tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34953992011-10-17T17:18:59.384-04:00<b>random ramblings <br> from adam brown.</b>Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.comBlogger1751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-86575038481685171062008-06-29T22:39:00.003-04:002008-12-08T17:37:36.986-05:00

Well, I'm not blogging here on Admagination.com as much as I used to (duh).I'm trying out some new things, experimenting in the social media space a bit.You can check me out on Twitter...You can also check me out on Tumblr. This is an absolutely great blogging/social media/bookmarking/audio/video site.And there's my pics on Smugmug.See ya there,-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-23747833640034081622008-03-14T23:16:00.008-04:002008-03-14T23:40:26.970-04:00

Was reading Guy Kawasaki's blog today and he mentioned Alltop, a new project he's been working on. It's an RSS aggregator without the aggregation. The Alltop guys have put together about 40 different topical "aggregations" on everything from cars to gadgets to education to celebrities.Really neat. There are literally hundreds of a-list blogs and other info sites listed in these categories. One of

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1153320725933085422006-07-19T10:43:00.000-04:002006-07-19T10:52:05.996-04:00

I really liked this interview of Electronic Arts' VP of Corporate Communications Jeff Brown that appears on Eurogamer.net.The story gives some keen insight on the gaming business and EA's philosophies. I actually learned a lot and Jeff's thoughts got me thinking about some ideas I had never thought about. Here's an interesting snippet:If you start with the consideration that when new platforms

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1153189142935993102006-07-17T22:11:00.000-04:002006-07-17T22:20:02.953-04:00

Wal-Mart has launched "The Hub," a very fake, very dorky MySpace wannabe social networking site. Kind of...AdAge.com says it best:It's a quasi-social-networking site for teens designed to allow them to "express their individuality," yet it screens all content, tells parents their kids have joined and forbids users to e-mail one another. Oh, and it calls users "hubsters" - a twist on hipsters that

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1153185116520061212006-07-17T21:08:00.000-04:002006-07-17T21:16:02.743-04:00

Here is a link to some information about the new Porsche 911 Targa.I don't know what it is about the new lines on this car, but this is the most beautiful Porsche I have seen in a very long time. And I'm not even a Porsche fan...The new glass roof looks incredible. It's impressive how big the opening gets when the roof is fully retracted.Thanks to Digg.com for the link to AutoMotoPortal.com.-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1153076698205888232006-07-16T15:01:00.000-04:002006-07-16T15:07:14.133-04:00

I thought it appropriate since I finally got around to starting up Google AdSense on my blog that I show you the world's first Ad Banner.It's for AT&T and, according to Clientwell Online Marketing, appeared on Hotwired.com in 1994.Thanks to Digg.com for the link to Clientwell.com.-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1151333867793076622006-06-26T10:53:00.000-04:002006-06-26T10:59:01.750-04:00

Digg.com is one of my favorite sites. It's the pioneer of the “democratic editorial control” model. While sites like Google News and Yahoo! use algorithms to determine which news stories are most popular and should be placed on the home page, Digg.com empowers readers to vote and “digg” on which stories receive top placement. Digg calls this user powered content. How nice.Digg.com is very popular

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1151332746812463912006-06-26T10:35:00.000-04:002006-06-26T10:39:06.826-04:00

Want to know who Microsoft THINKS is looking at a particular Web site? This tool, part of Microsoft’s AdLabs project, tries to tell you. I’m not sure how exactly it works, but it was pretty close for some of my client projects.Of course, it’s way off on others. Try seeing who Microsoft thinks is using Google. Click the URL button then type in www.google.com.Interesting. Check it out here.Thanks

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1148660346610184782006-05-26T11:38:00.000-04:002006-05-26T12:33:00.663-04:00

So your name is Guy Keyney (pictured above on the left), and you are sitting in reception of the BBC about to go on air to talk about the Apple Computer/Apple (The Beatles’ publishing company) lawsuit.You are nervous, because you are slated to go on air at 10:30 and it’s 10:29 and you’re still sitting in the lobby. The receptionist assures you everything is ok.Then, at 10:30 as you are watching

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1147110116144859802006-05-21T13:39:00.000-04:002006-05-25T16:21:28.690-04:00

So, what do you do when you're an advertising agency and the TiVo and DVR are preventing people from watching your commercials? You develop commercials that can only be seen with a Tivo or DVR, of course!This is pretty neat stuff. GE is unveiling their "One Second Theatre" during commercials that will play this month.Read about it in this New York Times story here.Basically, the GE commercials

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1147105406902223822006-05-08T12:14:00.000-04:002006-05-08T13:42:52.103-04:00

The median age of the CNN and FOX News viewer is over 60. Ouch.MSNBC and Headline News aren't much better, with the median viewer 57 and 59, respectively. This is according to Brian Lowry's column posted on Variety last night.For a business where the 18-49 demo is so critically important, this is a tough pill to swallow. And the networks don't talk about this a lot - leading Brian Lowry to make

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1146581272270578882006-05-02T08:43:00.000-04:002006-05-02T10:49:16.500-04:00

A "prankster group" called Improv Everywhere got 50 people dressed up in Best Buy-like regalia (blue shirt, khakis) and raided the local store.According to the story, there was mass confusion. Snippet from Gizmodo.com:Customers were confused, some sales staff were supportive while others got upset, and predictably both management and security went apoplectic.More pictures here in Flickr and the

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1145558998378092232006-04-20T14:31:00.000-04:002006-04-20T14:54:09.566-04:00

One of the top stories on Digg.com over the past 21 hours has been about a scene from the television show Family Guy appearing on the JetBlue.com Web site.It seems as though if you viewed the route map (located here) and typed in "pbj" (think peanut butter and jelly), the route map would be replaced from a scene from the animated FOX television show.Now, Digg.com is becoming the new Slashdot in

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1145548249458918022006-04-20T11:46:00.000-04:002006-04-20T11:51:47.360-04:00

Snippet from DailyRecord.co.uk:An ordinary handwash costing just £2.99 can kill the bird flu virus in 30 seconds, tests have found. No-Germs, a simple hand spray, has been on sale over the counter for two years. But when the H5N1 avian flu outbreak gathered pace among birds, No-Germs owners decided to test it against the virus.The results, revealed yesterday, were remarkable - the handwash was

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1145547647718268522006-04-20T08:25:00.000-04:002006-04-20T11:40:47.823-04:00

Yep, in the important 24-35 age group, the number of women gamers outnumbers men. Don't believe me? Snippet:A new study from the Consumer Electronics Association indicates that there are many more women gamers in the 25-34 demographic than males, largely because of the popularity of the casual games market, with card games like solitaire and puzzle games like Tetris.We already know that male

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1144251678343448522006-04-05T11:29:00.000-04:002006-04-05T23:20:42.246-04:00

There is an interesting story on WashingtonPost.com today about where Internet traffic is growing and slowing.No surprise - traffic to blogging and social networking sites has skyrocketed. Blogger.com traffic is up 528% year over year and traffic to MySpace.com is up 318%. Guess Rupert's $580 million gamble might be paying off...Other interesting tidbits include traffic increases to Wikipedia.org

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1138633075375630622006-01-30T09:36:00.000-05:002006-01-30T10:00:56.440-05:00

Sunday's big game is ABC's last NFL production for many years to come. NBC now has the NFL for six years, thanks to the $600 million it paid for the rights to one game a week (the Monday Night Football game). But it won't be showing the game Monday night - it will be on Sunday night prime time.Anyway, back to the Super Bowl. ABC is going all-out with some neato gizmos and high-def goodies to make

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1137707047093558472006-01-19T16:43:00.000-05:002006-01-20T15:39:41.456-05:00

Amazon is getting some heat in the blogosphere for not allowing their new weekly original programming "Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher" to be available for download.Personally, I like the idea of this program (from a marketing standpoint). And I bet it will convert to sales. When you're a site like Amazon that has several million visitors stopping by the site every hour, anything that can keep

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1137701276922048232006-01-19T15:01:00.000-05:002006-01-19T15:07:56.936-05:00

Seth Goldstein wants you to be able to sell your Web stats. He wants to create a new software category, called "myware" that can allow all of your Web tracking, cookies, time spent online, favorites, etc. to be sold to the highest bidder. Snippet from a CNNMoney.com story:"Everybody else is spying on me," he says, "so I want to spy on myself."But Goldstein wants a better copy of his online

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1137529190746401662006-01-17T15:10:00.000-05:002006-01-17T15:19:50.776-05:00

Growing up in the South, it was almost impossible to go down an interstate or highway without seeing a barn roof with the words "SEE ROCK CITY" painted on them.As the Web site Two-Lane.com shares:It all began in the 1920's, when Garnet and Frieda Carter developed a garden walkway on their estate atop Lookout Mountain, in northern Georgia, overlooking Chattanooga. America was in the Great

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1136833352919588492006-01-09T08:58:00.000-05:002006-01-09T14:03:35.440-05:00

Via Slashdot, The Seattle Times has a great article on how an episode of The Simpsons comes together. Snippet:Each week, it begins at the "table read" on the Fox studio lot. Here, cast members try out a new script as writers and producers take careful notes, sometimes based on the reactions of the roughly three dozen guests ringing the room in padded blue chairs.Part assembly line and part

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1136400259087543332006-01-04T13:35:00.000-05:002006-01-04T13:44:19.096-05:00

Squidoo.com is a new spin on consumer generated media (CGM). It's not a wiki, it's not a blog, it's something somewhere in the middle.Those who write on Squidoo.com are called LensMasters. What they write are called Lens.I took a stab at writing a Squidoo Lens a few weeks ago on Personalized Media. You can take a look at it here at www.squidoo.com/personalizedmedia.As we start 2006, it's going to

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1133969468267682402005-12-07T08:20:00.000-05:002005-12-07T10:34:03.043-05:00

Have you ever seen those homemade signs that are attached to utility poles, usually around stoplights? They say, "Earn $$$ working from home!" and include a phone number.Usually, they're either a Ponzi scheme or a job stuffing thousands of envelopes a day. Fun. Joy.Well, our friends at Amazon have decided to take this idea to 2.0 with their Amazon Mechanical Turk concept. They promote it as:

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1133815374319255902005-12-05T15:38:00.000-05:002006-07-16T15:08:36.370-04:00

Meet Carson Williams. He has done some decorating for the holidays. About 25,000 lights twinkle in his front yard. Did I mention they twinkle to music? To Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter"?It's great. No, it's awesome.Take a look at a 3 minute video here.Read about it in The Cincinnati Enquirer here. Thanks to AdRants.com for the link.You have to check it out. Still laughing.-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1132611383628083932005-11-21T17:09:00.000-05:002005-11-21T17:18:21.153-05:00

SBC's acquisition of AT&T is finally complete, and last week they launched the new AT&T logo. What do you think?I like the way it looks - it's definitely more "AT&T" than "SBC," but it doesn't say anything to me. It just looks like the "Death Star" AT&T logo gussied up a bit and tilted on its axis.Now, for SBC, anything is better than their dreadful logo:But I don't see any SBC branding in this

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1131737260748576432005-11-11T14:21:00.000-05:002006-01-04T13:46:44.333-05:00

The Tipping Point author Malcom Gladwell's latest book Blink is to be a movie.And Leonardo DiCaprio will be the star in the adaptation of this best-selling non-fiction pseudo-business book.Here's a snippet about the book:"Blink," published in January, is a story about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. Author Malcolm Gladwell posited that when you meet

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1131412713424506822005-11-07T20:09:00.000-05:002005-11-07T20:18:33.460-05:00

Both CBS and NBC have announced today that they've inked deals with cable providers to allow their most popular programs to be available for viewing on demand - for a fee.Want to watch CSI or Law & Order, but time-shifted (and you don't own a TiVo or other DVR)? Got 99 cents? It's yours.Here's a snippet from the story on MSN Money:"You can't stop technology," said David Zaslav, president of NBC

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1128709676193879002005-10-07T08:15:00.000-04:002005-10-07T14:33:30.516-04:00

The new XBOX 360 comes out in a little over a month, and its flagship “must have” launch title is "Project Gotham Racing 3."What’s so special about this game (other than the unbelievable visuals that it's purported to have)? It's a spectator feature that will allow up to 30,000 fans to watch in on online races and tournaments.People who own the game and an XBOX Live subscription (what Microsoft

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1128553493733855552005-10-05T19:02:00.000-04:002005-10-05T19:04:53.746-04:00

Interesting article from AP, that includes an interview with the director of BBC's Global News Division. The article discusses how user-generated news is turning the entire news gathering (and news "owning") model upside down. Snippet:The avalanche of high quality video, photos and e-mailed news material from citizens following the July 7 bombings in London marked a turning point for the British

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1128100459253679002005-09-30T12:04:00.000-04:002005-09-30T13:15:44.416-04:00

Back on September 6 I posted a blog entry about Myst game creator Cyan Worlds closing its doors. Check it out here.Well, reporter Dean Takahashi's blog on the San Jose Mercury News site posted on Wednesday that Cyan had a "narrow escape of death" and that writing its obituary would be a bit premature. Snippet:I was about to prepare the company's obituary. But Cyan isn't dead yet. I sent an e-mail

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1127829325617305572005-09-27T08:45:00.000-04:002005-09-27T10:05:55.806-04:00

Last night was the LSU vs. Tennessee game. The game was supposed to be played on Saturday, but concerns about Hurricane Rita delayed it until last night. (The delay caused several other "domino" issues as well, including UT having to travel to and from Baton Rouge yesterday, and also play an away football game against a #4 team on the same day, too.)Needless to say it wasn't a good recipe for

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1127503402268024732005-09-23T15:15:00.000-04:002005-09-23T15:26:08.346-04:00

Looks like the Federal Election Commission is looking into regulating blogs, according to this BusinessWeek Online story. Snippet:Amid the explosion of political activity on the Internet, a federal court has instructed the six-member Federal Election Commission to draw up regulations that would extend the nation's campaign finance and spending limits to the Web.Right now, Internet communication

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1127484665579655232005-09-23T10:03:00.000-04:002005-09-23T10:13:25.073-04:00

Via Joystiq, Aeropause abd a few other sites, here is a link to some pictures of a transit bulletin (bus stop) advertisement for the Sony PS2 in Malasia.Along with the bus stop roof graphic (which is very nice), there are four large panels with hundreds/thousands of the the PS2 controller icons on them. That's cool, but the clever part is that the icons are actually printed on bubble wrap.So

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1127413557486135022005-09-22T12:30:00.000-04:002005-09-22T14:31:01.423-04:00

Thought $5 per gallon gas was only in Europe? Think again. CNN reports that Katrina was only the opening act of the Gas Price Dance.Rita was just dropped to a Category 4. That's good news. But it's still a very powerful storm. My prayers are with the coastal Texans and Louisianians, especially those already besieged by Katrina.-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1127337626307421842005-09-21T15:15:00.000-04:002005-09-21T18:43:04.480-04:00

A work associate of mine, Nicholas Scibetta and I wrote the following piece for a monthly column on our corporate intranet. The column is called ".NEXT, the Bold New World of Media."This month's column discusses an interesting change taking place today in PR firms and the media (including the blogosphere):When the Pitch Becomes the StoryWe’ve seen several examples over the past year of public

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1126819343742516532005-09-15T18:13:00.000-04:002005-09-21T19:18:58.160-04:00

This image, with the following slug, went out on the Reuters wire today:U.S. President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14, 2005. World leaders are exploring ways to revitalize the United Nations at a summit on Wednesday but their

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1126540714691163712005-09-12T08:47:00.000-04:002005-09-12T12:00:35.420-04:00

Tired of the ridiculous IVR phone trees and other firey hoops you have to jump through to speak to a live human anymore? Me, too.That's why I was very excited to come across this "Find-A-Human" Web page, listing the "back doors" and other secrets to quickly speak to a live human at about 60 businesses.The tactic recommended for Cingular - to pretend like you're cancelling the service to get a

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1126102247490632952005-09-07T10:10:00.001-04:002005-09-08T21:47:15.806-04:00

I've always been a fan of Robert X. Cringely's books and specials on PBS. He has a new show, called NerdTV that, in his words is the "Charlie Rose for geeks."The NerdTV Web site provides video of the entire shows, transcripts and MP3 files of the shows, all under a Creative Commons license. Pretty neat stuff. Snippet:NerdTV is distributed under a Creative Commons license so viewers can legally

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1126028998854888582005-09-06T08:38:00.000-04:002005-09-06T16:03:11.140-04:00

Remember Myst? I do. I remember purchasing a copy of this game when I was still in college, right before finals (very, very bad idea). It was the first computer game that so captivated me that I remember playing for 12 or so hours straight. I was enthralled by it, not only by the game itself, but by the idea that you could become so immersed in what really was just a highly rendered slide show.

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1125669156729541142005-09-02T08:39:00.000-04:002005-09-02T09:55:05.166-04:00

I'm usually not a fan of Wal-Mart, but this announcement changes that:BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 1 - Following President Bush's announcement today that former Presidents Bush and Clinton will lead a nationwide fundraising effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott contacted President Clinton and the White House and committed $15 million from Wal-Mart to

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1124139299295307012005-08-15T08:49:00.000-04:002005-08-15T16:58:21.443-04:00

Watch any SportsCenter last week? Listened to any sports talk radio? Read any sports pages lately?If you have, you've read all about Baby Terrell.I just got done reading this editorial by Sports Illustrated's Peter King.Awesome. Agree 100%. Snippet:Go back to the Eagles on Wednesday, T.O., shut that massive piehole, play football and try to prove to some of us who think you're the worst kind of

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1123852985779377192005-08-12T08:13:00.000-04:002005-08-12T09:25:23.620-04:00

CNet today (via Gizmodo) has a great list of tech things that they miss, and I must admit, I agree with almost all of them:- Kozmo.comThis was a company ahead of its time. So was Webvan. The idea that you could go online and order up a frozen pizza, 6-pack and DVD was just about perfect. We had Kozmo in Atlanta when I lived there, and they practically saved my life when I got sick and needed some

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1122989759504818382005-08-02T08:31:00.000-04:002005-08-02T10:09:23.473-04:00

Many have long complained that Apple never had a piece of mouse hardware with more than one button. Ever since the Lisa (and my Apple Mouse that I installed on my Apple //e long ago), Apple's been a one-button mouse sort of company.Until today. Apple today releases not a two-button mouse, but actually a four-button mouse. But you say, they're no visible buttons. Here's a snippet of how Apple's

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1121437157177549732005-07-15T10:09:00.000-04:002005-07-15T10:19:17.183-04:00

Google's at it again, taking the uber-cool satellite technology they ported over to Google Maps and putting it into a desktop application. And the consumer version of the tool is free. Now, it's purely eye candy (or a good tool to check out the house your boss lives in) but it's still amazing nonetheless.Google Earth is the manifestation of Google's purchase of Keyhole in 2004. If you remember,

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1120570446676336622005-07-05T08:23:00.000-04:002005-07-05T09:38:29.816-04:00

Everything Bad Is Good For You is a good book. It takes the premise that video games and today's multimedia culture are harmful and turns it on its end.While I agree that violence and sex in the prime-time TV window and in video games targeted towards kids is out of control, I do believe that author Steven Johnson has a point here. The book describes how video games do more than just spur

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1120076497501692072005-06-29T16:11:00.000-04:002005-06-29T16:21:37.510-04:00

A television station in Sacramento is going to begin broadcasting five-day TRAFFIC forecasts today, according to this story on NewScientist.com.Here's a snippet:A traffic forecasting system capable of predicting traffic conditions seven days in advance will go live to the public in California on Wednesday.Alongside the weather forecast, viewers of KXTV News 10 in Sacramento can now get 3D

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1119622649161811552005-06-24T10:10:00.000-04:002006-07-16T15:11:02.966-04:00

Via Gizmodo, here's a look at Sprint's new logo, updated from the red & white after their merger with NEXTEL.I like the little logo and the typeface of the wordmark, but the logo is pretty blah. It really doesn't say too much about the company. It could be a logo for a software company, an airline or just about anything.I think Cingular did a good job with their logo after the merger with AT&T. (

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1119620724404507292005-06-24T09:33:00.000-04:002005-06-24T09:45:47.703-04:00

VHS vs. Beta. GM vs. Ford. Pepsi vs. Coke. GSM vs. CDMA/TDMA. Cubs vs. White Sox. Yankees vs. Mets.Our world is full of choices. We try to make the right one.Right now, for me, the choice is DSL or Cable Modem at my house. As some of you know, I have recently moved from Atlanta to Pittsburgh, and even after being here a week I still have not hooked up the Internet access at home. (Shame.)I have

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1119445224174072272005-06-22T09:00:00.000-04:002005-06-22T09:09:43.993-04:00

Where's Gump Been? We've misssed his thoughts and rants on gadgets, computers, Tiger and marketing.Gump's been busy, moving north of the Mason Dixon line for the first time in my life. Over the past two weeks, I've sucessfully moved from Atlanta, which has been my home for the past eleven years to Pittsburgh, my new home.So, goodbye Braves, grits and sweet tea. Hello Steelers, snow and Pepsi

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1117210427575143192005-05-27T12:09:00.000-04:002005-05-27T12:16:21.973-04:00

Via Gizmodo, I've always wondered how those things the court reporters type on work. You would think that with all of the technology today, they would have found a way to update these things, but I guess if it ain't broke then don't fix it.This Slate story talks about how the Stenotype machine works. Interesting. Snippet:It's called a stenotype machine, and it's also used for captioning

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1116647323751784512005-05-20T23:46:00.000-04:002005-05-20T23:50:27.970-04:00

Very funny.Go to www.ps3grill.com.-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1116388691188864182005-05-17T23:42:00.000-04:002005-05-18T11:18:59.786-04:00

This CNN story does a decent job of showcasing the new PlayStation, due out next spring. I've written here in this post about the Cell processor it will utilize, but this story goes into a bit more detail on the entire package.Key Points:35 times the power of the PS2More powerful than the current PS2, XBOX and GameCube combinedUtilizes Blu-Ray disksWireless bluetooth controllers - capacity to

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1116378778600189262005-05-17T20:58:00.000-04:002005-05-18T11:20:18.263-04:00

The gang at IBM dealt a blow to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser today, announcing that they were making the FireFox browser available to their 300,000 employees. Snippet from Information Week:Microsoft's Internet Explorer continues lose market share as more consumers and businesses adopt alternative Web browsers. Rival IBM on Friday became the latest company to embrace Mozilla's Firefox

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1116000869382497522005-05-13T12:07:00.000-04:002005-05-13T12:20:25.516-04:00

I am not a big fan of the iTrip, or pretty much any of the current stable of FM transmitters for the iPod. Their signal is just too weak. And unfortunately, I have to use a transmitter in my BMW to be able to listen to my iPod. (In my Infiniti, I have a cassette player, so I can use that adapter, but my BMW is the model year before they added the iPod functionality discussed at iPodYourBMW.com).

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1115950470705417932005-05-12T22:01:00.000-04:002005-09-13T16:37:51.070-04:00

Bought my first DualDisc music CD tonight. It's Dave Matthew's new "Stand Up." Good album.For those of you who aren't familiar with the DualDisc format, it's a regular CD on one side, and a DVD on the other. One disc - just two different sides sandwiched together. This means that there is no writing on either side - the name of the album is written on the plastic center of the disc.It's a great

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1115911430014281692005-05-12T11:09:00.000-04:002005-05-12T11:27:09.333-04:00

I'm a big fan of the Frisbee Dog competitions, a Frisbee + Dog competition where the dogs (and their masters) do all sorts of crazy tricks. Every year at the Dogwood Arts Festival in basically my front yard at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, the dogs go at it. I love it because the dogs are having fun, the owners are having fun, and the crowds can't help from loving it - watching all of the

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1115655347788849302005-05-09T12:03:00.000-04:002005-05-09T12:15:47.890-04:00

Via Slashdot, this post discusses a slightly dangerous and quite annoying vulnerability for Tiger's new Dashboard feature, the Konfabulator-copying new OSX eye candy that I've discussed here. Snippet from Slashdot:If you're running Safari on OS X Tiger and go to this website, a 'slightly evil' Dashboard widget will be automatically downloaded and installed and can't be removed without manually

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1115003676254901402005-05-01T23:07:00.000-04:002005-05-01T23:19:25.006-04:00

Found a wicked site tonight. Mandolux.com. It's from a guy named Mando Gomez who's a photographer that has created desktop images for people with multiple computer monitors.At home, I am blessed with two honkin' 19" LCDs on my main computer. It's awesome - dragging windows onto both screens and truly being able to multitask.Now, I've cropped and placed some of my own images onto my screens, but

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1114745888714401962005-04-28T23:22:00.000-04:002005-04-29T12:49:37.370-04:00

As I write this, my copy of the new Macintosh OS X operating system, code-named "Tiger" is on it's way to me via FedEx. This morning, The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg said about Tiger:Overall, Tiger is the best and most advanced personal computer operating system on the market, despite a few drawbacks. It leaves Windows XP in the dust.The new OS includes Spotlight, a very powerful search

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1114031645638404332005-04-20T17:45:00.000-04:002005-04-20T17:26:28.340-04:00

Via Slashdot, here are links to two interesting stories on Google and how it's impacting the Internet.Snippet from The Globe & Mail:Although it may seem that Google is already well-along the path toward such an information-rich Utopia, the truth is that the current state of affairs is only a first foray into the world of information retrieval. Today's smartest search algorithms still only read

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1114029537679372452005-04-20T16:05:00.000-04:002005-04-20T17:02:07.196-04:00

Colleague of mine added 'ole GumpRants.com to his BlogRoll. Alan's a pretty nice guy, so I will reciprocate.By the way, you gotta love the name - DogBrainCentral.It looks so pretty down there in the BlogRoll, between The Onion and DPReview.com. There's juxtaposition for ya.Kumbaya, my friend, kumbaya...-aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1113923240225868542005-04-19T11:05:00.000-04:002006-07-16T15:16:41.440-04:00

I have a little trouble getting up in the morning. I know how to divide by nine, which is number of snooze minutes my Sony clock radio "Dream Bar" will give me. I snooze for about 40-50 minutes (or actually 45-54 minutes to be precise) every morning.Clocky from this MIT student is the solution to my problem. An alarm clock on wheels. Here's a snippet:Before you hit the snooze button a second time

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1111774196949220852005-03-25T13:03:00.000-05:002005-03-25T13:09:56.953-05:00

Turner Field is about to get a new TV. 71 feet tall by 79 feet wide, it's a biggie.Here's a snippet from DesignTechnica:The world's largest outdoor high definition display (56,000 square feet) will greet and entertain Atlanta Braves fans at the newly renovated Turner Field this season.The 5,600-square-foot Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision screen, which will be recognized by Guinness World

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1110833712279524912005-03-14T08:49:00.000-05:002006-07-16T15:17:40.576-04:00

The US is definitely behind the 8-ball when it comes to use of mobile phone technology, but a new campaign for Pontiac's new G6 sedan is perfectly timed, in my opinion.I spoke about the G6 promotion with Oprah Winfrey here a few months ago, and complimented the program up and down. What I saw last night is just a clever and groundbreaking (at least for the United States).I saw a commercial last

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1107899685054779262005-02-08T16:31:00.000-05:002005-02-08T16:56:14.946-05:00

Not exactly your typical ESPN interview, but ESPN's Jeff Merron interviewed Blink and The Tipping Point author Malcom Gladwell just before the Super Bowl and asked him to translate his thinking into sports references. It's a great interview, and Malcom's thoughts and theories make complete sense in a sports environment. Here's a snippet of an interview question about what advice from Blink

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1107878905373355692005-02-08T08:56:00.000-05:002005-02-08T11:10:49.796-05:00

Google launced the beta version of its new mapping service today at maps.google.com. And it's amazing. Smooth scrolling, drop shadows, live scrolling and zooming. It looks very Apple-like in the GUI. And that'a a compliment. Unfortunately, the folks who would admire this the most - people using the Safari browser on the Mac, won't be able to see it yet. The site currently only works for IE

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1107826233523748222005-02-07T20:16:00.000-05:002005-05-18T00:01:56.410-04:00

Holy Crap. That's what I said when reading these specs.Sony, IBM and Toshiba today announced some of the details of the Cell processor that they are all developing in collaboration. The PS3 will be the first application of this new smoker.Now I don't know what all of this means, but I do know that big numbers are usually good and that these are some pretty big numbers:The processor operates at

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1107824815920550222005-02-07T19:57:00.000-05:002005-02-07T20:07:53.366-05:00

I have always felt that the "random" feature on iPods isn't really random. Sometimes, it just picks really good orders for songs in my playlist. I know this is just crazy talk, but many others have felt the same way. Some think that their iPods have a thing for Steely Dan. Or maybe Alica Keys. For mine, it was James Taylor, Ian Van Dahl and U2 (especialy after the iPod/U2 commercials started -

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1106598574743678462005-01-24T15:25:00.000-05:002005-01-24T15:29:34.743-05:00

Here's the last interview that Johnny did for Esquire magazine, way back in June of 2002. This was only one of two interviews that Johnny did after leaving The Tonight Show on May 22, 1992. (I think he also did an interview for the Washington Post). This interview/article is by the excellent Bill Zehme. I know you'll like it - all ten pages of Carsonian glory. -aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1105999201935346452005-01-17T16:41:00.000-05:002005-01-17T17:06:58.306-05:00

Have you seen the new iPod Shuffle? A pretty neat, albeit not necessarily new innovation. iRiver and Creative Labs have both made small, flash-based mp3 players for a year or two. Apple's newest product is pretty similar to these. Subtle differences include the fantastic Apple Design and a USB-based rechargable battery (instead of reliance on AA or AAA batteries). It's also a pretty good value

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1105374776806032562005-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:002005-04-21T17:29:13.706-04:00

Today, someone showed me the Web site 10x10, at www.tenbyten.org. Basically, it culls the RSS news feeds every hour and picks the top 100 stories, and their corresponding images. Those images are then shown in a 10x10 grid that us updated hourly.Their press materials do a lot better explaining it, so here's a snippet of their "Process";Every hour, 10x10 scans the RSS feeds of several leading

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1105111612373676372005-01-07T10:17:00.000-05:002005-01-07T10:28:35.556-05:00

Cingular is giving all of its customers with text message service the ability to donate to the tsunami relief in South Asia and East Africa. Over the next week or so, Cingular cusomers will receive a text message from Cingular, telling them how they can donate. By replying to the text message, customers can choose which of three charities they'd like to contribute to (Red Cross, UNICEF and

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1105110907964652352005-01-07T08:08:00.000-05:002006-07-16T15:19:14.346-04:00

Wired online today is presenting a short, but good interview of Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos.In the interview, Bezos speaks about Amazon.com's inventory model, the success of "Search Inside the Book," and about the declining "bricks and mortar" music business.He also talks about his predictions for the percentage of retail that will be transacted online. Snippet:I think online ultimately will be 10

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1104947773034973312005-01-05T08:19:00.000-05:002006-07-16T14:30:34.463-04:00

2,500 stations have now signed on to broadcast digital radio signals from their ground towers using this new standard.This is radio's response to XM and Sirrus satellite radio. The only problem is that HD radio will require new equipment, just like satellite radio. And they still have the issue of limitations on broadcasting using ground towers.Here's a snippet of the release:The company charged

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1104946818697879092004-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:002005-01-05T14:01:00.820-05:00

Well, I took the month of December off. From blogging, that is. No posts at all. It was nice. I had withdrawl, but I am back. And it's good to be back on GumpRants.com. 2005 means more blogs on lots of different topics. We covered a lot of ground in 2004, and we'll cover even more in 2005. Topics like: Blogging and the Blogosphere (it's like looking at a reflection of a mirror in another mirror.

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1101739416133930872004-11-29T09:38:00.000-05:002004-11-29T09:49:00.960-05:00

The State Department is banning smiling from passport photos, as it creates an "unnatural expression that distorts natural features." Snippet from the AP story at MyWay.com: Smiling "distorts other facial features, for example your eyes, so you're supposed to have a neutral expression. ... The most neutral face is the most desirable standard for any type of identification," said Angela Aggeler

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1100295931832951282004-11-12T16:33:00.000-05:002006-07-16T15:20:19.273-04:00

Microsoft yesterday launched a beta version of the new MSN Search tool, located at http://beta.search.msn.com.Generally, it looks a lot like Google with the home page simplicity, and results pages are laid out in a smiliar format as well.The tool still primarily relies on Yahoo Search technology, so you'll see very, very similar results to using Yahoo. This likely won't change until sometime in

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1098809847969932542004-10-26T13:51:00.000-04:002004-10-26T13:01:33.080-04:00

I'm afraid that it is already true. I've actually caught myself in conversations with friends saying, "Well, as I wrote about on my blog a few weeks back..." I'm scaring myself. I'm just one sick puppy. This cartoon comes to us from the Cincinatti Enquirer and illustrator Jim Borgman. Thanks to NatterjackPR.com and Kevin Dugan's PRBlog for the link. -aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1098466185860768332004-10-22T13:23:00.000-04:002005-04-20T16:59:44.160-04:00

XM Satellite Radio is set to announce next week a "wearable" Walkman-like device that can pick up XM's digital satellite radio signals. Snippet from CNN:A spokesman for Washington, D.C.-based XM declined to comment beyond saying a major product announcement was planned for Oct. 26 in New York with automotive parts and consumer electronics products maker, Delphi Corp. "XMSR is also likely to

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1098366592562865642004-10-21T09:41:00.000-04:002004-10-21T09:52:04.606-04:00

There are a lot of presidential polls out there - Zogby, ABC/Washington Post, CNN/USA Today/Gallop, FOX, etc. I personally get confused by all of them, and which news organiztion or research firm is sponsoring each one. RealClearPolitics.com does a good job of showing all of the latest results of all of the polls on one page. It also shows trending data for the past several months and an

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1098198321694349142004-10-19T10:56:00.000-04:002004-10-19T11:05:21.696-04:00

TV-B-Gone is a little keychain-sized remote control that can turn off virtually any television. Press it's button, and it will turn off any of 209 brands of televisions within sight distance of its infrared eye. Today's Wired does a story on Mitch Altman, the inventor of the TV-B-Gone who invented it to "improve conversation." Snippet: "I was always squandering my time, energy and creativity

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1097689867506791802004-10-13T13:40:00.000-04:002004-10-13T13:51:07.506-04:00

The new Viral + Buzz Marketing Association has put out a manifesto outlining what I think is a pretty good (albeit somewhat arrogant) definition of viral marketing and general tactics and strategies viral marketers should utilize. Here's a snippet: We believe that network-enhanced word of mouth has a critical role to play in the future of integrated marketing communications. Marketers need to

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1097681994761100562004-10-13T11:26:00.000-04:002004-10-13T11:42:40.990-04:00

Wired has a story today on the WanderPod, a large, yet portable satellite trailer device that can be set up anywhere to allow people wireless internet access. Applications include traveling events, diaster recovery and military applications, though I bet the U.S. Military already has something quite like this. It's a great idea, and inventor Dennis Stacey said it was just an idea in his head a

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1097615905430634772004-10-12T16:46:00.000-04:002005-04-21T18:03:00.160-04:00

Mark Cuban, the founder of Broadcast.com and now billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks does a cover story interview with the Online Journalism Review.In the interview, Mark talks about how he's using his blog to strike back at people who tick him off. That list includes Donald Trump, members of the NBA and several lucky journalists. Snippet:The media has always known that the power of the

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1097015483632997662004-10-05T18:25:00.001-04:002004-10-06T23:24:31.240-04:00

I think the concept of narrowcasting has a huge future. As the number of information and entertainment outlets increase, we'll see more and more niche players serving up niche content. Think about it this way - the channels are going to desperately need content to fill their programming schedule. At the same time, consumers are going to expect more and more niche programming. Digital cable

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1096658881415714152004-10-01T15:14:00.000-04:002004-10-04T15:58:31.986-04:00

An article from the October edition of FastCompany.com talks about the "Amateur Revolution" taking place. It discusses everything from Rap music, to Linux to astronomy to The Sims all being driven by Pro-Ams, or professional amateurs. Rap started on the street, as an alternative to the music fare of the big labels. Linux is "open source" programming, the true definition of Pro-Am. The Sims

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095888225079028642004-09-22T17:50:00.000-04:002004-09-22T17:28:12.436-04:00

Got six tons to haul? Want to be different from your neighbors down the street? Don't want to compromise on the puny-sized Hummer H2? Got $115,000 to blow? The International Truck CXT Pickup might be for you. It weighs in at a svelte 14,500 pounds and is over 21 feet long. Perfect for those commutes to the grocery and soccer practice. Thankfully, it has a 70 gallon diesel fuel tank, so you

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095883141083457342004-09-22T15:52:00.000-04:002004-09-22T16:00:17.676-04:00

Minnesota's Samuel Tilley got a speeding ticket. He was travelling 205 mph. That's a buck-forty over the speed limit of 65 on U.S. Highway 61. Tilley was feeling a bit of a breeze as he achieved this speed on his Honda 1000 crotch rocket. The ticket will cost Tilley $215, which is about $1.54 per mile per hour over. Dollar for dollar, that's a lot of speed for the money. What a bargain, until

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095806195728270652004-09-21T16:33:00.000-04:002004-09-21T18:45:57.070-04:00

Here is an interesting story about "poker bots," automated computer programs that could be playing against you in an online poker room near you. Snippet from the MSNBC.com story: Widespread use of bots capable of beating your average player would pose a significant problem for the red-hot online poker sector, which has grown exponentially in recent years and is expected to top the $1 billion

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095778873463128642004-09-21T10:53:00.000-04:002004-09-21T11:02:27.860-04:00

Much has been written about the demise of traditional network news. The cable network Fox News beat ratings for not only the other cable nets, but also the "big three/four" network broadcasts during the Republican National Convention. Cable news had never beat out the network news before. Ever. Certainly, this Dan Rather story isn't exactly helping build credibility, respect and viewership for

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095694131328557712004-09-19T23:10:00.000-04:002004-09-21T10:52:52.806-04:00

With the speed and relative low cost at which people can set up blogs, as well as register new URLs, it just makes sense that we're going to start seeing blogs on very specific, narrow topics that are also very timely. Take a blog that went live on Saturday. Rathergate.com discusses the controversy regarding the authenticity of military documents used in Dan Rather's 60 Minutes story from a

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095567322288399402004-09-19T15:06:00.000-04:002005-01-07T13:36:37.236-05:00

Superman and Bic pens have something in common - they both don't mix well with Kryptonite. It seems as though the non-writing end of a Bic pen can be used to open U-Shaped steel bike locks, made by companies such as Kryptonite. Snippet: The U-shaped steel bike locks that cyclists have relied on for years to keep thieves at bay just had a gigantic hole blown through their reputation, as bike

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095444416463917952004-09-17T13:46:00.000-04:002004-09-17T14:07:47.476-04:00

This is a picture of the Google.com "server farm" way back in 1999. Yep, that's all it took to run what is now the most popular search page (and Web site) in the world. See more pictures of the vast computer network, with running commentary at Archive.org. -aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095182136801957232004-09-14T13:55:00.000-04:002004-09-15T21:35:42.283-04:00

So, you've had a beer at Moe's, grabbed a burger at Krusty Burger (the one on Route 401 one block south of LardLad Donuts), and now have to head over to Professor Von Bowser's Sanitorium for Dogs (you know, the one at Center and Oak Grove Streets) to pick up some medicine for Santa's Little Helper. Lost in Simpson's references? Don't be. Two Simpson's fanatics Jerry Lerma & Terry Hogan have

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095105225759224392004-09-13T15:47:00.000-04:002005-01-07T13:37:39.653-05:00

WOW. This is not only an amazing (and very expensive) publicity event, but also an amazing charitable gesture. Snippet from the news story: CHICAGO (AP) - Talk show host Oprah Winfrey celebrated the premiere of her 19th season Monday by surprising each of her 276 audience members with a new car. "We're calling this our wildest dream season, because this year on the Oprah show, no dream is too

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1095102591721317052004-09-13T15:05:00.000-04:002004-09-13T21:25:43.853-04:00

What good is a TiVo if recorded programs are weighed down by significant restrictions preventing consumers from watching saved content? Both ReplayTV and TiVo have agreed to significant replay restrictions on recorded content, thanks to the lawyers in Hollywood. A story in the San Jose Mercury News discusses the agreement. Snippet: The makers of TiVo and ReplayTV digital video recorders have

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1094699895476702352004-09-08T23:11:00.000-04:002004-09-08T23:21:56.280-04:00

I was in a McDonald's in Pittsburgh over the weekend and noticed that, behind the counter over next to the drive-thru window was a television monitor showing the approach to the drive-thru lane and menuboard. Cool, I thought. I guess that they can look at that and see if they're about to be busy with cars lining up. Little did I realize that the camera and monitor are part of a much more

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1094015554872003112004-09-01T00:42:00.000-04:002004-09-01T16:54:15.440-04:00

General Mills, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to be "globally politically correct" and not include Paul Hamm, the first American to win the men's all-around Olympic gold medal for gymnastics, on its series of U.S. Olympic champion Wheaties cereal boxes. Bad PR move. Very bad. Snippet of the Reuters story: General Mills Inc, the maker of Wheaties cereal, announced on Monday three U.S.

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1093895691062014362004-08-30T15:48:00.000-04:002004-08-30T16:00:25.793-04:00

As blogs continue to get more mainstream, they're being compared more and more to message boards, an information structure that's celebrating its 25th year of existence. Lee Lefever discusses the difference in a very informative article and equally informative table at CommonCraft.com. There's also some discussion of the article and topic at PR Opinions and Media Guerrilla. -aB

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495399.post-1093891848061615772004-08-30T14:43:00.000-04:002004-08-30T14:56:19.616-04:00

Thirty-five years ago this week, several UCLA grad students hooked up two computers in a small data network that would ultimately become the Internet. Snippet: Thirty-five years after computer scientists at UCLA linked two bulky computers using a 15-foot gray cable, testing a new way for exchanging data over networks, what would ultimately become the Internet remains a work in progress. Stephen

Gumphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449530242995098121noreply@blogger.com0