iMac before and after

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Help Desk Eric installed my new iMac (24 inch) yesterday. Getting the iMac at work was one of Life’s Pleasant Little Surprises. Phil (our head IT guy) came me a few weeks ago to let me know I was up for a hardware refresh and gave me the option of an iMac. I almost said no.

Learfield COO Roger Gardner opted for an iMac and that –I suspect– paved the way for me. As far as I know, we’re the only two in the company with a Mac on the desktop.

This is an example of what a great IT department we have a Learfield. Instead of taking a we-only-do-Windows stance, they’re open to trying something new. In my case, it makes a lot of sense, because most of the stuff I do can be done a little easier/better on the Mac than the PC.

I still have Windows XP running (on VMware). This means I have to adapt to sliding back and forth between Windows and OSX. It’s gonna take some getting used to.

The iMac is a magnificent piece of hardware. Feels more like a piece of sculpture than a machine. But we won’t go there.

The Office-Cam is down for now. Maybe for good. I’ve got a PC in the office as well and once we get it back online, I might turn the Office-Cam back on.

I’m looking forward to doing some video chats with those of you who have the capability and interest. Email me and I’ll send my AIM name.

What else… Oh yeah, the new iMac keyboard. I love it. Didn’t think I would be it feels great and works well.

So there you have it. Two operating systems running on one sleek device. Best of both worlds. Stay tuned.

CBS Radio is putting “60 Minutes” on iTunes

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CBS Radio News is making the entire program available as an audio podcast free on iTunes, CBSNews.com and CBS Radio News affiliate websites.  An audio-only version of “60 Minutes” has been offered for radio syndication for years.  And some audio and video segments have been posted online.  But this is the first time the entire weekly show will be downloadable.  Executive producer Jeff Fager says the show is “perfect for this kind of audio podcasting because its relied on “solid storytelling, with or without the pictures.” [Inside Radio]

Las Vegas pix

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Las Vegas

Got back from weekend in Las Vegas, then down to the Lake for an off-site planning retreat. Playing hell with the blogging. Barb’s are sure to be better and I’ll add them when we can find time to coordinate. She’s been busier than I. And, yes, I know I haven’t captioned or titled the flickr images. I’ll get to them eventually.

I also grabbed some video but that’s gonna have to be a weekend project. Gonna try to give the new iMovie another try. Watch this space for big announcement on Friday. I’m all tingly.

Welcome home, Marines

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Just happened to be at the gate (Las Vegas) as a plane-load of U. S. Marines arrived home from Iraq. These guys were mighty glad to be back. I couldn’t help thinking to myself that these guys are acting like they’re home for good. Hope so. As they left the gate area, travelers burst into spontaneous applause. It was moving and –for a few seconds– nobody was thinking about politics.

Text Messaging Championships

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Last December I introduced you to Tyne Morgan, our intern with the amazing touch-texting skills. Now that we have an entire generation of Tynes, it’s only logical there would be a Text Messaging Championship:

“When cued, Participants will place their handsets on a marking on a counter-top area. All handsets will need to be closed. Participants will need to stand with their hands behind their back. The Referee will begin the round by counting down from 3, 2, 1 and announce “Go!” When the Referee says, “Go,” participants will then open their handsets and transcribe the phrase verbatim – no abbreviations, no typos – and send it to the designated referee’s phone.”

“Pivot!! Pivot links Time Warner Cable services u enjoy @ home to ur Sprint wireless phone. w/Pivot home is where ur phone is!”

Some nice prizes, too. [Thanks, Scott]

This American Life: Poker Pros

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“Ira travels to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, gets hooked, and tries to figure out what it would mean if he ditched his job in radio to become a professional card player. What he learns: a professional gambler can suffer two heartbreaking losses back-to-back, costing him over $100,000, and moments later, at the casino bar, calculate the million-to-one odds of his unlikely losses…in his head.”

By all means, go to the This American Life website and listen to the program there. (26 minutes)  As always, this is brilliant story telling, but it’s a must-listen for anyone that ever thought they’d like to play cards for a living.

Email Marketing

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In April of this year, Barb and I attended a performance by Blue Man Group in Columbia, MO. Prior to the show, you could register to win a "trip back stage" by providing your email address. Barb did.

Five minutes after checking into Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday, she received an email from… Blue Man Group, inviting her to come see their show while she’s in town.

I’m guessing they have some sort of arrangement with with all the MGM-owned hotels that allows them to match the email database against guest as they check in. As far as I know, they have not abused Barb’s email address since collecting it. They were waiting to use it in this –or some other equally clever– way.

Multimedia getting big in collegiate sports marketing

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The company I work for has the marketing rights for the Oklahoma Sooners.  Last week the university announced a new new 10-year, $75 million extension of our deal. Here’s the part that caught my attention:

"Sooner Sports Properties (Learfield) will create a broadband channel to run content about Sooners athletics in addition to certain radio and television rights for events not covered under contracts through the Big 12 Conference. It also holds provisions for emerging technology."

If I read the release correctly, multimedia content generated $2.65 million last year. Sounds like a whole new ball game doesn’t it?

Surviving Las Vegas

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Fake waterfalls, fake grass, fake tits. Las Vegas is city of illusions. If Branson is Las Vegas for people who don’t haved teeth… Las Vegas is Branson for people who do. In fairness, Las Vegas is for people who like to gamble and shop. I don’t care for either.

Nice wedding on Friday and a great show on Saturday. Cirque DuSoleil’s "O" is amazing. Beyond description. The O Theater (The Mirage) seats 1,809 and the show has been sold out every night (2 shows) for years. Tickets range from $85-150. Let’s call ’em $100, or $180,000 per show…$360,000 a night. And the show is probably a loss leader to get folks into the casino.

Took some pix and video and will share those when time allows.

Now I’m about to check email for first time since Thursday. This won’t be pretty.


But these days it seems
Nowhere is far enough away
So I’m leaving Las Vegas today