Todd Sattersten :: Astronaut Projects

What you could learn

I like what Forbes is doing. I think they have great reporting with alot of original stories.

Here is what you could learn by reading the current issue of Forbes:

• Did you know all of the big planes used to fight fires have been grounded since May? There have been three fatal crashes in two years. The wings snapped off two planes in mid-air. One contractor has taken the next step and modified a 747. [Splooosh!, p66]
• 800,000 people will take Alaskan cruises this year (that's 25% more than the state's population). The summer popularity of the region lets the cruise lines will redeploy ships from winter destinations such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and Europe. Carnival sends 16 ships and over 1/3 of their passengers now department from Seattle. [Cruise Control, p98]
• The cover story is about XM radio. What is amazing is about the article is what the National Association of Broadcasters has done over the years to squash innovation. Their latest maneuver is equally amazing. In 1995, Congress enacted a law that requires all digital radio to pay royalities to performers. The exemption for traditional radio was maintained and as well as the NAB's version of digital, HD radio. The law also made it illegal to broadcast local content, such as traffic reports and sports. The NAB argued that local stations would be hurt by competition from satellite ignorant of local tastes. "Never mind that the radio titans were knitting together nationwide networks to let hundreds of their own stations carry identical programming." [Broadcast Bullies, p140]
• Rexam is helping beverage upstarts with more than just packaging. To help build the market for both, they are helping companies with retailers, inventory, and distribution of the finished product. [Thirsting for Growth, p174]
• Finally, read about ADV Films. They are the leading distributor of anime in the U.S. There are starting their own cable channel and have started producing their own anime. [Why Grow Up?, p178]

More Music Saturday

I did mean to go overboard today, but I run across this too.

James Shatner has a new album coming out. Ben Folds arranged and produced it. They have previews of all the track with interviews.

[via lighthearted boy]

Saturday's Music Question

Do You Have Bad Taste In Music?

Saturday Tunes

I mentioned awhile back that I would start posting some links to music I like.

I've decided weekends would be a good time to throw these out to you. Consider it the Weekend Edition of A Penny For...

I thought about writing a long explanation of the stuff I like, but it would take a long time and I don't think I would properly capture it anyway. Let me just say I listen to a wide range of stuff.

My links are going to send you to iTunes

My first link is going to be to Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional.

Tufte Summary

The guys at 37signals have a summary of the workshop Edward Tufte held in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Same but Prettier

Robert Scoble's Corporate Blogging Manifesto is now available from ChangeThis in a fancy and pretty pdf format.

Evangelizing

I just wanted to give another pull for the best business publication - The Wall Street Journal. I have spoken their praises in the past. Yesterday's edition is a perfect example of why I subscribe.

• First, there was a feature on independent bookstores (Page A1, Column 1). That subject is near and dear to my heart with my work at 800-CEO-READ.
• On Page B1, there was a great article on evolution of beverage packaging; the latest being aluminum bottles. Check out Iron City Beer.
• On Page C1 was a extensive column on GE Consumer Finance and their moves in Eastern Europe. I cut my "business" teeth at GE and still love reading stories about what they are doing.
• Finally, the Personal Journal has outstanding coverage of personal health issues. They reported on an article coming out this month that shows strong links between obesity and cancer.

All the WSJ links require a subscription. Spend the $79 and at least get access to the online edition. The print edition is $199 for 52 weeks.

TLC only gets better

I would say if the television is on in our house that there is an 80% it will be tuned to TLC.

It sounds like they are only getting better. This fall, one of their new programs is called Taking Care of Business. This from the press release:

A new TLC series hopes to move small businesses from "in the red" to "in the money." TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, a new thirteen-episode series on TLC, tackles small business troubles in a big way, and sends a team of gurus -- equipped with fresh ideas and plenty of inspiration -- to identify problems, turn things around and help businesses live up to their best potential, and let their owners realize their dreams. Together, the "dream team" examines all aspects, from location and product offering to marketing and customer service. They present concrete ideas to help businesses be their best.

[via Radio Marketing Nexus]

P.S. Doug from Trading Spaces also has a new show coming out this fall. They are looking for victims..I mean homeowners.

Speculation Adds to Rising Oil Prices

WSJ reports [sub. needed] that speculators are heavily involved with energy futures. They are lured by the ever increasing prices for oil and natural gas driven by both supply issues and surging demand.

Analysts believe speculators are playing the role of marginal buyers, sending prices higher than they would otherwise be, but doing little to alter the basic upward trend driven by broader market pressure such as high demand. Jeff Curry, head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs, estimates prices would be in the low $40s a barrel were it not for the these speculators.

Change This!

I want to point people to Change This! I think the project has a lot of potential. Most of the talk I have seen has been criticizing the format and not really talking about the ideas. I realize pdf files are not ideal, but the control over design that you have and the ubiquity of Acrobat readers outweighs the shortcomings. I also think they have done a great job of catering to bloggers by creating permanent pages to link to and trackbacks on those pages.

As for talking about the ideas, it will be interesting to see how that evolves. I think alot of blogs have a small set of topics that they talk about. You are not going to find political editorial on this blog. You are going to find business editorial and (more so lately) thoughts on the evolution of blogging. I think that limits in some ways the viral nature of these manifestos. I wonder if ChangeThis needs to create a medium where the ideas can be talked about.

The interesting part of the project is just starting though. ChangeThis! invites anyone to submit proposals. The proposals are put into the Slush Pile and everyone gets to vote. The most popular proposals move to manifestos. I think that is way cool. And it is very interesting to see which ones are bubbling up.