Parlaying Hobbies into Money

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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?

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

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?

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

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.

Top 5 Sports Stories that should go away

Having infinite sports information and programming is for the most part a very good thing for people like me. This said, there is the "Extra-Access Hollywood-E-News-US Magazine-type" effect/drawback. There are times when every program segment is about the SAME EXACT thing. Over and over and over again. I know it's really popular to be "green" these days -- but the recycling of certain sports stories NEEDS to stop.

Give us more stories about:

• What the real reasons are that there isn't an NCAA play-off system
• How refs are graded, instructed, and paid
• How some college athletes get away with the bare minimum and never going to class.

We need MORE stories that push the envelope on discovering "real-ness" and LESS of the story types below.

My current Top 5 Sports Stories that need to go away:

#5) Pacman Jones
The guy played 1 mediocre season in the NFL. He's undoubtedly more famous for his off-the-field issues than on the field. That should be immediate grounds to cut him as a story.

#4) Pat Riley pushed Stan Van Gundy Out (and SVG is avenging it in Orlando)
Some people will say I'm impartial to Riley -- but the truth is -- I don't think Riley is at all above this. He absolutely is "that guy" who would do what everyone said he did. The issue is that it's not how it went down, however, given the way how it really went down -- Riley is a stand-up guy for taking the heat. In short - Stan didn't have the respect of Shaq - and he wasn't quiet about it among team-mates (including D. Wade). Shaq was the leader on that team - so everyone followed. Riley realized this and stepped in. (and rather than defending himself and throwing Shaq and Stan's beef in the public view -- took the high road)

#3) Any story from Skip Bayless, Rachel Nichols, or Pedro Gomez
Sports journalism is a very competitive industry. ESPN is the absolute giant player in the space - and should have their pick of the best of the best. Over the years - some classic journalists like Clayborn, Patrick, and Oberman have all left - probably for good reason. HOWEVER, the fact that the 3 names above have consistent jobs on the "worldwide leader" are insane. I'm not kidding - anytime I see one of the 3 on the screen, I immediately turn the channel. Give me more Mike and Mike, PTI crew, Linda Cohn, SportsGuy, Erin Andrews (obviously) and others. I even like it when they have guys like Kirk Herbstreet doing sports outside of football. The only way the 3 personalities above should have consistent gigs is if they have dirt on the brass or some kind of nepotism.

#2) Performance Enhancing Drugs (i.e. Roger Clemens)
This one probably could fall into the camp of "real-ness", but it's on the list for a different reason explained below. I've always been taught that you shouldn't complain about a problem without suggesting a solution. It is exactly what media outlets are doing. They point the finger at everyone but themselves and almost feel like these related stories are trendy or shocking or even NEWS. I'm, personally, over it. Maybe I'd feel differently if ESPN didn't have what seemed to be it's own Truman-Show-like Roger Clemens channel a few months ago -- but they did -- and I'm through with caring about performance enhancing drugs in sports. Baseball, Cycling, Track, Horse Racing, Football.... I really don't care. Each sport has a system that should make the playing fields equal - so it's all relative.
(For those who've seen Chris Rock's new concert -- I thought he was right on. Americans themselves are hooked on Performance enhancing drugs (Zoloft, Viagra, Ritalin, you name it -- who are we to judge athletes)

#1) Jason Taylor-Dolphin feud
Seriously, I can't take it anymore. We all know that everything will work out in the end. The media just loves the "Bill Parcells doesn't get along with people" angle and won't let it go. I don't need to know what Jason Taylor is doing on a daily basis. Come August - Jason Taylor will be at Dolphin camp. He's a stand-up person who can be counted on, unlike unstable hold-outs of the past...

Baseball Stadium Competition Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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???

NY Building Elevator Trick

Small, pretty useless nugget here ... But ... Last night I saw a trick that I've used in my building being used by food delivery guys (which obviously validates my theory) -- so I thought I'd share.

Do you live in a building with many floors and/or slow elevators? Have you ever left your apartment, gone downstairs and then realized you forgot something??

Well - if so - you know the annoyance of waiting for the elevators to go back down the second time is twice as painful as the first time...

Next time ... On the way up -- if you are on floor 19 (and are alone going up) ... in addition to pressing the "19" button on your elevator - press 20 and 21... With these 2 additional floors - it should give you enough time to catch the elevator on it's way down...

While this is far from being a class-act or a good neighbor ... It could save you a few minutes in the morning if you're running late...If, however, someone is waiting to go down on your floor - and they realize what you did -- it could be an uncomfortable joint ride down...

Again - pretty useless - but I'm a fan of over-thinking the useless stuff....

Double-Fisting

Given the recent advancements in smart phone proliferation... An interesting decision makes it's way to many corporate citizens... "To Double-Fist or not to Double-Fist" ....

I hope by the mention of "smart phone" you don't think this post is about how drunk you should get at corporate functions... It's about the decision of merging your portable work email device (most likely a blackberry) with your personal phone device (most likely not a blackberry).

There are a lot of variables in play - such as the ability to keep you phone number, where the phone bill goes, and various corporate email and phone reimbursement policies... Usually, if all these variables aren't an issue ... Employees will most likely start combining their work and phone devices...

For me, however, I don't like to mix business and pleasure ... My work email stays on my blackberry and my personal phone is my iPhone... Yes - I need to carry an extra (and somewhat bulky) phone during the week -- but -- I think it's worth it ... Other advantages include the ability to put your work cell phone on your business card, not having to submit a phone bill in your standard expenses, and being able to select different devices for your different needs (example -- I love my iPhone -- but not sure I'd love it as my primary mobile emailing device).

Amy is dealing with the dilemma currently. She prefers one device (The blackberry "curve" to be exact), but there are restrictions limiting her ability to convert. Feel free to suggest your opinion the next time you see her...

Our First Anniversary Trip

This past Sunday (February 10) was Amy and my 1st wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we planned a short 4 day vacation. As I've mentioned to many people in the past -- there is a difference between vacation travel and vacation vacation. The purpose of this trip was the latter -- which to Amy and I means: Be as lazy as possible on a beach, eat whatever you want, and feel like you're being pampered a little bit...

We originally thought of somewhere like Aruba -- but with a single trip to Liberty Travel -- we were convinced to instead book an all-inclusive resort in the Mexican Riviera. By recommendation of the travel agent (and looking at the options) -- we opted for the Excellence Resort, which is about 20 minutes from the Cancun airport.

I'll summarize by saying that Amy and I were VERY happy with our decision, as we had a really great vacation.

It was our first "all-inclusive" experience, which I must admit I was a bit skeptical of. I mean - I just couldn't fathom ordering as many Jack and Ginger-ales that I wanted -- without some kind of charge ... Turns out - that it's legit (at least the resort we went to). I'm sure there are Club Med type places that advertise all-inclusive, but have some hidden annoying stipulations or subsidize the cost with horrible food and service. The Excellence had great service and more than acceptable food quality (it exceeded expectations for sure -- but not willing to say it was amazing - but again - as to be expected). The rooms were very nice (inclusive of all-you-can-eat mini-bar and room service) and all come with an outdoor jacuzzi.

Amy, in particular, couldn't believe how nice the staff was - and it's true. We really felt like we could have been at a Four Seasons resort. We had servers come up to us at least every 15 minutes asking "Would you like something to drink?"...

The beach set-up was also really nice - especially the several 2 person beds placed right on the sand. I made it a point to take a little 5:00 nappy-nap everyday on them...The sand itself was really soft, but the ocean floor was way too rocky to enjoy...But... we were fine walking 10 steps the other way to use the pool to cool off.

All-in-all, I think Amy and my first anniversary vacation represented what I believe our first year of marriage represented as well: An overall amazing experience that Amy and I both genuinely appreciate and never want to end.

TV Commercials

Given my wife's occupation - the following is a slippery slope for me .... So... I'm going to be brief.

I've long believed that how marketers and TV stations report on audience figures is INSANELY archaic. I'll save that for another time...

Putting that aside -- outside of National Cable movie channels [;)], The Super Bowl and American Idol .... 95% of people don't even watches the commercials!
Chart below from a reputable research firm.

My Random Thoughts of Super Bowl 42

• If you would have told me at the start of ANY Sunday this football season (including yesterday) -- that the Giants were going to win the Super Bowl this year -- I would have told you that you were crazy!
  
• I feel like Giants fans are fairly shocked as well... It was a bit like I felt 2 years ago when the Heat won the NBA Title... It was completely unexpected - but that doesn't make it any less sweet ... just different.
• I don't blame the Patriots for the reasons I was rooting against them....(The whole 19-0, best team ever, blah-blah-blah, CONTINUOUS hype).... I blame the media - and mostly ESPN. And while I'm at it -- I'm from South Florida -- and I'm also sick of the 1972 Dolphins drama...It's a perfect example of the flaw within the typical "news story" structure.
  
• Speaking of the media -- I think I'm going to refuse to watch ESPN during the 2 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl next year. 2 weeks is WAY too much time for ESPN to continue to try and come up with new things to talk about...And worse of all -- I never ONCE heard anyone on ESPN predict that the Patriots would struggle against the Giants defense (and only score 14 points).
• The positive of the media cycle -- The Mercury Morris sound bytes this week are going to be pretty amazing...
  
• I loved the "Peyton Manning camera." He clearly wanted to interact with NO ONE during the game...Is he really married?
  
• I think I loved the camera shot of Jeremy Shockey more... Someone I was watching the game with asked "why isn't he on the field with the team" ... The first thing that came to my head, "Uh - they don't serve Red Bull and Vodka's on the field, honey"....
• Speaking of spectator comments ... Someone said "How much fun would it be if you were a student of the University of Phoenix right now?" ... Well ... although they have a Phoenix campus, the majority of students don't actually go to school in Phoenix. It's predominantly an online university... Yup - those stadium naming rights really pay off! ;)
• I'm sure I'll see it at least 100 times in my life -- but the "Eli avoiding the sack -- chucking it up to David Tyree and catching it off his helmet play" is one of the best (and most crucial) plays I've ever seen in a Super Bowl.
• I don't feel bad for any of the Patriots - with the exception of Junior Seau. He seems like such a happy dude -- and he's been a loyal, non-confrontational NFL player for so long -- that it would have been nice to see him win a Super Bowl ... if he was on the Giants...
• From the comments I heard after the game ... It felt like during the game Tom Brady crossed the line between competitive and cry baby. The look on his face throughout the game was WAY different than anything else I'd seen from him during the regular season...He's one of the best QBs of all-time...But I honestly think he choked yesterday.
• Something I haven't heard anyone talk about yet - was the fact that Belicheck opted to go for it on 4th and 11, rather than attempt a 49 yard field goal. And while the Pats ended up losing by 3 points -- I do agree that the media shouldn't be pilling on him. He had done stuff like that ALL year - and they were 18-0 going into the game. He was consistent.
  
• I'm a huge fan of Tiki Barber... some people don't - but I do... That said, today has to sting a little for him...
• The streets of NYC last night were pretty great. I high-fived about 3 random drunk topless dudes...
  
• The Commercials SUCKED this year... For the biggest stage of creative advertising - it truly disappointed this year... Hail to online advertising! ;)
  
• The scoring wasn't even close to as advertised... but it was still an UNBELIEVABLE game (not as good as the Titans ending the game on the 1 yard line - but definitely top 5 SB games I've ever seen)
• Congrats to all my Giant die-hard fan friends... Colediggy, Felch, Wolfe, The Mandell bros, The Satnick clan, Chuck, and anyone else I forgot... I'm happy for ya!!
  

Theoretically

A week ago -- I went to dinner with Amy and Colediggy.... In our dinner conversation, Colediggy pointed out that I used the term "Theoretically" several times throughout the evening...

Fast forward a week -- and I have consciously said the word at least 20 times...It's driving me nuts!! I keep trying to stop saying it, and replace it with something else.... Unfortunately - I haven't had any luck. "In theory" comes out... Which obviously isn't much better....

I was on a panel at an industry event in San Diego this past week - and I used "theoretically" twice. The second time - I paused mid-sentence and tried to use another phrase that didn't sound as good...I am officially in my own head.

Everyone has their go-to sayings... I know I do. It's just ... these phrases are typically not conscious... It is other people around you who are very aware of your sayings ... YOU, however, are not supposed to be. I have to imagine that "theoretically" wasn't in my arsenal before recently. If it was -- Colediggy probably wouldn't have said anything...
And... I have no more room for any more sayings -- I just don't know how to stop it...

Any ideas? (and no -- punching me in the arm twice if I say it while I'm around you does not count)

Thank You's

First things first ... I'm a guy ... Thank you cards aren't necessarily the thing I'm best known for. This isn't to say that I've never written Thank-You cards (I actually have written many in my day) ... I just haven't "batted a thousand"...

I grew-up with a Grandmother who would call me exactly 2 days after I received a card or gift from her -- "didn't you get my card???....You know I already received a thank-you card from your cousin Lauren..."

Anyway - Amy is definitely a "thank-you card gal." She is also pretty good with sending people gifts when it's appropriate - especially in the current popular life stage of our friends having new babies...By marriage, I've become pretty good at sending new baby gifts, 2 year old birthday gifts, etc... Through this - we've obviously received our fare share of thank-you cards (mostly written in the voice of the new-born or 2 year old...perhaps more on this in another blog-post).

It's of my opinion (which may differ from my that of my wife), that a thank-you note in this instance - although very much appreciated - is not necessary. In place of the old-fashioned card, what I think is more appropriate in this digital age -- is an emailed picture of you/your baby at some point in the future using/wearing/playing with/sitting next to our gift.

New moms and dads are busy. Thank-you cards, while a noble practice, are from a different generation. An era where you couldn't check online to see if the gift was delivered...or perhaps it was deemed by some as too expensive to phone someone "long-distance" to thank them...

As the gift buyer -- I know I feel better seeing a picture of your baby wearing the gift than getting a note in the mail...I guess it just gives me the confidence that I didn't buy you an errand... This said, I guess for those cases where you return the gift...an old fashioned thank you card will do...

Your Aunt Edna and my Grandma Crannie will never be satisfied without the thank-you card...but I hope I can save some of you some time in the future...

(BDS - this wasn't a cryptic message that I'm expecting to receive a pic of Landyn rapped up in Google gear...I've been thinking of this post subject for a while)

Boxing

Growing up -- I always enjoyed a good boxing match. To be fair - I grew up primarily watching a combination of Rocky Balboa and a young (and yet to be unleashed into public life) Mike Tyson...

There is something about THE SPORT OF BOXING that I very much respect. It's probably one of the oldest sports known to man...a competition of both physical and mental strength, quickness, and stamina.

THE BUSINESS OF BOXING is what has officially ruined THE SPORT.
No fight is without suspect of being fixed (especially in the heavy-wight class). Anyone who has actually paid the $100+ to buy a fight on Pay-per-view - has at some point been burned by a First-round knock-out disappointment...

Regardless, I have always wanted to go to a live pro boxing match. It's an experience I believe that most likely cannot be replicated on TV... So ... There is a big fight (one that should have happened 8 years ago) at MSG this Saturday night: Roy Jones Jr. vs. Felix Trinidad.
I don't have big plans tomorrow night - so I looked into getting tickets. Tickets apparently range from $500 - $1500 per seat!! Now - I happen to have a connection who is able to get a nice discount on the tickets -- but honestly -- the price is STILL too steep... Perhaps the only way I'm going to get to see a boxing match in person is if someone else picks up the tab (business related perhaps)...

Until then - I guess I'll sit and watch the UFC eat further into Boxing's market-share.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sydney!

Last Monday Syd Stern (Amy and my niece) turned 2. As we don't see her all the time - now that she lives in Florida - we really enjoy the time we spend with her (and take a lot of pictures). At her birthday party, she was obviously very cute. Running around at a gymnastics center with her princess crown, pizza sauce and cake icing on her face and as she's known to do these days talking to everyone...

We really enjoyed our time - but for those people reading my blog who have never been to a child birthday party before (and Sydney's 1st and 2nd birthdays are my only ones to date) -- there really is no greater form of birth control...

Sorry for the side bar...

Happy Birthday Syd. Your Uncle Brett Brett and Aunt Amy love you VERY MUCH!

CES

I spent this past week in Las Vegas for what has to be one of the worlds biggest corporate trade shows around... Over 200,000 people were estimated to be at this years Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It was my first time going to the show floor held at the Las Vegas Convention Center...

On the gadget side ... the two coolest things I saw were from Panasonic...
1) A 150 inch Flat screen LCD TV. The Panasonic booth rep told me it would most likely be retailed at $65K to $70K ... Seemed a bit steep for me, but then again, people do buy $200K cars. Enormous $65K LCD TVs could be next.
2) A Portable DVR. No longer will we apparently have to be forced into watching our "TIVO'd" shows in our living room ... We will be able to watch these shows on planes too ... Will be interesting to see if this hurts the "TV Show on DVD" market...

The major consumer gadget themes I saw were all centered around:
1) TV/Computer screen integration (TVs as more than standard TV)
2) A huge presence of various In-vehicle technology like Navigation systems, etc
3) Video Games

Other than that -- what was probably the most dominating theme was just how many people were at this show. It is set-up as a "buyer-seller" show (where retailers, etc buy new products from manufacturers), but I think it's been transformed into more than that... Regular Joe's (well, to be fair, "regular gadget nerds" is probably a better description) are in droves now. Media folks like myself are now fairly standard as well.

All in all, if your business relates to the CE industry, I'd recommend going once ... But no need to stay too long ... 48 hours is more than enough (as seems to be the case generically for Vegas anyhow)...

Australia Trip

Amy and I spent the last days of 2007 in Australia... Back in June, we booked a 12 day tour package that took us to three major Australian cities (Sydney, Cairns, and Melbourne). It's a place that we've both wanted to visit for a while - but the long distance/travel time had always kept us from pulling the trigger...

YES - Amy and I went on a Honeymoon and a trip to Australia in the same year... We work hard - and feel like we should travel hard when we can in our lives...

Rather than detail our itinerary -- I'd prefer to give some highlights. If you'd prefer - you can also just check out the 150+ pictures we took.

• Generally - daily living in Australia isn't radically different than daily living in the US. We found the country, as a whole, extremely socially diverse, quite cultured, modern, oh... and not cheap (The USD was worth about 7% more than AUS dollar while we were there). In comparison to NYC, though, it was much cleaner of a city and a lot less crowded...People seemed genuinely nice - as advertised.
• It was Amy and my first "tour package" - and definitely not our last. The fact that almost every mundane detail (such as airport transfers, breakfast, tours of city/highlights, etc) is completely taken care of for you. (And best of all - you've already paid for it - so you don't think twice about spending the money). Amy and I were joined by 24 other people on our trip -- all of who were very nice.
  
• Sydney was our favorite stop of the 3. The past 8-10 years living in NYC, we suppose has worn off on us. At this point in our life - I think we just enjoy the bigger city offerings of trendy lounges, good food, and faster pace. Plus, while in "tourist mode", Sydney offered us a lot more to do and see.
• I had one of the best meals of my life on Christmas eve. We ate our first Australian lobster (pictured on the right) - which I learned is different (and better) than the Maine lobster we obsess about here in the US. Instead of the tail and claws containing the premium meat -- the Australian lobster houses the creme' de la creme in it's body... This enables the chef to more easily prepare a dish (and equates to much less work on our part).
  
• Australia is in the midst of a 10 year drought - which causes a big "fly community." I joked around that I would be mistaken for raving without glow-sticks, but I was really just swatting away flies..
  
• The sun is REALLY strong down there. My nose and shoulders got crazy-burnt the first day I was there. I guess that wasn't so horrible - as I was forced to lube up pretty seriously every day from there on in...
• I was VERY anxious about the lengthy flights - but it turned out to be OK. Air New Zealand has a killer entertainment system. That, plus getting good seats (the last row and the Exit Row), plus Ambien, made the trip not too bad... We are, however, a little turned around with Jet Lag this week...
  

Some other random thoughts of our trip:

• The two most prominent American Chains in Australia in our view were: Starbucks and 7-Eleven. McDonald's is there - but seems to be more focused it's McCafe off-shoot rather than it's bread-and-butter. There is also no Burger King -- Only Hungry Jacks.
• Only one person said "G'day" or "Mate" to us ... Must be the equivalent to people thinking everyone in New York says "fugetaboutit" every other word...
  
• You apparently need a tram ticket to ride the tram in Melbourne ... however ... we have no idea how the city policies it ... The driver clearly has more important things to focus on - and there are about 4 entry points onto the tram...
  
• On every tour in Sydney - Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe were mentioned at minimum 6 times....
• Like NYC, Asian tourists are abundant in Australia.. oh ... and I'm convinced the phrase "excuse me" doesn't exist in the Chinese language...
  

That's about it for now ... Overall - Amy and I had a GREAT trip and really enjoying traveling and exploring Australia for the first time. When the jet lag wears off - I'll re-read this and add anything else that I left off.

New Year - New Template

After 3+ years with the same blog template -- I thought it could use a change... So - I thought I'd break out the new template with the New Year... Please let me know your thoughts...

G'Day ...

I wanted to let my loyal readers know that I'll be taking a two week vacation from blogging ...

I'm heading to Australia for 12 days... I'm really really excited although I can't lie - I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to keep myself (and my wife) entertained during the long flight.

I'll be sure to give a recap blog upon my return ... Wishing you all a very happy 2008!!

Holiday Gifts

It's that time of year.... No - I'm not referring to the typical "holiday cheer" attributes (which I honestly have no clue about) ... I'm referring to the time of year when any service-related employee in your life expects something from you...

When did it become "the norm" to give a holiday cash gift to your cleaning lady, your hair cutter, the mailman, the doormen, your gardener - or whatever??

I know it comes off like I'm either insensitive or cheap --But -- Truth is, I don't exchange gifts with my friends - yet I end up spending hundreds of dollars on gifts for people who I probably don't even know what their last name is...?

When I lived alone, I had a cleaning lady, Patsy... Patsy and I had a distinct conversation once on how she didn't celebrate Christmas (I'm not sure what faith she was, though). Anyway - after I told her I was moving and didn't need her services anymore -- she told me that she was always so hurt that I never gave her extra money for the holidays... In hindsight - I definitely was wrong - but I think this is a good summary of my issue with tipping on the holiday season -- The expectation of receiving a gift - for almost no reason...

In the corporate sector - there is often the expectation of a "bonus" at the end of the year - but only if the company has a good year. Additionally - in that scenario - part of the rationale for holiday gifts is to retain employees. Do I really care if the person who delivers my mail quits the USPS? Not really ... And isn't it the USPS' job to keep their employees happy? I don't expect gifts from my clients....

Bottom-line .... I'm not a hater...I just don't like doing something because it's expected...and that it's often the measure of gratitude for the year - rather than the year-long "relationship." If it wasn't expected - I'd be happier to give our doorman a little something because I do genuinely appreciate them...

Happy Holidays to all.....