Cuz We Said So

Apple’s Latest iPhone Ad is Brilliant

The format of the ads in the series, as may you know, are that they posit one of those little problems in modern life, then demo an iPhone apps that solves the problem.   In this latest ad, the problem is, “you know when you don’t know what song is playing, and it’s driving you crazy?” and the app demonstrated is Shazam, one of several iPhone apps that will identify a song based on listening to several seconds of it playing.

Where it gets clever is that they incorporate the hooky tune that’s been the instrumental background for all of the iPhone 3G ads as if it’s being played out of a speaker on screen—then identify the song just like Shazam would.  So the commercial itself is not only actually useful to people who like the song, it gives proper credit to the artists, which you rarely see in TV ads.  (The song is “You Me and the Bourgeoisie” by The Submarines, by the way).  Then, at the touch of the screen, the ad transitions seamlessly into the vocal version of the song (also clever), which swells to fill your TV’s speakers as the AT&T and Apple logos appear.  It’s very well done. 

Of course, the song itself is about the materialism and excess of those of us in the developed world—how if we love more we need fewer physical things, and how “we not living the good life / Unless we're fighting the good fight.”  Yet it has become the theme song for one of the most well known, most influential mass market commercial products in recent memory, sold by a company built on selling premium electronics to the bourgeoisie?  I think if I wrote the song, and really felt its message, that might annoy me a bit.  On the other hand… if you’re an indie band from LA, and you can get over the philosophical implications… how cool would it be to have one of your songs picked as the theme song for one of the most well known, most influential mass market commercial products in recent memory?

One last thought.  I went online and bought the song immediately after hearing the ad; I’ve always like the instrumental version, and I liked the vocal version even more.  But I bought it from the Amazon MP3 store, not from iTunes.  Know why?  DRM.  I’ve gotten into the habit of buying from Amazon instead of iTunes, because I won’t tolerate someone else trying to lock up my music.  As it turns out, “You Me and the Bourgeoisie” is an iTunes Plus track—it has no DRM.   Too bad for Apple I didn’t know that—their ad did a great job of closing a sale for their competition.  Getting rid of DRM sooner, rather than later?  Probably a good idea.

The Infiniti G37 Convertible—Finally!

After years of making fans of the G Coupe wait for a convertible, Infiniti finally rolled one out last week, at the LA Auto show.  And I have to say… I think it looks pretty sweet.  While I still prefer the look of the G35 to that of the G37, I think I could learn to adapt, given the convertible hard top, which functions through a mechanical ballet that is a beauty to behold—check out the video to see it in action.

A Year Later, About As Expected

Exactly one year ago:

Israel and Palestinians commit to 2008 peace treaty - Reuters

November 27, 2007 - With handshakes, leaders of the United States, Israel and the Palestinians agreed on Tuesday to launch immediate talks to secure a peace treaty by the end of 2008 that would create a Palestinian state. President George W. Bush announced the deal at the opening of a 44-nation Middle East peace conference, with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas standing at his side. "We're off to a strong start," Bush told delegates to the day-long conference, which included 14 Arab states -- among them Syria and Saudi Arabia -- as well as major powers Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

Did you see this story when it came out?  Do you remember your impressions?  Did you think it would turn out something like this?:

Palestinian rocket hits Israeli house

November 27, 2008 - Israeli police say a rocket fired from Gaza has hit a house in southern Israel but caused no injuries.

Israel has kept its frontier with Gaza closed except for occasional shipments of essential humanitarian aid since a truce with Palestinian militants there started unraveling in early November in a series of cross-border rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes.

Israel says the border crossings will stay closed until the rocket fire comes to a stop.

The Middle East is nothing if not tragically predictable.  I’d love to be wrong, but something tells me we won’t be seeing a peace treaty in the next 35 days.

links for 2008-11-20

• Windows 7 Touch Control Makes Media Center More Awesome
  Including some video of it in action
• SimCity for the iPhone may ruin my life (in a good way)
  Nice.

Interviews about DOWA

For those interested in learning about Russell-Lutz-as-Author, click here.

links for 2008-11-14

• A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis (Mint.com)
  A well-done (and depressing) illustration of how a bubble forms, bursts, and blows up the economy.
  (tags: visualization money financial)

Playing with the Big Boys

Politico reports this quote from Newt Gingrich:

The Republican Party right now is like a midsize college team trying to play in the Superbowl.

True, dat.  Gingrich knows why the Republicans got its 1994 mandate: ideas.  Go back to the Contract with America.  I don’t agree with all of it, but it was a clear, actionable plan replete with reformist ideas centered around a resonant theme: government isn’t the solution to the problem, government is the problem.

In 2008 we face a host of issues that Republicans should be able to champion – especially energy independence, free and fair trade, and an intelligent national defense policy.  What we got – across the board – was a bunch of scattered sound bites.  The Contract with America wasn’t some ultra-right-wing set of ideas.  It never mentioned abortion, marriage, religion, or any of the topics that right-wing talk radio keeps hammering on.  It was eminently practical and resonated with the electorate because it seemed principled.

What happened?  The Republicans passed some of the Contract and then got distracted by the witch hunt impeachment of Bill Clinton.  Rather than out-governing Clinton, they lost the focus and became the most overspending Congress in history.  George W. Bush didn’t help matters either.

Republicans are looking every which way for a person to lead their party.  That’s not going to work.  For Republicans to regain the White House, they have to find a set of resonant principles.  From these principles will emerge an appropriate spokesperson.

Who knows, perhaps it’s Newt.

links for 2008-11-06

• Putin Plan To Return Aa President
  He grew tired of having "de facto" on his business cards?
• Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages...
  Come on, he's just spreading the wealth... from the campaign workers to the campaign, in this case.

Just Kidding About That Poison Pill Thing

Yahoo Now Wants To Be Acquired by Microsoft:

Talk about a 180. Yahoo’s CEO Jerry Yang spoke at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco; him and his company are tired, battered and bruised. But his message is now - suddenly, and amazingly - clear: Yahoo wants to be bought by Microsoft.

Microsoft, you’ll recall, offered $31 a share for Yahoo when the company’s stock was selling for $20, and Jerry did everything short of booby trapping his office to kill the deal.  Now the stock is selling for $14, and the company is letting go of 10 percent of its work force.  With Jerry and the board members who backed him still working there, are the cuts are happening in the wrong place?

links for 2008-11-04

• Edwards discusses his cameo as Dr. Greene on `ER'