ktoddstorch @ business thoughts

The Long Tail

Over the weekend I picked up Chris Anderson's book, "The Long Tail".  I knew the book was coming out, because he has broken through and gotten "hit" status from the mainstream media (ironic!) with his economic theory.

I posted about his Wired article back in October of 2004 (along with a bunch of others!) right when my interest was very high about podcasting.

Expect to hear a lot more from the mainstream media about this "Tail".

Amazon link.

Michael Tchong: "A Nation of Control-Freaks"

If you've been reading for the last few weeks, you have notice a number of references to Michael Tchong and the word Ubercool (read posts here and here).  The reason is simple:  he gets it.  Quick back-story:

I first met Michael at the CSS RDQ conference, where he was the keynote speaker.  He gave a great presentation centered around what he calls "Ubertrends" and he specifically spoke on Time Compression.  Quick summary:  most everything in our life is becoming time compressed (ie. TiVo, drive thrus, fast food, iPod, podcasting, etc.).

He started this section by saying "we are creating a nation of control freaks".  I have to agree.

You know I'm an early adopter, so here's a few things that I have going on due to my geekness:

• updating my iTunes based on new podcasts that I receive.  This causes me to set up a "1 Day Old" Playlist so I can classify the new podcasts and put the programs in specific categories (I don't use iTunes to capture podcasts; I still use iPodder because I like the way it handles the feeds and aggregates the programs directly into iTunes instead of through the "Podcast" application)
• updating my TiVo to capture the shows I want/need to watch (lets not forget that Tara is actively setting up stuff for her and the kids as well)
• keeping up with my Bloglines' feeds by deleting and adding new blogs/RSS feeds based on new recommendations or things that help or interest me and my job

The bottom line is that you end up having to be your own "program director".  It doesn't take much time to do this, but it is an activity that needs to crossed off the To Do list.  But, I guess this is what it takes to watch, listen and read what I want, when I want, instead of passively letting info drift to me, right?

Michael, you're right...I am a control freak.

[link] to Ubercool blog, Bringing Trends to Life

[listen] to a great podcast, hosted by Tom Parish, interviewing Michael Tchong

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tags:  ubercool | michael tchong | time compression | tom parish

Creativity that Blows Me Away: Mr. Fastfinger

This website just rocks.  The ability to program Flash based sites is really amazing.

The site is entertaining, but it is also extremely useful (lessons under the "The Mountain of the Tapping Dwarfs").

Simply amazing stuff for us guitar freaks out there!

[link] to Mr. Fastfinger

Thank you Joshua for pointing this out!

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tags:  guitar lessons | flash animation

Live 8 Video Downloads

I was on vacation during Live 8, but this site is a good way to see some of the performances from across the globe.

Enjoy!  It is a Beautiful Day.

[link] (via Lifehacker)

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tags:  live 8

Change, Change, Change: Music Industry

We all know things are changing in the music biz (my posts here, here and here), but this post is a really good read with plenty of charts and numbers to really see the detail.

[read] via

Thx Droxy for the heads up!

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tags:  music business | ipod | satellite radio | itunes | radio

Making it in the Music Biz

I absolutely love music and love the "they made it" stories.  However, it doesn't happen often.

Not too long ago, I highlighted indie musician Chance, and his struggle to make it by using forums, email and blogging to get the grassroots effort up and running.

The band Lantana hits close to home because I know Biz and Lisa.  They write, play instruments and have beautiful, amazing voices. 

Mom's from the greatness of Coppell, TX working hard to make it in Country music.

Want to hear Lantana?  Click here. 

Buy their latest CD here.

[LantanaMusic.com]

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tags:  country music | lantana

The race for "Drive Time Ear Time"...

I wrote about this back on January 5th and coined the phrase "Drive Time Ear Time".  The race is on to capitalize (and monetize) the time all of us spend in our cars.

Motorola thinks it has the answer.  I have to admit, this guy at Motorola gets it.  It will be interesting if this type of cell phone/radio/home PC solution will actually work as easily as he describes.  To penetrate and be mass appeal, listening to content that was downloaded to a home PC, transferred to a cell phone and played back on a car's radio, needs to be "one button easy".

BTW, this is exactly what podcasting is, using an aggregator such as iPodder and an iPod with a FM transmitter in the car.  Why people would pay Motorola for this feature doesn't make sense to me, unless they make the cell phones that have this ability so cool that customers are willing to pay for this feature.

[read] via Engadget

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tags: podcasting | engadget | motorola

SXSW: Here I come! (I wish...)

Terry knows how jealous I am of him...

Check out his SXSW itinerary.

[link] via

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tags: sxsw

Thank you Scoble!

Watching this was a great "fix" for the Jazz habit I've developed.

Scoble linked to this on Sunday and I just got a chance to check it out.  A great way to listen to and "watch" Coltrane's music unfold before your eyes.

[link] via

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tags:  scoble | jazz

Picking up the meme...

This meme was passed along to me from Andreas at Always Wow!.  Thank you for the opportunity to share!

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
According to iTunes, I have 3743 songs on my computer.  This equals 17.78MBGB of data.

What is the last CD I bought?
Just this week I purchased Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus by Charles Mingus.  I'm into Jazz right now and big thanks to Josh for the recommendation.

What was the last song I listened to before reading this message?
Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles.  We just got done watching it on DVD (great movie!).

What are 5 songs that I listen to often or mean a lot to me?
Wow, I could fill a entire blog on this topic...  Where do I start?  Van Halen is my all time favorite band.  I picked up the guitar in 1978 when Van Halen I was put on a turntable for me.  Kasmir by Led Zeppelin is up there.  For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica is a favorite to listen to before I start a triathlon.  Superstition by Stevie Wonder is a classic that always puts me in a great mood.  YYZ by Rush has to be on my list.  I think One Tree Hill by U2 is one of the best songs ever.  Reeling in the Years by Steely Dan reminds me of growing up.  I could go on and on...

Who am I going to pass this on to?
This is moving on to Matt, Greg and my brother Terry.  Should be able to get quite a diverse set of answers from these 3 friends and bloggers!