Archive for May, 2010

News by Google. And that’s not a bad thing.

I told you so. Whoever was listening, anyway, that someone will figure out a solution to the news business. And whoever does will profit. And the rest of us will probably all say, duh, why didn’t we think of that?

Well, maybe we won’t think we’d have thunk it. But surely it’s no surprise who would. Here’s a hint. Whatever you’re googling right now is amateur night. You see, Google wants to bring back the news business.

And its Silicon Valley sensibility has what I think the industry needs. To be honest, I’m probably one of the few former print journalists who doesn’t lament the crumbling of the industry. I think the system got fat and arrogant. And when it faltered, it appealed to the lowest common denominator, compromising its value and credibility.  I think the shake-up will mean a reborn industry that will be thrilling and beneficial in unforeseen ways.

Google’s motivation is partly self interest. Searching works as long as there’s something worth searching for, as James Fallows explains in the cover story of this month’s “The Atlantic.” 

A strong, free society hinges not only on the free flow of information, for which the Web and Google have done wonders, but the particular expertise of watchdogs and analysts. Given the dissolution of today’s press and its increasingly fractured form, I don’t know whether those voices will stand alone or represent an institution. In other words, does  Tom Friedman need The New York Times, or does The New York Times need Tom Friedman? Speaking of which, check out Friedman’s column framing the oil spill as President Obama’s 9/11 moment to galvanize a national clean energy policy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/opinion/19friedman.html

I’d argue that Friedman could stand alone, that he has enough draw to be his own media brand.  You may rightly point out: “But Friedman’s a columnist. What about the reporting of good old-fashioned facts? ” Well, here’s my prediction, and hope.  Maybe the democratization of the Internet means the cream will eventually rise to the top, whether one provides fact or opinion.

I believe Americans — not all of them, but enough of them — will value those who deliver consistent, credible information. Meanwhile, there will be those who value salacious nonsense. Fine. I’m not worried that news judgement is best left to reporters.

For one, we’ve got Google now. And with that comes plenty of sites for the rank and file to rank and review. Let it all roll out there, and let ’em all weigh in.

God bless democracy. God bless innovation. And God bless America.

Tesla and Toyota: A New EV Team in Town

Toyota is banking on Tesla.

The world’s largest automaker is investing $50 million in Tesla once the startup goes public. Tesla bought the Fremont, Calif.-based New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant, which Toyota shuttered in April, where the companies will work together to build Tesla’s Model S and other EVs.

The announcement was at Tesla’s  Palo Alto headquarters Thursday by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127027119

 http://tinyurl.com/26e4soq

TEAM Georgia kicks off Braves Season!

A glorious afternoon. A baseball game. And a surprise visit by Hank Aaron.

Indeed, it was a winning combination for TEAM Georgia, the safe and sober driving coalition that partners with Atlanta’s pro sports teams, public safety officials and corporate and civic organizations for public education initiatives like its Designated Driver Booth program at Turner Field.

TEAM Georgia’s board was just settling in for a meeting at 755 Hank Aaron Drive today when the group was pleasantly interrupted by the hero himself.

The legendary Hank Aaron pops in on a TEAM Georgia board meeting at Turner Field on May 20, 2010.

That thrill was followed by an on-field, pre-game ceremony honoring TEAM Georgia officials, who were called up to the field, their names read aloud and images flashed onto the jumbo screen. The grand finale: a $10,000 check presented to TEAM Georgia from Atlanta Beverage Company. THANK YOU,  Atlanta Beverage!!

If you can make them out in the photo below, they are, from left to right: TEAM Georgia Braves Spokesplayer David Ross; TEAM Georgia Chairman Ron Fennel; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Regional Administrator Terry Schiavone; Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Deputy Director Spencer Moore; Atlanta Beverage Company Vice President Marty Fedenko; and AAA Auto Club South Senior Travel Manager Garrett Townsend.

TEAM Georgia officials honored in a pre-game ceremony at Turner Field

Also on the field was longtime TEAM Georgia champion Captain Herb Emory from WSB. Since he’s too hard to find in the above photo, we’ll give him his own glory here:

WSB's Captain Herb boasts a $10,000 check to TEAM Georgia from Atlanta Beverage Company

And what the heck, here’s another shot of Captain Herb with longtime friend and colleague, our CEO, Barbara Pomerance:

Barbara Pomerance and Captain Herb

And let’s not forget the game, which ended with an astounding upset by the Braves, who beat Cincinnati in the ninth inning.

What a day!

Gooooo TEAM Georgia!

U.N. launches ban on texting and driving

“It’s one of the world’s most overlooked public safety crises,” writes Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and U.S. Ambassader to the United Nations Susan Rice in a piece that ran on AOL News today.

The two visited the United Nations today as U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon banned the body’s 40,000 members from texting while operating U.N. vehicles.

In their compelling article, Ambassador Rice and Secretary LaHood state:

“When a driver looks away from the road to send a text message, studies show that he is concentrating on something other than the road for 4.6 of every six seconds he types. At 55 miles per hour, that’s like driving the length of a football field wearing a blindfold. No wonder, then, that distracted drivers are more than four times more likely than attentive ones to run off the road or plow into another car.”

Read the whole piece here:

http://tinyurl.com/2ecvq4f

Gadgets Galore

Gadget-lovers, brace yourselves.

The new e-century has arrived. The Chevy Volt will sync its OnStar in-vehicle communications with Google’s Android operating system. The linchpin: a 2.0 version of the Volt mobile app that uses Google know-how. Details will be revealed at the Google I/O conference that starts tomorrow in San Francisco, according to earth2tech.com’s Josie Garthwaite.

“Our whole goal here is to put together a great vehicle for customers, not just a battery on wheels,” said Andrew Farah, the Volt’s chief engineer who is quoted by Garthwaite. She notes that the GM-Google arrangement follows Ford’s smart charging deal with Microsoft and hints at a future deal between GM and Google’s PowerMeter.

http://tinyurl.com/33f2ldf

On a humbler scale, pedal pushers can re-cycle their own energy, so to speak. Fred Flintstone was on to something. You can now use your own feet to power your mobile devices while biking with the E-Werk.

Urban Daddy has the word:

http://tinyurl.com/24jskn8

These days, everything old is new again. Or it’s just new.