Cam in Computer Trader
If you are in Australia, look out for this week’s edition of Computer Trader magazine. Paul McKenna asked me to write something about the Vint Cerf interview. Thanks for the opportunity Paul!
G’DAY WORLD #249 – The Future Of Newspapers
Ryan Sholin wrote this post “10 obvious things about the future of newspapers you need to get through your head” on June 2 about the future of newspapers. It ended up on the front page of TechMeme and obviously struck a chord with lots of people. So I invited him onto the show to explore his key points in some more detail.
Ryan is a graduate student in Mass Communications at San Jose State University, working on a thesis about the adoption of weblogs at U.S. newspapers and he works at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
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We’ve Only Just Begun
Here’s something I bet you didn’t know.
The Carpenters’ song “We’ve Only Just Begun” started life as a bank commercial. It was written by Paul Williams, the same guy who wrote “Evergreen”, the song that won Barbra Streisand an Oscar, as well as the theme from Love Boat, and “Rainbow Connection” (which my kids are singing in a concert tomorrow night).
Of “Begun”, he says:
That song started life as a few verses in a bank commercial. Those verses Roger Nichols and I wrote to accompany footage of a young couple getting married, going to the reception and then driving off into the sunset. The copy read, “We’ve got a long way to go, we’d like to help you get there, the Crocker Bank.” So I sat down and realised that I had to describe a wedding in about three lines. So I came up with: “We’ve only just begun/ White Lace and promises/ A kiss for luck and we’re on our way.” Then they drive off and the song goes on, “Before the rising sun/ We Fly / So much of life ahead.” It was basically the first two verses and then we completed it. We didn’t think that there was very much chance that anyone would record it. it was very sentimental and a throwback to earlier times. I think a lot of stuff was. The number one album at the time that the Carpenters had a hit with it was In A Gadda Da Vita. So I suppose that in a sense the Carpenters, Roger and I were really alternative at the time.
It just goes to show you that great art and cheap commercialism can sometimes be friends.
Packer jumps ship while he still can
James Packer is selling down another 25% of PBL, taking his ownership to a minority share. I predicted this last October when Packer first announced he was selling off PBL.
As I pointed out back then, you probably won’t hear the mainstream media talking about the real reason Packer is selling down. They will focus on the his interest in gambling. Sure sure. Gambling is swell. But Packer doesn’t need to sell off PBL to get into gambling. He is James Packer. This isn’t like your university drop-out brother selling his PS2 so he can upgrade. The real reason (IMHO) that Packer is selling off PBL is that he wants to get out while he still can! He knows what we know, what Buffett and Gates and Murdoch know. The old media business is dead in the water. It’s a floater, just waiting for CSI to come along and fish it out with a long gaff so someone can autopsy the corpse.
Murdoch is the only guy who is still buying old media assets (apart from the vulture PE firms who can’t wait to pick the flesh off the bones… oh and Sam Zell). That’s because Rupert thinks he can just buy EVERYTHING. This is his last great gasp before he shuffles off to the Great Satellite Network in the Sky. He’s like Kane, buying all of the antiques of Europe, and then stuffing them into a warehouse somewhere in New Jersey, where a few years from now, a handful of guys will be sorting through them, chucking them into a great oven. I wonder if Rupert’s last dying words will be “Advertiserrrrr….”??
So anyway… I guarantee you won’t see a single mainstream media article in this country talk about the real reason why Packer is getting the hell out of dodge. Why? Because no-one wants to admit that their industry is on its last legs. The only old media guys I’ve met who are able to admit that are the ones that have resigned and walked away before the crash. Like Hugh Martin. I’m pretty sure Mark Jones would, but he’s still apparently counting on them for a pay cheque until he’s earning his keep from Yahweh.
And you won’t see Today Tonight, the kids that LOVE to throw the book at drunk drivers, talking about how their boss, Peter Meakin, has been sentenced to 18 month jail (on weekends) for trying to dodge a booze bus while he pissed behind the wheel. Nice one Pete. Nice to see his former colleagues at Nine News dancing on his grave as well. Classy, fellas.
And I doubt you’ll see any of them talking about the privatization of Iraq oil that I mentioned this morning.
Prove me wrong.
Channel 7 news chief gets part-time jail
Channel Seven’s head of news and current affairs, Peter Meakin, has been sentenced to up to 18 months’ periodic detention for drink-driving and dangerous driving.
I thought it was for producing Today Tonight.
Ms Culver said Meakin accelerated past a random breath testing site at North Narrabeen when police signalled him to pull over.
He forced two police officers off the road in a bid to avoid being tested, she said.
The Domain kicks off to a great start
I had a terrific time at The Domain event in Melbourne last night. Full congrats to Sally and Deb for putting it on and to Brad “Best Technology Industry Journalist†Howarth for his interview with Aussie digital media pioneer Domenic Carosa from Destra. I’ve known Dom for quite a few years now but have never really had the chance to sit down with him over a few beers and hear him talk from the gut. It was great to hear his passion for his business and for digital media come out. I admire greatly what he has done since he and his sister started the business in 1993 when he was only 18! He said last night that neither of them took a single cent in income for the first 7 years! They were living at home with their parents. Now THAT’S a start-up baby.
The only worrying moment of the night was when I went up to say g’day to Brad and he said to the people he was with “now here’s the one person I am afraid of”. Little ol’ me Bradley? Oh buddy. I’m sweet as pie. Why afraid?
Scienta was there. Jeremy from Skylook was there. Paul McKenna from Computer Trader was there. And his partner in the SMS business, Carl Krumins from K.A.S. The three of us talked long and hard about how to use SMS to help Father Bob raise money and how to use SMS as a feedback mechanism for podcasts. I finally got to meet the famous Kerri Lee Sinclair after hearing about her for many years. And James Tuckerman from Australian Anthill magazine was there. What a terrific story there guys have. I can’t wait to get him the show to tell you about their history. Brilliant start-up story.
I hope MODM is half as good as last night was. It’ll be our first real event (the last one was more of a planning event for this one) and, like all good things, I’m sure it will take a while to find its feet, but with Dr Peter Ellyard there as our guest, we’re off to a flying start.