Wallace Wide Open in Insightful Commencement

Noted American writer David Foster Wallace concludes that “It is unimaginably hard… to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out.” We all know these challenges. At least those of us who are trying to live our lives fully awake, or as awake as we are able to be… Wallace rants, “simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over.” Ain’t it the truth? But equally fascinating, for me at least, is the articulate, insightful, off-handedly humorous, yet fully forthright and un-cynical way that DFW brings a real message home for the Kenyon graduating class. He is a remarkable writer. Thanks, my son, for another solid referral. Read the full text of David Foster Wallace’s commencment speech at Kenyon University

Insights into Online Poker’s Amazing Growth

I’m not sure how long this, to me, fascinating article will be free online… It was in last Sunday’s NY Times. The article, “At PartyGaming, Everything’s Wild” profiles the parent company of PartyPoker.com as well as the astromonical growth of the online poker market. In the case of PartyGaming (which will go public in the UK soon), “The company had revenue of just $9 million from its poker business in 2002; by the end of 2004, revenue had climbed to more than a half-billion dollars.” Or for the online poker industry overall, “Total revenue for online poker among all companies was already a healthy $92 million in 2002, but it then exploded, surpassing $1 billion just two years later, according to Christiansen Capital Advisors L.L.C., a consulting firm in New Gloucester, Me., that specializes in advising gambling companies.” And, “…In the process, the firm estimates, the total online poker market will mushroom to $6 billion in 2009 from $1 billion in 2004.”

To learn more about why I think that online poker is also a great way to learn to play poker, click here.

Inspiring: Steve Jobs Commencement Address at Stanford

When I first got an email with this commencement address by college drop-out Steve Jobs at Stanford University, I thought it must be urban legend; but, as this link shows, it’s for real. And, more importantly, it’s quality content. Inspiring even. Jobs speaks of “connecting the dots” in your life, the value of love and loss (using his “devastating” removal from Apple as a powerful positive in his life) and, most profoundly, death as the ultimate motivator, including details of his recent battle with pancreatic cancer. Check out the full text of Steve Jobs’ remarks

Internet Talk Radio Coming of Age?

I had a solid hit of viability listening to some Internet radio shows this morning. I linked through from an inspirational email to Hayhouse Radio and listened to some pretty solid motivational/spiritual content. Then, I picked up on the fact that the provider was wsRadio.com and began listening to an SEO Radio show about search engine optimization. All the wsRadio.com shows seem to be well implemented via an Active X player that worked fine on the Mac and each program is nicely supported by RSS feeds to promote return listeners. Professional quality. Well done. And, a welcome addition to the broadcasting landscape. On-demand radio will ultimately rule.

Understanding Apple’s Intel Announcement

Apple’s announcement that they would begin producing Macs using Intel chips rather than IBM PowerPC chips is something of an earthquake, or a tectonic shift for the world of personal computing. It is perhaps best explained in simplistic terms as bringing the Mac software community into a more connected and less isolated place (of course, this will take place over time, over the next couple of years). The best analogy that I read (including some more dweeby analysis) was by ZDNet’s John Carroll who compared the change as being from the isolation of the Azores to the connectedness of Manhattan In other words, Apple will still be an island, but there will be lots more ways (bridges and tunnels) to make connections with other kinds of software and computers. This opens many doors for new possibilities in the future, including less expensive Macs. Right on.

Podcasting update from Steve Jobs & Washington Post

Here’s are some current stats and perspective from Steve Jobs re podcasting as reported by the Washington Post.

Jobs Reveals iTunes Tuning into Podcasts

I admit to being a Steve Jobs fan, so you won’t be surprised that I think he’s making (yet another) smart move by incorporating podcasts into this summer’s update to the iTunes software. Why not make his killer app more sticky? Makes sense to me. Or to quote Apple (and Pixar)’s master of promotion, in his usually under-stated manner, “Already millions of people are subscribing to these podcasts, I think this is going to send it into orbit.”

More info from SFGate.com including coverage of comments by Bill Gates & more

Great Viral Videos for Firefox, plus “Is Viral Overexposed?”

Get Firefox!Viral marketing is spreading like, well, Firefox (the open source, grassroots web browsing software alternative). This trend is dramatically illustrated by these very funny Firefox videos produced by Mozilla Europe. And they are neatly complemented by this reasonably insightful commentary on viral marketing by Mark Kingdom of ClickZ Networks (even though I apparently liked the videos more than he did). I think that the point that he missed is that it helps a viral marketing message spread when that message is meant to strike out against the “evil empire” (Microsoft) rather than simply to sell random widgets. Do you agree?

Constant Contact Keeps Getting Better… Our preferred tool for email newsletters etc.

At last count, we have set up about 20 Constant Contact accounts for ourselves and our clients. It’s the best, most cost effective email newsletter and opt-in user friendly email promotion application out there. We recommend it frequently and have taught even non-techie clients to use it themselves. Besides other features that I’ve described on Media Mall’s email newsletter page, they’ve just announced a bunch of new enhancements including upgraded list management features such as the abilities to segment your list by behaviors and to merge interest categories, plus easier to use one-step bounce management and the capability to import lists directly from Excel (rather than needing to export a .CSV file first). If you have the commitment to write valuable content for your constituency’s interest, I know no better way to keep visitors coming back to your web site. And, yes, there’s a free trial so that you can explore it without any cost whatsoever. Click here to learn more >>

Sony & Cingular Ready Next Gen Hi-Speed Wireless Net

Wireless computing is poised to expand beyond the limitations of Wi-Fi hot spots with next generation Enhanced Data GSM networking built into Sony’s new VAIO T300 ultra portables. Verizon will be next with it’s implementation of 3G. Some folks say that the immergence of a true wireless network–think computers with the reach of cell phones–will have an even bigger impact than the advent of the Internet.

In fact, if you haven’t read it, Howard Rheingold’s book, “Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution” makes quite an astounding case for the signifigance of ubiqitous wireless computing, from chips on cereal boxes to all kinds of GPS-empowered devices. The new wireless network is not something to be underestimated, in my not so humble estimation.

More info about the new VAIO and the various new wireless networks here.