smays.com

Flanders Road, 7am.

I never tire of this view.

XXL

I remember a college professor explaining that it's difficult to write a novel... very hard to write a short story... and damned hard to write poetry. And I guess some would say good haiku is as tough as it gets. I say the ultimate challenge is the Tshirt. Unfortunately, most of my greatest ideas for Tshirts came to me when I was shit-faced and are now lost forever. But in the spirit of this journal, I'm going to start writing some of this down.

Neighbor Search.

"...find out who your friends and neighbors are supporting." This is a little spooky.

This theater temporarily closed.

If I were Dick Cheney, I'd explore two options for dealing with Michael Moore's movie, Fahrenheit 9/11. First, try to find a working time machine and send a Terminator back to 2000 and erase Michael Moore before he makes the documentary. That poses some real technical challenges, so Plan B would be to place armed National Guard troops at the entrance of every theater trying to show the movie. Close 'em down. I really think this option poses less risk to George Bush's re-election than letting people see Fahrenheit 9/11.

Whatever your politics, this is a powerful film. Some have said it won't change anyone's mind about George Bush. The people that love him will love him (and vote for him) in November. Those that think he's a dangerous moron surrounded by evil, greedy men...will still think so after seeing this movie.

But don't you think that Dick Cheney and Carl Rove got an early copy and screened it there in the White House? Sure, they might have dismissed it as liberal propaganda. Or maybe Rove turned to Cheney and asked, "Did you ever see the Terminator movies?"

PS: If you've never read Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, it's a classic.

I've been thinking about tattoos

About where people put them...and where they don't. I've started noticing them at the place I work out. Guys with big biceps go for some ink there to draw the eye. And the calf seems to be popular for the nerdier types. The women are a bit more cautious. Just below the sock line. The shoulder blade. And in the back, just below the (name of garment goes here) line.

Now, I'm not a tattoo kind of guy. If I'm gonna risk HIV or hepatitis, I want to get it from a co-ed, not a needle. But why conceal the "body art?" I mean, if you have the balls to get the thing, put it out there where the world can see it. Don't be a pussy. Commit.

Horn Tooting.

Warning: Self-serving shop talk follows. The Radio-Television News Directors Association announced the winners in their annual Edward R. Murrow Awards competition today. This is kind of a big deal in the radio and TV news business. This year they started out with 3,182 entries and gave 74 awards to 53 news organization. The regional winners were announced a few weeks ago and today they announced the national winners. And one of our network websites won.

Entries fall into one of three categories (Network/Syndication Service, Large Market and Small Market) for radio and the same three for TV. And this year they added a category called Websiste Non-Broadcast.

Our entry (Missourinet.com) won in the Radio Network/Syndication Service category. Pretty cool given that the competition was ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, CNN and god only knows who else. You gotta figure there's some "online journalists" in NY and Atlanta scratching their heads and asking each other, "What the hell is a Missourinet? Somebody get a map!"

For some reason the RTNDA website provide the urls of the Website winners but didn't create links. That seems a little clueless to me.

*Radio Network/Syndication Service: Missourinet, Jefferson City, MO
*Television Network/Syndication Service: MSNBC

*Television Large-Market: News 14 Carolina, Charlotte, NC
*Television Small-Market: Capital News 9, Albany, NY
*Radio Large-Market: KSL-AM, Salt Lake City
*Radio Small-Market: WBLL-AM, Bellefontaine, OH
*Website Non-Broadcast: Washington Post, Washington; Belo Interactive, Dallas

I'll probably never know what they judges liked about our site. And let's face it, those big national network websites have some cool features our site does not. But I can name a few things we've got that are unique or cool or both:

Crash Reports: Missouri State Highway Patrol accident reports, updated 24/7.
Legislature.com: Live debate audio from the state legislature. Then we archive. We've got it back to 2002.

Supreme Court Arguments: Oral agurments (live & archived). I think we have nearly 500 arguments online.
Missouri Death Row: Ours has become the "official" site for Missouri.

Last time I checked, there were no other websites featuring this content. On the planet. At least not the way we do. Of course, there's a lot we can do to improve our site but, for now, it's nice to know someone appreciates the effort. The big award show is October 4th in NY. Gomer Goes to Manhatten in a Rented Tux.

Reno 911.

NPR has a great review (about 3 min) by Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter. The show is really catching on in this second season.

Making it fun

Every six months I haul my butt down to Cape Girardeau (4 hour drive) where my old friend --and college roommate-- Bobby Fox is a dentist. (Actually, he's a dentist where ever he is, but you know what I mean.) He and his staff are under the impression they can make a visit to the dentist fun. You gotta love 'em for trying.

Lunch with Bass

He ordered a new camera this morning so I had to show him mine. Even with a mouth-full of sub, he tried to rise to the occasion.

"There is nothing between me

"There is nothing between me and death, but luck and sex and coincidence." -- Hidden Prey by John Sandford.

Success has many parents but

Success has many parents but failure is an orphan. Author unknown.

Coming Attractions.

Doesn't look like Fahrenheit 9/11 will be showing here in Jefferson City (John Ashcroft country)...but I'll be heading up to Columbia (Forum 8)to see it (Friday, June 25). Sounds like the Republicans are going to a lot of trouble to keep this out of theaters.

What are you reading?

Reading: Hidden Prey

Re-Read: Mind Prey
About to Re-Read: Thank You for Smoking
Waiting to Read: Google: The Missing Manual

I hope I always have an answer.

serif vs. sans serif.

I guess people think I just make this shit up.

Manure=horseshit.

I was a big fan of Sex and the City and couldn't imagine how they were going to air it on TBS without butchering it with bleeps. It won't be the same show I watched every Sunday night but the producers were preparing for syndication from the very first episode. This report on NPR explains. I understand that the producers count on syndication to fund the great writing and acting. But I'll bet the people who would be offended by the adult language and nudity of the HBO version will be equally offended by the sanitized version on TBS. I'm going to do my best to not watch. The NPR piece is a good peek behind the scenes.

How can Google grow?

Philip Greenspun predicts "...while Microsoft is trying to replace Google with MSN Search, Google will be trying to replace Microsoft Office with Google Web-based Office." I like this idea and have no doubt it would meet my needs.

Road Trip!

Tim O'Reilly on making money: "...we believe that the core of our business is to transfer knowledge from people who have it to people who need it. Yes, we are in business to make money, but this is a kind of housekeeping, not the purpose of the business.

I like to compare business (or life for that matter) to an extended road trip. Say you want to travel America by the back roads. You need gas for your car, food and water for your body. Especially before heading across Death Valley or the Utah salt flats, you'd better be darn sure that you have enough gas in your tank. But you certainly don't think of your trip as a tour of gas stations! What's the real purpose behind what you do?"

Time.com on blogs.

"...blogs have gone from an obscure and, frankly, somewhat nerdy fad to a genuine alternative to mainstream news outlets, a shadow media empire that is rivaling networks and newspapers in power and influence." Link

She's 160?

The Jeffasaurus did the math on "the last confederate widow" and came to the same conclusion I did, but expresses it so much better. [Dead blog]

Everything is satisfactual

I took the three photos above from my car window this morning, within the space of about 90 seconds. Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder. You'll find larger, uncropped versions here.

Send help!

I want to believe this is true: "NOUS SOMMES DESOLES QUE NOTRE PRESIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N'AVONS PAS VOTE POUR LUI." [via Seth Godin]

What, me worry?

From by brother, who lives in Indonesia: Just put the boys on a plane to camp. First time by themselves, but as they are veteran travellers, I have full confidence. However, domestic air travel in Asia is always an act of faith. No one takes security seriously in this country, but the plane would be out of fuel before it got to the US, so not a very good "weapon". Is that a great attitude, or what?

Phonecam art.

I really don't need to talk to anybody but would love to instantly post images. If your phone takes pix, check this out.

Invoke this.

"You know that memo that Ashcroft refuses to release, without invoking executive privilege or any other legal justification? (As Jon Stewart said in commenting on this, "Dude, you have to invoke something!") NPR has published it as a 2.7MB PDF file." [Links at JOHO]

Where will you spend eternity?

Watched people standing in line for hours to view the flag draped casket of Ronald Regan. I understand the desire to pay their respects to the man and his family but I'd have to find another way. I've never "visited" the graves of my parents because I've never thought of them being there. Gravesite maintenance was a big deal on my mother's side of the family. Flowers, upkeep, etc. God only knows where souls go but they're not under those big stones. Many years ago I did the necessary paperwork to donate my remains to the MU medical school. My goal is to get the bod in really good shape and be the best cadaver in the room. Tick tock.

Not you.

Emails from our company's Careers page come to me. Got one this week that read, "Are you hiring?" That's either pathetic or beautiful in its simplicity. Okay, it's pathetic.

Better and better.

New TiVo technology, which will become a standard feature in its video recorders, will allow users to download movies and music from the Internet to the hard drive on their video recorder. Although the current TiVo service allows users to watch broadcast, cable or satellite programs at any time, the new technology will make it possible for them to mix content from the Internet with those programs. NY Times story (subscription required)

Broadband Generation.

18 to 34 year-olds with broadband spend 52 percent more time online compared to their dial-up counterparts. Link.

Whoosh!

That sound you just heard was a meteor the size of Nova Scotia missing the Earth by about 5 miles. Today at a company-wide meeting (webcast on our intranet), our president and CEO announced that he had sold 40% of the company to four of our senior managers. This after turning down a gazillion dollars from a Big National Media Company. Two of the four have been with our company 20 years and they're all good, smart guys that I --for one-- like working with and for. Had The Big Guy sold the farm, I'd be lugging a cardboard box of desk toys up to my room and wondering what I'd be doing tomorrow. Long-time readers have heard me gush about Learfield Communications and --after 20 years-- I'm hardly objective. I finished off my tub of Kool Aide a long time ago. And anything can happen down the road but, for now, I'm more convinced than ever that I work for one of the best companies in America.

Snapshots.

Andy and Kory went off to Mexico a couple of weeks ago to get married and followed up with a very nice reception this past weekend in St. Louis. Andy is a happy man. ... Last year I took this photo of the road leading into our little valley. A new home has destroyed the view forever. Alas. ... We're not far (as the crow flies) from the Missouri River and we are sometimes rewarded with this early monring view as we leave for work.

Radio in 2019.

This Forbes.com article asks the question: What will radio look and sound like in 15 years?

You had to be there.

Bob Silvey (from Farmington, Missouri) parachuted into German-held France a couple of days before the D-Day invasion to perform reconnaissance. One of our reporters interviewed him and pulled a couple of short clips for a story. I really love that the Web now makes it possible to share the full interview (20 min). I don't know if this is news or oral history or what, but it's nice to hear Bob's story in his own words.

No place like it.

These images don't really capture how nice it was this afternoon. The yard guys (I have not mowed a yard in 25 years!)had come and gone and me and the pups walked the grounds, front and back.

Twenty to Life.

This Friday, June 4th, will be my 20th anniversary of working for Learfield Communications. I was going to wait until Friday before posting a few thoughts but you never know what's going to happen. I have to say I'm having more fun now than at any time since joining the company. I like most of the people I work with enough to endure the few I don't. As I searched for some fitting metaphor or symbol for the past two decades, I spotted my Wright Arch-Preservers on the closet shelf. I bought them sometime during my first week or so with the company on the recommendation of Jim Lipsey. I paid more than a hundred bucks for them in 1984. I didn't know you could pay that much for a pair of shoes. Jim assured me they would last a long time.

Ten or twelve years ago I went back to the store where I purchased the shoes. They carried the same line but even from across the room you could see the quality and workmanship was no longer there. If I had to guess I say the shoe company was more profitable than ever.

I don't wear that pair of shoes much anymore because I don't have to wear a suit much anymore. I've re-soled them countless times. They are not really fashionable any longer and look a little worn up close but I can't bring myself to toss them. The days of buying shoes you keep and wear for 20 years are probably long gone.