iGreed
It was heralded at a press conference months before its arrival, this thing, this gadget that would surely change the world. The Wizard of Apple, Steve Jobs, appeared before a giant media screen in a setting Hollywood might use to satirize a super-chic, self-important company and foretold of this gadget’s wonders. Oh, the capability you’ll have: the hours of Internet surfing, video games, movies, music and the ability to receive emails in the middle of cocktail parties and dinners with friends. And just think of the texting possibilities! It was coming he told us, so be prepared. It was coming and the dawn of a new day was upon us. And then, before God and all humanity, he revealed to us the future: the iPhone.
The months of anticipation that followed were heady times indeed. There was a constant buzz heard round water coolers across America; endless speculation of how lives would change, battles would be won and strides for the good of all humanity would be made. But alas, this thing, this iPhone, came with a price. And how to pay for it? Sacrifices would have to be made, credit cards maxed out, lattes rationed for emergencies only and hopes for little Billy’s college education dashed. After all, revolution doesn't come cheap. Advancements for humanity cannot be found rummaging through bins in bargain basements. When the countdown for the new arrival reached single digits, the most staunch followers of Apple, the ones who learned to compute on a Macintosh, stood by it through the dark days of PC domination, saw the light at the end of the tunnel with the introduction of the iMac with its retro design, were among the first to own an iPod and with no apparent job security to worry about, began camping out on street corners outside Apple stores, well stocked with provisions and lawn chairs to brave the elements and be among the first recipients of this gift from the future, this iPhone.
When it finally arrived, there was much joy in the land! Except for those who waited in ques and still went home empty handed, and some who did manage to get their hands on one of the precious gizmos ended up selling them on Ebay for twice the price. Oh, and didn't we tell you that the $600 price tag doesn't include any kind of service agreement. Yeah, so, if you want to actually use your iPhone, it’s going to cost you extra, not to mention the fees you’ll probably have to pay for canceling your old service agreement. Sorry about that. So, many friends I know and Apple die-hards postponed their purchase of the iPhone until their cell service runs out or until the price comes down a little or they start making more money.
And then, in the worst marketing decision since New Coke, Apple reduced the price of their precious iPhone by $200 just months after introducing the product prompting thousands of angry emails and customer outrage from those who paid full price. It adversely affected the company’s stock and cost them thousands in refunds and rebates and an apology from the man himself, Steve Jobs. Also, with this stunt they may have sacrificed one of Apple’s most bankable assets: customer loyalty. If the iPhone had been priced correctly to begin with instead of so out of line with other PDAs, they might not be in this mess now. Also, aren't we tired of being jerked around by this kind of "gotta have it" marketing with new generations of a product planned out ahead of with the goal of rendering the original device obsolete with a year or two? Come on. Aren't we smarter than this?
Labels: Computers, Consumerism, Corporate America, Pop Culture
Excuses, Excuses--and a couple of rants.
Hello. Remember me? I know. You probably thought I’d dropped off the face of the earth leaving Judy’s funeral as my swan song on this blog thingy, but not so. As the incomparable Elaine
Stritch once slurred "I’m still here."
So just where have I been? It’s a combination of things, actually. First, things are getting busier at my day job which is totally cutting in on my time to both read all of your blogs and write my own. (I can’t be expected to do this thing for free, you know.) There have also been some personal business issues of my own which are too boring to mention here except to say they are clouding up my good brain cells and stifling my creativity. Second, after my Italian vacation an ever demanding social life has kept me away from the computer and out in the real world–"
heigh ho the glamorous life!" (That’s two Sondheim quotes so far if you’re keeping track.) Third, I’m not feeling it lately. The post ideas are just not coming. I've started to write several this week, but without any real inspiration I just end up rambling. These half-written posts linger in unpublished Blogger limbo while I lack the discipline to just sit down and "finish the hat." (And that’s THREE for a "hat" trick, ladies and gentlemen–get it? Hat trick? Okay, that one was a bit forced, but bear with me, I’m suffering from a lack of creativity here.)
And the number one reason I haven’t been posting is: My computer sucks! It’s been slow and crashing a lot lately. The hard drive is almost full of ever-important documents like memos from a job I left a year and a half ago, contracts for weddings I did three years ago, and countless bad photos which seemed like a good idea at the time thanks to the convenience of a digital camera that allows me to snap away at anything without the limitations or good judgement imposed by a roll of film. I really shouldn't complain though. This laptop has lasted me, with little incident, for three and a half years, which in computer land puts it on a technological par with the gramophone. I’m due for a new computer, I know. But I’m a technophobe and fear change. So there you have it. (FYI–during the course of writing this post, my computer crashed yet again. Thank god for automatic timed saves.)
Oh yeah! And another thing! My lousy monopoly-owned Time Warner Internet connection just cuts out for no apparent reason for anywhere from 3 minutes to up to, say, 5 hours or so. This has been an intermittent problem since the beginning but has been much worse this past week. "Every day a little death." (4!) By the way, there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Time Warner owns all the cables in New York, so even if I choose another company (and I have–my connection is
Earthlink, but in name only) it all runs on the same lousy, Time Warner, we-don’t-give-a-damn lines and gets paid on their bill. It, too, cut out during the course of writing this post.
Anyway, that's my story. Sorry I've been away.
Labels: Blogging, Computers, Consumerism, Corporate America
Disney Diversity
I'm all for being politically correct, but some of the objections to Disney's first black heroine seem a bit far fetched. Even for me. This from
Studiobriefing.com:
PROTESTS COME EARLY TO DISNEY'S PRINCESS
Almost two years before its hoped-for release of its first hand-drawn animated film produced under the supervision of Pixar's John Lasseter, Disney has already drawn fire for alleged racial and ethnic insensitivities that were detected in its original announcement of the film, according to Disney watcher Jim Hill. Since the original title, The Frog Princess, might be regarded as a slur on the French, the title has been changed to The Princess and the Frog. The main character, named Maddy -- who was to become Disney's first black princess -- has had her name changed to Tiana, since Maddy reportedly sounded too much like Mammy. She will no longer be seen as a chambermaid working for a rich, white spoiled Southern débutante. In a statement, Disney, which said that it ordinarily does not comment on its animated films in the early stages of production, observed: "The story takes place in the charming elegance and grandeur of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter during the Jazz Age. ... Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."
The part about her being a chambermaid I guess I can understand, although it did wonders for Cinderella's popularity over the years, but "The Frog Princess" as a slur against the French? Gimme a break.
Labels: Corporate America, Pop Culture
Speak No Evil
As you may have noticed I've remained mum on the subject of Don Imus' racist and sexist remarks aimed at the Rutgers Women's Basketball team. I don't need to rehash
the incident, what was said, or the team's response here. I assume you've all seen the news and the reports ad nauseum on the subject. His remarks have landed Mr. Imus out of a job having been dropped from both CBS radio and MSNBC.
While I applaud these major news outlets for taking a stand, I can't help but wonder if their decisions are based on true anti-hate speech principles or the loss of sponsorships for Mr. Imus' show. Call me cynical, but as a gay American who has to filter out homophobic remarks from the media on a daily basis even from some of my favorite programs (See red7Eric's comment on yesterday's post), the swift and immediate response to Imus' remarks have left me scratching my head. Why start having principles now? Why over
these particular remarks? Why Don Imus?
Don't get me wrong, I think what Imus said was despicable, inexcusable and a painful reminder that no matter how much women or minorities achieve they are still reduced to the basest name-calling and insults by old, white men. But what's different
this time? It's been a bad year for hate speech, so is Don Imus simply a victim of bad timing? Why the call from the black community (and others) for the immediate dismissal of Mr. Imus from his media outlets, yet when Isaiah Washington uses an ugly gay epithet he is not only allowed to keep his job on one of the top rated TV shows, he is then
awarded an NAACP Image award of all things!
I guess I was waiting to hear the whole Imus debacle discussed from a gay point of view before I commented. Surely I'm not the only one to be confused and disappointed by the duplicitous behavior on the part of the American public and the media over this particular hate speech. Thankfully, leave it to Harvey Fierstein in today's
New York Times Op Ed piece to sum up not only his own feelings on the subject in a most eloquent and succinct manner, but mine as well. Here's a quote:
The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.
Labels: Corporate America, Gay Politics, Pop Culture, Sports, Women
Don't Be Cruel
Tonight another episode of American Idol will air featuring Sanjaya Malakar, the young man who has been the subject of almost as much media attention as
Britney's Haircut. He manages to be voted on to the next round of the competition week after week despite his limited vocal abilities as compared to the other competitors. As you all know by now there is a campaign by votefortheworst.com (whose link I refuse to supply) and Howard Stern, notorious shock jock, to keep him on for the sheer amusement of exploiting a 17 year-old boy and spoiling the legitimate competition for the other deserving singers.
It seems to me that at the heart of Stern's motivation is to ride the coat tails of American Idol's ratings since his own ratings have been in the toilet sincee he moved to Sirius satellite radio, a medium that may be
doomed to oblivian despite a desperate merger with XM Satellite radio recently. Howard Stern has proven himself to be a man of little character over the years, but the blatant cruelty of using this boy, this high school kid, plucked from obscurity to be the court jester to this multi-millionaire egotist for his own ratings, is a new low even for Howard Stern. It's like some big school yard bully spoiling a game of marbles for a bunch of kindergartners.
But in all of the media coverage what no one seems to be discussing is that at the heart of this circus is a sweet, inexperienced 17 year-old boy who could not possibly be mentally equipped to handle this level of public humiliation. In an early interview on
Idol, Sanjaya said that he took the GED test a year early so he would not have to go back to High School for another year. Immediately
I suspected that Sanjaya hated high school, where he was known to do the hair styling for all the girls in the choir, probably because he is mercilessly teased for his effeminacy and for being of Indian descent. This kid has enough on his plate without being picked on by the likes of media-giant Howard Stern. He has no publicist, no managers, no one to speak for him and his parents are probably naive to the ways of show business. When Sanjaya crashes and burns from this experience I wonder if Howard Stern will pay for the rehab.
I genuinely feel sorry for Sanjaya now and can't imagine how his parents must feel having their son be the subject of such ridicule on every media outlet. If I were them I would probably pull him out of the competition just like at the end of "Little Miss Sunshine" when the brother jumps onstage at the pageant to shield his little sister from humiliation screaming "I DON'T WANT THEM JUDGING YOU!"
Labels: Corporate America, Idol, Pop Culture
Dragon Lady Loses Ad Revenue (& Syndication)
Well, well, well, it seems Ann Coulter's venomous remarks regarding John Edwards in which she used the word "f*ggot" have come back to bite her in her bony ass, or rather, the part of her that feels the most pain--her pocketbook. Three advertisers whose ads appeared on AnnCoulter.com (pardon me for not providing a link) have pulled their support for the trash-talking wench. This from
CNN.com:
At least three major companies want their ads pulled from Ann Coulter's Web site, following customer complaints about the right-wing commentator referring to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards as a "f*ggot."
The companies in question are Verizon, Sallie Mae and NetBank. Thanks guys, you did the right thing and by doing so are sending a message that this kind of hate speech is NOT okay anymore.
Update: This morning I read on
Joe.My.God. that Coulter's column has been dropped by a Tennessee paper called the
Mountain Press because of her now infamous "f*ggot" remarks at CPAC last week. Here's a link to
their statement. How about that! Tennessee. A RED STATE! (Shout out to Traci and Bobby!)
Update II:
More papers have reportedly dropped Coulter's syndicated column, among them
The Oakland Press and
Lancaster New Era who said "Lancaster County residents of whatever political view -- conservative, moderate, or liberal -- deserve intelligent discussion of issues. Ann Coulter no longer provides that."
Labels: Corporate America, Homophobia, Politics
Cosi Update
Well, as much as I'd like to believe that it was MY email that made the Cosi corporate big wigs reverse their decision regarding the Family Photo Album exhibit, apparently there was quite a rally outside the New Rochelle location yesterday at noon organized by the Empire State Pride Agenda that might have had a little more influence. Today on their website the
Pride Agenda is claiming victory saying:
We commend Cosi restaurants for re-evaluating its decision and deciding to adhere to the terms of it signed contract to keep the exhibit up for one month. We thank all of you who contacted Cosi corporate to let them know about your unhappiness with their initial decision and we thank our local partner, The LOFT (the LGBT community center of the lower Hudson Valley) for all the work they did turning out local supporters.
Cosi's Chief Marketing Officer is also quoted as saying that they realize that they "had done the right thing."
However, this sentiment is slightly different from the email I received from Cosi corporate last night in response to my initial complaint on the subject. They cite what amounts to a technicality as the reason they took the display down in the first place. Here' s what they told me:
Recently, one of Così's stores allowed artwork to be displayed without following its established policy and procedure for approval of such displays. Così allowed the artwork to remain on display for its debut showing Monday evening, but advised the display organizer that it would be removed the following day and could be resubmitted through the proper application process. After an expedited review of the application, a decision was made to permit the artwork to be displayed within Così's guidelines.
Hmm. Does anyone else see a discrepancy here? According to the Empire State Pride Agenda, it sounds like the correct contract was in place all along. But I guess it doesn't matter how or why the display was taken down and then put back up, just that it was put back up and will remain there in the New Rochelle Cosi till the end of the month. And operating on the theory that there is no such thing as bad publicity, this display will probably reach more people than if no flap had been made about it in the first place.
Just as the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is being challenged once again and will likely be repealed, people are speculating as to whether it's the result of years of LGBT activism paying off or the military's current dire straits that will bring about the change. In the end does it matter? A generation from now when gay men and women are allowed to proudly serve their country without fear of dishonorable discharge simply for who they are will they know the reasons that brought about the change? Probably not. All they will know is that they can serve and that's all we really want, isn't it?
Labels: Corporate America, Gay Politics
Cosi Fan Tutte
Yesterday on
Good As You I read a story about the New Rochelle location of Cosi restaurant who had recently installed a display, a traveling photo album if you will, meant to put a human face on the fight for marriage equality. The exhibit is intended to be taken to Albany in May for a lobby session to show support for gay marriage in the state of New York. The hope is that we may soon catch up to neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut in providing some kind of legal recognition of gay relationships.
Sounds good, right? Cosi is so cool, so hip, so urban and progressive, after all they have 16 locations in Manhattan alone! Well, think again. After a "flood of emails" complaining about the display (it is suspected that they were not necessarily from New Rochelle patrons) the corporate powers that be at Cosi ordered the display taken down. (Insert descending tones of muted trombone here.) It was then that the
Empire State Pride agenda instituted an email writing campaign (in which I participated) to tell the Cosi big-wigs just how we feel about being eighty-sixed at their New Rochelle location.
Lo and behold, when I logged on to Good As You today there was a
follow-up story with a comment from one of their readers which says:
"Great news! Cosi agreed to let the pictures go back up; when I left the restaurant about an hour ago, they were there with hammers, remounting them. Thanks so much to everybody who called and wrote in - we did it!"
The irony is that I met Scott for lunch in midtown today and we actually considered going to Cosi but decided against it because of yesterday's news. Now it looks like we'll have to drop in for a pannini real soon. In fact, I think I'll be visiting them a lot more often in the future.
If you'd like to express your gratitude to Cosi for coming to their senses and making the right decision you can
email them here.
Labels: Corporate America, Gay Politics
Jet Blues
This morning in my inbox I
received an email from
JetBlue with the subject heading "An Apology from
JetBlue." At first I deleted it. I'm on their email list since I've flown with them a few times and I get an email about once every two weeks or so advertising some special fare or other. But this time I decided to retrieve it from my deleted mail and check out just what they had to say for themselves.
As in their press releases, sound bites and television appearances of their CEO, they own up to their mistakes and are falling all over themselves apologizing for their mishandling of last week's weather situation. They have even instituted their own passenger
Bill of Rights. Anyway, here's a bit from the email:
"Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that we caused. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week."
While I would probably have been tearing my hair out, cursing flight attendants and banging on the windows to get off that plane had I been one of those passengers sitting on the tarmac for 11 hours last week, I still say I'd probably fly
JetBlue again. Other airlines who've been around a lot longer have made similar bad judgement calls. In fact I remember sitting on the tarmac for 5 hours once before take-0ff, but I couldn't even tell you what airline it was now. Sure, part of the reason I'd fly them again is that they're a bargain airline (especially now) but there are reasons I choose them over other bargain airlines--I like them.
I like that the company is employee owned. I like the comfy blue leather seats. I like that there is no first class. I like my private TV screen with channels I actually enjoy watching. I like that they serve food out of wicker baskets instead of those cumbersome rolling carts that block access to the restrooms during service. I like the friendly, sometimes even sarcastic nature of the staff which actually takes a bit of getting used to at first. And I like the prices--a LOT. So I'm inclined to forgive them and chalk it up to growing pains. If their aim is to bring humanity back to air travel, isn't part of being human making mistakes? At least they apologize for theirs. Also, I personally have never had a bad experience with
JetBlue. So, yeah, I'll be back.
How about you? Ever flown
JetBlue? What was your experience like and would you fly them in the future?
Update 12:45 PM: Oops, "my bad" as they say. I erroneously stated that
JetBlue is employee owned, confusing it with other airlines who have gone that route in recent years.
JetBlue was founded in 1999, it did not go public until 2002. Thanks to
KipEsquire for the clarification. The question remains however, would you fly
JetBlue in the future in light of their recent operational nightmare?
Labels: Corporate America, Current Events
The Dazzling World of Mac
Brunch in
SoHo, sounds enticing, right? I thought so, too. Scott convinced me that there was a restaurant, a one,
Great Jones Cafe, worthy of taking 2 trains more than 100 blocks on a 30 degree day just for the
andouille sausage, eggs and New Orleans style grits. A recent Mac convert and since we were in the neighborhood and all, Scott first suggested that we pop into the
Soho Mac store.
The visit was strategically timed on the heels of my hard drive woes as I
teeter on the great divide between Mac and PC. Now if Mac is hip, then Mac in
SoHo is hip to tragic proportions. And I'll admit--the store is impressive. A grand staircase of
Lucite stairs (I snapped the photo myself) seems to transport one to a futuristic white plastic world where everyone wears black t-shirts. At the top of the stairs is a giant screen with theatre style seating, a kind of church where one can witness conversions from old PC users to new Mac die
hards. There are rows of
ipods, sound docks and laptops, one more shiny than the next. Oh, how they gleam! And then you look at the price tags.
I don't care how sleek and trendy they are, the Mac laptops cost upwards of $500 more than PCs with essentially the same capabilities. And if you want a black laptop as opposed to what I guess is considered the less desirable white, you'll pay $300 more for one that has the exact same guts. So, sorry Mac, but I'm going to need a little more convincing, I'm not buying your brand of crazy today.
After our little shopping trip, my blood sugar was so low I gobbled up my New Orleans style brunch in record time. It was
de-
lish and admittedly, worth the trip.
Labels: Computers, Consumerism, Corporate America, NY Restaurants
Sign the Petition
From a
NY Times article this week on the Isaiah Washington scandal:
The (ABC) executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because company officials were instructed not to go beyond a prepared statement, said that Mr. Washington’s behavior could be considered grounds for dismissal under Disney’s corporate antidiscrimination policy.
Does Washington deserve special treatment? If you think he should be fired
sign this petition and send a message to ABC.
Labels: Corporate America, Gay Culture, Gay Politics
A theatre by any other name...
Well, now that I'm back from the beach it's time to add a little more "Manhattan" to this Manhattan Chowder. I promise to return to my travelogue emails soon, too.
There has been a campaign in recent years to rename some of the old Broadway theatres for composers or playwrights. For example, the 46th Street theatre is now the Richard Rodgers Theatre, the Alvin is the Neil Simon, etc. This seems a worthwhile cause to me. But lately corporate America is getting in on the act, too. They buy a theatre or renovate it and then name it after themselves. This trend started with the "Ford Center for the Arts" where
Ragtime opened a few years ago and featured a number about Henry Ford himself. Ford Motors has since sold the theatre to Hlton and it is now the Hilton Theatre. (Named for the hotel chain--not the heiress.) The Hilton Theatre is just down the street from The American Airlines Theatre which sounds to me more like an attraction at Epcot Center than it does a legitimate Broadway house.
Last night I went to see a new production of
The Fantasticks at the Snapple Theatre Center. That's right. Snapple. It's on 50th Street just west of Broadway right in the glare of the lights of Times Square; a far cry from the Sullivan Street Theatre downtown where
The Fantasticks originally opened and ran for over 30 years. The theatre itself is a typical black box type much like Sullivan Street, but unlike Sullivan Street I couldn't help but notice the glitz of the main entrance as pictured in the first photo below. The actual marquis of this 200 some-odd seat theatre extends half a block to the intersection of 50th and Broadway as can be seen in the second photo. And what do you suppose they serve at intermission at the Snapple Theatre Center? You guessed it--Snapple! By the way, the Snapple Theatre Center is catty corner across from the "Cadillac" Winter Garden Theatre pictured last.
I can only imagine if someone like Merman was here today she might say something like "In my day a theatre was either a Shubert or a Nederlander and the Ford Theatre was someplace where Lincoln got shot!"
Labels: Corporate America, New Yorkana, Theatre
