Tag: Duane Jones
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Was she the first to say it?
I’m rereading Pat Foster’s book on the Nash Metropolitan, written in 1996. The book prominently features an interview with Evelyn Ay, Miss America in 1954. She was the official ambassador for the Ambassador and the official revealer of the Metropolitan. From my previous item on the subject: Transcribing the corporate part: The relationship with Nash…
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Carver cures journalism
The local “newspaper” lost me a long time ago. When I moved here in 1990 I was accustomed to competent city governments, generally friendly people, and newspapers worth reading. I found the opposite of all three. The newspaper devoted tremendous energy to insulting the people, telling us that we were shit. This year the Cowles…
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Not convinced it’s better
After one week with this new Win 11 computer, I’ve managed to work around SOME of the stupid shit, but it’s still a worse machine in every way than the old Win 7 computer. Every program starts slower, runs slower, and places more obstacles in my path. Linux is not the answer. My most important…
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Start with quality.
Last week I wrote up a contest between the first coast-to-coast airmail flight and a group of Essex cars. The cars won. Hudson touted the event in a 1922 pamphlet which omits the airmail comparison entirely. By this account the project was originated by the Post Office in an attempt to widen the range of…
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More non-news from “news”
I keep watching to see if any of the powerful institutions have figured out what’s wrong. So far I’m not seeing any understanding here in US. Mexico and Canada have OFFICIALLY figured it out and started doing the right thing, which is the FDR thing. Will we ever get there? I suppose it’s possible. Until…
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Spoiled brats
“Journalists” are worried about Google’s new chatbot. = = = = = START BRAT: The consequences for the internet as we know it will be profound. For news publishers, they have already been profound. Industry executives are quietly sounding the alarm about “Google Zero,” a term popularized by The Verge’s Nilay Patel to describe the…
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Another first/second thought
Since I’m doing first thought/second thought today… Somebody posted that the internet makes fraud easier. First thought: On average it’s not easier. A proper swindle starts with cultivation and ends with disappearance. The net makes disappearing super easy, but makes cultivating a lot harder. Persuasion, for an honest or dishonest purpose, works best face to…
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Didn’t need SEO.
I was singing this song today, and decided to see if it’s available on the web. Sure enough. BC Clark is a brand that doesn’t need a search engine. Everyone in Oklahoma knew their jingle and stored it in our internal playlists forever. The last time I heard it on TV was in 1980. Unsurprisingly,…
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A good result of AI?
I can’t judge if this is true. I’m nowhere near the world of brand influence and SEO. I’m more of an effluencer than an influencer. If this is true, it may be the first GOOD result of AI. The author, a marketer, says that Google’s AI-based search imposes more discipline on companies. They won’t be…
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Why philosophy is fucked
Seen on substack: = = = = = Most people don’t realize how ridiculously hard one needs to think in order to thoroughly grasp certain philosophical problems. It took me well over a decade to really grasp the sorites paradox, for instance. And one often needs more years of investigation to realize the depth of…
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How soon they forget
Newspapers are mad that Google’s new AI has stopped linking to them, because Google links were a main source of subscribers. Before the web, papers didn’t rely on the Yellow Pages to gain subscribers. They CERTAINLY didn’t rely on competing papers! The Bugle didn’t wait for the Gazette to mention it. Newspapers sold their own…
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Antonym
I noticed a package of chocolate S’Mores in the grocery store. What about a S’Less? Spinach Cookies. Artichoke Chips. Limburger burger. Liver Krispies. Blood Pudding. Granola Bars. Oops, some of those aren’t fictional. Old-fashioned “health food” was nothing but S’Lesses. Not the best way to sell a basically good thing.
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More pointless bitching.
Today is pointless bitching day. I’m tired of being ORDERED to listen to all sides. First, it’s futile. People naturally seek encouragement and respect, NOT contempt and disgust. Second, it’s bad business. Persuaders of all sorts know that you can’t keep customers by hammering them with opposition. You have to start with pleasure and improvement.…
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Why businesses should NEVER…
It’s the oldest and most universal rule in selling and business. NEVER NEVER NEVER get into politics unless you’re a politician. NEVER NEVER NEVER get into religion unless you’re a preacher. If you’re selling anything else, cars or food or software, STRICTLY AVOID all political and religious teams. Don’t let anyone even SUSPECT that you’re…
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Maybe interesting?
The Spokane newspaper is turning itself into a nonprofit, operated by a foundation that is basically its editor. For more than a century the Cowles family owned the newspaper, downtown, and the “city” “government”. The nonprofit is supposedly divorced from Cowles. If this article can be believed, the nonprofit is a business, not a charity.…
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