like Uzbekistan?

Anyway, below is the latest from the site--looks like most of it is still down. We'll be interviewing Peter for our upcoming OnHollywood event, so we'll have to ask him about this...

"The majority of Real World, Peter Gabriel and WOMAD web services are currently off-line. Our servers were stolen from our ISP's data centre on Sunday night - Monday morning. We are working to restore normal service as soon as possible.

Our first move has been to get our store up and running, so if you want WOMAD Charlton Park tickets or Music from Real World Records, we are back in business."

Because the 200% Danish tax on cars doesn't apply to electric cars. Read 'government subsidies still necessary.'

is here: http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/26673

The Bubble turned folks into paranoid pragmatics--How will it make money? What's the biz plan? How do you monetize?

Sure that has to be there, but the pendulum's gone too far. What the hell's the point of making money if you're not changing the world in the process.

The day we posted this, AO chief Tony Perkins got an invite to a McCain party at Meg Whitman's next month. It's probably not too hard to drag anyone out to Silicon Valley, but still--this shows the big three techies are pulling some strings.

From the invite:

I am fortunate to have been friends with John McCain for many years and am honored to have had the opportunity to travel with him at great length over the last year. His vision and conviction are strong and his energy is a constant reminder that our efforts are met with gratitude and force.

I encourage you to join me in welcoming John to the Silicon Valley at a luncheon at the home of Meg Whitman [...]

I am humbled to serve as Victory Chair 2008 at the Republican National Committee, where I will lead the joint get-out-the-vote efforts between the campaign and the RNC. I can tell you that John is in a dead heat against both Clinton and Obama in head-to-head polls and Clinton and Obama will continue to fight, possibly until their convention in August, as John continues to travel the country, talk with Americans, and focus on issues of national importance. However, as you have seen in previous months, the Democrats have been able to out raise us by large margins. In order to ensure our victory in November, we must broaden and deepen our base of support.

[...]

Thank you,

Carly Fiorina
Chairwoman
RNC Victory 2008

I'm glad BMG stakeholders have a way to cream some more money off their catalog in the waning years of their industry.

It's hard to see a need for them as a middle man in the future. Indie bands are already one step away from Nokia.

Andrew decided not to sell. It was a fun thought experiment anyway.

Anthony,
I agree with you and with Jeff Jarvis--"You can't buy my voice."
That's why disclosures on blog posts are great.

Of course, the marketing industry is trying to produce more engaging and relevant content, which everyone agrees is a good thing. Up till know it's as though pr people and marketers have already sold their voices, everyone knows it, so it's ok. But it's still degrading in my eyes. Now they're blurring the lines between ads and content. They should. Why pedal stuff you don't believe in?

On the other side, more and more radio hosts are plugging products in the middle of a program, without any indication that they've switched to an advertorial message, other than you can tell by the tone of their canned voice. Often they are discriminating about the stuff they plug. When Mike Savage says he buys gold, I know he's getting paid, but I also believe kind of believe him.

There's the rub. Why let others advertise on your program if you don't believe in the product? That too would essentially be selling your trust, since you'd be handing your loyal listeners/readers over to some huckster. But then, how would you make money if you didn't? There's got to be some golden mean of finding adverts you believe in, know your readers are interested in, and yet still get paid.

Back to Baron--he's definitely done a full disclosure here. I don't think he's sold out yet. His reputation is hanging in the balance until he picks a successor for his account--if he ever does.

Thanks Anthony--duly noted.

Girish,
Thanks for the heads-up. We've got a whole new design coming down the pike that'll solve this issue and make everything look a lot sharper. For now, sorry about the annoyance. Message me if you need help logging in.