Wow, what a dustup! I love scenarios like this; it shows how much things have changed regarding "rapid-response PR". I won't go to the point of rehashing the whole boo-boo; but I imagine some marketing and PR folks are in the hotseat today, and wishing it was over already. The short version is that GoPro sent a nastygram to an online reviewer/seller of cameras -- and the Interwebs just blew up with, ahem, "feedback" about the action. What struck me at a fast scan of this article (and not taking the time to dig into the apparently vast array of source material that has materialized) is that the corporate communications seemed to be a ham-fisted mashup of warm 'n' fuzzy informal outreach ("Hey Greg, we're posting to Reddit..." the corporate head of communications says to a reporter) alongside a legal bray about copyroght infringement. Just a strange tactic. Look -- I think GoPro's got a great product; I don't have anything negative to say about them. It just seems that their comm and PR folks got caught making a mistake -- WHICH ANY OF US COULD DO -- and now it's just going to leave a negative impression. You know what this makes me think of? The "Gotcha" speed-rounds of political maneuvering you see during the heat of a campaign (go back and watch Wag the Dog again). And for the many "armchair attorneys" who've chimed in -- it's a tidbit of entertainment, and then on to the next. We live in strange times!
 First Mac, 1984: a whopping 128 KB storage! Working in online video, file size and file storage are important. The average rule of thumb is that you get about five to seven minutes of HD video to the gigabyte -- but even that isn't really a rule, because it's all very confusing. Some pro sites even put it about a 1:1 ratio -- 1 GB = approx. 1 minute of high-quality video, as showin in these charts. The University of Kentucky provides this info: How Much Storage Do I Need? To calculate the amount of storage space you will need for a project, remember that uncompressed digital video requires approximately 200 MB per minute of footage, or roughly 12 GB per hour. Once your video is ripped to a storage location, you will also need space for render files and output, so add another 2-4 GB per hour, depending on the complexity of your editing, special effects, output format, etc. Also keep in mind that you will probably shoot more footage than you will need for your finished project. A good ratio might be 5:2, or 5 minutes of footage for every 2 minutes of edited video. For example, a 3 - 5 minute video will require 4-5 GB; a 30 minute video will require 15-18 GB; a 60 minute video will require 30-40 GB, etc. Today we talk about gigabyte files... what's beyond that?Did you know that when the first Mac shipped in 1984, it came with the luxuriously decadent storage capacity of 128 KB. That's kilobytes. Next, PCs blared through megabyte storage -- MBs -- and today when you go to Best Buy, you're looking for how many gigabytes -- GBs -- of storage you're buying. So what's next? Here's the naming convention, so you can dazzle your friends at parties. Remember, each "jump" increases to the 10th power: a byte is the basic unit; a kilobyte is 10 to the 3rd, etc. (Sorry, Weebly site publishing limitations make it impossible for me to superscript the numbers). Kilobyte - KB - 10 to the 3rd Megabyte - MB - 10 to the 6th Gigabyte - GB - 10 to the 9th Terrabyte - TB - 10 to the 12th Petabyte - PB - 10 to the 15th Exabyte - EB - 10 to the 18th Zettabyte - ZB - 10 to the 21st Yottabyte - YB - 10 to the 24th When do you think we'll be looking at how many Yottabyes of storage we need?????
Last night, I was at our local "Retail Resort" (yes, they actually call it such; rustic design, lots of fake evergreens, and the security guards are dressed as park rangers!). This mall is in the second-highest-income zip code in Colorado, which abutts the highest-income zip code. The stores tend to the swanky, high-end brands; there's even a Tesla auto showroom.
There is also an Apple Store on the main level, and a Microsoft Store on the floor above. I'm sure I must have broken a zillion mall rules, but my cell video cam "accidentally" shot short video of both stores. I'm cutting a comparison together to post here. As a former Microsoft employee, their store just made me sad. It's so weak, so unfocused, and such a copycat attempt to cash in on Apple's deft retail touch.
Stay tuned...
 A real BITCH: Brave, Intelligent, Tenacious, Creative & Honest TABATHA Coffey’s Tabatha Takes Over premiers tomorrow on Bravo. This woman is in my pantheon of modern-day gods and goddesses; she is the Mars aspect of business in a female-dominated industry, and she is one tough boss. Tabatha goes into underperforming hair salons and whips them into shape, a reality TV model perfected by Gordon Ramsay with Kitchen Nightmares and other shows. She’s steelier in the salon than Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen! Hair salons and spas have a lot in common. Although I haven't worked directly with hair salons, I was fortunate to partner with the esteemed spa industry expert, Nancy Griffin, for a few years before she sold industry insider site SpaTrade.com to American Spa Magazine. Nancy has a lot of the same toughness and practicality that Coffey exhibits; one thing I adored about working with Nancy was that she was ruthlessly matter-of-fact about the foibles and follies of spa owners -- who, like hair salon owners, tend to still be more mom-and-pop operations than major chains. The biggest point Nancy Griffin made to me, along with her colleague and friend, Peggy Wynne Borgman (president of Wynne Business Sps Consulting, whose company provides the best Spa Director management training courses available anywhere) is that when you ask spa owners what sets their business apart from the competition, the answer is most commonly "our customer service is the best". No, it's not. You cannot use customer service as your key differentiator if (a) every competitor also claims it as what makes them better, and (b) if it's a baseline expectation of your customers! Can you imagine Sprint's CEO saying "what sets Sprint apart from other carriers is that we really do connect your phone calls" -- ??? That's why I love watching Tabitha, and Ramsay as well: they don't let small business owners give them any BS about "what makes them special" -- and they call the owners on very fundamental issues of mismanagement, like demanding basic hygiene. Tabatha has a new book out, and I grabbed a few excerpts from her Web site -- how can you not admire this sort of honesty? Talk about knowing who you are and being comfortable in your skin!
Excerpted from http://tabathacoffey.com/book: I always made it a point to say what I needed to say in order to accomplish what I needed to accomplish. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I don’t suffer fools easily and that I won’t hesitate to speak my mind. The irony of people’s reaction to my candor is that I just say what most people want to say but don’t have the balls to say. I tell the truth.
If, along the way, I’ve been called a bitch for being honest, I haven’t taken this personally. I developed a thick skin very early in life.
So I reclaimed the word “BITCH” as someone who is Brave, Intelligent, Tenacious, Creative, and Honest. And because I am all of these things, I now proudly own the title…
Bravery—Mine is derived from being a risk taker, personally and professionally, and from always being willing to face my demons head-on.
Intelligence—I’m no idiot. Despite having left school early to pursue my career, I’m well read, well traveled, street savvy, and I’m a successful businesswoman with a strong gut instinct. What’s more, unlike many women who don’t want to appear intimidating, I never downplay my intelligence. I believe women can be both smart and beautiful.
Tenacity—If I’m really passionate about something, I never give up. I’m like a pit bull with a bone. I have always battled for what I want and what I believe in, and if I have to dig deeper for the energy to keep going, then that’s what I do to achieve my goals.
Creativity—If I didn’t have this quality, I certainly wouldn’t be writing this book! I thoroughly enjoy expressing my creativ- ity in all aspects of life, whether I’m experimenting with a new haircut, sporting a new couture outfit, or adapting to a new challenge. Creativity keeps me engaged and makes my life that much more interesting while I am coping with whatever comes my way.
Honesty—I think I’ve already covered that, haven’t I? It is the key trait that makes people perceive a woman as a bitch—it intimidates people and rubs them the wrong way. Although this reaction is often due to sexism, women are more than capable of being intimidated, too. For me, honesty is saying what I think to the people around me, but it’s also about being honest with myself. If I can’t do that, then I can’t be honest with anyone.
The more I thought about my own positive spin on the term “bitch,” the more I realized that, on some level, everyone would like to be a little braver, or exercise a little more intelligence, or be a little more creative, or tenacious or honest. The truth is, all of us, women and men, have an inner bitch. We just have to choose how much of it to let out and when.
 Vi Hart is a freaking genius who knows how to make math FUN! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnX5_LbBDU
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Another wonderful video from Vihart -- I wish I'd had this two weeks ago. I'll need to send this one out next December! She really has the knack of making math fun. This is the 12 Days of Christmas, sort of...
I hope Vihart posts more videos like this one. It's an amazingly cool approach to doodling and math -- and it's an A+ YouTube video!
 Megawoosh jump. It's short, it's cool, and... well, you just have to watch it. (BEFORE you search out the making Of vids.) Microsoft still surprises us from time to time!
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