Success only runs one direction....
Thanks to Jason DeRusha from WCCO-TV in Minneapolis for posing the question:
Is a texted thank you as good as getting a card?
My personal favorite is the guy immediately after web viewer Maria’s (make me cringe) response.
Click here to see the video.
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Getting nervous about all the emails warning that your cell phone is about to be inundated with telemarketer calls? Who wouldn’t be? Those missives are written with an “end of the world as we know it” tone that would scare the incisors off of Count Dracula.
The reality is that there’s no D-Day for cell numbers. According to this posting by the FTC, cell phone numbers are not being released to telemarketers. There is no now-or-never deadline to register your cell number with the Do Not Call database (of which there is only one, by the way, contrary to the plethora of numbers being emailed around). And there’s no reason to fear autodialers will start cranking out your cell number since that’s just plain illegal.
As for that pesky “Wireless 411” directory we’ve heard rumors of…. Yes, it might happen someday, but it will be an opt-in program; if you don’t opt in, your cell won’t be listed. The FTC has made that abundantly clear to cell providers and telemarketing firms.
Regardless, you can register both your home and cell numbers on the official FCC Do Not Call list. The registrations last until the numbers are either disconnected or reassigned…or a couple of other odd situations regarding changed calling plans. Check out this link on the FTC site for specifics…and rumor busting.
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Those of you who know me personally know where I stand politically.
Those of you who know me through this blog or my G&D columns most likely don’t (at least that’s the plan since the last thing I want is to turn this blog into a torch run).
Regardless of what your views are, check out a blog I tripped over this morning, written by Luke Russert, son of my recently departed hero, Tim Russert. His style is fresh, sincere, and full of the enthusiasm we all held in our twenties…and still should long after that. As a correspondent for NBC and XM Radio, he reports on the campaign trail through the eyes of a youthful, engaged, interested American guy who says it like it is. The prose slip comfortably from eloquent historical quotes to straight forward cut-the-cr** realities often shared with friends and neighbors.
This guy can write, but more than that, he gets it. He‘s smart without being a dweeb, he’s clever without being annoying, and he’s got the bullseye insight his father demonstrated with such ease during the golden years of Meet the Press.
Take a peek, then bookmark him. You’ll be glad you did.
And to play off his most impassioned plea: Get out there and vote, folks. You have absolutely no excuse not to.
Photo credit: J. Scott Applewhite for Associated Press
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I’m going to ask you to do something simple. Sit down, then stand up…as in Stand Up To Cancer, a campaign being run simultaneously on ABC, CBS, and NBC at 7:00 p.m. Central time next Friday night (September 5th). The three major networks are donating an hour for a sky’s worth of luminaries to demonstrate that coming together can make change. And “change” is all you need; even those unable to afford a significant contribution can help out by launching stars honoring loved ones for the bargain basement price of $1.00 each.
The lineup of actors, musicians, media folks, and artists participating is mind blowing. It promises to be one heck of an evening.
One of every three women will be diagnosed with cancer. Half of all men will be too. My dad’s been there. I’ve been there. Too many people I love have been there. Do you really want to go there too, or hedge your bet by supporting further research? We’re on the edge of so much good…every little noodge makes a difference.
So sit down, Stand Up, and let’s do something good.
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…or does Shawn Johnson of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastic Team look remarkably like Chatty Cathy?*
You go, Shawn. Knock this one out of the park.
*If you remember Chatty Cathy, you’re in. And I don’t mean from antique stores.
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Admission #1: I’m an Apple junkie (duh).
Admission #2: I’m also addicted to “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.”
For those of you who don’t join me in either of those joy-filled habits, this means little. For the rest who recognize Dan Lyons as the guy behind the curtain, well….swan song time.
We, the devoted, knew this day was coming. After outing Lyons as the author of the sometimes raunchy, always cerebral, and constantly entertaining blog supposedly written by Apple’s founder, Forbes began actively supporting-—and advertising on-—the site. Now that Newsweek’s snapped Dan up, well…. The old employer wasn’t likely to continue promoting the author while the new employer had him. End of blog.
This morning, I stumbled across this video of Dan Lyons doing the keynote at Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco in April, before the leap. Gotta admit, he’s funny, in spite of the language (a bit, um, risqué for many) while completely in awe of the fact what began as a joke turned into a cultural bookmark.
Farewell, Fake Steve. We’ll miss you. Namaste.
Editors note: Having had sufficient time to peruse Mr. Lyons’ new blog (posted under his real name), I can’t say the warm fuzzy feelings have held. As himself, he just comes across angry and bitter-—no interesting wit or clever edge to the text. Sorry to say it, but Uncle Steve truly left, in every sense of the word. Bummer.
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