Christopher S. Penn – Marketing AI Keynote Speaker

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  • How I Organize My Mornings

    someone asked me how I organize myself in the mornings and manage to get a podcast out the door every day plus two on Wednesdays (the Financial Aid Podcast and Marketing Over Coffee, the best marketing podcast ever made at a doughnut shop).

    The answer is that I use a Mac. I’m not being a pimp or being facetious. I use Spaces in Mac OS X Leopard (virtual desktops) like crazy, which helps me stay organized. Here’s a snapshot of my desktops – all 8 of them, which is my layout for the morning. Jeff Pulver calls this his social media sunrise.

    My Mac Desktops

    In desktops 1 and 2 (top left), you have the browser, Google reader, a text editor, and Garageband. I do my research in this pane for the show and document show notes here, plus surf blogs and GMail. No office software as I usually do most of my workday stuff in Google Docs.

    In desktops 3 and 4 (top right) is my social network window. Here I run Twitterific, Adium connected to 12 different IM accounts on 5 services, and Spyder, my MySpace data manager. I’ll check profiles, answer messages, leave comments, and respond to Twitter here.

    Desktops 5 and 6 (lower left) contain a terminal window and iTunes. Once the podcast is done, I convert it from AIFF to MP3 using LAME 3.98.1 on the Mac – the encoder is much better than iTunes, but it requires you to compile your own source code – and then dump it into iTunes for branding (ID3, lyrics, cover art). During the rest of my workday, I also manage processes in this window, such as renicing (changing priority) of running programs on the command line. Of course, I also control music in this space. If I’m ding an interview, Skype runs in this space as well.

    Desktops 7 and 8 control blogging and server stuff. When the podcast is ready to upload, I’ll use Cyberduck here; I also use Cyberduck to manage any on the fly redirects, etc. In the bottom half of this space I run Ecto, which lets me control and edit all of the Student Loan Network blogs at once, making adjustments as needed.

    In the menu bar I also run Google Notifier, which keeps me apprised of emails and calendar appointments, Spanning Sync, which syncs my Google calendar with iCal (which then syncs to my iPods), iSync, which syncs Google Calendar and iCal to my Nokia N91, Growl, which displays Skype and Twitter notices, and SMC Fan Control, so I can alter the speed at which the CPU fan runs in case the MacBook clearly shows signs of warming up.

    In non-space I run QuickSilver as an application launcher and general utility, so I never have to actually find application icons to launch them.

    This may seem like a lot of stuff to run, and it may be, but it’s how I accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

  • How to disappear like a ninja (video)

    Some silly fun for International Day of the Ninja.

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPm3VQgZs4g[/youtube]

    If you’re in the metro Boston area, come celebrate International Day of the Ninja at the Boston Martial Arts Center tonight at 6 PM (event on Facebook) with a free class! If you’re outside of Boston, check out Stephen K. Hayes’ web site, SKHQuest.com, for training opportunities near you.

  • Pachelbel's Rant

    If you’ve never seen this before, it’s worth 5 minutes and 14 seconds of entertainment.

    [youtube]https://youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM[/youtube]

    Does anyone know WHY Pachelbel’s Canon in D recurs so much in pop music?

  • How to find an honest realtor

    Simple. Ask these two questions:

    Is now a good time to sell?

    Is now a good time to buy?

    If they answer yes to either of those questions and you’re in the United States of America, walk away.

    If a realtor says, “The party line is that it’s always a good time to buy, but honestly, I’d wait a year” take that person’s business card and don’t lose it.

  • Binary Star Music Debuts the Future of the Record Label : Record Label 2.0

    Binary Star Music Debuts the Future of the Record Label : Record Label 2.0I’m not a fan of record labels, especially mainstream, RIAA-supporting labels. They’ve done more to inhibit the economic growth of musicians than all the music pirates in the world combined, and I honestly believe the music industry would be better off without 90% of the labels out there.

    That said, one label consistently catches my eye – Binary Star Music in Florida. They’re a small, independent label promoting artists like Rayko KRB, Takis, and a few other acts, but they recently announced something that, to me, appears to be the future of the music label.

    Why does an artist sign with a label? Increased resources. Distribution. Promotion. Access to pooled assets like studios. All of these things at major labels are an all-or-nothing deal that comes with a hefty fee, a major percentage of profits from album sales, and a requirement that artists sign over any and all intellectual property rights. This, for obvious reasons, is NOT the best deal for the artists.

    Binary Star is going a different route – they’re offering a la carte services, from MySpace management to list management to promotion. It’s exciting because artists don’t need to sign with the label, nor do they need to sign over any intellectual property rights. I think Binary Star has a winner here and as their portfolio and rolodex expands, it will only serve to increase the value of their offering. This is the future of the music label – not a behemot bureaucracy out to screw artists, but a service bureau offering competitively priced services that let you choose what you need for your music career without the overhead of a label contract.

    Congratulations to the Binary Star team for innovating yet again. If you’re an independent musician, keep an eye on their service bureau model!

    Binary Star VR Promotions now open here.

  • What matters most in social media

    What matters most in social media is the exercise of vital powers. Chris Wilson from Answers for Freelancers twittered and blogged his family’s search for 16 year old Manessa Donovan, his sister-in-law, in the hopes that his social media network could aid his family in their search for Manessa.

    I did a few small things here and there on MySpace to aid in the search, but what I thought was most interesting was the contrast between the “Dig a Tech Girl/Guy” debate yesterday and finding a lost person today.

    How many people who ardently twittered about the hot guy/hot gal of social media equally ardently twittered to help make a real impact in the life of someone in our new media community? How many people brought the discussion of ways and ideas to help Chris Wilson out in the forefront of conversation?

    Which mattered more – who’s a hottie, or who’s in need of help?

    To those of you who embraced Chris Wilson’s plea for help as a cause worth promoting, thank you from a fellow new media professional who also cares, and from someone who believes that the power we wield in new media MUST be used to make a difference. Your support, great or small, ALWAYS makes a difference.

    If you want to continue helping, Chris Wilson has a blog with updates at SaveManessa.wordpress.com. I’ve got a MySpace page at MySpace.com/savemanessa – please contribute what assistance you can, be it awareness or feet on the ground.

    To those of you who embraced the hot guy/hot girl contest promotion but not the help-a-friend-in-need…

  • More of what you want, Julien Smith and the Attention Economy

    More of what you want, Julien Smith and the Attention Economy

    This afternoon, there was a healthy discussion on Twitter about the perception of women in technology and whether lowest-common-denominator entertainment, be it Dig a Tech Girl or Clash of the Choirs, demeaned women by focusing on physical attributes as the key measurement of their worth. This is not a debate for this blog post, and plenty of others can argue the merits far better than me.

    What this is a blog post about is a reflection of something Julien Smith said at our PodCamp Boston 2 session: we live in the age of the attention economy. With so many channels of media, with so many things competing for the same 24 hours, anything you want to promote has to be marketed for the attention economy.

    Whether a woman’s appearance is a factor at all in her worth is not the heart of the debate. The true heart is the attention economy, and the reality is that appearances garner attention very quickly, if fleetingly. That’s human nature, the way we’re wired and the way societies build on top of those fundamentals. If you want to capture attention, market with any strong emotion. It just so happens that physical attractiveness is the easiest, lowest cost, and lowest mental processing load factor on which you can compete for attention.

    If there can be a solution to the issue of using attractiveness and surface traits for marketing purposes, it has to be that the stakeholders who want to foment change MUST deliver competing content that is more compelling, more powerful, more engaging, more attention-grabbing and attention-holding than lowest common denominator content. If you want lofty social values to eclipse boobies, then you’d better package and market those values in a way that makes them highly desirable content to consume.

    I had this discussion recently with a teacher of mine, discussing how to combat negative comments and slander on the internet. My final point was that if you don’t like some of the content online, you can either struggle in vain to have it removed or changed, or you can flood the internet with the content that YOU want to have distributed, making it more compelling than the garbage, and let the garbage just wither from lack of attention.

    Nature abhors a vacuum. If you want to displace lowest common denominator entertainment, have something ready to take its place. The beauty of new media is that to get more of what YOU want, all you have to do is create it.

  • I need a gear system recommendation!

    So here’s the situation. I carry a lot of gear with me on a regular basis, and the current system of various bags and backpacks is both a pain and not efficient. Here’s what I carry with me daily:

    • MacBook Pro
    • MiniDV cam
    • MPEG4 cam
    • DSLR
    • 2 iPods – classic and touch
    • Nokia N91
    • External 750 GB HD
    • Condenser mic
    • M-Audio Microtrack recorder
    • Flashlight
    • Undisclosed ninja stuff that’s small, light, and sharp

    Without lugging around a suitcase or having a PA, what systems have you seen that would make carting this pile of kit around more easy? I need your recommendations!

  • How bad is the housing bubble burst? THIS bad.

    Just when you thought the real estate market couldn’t get any more desperate:
    Housing bubble bursting ad in Craiglist
    I don’t know who to feel more sorry for – the person posting the ad or the sucker who buys a house in metro Phoenix, Arizona, where prices are falling on average about 30%. I guess it depends on whether you think US citizenship is worth $595K.

  • Bertucci’s Pasta Sauce: A Culinary Mystery Solved

    I’ve had a puzzle for a little while. Actually, more than a little while, about 3 years. The puzzle is simple but not easy: I love the taste of Bertucci’s tomato sauce on their pasta but have never been able to figure out what makes it work. Try as I might about once a week, I’ve never broken the code.

    Derivative work of Jessica Spengler

    For those of you who may not know, Bertucci’s is an Italian-style restaurant chain of mostly pizza and pasta here in the US. Their hallmarks have traditionally been brick-oven roasted everything, but one of their lesser acknowledged trademarks is a delicious pasta sauce that goes well on just about any plain carbohydrate.

    I’ve been trying to replicate its characteristics, which are:

    • Sweet without being sugary
    • Savory without being hearty (hearty = beef stew, french onion soup, etc.)
    • Tangy without being acidic
    • Bright, vivid red

    Over the past three years, I’ve asked personal chefs and experts, as well as my overlord, Google, and no one’s had a satisfactory answer. I’ve tried to achieve sweet, but that leads to sugary more often than not. Tangy meant everything from vinegars to citrus juices, and it always came out like acid. Savory usually ended up with lots of carmelized vegetables in it – tasty, but not the goal.

    Well, tonight was the accidental breakthrough. Here’s what seems to be the closest thing to a clone recipe.

    1. Start with a large can of crushed tomatoes. Buy good quality, and buy canned, as canned tomatoes are actually fresher than anything you’re going to get at the store during the off-season. Obviously, if you have access to perfectly ripe tomatoes that are locally grown, go for it, but there’s no such creature in Boston in late November that’s natural. Open the can and toss in 2 teaspoons of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Stir, then let it sit for as long as you can. Ideally, if you can prep the can in the morning for that evening’s dinner, awesome. Even just 5 minutes is better than nothing, though.

    2. In a non-stick saucepan (the non-stick is important!) add four tablespoons of the tomatoes (try to make it mostly chunks) plus a quarter teaspoon of garlic, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Start over 33% heat (on my stove, there are numbers 1 – 6, and I did this at 2, 6 being hottest) and cook until the water is driven off from the tomatoes. Stir a lot.

    3. When the water is gone and the tomatoes are pasty, turn up the heat until the garlic mixed with the tomatoes changes color and darkens a little. It’s more than okay at this point if the fringes of tomato residue on the sides of the pan get toasty. Stir a lot, scraping the sides of the saucepan to get any toasty residue back towards the bottom.

    4. When the garlic changes color to a darker shade OR the tomatoes are appreciably darker – whichever comes first, throw the rest of the can in. Stir like crazy. Add a quarter teaspoon cracked black pepper and a quarter teaspoon of sweet basil, dried.

    5. Crank up the heat to 100% until the stirred pasta sauce boils, then turn it down to 50%; most of the water in the can will surface to the top. Cook with the lid mostly on (letting vapor escape) for 15 minutes.

    At the end of the process, you’ll have a tomato sauce that tastes remarkably like Bertucci’s, close enough ideally to dissuade you from dropping $15$20 for a meal that costs a lot less to prepare at home.

    One last secret of Bertucci’s is that the pasta is cooked al dente, or somewhat chewy. Whatever the directions are on the box of pasta, chop about a minute off the cooking time and you’ll have roughly al dente pasta. Al dente is important for two reasons: first, the pasta is a different texture, not mushy, and second, there’s still a fair amount of water in the pasta sauce. Cooking it al dente will let the pasta absorb a good portion of that water when it’s mixed together.

    What I do typically is take the pasta as it reaches al dente, drain it, toss it in a large bowl, throw all the sauce on top of it, and stir for 5 minutes with a big spoon. This lets the pasta absorb excess water from the sauce and ensures that it’s evenly coated.

    Give this a try and let me know how it works for you!

    Also see this blog post about 5 easy ways to win at pasta for more pasta tips.

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    Bertucci's Pasta Sauce: A Culinary Mystery Solved 1 Bertucci's Pasta Sauce: A Culinary Mystery Solved 2 Bertucci's Pasta Sauce: A Culinary Mystery Solved 3

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