Category — Happening Elsewhere

Today at 11 am EST a new domain name .me extension was launched. Just like sitting in a room full of economists predicting the market, the world of internet forecasters has been arguing just how hot this domain name extension will be. It has been argued that this domain name extension will become the most popular site for personal expression. That could mean your own blog, your site as an artist, a writer, or business resume. It has also spawned a flock of people trying to capture the most creative spin on the .me name. Such sought after names include aweso.me an hug.me or the more (ahem) business oriented names as threeso.me and bite.me.

But the catch is that godaddy, who got the nod to handle the launch, had more than a few hiccups. Apparently multiple people were awarded the same domain name as the system went into overload or the deal failed after folks tried for more than an hour to complete one transaction. Rumor has it that some of these over purchased domain names are now being put out by godaddy in an auction format to resolve the issue (doesn’t that stink for whomever really got their first).

There has not been much of a frenzy about other domain names launched in the past. The domain name is actually owned by the country of Montenegro which in 2006 declared it’s independence from Serbia. I don’t know what happened between that time and now but the domain name has been launched with some serious marketing savvy. And the awarding of a company like godaddy to do the launch is similar to a stock offering. Whatever firm handles it makes a ton of profit. But if there are problems, it can also be a lot of bad PR. Check out the comments on this blog about registration comments.

http://mashable.com/2008/07/17/godaddy-offers-me-domain-names-it%E2%80%99s-a-big-fail-so-far/

I thought you should know. It’s rare people can actually have their own name and it is doubtful the opportunity will come up again anytime soon.

Well I take that back. It will come up soon but maybe it won’t be a domain name extension that people will actually use. This has been compared to the a land rush, limited inventory and a product that will last the test of time. Of course, time will be the only judge in that prediction.

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Wahoo!!! The Writers Guild Strike is expected to be over today and the great shows should be back, including my favorite 30 Rock with Tina Fey.

But don’t get too hopeful yet. According to the New York Times it will take weeks (maybe about 4) for the shows to get caught up. [Read more →]

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I just spent a few days in New York City for some general rest and relaxation plus a healthy dose of NY culture. While there I had a few famous people sightings… 14 members of the New York Giant’s offensive line was heading into Smith & Wollensky for a team dinner while I was there, Rob Lowe was cruising into the Ritz Carlton spa when I was strolling around Central Park, I sat next to Robert Horay at Rue 57 for lunch (nice guy) and then walked by the Writer’s Guild strike where I saw Michael Moore and my favorite… Tina Fey.

You have to understand the irony of me seeing Tina on this trip to New York. I was only recently introduced to 30 rock and was instantly hooked. The show is witty with smart humor and great characters. It has been a LONG time since I found something this hilarious and I admit I am hooked on the pretty, smart and funny Tina Fey who co-produces, writes and stars in her 30 Rock show. After checking out the online episodes from this season I filled my Netflix queue with the past season.

Just the week before some colleagues joked and were a bit surprised that Tina was in my top 5. Imagine their shock on finding out I got a chance to meet her. What an awesome profession, making people laugh. I admire her and what she does writing for 30 Rock. You just need to believe and follow your dreams… hmmmmm, maybe meeting her was a sign.

The talented Mrs. Fey was, as you would expect, very nice. I met her at the site of Columbus Circle where the writers strike line had just ended. She was with Rachel Dratch talking and preparing to head out when I introduced myself, shook her hand, and asked her how the strike was going. Her eyes sparkled, she smiled, and shared with me that she thought it would be over soon.

Tina, i certainly hope so. Good luck guys!

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I ran into one of my neighbors during the 3rd quarter of the game when the score was already 14 - 3. He is a loyal Michigan fan so we always have a few comments for each other this time of year. He had gone to Crocs, the legendary Buckeye bar for part of the game. I don’t think it was much fun for him, especially as points started to add up on the board in the Buckeyes favor. So he left but did have a couple of pics of the cheering Buckeye crowd on his cell phone.

I asked him if I could get a couple for this blog post and he started to reach for his phone and then paused… the wheels in his Michigan mind moving very, very slowly…. and he said no.

Guess he didn’t want to be a contributor to this blog entry and I can understand. 89 total yards for the Michigan offense. 222 yards alone for Beanie Wells. And all of it on Michigan’s home field.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -Jim Tressel got the best of Lloyd Carr again, maybe for the last time.

Tressel became the first Ohio State coach to beat Michigan six times in seven years, and the seventh-ranked Buckeyes’ 14-3 victory Saturday over their archrival gave them consecutive outright Big Ten titles for the first time in a half-century.

Chris Wells ran for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns and Vernon Gholston and the Buckeyes’ defense dominated Michigan’s banged-up offense.

The Buckeyes (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) are likely headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997. They also hold onto slim hopes of climbing back into the BCS title game, but several teams ahead of them would need to go down.

Go Buckeyes!!

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Just because I think they are cool!

Another ship mate had a much better camera (sorry iphone, but a super camera you are not) and took these great shots. Just wanted to share.

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I just wanted to share a fun little photo. I was recently in California and got a chance to take in a dolphin tour boating trip.

No dolphins were spotted but we got an extra special treat. We saw a blue whale. This photo shows the big guy (or girl) waving a tail goodbye as he/she began another dive. It was truly spectacular to see and we were extremely close to see how huge these beautiful creatures are.

We were told there may be as few as 4500 blue whales left in the world. Blue whales are believed to be the largest animals ever to have lived, and unfortunately they are now on the endangered species list.

But there are efforts being made to protect these beauties. Check it out and learn.

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Well that is the idea behind a real estate project in Vancouver called Donovan where part of their marketing approach is to generate a series of “Sex in the city” style episodes about life in their building. The series is called Donovan life and is on their website where they also market the building, its features and properties like any other development site.

This mini series is crossing all the real estate industry blogs, not necessarily in support of this idea, but give them points for being original. They are only on episode one, where the lead actress leaps from the burbs away from her commitment phobic boyfriend to take on city life. They are going for the full shock factor and they make sure to announce it’s not for children. Don’t expect this Canadian show to be mainstream but an HBO wanna be.

Does this make you want to move in? If someone out there launches a youtube version for Denver make sure to let us all know.

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Just a cool, cool article about how new buyers are taking on the market, and setting the stage for their future in buying new homes. When I think about it, our interest rates our lower, we have less fear of credit, and we know what we want. Plus, after watching the stock market tank a couple times, the technology stock boom and bust, and the crazy antics of enron and others I personally prefer to place my bets in my real estate over the stock market. This story is about New York, but it could just as easily be Denver… except we aren’t as pricey.

What a fun ride we are on. First, the number of people in our country and the world are increasing every day. Second, folks are realizing that the city is where they want to be and are relocating to downtowns across the country. And last, it’s just fun to be in the heart of everything.

This story talks about how the current generation is looking at real estate, their homes, and their future. It’s a story I believe in as well. [Read more →]

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A new trend has started in Washington and I like it. Although technically it might have started in Montana.

During the elections in 2006, Jon Tester (D) ran with one unusual and new election promise in his campaign. If elected he would blog his schedule daily of the meetings he attended, the people he met with, and even his travel schedule between Montana and Washington. His goal was transparency and I think he got it. [Read more →]

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It’s amazing how quickly things change. Just over a year ago I was a total PC fan, using the database management tools. Then a buddy I know, Chris, told me I would be on an apple platform when I moved down here to work on the launch of Glass House. I think he was shocked that I was actually excited to try it out.

And guess what, I loved it. So much so that today when he told me that Macworld was announcing the Iphone I did backflips. He found this great blog where someone actually at Macworld is taking photos and blogging the announcement real time. Key features that were announced today…

1: No buttons, the screen adapts for what you want
2 The screen adjusts from portrait to landscape as you turn it
3: Detects when you are putting it up to your face and turns off flatscreen
4: Feeds for maps, weather
5: Free Yahoo push mail or blackberry feed

And as of this posting the folks at engadget.com are still doing announcements and the photo credit for the above pic is to them… so check out this blog at www.engadget.com to track it.

I am so excited to try this out and ditch my razr!! I called cingular and they don’t have it in their profile yet, but they announced it will work with cingular. I checked with the apple store and they are expecting some news in a few hours. Chris heard that it might not be until June due to FCC approval. Either way, its cool.

Apple also has announced the specs here.

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