YouTube, blogger’s best friend

April 18, 2006


Well, I guess anything is possible if you dream big enough.

Oh, of course, you’ll need a computer, a copy of RBI Baseball, and one of the most notoriously remembered games in baseball history.

Is there anything cooler than a recreation of the fateful 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, as performed by RBI Baseball? Probably not. At least, not to Conor Lastowka, who created the video and posted it at YouTube.

I first heard about this on Deadspin, gave it a cursory glance, then logged it into the back of my mind to eventually be pushed out by an Avera McKennan ad. Deadspin brought it back, though, thanks to an article on Yahoo Sports about Lastowka. It chronicles the bottom of the 10th inning, right down to the fateful error by Buckner.

It’s awesome. It’s brilliant. And get this: the guy got a job because of it.

Lastowka talks about it on this blog – San Diego Serenade.

Check out the video:

You’ll be amazed, especially when you think about how long it took to get the audio (yes, that’s the real Vin Scully broadcast playing) synced up with the game, and how long it would take to get the exact plays, hits, etc. Just thinking about the Bill Buckner error makes it seem too difficult.

The things people will do for $25,000, eh?

This may set up a new type of post – the “Awesome thing I found on YouTube” post. I’ve never been so intrigued by the Internet.

In fact, over the next two days, I’ll post two more awesome videos.

Be warned, YouTube can be addicting.

Tags: Random YouTube |

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On loyalty

April 17, 2006


I’ve been thinking a lot about loyalty, lately. Loyalty in the way of brands. Of consumerism. But also loyalty in the way of time and effort in an occupation. More specifically – what loyalty means to me, and why I return loyalty whenever I can.

In any competitive market, loyalty is paramount to anything else in maintaining and building a healthy relationship. And by competitive market, I don’t just mean business and retail. I’m talking about relationships. I’m talking about media – sports, music, television.

In a relationship, loyalty is what keeps things easy – it helps build trust, affection, and a common bond that increasingly grows strong and can weather the small disillusions that come with knowing someone. If loyalty slips in a relationship, there’s more of a chance of the opposite – of more roaming, of seeking and researching other options. The less you care for me, the less I’ll end up caring for you. There’s not enough time. There are too many other people.

Commercially you see the same thing – and there are many people that respond to brand loyalty more than anything else. I consider myself in this group. If a company treats me well, I tend to continue pursuing their company.

Example: I frequent HyVee Liquor and Taylor’s Pantry here in Sioux Falls. Yes, they’re a little more expensive, but I never fail to find what I want, and the people that help me are courteous and knowledgeable. Yes, there are cheaper places in town, but their beer is dusty and they have no selection. I am loyal to the aforementioned stores because they have been loyal to me – they present to me, the customer, exactly what I want.

Radio Shack was not loyal to me, or any of their customers. They, instead, told me what I wanted to hear but never bothered to follow up on it. “Yes,” they said. “We’ll have your Sirius radio car kit in.” There was no mention of the fact that the product was no longer being made. And that the car kit would be impossible to buy without getting it on eBay for twice the original price. And that they would be getting a car kit for a newer model, and that I could return everything and get the newer model, but they wouldn’t be willing to pay for the $50.00 transfer fee to move my subscription to a different receiver.

And that another place in town actually carried a product that would fit.

Considering the lack of loyalty they had in me, their customer, I therefore developed a lack of loyalty for them. I visit Radio Shack only when they offer something that no one else offers – usually some obscure piece of audio equipment. Why would I shop there – they gave me no reason to believe they even wanted my business anymore.

If a sports team shows loyalty to their fans – by putting together a product worth watching, either with a team that wins or with players that entertain – they will create fans that buy tickets, merchandise, and concessions. Media outlets need to cater to their viewers, or those viewers will stop watching.

Employers need to cater to their employees. Or those employees will stop showing their loyalty. There’s a lot to this, but the basic premise is that if you show your appreciation for your employees, you’re much more likely to keep those employees. Believe it or not, most businesses need to recruit employees in the same way that retail stores recruit customers. It’s a two way street – sure, you’re getting paid, but they’re gaining your manpower, your skills and efforts.

I’ll never understand, therefore, how a company that rests so much on its employees can treat them without any respect. Without recognition, without loyalty. That’s not good business. Not at all. You hear about companies that treat their employees like shit – those are the companies that make big bucks, but don’t reciprocate. Sure, there’s a lot to be said about the power an executive has in creating revenue, but if you’re not filtering that revenue down to the people that do the grunt work for you, you’re going to find your quality lacks.

You’re going to lose any loyalty they ever had, and when a better job comes along, they’re going to jump at it.

You treat your employees with respect, and they’ll stick around. Even through better job offers and higher pay, you’ll find that, for the most part, they’ll stick with you. Because you stuck with them. Because you gave them a chance, and you refused to treat them without respect.

Loyalty goes a long way. It’s a strength that every company tries to exploit. But you need a reason to produce it. Loyalty doesn’t just come along because your products cheap. It’s easily snatched away if you don’t try hard enough.

But when you do, it’s there to stay.

Tags: Advertising and Marketing, On... |

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Random Links 04.16.06

April 16, 2006


Happy Easter weekend, everybody!

My grandmother is in town, so I’ve actually got an excuse for not posting much. However, I wanted to bring back a little random link action until I’m (finally) back on full blogging duties.

——-

First, what happens when you put 10 scientists together? Quizzes!

Think you know you know your science? Recently, several science gurus — Nobel Prize winners, institute heads, teachers and others who spend most of their time thinking about science — were asked, “What is one science question every high school graduate should be able to answer?”

Take their quiz and see how you do.

No comment on how I did with my High School Teaching degree.

——-

It’s Easter weekend, and that means bunnies.

I’m bringing back an old link becausae, well, it’s just so awesome I can’t handle it.

Famous movies in 30 seconds. With bunnies.

——-

Oh, and while I’m thinking of stuff I got sent at work, check this out – it’s a website that’s devoted to, well, everything: LiLEKS.

I haven’t really perused it much yet, but it’s really undescribable. You’ve got old matchbooks, you’ve got 50s and 60s cookbooks — everything, really. It’s kitch with an awesome commentary. I’ve only really had a chance to check out the “horrible cookbook” section, as well as the “The Institute of Regrettable Food.” I’ve bookmarked it, and I’m going to get around to it. I’ll probably end up quoting it daily.

It seems pretty damned clever, and I’ve always been a sucker for clever.

——-

Finally, Money Magazine’s list of the50 best jobs came out. Good news for me – “Writer” (which officially contains “advertising writer,” so I’m a literary wonder, in Money’s eyes) is listed as the #25th best job. Furthermore, my grades didn’t seem too bad:

GRADES: Stress: C / Flexibility: B / Creativity: A / Difficulty: B

Creativity — A! Hooray!

The rankings, I believe, are based a bit on salary, but mostly on a 10-year forecast of expected growth. First place goes to Software Engineers, followed by College Professors and Financial Advisor.

Last place (of the 166 jobs they ranked) was being a Semiconductor Processor. That’s just a little worse than being a Fire Inspector or Investigator.

Funny, I didn’t see Call Center Manager on there at all. I guess it would be considered an Office Manager — ranked lower than Embalmer, for the record.

The list around me:

Ranking, Field, projected growth.

20 — Public relations specialist — 22.61%
21 — Sales manager — 19.67%
22 — Optometrist — 19.73%
23 — Property manager — 15.30%
24 — Actuary — 23.16%
25 — Writer — 17.72%
26 — Social service manager — 25.52%
27 — Paralegal — 29.75%
28 — Health services manager — 22.76%
29 — Advertising sales agent — 16.33%
30 — Physician/Surgeon — 23.98%

Go see where you’re ranked. It’s kind of fun.

——-

Anyway. Have a happy Easter, and enjoy your Easter ham.

Easter Bunny!
Thanks to The Internet and Google Images for this awesome picture, by the way.

Tags: Random Links |

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A grand arrival

April 14, 2006


For all that I’ve talked about my grandfather over the past four months, with all of the concerns, the saying goodbyes, the death and subsequent celebration, I’ve kept quiet about my grandmother. My grandmother, who stood by my grandfather in everything he did. Who supported him when he learned he had cancer, kept him going throughout treatments, and agonized with him as he slowly slipped away. Who at times is very lonely, and at others is still loving life and all it has to offer.

My grandmother is unlike any other. And she’s here in Sioux Falls for the first time since Kerrie and I married. Before that it had been five years. This is something that doesn’t happen often, obviously. So her showing up is cause for celebration.

I always remember my grandmother as being the nicest person I ever knew. And that hasn’t changed. She’s the most caring, sweet person I’ve ever met. I’ve met a lot of grandmothers in my life and, sounding a little biased I’m sure, she’s got to be one of a kind. She has a youthful disposition. She has a keen fashion sense. She’s awesome.

But she’s not just a little old lady with great candy – she’s a sarcastic opinionated spitfire. She is incredibly polite, but she has her viewpoints. And there’s nothing better than hearing my grandmother let loose with a complaint.

Where I would work towards pride and acceptance with my grandfather, I never had to work for anything with my grandmother. She always had pride and acceptance for me. She never had a negative word to say.

I spent nearly at least a little part of the summer for almost a decade with my grandparents in Jackson, Wyoming. I learned my history – the history of my grandmother’s side of the family, the side that helped build Jackson and settled the entire valley – and I learned the value of hard work. A little came from my grandmother. A little came from my grandfather. Both of them together taught me a lot that I never would have learned by staying in Sioux Falls.

So, with that, I welcome my grandmother to Sioux Falls. She used to live here, for a short amount of time – in fact, my mother and father met here nearly 30 years ago. And now, she’s back for a short stint. She doesn’t leave the valley often, but we’re happy to have her regardless.

Welcome (back) to Sioux Falls, Reva Dell.

Tags: Grandpa Boyer |

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Glaucoma as beauty

April 12, 2006


With my time stretched currently, thanks to the new job, the new lawn work and my grandmother’s impending visit, I wanted to at least get something out here that says, “Yes, my fellow readers, I’m still here.”

So while most of you who are close friends have received this website, I figured I’d better release it to the public.

What is it? It’s the Association Of International Glaucoma Societies (AIGS) website. I believe this was created to highlight the World Glaucoma Conference 2007, but all it’s really done is create a welcome diversion in my life.

The website is terrible in nearly every aspect of terribleness. The colors are awkward. The bouncing heads in the corner are distracting and incredibly unnecessary. And the blinking eye at the bottom of the sidebar is creepy. In other words, the site is awesome.

The headliner in awesomeness, however, is the Glaucoma Hymn — a download-able file that praises glaucoma. Or it praises glaucoma’s cure. I’m not sure which one. The lyrics seem heartfelt, though:

Glaucoma, Glaucoma, Glaucoma
Constricting vision slowly
Halted by progress of science
Vision of a world united
Beyond all science knowing

Beautiful.

As Kerrie said — the crazy thing is that someone got paid to do this.

Tags: Random Links |

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Steinbeck on Random: 4.7.06

April 9, 2006


Every couple of weeks I’ll be delving into the robot I affectionately call Steinbeck. I will shuffle the songs and discuss, shortly, the first ten songs that pop up.

Thanks to Scott Hudson for planting the seed by showing his iPod playlist screenshots every few weeks last year, and thanks to Eric for showing how cool it is. Oh, and thanks to Steinbeck. My best electronic friend.

So, as promised, let’s get started.

- - - - - -

1. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” – Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

The first song off of the first Wilco album I ever owned. Coincidentally, this song owns, and it set the stage for my off-again, mostly on-again love affair with Wilco. On-again with their albums, off-again with their concerts: Wilco was extremely sub par when they played the Pavilion here in Sioux Falls.

2. “What You Want” (live) – The Roots
The Roots Come Alive

Sometimes all of The Roots’ songs sound the same, but this one I recognize. It features Jaguar, whoever that is. It’s one of my favorites, especially live since The Roots is a live band first, an album act second.

3. “Arms and Dangers” – The Promise Ring
Very Emergency

Ah yes, the nearly too-poppy follow up to The Promise Ring’s best album, Nothing Feels Good. They went over and above the great sound they had perfected, so the saccharine seemed a little too thick. Still, there are some very good songs – this is one of them. I love the first line: “I was born in 1968, born to replace Bobby Kennedy.”

4. “’Comes A Time” (live) – Ani Difranco
So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter

This is one of the reasons that putting an entire artist’s discography on an iPod has its downfalls – you end up with 15 second long intro tracks to live concerts. This is from Ani’s So Much Shouting… double disk and is a short snippet of some of Utah Phillips’ spoken word. It’s just something to get the crowd fired up, I’m sure, and it does; the attendees, about 80% of whom are females, start shrieking as soon as the track starts.

The short track phenomenon shows up a lot on hip hop albums as well. I’m sure this isn’t the last you’ll see.

5. “Cadence” – Boy Sets Fire
The Day The Sun Went Out

Haha. Boy Sets Fire. I loved this album. A lot. If I would have done a “Top-100 CDs of my first year of college” list, it would be in the top-10. Unfortunately it aged very poorly. Their lame 15 minute politipunk speeches during their shows and subsequent womanizing afterwards kind of undermined their entire gimmick. Whoops. Of course, according to this song, they’d “rather starve than lose your acceptance.” Whatever.

6. “I Shall Be Released” – Bob Dylan
The Essential Bob Dylan

I have no idea about this song.

Some songs, especially those from all of my The Essential “greatest hits” collections, are completely unknown to me. It’s not unusually to hear a Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or Willie Nelson song that I’ve never heard before in my life. This is one of those songs.

Still, it seems good. I guess it’s Dylan, so it IS good.

7. “Alice Childress” (live) – Ben Folds Five
Naked Baby Photos

Another live song. I never knew this CD was even coming out until I saw it at Best Buy. That’s when I knew I was becoming out of touch with music. Even now I’m a full year-behind all of the trends.

Speaking of which, have you heard this band called The White Stripes? They’re pretty good.

8. “Fireman” – Jawbreaker
Dear You

Because we all know how awesome Blake Schwarzenbach is at writing lyrics, I’m never going to comment on Jawbreaker or Jets To Brazil songs. I’m just going to let you read some lyrics.

“Dreamed I was a tidal wave/I ravaged your coast there were no survivors/Dreamed I was your landlord/I showed you place when you had lovers/If I was a vampire, I wouldn’t suck your blood/Then I dreamed I was you/Sweetest dream I have had.”

9. “California” – Rufus Wainwright
Poses

We saw Rufus Wainwright open for Tori Amos when we still lived in Minnesota. He’s the type of guy that I would never actively go out and listen to, but whenever he shows up on Steinbeck’s screen I end up turning it up.

This song is a perfect example of it. And there’s a Bea Arthur name-drop, so that’s always killer.

10. “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” – Wolf Parade
Apologies to the Queen Mary

Thanks to Dave Stadley for Wolf Parade, a pet project of Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. He produced this, and you can hear the influence at times.

Of course, I’ve rediscovered so much music since getting the iPod that I haven’t really fully soaked in a lot of the bands that I’ll eventually end up loving. Wolf Parade is one of them. I like all the songs I hear from them, but I couldn’t even pick one out of a crowd. It’s pretty sad, actually – just another consequence of the American Way; we want everything, right now, and now I’m suffering from overload.

Tags: Music, Steinbeck on Random |

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What I’ve Been Reading — March 2006

April 8, 2006


Well, as I said before, it’s been busy. So I’m finally posting this — a full week after my intended post date. My Prime column was cut in half for this article, so you’re seeing an exclusive and full column here at BMOWP. All four finished books are touched upon, though it still centers on the two best.

So, with that…

- - - - -

Other ElectricitiesThe White Indian BoyEverything is IlluminatedHard Laughter

Books bought/checked out:
Other Electricities – Ander Monson (checked out)
Lives of a Cell – Lewis Thomas (checked out)
The Accidental – Ali Smith (checked out)
Gilead – Marilynne Robinson

Books Read:
Everything is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer
The White Indian Boy – “Uncle Nick” Elijah Wilson
Hard Laughter – Anne Lamott
Martin Luther: A Life – James Nestingen (unfinished)
Other Electricities – Ander Monson

Sometimes choosing a book can be very difficult.

Often in my personal experience I’ve given myself great strain by trying to decide the next book to read. Usually it’s not as easy as just grabbing the next book on my pile – I need some sort of natural progression from book to book.

This month was different. For once I had an easy time with my weird “stream of consciousness” way of selecting my reading. I wandered all over my bookshelves, reading books that seem to have been picked by random. Two of them, however, really stood out – the first book I read, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, and the last book I read, Ander Monson’s Other Electricities

The path between the Everything is Illuminated and Other Electricities varied wildly. I began the month with Foer because I felt I’d better read it before I get a long awaited paperback copy of his most recent book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It was, however, much harder than that – I had a whole slew of books to go through, and I really didn’t know where to start; do I finally get around to reading some Lewis Thomas? Should I attempt Edward Rutherfurd’s London? Would I have a theme on my hands if I read Mark Kurlansky’s Salt and Cod, followed by Robert Sullivan’s Rats, and Roy Moxham’s Tea?

Of course, once I started Everything is Illuminated I didn’t have to worry about what I’d read next. I was in the “now,” as those crazy kids say these days, and I was going to enjoy this book. I knew I liked Foer: I’ve already talked about his The Unabridged Pocketbook of Lightning, a Pocket Penguin selection from the U.K. Illuminated followed the same vein of quirky, yet beautiful prose. I loved the premise of it: a young man in search of the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during World War II corresponds with a translator he met during the search. The protagonist, similarly named J. S. Foer, writes and sends a seemingly fictional and semi-philosophical history of his grandfather’s family tree to Alexander, the translator. Alexander then critiques the history and sends back his own work: an account of Foer’s search.

The interplay between Alexander and Foer makes the book work. Alexander has a wonderful vocabulary – a broken English that employs the overuse of a thesaurus – and his narrative brings as many laughs from the hyperbole that his words create (nobody works, they all toil; eating is known as masticating.)

There is a feeling when one reads Foer that every single word is heavily symbolic, to a point where there becomes a hidden story even when there shouldn’t be one. Foer seems to question art, writing, religion, the concept of time, family, and community. He crafts wild and seemingly simple stories that end up as parables or moralistic pictures. The relationship between Alex and Jonathan grows by leaps each letter, and you can see Alex’s grammar and thoughts become more and more clear as he learns about himself.

There’s a point about halfway through the book in which everything clicks – where you start to understand the nature of the stories, the relationship between Alex and Foer’s correspondence, and the overall object of the book. And yet, it’s nearly indescribable. So go read it – you won’t be disappointed.

I wasn’t. In fact, that one book led me on a winding path through my library. From Everything is Illuminated’s inexhaustible supply of great-grandfather stories, I went to the story of my great-great-great grandfather – “Uncle Nick” Elijah Wilson – and his book The White Indian Boy. Connecting my family with my late grandfather’s cancer took me to Anne Lamott’s Hard Laughter (which included mention of Lewis Thomas’ Lives of a Cell). I went to the library to pick up Lives of a Cell and noticed I had two books on hold: Ali Smith’s The Accidental (for next month) and Ander Monson’s Other Electricities. See? Natural progression.

I would be remiss to not mention Hard Laughter, quickly, because it was good. It was the third best book I read this month, if you want to play around with rankings, but it’s a book that could have been a favorite during a slower month.

While Illuminated and Electricities were narratives, for the most part, Hard Laughter was driven by conversation – playful banter that seemed unbelievable until the characters were filled out. It was filled with emotion, as well, with the story of a brilliant writer and caring father ending up with a small brain tumor. Even as a reader, I held my breath every time a diagnosis was made and every time a symptom showed up. Hard Laughter also proved to me that the family that drinks together, loves together.

Or something like that.

And as long as I’m talking about the other books, I enjoyed The White Indian Boy. Mainly because it instilled a sense of pride in my family and filled me with the feelings I have whenever I’m in Jackson, Wyoming: my family settled this, and the tourists should get the hell out.

The White Indian Boy was written by a man that was barely educated. Wilson was a man that ran away with the Shoshone tribe at a young age, learned more about himself and “real” life than he would have in any school, and went on to ride the Pony Express, forge the trail known now as the Teton Pass, and settle a town that was named after him – Wilson, Wyoming, a “suburb” of Jackson.

The White Indian Boy came packaged with The Return of the White Indian, a sequel written by Wilson’s son Charles. The first chapter is about polygamy, as Elijah was an original Mormon, and the rest seemed a little sensational as I skimmed it. My grandfather told me that the sequel was utter crap, and I respect his opinion enough to not bother with reading it.

I first heard of Ander Monson through the LitBlog Co-Op’s “Read These Books or Die” Winter 2005/6 campaign and was extremely interested in its use of indexes. I was intrigued enough to request it from our local library, and to my surprise they purchased a copy and put my name at the top of the list.

Mr. Monson, you can send me a thank you anytime.

Really, Other Electricities is like no other book I’ve ever read. It’s not quite a novel, but it’s also not quite a short story collection. It’s somewhere in between – a group of essays and short stories that all interplay with each other; all create another piece of a grand novel. It’s a series that is bound by one theme – the lives of a small town shortly before and shortly after the death of a girl. Her accident – she and her prom date were drown in a frozen lake after they attempted to drive on – binds every character together to the point where each story, regardless of the protagonist, is ultimately connected.

The resemblances to the movie Fargo and the television series Twin Peaks are evident. And while Other Electricities may not have been inspired by Laura Palmer or Marge Gunderson, there are a lot of similarities in their worlds. In fact, the episodic nature of Monson’s overall story cries out for the comparisons. Much like Twin Peaks was a collection of odd characters whose lives intertwined; each of these stories overlaps and peeks into the life of this town in the years leading up to and following the death. The setting is Coen Brothers, but the town could have been created by David Lynch.

Don’t think that this is a simple knock-off, though. Monson creates a complex town that’s filled with failed dreams and eccentric people – the group of bored and rutted kids that nearly always drinks too much, gets themselves stuck in the middle of a frozen lake, and commits murder. It’s cold, and the town has adapted to it. There’s mystery in the air, not to mention a vast array of disappointment.

The variety in the style and length of each story in Other Electricities helps create a mosaic of voices and lifestyles; each character brings a new revelation about their small town, about death, and about growing up as a teenager in the middle of domestic tundra. Everyone gets their say.

The layout of the book is wonderful. Monson charts out every character and connects each in a web, then gives an explanation of the themes and characters – both artistically and satirically. An index not only helps reference common ideas but also gives a little insight into the relationship between Liz, the drowned girl, and her prom date – a relationship that isn’t mentioned directly. You can cross reference to your heart’s content.

It’s amazing to think of these stories on their own – they’re all very good, but as a whole there are ideas and themes that aren’t even mentioned; are simply implied by the connections between stories. I’ve never felt so cold, and I’ve never desired to go wandering through a small town, around a lake, and into the city center during a vicious snowstorm as much as I did after reading Other Electricities.

Other Electricities, combined with the dual narrative and multiple storylines of Everything is Illuminated, brought a feeling of astonishing productivity this month in my reading. I feel as if I read 10 books instead of five.

Now, if only I could be that productive in other parts of my life.

Tags: Books, Literature, What I've Been Reading |

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