I mean, in our ancient history discus and javelin were probably relevant measures of strength and accuracy for those who hunted and occasionally gathered, but in 2008 is the distance you can throw a spear relevant?
There are more strange ones in the Winter Olympics. Like ski jumping. Are there people sliding down cliffs and soaring over fjords in Norway on the way to school? Do we need to find out “who does it the best”?
That’s just the cynical side of me, I think it’s a beautiful sport, and one of the ones I would consider seeing live at the 2010 Olympics (but I’m really hoping to see short track speed skating).
The venues are going up across Vancouver-Whistler at an amazing rate and over the past month the ski jumping facility at Whistler was completed for the teams to test and train on. I say “teams,” plural, because Canada has a men’s team, and a women’s team. But only the men can compete in the Olympics.
The women argue that for a new sport to be admitted to the Oympics now, it has to have both male and female editions. BTW, ladies, it also has to have a reasonable base of people in the world participating in the sport.
Guess how many women, on the entire planet, are ski jumpers.
86.
86 women in the world are competitive ski jumpers. You could argue that if they had the chance at Olympic glory, more would enter the sport, I would argue do we even need ski jumping?
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Last week the recording industry released sales figures showing the sales of physical cds is plummeting.
I argued that with digital sales rising, the books should really be balanced because of the decreased costs in manufacturing and transporting music that’s digital. All you have to do is upload a song once and you’re done. You don’t have to burn cd’s, print artwork or stuff jewel boxes, all you do is throw the song on a server and cash the cheques.
I’m a fan of Sia. She’s done work with Zero 7, has her own solo career and has a beautiful quirky style that I find magical.
I was in Starbucks yesterday and saw her new album. A total impulse buy, I thought about getting it until I flipped it over and saw the price was US$13.95 / C$16.95. Hmm .. a little steep, and throw in the exchange imbalance and I said no. Now before you chastize me for wanting to buy music in a coffee shop, you need to know my life does not revolve around a mall. I’m in Starbucks more than HMV, so it’s convenient for me.
So I put the CD back, too expensive (mind you I did pay $6 for a chai latte and a treat), reminding myself to check iTunes later.
I just looked up Sia on iTunes. The CD, the whole album, is $9.99. It’s not a part of iTunes +, so that means the tracks have Digital Rights Management attached to them, and I won’t be able to move them between my devices easily, so I checked Amazon MP3. Sia - Some People Have Real Problemsis $8.99 and totally DRM free.
Almost HALF of what a CD would cost me.
That’s why I’m not buying CDs, cause y’all are screwing us!
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- How would you look with Donald Trump's hair? Check out the hairmixer.
- Here are two smart blog postings I read today. One about the dumbing down of news. The other on why Obama's race doesn't matter. (BTW, neither does Hillary's gender or Romney's religion)
- The Associated Press admits Britney news matters. (see above note re: dumbing down news)
- Hot on the heels of Jamie-Lynne Spears' teen pregnancy comes a hot new show from NBC - The Baby Borrowers!
- Ever wonder why Ikea gives things the names they do? Here's why. Here's the website of the guy who is living in Ikea while his apartment is getting fumigated.
- Hands up, who wants to waste time at work? Check out this game website.
- No Golden Globes this weekend will cost the LA economy $100M. It will also give you more time to spend with your family instead of watching glamourous anorexic millionaires patting each other on the back.
It’s tough being in mainstream media broadcasting. And by broadcasting, I mean speaking to a broad audience.
When you’re in a niche format, like so many online broadcasters, you can assume your audience has a certain understanding of issues and its easier to communicate on a deeper level.
Seth Godin has a piece about the dumbing down of the world in his blog today.
Think about the stuff you hear on the radio or read about in mass market publications. When they attempt to cover something you really know about, they seem pretty stupid, don’t they? Oversimplifying to the point of getting it completely wrong. They’re busy pandering to the masses, dumbing things down for the lowest common denominator.
The thing is, when you dumb stuff down, you know what you get?
Strombo does a good job of not “dumbing down” the news, although that’s what he’s been accused of often times. He gives a background, a scene set for his audience, and then gets into deeper issues of the stories with his guests, now that the crowd is on the same page.
But on the radio, I have difficulty trying to break deeper topics with my audience. We’re a Top 40 radio station that’s really just background noise, I have 15-30 seconds to get in and get out. People don’t actively listen and hang on every one of my words, so I try and keep things as basic as possible.
Which is a shame. I did a bit yesterday on the HD DVD v Blu Ray battle and I tried to set the scene, but I think it went over a lot of people’s heads, or they changed the dial.
That’s the thing about mainstream radio, if people don’t understand, don’t “get it” or don’t like what you’re talking about - they’ll punch out. They’re gone. That dial is just 24 inches away from their ears, it’s an easy thing to do. So you have to be broad and encompassing in your topics.
That’s why you get a steady diet of Britney and relationships on the radio. It’s easy to understand. I mean, just listen to Battle of the Sexes with Nat and Drew and hear the type of questions that are regularly punted and butchered. (dude today called it Hollenday sauce. I’m serious)
I’m not saying I dumb things down, but I am broadcasting, so the lowest common denominator gets the focus. Imagine being in a classroom and the lecture is constantly targeted to the kids who are failing. That’s what I feel like sometime.
I don’t want to do that, but I struggle with how to do it differently.
American news is the classic example of how out of hand this mentality can get. Watch the 5p news on KOMO and then the 6p news on Global. Night. And. Day. KOMO is fluff and car chases and live hits from restaurants where someone walked out on their bill, Global tackles issues, not with the vigor I’d like, but they still present something that’s deeper, for 15 minutes before going to sattelite stories about floods in the US.
If you watch the shows from back east in prime time on the American networks, you’re hammered with “Action News! On Your Side!” type of promos for their news shows that sell nothing but sizzle.
Steak is hard to digest, sizzle is easy to get excited about. I’ll try and give you some steak today.
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I like reality tv, I do, but I think the label is spread a little too wide. Stuff like Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol etc are more Game Show than reality tv.
To me, reality tv is more of a life docudrama. John and Kate Plus Eight, Rich Bride, Poor Bride, Flip That House etc are Reality TV. It’s fun to see how crazy other people can get. It makes me feel better about myself. Lol.
With the writers’ walkout down south, more “reality” tv is being served. Up next on NBC’s schedule is a show that’s quite a propos. The Baby Borrowers.
Yes, hot on the heels of Jamie Lynn Spears getting sperminated at 16, and her sister committing parenting crimes daily, comes a show featuring all those freaky teens you see on Maury. You know the ones who are 14, 15, 17, thinking that being a parent is fun, and babies are cute, and they can’t wait to have them.
It wasnt supposed to debut until the fall, but with the strike it’s been fast tracked to February 18.
This show takes that high school family planning class where you look after a doll or egg for a week and kicks it up a notch. For 3 days they look after infants, then toddlers, then preteens, then teenagers, then … senior citizens. Bam!
They’re open about it. Some people think its kind of creepy.
I love Heroes and Milo, but seeing Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia together kind of creeps me out. He is 30 and she is 18, she might be mature for her age but she is still only 18. [link]
I hope they get married and she hyphenates her name. Then she’d be Hayden Panettiere-Ventimiglia.
Lol.
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Here’s a pic of a very pregnant Melissa Joan Hart (aka Sabrina The Teenage Witch) with her husband and son.
The picture isnt from an exclusive with OK! or In Touch or People. It’s from her MySpace profile.
Okay, we’ll forgive her for having MySpace over Facebook, but you’ve got to hail and praise her for just putting up a real picture that’s real cute of real life without getting all Britney/Jessica/Lindsay tabloidy about it.
Nice job girl!
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I love the internets.. everything that will be EXCLUSIVE and BREAKING and HOT on Inside Access Entertainment Hollywood Tonight, is on the internet this morning. Cmon, where do you think *they* get the stuff from?
Ahhh Britney … You know your life is a tragic mess when …
PETA feels pity for you, cause they hate everybody that’s not an animal.
Animal rights organization PETA has removed Britney Spears from it’s Annual Worst Dressed Poll. When PETA launched its Annual Worst Dressed Celebrity poll at FurIsDead.com late last week, Brit took an early lead over other featured celebs, including Kate Moss, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, and Kid Rock. PETA, now feels, however, that Brit might be a little too fragile for anymore public mockeries right now. [link]
And if that’s not ‘rock bottom’ enough for you, how about video of Britney lighting up next to a gas pump?
Oh, you say you’re sick of her - but I know you’re going to go clicky clicky on it.
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The venues are going up across Vancouver-Whistler at an amazing rate and over the past month the ski jumping facility at Whistler was completed for the teams to test and train on. I say “teams,” plural, because Canada has a men’s team, and a women’s team. But only the men can compete in the Olympics.
I’m a fan of 
. Sia - 
I like reality tv, I do, but I think the label is spread a little too wide. Stuff like Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol etc are more Game Show than reality tv. 
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