Headline at CNN’s site:  Steven Tyler checks into rehab

So, he’s a hard rocker of Aerosmith fame.  What do you immediately think when you read that headline?  Drugs.  And you have to be disappointed because Tyler and band enjoyed a tremendous resurgence fueled in no small part by a new, cleaned up image.

Turns out Tyler is rehabbing after several foot surgeries.  No, not even a pain killer issue.  He’s simply rehabbing his limbs.

I know.  CNN using deception to “goose” their lame excuse for news … color me shocked.

Inspired by a comment at Scoble’s blog, Bob Bly kicks off a discussion of why those who haven’t fallen head over heels in love with Twitter can’t stand those who have.  It’s a good post, but the comment section exemplifies this whole dynamic.  In fact it’s almost as if comment #1 should have started out with “And to prove your point (about the annoying social media uber-clerics) …”

Bly’s post is spot on and I have to say, you couldn’t have found a better place for the catalyst comment than on Scoble’s blog.  I was following that guy on Twitter for a while because occasionally he puts out something good.  But, as I’ve said before, he is Mr. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.  On the one hand he’ll gush over all the action on Twitter, but on the other he is single-handedly beefing up that action with fluff.  I’d hear a beep on Twhirl and here would come this string of 10 Scoble Tweets.  After reading them my reaction often was:  Dude if you don’t have anything to say, just shut up!

I first latched onto this one through a post on Wired.  In addition to standard ranger duties at Kenya’s Mara Triangle wildlife part, Ranger Joseph Kimojino regularly finds himself blogging (http://maratriangle.wildlifedirect.org/), tweeting (http://twitter.com/maratriangle) and posting to Flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/maratriangle).  All three rate a “must check out.”

Of course, Kimojino is more than just an online hobbyist blogging for self-satisfaction.  The Mara Triangle Conservancy, like any other non-profit, needs donations.  Toward that end, they’ve devised a great way to solicit – by simply getting the Mara Triangle story out there in a compelling way.  That’s what attracted me to this.  It’s a powerful use of Twitter and other tools, helping the casual observer half a world away feel in touch with what is going on in the Kenya wilderness.  Their tech efforts have already paid dividends, and hopefully will continue to do so.

I also wish all the tree-hugging, whale-saving bleeding hearts would give the sites a look.  Turns out that nature is a violent, merciless place, with or without man’s involvement.

I’ve temporarily added Wired’s Mars Lander Blog to the favorites category on my blogroll as they will be frequently posting updates on the mission’s progress.  The Phoenix Lander is scheduled to touch down late today (Sunday, 05/25) and begin its work.  NASA also has a project blog going but alas, no feed, so you have to go there to get NASA updates.

Update:  All along I had been thinking that this would be a great subject for Twitter updates if someone on the inside had the tool.  Sure enough, you can follow MarsPhoenix, which appears to be coming from inside NASA, and I also am following Spacelinks.net’s SpaceWire.  Also, if this kind of thing is of interest to you, NASA is on Twitter although they appear to be leaving the frequent Phoenix updates to MarsPhoenix.

Necessity is the mother of getting around to stuff I’d meant to do a while back.  Internet outage today reminded me that I still hadn’t researched how to tether my new phone.  Luckily my connection suddenly returned, no thanks to Insight, as the mobile unfriendly sites I was finding on said phone were a struggle.

So, how to tether the Moto Q9h.  Note:  I make no claims as to whether this is permitted under your plan or not.  A person’s service plan is something private and special between them and AT&T and these sorts of things need to be worked out in the intimate confines of that relationship.  Should you and your carrier partner decide that tethering is for you, here’s how it is done: (more…)

In a ploy straight out of Hillary’s playbook, Obama is taking umbrage with the Tennessee GOP for having the audacity to publicize statements made by his wife, Michelle.  From the Huffington Post:

Democrat Barack Obama has a message for Tennessee’s Republican Party: “Lay off my wife.”

Well, this GOP voter has a message for Michelle Obama:  “Lay off my country!”

Seriously, I know the media hasn’t done much to remind him of it, but Obama is in a Presidential campaign.  This kind of thing goes on, even when the family member in question isn’t an America-bashing priss.

So, you send MO out as a mouthpiece for the campaign, but then when someone responds to her words she suddenly becomes an innocent, helpless family member who is off limits.  It’s straight out of Hillary’s playbook where she cries and plays the frail woman drowning in a school of sharks when she wants the sympathy vote, but throws back shots and talks tough when she wants to be respected as an equal among the candidates.

The Tennessee GOP wasn’t attacking a family member, they were attacking a spokesperson for the Obama campaign who disparaged their country.  And this was an Ivy League-educated, wealthy, attorney spokesperson who should be among those who are most acutely aware of just how much hope this country offers and has offered throughout her lifetime.

To listen to the talking heads yesterday you’d think an Obama / Clinton ticket is darn near a done deal.  They somehow seem to think that he is going to have to do this and that her camp really wants this.  In fact many speculate that this is why she has stayed in the race this long.  Pshaw, for so many reasons.

Her staying the race this long, and the way she has gone about things can NOT have endeared her to Obama or anyone on his team.

Clearly Hillary will go to the grave fighting for the office that she feels entitled to.  Being #2 on the winning ticket would almost certainly preclude a run in 2012.

Again, every breath, every move, every word from Hillary is calculated with an eye to winning the Oval Office.  In terms of continuing to build a resume, her profile would be a lot higher as a leader in the Senate than as the Vice President. (more…)

After re-reading the first pass I realize that I had missed a couple of points and could use clarity on others.

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been a lot more active on Twitter lately.  I think I finally “get” it.  That isn’t to imply, by the way, that there is just one eternal purpose in Twitter and eventually all enthusiasts come to the same understanding.  Instead I think it has value in different ways for different users.

I was skeptical and had been looking for real examples of how individuals and organizations were using Twitter to do something meaningful.  Ironically, it was an article that BW’s Stephen Baker was writing about Twitter that drew me in and helped me see what a great tool it could be.

About a week ago Baker began tweeting snippets of his story, 140 characters and one thought at a time.  It was an awesome use of the tool holding the discussion in real time, and through the power of Twitter, Baker’s readers helped him write the story.

So here’s where I’m at with Twitter: (more…)

Earlier this week Investor Carl Icahn made his move, bumping up his holding in Yahoo! and putting up an alternate slate of directors for this summer’s board meeting.

In the process Icahn issued an open letter to the Yahoo! board.  Overall it was pretty general, although Icahn did implore the group to refrain from making any moves which would preclude another chance at a deal with Microsoft.  This was a clear reference to the ongoing negotiations between Yahoo! and Google.

To this point it had been noted by many that for all of Yahoo’s stated interest in working with Google they seemed to be dragging their feet on the deal. (more…)

Yesterday I suggested in a tweet about CBS’ acquisition of CNet, that while one can certainly see possibilities in this marriage, I don’t trust CBS to effectively leverage what they now have.  This is, after all, the organization that is trying to battle for the key news hour with Katie Couric’s cloud of fluff.

Earlier this year, the New York Times explained why CNet hadn’t already been gobbled up, basically that it was over-priced for a core business that is slowing and questionable new ventures.  Agreed.  CNet was making the classic mistake of not sticking to the knitting.  This is a tech information powerhouse with a great reputation.  So its expansion into “lifestyle areas” was an odd choice.  By the way, Saul Hansell, the author of that NYT piece has a post-deal analysis here.

Of course it isn’t hard to see why CNet was looking elsewhere.  Organizations are finally learning to really leverage the internet in getting information about their wares directly to the target audience without using a middleman like CNet.  Still I believe there was, and is, room for CNet to shift its stance slightly and take advantage of an established reputation as an opinion leader in the tech field.  X.net may be able to make me aware that they have a brand new device or service but I’m still going to look for an objective review before I make a purchase.  CNet is always a first stop in cases like that.

Now maybe CNet will be free to stick to being CNet, or maybe CBS will totally screw it up.  Time will tell.