There are just some Wisconsin-related words that people butcher: Chequamegon forest, Lake Butte des Morts, Lac Courte Oreilles tribe and even Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. So our friend and co-worker, Jackie Johnson, decided she was tired of it and wanted to give newcomers, tourists and even natives a resource to find the correct pronunciation. She recently started the Web site MissPronouncer.com, which features recordings of her pronouncing Wisconsin’s 190 cities, 400 villages and 1,260 towns. She also pronounces names of judges, famous Wisconsin people, like Brett Favre, state officials and legislators. [JSOnline]
Living Healthy (27) – Acne
Henry talks about acne this week (Living Healthy Podcast #27) but he started off the podcast with a caution about “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.” There’s a bunch of these (prescription and OTC) and they’re used to reduce pain, fever and inflammation. Arthritis sufferers tend to rely on this group (Motrin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.). Henry points out that last year, more people died from complications associated with these drugs than died of AIDS in the U.S. He says tough it out and take two Tylenol.
XM’s Abrams is blogging
XM Radio “Chief Creative Officer” Lee Abrams is blogging. Today’s post reads like it might have also been an all-staff memo (and not necessarily today’s memo) but, hey, he’s hanging it out there and I hope he keeps it up. Would be fun to get even a tiny peek behind the scenes at XM. Couple of nuggets jumped out at me:
I can’t think of ONE FM station that would be worth taping and playing to the XM Staff. There are some OK ones, but most really are doing nothing especially interesting, compelling or new.
Local radio is dead. It’s irrelevant. For us we should be ALL OVER THE NATIONAL thing. Big ‘n bad ass. Local radio is a quaint relic. BUT—We are NOT taking advantage of this if we aren’t Talking to America.
It’ll be interesting to see if Mr. Abrams groks the “conversation” part of blogging (Turn those comments ON, Lee). He strikes me a a passionate, opinionated guy. Can he listen as well as he writes? We’ll see.
Podcasting a viable medium?
There’s been considerable debate about how iPod/MP3 ownership impacts radio listening. According to Jacobs Media’s Technology Web Poll II (conducted in late February, 2006, among more than 25,000 respondents), iPods are cutting into time spent listening to radio. About one-fifth of iPod/MP3 player owners say they listen mostly or exclusively to these devices. Four in ten now split their listening between iPods and radio, while over one-third primarily listen to the radio. The survey suggests that podcasting is also having an impact. One-fifth (22%) of those who own an iPod or portable MP3 player say they’ve downloaded/listened to a podcast: Of this group, nearly two-thirds (64%) subscribe to at least one podcast, and a majority listens to most or all podcasts that come their way. [via RAIN]
Seems like there’s another report every week and the findings are all over the place. So pick the one you like.
Mark Cuban getting show on Sirius
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is getting his own two-hour weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio. Cuban says he’s “going to cover everything and anything, from sprots to business to technology, movies and entertainment.” This just seems so much more interesting than David Lee Roth or Bob Dylan, for that matter. But not enough to make me switch. One of your Sirius subscribers could aircheck and send me an MP3 file. If you loved me. Wonder what sort of format they’ll use? [Ft. Worth Star-Telegram via RAIN]
Lauren the Intern
I’m pleased to report I’ll have help lifting those digital bales and toting that virtual barge this summer. Say hello to Lauren. She’s completing her junior year at the University of Missouri where she is pursuing a double major in Journalism and Graphic Design (and she’s on the Dean’s List). It would be inaccurate to say I haven’t had help feeding and caring for the 20+ websites for which I’m responsible. Andy and Phil are The Wizard and Glenda the Good Witch of the North (we’re not sure which is which) to my Dorothy. And our reporters generate the good content. But for 10 years I’ve been scurrying around, trying to keep up with the day-to-day stuff and Laruen is arriving just in the nick of time.
Things I like about the Mac OS
In time, I suppose I’ll come to appreciate the the more philosophical (spiritual?) aspects of the Mac invironment. For now, I’m finding delight in small discoveries:
- Font Finder – I weep to think of the wasted hours trying to identify a font. No more.
- Dictionary – If Windows (Not Word) has one, I never found it. Yes, I know I could have installed one.
- Outliner – Just a simple little applet for organizing thoughts. (See Dictionary above)
- Lighted Keyboard – It was dusk and getting difficult to see the keyboard. As I reached for the lamp, the Mac keyboard became backlit. My Thinkpad had a wee light that shone down on the keyboard. Better than nothing, but…
I wonder if the Great Mac Mystique is really nothing more than lots of little “oohs” and “aahs” like these. I’m confident that, in time, I will come to appreciate, if not understand, the the more substantive differences between the two operating systems. For now, I will amaze the people of my village with tales of wonder.
How can I blog you today?
Sounds like my pal Chuck has figured out how to make blogging pay. He has event blogging down cold and I keep thinking I’ll read about more and more people doing this. For now, Chuck is focusing on agrimarketing events but there’s no reason someone couldn’t do this for any event (assuming you have a clue and a willingness to work 18 hour days). Could you get $5k for one of these gigs? And maybe work up to two a month? Shoot, that’s almost a business.
Reduce stress, promote healing
If you only know Henry Domke from smays.com, he’s just my podcasting doctor buddy with whom I goof around each week. His passion for healing is matched by his passion for digital photography and he specializes in images from nature. I’ve linked to his work before and some of his pieces grace the walls of our home. A lot of his work winds up in hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices where –like Henry– they calm and heal. From the comments section of Henry’s website (scroll down a bit):
“One of our patients told me how much inspiration she received from one of your framed pictures. She told me that while she waited for her name to be called to go back for chemotherapy, she would gaze at the picture. She said the way the sun shone from behind the tree made her think that the Lord was going to walk out from behind the tree.”
Tell me, how gratifying is that for a photographer? Henry recently added some amazing new images that make you want to spritz on the Deep Woods Off and grab your Nikon.