The Shift Index: How Corporate Equity Screwed Up

I've been distressed over Deloitte & Touche's Shift Index for a few days now. It's a new measurement of U.S. economics and digital infrastructure & it's pretty irritating to hear about. Not only did it tell me that asset gains, as opposed to equity gains, in the U.S. has DECREASED 75% over past 40-some years but it's also telling me that bloated, static U.S. corporations are not showing increased performance DESPITE increased worker productivity. My fears have been confirmed in a well phrased and intelligently executed index. Though no source says the word, "corruption" in the form of equity has brought down the economy and possibly the concept of democracy in the United States.

Implications: Executives must not only get used to "being lean", but must also identify channels of long term growth and answer the question "What business are we in?". By my estimation, that would mean being aware of the latest technological developments, who knows how to effectively utilize them, wrangling and retaining the "creative talent", and getting back to the nuts and bolts of knowing your business, not just owning it. Oh, and what could this possibly mean to the way Government operates? Futile at best.

Distressing on a good day.

Jon Taplin's Blog

You Tube Teaches You How To Report

You Tube is kicking off You Tube's Reporters' Center. I guess they're trying to make the web a more ethical and accountable place. Old Media, help the New Media!...The general irony doesn't escape me, but this is how people learn. Your cute kitten video will be right next to your chem curriculum. Go You Tube!

News of the Weird - Monday Edition

I could not be more surprised that Billy Mays has passed. Did not see that coming. I personally enjoyed his bigger than life attempts to sell me something. I watched all his infomercials all the way through numerous times. I was transfixed. I also watched the Discovery show Pitchmen. I didn't even feel like choosing between him and Vince because as far as I'm concerned, I have enough room in my heart for 2 crazed pitchmen. Billy was astonishingly the more classy of the two. I will miss his royal boisterousness yelling at me at all hours of the day. As for the way he went, if it's a subdural hematoma, then good for him. He had a headache, he kissed his wife goodnight and he went to sleep. Done. Hey, no one wants to die, but on the scale of traumatic deaths, I'd take that one. I found his presence to be more relevant to me in the past 15 years than that of Michael Jackson. Completely different level, but more current. I will miss seeing him. That dead at 50 thing is pretty spooky too.

Here's a link to the Wall St. Journal page that's All Things Madoff since today he's be sentenced to a mere 150 years which is an insult because he's already 71. His Foundation could only come up w/ 1.2 of the missing 13.2 BILLION. I say look a little harder. What. An. Asshole. Why was he not sentenced to live in the most economically distressed part of Michigan for the rest of his life with $500./mo.?

This is just a cool video. How do you do that?

#22 With A Side of Steampunk, Please.

Water Brain Complete Edition（16：9） from Johann.Poo on Vimeo.

If you've been wondering what's going on with Chinese Animation these days...and who hasn't?...here's an example. Billed as steampunk by Bar 88 and Boing Boing, I consider it just amazing in scope and depth while remaining uniquely Chinese. It's long ish, so don't bother if your tolerance for anime is low or you don't have time.

Before The Lie Becomes the Truth

This starts with a moving tribute to the pop melding of uniquely analog talent in a very digital world. Which brings me to the second thing that kinda alarmed me further. I was on a mobile with C, when I received a chat from E who told me the news and G, as did countless others including myself, immediately turned to our computers for confirmation. Twitter stuttered. The dismayed collective conscience machine could not comprehend that a little part of itself had died. And a computer told me about it.

Click here to see what the search "Michael Jackson Jacket" currently yields on Ebay. I'll reference my previous post re: the Thriller Wedding Dance as a prime example of how an old school meme manifests itself here and here from the Amish on You Tube. Unfortunately, I found no viable Wedding Moonwalks presumably because these are white people. And maybe we can lay off the toxicology reports since our collective memory won't care anymore by the time it's conclusive. It's called good taste and it's a dying institution.

Farrah Fawcett passed yesterday & Ali Akbar Kahn pushed up daisies about a week ago. A computer told me that too.

Also, what. is. up. with the Germans?

Breaking News

Dr. Drew is a power bottom. Seriously think about it. Look at how bulked up and evenly toned he's gotten since his franchise and branding have broken through! Now I think there's something he needs to break through with. POWER. BOTTOM. Report directly to the kink.com offices for your first day of rehab.

The Belated Girlfriend Experience

It has recently been brought to my attention that I didn't write about this when I first heard about it. I didn't because I figured everyone else would. Major label director, debut at Cannes, established porn star...I read about it on wsj.com... publicity not necessary. But I will say it's probably a good idea for the women I've spoken to or heard about of late who want to enter the world of "work". I also recommend honestly using a good, free online money management program like mint.com. The concept of the oldest profession in the world is simple, but the successful execution and management of said vocation is much harder to sustain. And like every other vocation, it doesn't just happen. It's work. It's more than a series of holes if you want to be good at it. Kudos to Sasha Grey for her successful branding/marketing expansion and career extending move to the mainstream. I've checked out her other work and she's ok at her job. Not that believable to me, but a youthful & enthusiastic performer. I know the short view, middle class feministas (feminists who will let Anna Wintour tell them what to wear & what dress size they should be, but are barely capable of joyless blowjobs for their wanton "partners") are already not impressed, but it's less important for me to judge what she's done & more important for me to keep a lazy eye on what she will do. I'm also interested to see if this film casts any light on the overall understanding of the financial & emotional aspects of adult entertainment. I'm not expecting an outpouring of enlightenment.

Stay tuned for Whoring 101, the class. Oh and I'm predicting the intelligencia & feminists who don't want to pay for it (they never do...) will make this a DVD & Bit Torrent hit, if it's not already. Either way, Sasha gets seen.

Facebook Swahili

Facebook Swahili is launching today. I don't know what that says about the state of the Nations, but man, people are still starving, right? But I know...Web 2.0 is the new reporter...

Now on a different topic, how did Rob Dyrdek have such a lapse in judgement? All the way around. No part of that story is good. He's handled himself well and stayed out of the limelight. Just workin' for MTV & skatin'. Just Livin'. Then one night it all turns to shit. There's either a sin of omission in the story or Rob should take a hard look. Maybe both. Just sayin'.

UPDATE: Turns out it was all publicity, via Twitter (do not even ask) for Street Dreams, his new movie. Well played!

The Creepy Chan Effect

Pride Month 1.0

last night @ the Fresh Meat Reception @ the LBGT Center I got my picture taken to represent the community. Apparantly it had something to do with my shoes & my sparkling personality. And although no set of letters accurately describes me, it's an honor to "represent"! Just ask my man who couldn't figure out which bathroom to use. I said "all of them". Upon his return he said he "got lucky" & I said "I'm going to get that last piece of cake". True story.

Oh and the accidental death of David Carradine is not negatively impacting the community according to the buzz.

BTW, did you know they added a new letter to the LBGT mix? It's "Q" in question is for QUESTIONING. I am definitely a questioning being, but perhaps not in the way it's proposed. SSSShhh. Don't tell anyone.

Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony=My Big Love of Shoes

M. Monroe: Born 6/1/26

Marilyn Monroe was born this day in history. She was a woman and she had a womanly body. She also created a classic American ideal of beauty and glamor that has long surpassed her mortal life, for better or worse. She didn't supplement her cardio with blow and cigarettes like today's starlets. If she did, she wasn't afraid to equally indulge in the culinary joys as well. Anyhoo, don't sleep w/ the President cuz you might end up dead. More now than ever.