The blog did it with a rifle: So I’m sitting here catching up on RSS feeds while my wife is watching the DVR’d CSI Miami from last night. The CSI team is focusing their investigation on a weblog, “BlogDaze.com/drugaddict”…” So I have a blog, what’s that prove?” says a young woman. “Bloggers like to hide text in the background of the messages,” says one of the CSI team members.Quote from show’s website’s episode archive:

Somewhere in the conversation, Paul’s pride reveals that there’s an in-house blog that has been slamming him lately. Ryan and Delko get the link and log on to “BlogDaze.Com/drugaddict,” which has everything you never wanted to know about the people you work with. It appears there’s a lot of sexual hanky-panky going on at Cantor Pharmaceuticals. This gives Ryan an opportunity to needle Delko about his “friends with benefits” relationship with Natalia Boa Vista. In truth, Ryan was going to ask her out, but Delko beat him to it. As they read on, they find themselves referred to in the blog–the anonymous author is posting from his or her desk.

By the way, if you go to the address of the weblog, BlogDaze.com/drugaddict, you’ll be re-directed to the show’s website and to a message from one of the show’s writers.

Quote:

Hello, CSI: MIAMI fan. My name is Corey Miller, and I am one of the writers on the show. Your curiosity brought you here, I imagine, to see if we ruined someone’s life by putting their personal web address on our show for millions to see.

Parody parody: The SNL parody video Lazy Sunday has been remixed using a couple of 5th graders.

(via: Digg)

Technorati Tags: humor

Interesting question: Dave Winer asks: How long before Iger gets Amelio’d?

As a long-suffering shareholder of Disney (I gave up a couple years ago), I imagine Disney shareholders would gladly trade Iger for Jobs if he could do for Disney shares what he’s done for Apple stock since Amelio got Amelio’d. (Comparison chart: Apple vs. Disney during the past five years.) Also, as my memory rattles around at the mention of a name I haven’t thought of in years, I recall there were about 3,000+ Apple employees who Amelio fired who might find the term ‘Amelio’d’ somewhat ironic.

Technorati Tags: apple

Jobs plan: Only time will tell if this is Goofy or not. Disney buys Pixar, officially. Has Steve Jobs said yet, “I’m going to Disney World.”

Technorati Tags: apple

The college of new mistakes: Dan Gillmor wrote the book (the first book, at least) on citizens journalism. He left his high-profile and influential position as technology writer for Silicon Valley’s hometown paper to create a new type of citizen-journalist medium. Today, he shares his thoughts on lessons about citizens journalism from the “new mistakes” he’s experienced in the past year. A must read.

My favorite:

“If you don’t already have a thick skin, grow one.”

Dan’s post also includes some frank observations about what he’s learned about himself after a year of starting a new business venture. Reading it — as a small business owner who has succeeded and failed — I admire his willingness to share some of his innermost thoughts.

My only caution: When the results aren’t what you anticipated (or, in the time-frame you expected it), it’s natural to blame ones self and think (in Dan’s words), “As an entrepreneur, let’s just say I wasn’t in my element.” However, as there are “new mistakes,” there are always new entrepreneurial opportunities that next time ’round, may prove to Dan that his element has lots to do with the ever-changing context we find ourselves journeying through.

Thanks, Dan, for what you’ve started and congratulations on what you will contribute in your new role in academia.

Technorati Tags: smallbusiness

Word Smiths: Sounds to me like Smith Magazine wants to be for writer/bloggers what JPG Magazine is for photographer/photo-sharers.

Magazine industry history buffs (we meet in a phone booth) know that a magazine comprised of “reader-contributed-stories” is not a new concept. Indeed, all of the magazines from Reiman Publications are created that way and depend exclusively on subscription revenue — no ads. A few years ago, Readers Digest purchased the magazines for something like $750 million.

(via: coolhunting.com)

Technorati Tags: magazines

Custom publishing update (and a message from our sponsor): (Note: this post is about friends - competitors, yes, but friends.) Congratulations to the Magazine Group and National Geographic for forming a new entity, dubbed GeoGroup Media, to “blend their core assets in an alliance to produce communication vehicles that emphasize and promote corporate social responsibility.”

“We don’t have a custom publishing unit, and we weren’t we weren’t ready to embark on creating one,” said (Stephen Giannetti, VP, group publisher, National Geographic Magazines). “I just didn’t think it was the right thing to do–to hire a whole bunch of people to start something new. I thought it was best to find a partner where we could meld the assets of the National Geographic Society with the back end operations of an agile custom publishing company.”

I think this is a great idea. In fact, for other traditional publishers who would like to offer custom publishing but “don’t have a custom publishing unit” and don’t want to “embark on creating one,” here’s an idea. Contact me (rexhammock@gmail.com). I have just the solution for you.

Note: For the record. I think you’ve just seen the most overt business pitch ever made on this weblog.

(via: MediaPost.)

Technorati Tags: custom publishing, custompublishing, magazines, custom-publishing, puppy