Lace Up Save Lives; Fight AIDS in Africa

The folks at Nike Soccer have teamed up with some of the biggest footballers in the world (and Kobe Bryant and Maria Sharapova) to start pressing the Lace Up Save Lives campaign to raise awareness and money towards fighting AIDS in Africa....

There are thousands of ways to wear the laces and even more things to do with them, but there's only one way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, and that is why the laces exist.

Crossing both borders and sports, a group of some of the finest athletes in the world have come together to raise awareness about Africa's AIDS pandemic.

How it works

1. You purchase (NIKE)RED laces.

2. Nike is contributing 100% of its profits from the sale to the Global Fund and to soccer-based programs that help fight AIDS in Africa.

3. Funds are received by programs like Grassroots Soccer, which uses football as a framework to teach youths how to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS.

4. Funds are also contributed to The Global Fund to fund HIV/AIDS programs that support the purchase of lifesaving Antiretroviral (ARV) medication, training of medical staff, HIV testing and treatment to help prevent the transmission of the virus from pregnant mothers to their babies.

5. Life-saving knowledge is received by the next generation in Africa.


Only education holds a longterm answer for halting the spread of AIDS, and by wearing NIKE(RED) laces on their feet (or hands, heads, arms, waist…) Didier Drogba, Andrei Arshavin, Clint Dempsey, Denilson, Marco Materazzi, Javier Mascherano, Fabio Cannavaro, along with Maria Sharapova and Kobe Bryant want to encourage fans globally to "Lace Up Save Lives."

Learn more about Lace Up Save Lives and join the must-win fight against AIDS in Africa.

Since its inception, (RED)™ partners and events have generated over $135 million to the Global Fund and the number keeps growing.

The Green Guide to Obama's State of the Union Address

President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on Wednesday covered a lot of ground, but a significant portion of the speech was dedicated to the all-important topic of energy security. Below, some choice quotes from the speech.

* "From the first railroads to the Interstate Highway System, our nation has always been built to compete. There's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains or the new factories that manufacture clean-energy products. Tomorrow, I'll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act." As we suspected, Florida will be the first to reap the benefits of Obama's $8 billion in spending on high-speed rail. Clearly, Obama believes that we will lag behind as a nation without a high-speed rail infrastructure.

* "These nations, they're not standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They're making serious investments in clean energy, because they want those jobs. Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America." And that, we presume, is why the White House recently invested millions in math and science funding.

* "Next, we need to encourage American innovation. Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history, an investment that could lead to the world's cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched. And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy." Innovation is important, but the most important kind of innovation right now is in the energy sector. And that means we can expect to see a lot more of it under this administration--with the ARPA-E program, for example.

* "But to create more of these clean-energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives, and that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development." This part is a little contentious. Many green energy advocates think nuclear power is far too unsafe to be able in the long term. And what does opening up offshore areas for oil and gas have to do with clean energy? We're guessing Obama is advocating it as a means to secure American-made energy, albeit in a not-so-sustainable way.

* "I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy. I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But--but here's the thing. Even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future, because the nation that leads the clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy, and America must be that nation." Bingo. It doesn't matter what side of the climate change debate you fall on. The fact is, clean energy is only going to become more important as oil supplies dwindle and coal continues to be vilified. Again, Obama equates dominance in clean energy as the key to our economic future--sounds reasonable.

The iPad: Despite The Name, It Is Amazing

The rumors, the speculation, the potential death of the Kindle....all things came true today when Apple finally released the iPad in tandem with it's new iBooks store.

courtesy Fast company...

After months of speculation that grew into a fevered pitch of rumor and leakage, Apple today introduced the device that everyone's been talking about: A new type of handheld computer called the iPad.

The simplest way to explain the iPad would be to call it an overgrown iPhone. The 9.7-inch screen is encased in a frame that has the same rounded edges and bevel as Apple's hugely successful mobile phone. And the software operating system is also a more muscular version of the iPhone OS. But the iPad has multiple features that push it beyond that iPhone and into a new category of device--somewhere between a netbook and a smartphone. It is, as Steve Jobs noted during the presentation, a device that's the third way: Half smartphone, half PC.

But what is the iPad like, really? It's a slim slate-like device, with an aluminum unibody construction a lot like the first-gen iPhone, and it's running a custom version of the iPhone OS. It'll come in two versions, one with Wi-fi only, and one with WiFi and another version with 3G GSM connectivity (still using AT&T in the U.S., unfortunately). It's running a custom Apple-made ARM chip dubbed the A4 that, with its 1GHz clock speed, promises to tackle the impressive Snapdragon chip other devices are just beginning to use--Intel can't be entirely happy right now. It's multitouch, has accelerometers, ambient light sensors, speakers, microphone, GPS (in the 3G version) and it has a claimed battery life of 10 hours of video and a month of standby time. Which is incredible.

But that's all the dry and dusty tech specs. Is this thing amazing? Absolutely. It confirms about 95% of the rumors that popped up in the last few days--and it's an amazingly clever move by Apple. In one fell swoop, by building in the iBooks app, Apple's dealt a near-deathly blow to Amazon--the app seems to do pretty much everything a Kindle can, but on a color screen, with fully rendered fonts that appear on pages that turn just like a printed page when you swipe it. Apple's also supporting the open-format EPub standard, versus Amazon's closed proprietary system, and its books are priced between $4.99 for older paperbacks and up to $14 for new releases.

But book reading is almost an aside to this device's other capabilities, which include playing movies and games and very high resolution. And don't forget that the iPad is compatible with most of the existing 140,000-odd iTunes apps, meaning it launches with a huge app directory ready to be sampled. The majority of those apps will play in a smaller window on the screen, and can be bumped up in resolution to fill the screen (with some tradeoff in graphic quality). But with the release of a new software development kit today, there is no doubt that app developers will be upgrading their apps to the new resolution in the next 60 days until the iPad goes on sale.

The New York Times was on hand to demo their enhanced iPad app (also as rumored) and this makes it clear why so many rumors suggest the iPad might be the future of digital newsprint. Seeing this full-featured app, which makes the text come alive (versus the dead ink physical edition) was truly a wow moment, particularly when video clips and slideshows came to life right from withing the wrapped text. Harry Potter's newspapers, anyone?

Apple also revealed that its iWork suite had been completely re-worked for the device, with each app carefully tuned to work with a multitouch screen. Pages, Numbers and Keynote all seem to work dreamily on the iPad--and you can even present your data via a VGA convertor link through its 30-pin dock. The apps are an astonishingly cheap $9.99 each. And remember: These things are compatible with Microsoft Office files...meaning Apple just took a huge swipe at MS's much-vaunted tablet plans. Because, let's face it, which tablet would you prefer to be using on that 8-hour business flight to check out a movie, and tweak your financial calculations?

To be honest, iWork is not primarily what you'll want to use this device for. It's an entertainment gadget, at the end of the day. But what today's iWork demo showed was a stunning variety of touch gestures and functions that preview a few of the new ways you'll be able to interact with this device, from cut and paste to alternate keyboards based on what kind of work you're engaged in.

Buried within Apple's presentation were a handful of features that are almost too small to be noteworthy in themselves, but sum up to a machine that's going to be fantastic from a user interface perspective--like the spyglass "preview" effect for browsing document pages when you run a finger own the right side of the page. It's attention to detail like this that makes the iPhone stand out from all the other smartphone OS's, and it's done here on a more powerful machine with a bigger screen and far more capability.

The iPad also feels extremely sturdy in the hand, matching the iPhone's "light but rugged" physical form. Phil Schiller even explained why Apple chose the IPS (in-plane switching) LCD technology over other competing versions--it makes for a much greater viewing angle. This is another Apple fine detail which'll be damn useful when you're using this thing flat on a table top. The screen is also only slightly lower resolution than a MacBook, but is physically smaller, which leads to more dots per inch and thus a smoother rendering of fonts, so it can easily compete with the Kindle's eye-friendly e-ink tech.

As always, there are some things missing (webcams for one, which'll upset many a user, and no stereo speakers either). But there's one final absolutely killer feature about this device. Its entry price is only $500. How the heck Apple has managed to optimize its design and production pipelines so tightly boggles the mind. $500 places it almost in netbook territory, with all that added Apple cachet, and makes it a major threat to Amazon's single-use and now archaic-seeming Kindle DX (and probably the cheaper Kindle 2 too, from a multipurpose point of view). $500 is also a figure that could threaten the iPod Touch, with its $399 high-end price for a 64GB machine--we're guessing Apple will drop this price soon. Of course the iPad's price scales with more storage inside the iPad--just like the iPhone--and of course a 3G option costs $130 more, so the top price for a 64GB iPad is a high-sounding $829. But that's still $170 cheaper than the heavily-rumored $1,000 price tag.

It's the price that makes this thing revolutionary, along with its UI. Yes, if you opt for the $30 all-you-can eat data plan in the U.S. it's going to cost you a lot more... but you probably already own an iPhone, and there may be the option of Bluetooth tethering to think about (it already works outside the U.S., but Apple tells us they're still in negotiations with carriers.)

In some ways the iPad is exactly what we expected technically, and slightly less than we'd hoped for--and we'll be looking at its shortcomings in the near future. But that $500 really makes it a game-changer.

Live Coverage of The Apple Tablet Release

Don't miss any of the action...

http://live.gdgt.com/2010/01/27/live-apple-come-see-our-latest-creation-tablet-event-coverage/

Super Bowl Ads Engagement Survey: Winners and Losers

For 8 years now, Brand Keys Inc. conducts the Super Bowl Engagement Survey to “predicatively measure respondents’ true reactions to brands within the context of the medium.”

“This year, brands that are likely to get the highest return on their Super Bowl ad spend this year include Denny’s, Iron Man 2 (Viacom’s Paramount Pictures), Hyundai, Budweiser, Pop Secret, Doritos and the NFL. However, TruTV, Kia, HomeAway, Dockers and Dr Pepper are likely to see the lowest returns.”

The take away really is that there needs to be a supplemental digital plan in place to help support the impact of the TV spot. What are you doing to support your brand?

http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/48293/beer-junk-food-movies-to-claim-best-roi-from-super-bowl-spots/?utm_source=mbp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=newsletter

The Latest Bing Advancement: Offering Recipes?

Yessir, leading search engine Bing will now offer customers who search a type of food leading recipes, like "skirt steak" (see video). Users can also get nutritional value and various forms of the food/ingredient.

From a search engine standpoint, this is just another way Bing has the opportunity to connect with advertisers and customers and I actually think its an awesome service. Leave the massive marketing dollars aside, and I see actual value here.

The left rail lists articles, ratings, cuisine, convenience, occasion, main ingredient, course, and cooking method. Consumers also will find related searches, from how to grow tomatoes, history and facts to diseases. Down the right rail, consumers will find a few paid-search ads.

A Microsoft spokesperson says the service is not supported by paid sponsorships or partnerships. Its search engine spiders crawl sites for recipe content from partners, such as Delish.com and MyRecipes.com. The two, however, have signed a contract with Microsoft to share content.

Searching through a search engine that can index millions of pieces of information to find the one perfect recipe can become overwhelming. Google doesn't offer the same service, but consumers can find recipes.

Solar Powered iPhones?

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been a goldmine for green-minded Apple fans recently. Last week, the technology giant filed a patent for an "intelligent power monitoring" system, and now Apple has revealed a design for a solar powered portable device (i.e. an iPod or iPhone) in an advancement of a patent originally filed in 2008.

According to the patent, such a device would include built-in solar cells on its front and back for an increased surface area to collect power. Since solar cells can be made with rigid materials, Apple imagines that the entire front and back of the device could potentially be covered in solar cells. It would also have circuitry to monitor the battery's state and determine whether to recharge using external solar power or store solar energy for later use.

It's already possible to juice up an iPhone with solar power--Novothink's solar charger case for iPods and iPhones is certified by Apple--but this is the first time Apple has expressed interest in making solar power an integral part of its portable devices.

No word on when we might see a solar-powered iPhone in stores, but Apple's move to update its 2 year-old patent makes us think that the company still has solar on the brain.

ESPN's SportsNation: Weird Web Videos Of The Week

Useless Entertainment: Check
Two Minute Time Waster: Check
Online Video Changing How We Consume Weird Happenings: Check

Gilt Groupe; The Brilliance, The Danger

Let's face it, Gilt Groupe could be the most brilliant shopping tool online today. Cutting edge designers, limited edition apparel and novelties, all at extremely reduced prices. You set your preferences and sizes, name brands you like, and the next thing you know your inbox is beeping at you and there it is. The daily email from Gilt is potentially the most hazardous few moments of my day. I can't tell you the number of times I've filled a shopping cart with credit card in hand, but had to snap back into consciousness and not spend $400 on sneakers jeans and sunglasses simultaneously.

The catch of course for those of you not fully educated on the product is that each sale starts at a certain time each day, which means you have X amount of time to beat out the other sneakerheads to pick up your new pair before they sell out. The gift and the curse with any fantastic deal, is of course quantity. Here's the deal, to sign up you have to be invited by someone who is already involved (have to love elitism). SO find your friend who knows the secret and get the invite. Just watch your credit card.

The Seven Most Expensive iPhone Apps; Starting at $1,000!

Courtesy of Fast Company...

According to recent calculations, Apple sewed up around 98% of all mobile app downloads in 2009. The App Store is evidently a soaring success, serving up apps for everything. Literally everything. All this demand seems to have resulted in a reverse price war--check out the high-dollar Apps we found:

BarMax | $1,000

This is the news that started us wondering about the most expensive iPhone apps: BarMax, an app designed to help students studying for their bar exams. According to the site's blurb it's a "complete solution and the most thorough yet flexible way to study for the bar exam. Listen to audio lectures on your iPhone wherever you are. Practice MBE questions or review flashcards on the go."

It's over 1GB in size, has thousands of digitized pages of information (an the company will send you more on request) and it would seem to be an ideal prep companion thanks to its portability, particularly if the other option is to haul around a huge pile of books. Expensive? Yes indeed, but for this price the makers BarMax LLc will sell you an iPod Touch with it pre-installed. And though it is expensive, we're pretty sure legal types will, somehow, be able to afford it.

iRa Pro | $900

One for the Big Brother in you: iRa Pro is a professional-grade app that lets you view security camera feeds. According to makers Lextech Labs, the app delivers "a video command center to the palm of your hand" and effectively lets you manage some aspects of your site security without requiring you to sit in an office. It shows six thumbnail views at a time from whatever array of IP-connected surveillance cameras you own, and lets you have full pan/tilt/zoom control of compatible cams and even offers a still image capture facility in case you see something of interest going on.

For the huge price you get an app that's capable of accessing a wide range of connected cameras and their data/control servers.

MATG SAP | $450

This app is more properly called "My Accounts to Go" and it's designed to be a fully integrated part of the SAP BusinessOne financial management system, connected wirelessly but still capable of displaying full financial data, transaction history and warehousing information.

It's specifically designed for finance, sales and marketing execs who find themselves out in the field often, and if your company already uses SAP's accounting system it'll likely prove invaluable, even at nearly $500.

Mobile Cam Viewer Enterprise Basic Version | $350

Like iRa, MCV is designed to be a security office camera control room on the go--it basically lets you securely monitor all of your net-connected security cameras or Webcams on your iPhone. It too supports a wide range of camera protocols, but it doesn't seem to allow you to interact with the cameras like iRa does. Perhaps that's why it's $550 cheaper.

Tunelab, Color Extractor | $300

Tunelab is an app based on the already successful Tunelab implementations for other smartphones, laptops and PDAs--it comes with a warning that it's only for professionals. And to that end it delivers a full tuning analysis capability, with the ability to store custom tuning profiles for all the pianos tuners may encounter on their rounds.

Color Extractor is a tool designed for post-production photography enthusiasts, and it does pretty much exactly what its name suggests: It gives you precise control over the color parameters of an image, such that you can remove a particular color from an image. In all honesty, this app might be a joke, or one bearing a mistaken price label--it seems to be incredibly simple, and the capability it offers is certainly replicated elsewhere in the App Store at a significantly lower price.

Lexidental Complete | $300

Lexidental is a full drug/image/medical database app for dental practitioners, with photographs, charts, and encyclopedic information that's designed to help dentists with their work. It's also going to be useful for dental students.

There's a host of other apps that come with a price tag of between $100 and $300 too--apps like Navigon's Mobile Navigator (Europe) edition. And taken as a whole, particularly with the massive price of BarMax, it would seem to indicate one thing: The App Store, though it contains much that is frivolous, is growing up and serving software that's extremely useful to professionals of all sorts of different genres.

Book Recommendation: 'Soccernomics'

So the full title is Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport.

I will fully admit that I am merely halfway through the book but it's an amazing read for any economics, soccer, or sports fan in general. Written by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, the book takes a new- age, data driven look at the world's most popular game. In a sport where numbers and data has traditionally been ignored in favor of gut instinct and raw ability, an astute case is made for the refinement of the beautiful game. I can only do it so much justice before I simply say go buy it immediately.

Kuper is one of the world's leading writers on soccer. We lives in Paris and writes a weekly column for the Financial Times.

Szymanski is a Professor of Economics at Cass Business School in London and is a world renowned economist.

Changing Media Eco-System Finally Paying Off For Brand Advertisers

Digital advertising; it's blessing are also it's curses. Data, reporting, accountability, these are the reasons people advertise online. ROI, CTR, Conversions. These are the performance metrics that drove brands online in the first place, yet its always hampered brand advertisers because sometimes, there is no ROI. I can't always tell you how many people saw your ad or what they did after it (yes this sounds a lot like the TV ad experience). But with the advent of in banner video, brand studies, interactive rich media units, we are getting there. Bring content to your audiences. Bring them an ad experience where they can enjoy themselves and engage with information they care about. This is happening all over the place, and brands are doing it. But more importantly, the publishing side is providing the services to do so.

What is the easiest question for a media planner to answer? "Do you want me to put your brand in a beautiful creative unit that compliments the brand image and is chalk full of cool content?" Yes, of course.

I'm thinking about this today because I was working on putting an extremely dull brand into a branded entertainment package where 5 years ago it would have no place.

Great article in AdAge on a similar topic:
http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=141569

Why Can't I Stop Listening to Iyaz?

I wish I knew the answer, because hearing the hook over and over in my head is driving me crazy. Damn MTV poppy, sappy, goodness....

Wow, Microsoft In Trouble Over Google-China Situation

Courtesy The New York Times--

In a stunning twist on the whole China-based, Google-targeted cyberattacks story, it now appears as if Microsoft might have been responsible.

After examining the malicious software code used in the attacks, software maker McAfee is calling a "vulnerability" in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser an important pathway for the attacks.

According to The New York Times' Bits blog, Microsoft has conceded as much. "Microsoft said it was investigating McAfee's report, but it has so far determined that versions 6, 7, and 8 of Internet Explorer contain the security vulnerability."

Perhaps making matters worse, DailyTech writes: "Microsoft apparently has known about the flaw and existence of attacks in the wild for some time, but did not publish a security advisor until after McAfee aired the flaw ... This meant that while high profile business users likely knew about the flaw, most private users were left unaware of the danger."

Apologizing for the security snafu, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said: "We need to take all cyber attacks, not just this one, seriously ... We have a whole team of people that responds in very real time to any report that it may have something to do with our software, which we don't know yet."

Yet, no matter who was directly or indirectly responsible for the attacks, some experts and analysts argue that this latest incident is hardly front page news.

According to Forbes: "Targeted attacks using unpublished vulnerabilities in browsers are nothing new, especially for companies like Google with valuable intellectual property to protect ... In fact, what may be most striking about the so-called 'Aurora' exploit is just how old the attackers' target was."

Likewise, security experts tell BBC News: "The cyber-attack that made Google consider pulling out of China was run of the mill."

Either way -- and whether Google decides to leave China or not -- Ballmer just told CNBC that Microsoft will continue to do business in China indefinitely.

Friday Sneaker Picks...

Two Nike classics and an adidas exclusive....


adidas Y-3 Honja Low

My favorite nike's of all time AirMax '97s....shown here silver on white.

Super hot pair of Nike Blazer Hi's. Red sole, suede front, and an awesome print.

The Worst News on A Friday; A Beer Shortage!!!

Well, it doesn't directly cut our supply here in America, but Belgian owned InBev(parent company to Anheuser Busch) has been cutting jobs worldwide. Laid off workers in Belgium "have barricaded the doors to their breweries and won't let other employees come to work. The result will likely be--no god no!--a country wide beer shortage if the dispute isn't settled soon."

For all of our sake, let's pray it gets settled soon.

Google China To Be Shutdown?

The story of Google choosing to un-censor it's service in China is of course a day old (those late on the news click here). This of course ruffles the feathers of the ancient Chinese government who is still certain their inhabitants are not wise enough to make choices on their own. Apparently in the falling of censhorship, "Tianamen" was a popular search term. I could spend some time going into the things wrong with the Chinese govt on this idea, but I wont. I'm going to take the business route here....

If the reports across the Web today are true that Google.cn may in turn be shutdown due to the egregious offense to not censor their search results, would mean the door swings wide open for a variety of players. The obvious players of Yahoo and MSN are salivating, but what about the upstart community of burgeoning search leaders? I'm hearing quite a bit about Baidu.cn which attracts almost 58% of all searches from China. But thats within it's walls. Googles ability to allow outside access means communication with what is most likely the world's next powerhouse (open that for argument).

Plenty to shake out, but Apple is thrilled according to Fast Company:
Meanwhile there may be one very unexpected techno casualty of a Google China shut down: Android OS. Android has seemed to be making headway in the country, with devices like Lenovo's OPhone, the HTC Magic, and Dell's Mini 3 device on sale. But if Google pulls out, it might hurt how well future Android devices do: Though the OS is effectively an open and free platform, Google's support is essential to pushing its development in the future--and why would Google push next-gen high-tech Android phones like the Nexus One in China if it's so opposed to the way China's government forces it to run its business? The move could even result in a further splintering of Android into China and everywhere-else versions. Would this move then shine more of a spotlight on Apple...which recently introduced a special China-friendly version of the iPhone a, is happy to comply with Chinese restrictions, and has numerous business interests in the country? It's extremely difficult to tell, but it would seem more likely than not.

The Valencia Festival of Media Awards

Adconion Media Group is proud to nominate CEO Tyler Moebius for the prestigious Media Profeesional of the Year award at this years Festival of Media Awards in Valencia, Spain.

This award goes to the person who has contributed most to the industry over the last 12 months. After the Festival has selected the 10 most popular public nominations, the Jury will vote on these. This year we nominated Tyler for his outstanding achievements in growing Adconion in the video space on a global scale, as well as strengthening our core business as an ‘audience network.’

• Tyler’s vision in 2009 drove the acquisition of Joost, providing access to an established video platform and premium video content. Tyler licensed the Adconion technology platform in a partnership with Goldbach, which extended the company’s global network by an addition 100 million users, and enabled the launch of network centric on-line marketing models in Switzerland, Austria and Eastern Europe.

• Tyler was responsible for driving Adconion to where it is today: an ‘audience aggregator’ that brings brands and content together with relevant audiences. Tyler’s developed a new strategy for the company that sees Adconion taking content from film, music, TV and video platforms and working collaboratively with publishers and brands to achieve great things through online video advertising.

• In a year when many companies were retreating, Tyler led Adconion to one of the most successful years in its history. He reassured employees around the world and convinced them the company was on the right path. At the same time, he evaluated the market and opportunities to ensure the company has the right strategy to succeed in the future.

• 2009 was a tough year for media and advertising, but with Tyler’s leadership, Adconion was able to build its market share and company. In a year when many executives were scared to act, Tyler took a long-term view at the market, and made strategic moves that will position the company well in the future.

We are thrilled at the opportunity to nominate Tyler for recognition.

US World Cup Bid Takes Step With Release Of Host Cities

In attempting to win a 2018 or 2022 bid to host the World Cup, the bidding committee has realeased the 18 cities that would host the prospective tournament.

David Downs — the Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee — commented on the difficulty of the selection process:

"Just by virtue of the quality of our cities and stadiums, it was very difficult to reduce the field to the maximum of 18 established by FIFA. In fact, we could have submitted 24 cities and stadiums, making it possible for the United States to hold two World Cups simultaneously. We consider it a meaningful indicator of the significant growth of soccer in this country that we can put forth such a technically sound bid without four of our cities that served as hosts for the first FIFA World Cup™ in the United States in 1994. The emergence of passionate followings for the sport and state-of-the-art venues throughout the country has strengthened our ability to put together a truly national bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022."

Call me nuts, but I literally shake with excitement as we get closer and closer to the World Cup this summer in South Africa. Current drama at the African Cup of Nations Aside, I think we are in for another amazing tourney.

Ben Silverman Launches Branded Entertainment Studio

Just another major Hollywood exec jumping on the bandwagon of aligning A-list talent like Jason Bateman and Web distribution to his arsenal. Yahoo powering the move is no surprise, they haven't had any real stake in the content game and this is a big opp for them to leverage their scale. Great move by Silverman, as it is for anyone else making the same transition.....

Executive’s New Studio Teams Up With Yahoo
By BRIAN STELTER

The former NBC entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman has lined up his first distributor, Yahoo, for his new studio, which he says will specialize in creating shows in concert with advertisers.
The studio, Electus, is expected to announce the deal on Friday.
Electus was founded last year by Mr. Silverman in partnership with Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp. At the new company, Mr. Silverman is putting into practice what he so often talked about at NBC: exceptionally close connections between content creators and corporate sponsors.
In an interview Thursday, Mr. Silverman was not specific about the types of programs he would create for Yahoo, but said he saw “opportunities for episodic storytelling” that included “more direct relationships” with advertisers. The move by Electus and Yahoo, which has dabbled in original programming for years with varying degrees of success, is in part a response to advertiser demands for more online video inventory.
“We are always getting requests from advertisers for exclusive opportunities” for integrations into Web programs, said Joanne Bradford, the senior vice president for North America revenue and market development at Yahoo. “We really feel like Ben has proven that he can come up with great content.”
Before coming to NBC in 2007, Mr. Silverman was the founder of Reveille, the producer of programs like “The Biggest Loser” and “The Office.” He left NBC last July and announced the deal with Mr. Diller the same day.
Asked whether he thought his brand had been tarnished by his time at NBC, where the network’s ratings slipped during his tenure, Mr. Silverman said, “I quit NBC because they were obviously building themselves to sell.” General Electric is selling a majority stake in NBC Universal to Comcast.
In addition to the Yahoo partnership, Mr. Silverman said that he had also signed a contract with Ryan Seacrest, the TV and radio host and budding entrepreneur, and that Electus was doing “multiple projects” with him.
Mr. Silverman is also working with the actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, America Ferrera and others. “We’re tapping into the A-list storytelling engine,” he said.
Yahoo said that the programs would begin to make their debuts in several months.

The Rebirth

Rants is coming back stronger and better than ever. Sometimes you hit a wall and a hiatus seems the only reasonable path. Some deep breaths, new motivation, new inspiration, we begin again. Onward....

Love Watching Conan O'Brien Rip On NBC