tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88676876936432744232024-03-13T08:50:33.056-07:00Pronoun Troubledavek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-15671340695766021422017-05-30T06:59:00.001-07:002017-05-30T06:59:06.376-07:00Moving my public radio dollarsLast week, I moved my public radio dollars 75 miles up the road. Specifically, from Rochester, NY to nearby Buffalo. Here's why.<br />
<br />
The Rochester public radio outlet drives its news programming through an AM transmitter whose signal falls off near the city limits. Forget bridges and overpasses; overhead electric wires blot out the arthritic signal. Station personnel say they're aware of the chronic signal problem, and have plans to address it. And that's been their story for years. Their morning and afternoon drive-time NPR network programs are simulcast on a local FM college frequency, which helps a bit. But the rest of the news programming may as well originate from Nome, Alaska. The AM signal is wretched.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Grundig_Satellit_210_(Transistor_6001).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Grundig_Satellit_210_(Transistor_6001).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Cjp24 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 <br />
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], <br />
via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've waited, but I often compare the Rochester signal deficiencies with NPR programming in Buffalo, NY. Its audience is served by two FM frequencies: one for classical music, another for news programming. For listeners in more distant Olean and Jamestown, news programming airs via FM repeaters.<br />
<br />
This means I can usually hear Buffalo's NPR news in my car or on any radio in my home or office. I don't need to rely on an Internet signal. If you operate an FCC-licensed transmitter, I should be able to hear your signal without relying upon a modem, WiFi signal, and smartphone.<br />
<br />
During a recent fund drive, Rochester station announcers spoke about how donations go toward new equipment. I'm not sure that money makes it to the broadcast signal. Where does it go?<br />
<br />
If you look at both the Buffalo and Rochester stations' Schedule J (IRS Form 990) from 2015, you discover that the public broadcasting CEO in Rochester earned $412,739 -- about $30,000 more than the Buffalo CEO ($382,569). Plus, the Rochester station paid another vice president $197,000.<br />
<br />
That $600,000 payout to the Rochester station's two top leaders hasn't helped its news signal reach listeners in its own backyard. No public radio station has problem-free signals, but years of banishing its strong news content to a moribund AM signal with no remedy has cost them my support.<br />
<br />davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-46717885106188589712017-01-12T12:18:00.004-08:002017-01-12T12:19:55.955-08:00Who mourns for a narcissist?A 1967 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708488/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_29" target="_blank"><i>Star Trek</i> episode</a> (circa Kirk, not Picard) finds the <i>Enterprise </i>crew confronting a super-being who claims to be the ancient Greek god Apollo. Capt. Kirk quickly determines that Apollo is a narcissist who thrives on worship and adulation. Kirk advises a crew member:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tO9jim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tO9jim.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Forest as Apollo, Leslie Parrish as Carolyn. <br />
Star Trek, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" 1967.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>"He thrives on love, worship, attention ... We can't give him that worship, none of us can. Especially you ... Spurn him. Reject him."</i><br />
<br />
Maybe that's a way to deal with another narcissist who seems to crave constant attention. The 45th president of the U.S. insists on such glorification, linking his name with any economic uptick, whether or not he's actually deserving of credit.<br />
<br />
And, as we've seen, he's just as quick to lash out and childishly ridicule those who point out his inconsistencies.<br />
<br />
Worst of all, the news media seems unable to decline covering the smallest of the incoming president's online tantrums. Perhaps they can't, since it's really their job to cover the head of state's every public utterance. For better or worse.<br />
<br />
Most of us aren't media professionals. We needn't retweet every pre-dawn boast or criticism coming from Trump Tower. We're not required to provide commentary or links to published news accounts. We needn't post photos of him, whether flattering or otherwise.<br />
<br />
So, I've chosen to spurn the 45th president in my digital feed. He won the election, but not the social media platforms I use. I don't need to devote my Facebook timeline to his every utterance; there are many other positive topics to share. And, I'll try very hard not to post links to stories about him; if I have to, I'll try to delete the photos that feed his narcissism.<br />
<br />
In short: I will spurn him. And if more of us choose the same course, he will have less to rant against, and less of an audience to captivate.<br />
<br />
If we're fortunate, it may marginalize his caustic effect on our civil discourse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-92099512861901824392016-11-14T13:30:00.000-08:002016-11-14T13:30:21.032-08:00The shell game of politicsWe're a society of competitors. We learn what it takes to win. We fight fair, or we take a win-at-all-costs approach.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm lately of the view that Donald Trump is in the win-at-all-costs camp. He'd say anything to fire up a segment of disaffected Americans who believed government had passed them by. So we heard threats of deportation, of building a wall that Mexico would pay for, of repeal and replacement of Obamacare -- all without the legal or practical details these promises deserved.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After seeing the Lesley Stahl interview on "60 Minutes," Trump's supporters might be mollified to see him backpedal. He went from a wall to a "wall with fences here and there." He admitted that pieces of the Affordable Care Act would remain. Deportation of millions? Not so fast.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Hutchenspiel_2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Hutchenspiel_2008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hutchenspiel (shell game), 2008. By Holger.Ellgaard<br /> (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/<br />licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Was this deceptive? Did Trump's blather and machinery distract everyone from the real strategy -- revving up the forgotten white middle class? Of course. It was a shell game, practiced upon a national canvas. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All candidates make grandiose promises, and if elected, cannot keep them all. Trump said what he needed to, to blindside media pundits and sway voters who felt neglected by Washington. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, what troubles me is not Trump's rhetoric. Rather, three outcomes of Nov. 8 are more disconcerting:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Too many individuals took Trump's election as a green-light for open racism.</b> <a href="http://www.oleantimesherald.com/news/racist-graffiti-in-wellsville-under-investigation/article_7c2b3fd4-a75f-11e6-9fd2-43fccc9b7774.html" target="_blank">Swastikas on baseball dugouts</a> and in college residence halls signal that hatred need only the slightest open door to spill into our society. Their contemptible actions require more than a "Stop it" from the president-elect. Law enforcement must act swiftly to apprehend, convict, and incarcerate perpetrators of hate crimes.</li>
<li><b>Conservative talking heads talking about a mandate suffer from an anal-cranial inversion.</b> Nearly 50 percent of the U.S. electorate stayed home and didn't vote. Of the 53 percent who voted, 62 million -- a little more than half of U.S. voters -- voted for Secretary Clinton. So, President-elect Trump earned. at best, approval of about 25 percent of the U.S. population. That's not a majority, let alone a mandate.</li>
<li><b>The Democrats need a thorough house-cleaning.</b> I voted for Hillary, believing her to be the most-experienced, best-connected candidate. But I was disheartened at her uninspired choice of a white male Senator (Tim Kaine) as her running mate. What about a person of color (i.e., Sen. Corey Booker, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Michelle Lujam Grisham)? Packing the closing days of her campaign with diverse celebrities -- Beyonce, Katie Perry, and Jay-Z -- was just dumb. I never voted for a candidate because a celebrity danced on his or her behalf.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
I don't know what's next. But I do know we all need to exercise extreme vigilance. Because the "win at all costs" mentality has served neither the major parties or the nation well. As of this writing, it's hard to see how anyone is a winner, except for Trump.</div>
<div>
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-1189418581680966482016-11-10T07:52:00.001-08:002016-11-10T09:59:18.758-08:00Can't write our way outWe can’t write our way out of this.<br />
<br />
The best screenwriters working today would’ve been shown the door if they’d handed this treatment to a studio executive:<i> “Bombastic, philandering real estate baron insults most of the public, then wins Presidency.”</i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44C5gE_h0SM/WCSWnHkJbtI/AAAAAAAAfyI/S2EzHlrMT64Crpvans9fGDGZz0Jjdb-fACLcB/s1600/100B2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44C5gE_h0SM/WCSWnHkJbtI/AAAAAAAAfyI/S2EzHlrMT64Crpvans9fGDGZz0Jjdb-fACLcB/s320/100B2020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) DKassnoff, 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Superb essayists at newspapers large and small ridiculed the gold-plated candidate from mid-Manhattan. John Oliver’s devastating commentaries on HBO dissected Trump’s failings. Journalist David Cay Johnston laid bare the candidate’s financial double-dealings in a best-selling book.<br />
<br />
And he won anyway.<br />
<br />
So writing isn’t the way to solve the dilemma of having a sexist, xenophobic, ill-tempered barbarian in the Oval Office.<br />
<br />
But we can act. We can call out those whose reprehensible behavior and vile epithets toward women, minorities, and different religions are actual hate crimes. And we can demand our local law enforcement agencies prosecute their civic responsibilities. Or face recall at the next election.<br />
<br />
Earlier today, in the snark-filled digital minefield of Facebook, a gloating Trump supporter posted this: <b>“Better get you citizen papers in order or bye bye.” </b>(SIC)<br />
<br />
<i>Citizenship papers?</i> Isn’t that line straight out of Hitler’s Reichstag?<br />
<br />
I have no citizenship papers. I don’t need them. But I’m appalled that, in 2016, with enmity flowing in the city streets, that anyone would raise the dark spectre of contemptible Nazi-speak.<br />
<br />
Born in the United States of America, I carry one form of identification: a driver’s license. Occasionally, I include my passport, if I expect to travel internationally.<br />
<br />
And, I pack a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. I want to be prepared.<br />
<br />
My pledge today is unchanged: I will stand with my fellow Americans. I stand for our democracy and freedom. And, I stand against hate, whether blatant or couched in the self-righteous cloak of political innuendo.<br />
<br />
I stand in opposition to those who belittle other races and religions for their own aggrandizement.<br />
<br />
I will stand against hatred – and, when I see it, I will act.<br />
<br />
So say we all.<br />
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-53181267836890488862016-06-13T04:30:00.000-07:002016-06-17T09:24:18.422-07:00Kohl's and the Battle for Personal PrivacyThe ZIP code for the White House is 20500.<br />
<br />
The U.S. Pentagon has six ZIP codes, but the Secretary of Defense's is 20318.<br />
<br />
I won't tell you to memorize these ZIP codes. But I'm using them. Every time some sales associate asks for my ZIP code instead of asking "cash or credit," I'm giving her one of these instead.<br />
<br />
Retail transactions are no longer a simple, "here, take my money" affair. No, they call for key tags. Reward cards. PIN numbers. Phone numbers. Information the retailer likely already has or does not need.<br />
<br />
I'm not paranoid. But I believe each time I give a store clerk my ZIP code, or my phone number, or some seemingly innocuous piece of data, I'm inviting them to look into my personal life.<br />
<br />
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT. They're merchants. They're not providing national security. They're selling me a shirt. End of relationship.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udH6i5hZbvs/V14YUhAGMtI/AAAAAAAAeKw/jib-uJ4xstMxHUhOw5sbtXtFw5OWfQUYACLcB/s1600/P1000551-Jungle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udH6i5hZbvs/V14YUhAGMtI/AAAAAAAAeKw/jib-uJ4xstMxHUhOw5sbtXtFw5OWfQUYACLcB/s320/P1000551-Jungle.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingos at Sarasota Jungle Gardens, 34234.<br />
(C) DKassnoff, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My private war with retailers is the ZIP code battlefield. They don't need it, and you don't need to give it to them. So make one up. Take a few seconds to find a ZIP code for the <a href="http://www.bk.com/restaurants/wa/spokane/north-1723-division-8315.html" target="_blank">Burger King in Spokane, WA</a>. Or <a href="http://www.sarasotajunglegardens.com/" target="_blank">Sarasota Jungle Gardens</a> (34234). Get creative. If you don't find one, I've provided two above.<br />
<br />
No merchant does a poorer job of this than Kohl's, the clothing and cosmetics chain. Don't have your Kohl's Reward card? No problem. Just enter your Social Security Number.<br />
<br />
<i>My what?</i><br />
<br />
<b>Hey, Kohl's: SSIs are the Number One method used to execute Identity Theft. That's why government agencies urge consumers not to give them out.</b><br />
<br />
Apparently, Kohl's couldn't find my SSI number. The poor cashier next asked for my driver's license. Then he wanted my phone number.<br />
<br />
That's when I walked out.<br />
<br />
Note to Kohl's: it's time to climb out of the cave where your rewards program was conceived. I'm no longer sharing ZIP codes, driver's licenses, or SSI numbers in exchange for a fat $2 off a $28 purchase. Your database doesn't need to know I bought a dress shirt.<br />
<br />
Other retailers engage in ZIP Code harvesting, including Five Below. As if they're going to alter the inventory of their Made in China mother lode based upon my buying pattern. I bought a $5 charging cable. Quick, fire up the Big Data Machine!<br />
<br />
You want to identify me when I don't have my reward card? <i>TAKE A DIGITAL PICTURE OF </i><br />
<i>ME</i>, add it to my file. No numbers. No codes. I'm a bald man with glasses and a goatee. No one's going to confuse me with Brad Pitt. It's hard to go wrong here. My bank did this some time ago, and even if I get a haircut or wear a hat, the teller knows it's me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-1148412634654349702015-08-05T19:46:00.001-07:002015-08-05T19:46:53.568-07:00Disengagement blues<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Recording_instantaneous_discs_at_the_Sound_Department_of_the_Finnish_Broadcasting_Company%2C_1930s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Recording_instantaneous_discs_at_the_Sound_Department_of_the_Finnish_Broadcasting_Company%2C_1930s.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Archives of the Finnish Broadcasting <br />Company Yle [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week, I launched a substantial intranet site for an organization of more than 900 employees. They learned about it via an "all hands" email message.<br />
<br />
The site has stories about employees, photos, interactive tools, downloadables, and a live webcam feed. It replaces a very dull, one-page intranet site that consisted of a bunch of links to other internal sites.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I received two responses.<br />
<br />
That's it. Two out of 900.<br />
<br />
I feel a little like the nighttime disc jockey who programmed a terrific three-hour air shift -- only to learn that a lightning strike at the transmitter site had knocked the station off-the-air 20 minutes into the first hour.<br />
<br />
I didn't think for a moment that a new intranet site was going to immediately engage a diaspora of employees who are spread across multiple locations. It doesn't work that way.</div>
<div>
<br />
But, two out of 900?<br />
<br />
This may not be fixable. Not without cat videos, anyway.<br />
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<br /></div>
davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-20262196405162537382015-07-01T07:52:00.003-07:002015-07-01T07:52:47.653-07:00Busted but unbrokenNow is the summer of my digital discontent. Several of my digital cameras manufactured around 2007-2008 are failing. None was severely abused, but these little cameras spend their lives bouncing around in briefcases, backpacks, and shoulder bags. Bad stuff happens.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DNBuXNcetk/VZP7dvoL11I/AAAAAAAAcIk/KRUL4DBMcr0/s1600/1-IMG_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DNBuXNcetk/VZP7dvoL11I/AAAAAAAAcIk/KRUL4DBMcr0/s400/1-IMG_0095.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) DKassnoff, 2015.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These compact cameras -- two Canon Powershots and a <a href="http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/V1253/V1253A.HTM" target="_blank">Kodak EasyShare</a> -- don't owe me much. I bought them off eBay, where 7- and 10-megapixel cameras superseded by newer models go to find their next lives.<br />
<br />
(Sellers on eBay had trouble spelling Canon. I hunted those misspelled auction titles and bought these cameras for little cash.) I'd clean them up and re-sell them. I kept the ones that worked well.<br />
<br />
(Some people believe that a 20-megapixel camera must take better photos than a 10-megapixel camera. I'm not one of them.)<br />
<br />
When new, each of these sold for $200-$300. Today, you can pick up used Canons for much less than $50. Canons, especially, take excellent stills, while the Kodak had great HD video and dual built-in microphones that were hard to beat.<br />
<br />
In the film days, I'd developed a skill for fixing 1970s-era rangefinder cameras, which -- despite having non-zoom lenses and no built-in flash -- produced marvelous photos. Recent digital cameras don't have film transports or rewind knobs; they have sensors, ribbon cables, and circuit boards. And they are tiny.<br />
<br />
But, faced with three dying digital cameras, I decided to haul out my precision screwdrivers and tweezers, and see if I couldn't repair the pocket cameras. (Tip: use a large flat magnet to capture all the tiny screws that like to bounce merrily under your workbench.)<br />
<br />
How did I do? Not bad. Youtube has dozens of homemade how-to videos of people repairing their digital cameras. In less than 30 minutes, I had a good idea of what I needed.<br />
<br />
The Kodak had a failed image sensor. A quick peruse of the Internet reveals that sensor failure in the V1253 camera is fairly common. (Canon built their cameras in Japan; Kodak went to China. Big difference.) Online companies can sell you a replacement sensor, but unless you're truly in love with this camera, don't bother. It's not well made, and removing covers, buttons, lens assembly, etc. really makes it a chore. Since nearly any smartphone can capture good HD video, reviving an eight-year-old Kodak for this function seems a waste of time.<br />
<br />
Canons, on the other hand, are better built from the start (the Japan thing). When one component goes south, many owners put their inoperative cameras up for auction. So buy a parts-donor camera for less than $20. That's where I found replacement switches, body parts, and screws to revive the Canon SD750 and <a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/sd790.htm" target="_blank">SD790IS</a> pictured above.<br />
<br />
And they both work fine.<br />
<br />davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-4553112934259883892015-06-02T10:09:00.001-07:002015-06-02T10:28:07.159-07:00Recruiting from hellThe woman on the other end of the call was hard to understand. Poor enunciation, difficult accent, noisy background.<br />
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/FishersOfMen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/FishersOfMen.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishers of Souls, Adriaen van de Venne (circa 1589–1662) <br />[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
She was recruiting based on a resume I'd posted many months ago, for a "major employer in my town."<br />
<br />
As best as I could tell, it was a marketing communications specialist position, 12 month temporary, with no benefits. </div>
<div>
<br />
The pay? An hourly rate half of what a full-timer with 3-5 years experience earns. And I'd need to pay my own social security and employment taxes. </div>
<div>
<br />
I said no.<br />
<br />
Sure, the temp job might lead to a full-time appointment. But I wasn't interested in a "major employer" so stingy that it couldn't pay me in health insurance what it was paying the indecipherable recruiter to find candidates.</div>
<div>
<br />
In my town, the well-known major employers are only a shadow of their former selves. They no longer rake in fat profits, yet they continue paying their CEOs absurdly high salaries. </div>
<div>
<br />
But their third-world approach to sourcing experienced talent is beyond insulting. Outsourcing your recruitment basically tells candidates: "We have no interest in building relationships."</div>
<div>
<br />
Problem is: that's what marketing is all about, relationships. Especially when you're selling $500,000 boxes full of mysterious digital gadgetry. </div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Relationships are essential. </i>Taking the arm's-length approach to building a marketing team isn't the way to get it done.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-75915507673129502492015-05-26T03:30:00.000-07:002015-05-26T03:30:00.327-07:00Tickets to honesty"How much are the tickets?"<br />
<br />
When I see a big ad announcing a concert, that's my first question. I'm not stingy. But I am officially tired of organizations that promote concerts, gala dinners, seminars, etc., without disclosing the ticket price. Or websites that make me drill down several web pages before ticket prices pop up.<br />
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Let's be honest. (Unless you're Ticketmaster, for whom honesty is nothing more than the name of a Billy Joel song.) These events aren't free. People want to know what tickets cost.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0g5VmtYm6o/VVqkHlIDcTI/AAAAAAAAb7c/ibayn72X6RQ/s1600/P1010430-Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0g5VmtYm6o/VVqkHlIDcTI/AAAAAAAAb7c/ibayn72X6RQ/s400/P1010430-Small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Joel, Nov. 25, 2014, NYC. (c) DKassnoff, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I know a ticket to see Michael Buble or Mr. Joel is going to be pricey. There's no sense in hiding it.<br />
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I paid full price to see Mr. Joel in concert. It was worth every penny.<br />
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When I want to attend an event because I believe in the organization or admire the speaker or performer, cost isn't a deterrent. Don't waste my time by burying the price three or four screens down.<br />
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Spell out ticket prices in your ads. Simple, right?<br />
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<br />davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-1669787010150907472015-05-18T19:36:00.002-07:002015-05-18T20:29:34.406-07:00Photo worthy, or potty material?We take an awful lot of photos today. Mostly of scenes that have no business appearing in photos.<br>
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Laundry in the trunk of a minivan. A restaurant's interpretation of a burger and fries. Contents of Joe's daughter's college dorm room. Dozing cats. (I'll catch hell for that last one.)<br>
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Most of these images are meaningful to the individuals who shoot them, and that's fine. But not all of us need to see them. Even if most of us carry some device that captures pictures that can be uploaded to a social media website in mere seconds.<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9huW0S97EDQ/VVqf-Nt92SI/AAAAAAAAb7I/aC0vGnPQ5O4/s1600/DSC_0808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9huW0S97EDQ/VVqf-Nt92SI/AAAAAAAAb7I/aC0vGnPQ5O4/s320/DSC_0808.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ellicottville Rodeo potty, (c) DKassnoff, 2014.</td></tr>
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We need to be better photo editors. Smartphones run apps that help improve an image, but there aren't many fixes for a backlit, underexposed image. Or a blurry concert shot, where the featured performer was 200 feet away and looks like a Lego figure in your image.<br>
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Those images don't tell me a story.<br>
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This photo is one example. I was shooting a rodeo, and a rider got thrown from his horse. There's action in this picture, but the "decisive moment" means it's not worthy. And the row of porta-potties in the background is a buzz-kill.<br>
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There's no story here.<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7ZWj_yiLIU/VVqgupacwnI/AAAAAAAAb7Q/36VPr1dvATE/s1600/DSC_0771-tossedit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7ZWj_yiLIU/VVqgupacwnI/AAAAAAAAb7Q/36VPr1dvATE/s320/DSC_0771-tossedit.JPG" width="213"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fierce rider. (c) DKassnoff, 2014.</td></tr>
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The photo at left? A little better. You see the rider's face, the force of the bucking horse.<br>
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There's a story here. And no porta-potties in the background.<br>
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<br>davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-52582993486584472262015-05-08T13:11:00.000-07:002015-05-08T13:11:53.833-07:00Off roadI'm off the road for a few months now. Semester's done. End-of-class grading, post the grades, log off. Done.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Car_Up_on_blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Car_Up_on_blocks.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Rob Sinclair (Up on blocks Uploaded by geagea) <br />via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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For the next couple of months, I'm archiving my knowledge of the back roads of Livingston County. Instead of weaving between orange traffic barrels with a coffee in one hand, I'll write. Take a course. Maybe get to bed a few minutes earlier.<br />
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I drive two hours each way, once a week, to teach in a university classroom. It's my alter-ego gig. I get to do what I love. The students seem to get it. Most of them, anyway. But after 14 weeks, a couple of oil changes, gallons of coffee, and worrying when to swap the snow tires for all-season radials, I'm pretty fried.<br />
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But I love it. I love the rush of helping students see the media, public relations, advertising, and social media from perspectives they haven't seen before. It's my hope they'll see whether a career in advertising, PR, web development, or journalism fits with what they want. Or -- and this is more likely -- they'll be equipped to choose a career path that suits them for a few years, before discovering what they truly want to do.<br />
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I like heading back to that quiet little town where my small university is one of the largest employers. I like the sounds of evening rain.<br />
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And when the fall semester starts in late August, I'll do it again.<br />
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-84453133974409405092015-05-04T07:30:00.000-07:002015-05-04T17:44:05.352-07:00Standing on principleI sometimes chose which charitable events I attend based on the quality of the folding chairs the facility uses.<br />
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Seriously.<br />
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Many organizations sell tickets to these events that far exceed the price of a comfy movie theater seat. Nice meal, intriguing conversation, stirring presentations.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NY1WscuLpHU/VUGkSbtjhFI/AAAAAAAAb1w/osngIxeivyM/s640/blogger-image-347362594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NY1WscuLpHU/VUGkSbtjhFI/AAAAAAAAb1w/osngIxeivyM/s200/blogger-image-347362594.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Chairs at MIT graduation. By Dan4th Nicholas,<br />via Wikimedia Commons.</span></td></tr>
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But the hosting location often tries to save a few bucks by using folding chairs. Often plastic, wobbly seats, with inadequate support for your back or bottom. And they ask you to sit through multiple speeches and recognitions, plus a meal. </div>
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And if it's a graduation ceremony, you could be seated for hours. Painfully, if it's at MIT's commencement, in the chairs shown in the photo.<br />
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(On Dave's Seat Comfort Scale, these rank at No. 8. If they were those undersized wooden jobs, they'd be a 9 or 10.)</div>
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I spent a few years in my corporate life attending luncheons, galas, etc. After a while, I had memorized which museums, conference centers, and universities provided reasonable seating. And which ones owned or rented the least-comfortable chairs.<br />
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The irony? Part of my corporate giving job at that time involved donating surplus furniture, including -- you guessed it -- chairs. Usually good chairs.</div>
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So, even if I'm a supporter of an organization, I really pause before sending my check. I'd love to attend, but I'm standing on principle. At $50 a ticket, I'm not buying a plate -- I'm renting a seat.<br />
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And it ought to be a good one. </div>
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-81259923796640820532015-04-26T18:32:00.002-07:002015-04-26T18:32:22.094-07:00Dodgeball for the 21st centuryAt least once a day, I avoid a collision in some public corridor. <div>
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I've been working in a busy, crowded building, filled with professionals. And nearly every near-collision (a <i>near-miss</i> would be a collision) results from the other person gazing intently at a smartphone as they walk.<div>
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Is this the new normal? Professionals transfixed by a handheld four-inch screen?</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/HK_Mid-levels_%E7%BE%85%E4%BE%BF%E8%87%A3%E9%81%93_Robinson_Road_Dog_master_walking_Dec-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/HK_Mid-levels_%E7%BE%85%E4%BE%BF%E8%87%A3%E9%81%93_Robinson_Road_Dog_master_walking_Dec-2010.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By PeterLigerry (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0<br /> (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa<br />/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], <br />via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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I was away from the business mainstream for about 20 months. In that interim, smartphones have become an inseparable extension of many people's lives. Perhaps a substitute for authentic human interaction. </div>
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And while I own a tablet-esque device, I intentionally didn't bite on a full iPhone, because I wanted opportunities not to be drawn to stare at that screen. </div>
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It feels like we're a few steps away, as a culture, from becoming hypnotized by these devices. </div>
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I'm not delighted by this cultural change. I'm not thrilled at having to re-learn long-forgotten dodgeball skills just to walk down a busy corridor. Or sidestep pedestrians on sidewalks who are having a too-intimate relationship with a little box full of circuits and LEDs.</div>
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My recommendation: once a day, you should schedule yourself for a disconnect. A respite. Turn off your gadget. Remove your Beats or Skullcandy headphones. Maybe go find another companion for your walk. </div>
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Two- or four-footed. Your choice.</div>
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davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-30676461495931570922015-04-06T08:25:00.001-07:002015-04-06T08:25:27.300-07:00DiscardsMost of Easter Sunday was given to divesting of items amassed during my 17-year corporate career. This included a quantity of publications specific to a former employer's diversity and inclusion achievements. <div><br></div><div>Which failed. </div><div><br></div><div>When the company's balance sheet collapsed, diversity went from "must do" to "nice to do." The outfit needed diverse employees to design and market innovative products. But those employees saw the corporate commitment falter as cash flow ebbed. They knew their market value as executive men and women of color. And they fled. </div><div><br></div><div>When you have black and Hispanic directors on your corporate board, and your CEO and chief of diversity are people of color, you should be able to make diversity work. But membership in the external organizations that validate your commitment to diversity isn't free. And those expenditures were among the first to be cut. </div><div><br></div><div>I've saved those publications as professional samples of how diversity can be done well. Professionally, however, they haven't impressed would-be hiring managers. Diversity as a career skill seems less valued if you're not a candidate of color. </div><div><br></div>davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-15196215464605579352012-05-22T14:20:00.000-07:002012-05-22T14:20:41.584-07:00Random Mentions: R&B, Ink, and an Olympus Stylus<a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/05/18/153000478/jd-mcpherson-when-a-punk-goes-vintage" target="_blank">J.D. McPherson's</a> new R&B-flavored CD, "Signs and Signifiers," is a terrific piece of retro rockabilly-swing-R&B. I think he's from a punk band I don't know. This is very different. But you can sample a bit of this great recording <a href="http://youtu.be/aZGn4LncY0g" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I have a very severe pen-collecting habit, heavily influenced by German-made Lamy Safari, Logo, and Noto ballpoints. But I'm currently hunting one of Uniball's rubber-body<a href="http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/03/05/uniball-jetstream-ballpoint-pens-review/" target="_blank"> Jetstream ballpoint pens</a>. They work very well for lefties. The ink usually dries quickly, before I can smudge it.<br />
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As the move the digital photography hastens, I'm left with a ridiculous quantity of outdated 35mm film. Most film can be used for a year past its expiry date, unless it's been kept in a warm place (think of a car trunk). Mine has been in a generally cool basement, but not refrigerated. So this week, I'm testing a roll of chromogenic black-and-white film in an <a href="http://www.d2gallery.com/cameras/olympus_stylus.html#" target="_blank">Olympus Stylus</a> camera. I'd forgotten what a joy these are to use. Photos to come, assuming they are printable.<br />
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<br />davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-26289653286477523962012-04-17T08:01:00.006-07:002012-04-17T08:22:21.166-07:00Copy editors on Twitter? MIAJournalists who live on Twitter -- and there are plenty -- like to re-tweet other news accounts, as well as their own. PR people call this "repurposing" content. If done thoughtfully, it can be a useful way to draw readers to content that they may have otherwise overlooked.<br /><br />This <span style="font-weight: bold;">re-reporting </span>is less effective, however, when the tweeting reporter adds his or her own 'take' on the story. Not so much to editorialize, but to add a snappier 140-character headline to snag a few more readers.<br /><br />Thus, a recent story about a developer who'd run into financial hurdles while trying to develop an upscale restaurant amid a street of bakeries, sub shops, Chinese takeout place, and a guitar store was viewed as a "swanky" neighborhood. His son had sold a popular gaming website for millions of dollars, a few years ago; the re-reporter on Twitter said the developer owned that gaming site.<br /><br />Wrong. And wrong.<br /><br /><ul><li>Did the developer have financial issues? Yes. That was the accurate part of the story.<br /></li><li>Did the developer own the gaming website? Nope.<br /></li><li>Was the neighborhood in question a "swanky" area? Judgment call. In my opinion, one upscale steakhouse amid delis and OTB parlors isn't swanky.<br /></li></ul><br />My issue: if the re-reporter had submitted this to his or her news editor, that editor would have asked the questions I've placed in bullets, above. Great copy editors <span style="font-style: italic;">challenge </span>assumptions. They insist on facts, and frequently overrule perceptions that can't be substantiated. <span style="font-style: italic;">Swanky</span> leaps to mind.<br /><br />Twitter has no copy editors. No one to challenge the veracity of news reporters who re-post material they didn't originate.<br /><br />As a former newspaper reporter, I know how tough it is to file accurate stories, day after day, on deadline. That's why newspapers employ copy editors: to ensure the reporter's story has its roots in fact, not assumption.<br /><br />Twitter has no copy editors. There's no one to hold writers accountable for repurposed, re-headlined stories they didn't originate.<br /><br />So before evolving into a Twitter-based news service, re-reporters must make certain their breezy 140-character tweeted headlines are based in fact.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-16669008566118466302012-03-30T13:02:00.001-07:002012-03-30T13:02:43.029-07:00All the pen junkie sites you'd ever needhttp://www.penhero.com/PenBookmarks_PenInformation.htmdavek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-2887115960230713392012-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:002012-02-02T09:26:56.806-08:00Kodak's travails provide multiple lessons<a href="http://www.edn.com/article/520715-Kodak_s_travails_provide_multiple_lessons.php">Thought for today:</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.edn.com/article/520715-Kodak_s_travails_provide_multiple_lessons.php">Kodak's travails provide multiple lessons</a>: You’ve undoubtedly seen the news that legendary companyKodak is in se...<br /><br />This guy nails it. If the business model is built around a high-margin consumable -- disposable diapers, razor blades, or even gasoline -- reconfiguring the business to be self-sustaining from low-margin products is a pretty big challenge. Witness the newspaper business, where the high-margin consumable is printed advertising, which has all but evaporated to the web.<br /><br />Many of the same media outlets doing Monday-morning quaterbacking on the decline of Kodak are much closer to the same sort of drop-off. Let's see them create a sustainable business model around a digitally delivered product.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-16098010101225506642012-01-25T08:07:00.000-08:002012-01-25T08:22:54.878-08:00When you see these initials, RUNThis is how FTI Consulting describes itself (italics are mine):<br /><br /><span style="color: #000000;">The Strategic Communications practice of FTI Consulting is one of the world’s most highly regarded communications consultancies. With more than 20 years of experience advising management teams in critical situations, the Strategic Communications practice supports clients in protecting and enhancing their<span style="font-style: italic;"> reputation in the capital markets,</span> society and the political environment. Services of the Strategic Communications practice are financial communications, corporate communications and public affairs, with specialty offerings that include strategy consulting, research, creative engagement, crisis and issues management, and change communications. The Strategic Communications practice of FTI Consulting is an established market <span style="font-style: italic;">leader in M&A communications</span> and has been for many years.</span> <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 3,700 professionals located in most major business centers in the world, we work closely with clients every day to anticipate, illuminate, and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management and restructuring. Our workforce includes numerous PhDs, MBAs, CPAs, CFEs, JDs, and technologists with expertise across a broad range of industries including automotive, chemicals, construction solutions, communications, media and entertainment, electricity, financial services, insurance, retail, healthcare, energy, real estate and life sciences. Since our founding in 1982, clients have turned to us for high-stakes issues that require specialized expertise. <br /></span></p><p>= = =<br /></p><p>Translation: these are the people who parachute into your workplace and orchestrate the non-message-rich communication when the company's reorganizing or filing for bankruptcy. "Business challenges" is the red-flag word.<br /></p><p>Be forewarned. FTI = RUN.<br /></p><p><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></p><p><span style="color: #000000;"><br /></span></p>davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-45299542224305349402011-06-30T09:12:00.000-07:002011-06-30T09:31:21.884-07:00New in Wegmans: your anklesSay "Wegmans" to anyone who's spent more than three days in Rochester. You'll see their eyes glaze over.<br /><br />For many people, <a href="http://www.wegmans.com">Wegmans </a>is the Valhalla of supermarkets. Better than Whole Foods. Better than Target. Almost the Nordstroms of groceries. Former Rochesterians who move to bigger cities pine for Wegmans. You can send them a Wegmans reusable shopping bag as a gift, and they tear up.<br /><br />I never dispute Wegmans' greatness. I love them. Sure, Wegmans can be pricey at times, but they outshine most competitors for two simple reasons:<br /><ul><li>Wegmans gives a ton of philanthropic support to the communities in which its stores and workers live. Including scholarship money for young cashiers.</li><li>Wegmans is open ALL THE TIME.<br /></li><li>(Third Reason: my feet <span style="font-style: italic;">never </span>stick to the floor in a Wegmans market. Ever.)</li></ul>So I'm cruising the Eastway Wegmans last night for some essentials: nonfat vanilla yogurt, oat bran snacks, skim milk, etc. About $40 worth of groceries. I pull into the checkout lane, and suddenly notice my feet. They are glowing. I can see I have a shoelace about to go AWOL.<br /><br />I drop coins all the time, and think this is a handy convenience. I ask the cheerful cashier, "What's with the lights at my feet?"<br /><br />Wegmans has installed illuminated ankle-level cameras at every checkout line, she tells me. "It's so we can see what's in the bottom rack of your shopping cart."<br /><br />Really? Shopping carts are transparent, gridded contraptions: basically, upended cages on wheels. You can see through the baskets to the lower deck, where you'd put big sacks of dog food or cartons of soft drinks.<br /><br />So, my friends, the jig is up. If you're smuggling Slim-Fast or meatloaf out in your socks, Wegmans' ankle-cameras will nab you. Or they'll report that you need new polish on your toenails.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-2721884294041178022011-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:002011-06-24T09:07:42.408-07:00My first shotSomething triggered (pun becomes apparent) this recollection:<br /><br />In the summer of 1978, I worked at a small, <a href="http://www.wesb.com/links/contact.php">1000-watt AM radio station</a> in northwestern PA. College internship, low pay, lodged alone in a vacant dorm room at the University of Pittsburgh campus. Worked most nights, rebroadcasting KDKA's signal for Pittsburgh Pirates games. Which could barely be heard, 20 miles away.<br /><br />On a rare night off, I met a friend for dinner in Bradford's best restaurant. I'm actually wearing a jacket and tie. After I dropped her off, I roamed around town in my little Mazda, looking for something. Or someone. I was restless.<br /><br />Coming up one street, I spied an overly blond young woman, dressed in glitter and gold for a night out. (It's 1978, remember.) She's crying by the roadside. So I stop to ask if she needs help.<br /><br />"My boyfriend and I had a fight," she says. "Can I get a ride home, please?"<br /><br />Off we go. She's giving turn-by-turn directions to a part of town I don't know well. I notice a pair of bright fog lights in my rear-view mirror, and I think: "It's not a foggy night. Why is he using those lights?"<br /><br />We reach a neighborhood where the residential streets climb up the hills. I glance in the rearview; Mr. Fog Lights is gone. But I think to ask: "Does your boyfriend own a pickup truck?"<br /><br />"Yep," she says. "A big one. Goes off-road."<br /><br />"Fog lamps?"<br /><br />"Oh, yeah."<br /><br />She points out her apartment house, I swing the car around, so she can get out on the right. I glance at the rearview again; no sign of the truck. She looks at me, dabbing away the last of her tears.<br /><br />"Do you believe in Jesus?"<br /><br />I shook my head. "'Fraid not."<br /><br />She sighed. "Well, thank you so much. I know god loves you."<br /><br />And she scurries away into her apartment. It's so quiet I can hear the bolt <span style="font-style: italic;">snick </span>into place as she locks the door.<br /><br />I shift into first, and suddenly see a trail of sparks flash by my driver's door, down the street. At first I think: "Bottle rocket?"<br /><br />It happens again, but this time, I hear the <span style="font-style: italic;">pop</span>.<br /><br />Mr. Fog Lights is discharging a <span style="font-style: italic;">gun</span>. In my direction.<br /><br />God had better love me right now. The little Mazda leapt into the street, with me deliberately swerving to avoid additional small-arms fire. I scan for the truck's lights, desperately trying to find the street that will lead me back to where I think the Bradford police station sits. For some reason, I decide to try to lose the trucker first, threading my way through the night streets in search of a police-protected doughnut shop.<br /><br />By the time I reached police headquarters, there was no sign of Mr. Fog Lights in my mirror, or anywhere nearby.<br /><br />Somewhere out there, a disgruntled and perhaps inebriated boyfriend with his steroid-powered truck was searching for my little Mazda. The cops didn't believe me. And since I didn't actually see the truck or its driver, they had very little in the way of motivation to go out searching for the carbureted gunman.<br /><br />Jesus, in fact, may have loved me that night. But there's only room for one good Samaritan in the Bible.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-32187351154099129932011-03-10T11:22:00.001-08:002011-03-10T11:27:40.493-08:00Read on. Please.Two weeks ago, I sent a note to a colleague, asking for their response to an external inquiry. I included the sender's questions.<br /><br />Today, I met with the colleague, who saw the questions only when I handed over a print-out of the note I'd originally sent. The colleague never read far enough in my original email to see the questions.<br /><br />Sure, everyone's busy. But reading the complete note would have avoided a two-week delay in getting a response.<br /><br />End of rant.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-68639543621650336702011-02-16T11:24:00.000-08:002011-02-16T11:33:20.428-08:00Future-proofing the future.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7IWIobDbEMo/TVwl-kEYPMI/AAAAAAAAFiI/nOGU3YzS4Mw/s1600/May%2B22%2B1976-1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7IWIobDbEMo/TVwl-kEYPMI/AAAAAAAAFiI/nOGU3YzS4Mw/s200/May%2B22%2B1976-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574372195541990594" border="0" /></a><br />I have seen the future.<br />It will not revolve around Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace. They are handy, but they don't replace human interaction.<br />The future will not depend on Kindles, iPads, Nooks, or Wii's.<br />It will not rely on 500 channels and 12-foot, 3D plasma screen televisions.<br />It will not rely on Fox News, Diane Sawyer, or Piers Morgan -- or any commercial network's interpretation of a story to fit the footage they've captured.<br /><br />The future will depend on real relationships. Face-to-face, voice-to-voice, heart to heart.<br /><br />(The photo herein was captured in 1975. It's a photo of two friends. We are still friends today, 35 years later. Think about that.)<br /><br />So, for a few moments every day, put down the iPhone, the Android, and the Wii. Look someone in the eye. And tell them -- in whatever words suit you best -- that they are important to you. A joke. A story. A poem. An old photo. A song.<br /><br />And the future will be fine.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-56724808420124465412010-04-12T11:03:00.000-07:002010-04-12T11:12:19.504-07:00Dissed. Micro-messaged. Or Worse.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1YUd8jHPXak/S8NiRx-xCJI/AAAAAAAAFP8/tI4tmSFn_Ks/s1600/thank-youhttpwww.abloadvn9.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1YUd8jHPXak/S8NiRx-xCJI/AAAAAAAAFP8/tI4tmSFn_Ks/s320/thank-youhttpwww.abloadvn9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459315230917068946" border="0" /></a><br />A micro-message is a non-verbal behavior or action that subtly tells me, "You don't matter as much as this other person or thing." Example: we're talking, someone walks by, and you scurry off in mid-sentence to talk to the new person. Or I send you a text, you reply you'll call later, and you don't.<br /><br />This has happened to me twice in the last week. I guess the actors could be really busy. Or have attention-deficit disorders. I'd like to believe the perpetrators aren't even aware they're doing it.<br /><br />But I think they are.<br /><br />How do you respond? One of my colleagues works on Oprah's 10/10/10 rule: will this matter in 10 minutes? Ten days? Ten months from now? If not, maybe you should let it go.<br /><br />But I believe relationships matter. If you cannot conduct or complete a face-to-face conversation -- not via email, voice mail, or text -- then perhaps you have broader relationship issues. I just don't think it's burdensome to conduct a 10-minute conversation.davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867687693643274423.post-34017622491201926152010-03-29T10:27:00.000-07:002010-03-29T10:44:09.435-07:00Famous Newscasters' SchoolHow do the TV news and weather announcers in your town pronounce everyday words? I'm not talking about names of Iranian presidents or Taliban leaders, but words you'd expect they'd have mastered by the time the little red light winks at them.<br /><br />Here's a short list of words that, according to a few friends on Facebook, TV newsroom staff need to work on:<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Temperature </span>-- often delivered as "temp-A-chur." Sounds like a Whirlpool appliance.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Didn't </span>-- often delivered as "did-it." If you can say "lint," you can probably manage "didn't."</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mischievous </span>-- often delivered as "mis-CHEE-vee-ous." Miss Cheevious was a second-grade teacher at P.S. 165 when I was in grade school.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ostensibly </span>-- there's no "V," and therefore no "ostensively."</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Introduce </span>-- please introduce (with an "o") yourself to the fact that "interduce" isn't a word.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Often </span>-- often has a silent "T," so its correct pronunciation has no number 10.</li></ul><br />Please add your own, and feel free share these with Laura Norder, the woman who's trying to get on the TV series, <span style="font-style: italic;">Law and Order.</span>davek57http://www.blogger.com/profile/04161060462075713391noreply@blogger.com0