Anthony Bourdain, Apizza Scholls, Voodoo Doughnut, and the Flu

Sitting next to the sliding glass door to the deck watching the drizzle and working on my computer. Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations “Pacific Northwest” rerun from 2007 playing in the background. I never thought the mundane could feel so good and bland food taste so good…

Getting ready for the next post in the series for “Firefox Web Browsers, SEO Tools of the Trade” I decided I would just give you some insight in to the life of the reborn SEO. For last 2 weeks I have been in and out of my body. This flu that is going around is devastating. It is a good thing I have a great crew. It hits you like a brain wipe. Wait a minute Voodoo Doughnuts is being visited by Tony, distraction ensues…

Voodoo Doughnut is located both on the West and East side of Portland. Voodoo Doughnut, 22 SW 3rd Avenue Portland Oregon and Voodoo Doughnut Too!, 1501 N.E. Davis St. in Portland Oregon. Tony is sampling the maple bar with bacon… Yum even a doughnut looks good today!
(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)
OK back to my flu story. In 2 weeks I lost 21 pounds. I wouldn’t suggest any one use this as a diet but 21 pounds in 2 weeks isn’t bad. Now back to the brain wipe… this stuff would cause my attention span to be non existent. I had trouble keeping one thought more than a few seconds. Wait… Tony is talking about PIZZA the world’s most perfect food…

Tony is at Apizza Scholls one of Portland’s the Worlds best pizza crafters. Apizza Sholls is located at 4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon. At Apizza Scholls the dough is made by hand and contains only flour, water, salt and yeast. The pizzas are cooked on hot ovens 650º F – 900ºF. How tasty… Because the process of fermenting the dough takes over 24 hours it is possible that some days they actually run out of dough. A pizza would go great now…

Oh back to the flu story… I’m finally over it and am enjoying flavorful food again. This stuff is devastating. The only way I survived is by drinking sips of water every chance I got and keeping warm. I hope you don’t have a personal experience with it.

Late.
Gary Pool

Finally Back from the Dead or Should I say Flu is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Another email Scam: this One Appears to have Originated in the UK but it Reeks of Nigeria

From what I can tell from their email this Mr. John Butler who told the IMF that he was my next of kin and relation and I guess that I died in a car accident four months ago. And I didn’t even know that I was dead let alone that I had died in a car accident.

I feel like George Kerby (Cary Grant) in Topper. I died and didn’t even know it. Maybe the IMF is really talking about Mr. John Buttler and not me.

Using a Currency Converter the IMF has $11,160,720 waiting for me.

OK so the IMF is only going to give me “a part-payment of 7.5M EURO”.

Some of the interesting “hi-lights” of this email are:

• sent from a Yahoo email address
• return address is a gmail address
• it is sent not to me but to the golivemod-owner@yahoogroups.com
• the sent IP address is located in the UK (I got this information from the long header info)
• the english is very lacking
• they request I send them my personal details
• the email is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed (golivemod-owner@yahoogroups.com)
• they/he requests “Make sure you reply to my alternative Email address (payned100@gmail.com) for confidential reasons”
• it is from the International Monetary Fund Agency

From: INTERNATIONAL OPERATION DEPT (paynedaniel78@yahoo.com)
Subject:[spam?] RE-OUTSTANDING PAYMENT
Date: October 16, 2009 6:30:56 AM PDT
To: golivemod-owner@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: payned100@gmail.com

---

RE-OUTSTANDING PAYMENT

This is to inform you of your long overdue Payment outstanding our Banking records. I discover your name from our Central system among list of unpaid inheritance claims individuals and have to update your informations through this email contact for immediate confirmation.

Your name appeared among the beneficiaries who will receive a part-payment of 7.5M EURO (SEVEN MILLI0N, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND EURO) and it has been approved already for payment months ago. However we received an email from one Mr.John Butler who told us that he is your next of kin and relation and that you died in a car accident last four months back.

He has also submitted his account informations to the office department for transfer of the fund to him as your Benefactor. We are now verifying by contacting your email address as we have in our Bank records before we can make the transfer into his account and for us to conclude confirmation if you are dead or not. we also want to avoid any problems that will arise if you should contact us again in future regarding this funds and transfer to you. Please, confirm response immediately before any further action to release the outstanding payment against your name listed out.

Upon this, we request you send your personal details as soon as possible to enable our office finalize the transfer of the fund release, to your nominated foreign Bank Account.Do contact our office with your below details correctly. (payned100@gmail.com)

1. Full Names……….
2. Telephone & Fax Number……….
3. Contact Address……….
4. Age……….
5. Occupation……….
6. Sex……….

NOTE: HOWEVER, WE SHALL PROCEED TO ISSUE ALL PAYMENTS DETAILS TO THE SAID MR JOHN BUTLER, IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU WITHIN THE NEXT SEVEN WORKING DAYS FROM TODAY. WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MIGHT CAUSE YOU.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This E-Mail is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Once again, we apologize to you on behalf of International Monetary fund Agency towards this contact and proper confirmation required urgently from you if alive. Make sure you reply to my alternative Email address (payned100@gmail.com) for confidential reasons

Thanks,
Yours Sincerely
Mr. Daniel Payne
International Monetary Fund Agency
INTERNATIONAL OPERATION DEPT
……………………
payned100@gmail.com

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) even released the following news brief back in 1996.

NEWS BRIEF No. 96/14
November 18, 1996

International Monetary Fund
700 19th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20431 USA

IMF AGAIN WARNS OF FINANCIAL SCHEMES MISUSING ITS NAME

In view of widespread and continuing inquiries from individuals and companies who have been approached by parties in connection with offers of participation in various financial instruments and schemes promising high returns and unauthorizedly using the name of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Treasurer of the IMF today again warned potential investors to beware of such schemes. He had already issued warnings in the past (see News Brief Number 94/5, published February 23, 1994 and News Brief Number 94/11, published May 13, 1994). Today he reiterated that the IMF does not issue or guarantee any obligations called “Prime Bank Notes,” “Prime Bank Guarantees,” “Bill of Exchange,” or “Bill of Equity,” or extend any credit lines through commercial banks or other agencies. Moreover, the IMF does not guarantee debentures or other financial instruments issued by a member country or any other entity. It does not sponsor investment programs, “high-yield financial programs,” or issue to countries or to outside parties an “IMF Number,” “IMF Country Registration Number,” or an “IMF Approval Number for Projects.”

Other examples of bogus instruments often featured in such schemes which unauthorizedly use the name of the IMF are:

• fictitious stand-by letters of credit–falsely portrayed as risk-free and sanctioned by the IMF;
• securities allegedly backed by the IMF; and
• bonds supposedly issued by the IMF.

The IMF is an intergovernmental organization whose financial transactions and operations are carried out directly with its member countries and only through a fiscal agency designated by each member for this purpose (such as the member’s Central Bank or its Ministry of Finance). The IMF does not operate through other agents and it does not endorse the activities of any bank, financial institution, or other public or private agency.

IMF EXTERNAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Public Affairs: 202-623-7300 – Fax: 202-623-6278
Media Relations: 202-623-7100 – Fax: 202-623-6772

So maybe I’m not going to get a part of the $11,160,720.

Should I send my personal information to them any way?

ME THINKS NOT! (it must be the pirate in me surfacing)

Late,
Gary Pool

I Have Inherited 7,500,000 Euros from Mr John Butler is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Chance to dress up in your summer dresses and short hair styles to attend the end of the summer party of the year for Dress for Success

This last weekend my lovely wife Shirley and I attended a great event put on by MakeoverPDX for the benefit of Dress for Success Portland, OR. The event was held at Blackbird Farms in Beaverton, Oregon. The evening was fun filled and full of inspirational stories, live entertainment, food, wine, and cocktails.

MakeoverPDX Mission

MakeoverPDX is a charitable cosmetic program designed to inspire and give confidence to individuals in need. We have chosen to partner with Dress for Success for our first ever makeover event. With help from Dress for Success, three women have been selected to receive professional aesthetic, dental and salon services. Our hope is to educate, encourage and guide these women in their efforts to make positive life changes.

The MakeoverPDX Team consists of:

• Derek F. Norcom, MD, West Linn MedSpa
• Alina Norcom, West Linn MedSpa
• Dr. Bruno Da Costa, Da Costa Dental
• Don Dutro, Edward Wadsworth For Hair

Meet the MakeoverPDX 2009 makeover recipients!

The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Kimberly Jacobsen Nelson – Triple Crown Pageant Winner.

• Mrs. Oregon 2002
• Mrs. USA 2002
• Mrs. International 2003

The catering for the wonderful benefit dinner was by Hunt & Gather Catering.
(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)
The Menu:
Passed Hor’s D’ouevres
Blackbird farms roasted apple compote, Fourme d’Ambert blue cheese, and hazelnuts on crostini.
Buffet Menu
Heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella, layered herb polenta, basil, aged balsamic, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
Grilled Baird farms peaches, arugula and goat cheese, red wine and vinaigrette.
Grilled Columbia River wild Salmon Niçoise, Walnut Hills farms greens, farm fresh eggs, roasted potatoes, beans, tomatoes, olives, and lemon aioli.
Grand Central bread and citrus butter.
Dessert
Lemon tarts with fresh berries.

Following the dinner was a spirited time of auctions and raffle drawings.
Some of the items were:

• Sonicare Essence Toothbrush
• Clarisonic PLUS
• Skinceuticals Skin Brightening System
• A Beauty Makeover (cosmetic, dental, & salon services

By the way the gift bags for each guest at the tables included:

• Gift Cettificate from Edward Wadsworth for Hair purveyor of professional wholesale salon products
• Gift Cettificate from DaCosta Dental
• Guest Pass from Club Sport
• Extravagant Facial from West Linn MedSpa

Late,
Gary Pool

Short Hair Styles, Summer Dresses, and Catering for Dress for Success is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

When I got up this morning the ground was covered with a fresh blanket of clean white snow. (I’m not talking about Aurora Snow that was another post.) I had plans on heading out to Beaverton this morning. The trek to would have included a trip over the Sylvan Pass. This Sylvan Pass is known for gathering large amounts of snow even when everything else is passable. Did I make it?

Don’t send out the snow patrol. I stayed comfortable and cozy by the fire and watched the show through the big picture window and Lethal Weapon 5. No I watched Lethal Weapon 3 (Directors cut of course) and 4 on the tube. Lethal Weapon 2 according to the TV Guide had been on TV this week and it just primed the pump for me to watch the last 2 in the series, at least until Mel Gibson changes his mind and they film they film Lethal Weapon 5.

I didn’t have to worry about which was the best snow blower or even which were the top rated snow blowers. Later in the afternoon all the walkways, driveways, and streets had cleared them selves.

I find that snow is always better if you don’t have to go out in it for anything but to have fun. Those of you who have to live in the real stuff will probably get a good chuckle from my snow tales. Those of us who live in the areas where it is an occasional thing get a real kick out of the snow.

Late,
Gary Pool

Just a little bit of snow shuts me down! is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Spyware

As a follow up on my post “Snubbed by Google for being Spyware“ I am glad to announce that today Google considers me an actual person and not an automated request from a computer virus or spyware application.

Google

Thank you Google I almost forgot what it is like to be a human being. After being a computer program for almost a full day the physical world starts to get fuzzy.

Burn Notice

Wow! Now I now what Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) from Burn Notice must feel like.

After 10 years of serving his country working in Eastern Europe and the OPEC countries as a covert operative, Michael is living every spy’s worst nightmare. While in the middle of a dangerous mission in Nigeria, Michael’s “contact” informs him that he has been burned. When a spy gets fired, he doesn’t get a call from human resources and a gold watch. In Michael’s case, they jeopardize his life, freeze his bank accounts, dump him in Miami, and flag him on every government list known to man. They can’t take away his skills or what’s in his head, so they take away his assets and his resources to make sure he can never work again. They burn him.

I had almost accepted that when I wanted to use Google for a search, standard procedure was that everyone was required to enter the captha word.

Now if I can stop watching the Burn Notice episodes on line I might be able to get back into the swing of things.

Thanks Google for allowing me to be a human again.

Late,
Gary Pool

Google, Spyware, and Burn Notice is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Cre8Con 2008 – The Portland Creative Conference – What a Show!

This years revitalization of The Portland Creative Conference (Cre8Con) stayed true to its predecessor. The original Portland Creative Conference was a full immersion into the spirit of creativity where extraordinarily talented people came to share personal insights into the creative process.

Brian Van’t Hul – Laika

• Cocktail napkin technology
• Mike Kelley is kind of crap
• Director doesn’t always know what they want
• Show as a whole
• Balance out the day to day shooting
• Stop Motion

When he was 8 the light went on, special effects require many different people doing many different things.
There is a guy blowing the smoke – there is a guy shaking the monster
Special effects is a big team effort – an award has 8 names on it and should have 300.
You need to know how did they do it 50 years ago when they didn’t have all these toys we have today?

It all comes down to film making.
What if this was my film and I was doing it in my garage?
It doesn’t always take a lot of money and or technology to solve the problem.

The miniature sets will expand contract and move around depending on the time of year and the weather. Lots of questions and challenges during the day.

We were treated to a long presentation of a prerelease advance trailer and extra scenes of Coraline. WOW! A few weeks left to shoot.

You just need to have a really reckless passion for what it is what you want to do.
Don’t let anyone tell what to do. Use your imagination and go your own way.

This isn’t one of the Best WIFI Hotspots in town

The WIFI on in the theatre SUCKS!!!

Cre8Con is missing the Social Media buzz potential of a conference by not having working WIFI. They will just have to wait for the post event blogging.

What happens to a dream differed?

This WIFI still SUCKS!!! OK I’m done Ranting, no tweets today. It’s still a great conference.

Jelly Helm – The Bomb Master – Widen+Kennedy

• Willy Wonka – slide and references
• Just tell what you know to be true
• Degree in graphic design from Louisville
• What is an art director job?
• Met with creative director and said “I want a job as an art director I don’t want to work my way up.”
• Went to portfolio center. Loved it! – Graduated in 5 quarters
• You have to create stuff to solve problems.
• Went to Martin agency didn’t make any money but worked his ass off.
• Don’t worry about money it will come.
• Came to Portland to be a judge in ’92 at Widen+Kennedy
• Recruited to Widen+Kennedy
• Specialized in Nike at Widen+Kennedy
• Jelly and Stacy won the Super-bowl competition at Widen+Kennedy
• Don’t read BOOKS
• Quit advertising in ’96
• Asked to join new Advertising School model in Richmond.
• What would advertising look like if it stood for something better?
• Moved out to Portland with child.
• Getting offers from Widen+Kennedy to be a creative director
• Wanted to only work with Sustainability brands and projects
• Began school with 12 students 1/3 tuition 2/3 clients (best experiences he had at Widen+Kennedy)
• Collaborative efforts
• Became Creative Director at Widen+Kennedy – 12 students to 388 employees in one decision

Jelly loves stories and story telling

A brand is a story that expands our self-story

• The advertising business is really going through some changes.
• We have a LongTail society today so it is really hard to reach the masses.
• There is no longer any control over your brand – brand management
• It’s a different world out there and we don’t know how it works.
• So what does it take to create a really successful brand today?
• What is the future of the 21st century brands?
• 21st century brands are not built through advertising

We are growth-seeking creatures

• Spiral dynamics integral
• 21st century brands encourage and enable us to experience our fulfill humanity
• What will a growth minded non stuff based culture look like?

Jen Modarelli – Principal – White Horse

Also an accountant

Interactive Design
What is really behind the curtain?

• Key team members
• process of creating excellent interactive design

Location
feed creative juices

• booze bridge

Creative environment is really about the team

Interactive design

• Client
• account executive
• product manager
• designers
• user experience architects
• engineers

Adam Gallardo – Dark Horse Comics

Creative Process

• where do you get your ideas?
• should ask how do you get your ideas
  • hard work
  • flashes of religion like inspiration

didn’t read comics as a kid

• bribe on a road trip
• for staying home sick

comics never entered into his creative process

Creative Process is really a problem solving process

• change one element of story and see how it changes the whole story
• where are the return of the jedi infinities?
  • they were waiting for good stories on the subject
  • had conversation with Davy Estrada
  • sat at home on sofa running story through his head
  • didn’t write any thing down
  • went to Randy Stradly asked to pitch story idea
  • C3PO knocked out of scene and gets killed…
    • Randy said write up one page pitch
    • weeks passed
  • Randy one day when Adam was passing office said when are you going to write that story

If you get a road block you just use problem solving to move on to the next step.
You don’t need a problem to surface you can create your own and run from there.

100 Girls came from:

• what is not out there that I would like to read

SIFI Comics
Keep a notebook

• part of your problem solving kit

Gear School – Harry Potter meets mobile soup gun

• Grassi High – Harry Potter meets mobile soup gun

Dave likes characters but not the action

• editor asked him to make an action piece out of the story

Hard Work – Flashes of Inspiration

• driving
• in the shower

Flashes of Inspiration

• Can’t force these moments
• cultivate them
  • read everything
    • novels
    • mysteries
    • history
    • …

As a creator of fiction he has no primary documents or text

• every text is a primary text

Your work has to be seen as original

• worst critique is that it is unoriginal

Event Replay with On Your Feet

Fantastic 10 minute satire of the entire day’s conference.
This creation just couldn’t be conveyed with words, you would just have had to be there or maybe there is a video… Steve … Anyone?

Great Wrap-up Party Complete with Wine, Women, and Song

That leaves me as the creative, gimping.
Late,
Gary Pool

Creative | Creative Gimping | WIFI Hotspots | Cre8Con is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

InVerge Day 2 – The Convergence Culture

Restructure Time? Two Years in Convergence Culture

Joshua Green, Research Manager, Convergence Culture Consortium, MIT

Convergence is more than technological happenstance it is cultural.

Twitter @peggyolson is following Joshua

Transmedia texts the flow of media across multiple platforms

tiwtter
madmen

madmen+amc+twitter=????

AMC – Twitter-gate and the case of the MadMen9: working in convergence culture

4 ways to think about the MadMen9

• fan fiction
• brand hijacking
• sheer devotion
• copyright misuse

YouTube – foot fetish porn – Not going to go there!

brand ambassadors – grassroots

There is always a but – maybe

reduction is using the culture around you to make meaning

hulu.com

• embed code
• doesn’t enter into the logic of the internet
• fringe activity

What we can do is realize the value audiences play in the creation of media?

John Fisk
mass culture comprises raw materials of production of culture

Audiences

• make stuff popular
• contribute value
• success in media requires consumers
• audiences are co-creators of media content value

Media Communities – Everything is Live and On Demand

Marc Scarpa, producer/director of the MySpace LIVE! series and several episodes of the Verizon VCAST Mobile performance series for Live Nation

History of user generated content

John McDougal AKA Captain Midnight #1

Should have been titled the history of Marc Scarpa

From Telephone to Tweetup: an abbreviated history of technology and social exchange

Amber Case, Cyborg Anthropologist and Social Media Consultant

Amber @caseorganic is uploading her presentation to Twitter as she presents it.

Good example of controlling what is being said about your presentation on twitter.

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: Creating Brand Theatre

Paul Matthaeus, Founder, Chief Creative Officer & Chairman, DIGITALKITCHEN

Company founded in ’95; 13 year history in 4 minutes.

90% of what Digital Kitchen (DK) does is full motion, high-bandwidth
until recently, no Web or signage work.

Brand Theatre is not a thing but a measurement of success

City center Pavilion

• theater for exponential marketing built in Las Vegas
• 360 degree screen
• hit a golf ball it will land on other side

8 principles of creative genius

• Most people think reductively – What they’ve seen before
• Creative types think productively – Detach from ideas
• Look at problems from all possible angles
• Make novel combinations
• Think in opposites
• Think metaphorically
• Creative geniuses pursue opportunities for failure – Creative quotas
• Prepare for chance

“creative geniuses produce more bad work than their peers”

Robert Redford aside (I guess you had to be there.)

Cross-Media Usage Patterns and the Convergence of Content, Communication, and Marketing

David Card, VP & Research Director, JupiterResearch

What does content-communication convergence mean for media businesses?

The cell phone may be the internet device of the future but for now according to the statistics it is still only being used for direct communication. Not for Video, not for surfing the web.

JupiterResearch and Forrester Research are going to combine.

Can’t wait for next year! – Special thanks to @CarriBugbee

Late,
Gary Pool

Marketing | Convergence | Professional Development is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Happy 4th of July from the Great Pacific Northwest!

The picture below is from the 4th of July 2008 fireworks over the Willamette River, downtown Portland Oregon.

Photo courtesy of barjack’s photostream

As our Nation celebrates Independence day as the fireworks fly from coast to cost. A google search on “fourth of July fireworks” gives results from Manhattan, Minneapolis, Iowa, Boston, New York City, Washington DC area, and Disney-MGM Studios in Walt Disney World, Florida. This is only in the page one organic listings.

The same search for “fourth of July fireworks pacific northwest” reveals such locations as Montana, Wyoming, Seattle, Chicago, Spokane, Seaside, and San Francisco. I don’t know how Montana, Wyoming, Chicago, or even San Francisco made its way into the listings. Interesting enough there were no paid advertisements on the results page.

Fourth of July – Independence Day

Independence Day honors the birth of the United States of America and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It’s a day of picnics and parades, a night of fireworks and concerts, and another reason to fly the American flag.

Fourth of July 2008 Facts From the US Census Bureau

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970

304 million
The nation’s population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock

Fireworks

$207 million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2007, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $14.9 million in 2007, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($3.8 million).
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$17.3 million
The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002.
Source: 2002 Economic Census (pdf)

Fourth of July Cookouts

More than 1 in 4
The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 17.6 million market hogs and pigs on March 1, 2008. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. North Carolina (9 million) and Minnesota (6.7 million) were the runners-up.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

6.8 billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.7 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds).
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

More than 74 million
Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 1213

Happy Independence Day!

late,
Gary Pool

4th of July Celebration | Pacific Northwest is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

InVerge 2007: the interactive convergence conference – Well I’m back from the lunch break.

Steve is back on stage and is giving 52 LTD kudos. Steve is now introducing Chris Van Dyke.

Chris Van Dyke
President & CEO
Nau

Open for Business Unusual

Chris is telling a story about zipping the table cloth into his pants as he was sitting at a table.

Chris is introducing his company Nau. In business for 5 months.

• The rapidly changing dialog environment
• The rapidly evolving media environment
• The major value shift in the way people are living their lives
• The growth of ecommerce

Nau (pronounced now) has no middle man, they sell direct to the customer. They take the dilution of their brand away from the equation. They broke from tradition in the outdoor clothing market. Athletes, artists, and activists are the target consumers.

They combine the web and the storefront to create what they call a web-front. They have kiosks in the store and offer a 10% discount and free shipping, on the west coast, if you allow them to ship you purchases from their warehouse. Nau doesn’t have to stock as much inventory in their web-fronts as the conventional brick and mortar store does.

If you are authentic and show your soul before you even try to sell a product you will be surprised at the results. At least Nau was.

“Work from your heart and you will be rewarded.” (me)

be here nau. (nau was a traditional word of welcome in the pacific islands)

Great presentation and great company NAU.

Steve is back on stage. He is making Dick Van Dyke jokes. Steve just introduced Ken Gregory.

Ken Gregory is telling us about himself and is now introducing Ken Papagan.

Ken Papagan
President & Chief Strategy Officer
Rentrak Corporation

Invergence: Too many Touchpoints…too little Measurement. What has to change?

Ken says he will try not to do any company bragging. Rentrack does not deal with user generated content.

Pies and Fish!
Pie is a Metaphor for digital products
Fish is a Metaphor for the consumer behavior in the digital sea

Ken is showing us pie charts of various topics from videos to brands.

Content and distribution platforms.
We only have so much time to use media entertainment.
The consumer pays the most for the smallest piece of pie.
If the consumer no longer pays the advertiser is responsible for the consumers piece of pie.

The original media business was considered passive.

Where are all the fish?
The consumer is in control. We are no longer looking for the right channels the consumers are the channels.

The Active Media Model now replaces the old tired passive model.

To find the fish you have to use a fish finder. Technology baby!

What changes have to be made?

• We have to convert to a census based model.
• Research methodologies have to be updated.

Socialization as media / Brand as content

Steve is back on stage. He is introducing the break and announcing a change in the schedule.

Steve was given the first t-shirt with InVerge on it and is now back on stage. Steve is introducing Adam Richardson.

Adam Richardson
Strategy Director
frog design

The System is the Product: The emerging need to manage complex systems

Adam is showing us a Nascar slide showing a bunch of icons for the companies frog design has worked for.

Adam is using Eastman (from Eastman Kodak) to make a point. Systems become more complex. Adam is now explaining the typical car system in comparison to the mini system. He just used the word cheeky. (he he he!)

The elements of a convergent system

• products
• communications
• places
• people

Adam is telling a Polish Steam Train story. There no fans of train schedules like there are for the trains.

Adam seems to be using the Perception Analyzer just because it is there not as a great tool it is like some of the other presenters have.

Corporate peripheral vision.
Example: Bill Bradley had and extra 12 degrees of peripheral vision.
Improving our peripheral vision.

Adam sure uses a lot of ahs and uhms.

The problem of competition.
When a market emerges and matures over time. The older a product gets the user expects the product to work better. Closing the User Experience Gap. Once you reach the crossover point the value of the profits drop off.

1. How big is the gap?
2. How long will it take to reach it?
3. How long will you have after it is reached will you before the profit drop?

Steve is back on stage and announcing the up coming panel stage modifications.

Steve just introduced Stephanie.

Stephanie Otto
CEO / Principal
Brainstorm Communications, Inc.

Interactive Television Advertising Panel led by Stephanie Otto, CEO, Brainstorm Communications, Inc., featuring:

• Slate Olson, Senior Brand Connections Manager, Nike
• Marcelino Alvarez, Senior Interactive Producer, Wieden+Kennedy
• Aimee Viles, Director of Creative Services, Ensequence

The State of Interactive Television Advertising, including a case study of the revolutionary Nike ZOOM footwear campaign on DISH Network.

Stephaine is introducing the panel and asking questions to dial in the panel discussion.

Aimee is now giving us an explanation of the new Nike Zoom campaign “QUICK is DEADLY“. The commercial is playing on the screen and she is giving us a blow by blow of how it works on the user level.

The athlete video was shot with the highest grade military camera (very expensive $$$) allowing incredible slow motion detail.

Preliminary results show the average viewer entering the Zoom area is spending 2 to 5 minutes in the application. Many are either returning or telling their friends, creating visits generated without the invite from another media.

There is even a remote quick tester game for you to play and get rated on.

The shoe commercial and the store locater.

They are now discussing the creative process used to develop the QUICK is DEADLY campaign.

9 months from conception to delivery. This sounds vaguely familiar…

All and all a fantastic event.
I can’t wait until tomorrow.

See you then,
gary pool

InVerge 2007 – after lunch is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

I ran across this YouTube video on MySpace while surfing the net this morning and I just wanted to share it with you.

Paul Dateh – LOS ANGELES, California – Soul / R&B / Hip Hop – www.myspace.com/pauldateh. This guy is really good.

Now what does this have to do with marketing?
Sometimes good is good and marketing has to take a back seat as we enjoy the brilliance of talent.

Marketing is a wonderful thing. With the right marketing team and enough of a budget any one or thing can be brought to the top. Take a look at Milli Vanilli and The Bay City Rollers. These groups rocketed to the top. They had great marketing teams. What was missing was substance. Where was the talent? There wasn’t any, at least what was being marketed. Once the substance was discovered they crashed instantly.

Marketing questions you need to ask your self before you spend your time and marketing efforts on a project.

• Is there sustainability?
• Am I marketing the right thing?
• Is my time and money working to my advantage?

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Violin | Hip Hop | R&B | Soul | MySpace is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Juan Mauricio Soler wins Stage 9 in the Tour de France. Soler won with a time of 4:14:24.

The chase group, including race leader Michael Rasmussen (still the Tour leader) and Levi Leipheimer (USA’s best hope 9th place almost 4 minuted back) crossed the line just 42 seconds behind the Soler.

It’s my first victory on my first Tour. I was not thinking of it,” Soler told a news conference. “I was sick but I recovered during the rest day and was fit today. I did not know the climbs so I attacked like a fool.”

This was a great race to watch. The finishes really suck me in. It reminds me of when my Dad would watch an amateur wrestling match. He would set up at the top of the bleachers and move with every maneuver the wrestlers made. Now I guess I and just keeping up with tradition. I have to keep telling my self to breathe.

Have you noticed when the winning rider gets close to the finish line he will zip up his jersey and set up after crossing it? He will display his sponsors name with his arms spread wide in a cycling victory salute.

Ever wonder where all the money comes from to support the sport of cycling? These team sponsors spend millions to support their cycling teams. Why? Bicycle road racing is much more popular in Europe than it is here in the USA. Every time a rider spends time at the front of the race the TV cameras are on them.

These team sponsors know their potential customers and or clients. In Europe the pictures of the racers sporting their names and logos will be displayed all over the televisions and newspapers. They consider this great advertising and I agree. Branding that’s what it’s all about. If you can get your name and or logo all over the media you can build your brand.

How do you build and market your brand? Do you sponsor a Youth sports team? There are plenty of opportunities out there, Just give it some thought. I’ll bet you can come up with plenty of places and ways to build your brand. Regardless of your marketing budget, give it some thought, you will be able to find something suitable.

Late,
seopdx/gary-pool.html”>Gary Pool

Tour de France | Stage 9 | Juan Mauricio Soler | Branding | Marketing is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Sunday on the way home from Common Ground Church as we drove by the Firestone / Bridgestone Tire place at the corner of Cedar Hills Blvd. and SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy in Beaverton, Oregon something caught my eye. It looked like a pair of Indy Cars. You know the kind they run every Memorial day. So I drove around the block and pulled into the parking lot. I said to my self. “What the heck there might even be transformers here!”

Sure enough there weren’t any transformers but there was a pair of Indy Cars in the parking lot. One was an actual retired racing car. The car had spent its former life as a Firestone / Andretti Green Racing – Indy Car. The name on the side of the car was Marco Andretti. This was an actual car that Marco had driven. I was impressed. When I looked at the drivers area I was astonished at the size. The cockpit in this car was minuscule. It looked like they had poured it around Marco when they made it. I am a large guy and there was absolutely no way I could fit in any Indy Car, let alone this one. That’s alright though, they wouldn’t let me drive it any way.

The Other car was a replica car. It was a Bridgestone / McDonald’s – Champ Car (replica). Champ Cars actually race in Portland. The just finished the June 8-10th the Mazda Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland here last month. Sebastien Bourdais driving for Newman / Haas / Lanigan Racing won his 100th Champ Car win here. OK, enough of Champ Car, The Bridgestone / McDonald’s – Champ Car (replica) is actually a very good looking car (SEE).

The reason for this post is to talk about Marketing. This is an example of very good marketing for customer relations. There were quite a few people there and they were visiting the store too. In the store they had a place where you could play games. I didn’t count how many but there were more people in the store than there were in the parking lot looking at the cars.

There was a nice couple there supporting the Bridgestone / Firestone Brands. They were cooking and giving away food. They also had a table with coloring books, crayons, and posters. The commotion outside brought the people in and it was working well. The couple traveled to various Firestone / Bridgestone dealers with all the stuff it takes to put on a first class event. They were on their way to Idaho after the day to their next Race Car event.

When you are planning your Marketing Strategy think outside the box. The internet isn’t the only place to market your website. Take a lesson from Bridgestone / Firestone. These guys have taken an old racing car and made a real crowd drawing machine out of it. The car had already paid for it self. Now all they have to pay for is the couple to drag it around the country. How can you make something you are ready to get rid of work for you?

Late,
seopdx/gary-pool.html”>Gary Pool

Marketing | FIRESTONE / Andretti Green Racing – Indy Car is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

OK, I admit it. I am addicted to the Tour. Today’s race was incredible. The winner was Michael RASMUSSEN from Team Rabobank. He just blew the field away today in the Alps. The big name riders were minutes behind. But after tomorrows rest the race will resume with Stage 9 Val-d’Isère – Briançon in the REAL mountains. The stage starts with a 15 km climb at 6% gradient to the top of the Col de l’iseran which is the high point of the 2007 Tour de France at 2770m. Two well known climbs are next as the riders pass over the Col du Telegraphe en route to the Col du Galibier before a descent into the finish at Briancon for the 33rd time in Tour history.

The Tour de France is the most prestigious bicycle race in the world. Is being carried in the USA on Versus, channel 32 in Portland, Oregon. They also have complete coverage on their website Versus.com.

My favorite announcer is Bob Roll.

Bob is an incredible All American guy with real insight into the race and a great sense of humor.
I usually watch the “Tour” twice just so I can here Bob’s commentary. I just love it when he utters his now famous “Tour DAY France” pronunciation.

Bob’s cycling experiences include:

• Member of the Cycling Hall of Fame as part of the original 7-Eleven Cycling Team
• Former member of the Motorola Cycling Team
• Four-time Tour de France, three-time Giro d’Italia, eight-time Paris-Roubaix, and three-time Tour de Suisse racer
• Won stage three of the 1988 Tour de Romandie
• Won stage 11 of the 1985 Coors Classic
• Won the 1997 & 1998 San Franciso Hill Climb
• Raced in eight World Championships

The Top 10 In Stage Eight

Michael Rasmussen has won his third stage of the Tour de France. He will end the day with the polka-dot jersey and also the overall lead which includes the yellow jersey.

1. Michael Rasmussen (DEN) RAB – 165km in 4h49’40″ (34.177km/h)
2. Iban Mayo (ESP) SDV – at 2’47″
3. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) GCE – at 3’12″
4. Christophe Moreau (DEN) RAB – at 3’12″
5. Frank Schleck (LUX) CSC – at 3’12″
6. Cadel Evans (AUS) PRL – at 3’12″
7. Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ) AST – at 3’12″
8. Alberto Contador (ESP) DSC – at 3’31″
9. Denis Menchov (RUS) RAB – at 3’35″
10. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC – at3’35″

Standings after stage 8

Late,
seopdx/gary-pool.html”>Gary Pool

Tour de France | Bob Roll | Michael Rasmussen | Stage 8 is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

The new iPhone from Apple has been all over the news, net, and television lately.

Steven Colbert even pretended he had one when he talked into his hand on a recent Colbert Report.

Do you remember the classic Frog in a Blender 2000 by Joe Cartoon? If you haven’t seen it you have to check it out.

Just when you thought you’d seen it all with the iPhone smashing, here comes Blendtec fresh from YouTube. Blendtec asks viewers “See what the Total Blender can do in the Blendtec test lab, as we ask the question, Will It Blend?” Now the iPhone is the star of the blender lab test.

Be sure to stay tuned for the slow motion replay.

Late,
seopdx/gary-pool.html”>Gary Pool

Steven Colbert – Apples New iPhone – Frog in a Blender? is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

I was surfing the net and watching some older Matt Cutts videos looking for some tidbits. They are all very informative and well worth watching. Here is a list with links.

• Crawl dates in Google cache
  4 min – Sep 6, 2006
  Matt talks about how Googlebot crawls the web, and what "crawl date" is shown on cached pages. In this video: – Red candy is a 404 page – Purple candy is a 200 (OK) page – Green candy is a 304 status code (page has not changed)
• Qualities of a good site
  6 min – Jul 30, 2006
  Matt Cutts answers Google questions: – Does Sitemaps depend on pageviews? – What are the top things to do in SEO? – How does Google decide to use a DMOZ snippet versus the description from a meta tag? – Should I use bold or strong tags?
• Optimize for Search Engines or Users?
  4 min – Jul 30, 2006
  Matt discusses SEO VS. User Opitmization, Site Spam, and Code Validation and the W3C.
• Recap of SES San Jose 2006
  9 min – Aug 28, 2006
  A short review of news from SES San Jose, and some educational or funny moments.
  Some of the changes happening to people or companies recently – Fun moments
• Matt Cutts Warns Against Buying Links
  51 sec – Jun 15, 2007
  Matt explains that link buying IS against the practice of link buying and warns those who are participating in such schemes may face tough times ahead as Google works harder to remove them.

During my Google searching of various SEO topics I ran across a series of videos with the keyword "Algorithm" using the related topics link. Curiosity got the best of me, so I watched some of the videos on youtube. These are great. I even uploaded one of the videos to myspace. It’s called the Algorithm March check it out.

This is a clip from a japanese kids show called "Pythagoras Switch" or "Pitagora Suicchi".

One last tidbit. Searching this morning I found a Google result for a Matt Cutts blog post that wasn’t uploaded yet… Uhmm.

Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO
I also got Matt-jacked into a dark room by Rand for the “SMX Diaries” video interviews. And WebProNews had some snippets of me from the Q&A session. …
www.mattcutts.com/blog/ – Jun 19, 2007

The latest post on his blog is or was:

Terry Semel stepping down
June 18, 2007 @ 1:45 pm · Filed under Web/Net

Well thats the story of Matt Cutts MySpace, SEO, Youtube, and the Algorithm March.

Late,
Gary Pool

The Story of Matt Cutts, MySpace, SEO, Youtube, and the Algorithm March is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

30 years ago today “Star Wars” premiered and fans are celebrating around the world.

Los Angles is expecting more than 20,000 “Star Wars” fans to converge on downtown the next few days.

“Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is open to the public Friday through Monday. The celebration kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six films — includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.

“Star Wars” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005, the American Film Institute named John Williams’ iconic score the most memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists, including the “100 Greatest American Movies” list, where it ranked No. 15.

Of course Warner will be taking advantage of the publicity by including a preview of a new video game, “The Force Unleashed,” which will be available on multiple game platforms in early 2008. In the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.

“Star Wars” and George Lucas began a new era of geekdome with his groundbreaking visual effects techniques.

TechRepublic even has a post entitled TechRepublic’s best of Star Wars. There is even a list of every blog post on the subject.

The best of the best stuff, however, is listed below:

• Idiot sci-fi question: Why do X-Wing fighters have…um…wings?
• Who’s who of great lightsaber duels
• Vader to Palpatine: “About that Death Star…”
• Video Mashup: Star Wars vs. Monty Python
• The physics behind the Death Star superlaser
• Everything that’s wrong with the Death Star trash compactor
• Top 10 Star Wars Lines Improved By Replacing A Word With “Pants”
• Video: The (animated) origin of Boba Fett
• Poll: The greatest sci-fi film of all time (isn’t Star Wars)
• Video: Star Wars super-parody on the way
• Photos of “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination”
• Photos: In the shadow of ‘Star Wars’
• Geek Trivia: Besides THX 1138, what other numerically named film reference has George Lucas ‘hidden’ inside the original Star Wars?
• Geek Trivia: What movie has the highest inflation-adjusted U.S. box office gross since the advent of television?
• Geek Trivia: What celestial object in our solar system bears a strange resemblance to Star Wars‘ Death Star?
• Geek Trivia: Which fan-favorite character debuted in the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special?
• Geek Trivia: What other famous science-fiction spaceship forced a redesign of the original Millennium Falcon model for the original Star Wars film?
• Geek Trivia: Which famous horror film shared casting sessions with Star Wars?

Here is a great video space battle between the USS Enterprise and the Death Star.

What were you doing when Star Wars premiered?

May the Force be with you,
Gary

Star Wars Turns 30! is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Today was the first day of Webvisions 2007, May 3-4, 2007 in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center.

Exploring the Future of the Web
Join the rockstars of design, user experience and business strategy for two days of mind-melding on what’s new in the digital world. Get a glimpse into the future, along with practical information that you can apply to your Web site, company and career.

I attended a workshop presented by Robert Reinhardt.

Robert is the VP of the Multimedia Platforms Group for Schematic and an internationally regarded as an expert on multimedia application development, particularly in Macromedia Flash. Robert is the lead author of the Flash Bible series and the Flash ActionScript Bible.

The workshop covered everything I needed to know and more about Flash Video, from shooting quality video to delivering real-time streaming video. We learned key pre-production factors that affect final Flash Video output, such as camera quality, lighting, audio, green screen shooting and format choices. We had a demonstration of the basic tools for capturing and encoding video, as well as advanced encoding strategies like multiple bit rates, codec decisions and options, and SMIL.

After the lunch break we learned how to bring the video into Flash, building custom code players and how to utilize the FLVPlayback component. We also learned about the best options for deployment and the differences between progressive web video and real-time streaming video, including large scale deployment using Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS) providers.

One of the most valuable things I have learned about is a flash support site that Robert offers.

Stay tuned for more information from Robert about Flash Video and a more detailed explanation of my notes.

I am going to give you my Flash Video notes in bullet points.

• cbr and vbr encoding
• Inflluxis (flash streaming server access)
• lv requires 2 files a flv and a swf.
• vp6 has a better compression algorithm.
• You can turn smoothing on or off with actionscript
• spark vs vp6
• width x Height / Compression ratio = bit rate starting point
• Flash will only scrub to keyframes
• keyframes should be 10 x the frame rate
• Sony HBR A1U Video Camera
• Alfa chanel
• swf object – best
• ActionScript 2 and 3
• A2 using bindings tab to add videos to your flash movie (this can be done without any actionscript)
• Video Markers reading cue points.
• Captions (captioning) MAGpie
• “smil” files
• ServiceCapture
• Buddy extra (for director) Buddy API

Webvisions – Event Sponsors:

• Adobe
• Adobe User Groups
• MacPac
• VTech
• Hot Pepper Studios
• DevGroup NW
• Digital Web Magazine
• Portland Development Commission
• Easystreet
• Portland State University

See you at Webvisions tomorrow.

late,
Gary

The Secrets of Flash Video | Webvisions 2007 is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Macworld: Editors’ Notes: My day at camp

Last Saturday, I spent the day at camp–MacCamp, to be precise. For the last 20-plus years, the Portland Macintosh Users Group (PMUG) has held these twice-yearly escapes for Mac devotees. Held at the very scenic Silver Falls State Park, MacCamp offers Mac users a three-day-long Mac-focused retreat from urban life. PMUG reserves four lodges (cabins) at the conference center within the park, accommodating up to 56 “campers,” though this isn’t camping in any traditional sense. The cabins contain most of the comforts of home, with the exception of an Internet connection. PMUG charges just enough to cover its costs, and doesn’t turn a profit on the event… What a great atmosphere for a meeting between fellow Mac users. Congrats, PMUG, on yet another successful MacCamp hopefully I’ll be back for the full experience next spring.

Once again it looks as though MacCamp is a success. If you enjoy Macintosh computers and the company of other Mac users maybe you should join the Portland Macintosh Users Group next time around.

late,
Gary

Macworld Editor Rob Griffiths Tells us about his day at MacCamp is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

I found a great Restaurant!

When I moved to Portland. Oregon from San Diego, California eight years ago I thought I would have to give up Real Mexican Food. I looked for years. Then I found Tacho’s, a Mexican Restaurant in Oregon City.

I was used to the real Mexican food that was served in Tijuana. At least twice a month we would cross the border and sample the Mexican cuisine in that little border town. You could also bring back two bottles of liquor when you returned to the US. You can actually get the stuff they don’t export to the United States.

I grew up in San Diego and spent quite a bit of time in Mexico after I turned sixteen (drivers licensee age). I have fond memories of sitting down for a traditional Mexican meal at one of the many excellent restaurants in down town Tijuana.

When we moved to Oregon we couldn’t find any real mexican food, there were some reasonable facsimiles. That is until we found real Mexican Food in Oregon, that’s right we found the authentic gem and it was right here all along. Tacho’s Mexican Restaurant right here in Oregon City, Oregon.

Tacho’s has a great menu and a fantastic atmosphere. They have lunch specials all week long. The food! Wow the food is great, I am back in Mexico again. A little older and a little wiser, but I cant find the local Mexican Liquor store when I head home. So I just spend a little time in Tacho’s authentic Mexican Cantina and it solves that quest.

Tacho’s is one of the top restaurants in Oregon regardless of the nationality of the menu. If you are in Oregon and are looking to experience a little bit of Mexico I must recommend Tacho”s Mexican Restaurant for the best Mexican food in the North West. Tacho’s is located at 515 Molalla Ave, Oregon City, Oregon.

late,
Gary

Good Mexican Food Restaurant in Oregon ? is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician