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Archive for March, 2008

It’s All About Your Books, Baby

Yesterday, the New York Times published an amusing piece about how books impact romance. They start off with a story reference, something we can probably all relate to and have experienced at least once in our lives. A woman breaks up with her boyfriend exclaiming to her friend, “can you believe it! he hadn’t even heard of Pushkin!” I remember going on a date with a director at Intel once and he pronounced Renoir (renooore) and thought he was a writer. I remember thinking at the time, “is this for real? didn’t he say that he went to Stanford, how is this possible?” Stanford isn’t Europe baby and while we certainly have some of the top business and engineering schools in the world, the arts are not cherished in the same way they are in Europe. It isn’t a “must learn,” or even more importantly a “must care about.” The article talks about how listing your favorite books on Facebook, MySpace and other social networks are “crucial” for connecting with others, particularly for dating. I have a bunch of books listed on Facebook, but because I love literature, not because I want a ‘man to think I’m smart,”…

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San Fran’s Last Supper Club Hangs its Hat

I just discovered that San Francisco’s Last Supper Club is now closed — permanently. I went to its Valencia Street home a few weeks ago and a sign said that it will re-open this week after a series of renovations. I called today to make a reservation for a girl’s night and the ‘new owner’ answered the phone. New owner? You never want to hear that message from a place you feel connected to, your local hang out. Due to re-open on April 1 under a new name (Italian sounding name which I forgot – I was too busy processing the fact that there’s no more Last Supper Club), he tells me, “we’ve added a pizza oven.” “A pizza oven?” I say in disbelief. Now that’s a new concept that Americans are not used to, is unique and something to look forward to. You’ve got to be kidding. He was friendly enough and clearly wanted my business, especially after I told him it was an old local haunt. I asked about ambience change. Silence. Of course there’s ambience change. It’s under new management. What made Last Supper Club special was its bohemian feel; its local energy that made…

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SF Blogger Meet Up to Celebrate Groundswell Launch

Last night, I attended a Blogger Dinner in San Francisco that Forrester’s Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff hosted to kick off an early celebration of their soon-to-be released book Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. It’s a book that shows you how to turn the force of customers connecting to your own advantage. They feature 25 full case studies and data from around the world — from healthcare and retail to consumer goods and business services. Bloggers and social media experts gathered in support. Google’s Christine Songco Dave McClure, Jeremiah Owyang and Daniel Riveong Six Apart’s David Tokheim Powerset’s Mark Johnson Six Apart’s Chris Alden, Renee Blodgett Shel Israel Jennifer McClure (NewCommForum is around the corner – April 22-25, 2008) Daniel Greenfield Charlene with YES, that’s McClure’s head Jennifer Jones of Marketing Voices Carla Schlemminger, Jessie Curtner, Renee Blodgett

Sebastopol Says No to WiFi

Sebastopol, the home of O’Reilly Media, is becoming a place San Francisco and South Bay renters are exploring because of insanely high real estate prices. Despite recession cries, prices have barely moved. Apparently they were trying to get free WiFi in the city, although officials have declined the plan to provide free wireless Internet, citing possible adverse health effects. “Sebastopol Mayor Craig Litwin thanked Sonic for a “very nice gesture” but says citizens have voiced concerns that radio-frequency signals would cause health problems.”

All Things Media, Paley, Springboard, SheMadeIt & Sun Team Up for Women

Last night, I attended an AllThingsMedia event at Sun Microsystems, where I had a great conversation with Sun’s VP of Brands & Marketing Ingrid Van Den Hoogen. AllThingsMedia is a venture capital forum aimed at helping female media entrepreneurs gain access to the capital they need to take their businesses to the next level. The event was to celebrate a joint effort between the Paley Center and Springboard Enterprises. SheMadeIt looks at the work of remarkable women who have helped to shape the history of media. She Made It: Women Creating Television and Radio celebrates the achievements and preserves the legacy of great women writers, directors, producers, journalists, sportscasters, and executives. Women entrepreneurs who wish to apply for mentors, grants and more can submit their applications here. Leadership sponsor Joan Ganz Conney and Founding Benefactor Kay Koplovitz talk about the programs before Sun’s Jonathan Schwartz addressed the crowd.

Blue Planet Run on The Colbert Report

If you are a fan of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, tune in tonight when Stephen and Dean Kamen will be showcasing the Blue Planet Run book. It’s a great book worth diving into. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos plans to offer a free PDF download of the entire book; 1,300 copies of this book were sent out in a recent TED bookclub mailing; Robert Redford and Jean and Steve Case have given away hundreds of copies to friends; and PR Newswire purchased 1,000 copies to give out to clients.

Jill Sobule’s Next Album

TED pal Jill Sobule is raising money to independently produce her next album. MSNBC writes an article about her efforts and talks about her ability to raise $54K in the first few months. As of today’s posting, she’s at $80,832. There are all sorts of opportunities to contribute, starting from $10. $500 gets you a mention in one of her songs, and a $5,000 contribution, gets you a concert performance at your house.

A Tech Story Most of the Media Missed`

Here’s a fun, quirky and fascinating story about UFOs in the LA Times. Only here can you hear the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey says. I sent this idea to my LA Times friend, introducing him to two former cops who have become private eyes….and are on the case of a mysterious UFO spotted not far from my home. No, I didn’t set up the drone picture. There are enough people who take the picture seriously to pay these guys to search for this mysterious telephone pole. Personally, since I know what can be done in Photoshop, I’m a bit skeptical. Two of my favorite quotes got cut from Glionna’s story by editors, (who are too often drones themselves). One was TK Davis’s theory of why UFO hunting is back in, with shows on the history channel and magazines devoted to them. He said that with all the controversy in hard news, and the way the country is split, UFOs provide some relief. Also, he said, they are aliens that no one is condemning. And, there are all kinds of interpretations of what the writing on the drone says here. My favorite had me…

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