#33. Harry S. Truman

Em, C, G, D/F#

#32. Franklin D. Roosevelt


You say the law says that I need

Is there a PR benefit to avoiding the public entirely?

For instance, the "rockstar", almost "divine" persona of a person you know very little about, but are extraordinarily intrigued in. They have a huge intrinsic incentive to not share their lives with the public. Because by odds alone, the more you know, the less you're going to like about them. Simply because they'll become a real person.

So, the democratization of the Internet has made it possible for random guys to become "niche-famous" via social networking sites as Twitter. But their fans know EVERYTHING about them. So, they're not really "rockstars" anymore. They're just friends.

So, what's the best way to get "rock-star" famous in these 21st Century circumstances besides a sex tape?

Yes, this is what I stay up late thinking about.

I don't know why people keep trying to promote altruism as a primary marketing message when there's a much more direct one. Eat local and sustainable food to help local farmers? No! Eat it because it's way way way better for you. You'll live longer. You'll live better. You'll save money on health care costs. There's much better primary messages to choose from when trying to get people to make the change. Same with global warming. Don't pollute because it'll decrease the water supply in sub-saharan Africa? No! Don't pollute because you have no idea how dangerous the air you're breathing really is. You have no idea how dangerous the mercury levels in the water you're drinking really are. It's way easier to make a change in your life when you see a direct benefit of that change. It's simple marketing.

...because they could care less where you're going or if you're going to make it there on time. They're thinking solely about their own experience and making decisions based on that. You're sharing a highway. You're not family. And they don't care about you one bit. And you feel the same way about them. Nothing. Road rage is the only reasonable outcome in that scenario.

If you're friends with any high-schoolers, you've probably seen links to their own formspring pages pop up on Facebook recently. It's actually a pretty ingenious idea. The site gives you the ability to send in anonymous questions to the person that they respond to publicly. So yes, the site tends to quickly become an "i have a crush on you." "cool, who are you?" "i don't want to say." type environment. But, I really like the idea behind the site. I see a real potential for friends being able to tell things to each other that they wouldn't say publicly - in fear of getting their friends mad at them. In fact, I had that situation come up recently. I have a friend who's doing something that's bugging a lot of their friends. And yet, none of us want to address this because of how awkward the situation would be. But, if WE, as their friends won't say anything, what chance do any of us have in becoming better people? So, I would like to open up the comment section today for you to anonymously voice things about me that you wish I would change/do differently. I am legitimately looking to improve the way I come across to people, and would like to know how I irk you, so that I can avoid doing it in the future. Stab away.

Earlier this year when we were on Grand Bahama Island, we took a tour to Gold Rock Beach, which was absolutely beautiful. Our tour guide spent some time telling us the history of the islands - from the original inhabitants, who were all wiped out by European imperialists, and the subsequent American and British fight over the land. Then after telling us how tourism is now their #1 industry by a long shot, someone asked what were their big industries were before tourism flourished in the 20th century. Our guide then told us about how shallow the waters are around the islands, and then, with a little shame, told us how islanders would boat out to the trade waters and put out misleading markers that would steer boats into the reefs. Once capsized, the Bahamians would plunder the boats en route. This was a "legitimate" trade back in the day, in an industry called "Wrecking." It's hard to fault their ingenuity.

There are nearly 7 billion people in the world. And I saw a girl from high school at my hotel in NYC. (We went to high school together in Illinois. I haven't seen her since.) This has happened to me once before. When I was visiting Seattle a few years ago, I saw some guys from college on the street downtown. Our college was in Illinois as well. I'm not sure I really understand exactly how coincidental these things are. Is stuff like that to be expected? How small is the world? Does it mean anything? Oh, this is supposed to be our NYC vs. Chicago conclusion? Well, I think I need to gain a better understanding of Chicago before I pass judgment. So, Kat and I are going to take a couple of trips downtown this Spring, and I'll keep you posted. But, Chicago's got some catching up to do. New York's just magical.

Our trip to New York City this past weekend was very last minute. So, we went without an itinerary or even a real list of things we might want to do. Once we got there, the World Trade Center came up as a possible visit point. But, after thinking about it for a minute, I realized I had absolutely no interest in going to see it. And I still feel partially guilty about that. So, I'm trying to figure out why it is that I have no interest in seeing it. Is it simply because there's nothing to see?

On a gut level, I enjoyed New York City a lot more than I've ever liked Chicago. And I'm still trying to figure out exactly why. Here's my starter list. Feel free to add to it or argue against it. 1) Times Square vs. Nothing This part of the city is simply unreal. It's big. It's safe. It's futuristic. It's wonderful. It has everything. 2) 5th Avenue vs. Michigan Avenue Both are awesome streets to shop on. A virtual tie. 2) Central Park vs. Nothing Chicago has nothing close to this 843 acres of roads, paths, walkways, trees, hills and water. 3) Lack of Solicitation We were asked for money a grand total of 0 times during our 4 days in the city. Now our friends who live there say that it would have just been a matter of time before we'd come across it. But, I have yet to experience even a single hour in Chicago without being accosted for change. Some people don't mind. I hate it. 4) No Alleys vs. Visible Garbage New York City has no alleys, which really helps in terms of safety, both real and fictitious. There's no hiding places for the people I assume are carrying knives and waiting to shiv me. This also makes it so that the curbs are continuously piled with garbage. I didn't mind as much in the Winter. I'm sure in the summer, the stench could be unbearable. 5) Street Width Perhaps because of the lack of alleys, NYC's streets seemed to be a little more narrower as well, which helped in terms of people/sq. ft. and a general feeling of safety. 6) Ease of Transportation Because Manhattan is condensed to an island, they were forced to treat space as a premium. Chicago, not as much. So, everything in Manhattan is just a little bit nicer. A little bit easier to get to.