Come On, Get Happy

A glass half full will always lead to disputes—unless, perhaps, it is half full of whiskey.

Last month, I was graciously invited by Ian Fitzpatrick to contribute to the Optimist Conspectus. In his words, it’s a “compendium of contemporary optimism, one perspective at a time.” He asks What you are optimistic about? and then looks at commonalities among the answers.


Ian—of Boston’s Almighty—started the project after observing a proliferation of optimism despite global unrest, the economic quagmire and a host of other planetary hazards. Might as well add swine flu to that list. Ian wants to explore where all this hope stems from. When telling me about the project, he referenced the New York Times visualization on presidential inaugural addresses. In a similar way, he is identifying the most frequently used words in the individual perspectives. Here's more info. Ultimately, he plans to turn the findings into a set of data visualizations. A map of optimism. I like the sound of this!

A few other perspectives I particularly enjoyed: Neil Perkin (fingers crossed for the Stone Roses), Matt Moore, Faris Yakob.

My cynical side shines on occasion, but I believe in optimism and the powers of collective optimism. According to my local library, at least 178 others do too—that's how many before me requested Michael J. Fox's new book, Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist. The (two-part) question on my mind is this: Is optimism greater when times are difficult? And if so, why is it easier to be optimistic when the metaphorical skies are cloudy?

I think this resurgence of hope is rooted in a greater effort in seeking it out...and a greater appreciation when we do find it. I liken this to the upward trend in restaurants offering home style cooking. Just as we find comfort in mom’s casserole, we are eased by those glimmers of hope that tomorrow will be better than today. In the midst of a recession, optimism is to our minds as breakfast food is to our appetites. We appreciate it. We crave it. And we want it served all day long.

There’s no shortage of optimism in our industry. PepperDigital’s Sam Ford, who also contributed to the Conspectus, summed up the why in saying “recessions provide a very helpful culling and pruning process for most industries. Outmoded practices and processes get re-evaluated and phased out, and companies are often forced to innovate or fade away.” If history is any teacher, now is the ideal time to churn out some exquisiteness. As explained in this BusinessWeek article, recessions act as innovation catalysts...they can be a good thing for your company. Consider these two welcome additions to my life: Trader Joe’s and Apple’s first iPod—both arrived in the middle of economic downturns (in 1958 and 2001, respectively).

Why wouldn't we always try to innovate? Throw laziness and disillusionment out the window. Now is the time for the big guns to start acting like start-ups, for the start-ups to keep experimenting, and for the experimenters to enforce greater constraints. As for you? It may just be time to cue up Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and slide across the floor in your socks. Sans trousers. It’s just that exciting.

When Oatmeal Speaks

Go humans go. This ad greeted me Monday morning as I exited the subway in DUMBO. It found me in Chinatown too. I was intrigued and a bit startled. I assumed it was part of a larger campaign, but this was the first I’d seen. Go humans go...to me, it had Martian undertones. And that Quaker man! He hasn’t changed much over the years.

I’m keen on oatmeal and was curious to understand what the slogan meant. So I found the site. The only mention of "Go Humans Go" is in the URL and page title. The focus is the Quaker Go Project, a hunger fighting initiative. The usual conversation starters – YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Twitter – are there, though they sit at the bottom of the page, like neglected banana candies. Regardless, I wanted to see what Quaker had to say, so I went to Twitter to follow @QuakerTalk, whose bio reads:

Go Humans Go!
Responses monitored and updated by Quaker’s PR team & oatmeal fans!

Including “fans” seems a little hokey in an otherwise transparent bio. Don’t front. But anyway...here’s the conversation, word for word:

QuakerTalk – Monday, 12:07pm
@QuakerTalk: Kicking off the week with a hot bowl of Quaker Oats

My reply – Monday, 1:48pm
@jeccaberta: @QuakerTalk starting my week with oats too! mccann's or quaker...decision time.

QuakerTalk’s response – Monday, 2:03pm
@QuakerTalk: @jeccaberta Definitely Quaker! Have a great week :)

(I chose McCann’s but didn’t tell them)

Me, attempting to start a new conversation – Monday, 2:41pm
@jeccaberta: @QuakerTalk i miss the wilford brimley oatmeal commercials of yesteryear.

(No response from @QuakerTalk. Disappointment.)

Me, attempting to start convo #3 – Tuesday, 3:33pm
@jeccaberta: @QuakerTalk question...are steel cut oats more nutritious than instant?

QuakerTalk’s Reply – Tuesday, 4:49pm
@QuakerTalk: @jeccaberta: the nutritionals are the same, but they do offer a heartier texture and a rich nutty taste

I enjoyed this one-on-one dialogue, but that’s not what Twitter is good at or really designed for. So…what unique value can a brand offer on Twitter? I’ve been looking at @QuakerTalk’s tweets over the past couple weeks. Some are upbeat thoughts (“Gearing up for a great Friday – Go humans go!”), others promote their hunger fighting efforts (“Submit a Quaker Go Grant and get involved in your community today! Check out the details here http://bit.ly/S55MW”). I’d like to see more stuff like that, especially if they can use Twitter to galvanize support. It’ll also provide some context for their slogan.

But in terms of engagement, I think Quaker’s Twitter presence would be way more effective if they spoke in a unique voice, say...oh, that of a Quaker man from the 1800s? Think about it. His truth-dispensing tweets could be mighty entertaining. What other company has as its spokesman a hugely recognizable fellow in Quaker attire? That alone leaves plenty to talk about. Why hasn’t he changed with the times? I’d like to hear him answer.

Brands can put all the energy they want into having a friendly social media presence. But until there is a well-defined, entertaining personality behind the (puritan) mask, bonafide or outstanding conversations will be hard to find.

20 Pecha Kuchin' Seconds

I once saw a man do 20 back flips in 20 seconds. Granted this was on vimeo, but still...it was damn exhausting to watch. What if he tried to do 19 more equally amazing tricks? In a row? That’s just ridiculous. And so not humble.


I had my first Pecha Kucha experience on Monday night. The term loosely translates to “chit-chat,” though when I walked into the venue (Le Poisson Rouge), chit-chat took the form of shouting over live music. Good thing I brought my glow sticks to navigate through the crowd.

So Pecha Kucha is fun! I want to try it sometime. I like any form of storytelling that has restraints on what you can do – whether that’s through visuals, time, or word choice (like last month’s David Bowie love story).

In case you’re not familiar with Pecha Kucha, the formula is quite simple:
X = 20 slides + 20 seconds/slide

Six minutes and forty seconds – that’s all you get to cover 20 slides. The X variable here is defined as a particularly innovative and/or artistic person, like: Dickson Despommier (heck yes, vertical farming), DJ Spooky, Tina Roth Eisenberg (aka swissmiss) and Jonathan Harris, who gave me a newfound respect for whale hunting and the accompanying blubber. Good stuff.

If I could describe a solid Pecha Kucha presentation in one word, it might be: HUMILITY. The presentations I was drawn to didn’t shove 20 back flips into each slide. They taught me something new, without cramming each slide to the brim. They said, “Hey, follow this story,” not “Hey, memorize these chronicles.” That’s easier said than done, especially when you’re talking about something you’re so passionate about.

What about Kucha Pecha? Rules in reverse: Slides can display only words, no pictures. Speakers must rely on music and/or performance art to convey their point. Sounds very silly, actually…like an elaborate game of charades.

Please...Have a Seat

I just bought my first sofa. A Victorian gem, it dates from the 1800s - carved walnut trim, textured velvet upholstery, button tufted back, woo-wee.

A haiku is in order:

Lovingly restored,
You give teatime new meaning,
Welcome home, mauve dream.

Branding Disrupted

On Friday I had the pleasure of attending a CreativeMornings session – a monthly meet-up organized by Tina Roth Eisenberg (swissmiss) and Carl Collins. This one, conveniently located in 45 Main by HUGE, (thanks for the tasty breakfast, neighbors!) featured Armin Vit, a man well-versed in design and its relationship to branding.

If I were to condense his thoughts into one point, it would be this: Reality gets in the way of branding. It muddles the way you experience and think about the companies, products, even logos that marketers work so hard to crystallize in your precious mind.

Reality is unavoidable (and, well, essential). In terms of brands, my favorite part of Vit’s presentation had to do with the Pepperidge Farm Soft Baked Chocolate Chunk Dark Chocolate cookie. In short, his wife loves this treat, as did he until the day he opened up a bag to find major skimping on the chocolate chunks. The bittersweet goods were nearly absent. (I wonder if this was an economic move by Pepperidge Farm to leave no scrap of batter unused?)

His example was simple and funny. But...it wasn’t about branding. It was about a flawed product. Branding can do little to fix that. It’ll only draw attention to it. On the other hand, if you have a solid product and kickass branding to boot, the disconnect that reality presents won’t do much detriment to the product. Example: the Target brand projects an image of bliss and joy emblazoned in red bullseyes. A lot of Target stores are a far cry from the clean, sunshine-filled oasis seen in ads. But Target is still crazy popular (and for good reason).

I consider branding to be perceived reality. As long as there are crowded store lines, glum employees, and an elephant of a recession, reality won’t parallel branding. So sometimes you’ll get a cookie lacking in chocolate. Worse yet, there are tastier cookies out there that you don’t even know about, thanks to uninspired marketing efforts.

A Brief, Imagined Love Affair: David Bowie, Will You Be My Valentine?

I wrote this valentine by splicing and rearranging David Bowie's spacey, heartfelt phrases. The words are his, the story is mine. Happy Val's Day.

I just met the wrong guy. Oh man!
Asked for his name: Ziggy.
Ziggy really sang jammin’ good.
Insane sunshine, his soul shines.
Wonder if he’ll ever know how I’ll wish upon, wish upon, day upon day…

Just keep cool.

Dear Ziggy, far above the moon, I’ll run with you.
Mummy is yelling “no,” but I’ll stick with you baby for a thousand years.
Ooo, your face. Your consolations. Your pretty cranium.
Fall into my arms and tremble like a flower.
Look out world, you know I’ve got mine.

Just keep cool. I just keep cool.

Dear Ziggy, I’m looking for a ride on top of Manhattan.
There’s gonna be space to boogie up there.
We like dancing and we look divine.
Let’s sway on top of Manhattan, you and me.
We don’t give a damn. Whop, whop, whop.

Real cool. I just keep cool.

Ziggy, here we are at the center of it all.
Fighting in the dance hall in the dark.
You want more and you want it fast.
You’ve tried so hard to fly in the fog.
But I guess I’m feeling very still.

Walk tall, keep cool.

Ziggy…You could look into my eyes, you know.
Your hands ache in pain. Sweet hands.
I wish I was smarter. Unskilled hands.
The tears on the face stumbled to cry.
It’s so hard for us to really be.

Never look back, walk tall.

Now here this, Ziggy.
You gotta get smart.
A crooked smile. Where’s your shame?
Them toffees…sweetly reminiscent, something mother used to bake.
Kissing all the ladies. Don’t break my heart.

Never look back, act fine.

Dear Ziggy, I got so lost on my own.
I don’t want to leave.
Buy a drink for me, we’ll dance the blues.
There’s only one way to linger on.
Hot tramp, I love you so!

p.s. Ziggy plays my song in tune.
Ain’t that close to love?

Fun with Vending Machines: Part 2

I am now for sale as a tasty vending machine snack. $3.00 is all you need...dollars and coins are accepted.

Fun with Vending Machines: Part 1

One of these things is not like the other things.

A White Christmas

Dear friends,

Won't you please enjoy this year's holiday greeting, which masquerades as an anti-drug public service annoucement. Jingle bells!

America Is Listening

Friends: To achieve the full experience, please listen to this song while (or after) reading.



Election night. Hot damn. What we lived through on Tuesday, the 4th of November, 2008, will go down as one of the defining events in America’s storied history.

The year is 1967. Blacks have only recently been given the right to vote. WTF. James Brown releases “America Is My Home (Part One).” The optimism and unrelenting love for his country shine through, despite all the shit we’ve gotten wrong.

I have never felt prouder to be an American than I did two nights ago at 11pm, when Barack Obama surpassed that magic number of 270 electoral votes. CNN called it. So did Jon Stewart. Everyone around me at Bell House erupted in cheers. We hugged. We cried. We screamed the way children do for ice cream. My cheeks hurt from smiling.

Digital communication fueled the fire that brought Obama to the people. On election day itself, we witnessed donated Facebook statuses, the Will.i.am hologram, pie charts galore and a jumbotron display of emotions from Chicago’s Grant Park to LA to Kenya.

Aided by tweets and texts that night, we took our celebrating to the streets – Dekalb and Carlton (outside of Madiba), to be exact. BrooklynVegan and flickr offered proof that similar showdowns were happening across NYC...and the nation…and the world.

Technology no doubt enhances real world happenings. But nothing trumps bonafide human connections. A few things I never want to forget about that night:
- Feeling like I was part of something monumental.
- Clapping as impromptu drummers played maracas, pots and pans.
- Singing with a cover band performing Weezer’s entire Blue album.
- Riding ever so briefly on the back of a garbage truck.
- High-fiving cab drivers as they tried to make it through the crowds.
- Drinking champagne in the streets.
- Embracing strangers.

For the first time in a long time, we are listening. Why? Because we finally have a leader we believe in. This alone is proof that the American dream is alive. Change has come, Sam Cooke. Hell yes.

p.s. Much love to my home state of Wisconsin for turning an impressive 59 out of 72 counties a brilliant shade of blue.

Berta's Tap Room

As you may know, my dear grandpa Woody Berta owned a tavern in Ottawa, Illinois (across from the Post Office). While he sold the bar several decades ago, Berta's continues to serve its neighborhood tall beers and burgers on toasted buns. The pool table remains slightly askew...and local legend Woody still makes an occasional appearance.

Many years ago, my grandpa had a small flyer printed by the local Union boys. The front says "Berta's TAP ROOM" and has a drawing of a bubbly martini glass. The lower right corner reads "Air Conditioned for Your Comfort." The inside shows a map of the city limits. But the back...oh, that back! It has one gem of a poem, reprinted below. Note the creative use of the term "atmosphere." I hope you enjoy this.

When you're startin' out some evening
And the night is cold and drear...
I'd suggest you stop at Berta's
For a little "Atmosphere."

Then next morning bright and early
When the "shakes" are gettin' near:
Yeah...you're getting smarter, brother,
Woody fed ya too much beer.

When you're reachin' for the aspirin
'Cause your stomach's feelin' weak,
It's 'cause Chuck was leanin' heavy
On the bottle - so to speak.

Then you face the little woman
With those alibis galore...
When she's finished in the bathroom -
Wipin' Berta's off the floor.

But you're wrong, it isn't whiskey
That's got ya feelin' queer -
Ray just poured an over-dose
Of Berta's "ATMOSPHERE"!!

Yes, You Can.

Politics...A fine example of the power shift from marketer to you, the consumer. Digital communication platforms have made it exponentially easier to express your voice. Being famous helps. Celebrities and artists are certainly taking cues from the digital world to share their views.

You’ve no doubt heard the “Yes We Can” song by will.i.am. I love it...so full of hope. It also makes me glad to see Kareem Abdul Jabar back in front of the camera. His performance in Airplane(!) was dynamite.

Sarah Silverman has an interesting angle with her Great Schlep campaign. She’s recruiting Jewish youth to reach out to their grandparents in that dicey sunshine state we call Florida.



But let’s say you’re not famous. You can post a piece of sh*t YouTube ranting vid that will get seen by a handful of people, mostly friends. But if you instead say something smart (or unique), and you say it in a creative way, your voice will be heard (witness the crush-heavy tune by Obama Girl).

Something to Think About: Who are your grandparents voting for? Seriously. We hear so much talk of the youth vote. What about the geriatric vote? Unless marketers are pushing Depends or meds, they aren’t interested in the silver-haired generation. They don’t fall into many core demographics. So why not call your grandma up right now. She’ll be happy to hear from you, and you may just help decide the fate of our country. Fancy that.

Click Gets It

Ad Week didn’t get it. Click does. Click gets that advertising is, in Brooklyn Brother Paul Parton’s words, disposable. I went to the Click Conference on Wednesday to listen to a digitally-savvy crew talk about the incredibly smart ways they're bringing renewed vigor to digital communications. Topics ranged from social media to education to SoDA. Tina Roth Eisenberg delivered some nice live blog coverage on Swiss Miss. So rather than providing a broad recap of the similar and disparate viewpoints, I think a better use of our time would be for me to describe my three favorite takeaways:

1. UTILIZE CAPITALISM: View Clients as Business Partners



James Cooper from Another Anomaly covered this point with some dapper words. If you read my Ad Week rant last week on Big Spaceship's Think blog, you’d know I was disappointed that the focus was on branded content (sigh). James Cooper gets it. He knows that it is loads more effective and imaginative to create original content within and for a brand. Anomaly's work on Converse is an ideal example. Exhibit A: My Drive Thru, the sneaker-tapping song featuring musically-diverse artists Pharrell, Santogold and Julian Casablancas, Exhibit B: a Spelling Bee that makes ingenious use of Google, Exhibit C: A sprinkling of irreverent humor, with neighboring sites like Le Tour De Franks and Tiny Hollywood.

2. FOLLOW YOUR PASSION: Bizarre Is Good



David Art Wales, who heads up the Ministry of Culture, is my new favorite person. His presentation stood out for a number of reasons (let’s see…his awesome mom is named Mimi, he was wearing suspenders, and he told a Snoop Dogg joke when he ran into technical difficulties). So David befriended a harp player on a cruise. She told him about an old Welsh secret society called the Prudent Boozers. He ran with it and is on a mission to bring them back as a force to be reckoned with. This “wildly moderate” drinking society preaches a simple message:
Savor the first
Sip the second
Nurse the third (this is key!)
Skip the fourth

All the fun, without the hangover or the embarrassing photos. The PB campaign is highly entertaining. It also represents an entirely new take on drinking responsibly…one that shuns finger wagging and replaces it with coveted "members only" badges. Bravo.

3. LET CREATIVITY BREATHE: Listen and Learn



This final lesson comes from Big Spaceship’s Michael Lebowitz. Having grown tired of delivering similar versions of the same presentation, Michael shook things up a bit. Instead of talking about the work we create, he discussed our culture and how we innovate. Here's the full deck. That’s a lot more interesting than seeing a polished portfolio, right? Yes. So below is a recap of the ways we let creativity breathe. It’s an amalgamation of playing and tinkering, discussing and learning, and - most importantly - giving everyone the opportunity to speak up. We’d all be better off if we listened more than we spoke (right Askwith and Kosoy? I kid).

Creating an Ethos of Innovation:
1. Recognize that everyone is creative.
2. Don’t hire assholes…no matter how talented they are.
3. Hire to be the dumbest person in the room (surround yourself with smart people).
4. Give autonomy.
5. Experiment constantly.
6. Focus on your culture (i.e., fun begets quality).
7. Stay flat (see point 4).
8. Small is good (but it’s hard not to grow).

I learned that even among uber creative, indie digital agencies, the philosophy behind our creative chops is rather unique. That is a damn good feeling. Thanks to all the fine folks who made Click such a success.

Big Spaceship Adds to Staff

We like to have fun at Big Spaceship – both during and in between all of the work. We find that a creative atmosphere leads to better ideas. Foosball and Guitar Hero help, but for a while now we’ve been asking our fearless leader Michael for a ping pong table.



He had two (admittedly justifiable) concerns that prevented our wish from being granted:
1. Space. We have plenty of that in the green screen room, but we use it for projects.
2. Noise. Ping Pong players can get rather LOUD.

I approached this project as we do all others ...by thinking strategically. I crafted an implementation plan and job application written from the viewpoint of a one Mr. Ping Pong Ball.



He was qualified, intelligent and, yes, tactical. His proposal outlined his many benefits and detailed how he would overcome the barriers voiced by the boss.



Ping Pong Ball tackled the chief obstacles head-on, beginning with space.



As for noise, he recommended we build a noise meter to keep the shouts and cheers in check.



The letter of recommendation from Nolan Bushnell certainly didn’t harm his chances.



I’m happy to say that the proposal met with success. Ping Pong Ball will soon arrive at Big Spaceship, alongside his accoutrements (in the form of paddles and a 9x5’ table). As long as folks abide by the rules, we’ll get along just fine. I’m very much looking forward to this fellow joining our crew.

Telescopic Text

He made tea. This morning I stumbled upon a site known simply as Telescopic Text.

Being a tea drinker myself, I clicked on one of the three words that make up the only sentence on the site: I made tea. And then…more words appeared. A tale of tea brewing began to take shape. If a word was shaded in gray, clicking on it revealed more text (and more gray). But even without clicking on all of the shaded areas, the story still made sense – it was simply the condensed version. I. made. tea.


I like this technique and wonder if it would work for more complicated subject matter. In a way, it improves upon the standard formula of an abstract followed by a click-to for the full article. What if I only want to learn about the type of tea and what was served with it? What if I’m just interested in the process of steeping? It’s a simple format, but I see potential for this as a storytelling mechanism.

Sharing Neon

Stumbled onto this and liked what I saw. Sometimes we just need a reminder, right?

Show, Don't Tell

We’ve all heard the phrase “show, don’t tell.” In fact, we here at Big Spaceship live by those three words. To tell is to inform. But to show is to wow. German mathematician Joseph Furtenbach proved this quite simply:

The year was 1627. Furtenbach wanted to prove Galileo’s theory that the earth spun on a fixed axis. Rather than presenting the people with a 500-page essay, he loaded a cannon. After firing a cannon ball straight into the sky, he climbed on top of the cannon’s muzzle.


If Galileo knew what he was talking about, the cannon ball would return to the earth at a point west of the cannon, while the earth would rotate east. If, on the other hand, Galileo’s theory was wrong, it was curtains for Furtenbach.

The ball soared into the sky. The crowd gasped – some unable to watch aside from the occasional peek. Furtenbach sat atop the cannon and smiled, waiting for the ball to descend.

POW. The thud was followed by an eerie silence. Furtenbach’s head was intact. Just west of him, the earth revealed an impressive dent. Galileo was right. He had always been right…but now people believed him.

This has been another great moment in the history “show, don’t tell.”

(The above was paraphrased from Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm.)

A Journey Retold

Journey to the West. Four-hundred and some years later, this classic piece of Chinese literature has been presented in a new light. A Buddhist monk makes his pilgrimage to India to get his hands on some quite righteous spiritual scriptures. A few disciples, including a badass monkey, help him along the way.



I’m giving an oh, so brief synopsis of a book comprised of 100 chapters. But the BBC told the story in an equally simple way (here’s a bit on how they did it). In promoting their coverage of the upcoming Beijing Olympics, they turned the tale into a two-minute gem, ending - after some fabulous Olympic-style leaps, twists and escapes - with the lighting of the mighty torch. The network partnered with fellow Englishmen Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn. No strangers to collaboration, they're the brains behind Gorillaz and also helped co-create the opera Monkey: Journey to the West - this looks like it rocks, by the way. And in Albarn's case, let's not forget about the amazing music of Brit supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen.

The visuals are based off of Monkey (or Monkey Magic!), a popular 1970s animated series. Maybe that choice was rooted in nostalgia. Regardless, it's much more interesting than the traditional glorified athlete promo. I think it’s a lovely retelling of an age-old story. Condensed, yes, but attention spans are not what they used to be. Is that because of digital platforms? I'll answer that when I have more time (to concentrate on the question). First, I need to get Monkey on my mobile.

Roll Computer

Radiohead’s new video for “House of Cards” uses no lights and no cameras. It was created with some dope real-time 3D recording technologies. They captured these 3D images using Geometric Informatics and two LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanners. One scanner was used for detailed information (like the Thom Yorke close-ups). It rotated 360 degrees and had 64 rotating lasers. The other was designed to pick up much wider geographic images, including the Florida terrain you see. No surprise that it took weeks to process the massive amount of raw data. Here’s more on how it was made.



The production crew (composed by and large of engineers) distorted some of the data with small bits of mirror. They also experimented with water and feathers. Added bonus: You can manipulate the video and download data to create your own visualizations. Nice.

Director James Frost said the thinking behind this project was to create a real feeling through something that was computer generated. It’s a reflection of our data driven society.

Radiohead rocks. (Special thanks to S.W. Taffy for the assistance embedding the video!)

I Survived the Viewing of a Japanese Game Show

I have not seen the original Japanese version of "I Survived a Japanese Game Show," but I imagine it is more entertaining than the show that premiered on ABC tonight. Don't get me wrong...there were definite funny moments (the angry mama-san, the tambourine-banging audience, and the mochi game cartoon demo come to mind), but I think the translation loses something. Tossing American game show contestants into that atmosphere makes it both slightly annoying and - in an ironic way - less absurd. Coincidentally, is the game show host the same man who appears in Lost in Translation? I think so.

Tonight, the stereotype of the ugly American was broadcast to folks across the nation. Loud, ignorant and judgmental were my first impressions of this motley crew. God I hope reality TV isn’t full of too much reality. Television as a byproduct and reflection of our culture sometimes makes me want to crawl under a rug.

Out in space a million miles away, we're a singular little planet. Doesn't it make you wonder how our cultures can be so divergent? I'm tired.