RedEye with Greg Gutfeld on Fox News

I'm completely addicted to watching Fox News' RedEye... Greg Gutfeld is the pint-sized host with the super-sized wit. The rest of Fox News is marginally watchable, with non-stop drum beating about post Liberal-Zombie-apocalyptic scenarios... The Five is also worth watching.

Jennifer Lopez Appears in Fiat USA's Incomprehensible Advertising

Speaking of incomprehensible advertising... how about that new TV ad where J.Lo drives a Fiat into her old neighborhood...? J.Lo drives? Fiat's are distributed in the U.S.A.? J.Lo drives Fiats? Fiats are a recognizable symbol of inner city empowerment? Those new ideas are something (and perhaps too much) to think about.

What's A Bookstore For? We Have Amazon.com

The other day I went to a large, magical place that had thousands of books, but I didn't specifically need any of the books on display and the books were placed in random order on shelves... And nobody in the store knew anything about books nor could they tell me exactly where to find a book. Yes, I believe historians once called this place a "bookstore"...! My discovery the other day proves that not all bookstores have been replaced with clothing stores. Still, what is a bookstore for? Convenience. We have the selection and pricing of Amazon.com that seems to outweigh the convenience though.

Mourning the Loss of Apple Computer's Steve Jobs

I'm surprising myself this morning by mourning the loss of Steve Jobs... I may even get out my Apple Computer Powerbook 100 to see if the screen still illuminates. My favorite Steve Jobs quote of all time was his recruitment line to John Scully that encouraged him to leave PepsiCo to join Apple Compuer as CEO: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” And Steve Jobs did change the world with development and marketing of lots of wonderful incompatible products... sometimes wonderful is incompatible with status quo.

Brad Pitt's Moneyball Movie and General Petraeus' Counter-insu

We saw Brad Pitt's Moneyball on Saturday. It is a great movie. Brad Pitt and Phillip Peter Hoffman turn in excellent performances. Also, Chris Pratt plays another role besides that goofy shoeshine guy on NBC's Parks and Recreation. The whole movie reminded me of Gen. Petraeus' Counter Insurgency Field Manual for the U.S. Army: the challenger in a conflict must be powerful enough to present an asymmetric threat, but the defender must be nimble enough neutralize the asymmetric threat. (cf. von Clausewitz's "mathematics of a firefight").

Wagner's MBA Law of U.S. Presidential Elections

Wagner's MBA Law of U.S. Presidential Elections: When voters are given what amounts to a binary choice between two candidates, the better looking, younger, and more photogenic candidate tends to win the election. This law has been true in every modern U.S. Presidential Election since Dewey v. Truman in 1948 with the possible exception of Ford v. Carter in 1976. Hence, policy platforms and the content of speeches don't ultimately win elections. Looks matter in print, broadcast, and social media!

Wagner's MBA Fundamental Law of Motivation

Wagner's MBA Fundamental Law of Motivation: People tend to do what they want to do, especially over long periods of time and if they are not impeded. For example, when people state they wish to do this or that, a long time has elapsed, and they have made only insignificant progress toward their goal, one can assume that either are misleading you or exaggerating their desire to complete their goal.