Category: product endorsements

Brad Paisley – Welcome To The Future of Music

On By Rick McIn music, product endorsements1 Comment

Growing up in Western Canada, a Country and Western mecca, I’ve always avoided and denied Country music.

I lost my girl. I lost my truck. I lost my dog.

Country music has some wonderful talent (Shania Twain jumps to mind) … but I still see it as the preserve of dumb white people. Simple minded closet racists all endorse both kinds of music, Country and Western.

But times are changing …

… While album sales of most musical genres have declined, country music experienced one of its best years in 2006, when, during the first six months, U.S. sales of country albums increased by 17.7 percent to 36 million. …

… I keep hearing about this guy named Brad Paisley. One of my favourite critics calls his most recent album – American Saturday Night – the best of the year.

The second radio single is “Welcome to the Future” which Paisley said is his favorite song on the album.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I love it. Paisley played it at the White House for President Barack Obama. In fact, he was inspired to write this song by Obama.

Finally a Country star who can sing about big, modern issues. Technology. Racism. People who aren’t descended from Hillbillies.

This song could be covered by U2 or the Black Eyed Peas.

Paisley has signed to join a new hour-long drama TV series called Nashville. If that show is a hit, he’ll have crossed over to yet another huge market.

As Ron and Kate often urge, perhaps it’s time I give Country Music open minded consideration.

Hip Hop and neo punk are in decline.

How many Beyonce clones can I listen to?

why 12 different electrical plugs worldwide?

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

This post for people who travel internationally. …

Gizmodo posted the best explanation I’ve ever seen.

Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a Different F#$%ing Plug

500x_Plug_confusion_2

… Is There Any Hope for the Future?

No. I talked to Gabriela Ehrlich, head of communications for the International Electrotechnical Commission, which is still doing its thing over in Switzerland, and the outlook isn’t great. “There are standards, and there is a plug that has been designed. The problem is, really, everyone’s invested in their own system. It’s difficult to get away from that.” …

Strangely, the article doesn’t address solutions.

Here’s what I’m using.

fujifilm-worldwide-travel-plug-tp_5675460384837955532vb

This adaptor “works” in about 150 countries. Sold by Fujifilm, it’s the main one available (greatly overpriced) in airports right now. Spend the extra couple of bucks for the one with a USB port if you frequently charge an iPod or other USB device.

In North America, I always carry one of these 3 prong to 2 prong adapters on my laptop cord. It’s amazing how many times it’s saved me in older buildings that only have 2 prong outlets.

3-to-2-adapter

Slightly dangerous, I understand you can no longer buy these in Canada. But God Bless the U.S.A., you can still get them there.

dental tourism in Nepal

On By Rick McIn hiking, product endorsements1 Comment

I’ve been hanging out in polluted Kathmandu taking care of a number of errands: plane tickets, gear, internet … and waiting on a dentist appointment.

I’d had a crown come loose and wanted to get it fixed before my upcoming trek.

I posted the details on my hiking blog – dental tourism for hikers

Dental-Spa

To re-cement a crown, replace a filling and cosmetically fix a small chip … CAD$57. Excellent work. Up-to-date facilities. The doctor speaks perfect English.

… So, if your dentist in Mexico or Eastern Europe is getting too expensive, consider the Nepal alternative.

What I like best about dental tourism is that appointments do not feel as rushed as they do in Canada, the dentist hopping bed-to-bed trying to be 4% more efficient in billing.

The worst thing about dental tourism is that you likely have no recourse if something goes wrong.

The future of news is entrepreneurial

On By Rick McIn blogs, books, Google, internet, product endorsements5 Comments

Jeff-JarvisThere’s a brilliant guy named Jeff Jarvis with a blog called Buzz Machine.

Rockin’ reads it religiously.

I find it bloody dense. Wordy. Few graphics or photos. A video once-in-a-while if you’re lucky.

But one dense Buzz Machine post is dead on, something explained better than I’ve heard before:

The future of news is entrepreneurial:

The future of news is not institutional… The news of tomorrow has yet to be built…. The structure – the ecosystem – of news will not be dominated by a few corporations but likely will be made up of networks of many startups performing specialized functions …

That statement also holds many implications for sectors of the economy and society: investment (put money into the new, not the old)… public policy (don’t protect and preserve the incumbents but nurture the startups by creating a fertile and level playing field)… education (how do we train journalists when everyone can do journalism? – how do we train everyone?)… marketing (advertising won’t be one-stop shopping anymore and that means it may support news less)… PR (influence will be no longer be concentrated)…

Ryerson-blog

He writes this, I think, as a response to the idiotic proposals that governments should support your local paper with tax dollars.

Are you telling me the Calgary Herald is too big to fail? … It’s not.

There’s a cheesy sounding news service called Demand Media, founded 2006. It’s already the single largest contributor to YouTube.

Also founded 2006, but better, is a company called Examiner.com. My friend Blythe Lawrence went to work for them. She’s a trained journalist. Check out Blythe’s “blog” – Gymnastics Examiner. It’s as good as any of the old media in my business.

Jeff Jarvis is associated with another new (2007) media company called Daylife.

daylife

Looks like all 3 of these companies are going to survive. Dozens more will be founded. Some will flounder.

All 3 are radically different business models. In all 3 most of the people producing the content are paid very little.

Those are all “news” sites. More likely to survive longterm are speciality sites. I frequently read Matador Travel, for example. It’s an online travel magazine and social network. I’m more likely to check Matador for travel, or the Gadling travel blog, than look at travel pieces in a news site like DayLife. Matador and Gadling specialize in travel.

A friend of mine Kraig Becker went to work for Gadling recently. He’s getting paid something, and really enjoying posting for them. I’m totally happy with the quality of Kraig’s writing. And scan each and every one because I like his perspective on adventure travel.

We don’t know yet how we will get our news 2 years from now. It’s being fought out in the market place of ideas right now.

Perhaps they’ll even find a way to monetize news. To pay the people that produce it in micropayments. … My guess is that very few journalists will be well paid in future, however.

Certainly I won’t be subscribing to the Calgary Herald dead tree edition, ever again.

==== UPDATE:

I heard Jeff Jarvis on Leo Laporte’s new audiocast, This Week in Google.

Jarvis is a genius. Much better in audio than in text, IMHO.

His book, however, What Would Google Do? is high on my “to listen to soon” list.

joys of hitchhiking

On By Rick McIn food, product endorsements, travel4 Comments

I hate hitching.

But, as a hiker, it’s fairly often that I find myself standing roadside with a backpack, trying to look harmless. Attempting to be empathetic with the people in each vehicle that passes me by. Likely I’d not stop for myself.

In Maui two brave ladies from Vancouver picked me up. I ended up spending most of the day with them, touring the island.

One of the ladies was doing travel research for an article to be published in the Edmonton Journal. We stopped first at Alii Kula Lavender Farm, not an attraction I would find or ever hear about if I was on my own. But actually it was very interesting. We even had lavender coffee at their restaurant.

lavender3

The ladies led me to Ichiban Okazuya.

Ichiban Okazuya restaurant, Maui

Although this place is a hole in the wall, without any indoor seating, this is my favorite Japanese take out place on Maui. During the lunch rush, you will see locals (usually office people) lined up outside for their plate lunches. …

more reviews on Yelp

Prices are insanely inexpensive for Hawaii, the food authentic and filling. It’s only open 5hrs/day, 5days/wk. We ate outdoors.

Ichiban Okazuya restaurant, Maui

Next the ladies took me to several speciality shops (antiques, hand made dresses, local crafts) on Market Street, Wailuku. All were very interesting I’m shocked to admit.

Worse, I’d stayed at Banana Bungalow Hostel on Market Street for 4 days … and never noticed any of the 3 unique shops nor the nearby Ichiban Okazuya takeout. Some traveler I am …

A terrific day all thanks to hitchhiking. I’ve got to be more open-minded about hitching in future. And pick up more hitchhikers too.

Wailuku-map

Run down Wailuku town in Maui is way underrated. I’m very happy I stayed there for my second week. Very few suitcase tourists ever get there.

fly Emirates Business Class

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

Got bumped to Business for a 5hr leg of my long, long trip. Sweet.

EmiratesInterior_wideweb__470x310,0

Emirates is one of the best airlines in the world. Switching from crappy United Airlines to superb Emirates reminded me of what’s been lost in North America.

The flying waitresses on United make it conspicuously obvious that they are ignoring you as much as they can, instead chatting at the back of the plane. On Emirates, even in coach, the staff still fawn on your every need.

Emirates was the first airline to introduce a personal entertainment system on a commercial aircraft after introducing the world’s first seat-back screens in 1992. They’ve won the award for best In-Flight-Entertainment from Skytrax for their ICE system every year since the systems inception in 2003.

600 channels of entertainment shown on a 43cm wide personal TV screen. Over 100 movies on demand including a few current releases.

Emirate’s growth has never fallen below 20% a year. In its first 11 years, it doubled in size every 3.5 years, and has every four years since. They are very profitable.

I’m right now overnighting in the VIP lounge at the airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cost US$15 inclusive of wifi, food, drinks, shower. Man it’s great to be back in the developing world!

Waiter … I’ll have another sweet lassi.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

On By Rick McIn books, product endorsements3 Comments

In 2075, underground colonies are scattered across the Moon. Most “Loonies”, as the residents are called, are either criminal or political exiles or their descendants …

Moon-cover

Amazon – The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

The ringleader of the Moon’s revolt from Earthworm tyranny, Professor Bernardo de La Paz, describes himself as a “Rational Anarchist”. We would call it Libertarianism.

Very thought provoking. This book is important social commentary, even today.

I’d never read the 1966 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, but it ranks up there with these other master works:

  • Starship Troopers (1959)
  • Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)
  • Time Enough for Love (1973)

    • Heinlein was a genius, way ahead of his time.

    Unfortunately his frequent theme of sexual liberation reached the point of prurience in his later novels. I wondered at the time if Heinlein’s mental faculties were diminished. His last books, I thought, unreadable.

    Heinlein is oft listed with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke as one of the “three masters of science fiction to arise in the so-called Golden Age of science fiction”.

    I would rank him with Asimov in the top two.

    The Lighthouse – P.D. James

    On By Rick McIn books, product endorsements, TV2 Comments

    The 13th (2005) in the excellent Inspector Dalgliesh mystery series. The second most recent.

    … Acclaimed novelist Nathan Oliver incurs the wrath of his fellow residents on Combe Island, a private property off the Cornish coast used as an exclusive retreat by movers and shakers in many fields. When Oliver is murdered, Scotland Yard dispatches Dalgliesh and two of his team to Combe, where the commander checks alibis and motives in his trademark understated manner. …

    Amazon Review

    Dalgliesh is stricken with S.A.R.S. in this one.

    Lighthouse-cover

    P.D. James is one of the best writers today, quality literature in the British tradition.

    The detailed and ingenious plotting reminds me of some of the great BBC TV serials.

    My Dad watches a lot of BBC. My Mom never misses Coronation Street.

    It’s amazing how many older, even elderly, actors get work on British television, all seemingly stage trained. Normal looking people, most with crooked teeth.

    On American TV being a model with no acting experience at all – but great teeth and hair – is sufficient to get you a role.

    Windows 7 is COOL

    On By Rick McIn Apple, product endorsementsLeave a comment

    OK, Apple is the Evil Empire. … I can live with that.

    But Microsoft cool? … I never thought I’d live to see the day.

    Windows 7 Outlasts Snow Leopard in Reader Vote

    Windows-7-v-Snow-Leopard

    Microsoft always loses these kinds of polls on the internet as the Apple fan boys are disproportionately vocal online.

    … I’m going to have to try Windows 7.

    no rent-a-car in Maui

    On By Rick McIn product complaints, product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

    For the first week on Earth’s most popular island I did have a rent-a-car.

    rent-a-car

    But I gave it up for my second week.

    Why?

    Normally I feel it’s essential to have your own wheels when traveling in the U.S.A., but (hopefully) Maui is different. They have a pretty good public transportation system called Maui Bus. And I’ll be several days this week on foot in the middle of a volcano in Haleakala National Park.

    The cost of a rent-a-car is about double what I paid only 2yrs-ago. Over $50/day … plus fuel. The agent at Dollar insisted I buy the $13/day extra insurance. INSISTED.

    Fuel is US$3.24 / American gallon. But I had to pay $4.39 in distant Hana. (Don’t you wish you owned that service station, the only one on that side of the island.)

    The average holiday maker in Maui spends $171/day. … My target budget is about $40. Ha. So far I’ve spent at least $70/day despite sleeping in a tent.

    Yesterday I moved into the Banana Bungalow hostel. Nice.

    They offer “free” tours each day. Have a great kitchen. Free WiFi.

    The location is in historic (rundown) Wailuku town, the administrative centre of the Island. Low rent. There are no suitcase tourists here. We mingle with locals, a racially diverse crowd of Asian, European and Pacific Island descent.

    It will be a different Maui experience. I won’t be able to stop and gawk anywhere as I did with the car. Tooling all over the island. The highlight of Maui so far has been the motor touring, actually.

    Maui-vista

    Having a rent-a-car was a worry though, in the States. I don’t trust insurance companies to deliver if I did have a major problem. They’ve been devaluing the payoff for claims in recent years. And I don’t really understand the specifics of …

    Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)
    Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)
    Additional Liability Insurance (ALI)
    Personal Effects Coverage (PEC)

    Do YOU have confidence you’re actually covered when you rent a car?