was more than fine (I wasn't hard sold on the more expensive versions - which was nice). Amy's coolest take-away from the experience was the check-out process. I gave my credit card to the sales person helping me, he swiped my card on a hand-held device and a receipt was emailed to me. Easy breezy. (Click here to read Amy's perspective)

Anyway - onto the actual product review. I'd be lying if I said my first impression was a good one. After charging the iPad, when I turned it on I was greeted with a prompt that instructed me to connect to iTunes. I did this and then my iMac told me that I needed to update my verison of iTunes (which I did). I was then prompted that my Operating System (Mac OS 10.4x wasn't compatible with the iPad). This wouldn't have been the worst news in the world if I solely wasn't able to sync my iPad with my iTunes... but ... I couldn't do ANYTHING with it. I couldn't play with my new toy!! I was so annoyed.   So the next day, I went to the Mac store and they connected my iPad with a computer there and I was all set (until I turned it off when it happened again). UGH!   Luckily my work computer is compatible... So in terms of "easy compliance with my existing hardware" - I gotta give the iPad an F. Apple took the arrogant assumption that the only people they wanted to have a seamless first experience with was those people who had everything latest and greatest from them... It seems as if I want to avoid this I need to update my OS (which I'm in the process of doing - but need to back everything up, etc),

That's the bad news....

The good news is that once I got the product to actually work -- it was EXACTLY what I was hoping it was: A bigger, sleeker iTouch/iPhone that is perfect for couch web browsing at home (with my access to my wireless connection). That's all an iPad is: an iTouch with a screen that is about 6 times the size, which enables a far more enjoyable web browsing experience. The product is extremely light and does not over-heat like a laptop or netbook. In my first go-round, the battery life has been extremely impressive. I've used it for a few hours every night this week and have yet to have to charge it up since my first initial charge...

The book reading feature looks amazing. Perfect for reading in bed because you don't have to turn on the lights if your significant other is trying to sleep.
I'm sure the applications will only get better - and like they did for the iPhone -- the applications will be the real value of the device in the long-term - especially given the sizable real estate expansion of the device. In particular, I couldn't get over how cool the ABC viewing app was. It made it so easy to watch shows - and the video quality was fantastic!

I'm sure a solution will be figured out over time - but one downside was Flash being excluded. It is definitely a drawback as I've been unable to view Youtube vidoes on the device yet because of this.

I'm still getting used to some of the strange lay-outs (like how email inbox appears, etc), but no major lay-out complaints.....

So, all in all, if you are in the market for a laptop to be used at home primarily for web browsing -- I highly recommend the iPad. If you are somewhat experience with the iTouch/iPhone experience you will have no problem getting accustomed to the iPad. It's definitely an affordable price and I definitely see myself getting my money's worth in no time.

That's it for now.   I'll try and update this post as I encounter good and bad things with the product....

Gus Johnson

2010-03-28T12:33:00.000-04:00

Dear High-Powered Producers of Major Sporting Events,
I know there are a lot of experienced play-by-play commentators out there - but if you ask any male between the ages of 18-45, they will beg you to hire Gus Johnson to do the "big game" or any game he's available for that matter ...

The guy just makes the fan viewing experience better and for some reason - a large portion of the games he works just seem to be exciting. I put the over/under of Gus Johnson calls included in "One Shining Moment" this year at 5. I'll take the over - and Gus only does a small portion of the games.

I had a few friends who watched that amazing Kansas State - Xavier game at a bar, and while we all agreed the game itself was unreal -- it was clear that those of us who had the "Gus Johnson audio track" enjoyed the game a little bit more than those without it. (I could have done without Len Elmore, personally, but Gus

The guy is just exciting and appears to be a genuine fan. Period. I am not sure I can pinpoint the Gus Johnson "it" factor any better than that.

So - again - if anyone reading this knows anyone involved in the hiring or play-by-play announces of major sports.... PLEASE convince them that Gus Johnson should be the top choice for any big game. Fans will appreciate it - I promise. Thank you.

Top TV Comedy Shows This Season

2010-03-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

I've gotten a lot of random traffic (from Google) on my post of my top 20 TV Shows from the past 5 years. Some people even left comments that because I like shows like How I Met Your Mother - I must be an idiot ...(which I've erased).. To each their own ....

As it's a common conversations with friends - For those that haven't watched much TV this season - I thought I'd list my top 5 TV "Must Try" Comedies from this season. Quality comedies are rare these days - so I have a top 5 rather than a top 10 or top 20.

Again - this is my personal opinion. I don't watch "The Office" or other type of uncomfortable-humor type-shows. I definitely have an affinity towards NYC-30 somethings plot-lines (go figure). No other factors are taken into account.

Top Five Comedies (2009/2010 season)
1. Modern Family - Seriously - if you don't watch this show and have time to watch TV - get on it right away! There is not a single character (of the 12+) that are bad. If there is anything you take away from this post - it's start watching Modern Family!
2. 30 Rock - Yes, it gets tons of awards for it's writing and acting - and it should. It gets at least 2 belly laughs from me each episode.
3. How I Met Your Mother - Definitely it's worst of it's 5 (I think) seasons - but I'm so invested - and have such a deep understanding of the characters - that I still giggle at most of the jokes.
4. Rules of Engagement - Seriously - Puddy (Patrick Warburton) is one of the funnies characters on TV. David Spade is even somewhat bearable.
5. Entourage - Not sure this counts as "this season" - but I guess I don't watch enough comedies. While some think this show has fallen off - I'm definitely sad the 22 minutes are over after every episode.

Local Retail Product Availability On Your Cell Phone

2010-03-11T14:36:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I promoted a Google product or service on my personal blog - so here goes .... Ans while this is something that may not be launched as a perfectly useful tool -- it is very exciting to foresee the future benefits. (Plus - given that I've focused on retailers since I've been at Google - and have been talking to them about this for such a long time - it's increasingly cool to me, personally)

Anyway - today - Google launched the ability to see local product availability at a number of beta retail partners (like Sears, Best Buy, and Pottery Barn/Williams-Sonoma/West Elm) on smart phones.

So - as this blog post says, if you go to shopping.google.com on your i-Phone/Android device/etc you should be able to see if that 42-inch plasma or the canon elf in the color you want is a available at your local Best Buy.

I have a bunch of sporting goods clients and so I think a useful example is with sneakers. I know I'm a size 12 Nike, but I also know that shoes/sneakers are sometimes just something that you need to see in person or try on .... So .... How useful would it be to know that the basketball sneaker in the color I want (because I researched online) is actually in stock in my size at the store 7 blocks away (rather than going there and rolling the dice). Come se dice en Espanol .... "Time Saver!"

Again - it's very much a "beta Google product" - but assuming retailers are brave enough to invest in "what's next" and share their local inventory data with Google .... This could be a very very useful consumer advance in retail shopping....

6 Blog Posts Per Year?

2010-03-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

It's been 2 months since I've posted anything on this blog. I warned people when my daughter was born that I'd post less frequently, although I gotta say - I didn't think I'd average 6 measly posts per year ... Sorry!

There are a number of reasons why I haven't posted anything. For starters - I love spending as much time as I can with Alexa and her smiling face. When she's not awake - I'm trying to relax, spend time with my wife, catch up on TV, etc. Sitting down to write blog posts hasn't made it's way to the priority list of how to spend my time.

Secondly, I've had my new role at Google for about 6 months now. While I wouldn't consider myself overly important - I really have zero personal time at work. In my past roles, a slow Friday afternoon here and there wasn't uncommon - but now - I can't think of the last time I was anything but nonstop in the office.

These two reasons are true - but - I think the heart of the problem is that I honestly think I am less creative than I was prior to my daughter being born. Not that I would trade my daughter for creativity (or anything else for that matter), but before she was born - I'd randomly think of blog topics all of the time (ex. commuting to work or randomly during the day when I saw something happen). Now, it's like my brain can't fit these types of thoughts into the rotation.

The first few months when sleep was rare - I blamed my creative fog on that. Alexa sleeps through the night now - so what's my excuse? I don't get into as deep of a sleep as I used to because I'm a little conditioned to be waiting to hear my daughter cry - but I'm still sleeping 7+ hours in a night - no less than I did pre-Alexa.

I've asked other fathers I know if they feel the same - and most just kind of laugh it off (as if they don't want to say "I don't know what you're talking about dude - but I feel bad saying that you're nuts because you are a new father - and that's cool."

Anyway - if anyone has any insight into this creative fog please let me know.

I very much enjoy sharing my opinions on this blog (not like anyone reads it anymore) and would like to continue it for a long time - but recognize that a mediocre posting 6 times a year just isn't going to cut it.

Goatee

2009-12-30T23:18:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't seen me in 12 years, I rock a goatee 98% of the time...

About once a year, I normally get a bit sick of it and decide to shave it off. For most people this isn't a big deal (and it's not for me), however, I look like a COMPLETELY different person when I shave it off. So much so that I've honestly had people who've known me for over 5 years look at me like I was a crazy person for talking to them at a party because they didn't recognize me without it...

The truth is, as I told Amy, I am not yet ready to fully commit to being a goatee guy for the rest of my life...While many signs point to this happening - I'm not ready to declare it.

About a week ago I shaved the goatee off. Partially because I was sick of it, partially because I wanted to see if Alexa would recognize me, partially because everyone says she looks like me so thought I'd enable a much better viewpoint for that observation ...

Anyway ... It's a week later and my goatee is fully back. Why?

Well - first of all - every single person that sees me without it says "whoah." Not the kind of "whoah" that the ultra conservative woman who suddenly dressed a little slutty would get... It's moreso like the 40 year old who suddenly came to work with a mohawk...
Secondly, I've been asked by at least 10 people "why I did it?" That kind of question, again, should be asked when there is something more permanent done. If my sister suddenly got a "mom haircut" - I'd ask her "why she did it" - which to be honest would be my way of telling her that she should grow it back.... My goatee grows back in a week - so if you want to know why I did it - the simple answer is because I can.
Thirdly, I under-estimated how my goatee provides a bit extra warmth when it's cold out - and it's been freakin freezing this past week. Note to self -- do my once a year test-run when it's not 9 degrees outside. (Yes - it's challenging in the summer too because it could provide a strange look if I'm rocking a tan...)

Bottom-line is that I think people are just so used to me with a goatee, that they think I look crazy without it. I never would have imagined that I'd marry a jewish girl who actually prefers me to have the goatee rather than shave it - but I did... For now - Amy's vote is fairly influential in the decision - but we'll see what Alexa has to say in a few years ...

Next time - I'll take pictures and post them to the blog... Until next year, then...

Tiny Prints - NYT Article

2009-12-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

In case you want to know more about what some of my conversations are with clients at work - this NYT article has some insight into it the day-to-day.

I was happy to read that TinyPrints (which is a company Amy and I financially support since the arrival of Alexa) understands the positive impact Adwords has on their business. ;)

Entertaining is the New Effective

2009-12-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

There is a guy, Adam, at work who works in facilities. (Facilities at our offices deals with building related stuff - maintence, conference rooms, etc) I've never officially met him, never even had a conversation with him.

Before Adam, there was Carl. Carl did a similar thing - but was more focused on cafeteria/food responsibilities. Ditto on never meeting or interacting with him at all.

What the heck am I talking about?

Well both Carl and Adam wrote (and in Adam's case still writes) the most entertaining emails I get in a given week. The topics border on filtering straight to the trash (meaning I don't have high interest in them), but due to the fact that I have laughed out loud from their emails multiple times in the past -- I'm reading them without question - and I really don't care what their about. Adam writes an email almost every other week telling the NY office that the elevator is broken. He makes up long elaborate stories on how The Elevator called in sick, or will write an email in Yoda's voice explaining why elevator working is not today. No matter what -- I'll read it. And why is it important?

Well because when the company wants me to read his email on topics like swine flu prevention or fire safety .... Guess what ... I read them (and I'm not even annoyed by it). He's got me as a loyal fan - and he's effective at his job because of it.

Marketers should do this! Rather than pay ad agencies all this money for "the killer idea" every other year ... pay some comedians to write emails/twitter messages/whatever and promote it. Every once in a while, include a message you want me to read.

If I followed my twitter feed (which I don't) and Jim Gaffigan tweeted about Siera Mist every once in a while (which he used to be a spokesman for) - I wouldn't mind. I may even crave a Siera Mist (or a Sprite - but whatever).
When the Sports guy and Cousin Sal talk insecently about getting beaten with a Subway sub (which I do find as a lame penalty for losing a bet) - I really don't mind that they're talking about it. They've entertained me - and I like that - and will continue to follow them...

Update on ... SPORTS!

2009-11-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

OK - So - I've been a little preoccupied with "life stuff" over the last few months and I just figured it was WAY too long since I've written a sports related post... I don't have any specific topic to dive into - so I just thought I'd give my take on my favorite teams and some other random commentary ...

My Favorite Teams:

I told myself that I'm going to give Rich Rodriguez a couple of years before I jumped to judgment. College Football is all about having players to fit your system - and especially in Rich Rodriguez's case - he needs time before being fairly evaluated ... This all said ... I've watched most of our games this year - and while I recognize we have a lot of young players in important positions - I have found myself saying "that was not a good coaching decision" on a number of occasions ... I can't say that I'm necessarily "hopeful" that UM is less patient than I'm trying to be .... I just want to beat Ohio State in 2 weeks .... You do that Mr. Rodriguez and we're cool.
I like what I'm seeing as a long-time Dol-Phan. There will be no play-off appearance this year - but I feel like we have a solid situation brewing ... I believe in The Tuna and Tony Sparano .... Although I like Chad Pennington, I feel like giving Chad Henne this year full of low expectations will do wonders for him down the road. Our offensive line is solid and we have good mix of veteran and young pieces on both sides of the ball ... Look for the Phins to win the AFC East in 2010 ... Yes - that's right.
The Miami Heat are 6-2, although they haven't beaten any team that is going to fight for an NBA Championship. Both losses were to teams that should be doing that in June... This said - we all know that the Heat are playing for 2010 - without coming out and saying that because D. Wade has put the pressure on to be competitive now.... I think the Heat are doing that. Jermaine O'Neal has potential to be a solid #3 contributor as does Be-Easy Beasley but Jermaine is a couple of years removed from being a #2 and Beasley is a couple years early from being a #2 (and I think he can be ... I think he's Rasheed Wallace-esque when it's all said and done for him). Pat Riley did a good enough job in the off-season getting Q. Richardson (D. Wade's friend) to help with veteran play during crunch time and signing Carlos Arroyo as the back-up point-guard. (I'm sorry but Chris Quinn was never the answer there). If I'm any team in the East, I don't want to play the Heat in the play-offs merely because Dwayne Wade can single-handaly win a Championship himself (like he did in 2006) depending on the match-ups. So as of now - I have the Heat getting to at least the 2nd round of the play-offs this year and perhaps farther depending on the match-up...
Michigan Hoops is getting some hype. Top 15 pre-season ranking (Honestly cannot remember the last time this happened ... Fab Five maybe ... seriously). My favorite player on the team is DeShawn Sims (he's so under-rated) but the hype is around Manny Harris (I think he's over-rated). The pieces around them both are typical John Beilen shooters/scrappers - but I'm not buying that Michigan is any true National Championship threat just yet. I will enjoy watching games this year - and will be rooting/watching with a lot of interest - but it's just been so long that I could have confidence in our hoops program that I forgot what it feels like...

General Sports Commentary:

I have a genuine love the NFL - but I'm starting to get really annoyed but the NFL Media Machine... I don't care that Vernon Davis "called out" the team that he's playing this week... I didn't need to hear about Brett Favre and his trip to Green Bay 1000 times in the week leading up to the game ... It's gotten to the point that I really don't like mainstream NFL media coverage. I get enough from my weekly fantasy research that I do on my own online...
I saw pieces of that Tim Donaguey book that the publisher canceled. Seemed REALLY interesting - and while it appears he has Jose Canseco-like credibility - I still think it's interesting... Can't we get Mark Cuban to pay someone to look back to the video on all the specific cases he mentions to see if there is some validity?
I've heard of some fantasy leagues that kick-out teams if they come in last place for two years+ in a row ... Can't the major sports leagues do the same? The Cleveland Browns, Memphis Grizzlies, Pittsburgh Pirates .... There needs to be some penalty for not competing over a certain stretch of time ... call it 10 years then ... Just seems fair. Plenty of cities would support franchises and expansion just isn't going to happen in any of the major sports leagues anytime soon.
Seriously - the NHL is still in business? Crosby, Ovechin, blah, blah, blah. I've got no interest - and only have one friend who even follows the sports anymore ...
Loved watching the World Series of Poker. I know a lot of people (especially women) don't get it -- but I love watching Hold em on TV. A 21 year old (from the University of Michigan!) won the Main Event! Can you imagine getting $8.5 Million after graduating college?? Nuts.

That's it. Hopefully it won't be so long in between my sports related posts...

Oh Crap - I'm "that guy"

2009-11-06T11:56:00.003-05:00

It's inevitable - but when you get to certain points of your life - you sometimes look back and say, "Shit - I promised myself when I got here - that I wouldn't do X" ... Well, earlier this week - I got that feeling...

You see - my daughter is obviously the cutest thing in the world in my mind. And you combine the general cutest thing in the world + a very cute Halloween costume, and you get a father who is busting at the seams to share pictures with people.... So - Yes - I was "that guy."

Ideally, I'd be someone who is happy to share pictures - but acknowledges that seeing pictures of peoples' kids is a polite, socially acceptable thing - but not something most people will value even close to as much as each individual parent. Ideally I wouldn't be someone who shoves his iPhone in front of people who haven't even finished the sentence of "Oh - do you have (shove) ........ pictures?"

I hate being the cliche'. I don't feel any less proud or amazed at my daughter's cute-ness -- but I would like to not be "that guy."

So ... please be patient as I get used to this new phase of my life - and I promise to try and not be "that guy" for long....

My New Punctuality Reality

2009-10-19T13:14:00.002-04:00

Apparent from my long delay in blog posts ... The concept of "Time" is something I recently have lost a bit of sense on.

Traditionally, I HATE being late. For some reason - I get this anxious feeling in my gut if I told someone I would meet them at 8 PM - and 730PM rolls around and Amy is still asking me which dress I like better ... Even if I KNOW the person/people I'm meeting don't care if I'm late or not - I just hate being late - period. Maybe it's because I remember as a little boy - waiting at various after school activities and being the last one picked up. At the time - I don't think I really cared - but perhaps it did something to my future subconscious...

Anyway -- fast forward to current times. Being on time is pretty much now a pipe-dream for me. I have a 9 week old - and we are first time parents. Our "schedule" is fluid - and there is no way to change that. So ... From now on - I will always include "ISH" at the end of my scheduling conversations....I still get a bit anxious if I'm running late - but perhaps now I care more about making sure my daughter is happy/comfortable/safe than anything else... ;)

So - this is my warning. I'm not sure how long it's going to last - or for that matter if it will ever change - but I'm most likely going to be late to things. I'm going to try my best - and I will feel bad if I'm late - but just know that you've been warned.

See you later-ish.

My life will never be the same

2009-09-07T08:06:00.005-04:00

There's an obvious reason why it's been 4 weeks since my last blog post... 3 weeks ago - my life changed forever. Amy and I welcomed our BEAUTIFUL baby girl, Alexa, to the world on August 17th, 2009 at 4:59 PM. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 15.4 ounces and was 19.25 inches long.

Needless to say - we've been overwhelmed on several different accounts. We are first time parents - so it goes without saying we've got a lot to learn. I was telling a few people the other day that the past 3 weeks have felt like 3 months+. It probably wasn't the best time to start a new job - but at this point I feel like it gives Amy and I story #1 that will annoy the heck out of our daughter ("When you were born - your dad started a new job ... you had a hard time digesting... oh brother!).

Anyway - a couple observations from the first few weeks:

People warned us that we may not feel the love and connection to our daughter right away - and that it's natural to learn to love over time ... Well - it may happen to some people - but it definitely didn't happen to us. I get a smile on my face when I see her blank stare - my heart hurts when I see her cry ... Amy and I were both there minute 1. Now, I can obviously see my love growing as I get to know her and she's able to communicate - but the unconditional love started at 4:59 PM on August 17th.
After about 42 hours of being parents - the hospital sends you home. Amy and I hired a baby-nurse (the original one we had planned for 9 months had an emergency the day we were going home). I feel lucky to be able to financially afford the luxury of a baby nurse - but I have no clue how people do it with any sanity without that kind of help. Sure - you can read books and go to classes (Amy and I went to 15 hours of birthing class) - but nothing will prepare you for the real-thing. I keep saying to myself, "Hey - it's been done for thousands of years" and "tons of people less intellectually gifted than Amy have done this - so we definitely can do it..." I still don't understand how those people do it...
Breast feeding is CRAZY-hard. I'm so proud of Amy's patience over these first few weeks. People say "breast feeding is hard" - but I didn't come close in my mind to knowing really what they meant. It's damn hard - and fellas - not sure we could do it given the proper equipment - Just sayin...
People love babies! I think we've gotten more presents for Alexa than we got for our wedding! If you're reading this and you haven't gotten a "Thank you note" - know that you're not alone. There is a 99.9% chance we got the gift - love it - and will be sending thank-you's, um - shortly (and by shortly I mean - I'm not sure when - but asap).
If you haven't met Alexa yet - know that she is ADORABLE. (I'm not biased at all) I'm not sure if she cries as much or more than typical newborns - but I feel like that's just her way of getting her lungs ready for American Idol 2029. Amy thinks she'll be more of a "So You Think You Can Dance" prospect - which I'm totally supportive of - I just think the vocal practice in these first few weeks shows her dedication to AI.
Finally - just a heads up that I'll probably be blogging less ... Watching MUCH less TV and movies ... Talking on the phone less ... watching less sports ... You get the picture. My hope is that you, my friends, will love me just the same - even though I may not be as "cultured" as I once was (HA!) and I'll probably talk about my daughter every 5 minutes or so (OK - If I do this - you can roll your eyes).

That's it for now ... Until the next time I get 30 minutes of free time...
Welcome Alexa! Your mother and I are SO happy that you're here and promise to love you forever!! ;)

A New Role at Google

2009-08-13T16:10:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago I passed the 6 year mark for working at Google. Over those 6 years I've really enjoyed what I did on the day-to-day. I would joke that it was "Retail Sales Strategery" - but it really was an amazing sales and marketing job. In the role - I was viewed more as an individual contributor who was an expert on particular topics that various advertisers were interested in learning "best practices" on ...

With that experience under my belt, it is time for me to do something a little different (where I can leverage the last 6 years), yet I still think Google is the best company in the world to work for - so - I'm really psyched to continue working at Google - but having a different job.

Starting in about 2 weeks - my new official title will be "Head of Industry, Retail" where I'll lead a team of 7-10 people who call-on and service some of the top retailer advertisers on the east coast. I'm really inspiring to become a great "people manager" and doing my part to attain our team goals.

Starting a new job is always exciting - and given that I'm doing so with the same company I truly believe in - I'm really looking forward to it...

DirectTV vs. Cable -- Need Advice

2009-08-11T09:19:00.002-04:00

As football season approaches ... I've got an interesting decision to make.
In our new apartment - I'll be able to set-up a DirectTV satellite dish. In NYC - I've only ever known the Time Warner monopoly... I am pretty sure cost is about the same for both....

At this point - in terms of the "PRO'S" to keep Time Warner - I could only come up with a few:

It's done. No more appointments, etc.
My phone, Internet, and TV/Cable is from one provider - one bill.
NY1

The PRO'S to change to DirectTV:

NFL Package/NFL Network
I don't have to deal with TimeWarner
Tons of HD options
Did I mention The NFL Package?

In terms of the CON'S for Time Warner - let's just say that I've hated them for 10+ years - so we can move on...Cons for DirectTV are:

Internet comes from another provider and is "Satellite internet" - I'm a little sketched about it.
Is the DirectTV connection/service in NYC gonna be clear given all the large buildings?
Is Amy gonna be able to figure out the new DirectTV controls, etc? ;)

I'm looking for advice people .... Thoughts?

The price of drinks

2009-07-31T16:36:00.003-04:00

If this was 10 years ago - I easily could have written a blog with the exact same title but talking about totally different kind of costly drinks. At this point - I'm not surprised when I order a $7 beer or $12 Jack-on-the-rocks. I'm not happy about it - but at this point - not surprised.

What I am surprised about is what I've noticed as the ridiculous inflation of non-alcoholic beverages at restaurants. On many occasions this summer, Amy or I have ordered a standard "Lemonade" because it's what we are in the mood for. Beverages aren't the typical menu item that you order off a menu ... You just know what you want .... Well - maybe I should start - because I've noticed that the price of lemonade in NYC is often $5- $6. Six dollars for 12 ounces of lemon, water, and sugar!?! Seriously? I can buy 128 ounces of lemonade for less than $6... Iced tea, sodas, etc are now all over $4 at a diner in NYC. Again - seriously?

Fast food companies have long known that beverages are where the REAL profit margin occurs - but at this point - I think I'm priced out of the non-water order. Now, I'm of the mindset that when you go out - you should order what you're in the mood for and should you not be able to afford it - that maybe you shouldn't go out to eat... but at the same time ... Knowing myself, I just don't think I'm ready to be able to enjoy a $6 lemonade.

Am I crazy?

Autographs in the Digital Picture Era

2009-07-17T10:32:00.003-04:00

I was talking to my friend Chad last week - who was telling me the story of when he met Jose Reyes in the baggage claim at LGA. Chad is a huge Mets fan - so it's like the equivalent of me meeting D. Wade or Zo Mourning.

A very interesting part of the story is that in their discussion - Jose told Chad that he wasn't coming back anytime soon, but when Chad went home, he saw on ESPN that the Omar Minaya said that day that Jose would be back soon... Two days later - the truth came out - but still was probably pretty interesting to be Chad and know that you theoretically had "the scoop" (and posted to his FB status) two days earlier than ESPN ...

But ... this isn't what I wanted to blog about .... What I thought was most interesting is that what Chad was hoping to get out of meeting one of his favorite ball players had NOTHING to do with getting his autograph. His first priority was having a conversation with him (knowing if he's nice or a jerk - in which Chad says he was super-cool) and his second priority was to get a picture with him... And Chad is not alone. I totally agree with that philosophy and have ZERO interest in a players autograph.

I believe that in the digital camera era - "autograph demand" is at an all-time low ... and with internet publishing/scanning technologies, "autograph supply" is probably at an all-time high.... Which is to say that the "Autograph market" is probably at rock-bottom right now. I'm not an autograph valuation expert at all - that's just my hypothesis. (Maybe Maze or Colediggy who used to hang out at Don Carter's for baseball memorobillia signings could weigh in on the current market).

I think the personal digital photograph means so much more in terms of capturing the memory. I can't tell you I have any pictures with people I'm huge stars of unfortunately. Partly because I can't say I've run into many - but those that I have run into - I never have the guts to annoy them in public. But ... maybe I should... and who knows -- maybe the day that I do ... I'll be sharing that experience with all of you via this blog ... Something I don't think would be as interesting if I only got an autograph....

Phone Sushi - It's a money saver

2009-07-08T13:26:00.002-04:00

OK - A bit cheesy blog post title - but I witnessed something at work today that I wanted to share ... Who knows - maybe one day it will save you some money...

A co-worker came in complaining that she dropped her iPhone in the pool over the weekend and now had to buy a new phone ... Given that it's summer - we have young interns sitting among us ... Anyway - one of these bright young kids overheard her - picked up the phone - confirmed that it was in fact dead and said "I bet I can fix it."

When I asked him how - he said - you submerge the phone (and the crevices of the device) with uncooked rice. You wait - and the rice magically dries out the water in the device.

Well - you can guess the end result. The intern came into work a day later with a big smile on his face and handed my co-worker with her iPhone in complete working order.

I clearly don't want to encourage testing the methodology out - and I'm sure no one can vouch for the long-term validity of the device working well ... However ... I just thought it was something pretty cool that I never would have thought of...

Is my skin learning from my metabolism?

2009-07-06T12:13:00.002-04:00

Most men over the age of 25 have had the realization at some point that they "just can't eat like they used to..." Their metabolism doesn't allow them to rotate daily dinner options between bacon cheeseburgers, pizza, and burritos. Even if you work-out regularly - it's pretty well-known that your metabolism over time just doesn't work like it used to ...

Well, this weekend I became curious if my skin was following this trend.
(Disclaimer - I acknowledge that "sun-bathing" is bad for you and can cause skin cancer)

When I was in high-school (living in south Florida), I went to the beach at a minimum of once a week and I was out in the sun every day... During this time, I honestly do not remember putting an ounce of sun protection lotion on my body ... Obviously there are health issues with this - but from the vanity standpoint of being happy with one's skin tone after being out in the sun - it just happened naturally for me... Similar to the way my body would allow me to eat whatever I wanted and not notice a difference to my body...

Anyway - over the years - this has drastically changed ... When I sit in the sun for any time over 30 minutes - not only do I need hefty sun protection lotion (we'll call it "30"), and not only am I like a 4 year-old who will miss spots through-out my body ... But I'll get burnt rather than tan...

My question is -- WHY? Is it my skin or is it the sun? I know the sun in Florida is different than New York, etc -- but it happens when I'm in Florida as well...

Has my skin gone the way of my metabolism? Has the sun gotten just 10 times more fierce in the last 15 years?

"Free" in debate

2009-07-02T10:17:00.002-04:00

Some of the minds that I respect the most have sounded off this week on a recent book written by Chris Anderson (Editor of Wired Magazine and Author of The Long Tail).
Malcolm Gladwell set off the debate with his book review... Seth Godin respectfully disagreed with Malcolm .... and Mark Cuban also weighed in (Interestingly enough - both Seth and Mark often blog about the relative topic for quite some time)...

Anyway - I'm obviously not as insightful as any of these people - but from where I sit - I think the clearest reality is somewhere in-between where the two sides sit...

The very brief overview:
(Disclaimer - I haven't read the book - just the commentaries above)
Anderson and Godin argue that information is expected to be free for end consusmers - and that the parties that fight this (ie Newspapers) will wither away... Gladwell and Cuban says that free isn't sustainable and that anyone who thinks it can will end up losing a lot of money in the long-run (ie Youtube/Google).

My personal take:
In the digital era there is a certain amount of information that is expected to be free. With "free" comes lower expectations of how well that information is displayed, written, consumed. Everyday I expect to get "the headlines" for free. I expect to read sports stories on the Miami sports franchises for free. I expect to get hotel reviews for free. I expect to watch an entertaining 3 min video clip for free. With free - I don't expect that I'm going to be blown away by this information... I'm just looking to casuaully consume it. In these cases - it's up to the providers of this information to monetize this content via other methods than from my pocket (hence the "FREE"). The only way the industry has seen fit to try and do this is through advertising. I work in the industry for 11+ years and rather than get sidetracked on this post - please trust me when I tell you that the online medium as a technology is way too amazing for smart marketers and publishers to not figure it out in the long run ... It's just not an over-night exercise...

There is another set of information that I don't expect to be free. Professionally written and insightful material. Top notch video. Trustworthy medical and legal advice.

I still pay $20 per month for weekend NYT delivery. I'm not looking for headlines when I sit down, drink my coffee, and read my weekend paper. I'm looking for valuable, professionally written material (some people may not value this - but I do). I still pay $12.50 per ticket to go see movies (and some of them shouldn't even be considered "professionally done").

So the "net-net" is that the good ol' information superhighway has commaditized certain elements information. It is merely the evolution of our economy. What happened to the railroad when airplanes began to become affordable to everyone? What happened to 411 when the Yellow Pages were first published? On the flip side - people used to pay $0.25 for a cup of coffee until Starbucks convinced people their coffee experience was 4x better than what they were used to...

It's been said for a while, but newspapers will have to change their model ... but that doesn't mean they have to go away or that it's impossible for consumers to value quality journalism. It just means they can't be in the mass-market headlines business anymore ... And it means that they can't sell advertising the same way... but they can figure it out.

There is a market for free information - and that market is enormous. There is a smaller market for professionally published information than there was 10 years ago - but it's just different that what existing providers of free information are used to...

Search Engine Optimization tools

2009-06-23T15:24:00.004-04:00

At least once a month, I'll have a friend-of-a-friend or relative or acquaintance ping me and ask me how they can show up at at the top of Google search listings for particular keywords...

I'd say the aggregate knowledge over the years has definitely gotten better ...Nowadays people usually know that I, personally (or any one person for that matter) can NOT make their websites show up with a better ranking.

Typically - I will give the very basic overview of how search and PageRank generally work - and then will usually give a tip or two that is sure to improve their site SOMEHOW ... (sometimes it's just renaming URLs) ...

Well - I stumbled upon a blog post that did a very thorough job of listing all of the relevant and free SEO tools that folks can use to improve their rankings. Not only did I want to share it with my loyal blog readers - but I wanted to document it on my blog so I can send people to this post when they ask me how I can help their sites with better ranking. ;)

Moneyball for Business

2009-06-19T13:24:00.002-04:00

Micheal Lewis is in my top 2 favorite writers/authors (Malcolm Gladwell and him go back and forth). He originally got me hooked on his style and insight with the book, Moneyball. I am not a particularly quick reader (both in dedicated time and actual pace of reading), but I think I read the 300+ page book in a 48 hour period.

Moneyball is about one baseball General Managers' (Billy Beane) statistically focused approach to a sport, which traditionally tracks stats, but often mis-used these stats to make decisions... The book was revolutionary in a lot of ways. First, 5 years after it was published, it's fair to say that almost all of the Major League Baseball teams reconsidered their approach - and many hired quant guys to fill top positions rather than the traditional baseball guys. Secondly, other industries and sports began to think how they could apply the practices to their worlds. In particular, Bill Simmons talks incessantly about the MIT Sloan conference last year where several owners/GMs etc. of various sports leagues (the NBA in particlar) spoke about how they all have terabytes of data that help them make decisions - but different from Billy Beane and the A's ... they're choosing to keep their strategies private.

Now ... I work for a company that is notorious for believing that fast is better than slow and that most importantly DATA TRUMPS OPINION. In the classic business world - it's my belief that this is NOT the norm. Opinion and tradition are the reigning rulers - and there is always some way to cut metrics where they can partly defend such opinions...

I've had somewhat of a new role the past 6 months at work which is trying to QUANTIFY the tangible business impact (sales lift) that online media has on offline sales. We have sucessfully done this - and it's really exciting to see. I get to interact with a lot of smart Quant people - and I get to see some truly amazing ways that data metrics CAN be used to help make decisions... The challenge is getting people to buy-into the fact that DATA SHOULD TRUMP OPINIONS.

For Major League Baseball, holistic buy-in was attained through the success of a book. What is it going to take for the Marketing/Advertising/Media business to follow-suit? We shall see .... Maybe when it's all said and done - I'll need to play the role of Micheal Lewis, but for now, I'm merely on my soap box saying that this is the next big thing. Data models/algorithms/sophisticated math is 100% the way that successful businesses will make decisions in the future.

Scruff is in (?)

2009-06-11T17:46:00.005-04:00

I was hanging out with 2 of my single guy friends last weekend. They are both more on the "metro" side vs. typical "guys guys" ... but even so ... I was still pretty surprised to hear that they both have a strategic planned out implementation for their facial hair... Having a method for one's madness around shaving isn't that crazy - each person is different (Example - I like to shave in the shower every morning as I feel like a get a better shave that way).

However, their strategic plan revolved around ensuring that their "scruff" was at optimal length for the weekend. And unfortunately for these two guys - it takes 5 days for said optimal length to materialize... But let's go back to the original premise ... Chicks dig scruff?? So much so - that it requires an orchestrated plan in hopes to look optimally scruffy for the weekend...??

Lucky for the two of them, I guess, they both have jobs which don't require a daily shave.

Maybe my beard is different from theirs - or maybe I feel differently because I've rocked a goatee for 10+ years, but after 5 days of not shaving, my face gets itchy and I feel like my face looks like it has dirt on it (which my grandma used to tell me about my goatee).

I'm not questioning their methods at all -- I just felt the need to ask my loyal blog readers if they, too, have found that "scruff is in"???

What do you want for your birthday?

2009-06-05T09:36:00.001-04:00

My birthday is next week (June 12).

I’m a man – so friends don’t really buy presents for one another at this point in our lives outside of either big number birthdays or perhaps a goof-type gift that one may stumble upon…
Parents and relatives, though, still buy gifts for their children, son-in-laws, etc...

This said – without fail EVERY year – I get asked the question, “what do you want for your birthday?” Now, when I was 9 years old – this makes some sense. There is no way for a parent to know exactly what to get a 9 year old in the sense that 9 year olds could have temper-tantrums if, say, their parents bought them the “not cool anymore toy” for their birthday. So - my parents would ask me what I’d want – I’d say a skateboard or Colecovision (the smurf game was my favorite) and assuming the gift wasn’t too costly and I had been a good kid (which to be honest – I almost always was) – I’d receive the answer to the question "what do you want for your birthday?"

Fast forward over 20 years later – and the same rules do not apply.

I will not have a temper-tantrum if you buy me a present that I didn’t necessarily have my heart set on.
I have my own money to buy things if I really really want them. When I was a kid, it would take me all year to accumulate $50 in weekly allowance in order to buy the new Donkey Kong game – so getting the game for my birthday was the best way to get it. That’s not really the case now. I’m not saying “I’m rich bitch!” – and I can afford anything I want – but yes – at this point I can afford something in the range of where parents spend money on birthday gifts (say $50-$100) if I really really want something…
When I was a kid – for some reason even if I said that I wanted a skateboard, there was a mystery if I was really going to get it. I didn’t have a sense of if a skateboard cost $50 or $5,000 and so, I really would still be surprised if I got the skateboard. Now – if I tell you that I really want the new Micheal Lewis book – and you buy me said book, that’s not much of a surprise. It’s not really as much fun if I tell you what to buy me. (I don’t think I’ve ever written a post on registries – but trust me when I say I could easily fill up some space with my thoughts here)

Sadly, I just thought of this response, but had I thought of it 2 weeks ago when both my parents asked what I wanted for my birthday, I should have said that for this birthday – I wanted them to never ask me what I wanted for a gift ever again. (I would have said it nicely - and tried not to sound like the wise-ass the response COULD read as - but is not intended)

I don’t want to come off as a brat. I understand why my parents are asking me the question: They would rather spend money on something I really want – rather then something I may not desire or use very often. And I get this – but at this stage of my life – I have greater appreciation of the thought given to the gifts then the actual gift/value/etc.

This all said – if anyone wants to know of a can’t miss gift for me …. An iTunes gift card is a great idea. For some reason – I enjoy buying $1.29 songs a lot more when there is already a balance in my iTunes account versus when there is not. So- - If my parents bought me $50 each of iTunes gift certificates – they would essentially be buying me “Music of my choice for a year.” That sounds like a great thing for me!

I don’t know if everyone agrees, but the reasons above is why I really try to never ask anyone what they wanted for their birthday.

The Next Level of Weather Information

2009-05-29T15:46:00.000-04:00

Amy asks me to turn on New York 1 (channel 1) at least 3 times a day on weekends. Not because she's a huge fan of Lewis Dodley's monotone delivery ... but because the temperature is always listed on the bottom left of the screen and there is supposed to be a weather report every 10 minutes (except when you really want it - like when the dorky guy talks about his obsession with NYC Transit or "On Stage" are on...)

Anyway - there is something inherently missing from standard weather reports - and it's an idea Amy's had for some time. While it could be a business idea that I'm exposing to the world - I haven't really thought of a way to make money off of it - so if someone can think of a way to do it - and Amy can benefit from it -- then go for it!!

Here's the concept: Traditionally - a weather report will tell you:

The Temperature
Is it sunny, cloudy, or rainy?
Wind conditions (on occasion)

As functioning adults - we then equate these 3 variables into our heads to figure out what clothes we are going to where for the day. If it's 80 degrees and sunny - well then Amy knows she can wear shorts, a tank-top, and flip-flops ... That's easy. If it's 20 degrees and snowing - well then Amy knows she should wear a cashmere sweater, leggings, boots and her "big dog" down coat ... That's easy too...

What I don't think is as easy (especially for women) is when it's 52 degrees in the morning, but could get up to 70 for the day - and it may rain later on ... What should they wear?

My solution is to simply create a large database of clothing options (cotton sweater vs. cashmere, wool pants vs. cotton, etc) and match them up with appropriate conditions (No leather jacket when it's raining, 50 degrees = long-sleeve shirt + sweater, etc) ... You could then match all of the conditions with clothing options to come up with what's appropriate. When the traditional weather reporters gave the traditional conditions - it could automatically be cross-referenced with the appropriate clothing index?

Look - it's obviously not a debilitating loss not having this information - and clearly people have gotten by just fine without it - but I do think people will find it a lot more useful than the current information that's given...

Longest Craps Roll of All-Time

2009-05-26T16:49:00.002-04:00

Quick story that blew my mind today ...

This past Saturday night in Atlantic City - a woman who played Craps for only the 2nd time - apparently broke the record for longest craps roll of all time. The news story said she rolled for 4 HOURS and 18 MINUTES! (for non-savvy craps players, think of an average "roll" lasting 3 or 4 rolls - or roughly 1 minute ...)

The news story mentioned that the woman came to the table with $100 - but it didn't say what she (or the fellow players at the table) left with (had to be thousands of dollars... had to be!)
... It's stories like this that all people who enjoy playing craps dream of...

Moving

2009-05-22T12:51:00.004-04:00

Amy and I moved this past week.

The obvious statement here is that "moving sucks" (although interestingly enough my sister told me earlier this week that she "loves moving" ... so maybe not such an obvious statement)

Anyway - this was the first time Amy moved in over 8 years - and only the 2nd time in 10 years for me ... Needless to say - I was not looking forward to the actual process of moving - and was very much looking forward to it being over.

We are still getting settled (have a bunch of boxes to unpack, things to organize, hang, etc), but the actual move was not bad at all ... I mean ... We ended up paying a company (FlatRate) to pack us up and move us. I just sat there while they were packing up and instructed them what goes/stays/etc.

We are all about saving money where we can ... but honestly ... there was about a $250 difference between having the Flatrate movers pack us vs. us doing the packing ... I'm not rich - but I think that is money well spent. We've been unpacking for 2 days - and guess what ... I would pay someone $250 to unpack, set-up electronics, etc. in a heartbeat.
* So I wrote the above before this Memorial Day weekend ... (After the fact - I realize that it would be difficult to have someone truly unpack for you - unless of course that person is a professional organizer like Barb).

We moved to a new area - so there's a lot of new stuff to get used to - apartment, building, neighborhood, commute to work, etc., but we spent a lot of time setting up our place this weekend - and we both feel great about the move...

Eminem - Relapse

2009-05-15T10:43:00.002-04:00

For any hip-hop loyalists who read this blog - when Eminem's new album "Relapse" comes out next week (5/19).... GET IT!

It's been a very long time since I've gotten a hip-hop album and haven't been able to stop listening to it. That is definitely the case with this album.

He talks about a lot of the same topics in all the songs - but the production/execution of the album is just really really solid. I've been hooked since I got my hands on the tracks - and if you're a fan - you'll feel the same way...

If you're a "hip-hop fan" who is more into the songs on the radio -- I can't promise that you'll love the album - but the tracks already available on iTunes are definitely the "commercial tracks" - so you can probably just buy those songs and be satisfied.

BIG FAN! Enjoy!

2 Television Insights regarding Major League Baseball 2009

2009-05-12T14:41:00.002-04:00

Growing up in South Florida (pre-dating the Marlins), I didn't grow up the biggest baseball fan. I did LOVE the 1986 Mets (I lived in NY in '86) - but that was about it...These days the lack of a "hometown team" hasn't hampered my desire to follow Major League Baseball - it's just evolved it to be 100% focused on my Fantasy Baseball teams.

As I've mentioned before on this blog - I definitely root for both NY teams because I think NYC is much more enjoyable when both teams are in the hunt (people are definitely more friendly when this is the case).

Anyway - I follow baseball activities daily (both online and on TV) - and I wanted to comment on 2 baseball related television notes...

1) I really really like MLB Network (In HD).
There is always something so relaxing about falling asleep to a baseball game - but with MLB Network - I can now fall asleep to a culmination of baseball games (They have plenty of "live look-ins" because they own the content) and highlights/box scores (which fits in really well to my fantasy-based interest). I think some of the "analysts" are annoying (such as Mitch Williams and Joe Magrane) - but some I really like (such as Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds)... For the most part - I've really enjoyed turning in and winding down as I go to sleep. I recommend it for any baseball fan...

2) I really like Dave Winfield on Baseball Tonight.
Overall - I've been spending more time watching the MLB Network over Baseball Tonight because I found it more fantasy friendly, but when I know Dave Winfield is on - I definitely check out Baseball Tonight. My first-gut opinion is that he's very well-spoken and has TONS of great insight as a long-time ball player... Again - if he's on ... Check him out and let me know what you think.

"The Next Google"

2009-05-03T19:48:00.003-04:00

About a week ago, a co-worker came back from a conference and proclaimed that there was a lot of rumblings at the event that "Twitter was going to replace Google" and she really thought the speaker was on to something ... I have respect for the co-worker, but my first reaction was a simple - "What? Wow - I just lost a lot of respect for you..."

I'll first say that this clearly wasn't a nice way to start a discussion - and to that note - I didn't genuinely mean it. Let me explain..

I started working at Google in 2003, before it went public and right before the hype of all hype of IPOs. Throughout the first few years - I could not read the NY Times or WSJ without seeing multiple stories about Google. (BTW - this was first-hand lesson that you can NEVER trust 100% what's in the paper - even if it is one of the apparent reputable ones) ... Anyway - Google was (and is) a huge business success. With this success comes the naysayers and the ever-popular game of "who's next." I can't tell you how many stories I've read over the years that have proclaimed that XYZ company (icerocket, Kanoodle, myspace, etc) was the "next Google." So - yes - when someone says that XYZ company is the "next Google" I'm touchy and defensive on the subject.

Facebook, Twitter, and tons of other companies are innovative and unique in their own ways... I'm sure they'd love to be as successful as Google one day - but right now - they are not there yet...The argument for Twitter replacing Google went as follows:
1) Mobile devices will dwarf PCs in the future in terms of ways to connecting online (I agree).
2) Twitter is far more mobile friendly than Google (I agree it is today - but don't think that means too much)
3) Social connections are a growing way that consumers are getting recommendations, etc. (I agree).
4) Algorithmic search will be secondary to social search in the future (sometimes - yes - but not always and definitely not for everyone around the world).

Anyway - those 4 points are the crux of the argument. And as you can see -- I agree with some of the facets. But I don't see how anyone can think any of it means that Twitter will replace Google.

There is a lot that makes Google ridiculously unique - but at the core to it's success is the business model. I've never seen a business scenario where EVERYONE involved (Consumer, advertiser, publisher, and platform) are happy with the outcome consistently. In the Google ecosystem - they are ... Google creates holistic satisfaction (well - not everyone - but 95% of those that interact with it) Google focuses on the end users happiness - but the fact that advertisers and publishers are happy too - definitely doesn't hurt. Google does this GLOBALLY in both highly connected countries (more mature) and not (with tons of growth opportunity). What about Twitter? How is their business model set-up? How many satisfied paying customers does it have? Is it able to put ~$1B in the bank every quarter (for the last 8 quarters+)?

I think Search will evolve - but Google will evolve with it. The company knows that search in 2009 is a fraction of what "The ultimate search experience" will be. I drink the kool-aid - but yes - I think the resources at Google's disposal will allow it to be the leader in search - whether on a PC or elsewhere...whether it's algorithmic, vertical, or social search.

So - in summary - until the business questions are answered - I don't see anyone joining the online business success ranks of Google. It is bound to happen some day. I would just recommend that before any journalist or speaker at a conference say that some company is going to replace or is the next Google - that they stay away from the hypothetical. The proven business model is obviously something that evolves over time - and while I have confidence that Google will continue it's success - that doesn't mean that someone else can't/won't come up with something better. I just haven't seen it yet...

Sorry for the Silence

2009-04-23T10:23:00.003-04:00

Loyal Readers - just wanted to apologize for the lack of posting lately ... Things have been crazy.
Amy and I have been in NY rental real estate mode ... Both finding people to sublet our apartment (which we have) and finding a new apartment for ourselves (which we hope we're close to). Maybe I'll have a post when it's all said and done about our experience - but let's just leave it as an "emotionally exhausting" experience...

Work has also been very busy for me. I've taken on an additional project which has amazing potential - but there's a lot of work to do...

Speaking of work - if you want to make fun of how I look interviewing someone - check out the Google Retail blog where I did a two part series with an industry expert.

DVR CZAR

2009-04-02T15:26:00.003-04:00

As I have mentioned before - I am a passionate TV watcher. I don't think I'm lazy (as the "couch potato" tag implies) - I think I appreciate the form of entertainment it provides. In fact, I believe that if I had more time to watch TV - that the supply of quality entertainment would be able to fill that time. (I think there is A LOT more garbage on TV than quality -- but there is just so much to programming out there that there still more quality programming out there than I have time to watch).

Anyway - enter the DVR. Clearly a revolution for passionate TV watchers everywhere. "More efficient television watching" couldn't be more up my alley... So much so - that I drive my wife crazy about managing the "efficiency" within the "efficiency producing machine..."

Here's what I mean...

When you record a high volume of television - but don't have the equal amount of time - it puts pressure on the storage capacity of your DVR. Things build up and should too much time elapse, the system will erase programs at the end of your queue. I'm a fan of constantly cleaning up our DVR to ensure this doesn't happen. I can't explain why I feel less stress when the DVR is at 65% full rather than 88% full... I just do.

Below are 5 Rules that I would recommend other want-to-be DVR CZARS:
1) Any daily program (PTI, Oprah, Ellen, The Daily Show, Conan, etc) needs to be maintained twice a week at a minimum. Erase the ones you don't care about - save the ones with good guests - but stay on top of it. 5 hours per show per week is a lot of "fat." Stay on it.
2) Be selective with HD Programs. 24, Lost, any show on Discovery - totally worth it. 30 minute comedys - no way. Just no need.
3) Have an expiration date. If there are shows that have been on your DVR for over, say, a month - I have to imagine the odds of you really prioritizing to watch it after that amount of time is REALLY low. Sports, especially, have an expiration date - closer to 5 days. I'm not saying you delete it on the spot - but I'd definitely suggest removing the "save until you delete" feature if the expiration date is reached.
4) No movies. There are enough movie sources out there (Cable, Premium, OnDemand, Netflix) without the need of your DVR to do it as well. 2 hours+ investment in front of the TV takes a lot of time to schedule. I've made the mistake and DVR'd movies I wanted to see - they stayed on the DVR for months - only to feel stupid that when I actually watched it - I used HBO on Demand (I was in the bedroom when the movie was on the DVR in the living room).
5) If sharing - Be responsible for your own programs. Examples: I watch PTI. Amy watches Oprah. I watch 24. Amy watches Gossip Girl. We both watch How I Met Your Mother. The only thing I am comfortable deleting is PTI and 24. This is my responsibility. Even though I may see 4 "Ellens" on the DVR (all with B list guests) - I can't touch it. Amy needs to be the one who deletes that.

As my "savvy" as DVR CZAR matures - I will try and enlighten others.

Great 1BR APARTMENT FOR RENT!!

2009-03-29T21:56:00.002-04:00

Boys and Girls - it's about that time when I use this blog as a shameless plus mechanism.

My wife and I are looking to rent out our 1 Bedroom, 725 Sq Ft apartment on 28th and Park in Manhattan. It's an amazing home - and is perfect for a couple or someone looking for additional space.

If you - or someone you know is interested - please check out the webpage we created for the apartment. Thanks!!

Wolverines Going Dancing!

2009-03-15T19:59:00.002-04:00

As many readers know - I am a guy who likes to dance (to the right music).

My alma mater hasn't gone "dancing" (been invited to the NCAA Tournament) since I was there. So it was great watching the selection show (online - as I took a train to Boston) - and see that Michigan is in the tournament... "We" play Clemson in round 1 - and I'm hopeful for a first round win - but even if not - it is great to finally get invited after 11 years of not.

Hats off to Coach Beilein - who only after his 2nd season got us to the dance. While Manny Harris gets a lot of the media hype - DeShawn Sims is the real engine to success for the Wolverines (Both are top 10 scoring an rebounding in the Big Ten).

I've enjoyed watching the team play this season - and they seem to rise up for big games. I'm not a fan of how Coach Beilen plays 10 in the rotation, but I guess he wants guys fresh in his 1-3-1 defensive scheme...

That's it -- had been a while since I had a Sports post and will try not and make it so long next time... GO BLUE!

My First Surgery

2009-03-11T14:12:00.002-04:00

I had my first ever surgery on Monday.

It was fairly minor - but given that it was my first time going to a hospital, "going under," being cut and waking up patched up - I thought it was worthy of sharing...

First - why did I need surgery? Well, some months ago - my wife noticed a golf-ball sized bump on my back. I figured it was a boxing bruise of some kind that was taking a while to heal ... After a few weeks (and having a physical therapist verify I should get it checked out) - I went to a doctor who said he was pretty sure it was Lipoma (a collection of fatty cells), but that I should go to a specialist to get further instructions.

After waiting a month to get an appointment, within 10 minutes of seeing the doctor, I pretty much had surgery scheduled to get it removed. Of course after I scheduled it - I had a million questions from everyone: (Why couldn't they just Biopsy it?, Should I get a second opinion, etc)

Basically - I was satisfied with the doctors rationale - which was:
1) The Lipoma was bigger than usual and less mobile than usual - which didn't have the doctors overly concerned - but they basically said that if I was their brother - they'd advise it come out soon.
2) I'd need to take it out regardless - Lipoma isn't overly concerning - but do I really want a golf-ball sized lump in my back? There was also a chance it burst if it stayed in...
3) I'm on the younger side - so might as well get surgery now rather than when I'm older and it's more dangerous.

So - I got it done.

Given that it was my first time - I was a little nervous - but I could intellectualize that this was an extremely minor surgery. This said, when I was being walked into the operating room - and I laid down on the cold silver slab and looked up at the bright lights, being surrounded by 6 people in blue pajamas and masks - I definitely felt "exposed" and nervous. Here I was, voluntarily putting my body up for the slicing enjoyment of people I didn't know all that well - but am forced to trust given their profession. It freaked me out for like 30 seconds - and then the IV sleep-aid kicked in.

I woke up as I was being wheeled to the "recovery" area. Nurses were very nice - but I never spoke to the actual doctor who cut me and sewed me back together (Kinda felt like a piece of meat). My wife picked me up - and I walked out of the hospital totally cognisant of my surroundings...

I've been a little sore the past few days - but for the most part I'm feeling good. I go back next week to get the "pathology" of the Lipoma and for the doc to check on the wound/stitches.
I'll keep y'all posted if anything is newsworthy...

Being "Bleeding Edge" Sucks

2009-03-02T12:49:00.002-05:00

I'm at a conference today - and was having a generic conversation about business/technology with someone - and thought about an interesting misconception about business and timing...

There is this thought process among entrepreneurs that if they are THE FIRST to think of something that success is largely correlated to that fact alone... I don't think anything could be farther from the truth. I think there are huge disadvantages to being FIRST these days. Business moves at such a fast pace, that "first mover advantage" is not what it once meant. It is now something other companies leverage to capitalize on what not to do vs. what to do.

Being first makes you the guinea pig. Being first means that the odds are way against you to get it right off the bat. Being first is expensive. Being first makes you an evangelist of a future competitors success. Bottom-line - this concept was learned when we were all 6 years old ... First is the worst -- Second is the best! ;)

Was the iPod the first MP3 player (or for that matter - was iTunes the first online music store/organizer)? Was Google the first Search Engine? Was Youtube the first video sharing site? Was Facebook the first social network? (I can go on and on) Oh, and by the way, The Snuggie wasn't the first (or definitely last) blanket with sleeves....

What you notice, though, is that all these example are from recent business successes. The gentleman I was speaking with earlier today is in the mobile space (and he's the one who said "being on the bleeding edge sucks") - a GREAT example of an industry that has a handful of people trying to figure it out - while others are waiting on the sideline because they know it's bound to explode -- they just want to gain the 2009 benefit of the "second mover advantage"

How do you protect against this? (I have no idea!) Patents take way too much time and are easily overcome with slight modifications ... Legal action is too expensive - and nothing entrepreneurs can sustain ...

What's my point in all of this? Am I trying to dissuade people from being cutting-edge with their thought processes ? Not at all -- I just thought it was an interesting shift and the alternative to perceived common sense. People should continue to follow their passions - because that will lead to success.

Whether or not you think of an original idea or innovate on someone else's -- Any successful business person I've heard from says - it comes down to passion (which insinuates "hard work" as well), met with timing met with luck ... And my point of this post is that the "timing" piece definitely doesn't have to be first, especially today...

Top TV Shows in the last 5 years

2009-02-23T10:34:00.004-05:00

My previous post on How I Met Your Mother has sparked some further conversations with friends (which is the part of the blog I love the most). Most of the conversations were agreeing with me on how great of a show HIMYM is (although - interesting point from Ryan who once lived in NYC and now lives in Michigan saying that none of his friends in Michigan appreciate it like he does cuz they've never lived in NYC).

The other conversations I've had were about the "what else?" What other shows would I suggest?

Below is a lost of top 20 shows on DVD that I'll recommend. With my work travel schedule and Netflix - I'm able to watch more shows than most (and I love TV). This said, I obviously don't watch every show (example - I've never seen any of the CSI/SVU stuff) - and my sense of humor definitely isn't the same as everyones' (example - The Office won't be making the top 20 below). I've excluded Reality Shows - and because I'm a man who doesn't appreciate Gossip Girl, The OC, etc - I've only included one "soap opera" on the list below...

The Top 20 TV Programs I've watched in the last 5 years and would recommend on DVD:
20) Rescue Me (60 min - Dramady)
19) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (60 min - Dramady) - No idea how this only made it one season
18) Breaking Bad - (60 min - Drama - on AMC ;)
17) Two and a Half men (30 min - Comedy)
16) Weeds (60 min - Dramady)
15) Grey's Anatomy (60 min - Soap Opera)
14) Prison Break (60 min - Drama)
13) Heroes (60 min - Drama)
12) Californication (30 min - Dramady)
11) Dexter (60 min - Drama)
10) Entourage (30 min - Comedy)
9) Scrubs (30 min - Comedy)
8) Alias (60 min - Action)
7) Lost (60 min - Action)
6) Mad Men (60 min - Drama)
5) 30 Rock (30 min - Comedy)
4) Friday Night Lights (60 min - Drama)
3) The Wire (60 min - Drama)
2) 24 (60 min - Action)
1) How I Met Your Mother (30 min - Comedy)

So - that's my top 20. I'm sure I've left some shows off - either because there are a lot more than 20 great shows out there or because I've never watched it. So ... I'd love to hear which shows you think should be on the list or which of the above should not be...

Economic Stimulus

2009-02-18T11:09:00.002-05:00

Thus far in my life - I have not been an extremely politically charged person. I'm not going to start now, but I had an opinion I wanted to share on the Economic Stimulus situation...

Am I crazy - or does anyone else think it's a REALLY stupid idea to have Senators and House of Representatives figuring out our "Economic recovery plan"? I mean, seriously ... We are talking about Trillions of dollars. Not what I would call "petty cash" that I want someone unqualified deciding how or how much is spent....

Let's get 5-10 of the smartest economists in a room and have THEM figure it out...or at the very least have them create 3 options to be voted on...

I've met a handful of Senators and Representatives ... While most were charming and fairly bright, I can't tell you that I want their brains to be the chosen ones to decide the economic fate over the next 10+ years... I mean ... I think I'm charming and fairly bright (oh - and have an Economics degree from the University of Michigan) ... but ... I DEFINITELY don't want myself having ANYTHING to do with that kind of decision ... There are just SO many more qualified people for the job....

When you go into surgery - do you want the general practitioner to operate on you? Do you want your neighborhood handyman building your house? Do you want the bank teller to be your financial advisor? Do you want the Best Buy salesperson to be the one to install your new home theater?? You get my point...

If our government officials want to vote on something ... they can vote on who these EXPERTS are... But again ... This job mandates specialists and not political figures...

Mr President ... Having the spending be more transparent is a great first step ... But the lobbying of this "package" is politics as usual... Let's get the BEST Americans to figure this out...

HIMYM

2009-02-11T12:55:00.004-05:00

I realized the other day, that although I've been writing this blog for 5+ years, I've left out expressing my passion for what I believe could be one of my favorite TV series of all time... Yes, when it's all said and done - I think this show could be better than Friends, Cheers, Frasier, or any other highly touted TV Sitcom (putting it in the same class as Seinfeld is difficult, not because I was the biggest Seinfeld fan, but more so of how successful it was/is).

"How I Met Your Mother" is not a show I started watching from the get-go, but it's one that I refuse to miss when it's on...I've been privately promoting the show to friends for years and have been frequently teased about doing so on many occasions.

From the uninformed, I can see where people don't expect it to be a GREAT show. For starters - it's on CBS, which isn't what I would consider the "hippest" of broadcasters. It also is not heavily promoted nor widely critically acclaimed...

This said - I HIGHLY recommend anyone who has not followed the 4 seasons of the show, to put Seasons 1-3 on the top of your Netflix queue right now. While it's not necessarily a show where you absolutely have to watch in chronological order, you do certainly have to understand and know the genius character development in order to appreciate the show. So, if you watch an episode or two (which is becoming more and more possible now that it plays on Lifetime in syndication) and "don't get it" at first ... It's not because it's not funny ... it's because you don't have the background on the characters - which is a huge part of the genius.

The other part of the genius is the writing. Anyone ages 25-40, living in NYC can attest that the writers constantly NAIL the time period, life stage, and comedic relevancy of that reality. (So yes - now that I'm thinking about it, I could perhaps relate HIMYM to Seinfeld...).

As dorky as it sounds, I've actually thought of who my favorite character is on the show - and I cannot come to a conclusion... I love them all.

Barney is possibly the best character on Television (and one of the best acting jobs going)
Marshall is so funny/interesting that his character was unintentionally the star of a very successful movie (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
Ted is probably considered the "main" character - but he's not always the focus of the show.
Robin has arguably had the best and most memorably funny story lines of the 4 seasons
Lilly is the perfect fit for Marshall and a great Slap-bet Commissioner (The role also successfully un-type-casted the very difficult to overcome - "one time in band camp" character from American Pie. I mean - who thought she was ever going to be anything but that??)

So this is one of many personal recommendations my loyal readers will receive from me. If you haven't watched this show .... and if you like to laugh while watching TV ... then watch HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

If you want to buy my a birthday present and can't think of what to get me -- get me a HIMYM T-shirt (here's my current favorite - but the site is updated regularly) ;)

And if you do watch it and want to talk about how funny it is ... Then email me.... I'm happy to oblige. ;)

It's 2009 - Do I need a "home phone"?

2009-02-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

I have 4 Phone Numbers:

My Cell Phone (primary)
My Apartment
My Office
My Blackberry (Think of it as "work mobile")

If I was to breakdown my overall usage by number I'd have to say:

Call Phone - 75%
Home - 10%
Work - 14%
Blackberry - 1%

If I was to breakdown the cost of my phone bills (considering I don't pay for my business calls directly), I'd say:

Cell Phone (which is also an internet device, mapping service, video iPod, gaming device, etc) - 60%
Home Phone (which provides me with - um - a phone) - 40%

Yes - Something is wrong with this....

I have (and pay for) a home phone for mental state of mind ... "Just in case" my cell phone service is down, or there is a black-out like there was in August 2003, or if I lose my cell phone (you get the picture)...

I listen to my Cell phone voicemail everyday. I listen to my home messages maybe once a week (the avg number of messages waiting for me is 4)...

I have one home phone in my house - and yes - I've left it off the charger a few times and had to use my cell phone at home ... I lived ...

In my current cell phone plan, I end up with PLENTY of minutes to spare at the end of the month....

On the flip side - if I get rid of my home phone - what number are the tele-marketers going to call during dinner time or Saturday mornings?? (Is this worth the monthly expense???)

I've tried Vonage in the past - but it was way too much of a pain in the ass - and had spotty service. I'd rather pay the $15 extra if I'm gonna spend the money in the first place ...

It's 2009 - I'm guessing that most of my loyal readers are more sophisticated than I and don't bother having home phones ... I left a poll on the right hand side -- please enlighten me.

Thank you.

Zo Mourning Part 2

2009-01-23T17:06:00.004-05:00

I'm guessing this is something that my loyal readers probably are not aware of - but the subject and title of the first EVER blog post on this blog was: Alonzo Mourning (almost 4 years ago).

Yesterday, Zo announced his retirement from the NBA and I wanted to pay my respect. Before there was Dwayne Wade - there was Alonzo Mourning. Zo was the superstar and symbol of my favorite sports franchise of all time. I loved what he represented: Heart, Passion, Dedication, Hustle, Defense, Emotion... All things that I like to think define my own personal sad excuse for a basketball "game."

Zo is 10th all-time in the NBA in total blocks (shocked btw that Shawn Bradley is 11th). He is the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat all-time leader in blocks. He was a 2 time all-defensive player of the year. And...He owns a Championship Ring (his role in that will always be VERY under-rated. He was a man determined in the NBA finals in 2006).

Zo is most recently known for his courage and comeback with his rare kidney disease and he's ALWAYS been known in the Miami community as charitable with his time, money, and celebrity.

In his 15 year career, Zo had his ups and downs. I've written about this before, but he's certainly evolved as a player and role model. It wasn't always pretty - but I always knew that he took great pride in representing The Miami Heat - and he gave it his all ALWAYS.

I'm gonna miss rooting for you, Zo. Hopefully you'll continue to be a role model in the community and beyond. Much Respect!

Our 44th President

2009-01-21T11:51:00.002-05:00

Given that this blog is a pseudo journal of sorts ... I thought it appropriate to document the historic Presidential inauguration that occurred yesterday...Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the US, the first black president, the 5th youngest President ever, and I'd argue the most "with it" President that I'm aware of (the only proof I have of this is the extreme turn-out of the 18-35 demographic, his reluctance to give up his blackberry, etc)...
BTW - Kudos for the TV Show 24 for predicting a black president in the form of David Palmer ... Could they be on to something this season and predicting a woman president next?

For the first time that I can remember, massive amounts of people are excited about Politics. I've said for a long time that kids growing up in recent years would MUCH rather strive to be Bill Gates than Bill Clinton ... Politics as an industry has quite a sour brand ... I'm not sure President Obama is going to completely change that brand perception - but he seems to be a great inspirational leader with great moral values and determination.

He's got such a huge task ahead of him - but I think he's done a real good job leading up to day #1 setting the expectation that he is only one person - and every American has a role in turning the ship around.

It's Day #2 in office for the new President ... I'm hopeful and optimistic. Only time will tell, howver, if our country is ready for a turn-around and if Barack Obama is the leader to take us there. Good luck Mr. President. I'll be rooting for you. ;)

Reminder - NO DELTA out of JFK

2009-01-20T09:24:00.003-05:00

This is more of a reminder to myself (any Amy) than a true blog post ... I never want to fly Delta out of JFK again. While it feels like every airline sucks these days, and traveling is such a crap shoot .... The terminal at JFK that Delta operates out of is the shit-show of all shit-shows... The chaos that intertwines check-in traffic with the confusing long line for departures with no method behind the madness is crazy ... I just don't want to experience that again ... and Amy and I have experienced it collectively about 3 or 4 times - so I just want to learn from my life experiences.

Feel free to take the advice, obviously ... but even if it's cheaper on Delta, I believe the Jetblue experience is well worth the $30 or whatever.... At this point I'm willing to spend the money for much less airport stress.

A bar tab first...

2009-01-14T10:34:00.004-05:00

Last night I went to meet up with a buddy for drinks at Maxie's Grill.... It was "happy hour" time, which meant the bar wasn't crowded, but I'd say there were 6-8 people at the bar.
I got there a little early, ordered a drink and put my credit card down to start a tab - rather than pay cash after every drink ... This is the standard if you're having multiple drinks - and I can't say I've ever done anything else ...

Anyway - about an hour and a half later, I ask for the bill. I notice a few other people get their bill before me, but don't think much of it... Then, the bartender comes over very jittery, and explains that she can't find my credit card... She even says "if I were you I'd be furious" ... and it's not really my style to be furious, but I'm annoyed but trying to be rationale....I mean, what was I going to do? Get really mad and cause a scene? What good is that going to do?

I ask the bartender to look again - as I would be even more annoyed to cancel my credit card and then get a call tomorrow that they found it... But ... no luck ...

So - I'm going with the theory that she gave my credit card to someone else ...

I can only hope that this someone realizes it today and returns it to the restaurant. I called AMEX and put my account on a 24-hour hold with this hope... (So if you're "that guy" and you Google'd my name and are reading this ... PLEASE return it ... it would be REALLY appreciated).

Anyway - that's it. I'm going to try and not let this effect me in the future (meaning the next time someone asks me to start a tab - I won't hesitate.... BUT ... should it happen twice, I think I'll stick with paying cash or leave it to someone else to start the tab....

UPDATE - I got my card back. The bartender found it at the end of the night with all the lights on... What I thought was pretty interesting was how aloof the manager was about the whole thing. Definitely the last time I buy drinks at Maxie's Grill....

Motivation During Down Economy

2009-01-08T12:06:00.003-05:00

Recession, Poor Economy, Lay-offs, Bankruptcy ... All words you will see 10 times each day in the local newspaper... And in this economy, people clearly are nervous about job security - "White collar," "blue collar," or otherwise. I would take this to mean that people would want to do anything and everything to keep their jobs - right?

BUT ... over the last few weeks I've encountered handfuls of working class people who I am convinced either don't understand what's going on (and what it means to them) or ... Just don't care...

Here's a CRAZY idea ... In a down economy, focus on being THE BEST at what you do. If you are a media buyer, an accountant, an airline representative, or even if you work at Duane Reade. There is a lot that is out of individual contributors hands' when it comes to particular jobs, but what we can control is how good we are at our job. If you don't like your job - that's on you - but in an economy like we are in - you BETTER appreciate it. And appreciating your job means being good at it. Being good at your job often means that you are overly nice to customers, you ask your boss what more you can do, you have a smile on your face while working...

Gone Fishing...

2008-12-24T20:25:00.002-05:00

I won't be posting for a couple of weeks - just wanted to let y'all know...

If you're a fantasy football fan - are are interested in a fantasy pool for the play-offs ... check out this blog.

Happy New Year and Holidays to all!
BG

Scarcity Brings Clarity

2008-12-19T11:46:00.004-05:00

We are living in crazy economic times. I have 5 good friends who have all been laid off recently - and these are ALL people who are very smart and valuable contributors to businesses. If I had my own company - I would hire all 5 people....It's crazy! Really, really nuts!

While there can't be much sugar coating on getting laid-off from your job, I genuinely believe that these 5 friends will all be OK in the long-run and perhaps the last few weeks will be "Fillet Mignon disguised as a Shit Sandwich." (I came up with that all by myself - feel free to use it)

A buzz phrase included in almost every mass message here at Google is that "Scarcity brings clarity." The concept that when times are tough - focus and true passion bubble up. You get rid of the waste - and re-focus on the core....
Clearly - I drink the Kool-aid of Googley-ness, but I think GENERALLY (and not specific to Google) - in times like this - most people actually do whatever they need to in order to pay the bills ... BUT... I think that smart and opportunistic people will look at times like this to re-evaluate career paths and goals, overall happiness priority list, etc...

In a conversation with a couple of buddies last week (one in which was laid off), he asked what "the next" business explosion will be from this economic debacle? Stemp and I agree that a career in "alternative energy" certainly is - as an industry - poised for significant growth. I honestly don't have a clue about what specific job functions are available in this market, but that was the first thing to pop into my mind when the question was posed.
My other buddies (JP) first response was "internet commerce." And I was shocked. I mean it's literally my core job focus - and so - I wasn't really sure how to react....

Yes - E-Commerce will grow substantially over the next 10 years - but - knowing what I know, it is more of a function of consumers being more comfortable with buying online and the established traditional retailers catching up from internet pure plays like Amazon, however, I don't see huge "job market growth" coming from E-Commerce .... BUT ... it's not how JP intended it ... and I thought it was interesting...

Basically, as people spend more time looking for jobs, they'll start trying to make money for themselves in the most easily accessible ways ... The Internet clearly represents an easy, accessible and scalable way to network and operate business. Whether people merely start selling things on eBay, start their own businesses (like Barb - who started her own organizational business), start writing blogs and putting ads on it, or even try and become professional poker players - the internet will play a huge role in small business generation in the coming months...

Curious to know what my blog readers think... What's the next industry to explode (in a good way)? What should people without jobs do in this environment?

Houston's to Hillstone in NYC

2008-12-17T12:21:00.003-05:00

Friends of mine know that Houston's is probably my favorite restaurant on the planet. I got made fun of in college because my favorite restaurant was a chain ... but ... Yes - that's how it's done when you grow up in South Florida...

Anyway - "The Malester" (my friend) shares my passion for Houston's - and sent me an Eater.com article this morning about Houston's changing it's name to Hillstone in New York City.

What the article fails to mention is the real reason for the name change - which I will share with you all... The REAL reason for the change is the NYC calorie law, where "Restaurants that have 15 outlets nationwide are now required by New York City to list calorie counts on their menus."

SO ... if there are only 2 Hillstones ... the restaurant doesn't have to share it's calorie count on the menu. The secret of really how bad (but how good) the food at Houston's in will remain a secret FOREVER...

ZocDoc

2008-12-09T15:19:00.003-05:00

I am pretty cynical when it comes to my consumer experiences within the medical profession. I get frustrated with the inflexibility of appointment times, the often cold experience with trying new doctors blindly (that these days automatically result in a slew of tests/additional appointments for no truly justified reason), and several other factors ... BUT ... Someone at work just told me of a very cool tool that I wanted to pass along.

I haven't used it yet - but played around quickly earlier today: ZocDoc seems to be an "OpenTable for Doctors and Dentists" ... (it's limited to NY only at this point - but that's how OpenTable started too...)

It offers available appointment times, the ability to filter by specialty and insurance accepted. It also offers reviews (overall, bedside manner, & wait time) - which I think could be really interesting if used at greater scale.

That's it -- just thought I'd share something I thought was pretty cool.

Noddy, Noddy ... We likes to party...

2008-12-08T13:52:00.003-05:00

...We don't cause trouble, we don't bother nobody...

Inspiration of this post comes from Kara G - a co-worker (and occasional blog reader)...

Kara is the QUEEN of the business meeting nod...which some may find pesky, but I do not. As someone who, um, isn't afraid to speak in public settings - it supplies a great source of confidence to the speaker (that you are not boring the heck out of everyone). On the flip side, it does also most likely prompts the speaker to talk for a little longer than planned (so if you're in a rush to conclude the meeting - cut the nodding)...

I'm sure there are those people who nod anytime their superior speaks - regardless of what they are saying - which I guess I could find annoying ... BUT ... as long as you don't discriminate your business meetings nods - I'm OK with it...

I recently had a meeting with some Japanese businessmen, and I was told before the meeting that the Japanese are notorious for incessant nodding while others speak - as they believe it's almost rude not to... Now - I won't go that far - I think it's a respectful gesture that what the speaker is saying resonates with the audience (or at least some people). So - the next time you are in a meeting - and you agree with what's being said -- give a nod or two, you may find it rewarded back to you some day...

An Airplane Seat First

2008-12-01T12:06:00.002-05:00

Amy and I used to book airplane seats next to each other, but recently have been trying to "beat the system" by booking the aisle and window in the same row/side. Out of the first five times we tried this - we had 100% success-rate of not having someone sit in the middle of us.

On the flight back from Florida this past Saturday, however, our plan was unsuccessful.
Normally, this really isn't a big deal. We just do what we normally would have done - and I (most likely) would sit in the middle and Amy would sit by the window (our preferred seat). We assume this because - let's face it - who wouldn't trade a middle seat for the aisle seat??

The answer to that question is ... A complete asshole. And to our unfortunate luck this one time - we encountered the BIGGEST asshole of them all on Saturday night in Seat 12D on Jetblue Flight 382. (Would LOVE to find this guys name to publish his ass-hole-ness to the public).

Here's what went down:
Amy: Excuse me sir - would you mind switching seats with my husband so we can sit next to each other - he's in the aisle.
Asshole in 12D: (pause) I'll take the Window
Amy: Excuse me?
Asshole in 12D: I said - I'll take the Window
Amy: Um - I didn't offer you the Window.... Are you saying that you won't switch with my husband?
Asshole in 12D: I'm saying I want the Window
Amy/I: So you're saying you'd rather the middle seat than the aisle?
Asshole: I'm saying I want the Window.
Amy (obviously beyond frustrated at this point): Well that's not gonna happen....

So - Yes - because we were all stubborn (and the asshole approached the conversation as a negotiation rather than like a normal person) - we flew the 2 hour and 20 minute flight with Amy seated at the Window, Asshole in the middle, and me in the aisle.
Amy and I tried talking over him for the first few minutes of the flight to annoy him - but - given my adverse feelings towards conflict in general, we decided to do what we normally would have done - and just watch TV the whole flight.

It was uncomfortable, annoying, and definitely a "first" that I don't want to experience again... This said, I don't think I would have done anything differently other than maybe phrasing/approaching the original request a little differently...

I still plan on booking the window and aisle for Amy and I moving forward - let's just hope that we don't fly the "asshole skies" rather than the "Friendly skies" again...

Google Retail blogpost

2008-11-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

As many of you read my personal blog -- I thought I'd share my first official Google blog post on the Google Retail blog. It will give you a sense of what I talk to advertisers about on the regular...

Hoover Goffin (1917-2008)

2008-11-14T16:32:00.007-05:00

My Grandpa Hoover Goffin passed away this past Friday. After 91 years with us - he now joins my Grandma Ida in what we all believe is a better place.

To me, my Grandpa Hoover was a simple and exceptionally warm-hearted man. "Such a nice man" was uttered several times since he's passed - and while that statement was the first one to pop into my mind when I started to think of what I'd write on this post - there is more to my grandfather than being such a nice man.

While I won't go into all these things - the things that come to mind first are:

He was intellectually curious - choosing a lifetime profession in education - after his many degrees in education from Colby College and Columbia.
He loved using words in ways that most people did not ... As an example - he'd say "I was able to negotiate the distance between here and there quite successfully" instead of - "I didn't get lost"... (There are A LOT of sayings like this - and family members who read this should definitely include any they'd like in the comment section below)
He was globally cultured, having spent a good amount of time stationed around the world on behalf of the US Army - and loved to speak French - even if the people at the same dinner table didn't speak/understand a lick of it.

I heard very recently at a funeral - that when someone you love and respect passes away, the best thing people can do to honor their life, is take a positive trait or two from that person (that also somewhere lies in yourself) - and anytime somebody comments on that trait -- you acknowledge that you learned this trait from the person who has passed...

A trait that is in me that was also a trait that I believe my grandfather lived his life by - was always unselfishly "doing the right thing." In my grandfathers case - he never made waves or wanted anyone to go out of their way for him. He held low expectations of what he "deserved" and conversely was willing to do almost anything asked of him that he could. He didn't pry into others lives - or judge the way others lived their lives. He was even-keeled and believed his way of life was "doing the right thing."

I like to pride myself in "doing the right thing." This isn't to say that I always actually do the right thing -- but it means that, like my Grandfather, I try and remove excess personal judgment or opinions when deciding how I should act in situations. And although my Grandfather was an educator professionally almost his entire life, this is never something he sat me down to teach me. How come? Well - I believe it's because he never wanted to tell either of my parents how to raise their kids or what to teach them. It was what he believed was "the right thing to do."

To me - this is his legacy to me. Sometimes mis-construed or even incorrect - it's not necessarily clear what is right from wrong - but - if what you decide is good natured and "right" is the basis for living your life... well then you should be able to fall asleep with a smile on your face every night.

And so, Grandpa, I know you fell asleep for eternity with a smile on your face. It may have been a few years longer than you expected - but you lived your life as best you could and as good natured as anyone I know. You will be missed and loved and never forgotten.

Scammed, Bam, Thank you Ma'am

2008-11-08T22:08:00.002-05:00

Just thought I'd share a life lesson with my loyal readers ... Amy and I were fairly lazy today (weather was horrible), so we decided to try and motivate for our evening ... Joel McHale - the funny host/comedian of "The Soup" was performing at Town Hall in NYC ... We didn't have tickets but thought - what the heck - we'll go check out the scene ... If there are tickets - great, if not - we wasted 30 minutes on a night where we didn't have any plans...

We take a cab uptown that drops us off right in front of the theater .... We take no more than 5 steps out of the cab and are drawn in by the ease and charm of a scalper ... He was willing to give us tickets printed off the internet for $5 less than face value... Amy and I certainly had our skepticism, but, our BS meters clearly were out of order after our day of laziness ... After talking down the guy $10 - and having him pulling out a wad of cash - saying "hey - these are my last tickets of the night ... the show is sold out" ... I gave the guy the cash .... walked 10 feet to the door and heard the unfortunate noise I knew was an option ... The scanner wasn't functioning properly - The tickets were no good ... as soon as I heard it, I started walking towards where we bought the tickets, but I knew we were f'd...

In hind-sight, there is so much I wouldn't have done. I totally gave away money in a stupid, idiotic and sucker-like fashion. I am planning to ask my accountant/father-in-law if I can write it off as "giving to charity" but that's just to make myself feel better for being such an idiot ...

We're not the first nor the last people that this is going to happen to - but - I can tell you all that the while I don't foresee a next time I buy tickets from a scalper ... IF there is.... I am going to have them walk in with me (or at least tell them that I want them to and see their reaction).

Shit happens ... Just gotta hope that we learn from it.

Email Pile-On

2008-11-03T15:05:00.003-05:00

If you have worked in a fairly large-sized company in the last 10 year - I'm guessing you've experienced the "Email Pile-on" - but perhaps never known it as such ... It is something that does irritate me, and is a good way for me to think less of you (if I don't know you yet).

An "email pile-on" (a phrase I've totally made up) is when someone sends out a mass email to people (particularly in a business setting - but it doesn't have to be), usually to announce positive news of some kind ... A completed project, a promotion, a big sale, etc ... This mass email I have no problem with ... What I have issue with are the people who feel obligated to "REPLY TO ALL" with something to the form of ... "Great job team!" ... or ... "Congrats - huge win."

The action of replying to the email is not something I have an issue with either... It is the DELIBERATE inclusion of everyone on this 3 word email that bugs me.

First of all - When one person does this - it's like saying to other email pile-on-ers "I care more than you do," which instigates and is clearly the core of the actual PILE-ON ...
Secondly - the action SCREAMS of the need to feel important ... like ... "I approve of this email - and just wanted everyone to know that my approval is important."

Managers often feel like public acknowledgement is something that people crave - and I actually think this is kind of messed up. For me, personally, I'd much rather get a personal email or call from my boss (or better - my bosses boss) saying "Hey - you did a great job with XYZ." For me - it would go a lot further than pressing "Reply to All."

While I definitely understand that the act of pressing "delete" takes less than 1 second - so it shouldn't truly bother me - for me - it's less about the deleting the email and more about what would drive people to see the GOOD in the "email pile-on"...

There are plenty of email correspondence instances that are GREAT "reply to all" cases ... I don't mean to discourage this... and ... Un-intentional "Reply to all" mistakes have happened to me, personally, so no bashing there either ... but that is not what I'm talking about with the "Email Pile-on" annoyance...

If you are an Email Pile-on-er ... Think twice the next time you reply-to-all. Not only is an aggregate waste of time (If the email takes an average of 30 seconds to read - and 100 people read it -- that is almost an hour of aggregated wasted company time) ... but ... It doesn't reflect as positive on you as you may think (in my opinion). ;)

BG - "Cover Man"

2008-10-29T13:45:00.005-04:00

It's a random goal to have, but I have always wanted to be on a cover of a magazine. Not in a "I'm so important" way ... but more in a "Something I think would be cool" way ...

Well - that goal has officially been attained, thanks to the November 2008 cover of Electronic Retailer Magazine.
While I've bee quoted in a number of articles in my tenure here at Google - I've never been pictured on the cover or part of a cover story. I must say, it certainly is cool that my picture is on the cover, but I'm most proud of the article - in which Vi Paynich does a really good job encapsulating the many ways where Google is trying to make direct marketing more accountable and actionable in their efforts.

I've sent hard copies of the magazine to immediate family and some friends who I thought would appreciate it - but please let me know if you'd like a copy - and I'm happy to put one in the mail for you ...

Thanks to the ERA and Electronic Retailer Magazine for featuring Google in a lot of what they do and especially the November 2008 issue of the magazine. ;)

Cost Per Wear

2008-10-13T11:15:00.004-04:00

In general - I'm a "math guy." If a problem can be solved in my head in math terms - I'm much more comfortable than if it's justified without them.

In my personal life - I've been brought up to appreciate money earned. I've been very lucky to have married someone who has the same appreciation. Spending without justification just never sits right with us. This isn't to say we are "cheap" by any stretch of the imagination -- We merely require some form of thoughtful or researched justification before we spend our money.

My wife, in particular, happens to be a very thorough and "dedicated" shopper. She researches purchases, utilizes discounts whenever available and is someone who unquestionably puts the "market research" time in. As a member of the male gender - there are obviously things I will never be able to understand about the opposite sex and vice versa. I believe, however, that I've used my "math mind" to try and bridge the gap in one case.
I think I've come up with a solution for the question: "Should I buy this ______ (insert woman clothing item here)?"

The Answer is: The "Cost per Wear" metric.

Amy and I have come up with a generic "Cost per wear" goal for her clothing.

How much would you pay to rent a specific piece of clothing for a given night? For nice "going out dresses" for Amy - it may be $30 - for example. If she buys a $300 dress and can realistically wear it at least 10 times - than she could justify buying it. If not - then don't. The more she wears the dress - the better the "cost per wear" efficiency becomes. You can have a different "Cost per wear" metric for Sweaters, Boots, or anything really. (I haven't really figured out if Jewelry passes this test - but my guess is that it's more complicated).

This sounds really dorky - but I think it's a solid exercise. Amy is paying more attention to how many times she wears things (in relation to how much they cost). If things from a specific brand last longer - (and hence have a better "cost per wear"), Amy is more likely to buy that brand again in the future.

I, on the other hand, have been able to help Amy out with her shopping questions, without sounding like a "clueless and standard guy."

Comforting Transitions - Solid PR!

2008-10-08T15:25:00.003-04:00

My Step-mom and Sister started their own company called Comforting Transitions. The concept is fairly simple - they pack-up the belongings of elderly folks in South Florida.

Usually it's for one of two reasons - either the elderly are moving into a group home or they are moving to their place in heaven... Either way - the demand for a service that takes care of the needed task is clearly there. Typically, the children who don't live in South Florida have to fly down and pack-up their parents who move into a home - which is both cost prohibitive and physically taxing. If they have to pack-up belongings after their parents pass away - that's beyond emotionally exhausting... So - again - the service they provide is filling a sincere need.

Earlier this week - they got some amazing PR... They were included in an article in Businessweek (in the "Personal business Section"). Just wanted to share it with everyone as I thought it was really cool.

Doing my part

2008-10-07T10:43:00.003-04:00

I'm doing my part in social media movement by posting some politically charged videos under 5 minutes.

"Don't Vote" Celebrity Pile-on:

I know his "shtick" is the same - and - that he doesn't come close to having the same talent as Leo or Forrest Whitaker, but Jonah Hill flat out CRACKS ME UP. Sarah Silverman also thriving in the Youtube environment (in the video above and below)...

The Big Schlep

Madison Avenue Boxing Experience

2008-10-02T09:25:00.014-04:00

Last night concluded 4 months of fairly intense boxing training. I'll take you through the brief version of the experience, but before I went it to that - I wanted to thank everyone who supported me throughout and those (including my parents and in-laws) that were beyond AMAZING fans at the match. I especially want to thank my wife - who through it all certainly wasn't sold on the idea, but supported me 100%.

Anyway - on to the story....

In the beginning of June I got a forward from a long-time buddy who works at an ad agency. It was an application to participate in the Madison Avenue Boxing event. I have always enjoyed the sport of boxing and have been curious of what it would be like to get into the ring, however, I never had the balls to go through with it. BUT - here was my shot - so I went downtown and tried out.

Basically - the qualifications during try-outs were:
1) Do you have no or very little experience boxing (check)
2) Are you somewhat athletic so you can handle yourself throughout training (check)
3) Are you in a weight range where they can easily match you up with someone (check)

So I "made it" and started going down to the gym on the regular. "The Gym" is Trinity Boxing gym downtown. John Snow was our trainer throughout. John/Trinity donated their time and facilities FOR FREE to all of us who committed to the event("Four months free training" is really what go me to go down originally). As an aside - John was really great - he was hard on people when he needed to be, but also helped us get confidence when we need that too.

My outlook throughout training was all about losing weight. I had been pretty regular gym/treadmill guy for a year - but honestly wasn't seeing any results. I decided to switch it up. The first time I went in to try out - I spoke to a guy who was scheduled to box in the Wall Street event in the next week or two. He said he worked hard and it was an intense commitment - but he only sparred 4 times or so...(this was great news for me)

The first month of training was great. I went to the gym 4 times a week - hit the bags, did some drills, and did a bunch cardio. I think in the first month alone I lost 8 pounds... After every single practice, I would literally come home with my clothes weighing triple - as I say in the audio profile - I never sweat so much in my life.

In the 2nd month, the size of the "Madison Avenue Boxing pool" dwindled substantially... this is when we started sparring. So much for 4 times before the match - clearly John realized that more sparring was better than less (I think there were 3 or 4 KO's in the Wall Street event of the 8 fights) - and he decided to throw us into the fire early and often. Let's just say that I needed enormous confidence boosters almost every time after a sparring session. I SUCKED. I got cracked in the face repeatedly - and didn't think I did too much damage on my opponents. I literally felt like a punching bag...Towards the end of the 2nd month - I honestly contemplated quitting... My thought process was that I was far from a having a "fighter mentality" ... I obviously hated getting hit in the face repeatedly - and didn't even get so much joy from connecting with a punch of my own. I wasn't in it to win "the fight" - I was just wanting to lose weight - and by the end of the second month - I had already lost 10 pounds... I could certainly do without waking up every Saturday morning at 730 to go downtown and train/get beat up for 2 hours to start my weekend...

This said - I made a commitment and I was sticking with it. There were certainly times when I dreaded going into the gym and hearing John say "get your head-gear on" .... cuz I knew that meant I was going to have some marks on my face the next day ...I honestly could never look around at any of the guys training and say to myself "I could take that guy" ... I felt they were all hoping to fight me the night of the fight.... But through the third month I got some confidence. Not the confidence that was about being better than ANY of the fighters - but the confidence that I had come a long way and could hold my own.

The weeks leading up to the fight were more anxious than anything else. I got tendinitis in both of my elbows (from missing thrown punches and from gripping my gloves to tight), so after every session - I felt like I had two dead-arms... I had trained hard - and I wasn't about to pull up lame a few weeks before...

People throughout always asked if I knew who I was fighting - and I honestly didn't know until 2 hours before the fight... I ended up fighting Jason from Satchi & Satchi. Him and I worked out a bunch and sparred a bunch during training. I think we were pretty even ... He got the best of me some rounds - I got the best of him some rounds - so it was a good match-up...

The actual day of the fight I was pretty tame. I was anxious for the fight to come and go. Again - my inspiration for the training had nothing to do with the actual fight. However, I had SUCH INCREDIBLE support from family, friends, and co-workers that I certainly wanted to represent myself well in the competition. The fear of getting knocked out or looking stupid certainly loomed in my mind...However... the day of the fight I said to myself that I wouldn't have changed anything in my preparation. I had no regrets - so there was nothing left to do but to go out there and try my best.

And that's what I did. The video of my fight is below - and while I didn't win the fight - I'm proud of the effort I put in during the 4 months. The interesting thing is that I was completely out of gas in the 3rd round (as you'll be able to tell in the video), but I don't think it was necessarily solely a conditioning thing. The adrenaline high was so great for so long - that in the 3rd round - the low of that high just took the wind from me. Jason and I sparred last Thursday and fought 4 rounds, and while I was tired during and after that, it was a fraction of what I felt during the 3rd round last night...

Finally, I again need to thank EVERYONE who supported me. As I've stated many times - I got into this to lose weight - but while I did accomplish that - the feeling of the incredible support I received from family, friends, and fellow Googlers was by far and away the best feeling of the entire experience. Amy, especially, was the usual most incredible supportive wife throughout the entire process (I think the "Bringin' The Heat Buttons" were more talked about than the actual fight - seriously).

I am proud of myself for the accomplishment - but I am more proud of surrounding myself and my life with such amazing people. Thank You!!

Enjoy the video (courtesy of D. Kaul Productions) ;)

Losing Weight = New Clothes?

2008-09-15T16:22:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, I've spent the last 3 months training for a Boxing Match that will take place on October 1st. I'm waiting until after the fight to post something to the blog - hoping to give a complete picture of the entire experience...

One thing that I'll write about now, though, is the effects the training has had on my physically. I probably lost 10 pounds in the first 4 weeks - but have plateaued since then ... I have even gained a couple of pounds of muscle since then. While I can see my muscles more toned - the most glaring difference is how my clothes fit...

I like loose clothing. Nothing too tight, especially pants. This is something that is mostly a "comfort" thing - and not so much a "look" thing... As I've gotten older, I've opted for Large T-Shirts over X-Large as I realized the shoulder stitches looked kinda silly on my bicep.

Anyway - I get the feeling that most of my clothes right now look silly on me... I can't say I had any "tight" pants before I started training - but let's just say that most of my shorts and pants are AT LEAST one size too big at this point. I've been trying to make due with utilizing the last hole on my belt, but I'm starting to feel like this looks stupid - especially when I am tucking my shirt into my pants...

My issue is that I don't want to go shopping for completely new clothes.
Is this my insecurity believing that I'm bound to put back the inches after the fight? Probably ... Do I just hate shopping in general? Yes. Do I have limited closet space in my NYC Apartment? Yes.

So - What is a fella to do??

Noise Compensation

2008-09-10T10:19:00.003-04:00

(Sorry for the 2 week delay in posts ... been focusing on boxing and traveling)

There is a new Gansavort Hotel being built across the street from my apartment. Before that, there were 2 luxury buildings being built on the other side of the street of where they're building the hotel (Which blocked our view of the Empire State Building btw)...

Manhattan is a crowded place - and noise comes with the territory. Sirens, car honking, the occasional street work, and drunk people yelling at 2 AM on Tuesday nights are standard and to be expected. You actually learn to block all these things out.

What I can't figure out how to block out, however, is the ridiculous drilling, jack-hammering, and banging at 7 AM every day except Sunday. (And yes - I have a feeling that if a high-ranking government official lived in my building - that a 7 AM start-time would suddenly be moved to 10AM..)

And - I'm not talking about a month or two...It's been going on for over a year already... And while I understand that the investment of having these luxury buildings and fancy hotels across the street from me help us in the long-run -- it doesn't help the present day pain.

I think the Gansavort should give us something. Free massages, free nights stay, or whatever once the hotel is finally built. This is no way even close to an equal exchange in value - but - I feel like there should be SOME gesture. A gesture that says - "we know we were a pain in the ass for a while - please don't hate us forever for it." If the city is doing extended street-work that inconveniences residents for an extend period of time - they should give them free Metrocards or a free week of tolls... Again - it's less about the value exchange and more about the principal. Am I crazy?

2008 Olympics Tid-bits

2008-08-18T14:15:00.003-04:00

Some random thoughts after the first week of watching the 2008 Summer Olympics:

Opening Ceremonies were cool - but - that was until the whole "digitally enhanced" and "lip sync-ing" facts came out ... Now they're selling a DVD of it??
NBC seems to have hit a home run in terms of ratings (Single handily due to Michael Phelps) - and I think it's rare these days that you read about "instant success" when big networks spend big money on these types of events. It mostly viewed as a way to make some money back, but mostly as a huge stage for that networks future programming. Speaking of which - I understand Hulu is a rev-share for NBC - but TOTALLY traditional media short-term view on things ... "NBCOlympics.com"??? Hulu seems like a very successful user-friendly platform ... A huge event like the Olympics could have done HUGE things for that -- but ... I think NBC got greedy and blew a huge opportunity for them.
Speaking of blowing it ... Someone is going to need to explain to me how Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Johnson & Johnson justify these enormous Olympic sponsorships. Is there analysis that shows that McDonalds sells more value meals in the 4 years after they sponsor the Olympics?
I know, how can I wait until my 4th bullet-point on Michael Phelps? Well - here goes... The accomplishment is SICK. The kid is SICK. Some of those close races were SICK. You know what also is SICK ...?? The over-promotion. The stupid questions Andrea Kramer would continuous have to ask him - cuz she just asked him questions 15 minutes earlier ...
The comparison of Michael Phelps to Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods? I mean - again - great accomplishment - but NOT EVEN CLOSE! First of all, Tiger and MJ dominate(d) on the big stage for YEARS. Phelps dominates on the big stage twice. Swimming is a sport with less commercial appeal than Tennis or the WNBA ... AND... the elite athletes of our time also know that they have this appeal - so they not only prepare for the competition - but they prepare what to SAY when they do what they expect to do. Michael Phelps can only be "at a loss for words" so many times ... Mr. Phelps did a phenomenal thing last week - but he just doesn't have the Superstar charisma at this point ... Sorry.
Speaking of Michael Phelps -- Did anyone see where he was talking about going on Facebook and not accepting friend requests from kids who were mean to him in middle school? I mean - over/under on how many friends requests he got after that interview? I'm going with 10,000....
Gymnastics is not a sport. It's a competition (like a beauty pageant) featuring extremely flexible and daring competitors. In a sport - winners and losers are determined by the play - and not by judges. I was beyond frustrated last night - when I saw the Gold and Bronze medal of the "vault" go to girls who both fell down and stepped out of bounds on their "vaults." Gymnastics is an acrobatic beauty pageant.
Since when did Beach Volleyball become such an American followed sport? (Oh - since 2 woman wearing skimpy bathing suits could be marketed because they were good)
While Bob Costas is at his best talking baseball - he's still the best at what he does. Those who disagree, have a much different definition of what hosts and announcers should do in those jobs than I.
"ReDeem team" - LAME. Dwayne Wade - "THE MAN"
The Mens 100-yard dash was insane. The 21 year-old who won - started celebrating when he was 80% done - oh - and he still set a world record.
Finally.... I can't stop thinking what these athletes do when the 16 days are over... I understand why Michael Phelps and NBA stars will be just fine, but what about the 98% of the others? Home Depot would make you believe that they all work for them - but that can't be the case. How do these people have time to train, work, have families. Is the potential medal plus some very worthy attention and national pride worth what seems to be insane dedication? These kids in China get taken away from families at 4 years old and train for 17 years to compete for 4 days every 4 years ... Seems pretty crazy to me...?
I appreciate every American who has dedicated themselves to representing our country - and I think the practical side of my brain would ask me everyday... "Is it worth it?"

GO USA!

Parlaying Hobbies into Money

2008-08-11T12:13:00.002-04:00

I recently wrote about my experience at the WPT Boot Camp. That is a good example of people who take hobbies (like Poker) - and try to parlay them into a FULL-TIME income.

For this post, I wanted to highlight a bit lighter fare when it comes to parlaying a hobby into revenue generation. (Not full-time money - or consistent income to count on -- more discretionary-style).

It's middle of August, which means if you try talking to me about anything outside of Fantasy Football, chances are that I'm only half listening to you. Please don't take offense to this -- I'm a Fantasy Football true fanatic.

I started The BigTime fantasy league 11 years ago. As many of my loyal readers know - I take great pride in being the Commissioner. The league is still going strong - and has kept many of the first owners. Being a more "mature" league - it's actually become more about luck than skill. Once you understand the basic math and general philosophy -- I'm not certain there is much of an advantage that one Fantasy Football owner can have over another.... This said - last year I entered 4 Fantasy leagues. 2 "mature" ones and 2 Novice ones... I won the Championship in both of the novice ones... Example of parlaying a hobby into $$.
The truth is - that if the money was more important to me than the entertainment value - you would find me in over 30 "office leagues" or novice leagues. I know I could win money from that "investment"... HOWEVER ... the entertainment value is like no other - and I chose not to do that. In fact - I think I'm only doing 2 leagues this year...

For anti Fantasy Football readers - I have another example...

Most people I know are huge fans of American Idol. Amy is THE BIGGEST fan of the Fox Show, "So you Think You Can Dance." She literally could probably enter a trivia show of random facts about the show - and clean up ... Unfortunately, that particular quiz show doesn't exist, but, she did get a chance to make money based on her expertise... There is a GREAT website that runs "office pools" of sorts for both AI and SYTYCD. Amy and I entered... As did our friends, The Remers... The show just ended last week - and I'm happy to report that both the Remers and Amy parlayed their hobbies into money.... The Remers came in first - netting over $1K and Amy tied for third gaining ~$150 on her $20 "investment." (We goin' to Sizzler!). (I am very proud of my wife for doing this - It was so much fun talking "strategy" with her... hopefully she got a little glimpse into my Fantasy Football experiences)....

So - that's it ... If you're good at something - chances are that there are ways to make some money through it... And ... If something doesn't exist today -- Start it! That's what the information superhighway is all about. :)

Smart and Sad

2008-08-06T14:40:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, I needed to purchase a money order. After researching and finding out that my primary bank - Citibank - charges $5.00 for one, yet random Western Union only charges $0.99 - and is less than 1 block from my office -- I decided to go to said Western Union (Pay-O-Matic).

I have to be honest. I have undoubtedly been to "Check Cashing" establishments less than 3 times in my life. I've been lucky enough to always have a primary bank for all check cashing and banking needs...

Anyway, I walk in and see 3 people ahead of me in line and 3 people at "the window." Being one of my first times in such an establishment - I am curiously very aware of my surroundings...
For example, the Pay-O-Matic obviously cashes personal checks (for a small fee), but also checks made out to Corporations... It also sells E-Z Passes, Metro Cards, and Stamps. BUT ... none of these cross selling strategies are the sad AND smart one in which FOUR OF THE SIX people in front of me took advantage of...

The Check Cashing place sells Lotto tickets. I literally hear every person say "Give me 5 Quick-picks", or "I'll take 10 scratch-offs...." Again ... BRILLIANT and SAD at the same time...

While it's sad - and you could probably make some sort of generic socio-economic theories on WHY people do it -- I honestly think that if Citibank or Chase or whoever did the same thing -- that a similar positive increase in lotto tickets would occur... No?

And furthermore, I'd much rather Citibank make money THAT way - then by "nickel and diming" their existing customers on things like Money Order Fees and Foreign Currency Exchange fees (They charge $5.00 -- even if you are changing $10)....

Patients

2008-08-01T00:17:00.002-04:00

Last week, my lovely wife lived up to her self-proclaimed klutz reputation... At 7:30 AM, reaching for a Tupperware container, she knocked over a vase - which cracked on her hand - leaving a blood gash which wasn't stopping...
After assessing the situation, I called the nearest Emergency room to see if they were busy or not (If they were - no way we get out of there before 4 hours). The receptionist said "it's empty" so
we go down to Bellevue Emergency room.
3 hours later, Amy and I leave - her gash glued together - and a bunch of gauss rapped around her thumb ... Amy had a very interesting experience which included prisoners in orange jump-suits chained together, shortage of doctors, drunk & bloody man passed out next to her, etc...

So - a few observations before the main one...
1) No Emergency room experience should be expected to be less than 3 hours ... Period.
2) Amy and I were both flabergasted to see with out own eyes, how many people are actually drunk or drugged out on Tuesdays at 9 AM ... Staggering really.
3) The decision to go to the emergency room with a hand gash is something I've done before - but it's a tweener ... What are the other options: Band-aid it up and hope it heals on it's own?

So ... After over 30 years of being a patient - I now know why they are called such a thing ... Patients require extreme patience. It took a big sign in the waiting room that said "please be patient" for it to click for me (I kind of feel stupid that it took so long). Spending time in doctor waiting rooms is painful for me. As it is, I have issues with most doctors I've visited in Manhattan (to clarify - though - I moreso have issue with "the system"). I won't go back to a doctor if they make me wait longer than 30 minutes more than once or twice. If a salesman is always late for appointments with clients - do you think they're going to get the business?
I understand that things happen - but being late is a true pet peeve of mine.

Anyway - I'm going to try and be more of a patient patient in the future. Clearly if the words have been around for a while - it's for a reason.

WPT Boot Camp

2008-07-21T13:56:00.004-04:00

For my birthday last year, Amy bought me an amazing present: A spot in the WPT Boot camp. I was supposed to go last August, but due to being sick - I had to postpone. The next convenient (and cash-game oriented) event was this past weekend in Atlantic City.

In short - it was AWESOME. I'm not what anyone would consider a poker expert, nor do I have short-term plans of quiting my job and becoming a professional poker player. I play occasionally, very rarely online - as I enjoy in-person games much more. I don't subscribe to Poker magazines - nor have I read many books on the topic...I understand the basics - but what I found out this weekend, was that I previously truly didn't have a clue.

The WPT Boot Camp is a weekend long training session run by poker professionals. The event I went to was mostly classroom style (Powerpoint slides and lecture), with mixed in "Live Labs" - which is live game analysis of the students. In my opinion, the structure of the weekend wasn't the forumla for success -- it was the ability of the pros to teach the game. They obviously bring in instant credibility, but they were so helpful, down-to-earth, and approachable. The pros at the event this past weekend were: Mark Seif , Nick Brancato , Rick Fuller, and Lee Childs.

I think I probably learned more than the average attendee. I felt like I was at the perfect stage to gain as much knowledge as possible. I'm sure there are a handful of attendees who felt they already mastered parts of the game - but I could use all the help I could get (with having an under-lying basis of basic poker strategy). Below is an over-view of the poker specific skills that I was introduced to:

Money management (Bankroll) and tracking your play/progress.
Difference between Tournament and Cash Games. While Tournaments are certainly the most publicized poker events -- the bread-and-butter of poker professional income is cash games. Tournaments are just too difficult to CONSISTANTLY win/cash.
Poker success is not about the mythical "reading people" hype. It's about analyzing situations and using statistics to help navigate these situations.
While the cards are definitely a crucial element of the game ... A players POSITION at the table is just as important ... I honestly never truly took so much stock in analyzing this before.
The typical "tells" people like to talk about (Pulse in neck, hands shaking, etc) are NOT close to the most important to the pros .... BETTING TELLS are ... (and I realize that before this weekend, I'm sure I had betting tells) ...This means, I was betting a certain way with good hands vs. another with semi-bluffs. My favorite phrase that was mentioned frequently by Nick B was: "Using deception through consistency" ... If you always bet the same way -- players can't tell if you're bluffing or have the nuts.
Betting Strategy ... Guidelines on betting/raising/etc to help be consistent.
Taking ego out of the equation. It's not the end of the world if you fold the best hand - it's gonna happen.

That's just a few examples. There is a booklet of information that was discussed that I'm going to continue to study. I'm probably going to play more online - as it offers a great arena for more practice - but I'm not going to be obsessed.

I really, really enjoyed my experience -- so thank you Amy for a great birthday present! While I definitely recommend the boot camps to anyone who enjoys poker strategy and getting better, my only hesitation is that the weekend is expensive. I think most of us looked at the cost as an investment that you can make back over time at the poker table, but, I definitely see that it's not cheap. It was great, though.

Nordstrom's

2008-07-11T10:24:00.002-04:00

I am a pretty typical guy when it comes to shopping. I am definitely about shopping being more of a sprint than a marathon. I like simple, easy, no stress. I like sales. (My step-mother likes to say that I'm like my father in the sense that we both b-line to the sales rack as soon as we enter any store). Huge crowded stores, waiting to try things on, dealing with rude sales people, and $100 t-shirts are sure ways to get me to leave a store and never come back...

My current solution: Nordstrom's

Nordstrom's is known for their world-class customer service and an overall classy and enjoyable experience. They are not, however, an inexpensive option as they are considered a high-end department store. I have found, though, that they are not unreasonably priced - and I can ALWAYS find some kind of items on sale. I am a big fan of Hugo Boss -- and Nordstrom is always in full supply of their clothing...

Which leads me to my experience yesterday. I am in Chicago for work (and pleasure over the weekend). I had known this in advanced - so contacted Nordstrom's to find out if any major sales were going on while I was in town. Unfortunately, they were not - HOWEVER - their anniversary sale is occurring next week.... So ... I strolled over to the store yesterday in hopes to ask if I picked out items then -- could they put the items on hold for a week, ring it up, and send it to me? Answer: "Certainly can!" When I asked if alterations were included in sale items... Answer: "Certainly are!" "How much will it cost to ship it?" $9 (which can be waived apparently)... I ended up buying 3 Hugo Boss suits - all on sale (about $300 off each suit!)

The issue has always been that I live in Manhattan, don't have a car, so don't truly have access to a local Nordstrom's. So - I am forced to go to the one in Town Center when I'm home visiting the folks or when I travel to Chicago or Mountain View for work...

I know sometimes I post about things I don't like or things that annoy me -- so this post is meant to do the opposite. I'm a brand loyal fan of Nordstrom's and I wanted to pass that along.

Online Retail Sales vs. Total Retail Sales

2008-07-08T09:57:00.005-04:00

I was talking to my buddy BDS yesterday, who was SHOCKED to hear that online sales were merely 6% of all retail sales. Yes - it's 2008 - and internet shopping is considered mainstream within the social circle of this blogs readership.... however...that's not the norm throughout the country. As an example, I don't know anyone outside of New York City who shops online for their groceries. I believe groceries are a $150 Billion industry....

As a quick glimpse into my everyday job... I'm passionately trying to convince marketing and merchandising executives that e-commerce (online sales) is not a good barometer of online advertising impact. Most marketers use online advertising to drive online sales - and offline advertising for everything else. Clearly more than 6% of shoppers use the internet as a shopping tool - even if they don't use it as the final buying mechanism... While most people will raise their hand when I ask "who in the room has ever used Google or the internet in general to research products that they later buy in the store."...however... you would all be surprised to know how difficult it is to truly convince these marketers to change their behavior...

Here is the breakdown of retail categories and the percentage of sales that online commerce represents (source: State of Online Retailing, Forrester/Shop.org)

Now Serving at Lunch ...A Heart Attack...

2008-06-30T15:00:00.006-04:00

My friends know that I'm not shy when bragging about my Google lunch perks... I'll sometimes send out the email menu (which we are no longer aloud to do) - sometimes I'll just talk (annoyingly) endless about it.... Today - I'm doing a first - posting a picture of two of the options .... I can only think of one word to describe them.... SICK.

Lobster Tails?

2008-06-29T21:20:00.002-04:00

Amy and I just got back from a Sunday evening Lobster dinner treat.

Lobster isn't cheap - and is clearly a fancy meal of sorts. I feel like anytime I hear the term "lobster tails" - I envision someone in a tuxedo serving something at a $500 per plate dinner...

Amy and I both enjoy eating whole lobsters ...(I taught her how to do it - and I'm very proud that she's got her own skillz now.) Still on the expensive side - eating whole lobsters isn't a truly glamerous activity. It is a lot of work and quite messy - but oh so GOOOOD...

We were both wondering tonight, though, why the "tail" gets all the attention. In both of our opinions - the claw is the best part - which is why we save it for last. Did the "Lobster tail" people just have better PR people???

So - here's a poll (on the right hand side) ... Do you prefer lobster tails or lobster claws?

Family Titles

2008-06-27T22:36:00.004-04:00

I spent a couple of days out in LA this week for work. I was able to see my Aunt Ellen, Uncle Bruce, and Cousin Lauren...

My Uncle (my moms brother) mentioned somehow that I don't have to refer to him as "Uncle Bruce" when talking to him. My Aunt made a similar comment to Amy a few months ago. They both said it casually - clearly not annoyed about it -- moreso an acknowledgment that we're all adults -- and for my Uncle to be referred to as "Uncle Bruce" must make it seem like I'm twelve again...

While I understand the concept -- I really can't imagine not having the words "aunt" or "uncle" in front of their names. As I told my uncle after he brought this up -- if he would have brought this up 25 years ago -- it would be a different situation... But after over 30 years of knowing him as "Uncle Bruce" -- I'm unable and uncomfortable excluding the "uncle" preface.

So - this got my thinking ... Am I going to feel the same way with Sydney in 30 years? While - I'm not expecting her to call me "Uncle Bre Bre" 30 years from know -- I think I'll be Uncle Brett" (Or Uncle BG). I wouldn't have an issue if she didn't have the word "uncle" in front -- but I think it's also a way to help young kids filter the family from the friends. To just call me "Brett" would probably confuse her ... As our culture is evolving to a more casual nature - Are family titles going to change over time????

SIDEBAR - Speaking of confusing - for those that don't know -- I have 2 "First Uncles".... both are named Bruce... I have always (and will continue to) refer to them as merely "Uncle Bruce."

The JetBlue effect on other airlines?

2008-06-18T10:59:00.003-04:00

Jetblue is my favorite airline. Over the years, the "discount" adjective has been less and less relevant to it's offering -- but -- I still value the "JetBlue experience." (I don't value it enough to spend $200 more per person to fly to Florida, but I value it nonetheless)

Their planes are new and clean, the seats are all leather, TVs for every seat are obviously revolutionary... but I think my favorite aspect of JetBlue is the focus on customer experience.
90% of the flight attendants I've interacted with have been friendly and helpful. I thought the fiasco last year on the JFK runway was such an bad representation of how I perceived and experienced Jetblue, personally....

Earlier this year - Amy and I were flying back from Florida on Jetblue. When we got on the plane, we learned that the TV channels weren't coming in - so we'd be without the LiveTV for the flight. We could, however, watch the movies free of charge... Bummer, but nothing to get too upset about...Later that week, Amy and I got an email from Jetblue customer service apologizing for the TV malfunction - which included a $15 credit for future flights for each of us. I thought this was above and beyond the standard... It's things like this that create brand loyalty - especially within an industry where the bar is set so low in terms of expectations. (I just learned that if you pay for your JetBlue flight with a Jetblue credit card -- they serve you free alcohol on the flight) ;)

This all said, American Airlines is my frequent flier airline of choice for business travel. Well - it's not really a choice - more of a decision based on convenience. The bottom-line is that American flies direct to/from almost every destination that I travel to for work -- and flying direct is important to me. Jetblue does not - nor does it have a great Frequent Flier program (I can accumulate free flights - but can't seem to use them). Furthermore, AA's points can be used internationally - which is how I like to "celebrate" my frequent business travel rewards on personal travel...

Last week, I flew to San Francisco via American and had a bad experience... We were delayed an hour before boarding and an additional 2 and a half hours on the tarmac...
Today, I got this email:

Dear Mr. Goffin:
After hearing from our manager at JFK about the delay of flight 85 on June 10, we
wanted to take the opportunity to apologize to you. That situation must have been
frustrating (to say the least) and we are genuinely sorry that we didn't get you to
San Francisco as planned.

It's completely reasonable for our valued customers to put on-time flight departures and arrivals at the top of their list of expectations from us. For that reason, the on-time operation of our flights is one of our most important service goals. While the delay of your flight was necessary, you can be sure that we will continue our efforts to depart as scheduled.

Sometimes an apology and promise to do better just aren't adequate and so we've added 3,000 Customer Service bonus miles to your AAdvantage® account. This mileage adjustment should appear in your account very soon, and you can view your account via our web site.

I mean - while I'm not doing back-flips about the 3,000 bonus miles, I like the gesture. I like the mere fact that American acknowledged that their customers experience matters to them a little...

I share this because I'm convinced this wouldn't happen if JetBlue wasn't around... I believe they've forced their competitors to service customers better -- and for that I am grateful.

Tony, Tony, Tony

2008-06-16T09:50:00.004-04:00

Last night was the first (and probably the last) time I ever watched the Tony Awards. Amy and I fast-forwarded through the "play" honors - but watched and rooted for "the musical" awards...

We rooted for "In the Heights" to win any/all of it's 13 nominations. (They won 4)

We saw the show Off-Broadway and loved it. We are actually going to see it on Broadway this Friday (buying tix pre-Tonys = smart)... ;)

Is that why we were rooting for it? - not really...You see, Amy and I are pseudo wanna-be friends with Lin Manuel and crew... I've been going (as has Amy) to FLS shows since early 2005 (or late 2004 - not sure). I introduced the show to a lot of my friends - including one friend who's been working with the guys for the past few years on various projects and is legitimate friends with them. We've kept up on their success on our own, but it's nice to hear that as people and friends - the members of the cast are cool, down-to-earth people...Totally randomly - I found out last week that the director of the play is actually my second cousin...

It's also nice to see "Broadway entertainment" that is geared towards my tastes. I've probably been to 15+ Broadway shows in my life -- and I've only liked 2 (Avenue Q and 700 Sundays). While I can acknowledge the extreme talent it takes to be a Broadway star -- I'm not a fan of the standard musical - where people break-out in a song and dance at every turn...or the standard drama "play" - where I can find something more relevant to me on the television or movie screen.

In The Heights mixes truly modern music of my tastes (hip-hop, R&B), modern dancing (no ballet or jazz-hands-Broadway), with a meaty plot and like-able characters.

I'm so happy for the people involved in the show, who took home 4 Tony Awards last night - including Best Musical (the crowned jewel of the night)...

UPDATED - Check out Lin's FREESTYLE acceptance speech at The Tonys:

I was shocked to see that I had never wrote a blog post on Freestyle Love Supreme or In the Heights. If you're friends with me, though, you've definitely heard about them both - and probably gone to see them. If not - it may be too late - as winning the Tony for best musical tends to make getting tickets for the show very difficult.

Baseball Stadium Competition Update

2008-06-02T19:10:00.006-04:00

As mentioned previously on my blog - my buddy Salis and I have a competition of sorts around who can visit more baseball stadiums (for a ballgame) in our lifetime.

This past Saturday, we actually visited a new stadium together for the first time. Jared also joined us for our Citizen Bank Ballpark road trip to Philadelphia - which in addition to the game - also included an unnecessary amount of cheesesteak consumption.
(For those interested - we all concluded that although Geno's and Pat's both served tasty Cheesesteaks, we believed the hype of best cheesesteaks in the world was a bit over-hyped)

I've updated the map to represent the progress of the Ballpark Competition. For those keeping score at home...the score is:
BG: 15 Salis: 12

Push-pin legend
BG = Blue
Salis = Red
Neither has been yet = Yellow

View Larger Map

Second Guessing Giving to Charity

2008-05-28T11:17:00.002-04:00

While I wouldn't call myself a heavy philanthropist - I do enjoy supporting my friends and family in charitable events and causes.

I must admit, however, that I recently gave pause before I pressed the "donate" button - second guessing if I should give to a few donations. Not because I'm cheap or heartless or shallow. It was because SPAM (both snail-mail and email) is a huge pet peeve of mine.

The use of online tools has made it much easier to donate, collect, and track charitable activities. It has also made marketing database acquisition efficient and scalable.

Once we donate to a cause - our names are inevitably embedded into that Charities marketing database until the end of time. As consumers, it's OK to get annoyed by receiving unwanted catalogs - but is it socially acceptable to get annoyed by unstoppable Charity out-reach? I mean - is anyone really going to call up a charity and asked to be removed from their mailing list? That's like someone admitting they don't like puppies...

Anyway ... after the pause ... I obviously donated - and I will continue to donate. Similar to how opt-in email was somewhat self-regulated over time (thanks to better SPAM filters by email providers, government pressure, and smart marketing practices) -- I'm hoping charitable organizations follow-suit.

Finally - here's a donation of sorts to any non-profit related readers out there -- Google supplies several free tools to use for those businesses - Check them out.

My Capitol Hill Experience

2008-05-21T18:13:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week, I spent some time in Washington DC for an industry event.

The concept of the event is a yearly "fly-in" where members of the association spend the day meeting with staffers from various Senators and Representatives of Congress to discuss issues important to our companies and industries.

While I was disappointed that we didn't meet with any actual members of Congress -- I was pretty intrigued with the overall "open-ness" of the offices of our government representatives. Although you have to go through metal detectors, there was no security or appointments needed to walk into a Senators office. I guess if you think about it -- our public representatives should certainly be open to the public - but if you went to any corporate office and wanted to meet with someone - you'd pretty much be denied entrance into the building without an appointment...

We met with various levels of "staffers" during the day. There were some folks who at least faked being interested in what we had to say, while others clearly were annoyed. This said, I was happy to learn that each staffer is usually tasked with coming up with a weekly roll-up report of their meetings. We were also given their business cards and encouraged to follow-up when important issues arose (The key issues we were discussing were: Net Neutrality, Streamlined Sales Tax, and Online Behavioral Advertising)....

Another side-bar is how clean and groomed the Nations capital appeared. It's possible it was the time of year - but I felt that the streets and buildings were so clean - and the shrubbery everywhere was meticulous... I'm glad our tax dollars are being used to clean up the city, I guess...

I would recommend that everyone make a trip to DC to visit their representatives (if you've got something to say, of course)

Jury Duty

2008-05-07T16:46:00.003-04:00

This past week - I had my 2nd Jury Duty experience as an adult...I learned some things and thought I would share.

The jury duty rules in NYC have changed over time. Potential Jurors used to have to serve a minimum of 2 weeks versus minimum of 2 days now... I can't imagine 2 weeks! Also, once you serve your term - you are excused for SIX years (barring a Juror shortage). The last time I served - I was excused for only 4 years...

Overall, there is a negative connotation with serving jury duty and a greater negative feeling about getting picked to actually serve on a jury. It's understandable I suppose ... taking off of work is a pain for most people, especially if you work for a small company. If you work for a big company, it's not easy either, because you're going to have to make up work when you get back.

Due to this, most people will definitely TRY to avoid getting 0picked on a jury...They'll enhance any feelings they have to a particular subject - or - something that was popular this time around - people with accents suddenly don't understand English that well...

The first time I served, I was sitting for criminal cases. Those cases typically last weeks rather than days. When the judge asked who thinks they should be excused from service - it was like asking who wants free money... At the time I worked for a company with less than 5 people - so the excuse was legit.

This time around I was sitting for Civil cases and part of me actually wanted to get picked on a jury. I think it would be a very interesting educational experience. I cleared my schedule this week at work because I knew I had to serve my civic duty... Anyway - it didn't happen. I was called into the jury selection room once for a medical malpractice suit... That was it.

I served a day and a half ... I sat listening to music and playing poker on my blackberry (Internet connection was very spotty). I read a little. But basically - I just sat. It was crazy boring.

I don't know how they can improve the system -- but I feel like it could use a change. If I was involved in a case -- would I want people who didn't want to be there (or who were obsessed with having the power over people - so really wanted to be there) deciding my fate or outcome? I don't think so...but... how else do you aggregate a jury of one's "peers" ... No clue - but - It should be another 6 years before I have to think about this again...

Being Handy

2008-05-02T15:13:00.001-04:00

Over the past few weeks, the need to be "handy" has surfaced more regularly than usual. Whether it's been the need to call Sears for any kitchen appliance issue (Sears has THE WORST customer service EVER - I have a lot of pent up anger for a separate post) or going to friends houses and seeing all the handy work needed on a regular basis when you own an actual house...

I've often said that there are two types of being "handy" around the house:

Home Depot Handy
Best Buy Handy

Home Depot Handy is the more traditional form of handiness. While I know a few guys who have this gift, I know about 100 times as many who don't. I'm thinking it could be a bit of a dying breed (much like guys who know a lot about cars), but then again, it could be the sample size of my social circle.

I will be the first to admit that I'm pretty far from being "Home Depot Handy." I can hammer a nail or follow general instructions -- but there is a level just above that where I have no place being. This is something that is actually quite frustrating to me -- Not because I think I can truly do anything to change this -- but because I hate feeling hostage to the people who are "home depot handy" for a living. The kid who dropped out of high school, got his GED and decided to work for his uncle has full reign to take advantage of me because I've got no clue what he's talking about -- and he knows it. Have you ever met anyone who LIKED a contractor who worked for them? If you have - email me so I can store it away for one day in the future because I never have met anyone who can sincerely recommend a contractor...

The other type of handy is "Best Buy handy." While I would consider myself on the lower tier within this form of "handy," I'm starting to believe the ability could slip away any year now... If instructions aren't included -- I'm lost. And given that most consumer electronics are manufactured outside of the US -- instructions are becoming less and less understandable.

So - I guess this is the evolution of things...Specialties being drained throughout generations... My generation is one that would prefer to pay someone to fix something around the house - rather than spend 2 weeks trying to do a crappy job themselves. We'd rather pay 70%+ margin on restaurant food and service rather than cook and clean-up ourselves...

On the flip-side -- our generation has more information on any topic accessible to us hever we want it... So - is the net-net that we're lazy? Are we more rationale - giving way to opportunity-cost analysis?

Honestly - I don't know. I just know I'm not Handy and it is starting to get to me...

Google Me - A Pop Song

2008-05-02T10:34:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure how long this song has been out...but...Teyana Taylor's first hit single is called... "Google me."

Universally (short-sighted) Music doesn't allow embedding of videos - so you have to go to youtube to watch the video. (warning - I am not inferring that the song or video is good at all)

What's interesting - is that her message seems to be working. People ARE Googling her...!!

It's a tactic that a lot of advertisers are using these days within traditional media spots. Rather than place a corporate URL on a print, radio, or TV spot -- they are telling customers to Google or "Search for" their brands online ... I know it was viewed as successful for Pontiac in 2006...

Jake Long - The Fins #1 Pick

2008-04-23T11:23:00.003-04:00

The Dolphins have had been slotted with the number 1 draft pick for what seems like last years draft. I have actually been saying that Jake Long will be the first pick in the 2008 draft for longer than that - so for him to be going to my favorite NFL franchise - is a great thing.

There have been a lot of changes within the Dolphin organization over the past few months, and I'm beginning to believe in long-term Dolphin success (my prediction is that they'll win 6+ games in 2008). The last time the Dolphins were successful (a run of 6 consecutive play-off appearances), they had Dan Marino. What common football fans leave out, however, was that it was also the last time that the team had a pro-bowl offensive lineman (Two actually ... Richmond Webb and Keith Simms).

Securing Jake Long was the best choice - period. I've watched over 95% of the games that Jake Long played in college, and I can tell you that he's a monster, super-stud offensive lineman. None of the other players available are sure-things, and J. Long is undoubtedly the closest thing within the 2008 draft class as such.

The Fins have a plethora of early round picks to secure Linebackers, Defensive Lineman and other pieces. (I'm hoping we take Mario Manningham with the #32 overall pick, but not sure that's gonna happen)

I'm thrilled we signed him. I'm really happy the announcement came early. I genuinely believe it's the right choice - and I think Dol-Fans around the country should be pumped.

(Why do a post like this? Well -- Blogs are pseudo documents of history. Should Jake Long by a bust -- I'm on record saying I think it was a good move. No one would be able to say otherwise. And I think that's pretty cool)

Two New (and interesting) Blogs

2008-04-21T13:04:00.002-04:00

Two good friends launched blogs recently and I wanted to promote them because I think they're both really good...

Greg March launched a blog about Ads, Sports and Technologies (oh - and "giggles" but I thought it was way too weenie to include in a "promotion" of sort). Greg is a very good writer, a very funny guy, and fairly insightful as well.
Another buddy (who desires to be anonymous) launched a 2008 NBA play-off blog. He is also a good writer (although - I never knew that until the blog) and is beyond passionate about the NBA. If there has been an NBA play-offs to follow in the last 15 years -- this year is it! Great games should be on tap for the next 2 months....and Playbyplayoffs should offer some great commentary...

Enjoy!

Third Party Data in the Media Business

2008-04-19T13:47:00.002-04:00

This past week, Google reported "better than expected earnings." Just a few weeks ago, a reputable third party data company reported that Google's paid click growth sharply declined from 12% in December to 0% in January and 3% in February...

Well - it turns out that those third party numbers were WAY off (I think Google came out and said click growth was 20%) - and so the market was surprised when Google reported it's numbers...

I geniunely don't have an issue with ComScore. They tried downplaying their numbers when they came out - but Wall Street Analyts felt it was more fun to jump on the "Google is sinking" bandwagen.

My burning issue has nothing to do with Google or ComScore or Wall Street Analysts. Well, it sort of does, but not directly. You see, in the Television market - for decades - Neilsen Ratings is THE third-party barameter of television viewership. It is the source of information that values and compensates television networks. It is the deciding factor if a television production is successful. They SWEAR - much like ComScore swears - that their data is accurate given statstical modeling...

I have a HUGE issue with this. I think I've blogged about this several times -- and will continue to do so. The cable companies have the REAL data, but for some reason - they don't release it. In the online model -- Google had the real numbers -- released it -- and proved that 3rd party data can (and probably is) way off base.

In the online world - the value and accounting of billions of dollars isn't based off the third party data, however... In the TV and Radio and Print worlds .... THEY ARE! Why are companies so scared to release the real data?

When will it change????? I have no idea...but it drives me nuts!

Healthy Food at Airports?

2008-04-17T09:22:00.002-04:00

I'm still in the middle of my work-travel stretch, so here's another travel-related post...

Do Airports ban healthy food? Seriously. I'm not the worlds healthiest eater, but I'm in the middle of being fairly successful at going to the gym at least 3 times a week. When you're like me - and you geniunely don't enjoy the act of running on the treadmill but do it anyway ... I think it gives some motivation to somewhat watch what you eat. Otherwise - kinda silly to torture yourself 3 times a week - right?

Anyway - when I travel - I find it very difficult to eat healthy - ESPECIALLY when you have a meal a day at the airport. There is nothing healthy at fast food joints or the microwave pizza places...Seriously - NOTHING.

Here's a business idea for someone... Develop a health-conscious chain for airports. Start in body conscious cities like LA, New York, Detroit(just kidding), and Fort Lauderdale. There is no question in my mind that it would work. While "the average American" probably thinks ordering a Diet Coke with their super-sized meal counter-acts the burger and fries they ordered -- I think there is a size-able market of air-travelers who would be happy to expense an over-priced healthy meal...

If not - does anyone have any good "tricks of the trade" they can share?

My Top 5 Airplane Annoyances

2008-04-09T16:57:00.002-04:00

This week is the first of a 7 week stretch that I will be on plane at least twice during the week for work. Given that, I thought I would vent/outline my top 5 biggest annoyances on airplanes. I've avoided the obvious ones like delays, turbulence, flight attendants who hate their jobs, etc....

5. Loud Talkers.
I have found that women friends who sit next to each other are the worst offenders of this. There's "outside voice," "inside voice," and I guess now "airplane voice." Oh, and if the person on the window and aisle know each other and there is someone sitting in the middle - switch seats!
4. The Rush to get on/off the Plane
I've already vented about the people who crowd the boarding area before it's their turn to board, but what I also find rude are the people who don't let the rows in front of them off the plane before they dart down the aisle.
3. The Over-Verbal Pilot
As air travelers, we put our hands in their lives so we are certainly forced to respect the job that all pilots do. I want pilots to focus on the flying, and focus less and the talky-talky. I don't need to know every single town we are going to pass during our route and it doesn't help me to know that we are running out of fuel. Welcome us on the flight - tell us how long it's going to be - tell us to be safe and then tell us when we're about to land. Thank you.
2. Rude People
This can be classified under "the obvious," but there are specific class of rude people on airplanes (these people are often pegged as "New Yorkers"). If you ask someone to switch seats with you - and you have a crappy seat and they have a good seat -- you are rude. If the flight attendants announce that cell phones need to be turned off, or that you need to be seated -- and you think that rules don't apply to you -- you are rude. If you are on the aisle and don't get up when the window seated individual needs to go to the bathroom - you are rude. If you are a man of a somewhat young age - and you don't help an older woman with putting her luggage overhead - you are rude. You get the picture. Rude people suck.
1. Gas Passers
Passing gas in public is rude...passing gas on a plane (more than once - because fine - sometimes it just slips out) should be against the law. Seriously. It's just not nice. Not at all.

Play Ball

2008-03-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

The 2008 Baseball Season is underway ...

I'm a huge sports fan - but baseball has always been a fantasy-only joy of mine (I've been playing fantasy baseball for probably 7 years)

Living in NYC, I have often said that I casually root for both the Yankees and Mets, as New York City undoubtedly has an added vibe and excitement when the Yankees and/or Mets are in the play-offs. While I will continue to hope that both teams make the play-offs, I'm going to try and root (and be a fan) of The New York Mets this year... I was a huge Mets fan as a kid in 1986 - but when I moved to Florida - I spent 9 years without a local professional baseball team. The Marlins came along in 1995, but anyone who knows anything about the Marlins knows that it's almost impossible to truly be "a fan" of the Marlins...

So - I'm not going to pretend like I'm a long-time fan ... I'm just going to try and have non-fantasy interest in baseball. I have tried in the past - but without any success... I'm hoping this year is different. I believe in Willie Randolph - I really like David Wright's demeanor and overall game...So...Let's go Mets!

Henry Blodget's Media Blog Post

2008-03-17T16:23:00.002-04:00

In case you're just meeting me .... I'm pro-online media and especially pro-Google. This isn't to say I'm anti-offline media at all ... I consume more television programming that most Nielsen homes (which is a stupid metric) ... Anyway, I stumbled upon an intriguing blog post Henry Blodget.

Henry's past is pseudo relevant in that his original career of internet bubble-era stock analyst came to a crashing halt thanks to one Mr. Elliot Spitzer...

Anyhow - Henry compared 17 major public media companies data and segmented 2007 yearly figures and growth rates. Here 's a condensed version of the top-line stats - which I found interesting - again directly from Henry's blog:

Total US ad revenue across all 17 companies grew 9% from 2006 to 2007, from $53 billion to $58 billion

Online ad revenue grew 28%, from $14 billion to $18 billion.
Offline grew only 3%, from $39.5 billion to 40.6 billion.

Online ad revenue grew by $4 billion.
Offline ad revenue--in all other media--grew by $1 billion.

So advertising revenue is flowing online at a frantic rate. That's the whole story? No. Let's look at how that online revenue breaks down.

Online ad revenue at Google grew 44%, or $2.7 billion.
Online ad revenue at Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL grew only 15%, or $1.3 billion.
Google captured 2X as much revenue as its closest three competitors combined.

Another fun stat:

The year-over-year growth of revenue on Google.com (US)--approximately $2 billion--was more than twice as much the growth of ad revenue in all of the offline media companies in this sample combined. This is such an amazing fact that it bears repeating: A single media property, Google.com (US), grew by $2 billion. All the offline media properties owned by the 13 offline media companies above, meanwhile--all of them--grew by about $1 billion.

Elliot Spitzer Drama

2008-03-14T10:15:00.002-04:00

The Elliot Spitzer saga has dominated news headlines all week... Truthfully, the only way this at all effects my life (even as a NYC resident), is in the aspect of being a part of my daily conversations with people. As a fairly opinionated person -- it's rare that I'm this passive about such a public controversy... (maybe I'm evolving -- because I could care less about the whole Roger Clemens fiasco as well) Anyhow - as there is not a true "side" to be on within the story -- I feel like the event sparks a slew of questions (and not many answers) ... Here are the questions I have....

Would this be a big story if Elliot Spitzer wasn't married with 3 children (all girls)?
Has this story proved that any politician who's passionate about very specific topics - is - in fact -- actually guilty of those crimes in his past?
Why is prostitution illegal? (My Grandpa Herman was a big advocate of legalizing prostitution...)
Do you think the Mayflower hotel is happy about the millions of dollars of free PR (not to mention the ever-lasting allure for customers) or are they annoyed that anyone who stays there from now on will expect expensive hookers to be hanging out in their lobby?
Is it possible that the escort was a big part of the leak? I mean -- After receiving over 5 million visits to her myspace page -- she suddenly has her "new single" for sale....
Was McGrevers wifes book really due out this week -- or did her smart publishers push the date up? Genius either way!
Apparently Spitzer was a "super-delegate" ... What happens now?? (Not knowing much about the political process -- I do understand that super-delegates are very important given the tight democratic primary race)...
When the escort describes her client as "easy" ... what does that signify?? (Of the $1,000 an hour of service... $16 or so was spent on the actual sex...?)
What's the over/under on when the story hype will die down in the press? I'm hoping 2 weeks, but my gut says June...
And the most obvious question .... What was he thinking????

I'm sure I have more questions -- but those are the first to come to mind... While I truly don't care about elected officials personal lives (yes - I didn't care in 1998 when Bill Clinton was under the fire storm)... I understand why it's newsworthy ... The issue I have - is that Republicans and Democrats alike -- now spend less time on what THEY SHOULD and more time with tabloid airtime and true public politicking...

An Interesting Story I Heard

2008-03-09T12:47:00.002-04:00

At a conference I was at last week, a "blog expert" said that end-users typically gravitate to one of two types of blog posts: Stories or Lists.

So - I thought I'd try out the hypothesis on my own blog with an interesting story I was told earlier this week by an old acquaintance that I ran into at the gym...(I've taken very minor liberties on some details - like what was "really" going through the main characters mind - but the core is completely true) Here goes...

A guy is packing for a family trip to Jamaica. He contemplates packing his video camera into his carry-on, but remembers what a pain in the ass security at the airport is -- so he decides to pack the camera (and related accessories like blank tapes) in his checked luggage...

When he gets to his hotel room - he opens his luggage and notices neither his video camera nor its' accessories are included in the contents of the baggage. The suitcase is in good condition and it doesn't appear that someone stole anything... Did he forget to pack it? Did he leave it on the dresser?...
During the trip - he's convinced he just had a brain-fart and forgot it.

That's the beauty of vacation...you can leave any worries behind - especially when going to the beach and having a couple of beers is the only thing you have on you "to do list" for the day.

Reality sets in, however, when he returns home and finds that his video camera is still missing. What is he to do? It's not like the video camera is a family heir-loom and of unaffordable value (we'll call it $250)... So... he decides to do what most of us would -- buy a new one....

Given the fact that he's already in the hole a few hundred bucks - he decides to try and save some money by going on eBay... He notices that there is are a couple of auctions ending in the next day or so for the same model camera as the one he used to have. So - he bids on the one ending soonest. Turns out -- he loses by $1... (Talk about a slap in the face -- losing your camera is really bad -- and losing an eBay auction isn't really that big of a deal -- but losing the auction by 100 pennies is a pseudo jab to the kidneys...)

Frustrated - he decides he's determined to win the next auction -- and does... Him and the seller email details to each other - and he expects to get the camera in 5-7 days. It arrives in 4 days in the condition described -- a positive eBay experience!

When he opens the video camera - he notices there is a tape inside. Scary to think of what is on someone else's video camera...but c'mon...who's NOT going to watch it???

He does - and has a pit in his stomach from the content....It's a tape of HIS son and daughter playing! He just bought back his stolen video camera from eBay...

What is he supposed to do?? On one hand - he feels outraged that his personal property was stolen by some airline or TSA worker - and then re-sold for a substantial profit on eBay (so - yes - this thief profited TWICE by the same innocent guy). On the other hand - the thief knows his name and address... If he is to report it (and somehow PROVE it) - and the person gets fired and brought on charges -- is it really worth the extra $150 for that anguish?? He could write some negative feedback on ebay -- but then what if he wants to get the police involved... He should waste his chances...

To be honest -- I don't know what he's decided to do. I got the sense that he was going to leave it alone... He was going to chalk up the $150 as the price of one hell of a story to tell people for the rest of his life....(oh - and I just stole it from him.... looks like the guy is just the perfect subject for theft)

Are hotels the new airlines?

2008-03-03T15:38:00.002-05:00

It's been heavily documented that the airline industry is fully "nickel-and-diming" it's customers ... Most airlines don't include food in their prices - but they make buying food available for additional purchase... They've taken away magazines, pillows, blankets, and other amenities that were industry standards for a very long time ... They've done this to try and gain additional revenue in non-traditional ways ... Buying premium movies, upgrading to business class, even paying more for window seats vs. middle seats has become a trend...

Well - on Friday - when I checked into my hotel.... They told me there was a $3 per day "maid service fee" which was in place "for my convenience" so I didn't have to leave a tip when I left...

First of all - I very rarely left a considerable tip for the maid. I was (and actually still am) convinced that a small portion of the hundreds of dollars I pay per night INCLUDE the convenience of someone straightening up while I'm gone... Am I crazy?

As is -- hotels pillage customers on mini-bar items ($8 for a bottle of water?), in-room entertainment ($14 for movies - which is more than in theatres in NYC), and Internet access...

Like the airline industry, unfortunately... one hotel chain follows everyone else ... So - I won't be surprised to see the "maid service daily fee" as a standard in a couple of years...

While it may represent an opportunity for some chains to differentiate themselves -- I don't see a white knight riding in anytime soon...

Music - Retail

2008-02-27T09:05:00.003-05:00

A large portion of my job focuses around "media effectiveness." In other words - what ads make people buy stuff.... So, I spend a lot of my weekdays talking about the need to extend the conversation of internet advertising effectiveness outside of mere e-commerce activity. While we know at least 60% of in-store shoppers use the internet to help form their buying decisions.... only ~7% of total sales come directly from e-commerce. Which brings me to the news story below...

Apple Inc's iTunes digital media store edged out Best Buy Co and Target Corp to become the second-largest U.S. music retailer, behind Wal-Mart Stores, according to data released on Tuesday from tracking firm NPD Group.

Based on 2007 sales, legal music downloads now account for 10 percent of music acquired in the United States, but the increase failed to offset a decline in physical CD sales, NPD said.

About one million consumers stopped buying CDs in 2007, according to NPD.

The iTunes store now has more than 50 million customers and has sold more than 4 billion songs.

So - to re-iterate ... Apple sells more music than Best Buy or Target... They solely distribute music online ... Does anyone think that the internet was the only way Apple's 50 million music customers learned about the music they wanted to buy? OF COURSE NOT! So - why is the assumption that all of Wal-marts music purchasers learned about music through newspaper circulars???