Leif Hansen

The robber sprayed the guard with pepper spray, grabbed a bag of money the guard was carrying and ran about 100 yards to the creek that runs into the Skykomish River, shedding clothes as he ran. But apparently, the robber had planned ahead. In case anyone was hot on his trail, he had at least a dozen unsuspecting decoys waiting nearby, which he recruited on Craigslist. "I came across the ad that was for a prevailing wage job for $28.50 an hour," said Mike, who saw a Craigslist ad last week looking for workers for a road maintenance project in Monroe. He said he inquired and was e-mailed back with instructions to meet near the Bank of America in Monroe at 11 a.m. Tuesday. He also was told to wear certain work clothing. "Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask… and, if possible, a blue shirt," he said. - Cee Bee

Mike showed up along with about a dozen other men dressed like him, but there was no contractor and no road work to be done. He thought they had been stood up until he heard about the bank robbery and the suspect who wore the same attire. - Cee Bee

Dude, that is brilliant. - Shawn Farner

I expect this to end up in a Law and Order episode soon. then again, I've seen this already on V for Vendetta ;) - ~C4Chaos

Too sick!! That's one great plan, love the scheme. - Zu aka ElijahBailey

Wow..freakin awesome. I mean..the execution. If we don't start using all this fancy social media sh*t for good, this type of stuff will only get worse...LOL - Rah™

straight out of the movies.. - tsiakhyie

FiendFeed Rahsheen? - JodyUnwired

This guy is a genius. The end. - Mark Wilson

I visit with people once every two or three weeks who have never left their home town. Further, lots of people won't attend TED, won't see some of those speakers, etc. Yes, regular conferences trump watching videos, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't present and provide learning in different ways. - Chris Brogan

But maybe there's another name for this type of aggregation. Something along the lines of distance learning. And speaking for those of us who are very distant from almost everything, it's a great idea. - Becky McCray

Know the difference between a white paper and an ebook? Portrait vs. Horizontal. Only, when marketers start releasing ebooks instead of white papers, the download numbers go way up. I think this is similar. - Chris Brogan

If I'm hearing ya right, you're saying that though the name may not be accurate --calling it a 'conference' might get numbers up more than 'distance learning', etc? - Leif Hansen

Or another way of saying this: what if conference in its roots just means a gathering of the minds. Does that have to be face to face? FriendFeed proves not. - Chris Brogan

Yes, we are in the 'social media' biz. As for its 'roots' though,"from conferre 'to bring together, compare,' from com- 'together' + ferre 'to bear' Sense of 'taking counsel' led to conference". Whether we're truly 'together' when mixing our pixels will be the question of the century. As the digital world gets richer, it gets more dangerous as well. And remember, they're now saying most of communication is closer to 90% non-verbal (and in txt world?). But I'm probably now taking us on a tangent...;) - Leif Hansen

Anyone here planning on snatching up a Google Android phone? - Susan Beebe

another toy I can't afford - AnotherⓃⓄⒶⒽ

what are the first brands launching Android phones? - Loic Le Meur via twhirl

Got my hops up. Crap - Bored

cool, I'd love to have you come back to this thread and post your feedback - Susan Beebe

it's an htc phone. t-mobile has first dibs on the release in oct. - Faboo Mama

wow. who needs iPhone games when you've got, uh, "divide and conquer." it *was* just a business strategy, but now it's a GAME! for ANDROID! WOO! :-D - Karim

how much do you think the phone only will cost, I may trade in my blackberry pearl for one - Kyle Weller

And boy howdy, did she nail that whole "Fargo" accent ... - Steven "The One" Perez

Yeah she was made for the part. Completely nailed it. - Dave Hussein Winer

Fun that this is how I watch TV now, on Friendfeed. I don't have TV at home, so I just let Dave find the good stuff. : ) - Chris Brogan

Classic - James Tenniswood

She did do a brilliant job. - Zee from WeDoCreative

Not clear whether the appropriate response is to laugh or cry ... - Tom Stocky

Depends where they go with it. - Dave Hussein Winer

Wow she totally nailed it - Britney Mason

Best line: "I can see Russia from my house!" - Shelly Brisbin via twhirl

On hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/3446... - Michael Leggett

The fantasy parts go a little tooo far - Jeremiah Owyang

What's the problem? They're getting lots of fresh air and exercise and they're interacting with other human beings. :-) - dkb

dkb are you an elf or a dwarf? I'd prob be an efl, but I think I'm too fat now. - Jeremiah Owyang

that blue troll with the drum looked pretty wimpy. Greybie. - tagami

Tagami I dunno those could be drums of war +5 - Jeremiah Owyang

... - Jemm

great conversation with Om Malik of GigaOm and Standord professor Robert Sapolsky about effects of stress on us. - Robert Scoble

Robert Sapolsky is as smart as smart gets. He has a great course--Biology and Human Behavior--through the Teaching Company. Just wonderful. - todd

Interesting coincidence: I'm flying up to Banff this weekend to help present a play called "Death by Powerpoint" written by Paul Levy, its for the 4th art of management conference (http://www.essex.ac.uk/afm/emc...) - Leif Hansen

but still, after reading, who will have any interest in anything to counter it, like meditation? - Gregory Lent

By the way, Om Malik had a heart attack last December and talks to me about the changes he's made to his life. Really great stuff we should all consider. - Robert Scoble

Here's a better URL for this interview: http://www.kyte.tv/ch/6118-sco... - Robert Scoble

This is great stuff man.....and meditation does work. :-) - Rich Harris

Meditation isn't the only option. If you are interested in the sort thing I wrote a couple of articles on stress that incorporate Sapolsky's teachings: Threat 13. The Stress Threat (http://tinyurl.com/5drrf7) and Strategy 35. Manage Your Stress (http://tinyurl.com/5g7n83). - todd

Meditation is one of MANY options. - Rich Harris

@todd your site has an interesting design .... what is it based on? - Gregory Lent

YDD is based on Joomla. The HS site is Drupal. My wife's biztaxtalk.com site is also Drupal. I wanted to try some of each :-) - todd

thanks, was wondering .. wordpress i can tell from fifty yards usually, and yours seems nicer - Gregory Lent

awesome! - Thomas Hawk

Yes! You have to enjoy every moment! Oldest daughter just started first grade; wondering where the time went... - Stephen Shores

Okay, brief pinch me moment. Thomas Hawk comments on my photo! Second, thanks. - Chris Brogan

@Leif - You and I could talk about this, for sure. I had similar feelings. - Chris Brogan

The walk to the bus stop is a trail of tears ... - Jay Tannenbaum

Awwwwwwww - Denton Gentry

Yes, why yes they are, been hanging out at CC Mixter and Opscom which do "free" music (unknown bands) more than anything else lately, even though I have ITunes. - dan

They have been digging it for the last 10 years... must be really deep because many many people must fit in it. - Fabrice Epelboin via twhirl

They have been for a long time. Ever since someone decided they were more important than the customer. - Brandon Titus

duh - Baratunde Thurston via twhirl

i'm happy band section still work in muxtape, would be the damn bad if it was not working for us (buzzworkers) - Ben Borges

That one is an easy answer. The crazy thing is, I still see artists spew the same tired RIAA line about down sales = piracy while real innovators are creating their own marketing hype. Many, such as hiphop artists, are moving to labels such as Koch where they press the records/CD's/publish downloads online and let the artist take care of marketing and promotion. This way the artist keeps more money, so they don't have to sell 100K to 500K to break even with the label. What are you paying for anyway? A video no one will see? Payola to radio that no one listens to? When an artist knows how to create buzz, (concerts, you tube, web) they can afford to bypass the ineffective promotion provided by these labels. - Eric @ CS Techcast

protectionism is everywhere ... does it work? seems to ... at least for awhile - Gregory Lent

If the artist is doing their own promotion, what is the point of the record company again? - Matthew Davidson via twhirl

Interesting post about Pandora on the edge of closeing due to increased royalty fees. http://arstechnica.com/news.ar... - Bryan Thatcher via twhirl

The point of a record company can still be a central distribution point. Some could maybe handle it themselves, but I would image distributing CDs and setting up with digital distributors is still logistical nightmare for a single artist to handle on their own. - Eric @ CS Techcast

Matthew - If the artist is able to produce and master their own music with professional quality, there's little need for the record company since you can always start your own. Many smart artists have done this because it funnel's the bulk of the CD sales into their pockets. - Jim McCusker

Exactly. I was responding to Erics comment. - Matthew Davidson via twhirl

Eric - there are options for artists. cdbaby will set up digital distribution with dozens of companies. There is no need for a record company between the artist and fans. - Matthew Davidson via twhirl

Matthew, that's pretty cool, but can they still get you stocked at Target and Best Buy? If they can then cool, but I didn't see anything on their website about that. A label like Koch can. This is why some will still want to go with a label with established ties to retail and distribution. - Eric @ CS Techcast

Eric, getting stocked at Best Buy and Target only make sense if you're undertaking a nation wide promotional campaign, and if you're doing that, you're talking about a huge investment that is way, WAY beyond the scope of the independent artist. If you want to sell a physical product to a nationwide audience, the amazon advantage program is where it is at. - Matthew Davidson via twhirl

It's quickly becoming a management-based industry, with managers replacing record labels. As artists are able to control their own production, distribution, promotion, etc there becomes the need for someone to help organize and run these aspects. The manager steps in to focus on the business and mechanics, freeing the artist to be 'creative' and/or tour ... which, of course, used to be a purpose the record label served. - M. Donaldson

More simply, getting stocked at Best Buy isn't the issue. Creating the demand that merits getting stocked at Best Buy is, and if you've done that, you don't need Koch. - Matthew Davidson via twhirl

Having sat on the sidelines and about to embark on my own music career, I'm both excited and scared at the serious flailing about the music industry is doing. I'm confident I can get myself out there without the help/harm of a large record label -- either as an independent or on my own. There is *so much* opportunity to get real music out there that I'm not too worried about the distractions of the RIAA... - Tracy Ruggles

Tracy, this is the best time in history to be an independent musician IMO. I've done a major label stint as well as time on assorted indies and I'm personally having more fun (and making a more consistent living at it) now that I'm on my own. The advantage nowadays goes to the most creative rather than the one with the biggest marketing budget, and that's really exciting. - M. Donaldson

Please tell me that is a rhetorical question right? - John via twhirl

What's a music industry? - Pascal

The recent Bloc Party release is another example of the compromise model that will work for a portion of artists, labels, and consumers... release quality digital format at low cost (not free) ahead of leaks. Release compelling physical product shortly after including extras for top fans. - Amir Gharaat

Obama at least got education and is a self-made man. He had to struggle and make his way though to the top. He is also very charismatic and quite cultivated, not the least due to his law background. And he is a Democrat !! - Hayk

Another country heard from. This is a US election. There are no "citizens of the world". - eggsy

Why can't we have some of both. Charisma, integrity, a strong vision for the future. Something we can believe in. Americans, set your sights higher! - Scott Martin

Yeah, redistribution of wealth is so evil. You do know that severe income inequality is perhaps the leading cause of violent instability, right? - Ben Turner

yeah eggsy, like the elitist corporate shit we've been living under is SO much better. - Ẉ¡ĊḱḙƉ

"redistribution of wealth" usually means a society is using force to mug someone... it's just another term for violent theft. As for the idea of change? Well, Obama really isn't that different... look into his history in Chicago, including the way he won his elections there. He is just another politician, maybe a bit less honest than most. The facts simply don't support his recent branding as an idealistic outsider. - Soulhuntre

an easy marketing slogan given the last 8 years ... but the leader is only a figurehead, the government is thousands of americans who will resist change as much as possible - Gregory Lent

"We the People" of the USA are the problem, and ultimately the solution if we can ever get beyond being wagged by the political parties and start demanding the government "We" want. - Jim McCusker

At the end of the day, Obama will be elected because the Bush administration was just so awful. That's all there is to it. People will only feel disappointed in him if he does manage to be worse. - Ciaoenrico

Jim, good point. As much as I do have hope in Obama to bring about much needed changes, we Americans need to grow up beyond the idea that anyone can or will save us --its our responsibility to start making lasting changes. Dollars (i.e. on oil, plastics, etc. vs. local, quality goods) are powerful votes. - Leif Hansen

@Leif Hansen - the core point is a good one. The idea of someone selling himself to you as your savior (and Obama certainly has) should send up red flags all around. Then again, snake oil always sells to crowds. - Soulhuntre

Soulhuntre -every candidate is guilty of this to some degree -the system is set up to sell saviours (wow, what a nice tongue-twister). And actually, from what I read in Obama's Audacity of Hope, he seems to put a lot more emphasis on each of our individual responsibility --which would reflect his amazing journey as well. - Leif Hansen

Soulhuntre, the sad fact is that Euro-styled socialism is preferable to the mess that the GOP has left us with. The Republicans had 6 uninterrupted years in power and completely screwed the country with it. They have failed completely. Obama might not be a great choice for President, but he's a HELL of a lot better than a continuation of the Bush policies. - Tad - the Meme Maker

Honestly, there are two different kinds of elections. There are those where you happily vote for the person you want to win, and there are those where you happily vote against the person you DON'T want to win. No matter who the candidates are, some people will they're voting in the first type of election and others will feel they're voting in the second. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

I think the real change is having a leader who is able to energize people. If he can not only maintain, but increase his ability to mobilize, especially beyond the youth vote, we might be surprised what's possible. It sounds cliché, but the real power is with the people. - Michael Kowalchik via Alert Thingy

@Leif Hansen Missed your comment, I agree, it's up to us. I think Obama has the potential to actually motivate and energize the people to action. I see the potential there, I truly hope he can deliver. - Michael Kowalchik

A well-written, to-the-point piece. - Stagekid

the leader doesn't matter, he is only a representative of the collective consciousness .. it is us, baby, no one else - Gregory Lent

Suggested reading "The Limits of Power" --> http://tinyurl.com/5w556y - Jim McCusker

I'm not a leftie. For the 80,000th time. - Dave Hussein Winer

And yes, change from Bush is desirable. - Dave Hussein Winer

Coming to you from the Chevron station in Winnemucca, NV, US of A. - Dave Hussein Winer