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Monday, October 24, 2005
Space of Hearts 
| | At a PopTech a few years ago, Bob Metcalfe (one of the hosts) gave a positive review to a typically terrific talk by Dr. Weinberger, giving the good doctor a thumbs-up for being "a fellow martyr in the war against tenure"; and a thumbs down for typifying what Bob called "the seven worst words in technology": You just don't get it, do you? (Context: this was right after the Cluetrain book came out, as I recall. David had a good excuse for sounding like that. If he actually did, which I don't remember.) |
| | Metaphorically, getting is catching. You get something when you catch its meaning. Or its intended meaning. Or whatever. Judgement is in the mind of the sender. Or the judge. In any case, there's always something inside-basebally about getting anything only inside ballplayers get. Stephen calls the You guys just don't get it accusation (from Steve) "the ultimate early-adopter missile". He responds, |
| | Respectfully to everyone involved, I think we get it just fine. I believe what we are really seeing is an understandable collision between values, which I try to explain here. You may disagree, in which case I hope you'll let me know. I'm doing my part to make it a public conversation. |
| | In the Back Story he adds, |
| | don't think you can fully appreciate the difference between the brutal techno-Darwinism-on-crystal-meth reality of the Internet space and the slow, polite, idealistic, chronically underfunded world of U.S. public broadcasting unless you've worked in both environments -- the difference is just too great. |
| | The core of the long tail theory is that the Internet finally makes serving niche audiences efficient and economically viable, especially when aggregated. I take it as axiomatic that all niche audiences have been chronically underserved in the past, and will be better served in the future by both participatory and professional digital sources online. |
| | But these niche audiences do not exist in a vacuum. The same people are also members of mass and medium size audiences. Consciously or not, their reference standard for radio and television content has been created by years of exposure to high production value commercial media and high quality non-commercial broadcast media in series like Nova, Frontline and All Things Considered, as well as Ken Burns specials and other documentaries. With their BBC DNA, these programs define a working standard. |
| | Tell me about it. Want to know why I haven't done more podcasts? Because I'm a radio guy. You have no idea how many podcasts I've recorded and deep-sixed because, well, they sucked as radio (even as podcasts, to use a distinction I'm reluctant to draw). Or bored my ass off. Or otherwise didn't work. Forgive me, but I want them to work as 'casts, and not just as oral blogs. Sorry, but that's me. I have standards. Not saying they're Right or Good or anything. Just that I have them. And they put a high bar on podcasting quality for me. |
| | Another reason. For all I've enjoyed holding forth, on the Gillmor Gang and other podcasts, I've never had the same sense of mattering that I get from blogging. Or even that anybody's listening. Or more than a handful. Let's face it: there's leverage here in blogging -- for me, at least (ymmv) -- that there isn't in podcasting. Not yet. Again, for me. I suspect it's the same for many veteran broadcasters, including the tens of thousands who have been "on the beach" (old radio talk for 'unemployed'), thanks to the crapization of regular broadcasting (including the public variety, which has become deadly dull over the last couple decades). |
| | I can hear the not-getting-it missles coming at me already. (Duck! eeeeoooowwww.... whew.) |
| | A confession. As a radio guy, okay? |
| | I can rock at podcasting. I know I can. I mean, I can really have fun and kick ass and inform and entertain and all the rest of what I've always liked about Good Radio. If I put the effort into it, I could put out a great podcast. |
| | Problem is, that takes time. And I don't have it. |
| | Hell, I don't even have time to finish this post. Which I will later. Maybe. If I have time. And I remember. |
| | Meanwhile, this is a great opportunity for cross-cultural dialog. We need that. Let's do it. |
Just gimme a finder's (though not a feeler's) fee
Wilma's wake
| | The small piers for dive boats are destroyed. Punta Langosta cruise ship pier near downtown is partially destroyed. The roofs of Casa Denis restaurant and Plaza del Sol shopping area are gone. The giant flag pole is gone. he talked with the owner of Rock 'n Java restaurant and the building is intact, but all contents destroyed, as is the case with most oceanfront businesses. Almost every palapa structure has disappeared. It sounds like McDonalds has been destroyed. The expensive oceanfront shops were severely damaged or destroyed and some looting took place immediatly after the storm (Adrian says that the streets are safe. The looting was isolated). They found a dead body on the oceanfront, but thought that this person had been dead for several days--and was washed up by the hurricane. The oceanfront street on the west side of downtown is intact--the seawall held. Most concrete structures are intact, but received water damage. Flooding was not a major problem in downtown, although rain was forced into every crack, so many homes received some water damage. |
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