Two of my friends have also had this stomach flu; it’s probably what I had when I went on a cruise around Manhattan: another bout of stomach flu.
Nov 072008
Nov 042008
Nov 022008
A few years ago, I wrote about the difference between the Kerry and Bush 2004 campaign websites. I noted that the Bush site had a significant amount of negative campaigning compared to a lack of any negative advertisements on the Kerry web site.
Last week, I went to the websites of the Obama and McCain websites to compare the two candidates’ sites again.
The first significant difference between the two sites was the use of an interstitial page prior to the main web site. The Obama web site had a large plea for money, while the McCain web site had a continuous stream of videos from his campaign. I found the Obama plea for money to be fairly obnoxious. However, it was probably successful based on the amount of money he has raised from small Internet donations. The advertisements on the McCain interstitial were positive and focused on McCain’s prior service.
I was pleasantly surprised after the interstitial: both campaign web sites contained a significant lack of negative advertising. The Obama web site seemed more focused on general feelings and optimism, while the McCain site seemed more focused on contrasting the two candidates. However, there was none of the invective found four years ago on the Bush web site.
Both sites this year were focused much more on individual participation than the previous election. Major elements of the McCain and Obama web sites are focused on volunteering and grass-root efforts.
As vicious as this year’s campaign with racism, sexism, ageism, and bigotry, I believe incidents like the swift-boating of Kerry or the Killian document controversy regarding Bush were a low point in American politics. In particular, the swift-boating of Kerry was a disgusting and heavily financed effort to impugn his military career that was made with the full support of the Republican establishment.
For the record, I believe Barack Obama is the best person to lead the country, and I recommend that everyone go out and vote for him.
Nov 022008
My friend Emily ran the New York City Marathon today. As far as I know, she is my first friend to run a marathon. It was my first time watching any marathon in person; I went up to Sarah and Jeremy’s new apartment in Park Slope to watch her go by. It was a ton of fun, and something I want to repeat next year.
Emily wrote about her training for the marathon and also raised over $1,400 dollars to fight cancer. This was her first marathon, and she completed it in under five hours. She looked great when she passed Jeremy, Sarah, and I at 4th Avenue and 1st Street–not only was she right on pace, but she looked fantastic. She called out to us as she ran by. (Jeremy made a large cardboard “Emily” sign that Sarah was holding.)
Congratulations Emily!
I also took some poorly composed video of the marathon before Emily came by.
Oct 312008
Today it was announced that Condé Nast would be cutting 5% of it’s staff and 5% of it’s budget. I personally know one person who has lost their job; I hope I do not find out about others. American Express also announced layoffs of 7,000 jobs worldwide, and American Express publishing has announced a layoff of 22 positions, or 10% of its staff. Cutbacks by Gannet and the Tribune Company have also been reported.
Both of the publishing cuts come on the heels of the Time Inc. announcement. These cuts will certainly have a large impact in New York City in combination with the financial industry meltdown.
Oct 282008
This morning I received a delivery from FreshDirect, a grocery delivery service. I ordered some red grapefruit.
As you can see, there may be a small problem with how FreshDirect selects their fruit. So much for their improvements of “Better Produce-get what’s great right now.”
To their credit, FreshDirect refunded the amount of the grapefruit to my credit card and issued me a coupon for $5. But it’s a pretty silly screwup. And it’s not the first time I’ve gotten the wrong produce from FreshDirect.
Oct 282008
There have been a lot of rumors swirling about the last few weeks about my old employer, Time Inc. Folks I talked with has said that approximately between 200 and 300 people would be laid off: it seems that the number is much higher. The New York Times reports Time Inc. Plans About 600 Layoffs.
One of the changes described by the article is that the publishing division of the “lifestyle” magazines will directly control the editorial content. Time Inc. had always had a principle of “Church and State” where the editorial and publishing divisions had strictly separated reporting lines. And while the editorial side lost some control of the company during the formation of Time Warner, the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Brothers, there was always a culture of editorial independence.
In addition, it’s notable that “the news and entertainment units will continue to report to John Huey.” At first glance, this appears that Huey’s responsibilities are continuing as usual, but as I just noted, the article states that the “lifestyle” magazines will not report to Huey.
From the outside, these might not seem like significant changes, but they may be the most significant change in Time Inc. since the creation of Time Warner. I’m hoping my friends at Time Inc. are doing okay.
The Times also reported on another significant media event today: Christian Science Paper Ends Daily Print Edition. This is one of the first national newspapers to switch to an all online format; I certainly don’t believe it will be the last.
And in other media news, less significant to the general populace, but more significant for my company: Digital Railroad Shuts Down and Confusion as Digital Railroad Shuts Down
Oct 242008
Ginny and I were walking by Madison Square this evening, when we saw an odd array of lights. It turns out that we got a sneak preview of Pulse Park, a public art installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It’s scheduled to run from tomorrow through November 17. I recommend checking out the video, since my still photos do not do the project justice.
[Visit YouTube to see the view in high quality]
Oct 242008
I wasn’t sure I would see the spider hanging outside my window this time of year. It’s been around 40 degrees for the past couple of nights; and I’m not sure what spiders do in the winter. I was a bit surprised to see it outside my window when I got home this evening. After taking this photo, it nestled into my window sill.
Oct 242008
My brother called me to say that there was a fire close to his apartment building and that there were a large number of firetrucks present. I saw the report on the Gothamist Labs: Maps; it was reported on Gothamist as both a 10-75, “notification of fire or emergency,” and a 10-76, “notification of fire or emergency in a high-rise building.” He said that he could see water shooting out of the windows. Hopefully everyone is okay.
(Codes from F.D.N.Y. Radio Codes.)
