2010 January — David Jacobs

Jan

Apple Marketing Doesn’t Watch Mad TV

Either that or they don’t care. As everyone is today, I am left wondering if anybody had the discussion about the iPad name. Did they completely miss this or did they so love the name they did it anyway and figured they would suffer the slings and arrows for awhile but ultimately overtake the connotations? Either way, this Mad TV routine is now even more funny and is making the rounds on the net. Great promo for Fox.

Jan

Great Parody Ad: Democrats Get Balls

By | Blog, Politics

I love it when someone makes content that expresses exactly how you feel about a situation. Democrats have been so incredible wimpy and inept this year, letting Republicans and conservative pundits bully them around. It’s one of the reasons I am on the hunt for a new political party or more likely political philosophy, independent of party as I am thinking more and more when you get yourself into a “party” situation, that’s when things start to fall apart.

Jan

Review: Sticks and Stones

By | Blog, Book A Week, Technology

I was hoping for a little more from Stick and Stones: How Business Digital Reputations Are Created Over Time And Lost In A Click. It’s not that the information is bad, it’s all there but there was nothing new for me. Now I am a social media professional and I’ve already read a great deal of work on the topic, so it’s pretty hard to satisfy me. Even so, I would recommend The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt over Sticks and Stones.

Jan

Buy My House

By | Blog

As of today you can buy my house and I wish you would. We have been planning this relocation for a long time now and we are finally on the verge of taking the first big step. So far things are on track and it still looks good for a summer move to Portland, OR.

Ironically it’s been raining like crazy here in Southern California. We haven’t had rain like this in literally years. Getting us ready for Oregon I guess. I actually like a little rain and it’s been far to dry here lately. If you or someone you know is interested, give me a jingle and let’s make a deal.

Jan

Why Comic Book Stores Rock

By | Blog, Culture

Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The début of Sup...

Image via Wikipedia

I have been recently introduced to comic books, something I never was into when I was a kid. As a result, I have found myself going to various comic book stores. Going into a comic book store is a pretty alien experience for me as I don’t know a thing about comics but the experience so far as been great. My first store was in Portland, Oregon where I was trying to find some comics to start with. The guys there were patient, understanding and found me some great comics. Later, at Nuclear Comics in Orange County, I discovered a new comic with the help of the staff there.

One of the things I truly love about these stores is that they are so niche and the staff really knows there stuff. It reminds me of small, independent book stores of old. Today, the small bookstore is all but gone, replaced by the megastores. These stores are huge and cater to the masses. The staff is friendly enough but you’re really not going to be able to get down into an in depth conversation about a particular kind of book and what they recommend. No fault on them, it’s the nature of the beast. But comic book stores are small and dedicated to a particular crowd and the staff really knows their comics which they are happy to talk about. At the same time, I found no snobbery or ill will toward newcomers. There is a passion and excitement at these stores and that breads sales.

Comic stores are also unique in that they specialize in a product that has not yet been duplicated digitally. With all the fancy eBook readers and web tablets, no one has produced a device that can replicate a full color comic in all it’s glory. This puts them in a better position than the rest of the publishing industry which is daily being eaten alive by digital technology.

Jan

Book A Week in 2010 Project

By | Blog, Book A Week

I have been so inspired by Julien Smith and his blog post, How To Read a Book a Week in 2010 that I decided to take up the challenge. I always have a stack of books that I never get through and this looked like the perfect way to make some serious headway. It’s part because of the challenge of it and part because when I focus on how much I will learn and grow from all that reading, I get pretty excited. Julien also provides some excellent tips on making it happen for yourself.

I have started a new page on the site here where you can keep track of how I am doing. I will list the current book being read and all the past books. Feel free to jump in and join the fun! I would love to hear from you if you do. I am also going to try to post short reviews of all the books as well. Being a dad, I am trying to encourage my 1o year old Virginia to join me. She will be reading a book every two weeks and if she is successful we may record a podcast together to talk about our books and what we enjoyed about them.

I am going to try to mix up the books as best possible. Some business titles, some fiction, some non-fiction that is not business related. If you have anything to suggest, please let me know in the comments and I’ll consider it.

Jan

Some Dude From Cali: Sell That House

By | Some Dude From Cali

Hello 2010. Getting the house ready to go on the market and a rant on customer service and loyalty.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Jan

Bold new e-readers grab attention at CES

By | Blog, Technology

via cnn.com

2010 is going to be a HUGE year for eBooks and e-Readers. Lots of new technology is going to ship and competition is keeping everyone on their toes. I still say Amazon has the inside track due to their powerful online store and brand name. The wild card is, of course, Apple who is yet to release their tablet machine. Apple, due to the nature of what they are capable of, could change the game completely.

The flexible displays like the Skiff have been in development for years and it’s exciting to see the first generation finally come to market. It’s a good time to be a geek.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

Jan

Yahoo Further Bridges the Gap Between Internet and TV

By | Blog, Technology

via mashable.com

Here is something I would have expected Microsoft to do. It’s also the most interesting thing Yahoo has done in years.

Posted via web from David Jacobs’s Connected World

Jan

What Happened To My Little Girl?

By | Blog, Digital Dads

Now that we have two kids I feel like an experienced parent, until I get a reminder that our first child is only 10 and we haven’t seen anything yet with regard to her. At 10 we are getting perilously close to the very sensitive years and, God help us, the teen years. You can already see clear changes in Virginia’s psyche and attitude. What she cares about; what she wonders about. She’s just not a little girl anymore.

Most disturbing is she is getting breasts already and hair. Is that normal? Is it really time? Really? I don’t know, I’ve never been through this before. As a father I feel very much at a loss here as these are more female issues. She is entering a time that is best navigated by mom. It is at this time I also feel bad for single parents. Thank God for my wife, I wouldn’t want to do this alone.

It is said that kids grow up fast so enjoy them and it is so very true. It’s nearly impossible to perceive when your in the thick of it but boy do you notice when you look back down the road. I’m soaking every bit of everything I can from Capella in her baby stage now. She is such a great baby and I’m going to miss it. I never would have thought this of myself but I love babies.

Ten year olds are pretty cool too.