Tampa. 4:45 AM. Alarm. Surfboard. Car. I-4 East. Thick Fog. 7:00 AM. Cocoa Beach. Thick Fog. Wetsuit. Surfboard. Wax. Sand. Water. Paddle. Waves. Duck Dive. Breathe. Outside. Thick Fog. Quiet. No Landmarks. Drifting? Waves. Overhead. Offshore. Glassy. Paddle. Riding. Smiling. Repeat. 2:00 PM. Surfing. Sunny. Tired. Car. I-4 West. 4:00 PM. Tampa. Days Later. Thinking. Surfing.
Visited the studios of NPR recently. Such an iconic brand that continues to evolve despite the emergence of many other communication channels. In fact, they were one of the first media companies to develop an iPad application – it is still one of the better ones out there today. I also attended a keynote luncheon where Vivian Schiller spoke. When asked where she is taking NPR she replied, NPR is in a unique position where the audience defines and takes us there.
I happened to be in Washington, D.C. for the Online News Association 2010 conference when the Rally to Restore Sanity took place. Needless to say, I took a little walk down to the National Mall to see what all the fuss was about. There wasn’t much fuss, just a few hundred thousand people blowing mainly positive steam on a beautiful fall day in the nation’s capital. I’m neither a Democrat or a Republican, but I do need satire and sarcasm, and John Stewart and Stephen Colbert certainly fit the bill.
I produced the above collage from a few pictures I took that day.
This is a little taste of dark geek humor. I originally took this photo in Philadelphia about a month ago at the Christ Church Burial Ground. Benjamin Franklin is buried here along with some other original signers of the Declaration of Independence. I had a little fun with it and added the names of a few technology companies that recently met their maker (click here for a larger view).
Because Scandinavians do not have alligators in their neck of the woods, it is important to get them nice and close when canoeing.
If you turn south from Cocoa Beach and wind down A1A you will notice the tropical blue waters of Florida turn a shade more brilliant just before the entrance to Seashell Suites. This little eco-retreat is nestled in the maritime forest that clings to a narrow strip of land defying the periodic pummeling of Atlantic hurricanes.
I like it down here. The beach is natural and beautiful. The only litter on the sand is that of newly hatched turtle shells. Fishermen catch pompano and permit while surfers ride waves through streams of bait fish. Nothing but the sound of waves and wind.
There is something very much removed about Seashell Suites. Maybe it is the good surf, sauna, or comfy beds, but I always feel something loosen within me. While there are many different hotel accommodations dotting the coastline from Cocoa to Vero Beach, I never achieve the same level of relaxation that this oceanfront resort provides.
Seashell Suites also has new managers. Don and Joanna have instituted some welcome changes. Apart from the usual onsite amenities, they have added subtle but important touches like good coffee and continental breakfast. They are also good company. Through many years of experience they know how to strike that important balance between giving you enough space while also making sure your needs are met.
In the morning when the tide is right, I quietly crawl out of bed, careful not to wake my wife. I walk towards the ocean deck past the cupola where last night a Great Horned Owl landed above me. Down the beach I see beautiful blue waves cresting on the outer reef. The wind is offshore and no one is out.
Publishers, Advertisers, and supporting vendors convened in Philadelphia, PA last week for the Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) conference. I was among them as a speaker and representative of SAXOTECH to share ideas and discuss the future of media.
The backdrop of Philadelphia, and the symbolic nature of the city, was not lost on attendees. After all, this is the place where the power of media was used to establish independence a mere 234 years ago.
What did media have to do it with the Declaration of Independence?
To bring the colonies together and establish unanimity in 1776 did not just require the eloquence of Jefferson and Franklin, or the intense debate of our Founding Fathers. It also required typesetting these great ideas to print. These revolutionary ideas were literally distributed as a press release to as many newspapers as possible. Printing and distributing the foundations of a new nation made them tangible, debatable, and viral.
Of course, now the digital age is upon us and media companies are wrestling with their influence in some cases, and their print product in most cases.
Publishers are asking themselves:
You may feel the answers to these questions are simple – Continue reading Media Makers Meet in Philadelphia
Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, one would think I would have learned how to play golf. Family play. Friends play. Colleagues play. But I do not play. Not well anyway.
After graduating from Clemson University, I made my way out West. I peddled, paddled, climbed, hiked, and some times even crawled across all kinds of varying terrain, but never once did my trajectory meet a fairway.
Then came graduate school. I was studying business. And you know the saying, a lot of business gets done on the course. Fair enough. So I turned to a classmate who had actually competed in high school and was nothing short of a pro. He gave me some old clubs and took me under his wing….for an hour or two. At least I learned how to keep score and drive the cart.
Directly after obtaining my MBA, I took up a job in marketing and public relations. It wasn’t long after I had gotten over the initial discomfort of being in a new company that my boss announced there would be an upcoming golf tournament where my participation was required. Yes!
The morning began bright and beautiful as I looked out across the well manicured fairways at Lakeridge golf course. My boss, Jennifer, and I were paired with Charles and Melissa. They worked at a creative agency in town. Charles was also the president of the local advertising association.
It is important to note that while I was at least dressed to be outside, the other three were costumed in outfits cut directly from a golf catalogue. But I didn’t feel awkward at all. Nope, not a bit.
Tropical Storm Colin didn’t turn out to be what many Florida surfers wanted, but for early August when waves are typically nonexistent, who can complain about head high, glassy waves with offshore winds? This narcissistic pic is from Saturday morning. It got bigger and better throughout the day.
We are entering the peak season for hurricanes in the Atlantic. Let’s see what the next couple of months bring…
I post this image of some guys working a Banshee Bungee at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach, Florida, not so much because it is a fun photo, but because of what a stranger came up to me on the beach and said after I took it. He joked, “Most folks would think it is pretty crazy to launch yourself in to the air on a skim board with a bungee cord, but I want to shake the guy’s hand who decided it was safe enough to get in their way and take some photos.” Ha! I turned 36 this weekend. Guess I still haven’t learned.
