Wow

Don't think of it as feeling insignificant. Think of it as just being really, really, really, really, really, really tiny.

"Where I Write"

If you haven't come across it yet, I highly recommend stopping in on photographer Kyle Cassidy's "Where I Write" project: www.whereiwrite.org

If you're a scifi fan (I am), and you have a strange, obsessive fascination with seeing how and where they work (I do), you'll love this photo essay, featuring a handful of well-known writers in their natural habitats (I did)!

And check out www.kylecassidy.com for more, plus a touch of steampunk that I really appreciated.

Enjoy!

Free stuff about free stuff

If there's one thing I love ... one thing that will get me revved up and ready to rumble every time ... it's free stuff. You like free stuff? Oh yes. Yes, yes. I know that you do.

Ok, then, let's get you hooked up. Make sure you have iTunes (a free download, by the way) and click on this bad boy.

A little gift from me to you. Ok, not really from me. It's actually from Chris Anderson, but I'm telling you about it free of charge. For the time being, it's a free download of the audiobook "FREE: The Future of a Radical Price."

I started listening to it yesterday and I've already made two exclamations:

1) "Damn it, this guy wrote by book!" Hell, he even started it almost word-for-word the way I was starting mine.

2) "Damn. This is useful. Oh well, at least I get to listen to my book." I give up. Maybe I'll just write a cookbook.

Full of great case studies and useful tips, as well as an intriguing look at the history and origins of "free" and "zero" as concepts, I highly recommend this to entrepreneurs and just general history buffs alike, plus anyone who likes free stuff. Which is everybody. I recommend this to everybody.

Enjoy. And let me know what you think of it. Also, if you don't download it I will think less of you. You can't afford to lose those cool points.

United Breaks Guitars

Since I just finished dealing with Continental Airline's rudeness and bend-em-overness, I thought this word-of-mouth win was particularly outstanding. It's also a good proof of concept: No matter who you are, screwing over the little guy will end up smacking you like a bawling baby.

I'll let the YouTube description fill in some of the gaps, but definitely give this video a view (I've also included the contact info, websites, etc.).

Full Story: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story... - In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise. Follow me at http://twitter.com/DaveCarroll. Video Produced by Curve Productions of Halifax, http://www.curveproductionsinc.com.

Free as a business model, boobs as an objective

I've always been a big fan of "free." I'm the guy who cut the back cover off of dozens of would-be-valuable comic books so I could get a set of free GI Joe dog tags, a "collector's edition" Transformer, and, of course, X-ray specs.

No boobs were seen in the process of my adolescence.

Later in my life, "free" became more than just a passion, it became a business model. I started a magazine specifically geared toward providing me with free stuff. And it worked. As long as I could supply credible reviews, along with proof that they were being read by the buying public, then I got to keep all manner of free goodies.

After all these years of being the Friar of Free, it's refreshing to see it catching on with the rest of the world. Books, blog entries (ironic), articles in "Wired" ... the Free Movement is everywhere.

So how can you use free to help boost your business? Take a look at how Google did it.

Google gives it away
When Google wanted to expand its brand and create greater user awareness, one of the approaches it used was to offer its search engine for free to website owners. Not only did they let people embed the search engine at no charge, they also paid them three cents per search conducted.

Google benefited in three ways.

First, they gained more and more brand recognition as web users found the Google logo on various sites and came to associate it with "search." Second, the data generated by user searches helped Google to refine and improve their product, making it even better. And third, Google's targeted text-based ads reached a more refined and specific audience, making the ad service more attractive to prospective advertisers. Google thought of this approach as being similar to the network television model, where major networks use affiliates to broadcast their programming (though the fee structure is different).

The lesson
Take a look around and see what services or products you offer that could, potentially, be offered for free. Take the time to figure out how giving it away can benefit you. Maybe you can improve your product using feedback from your clientelle. Maybe you can build brand recognition. Or maybe you can use your freebies to create a demand for your paid products or services. Consider Gillette.

When the disposable razor was invented, the decision was made to give them away for free. That way, there would be a market saturation, wherein tons of bristly and stubbly men would have the product and get a chance to try it out. And, of course, they liked it. So when the blades wore out, they were more than willing to pay for new ones.

Give away the razor. Charge for the blades.

Spend a little time considering what you do or what you sell, and pinpoint those things that you could offer as free incentives. Put no restrictions on it ... free should mean free. But that doesn't mean it can't be part of your overall marketing strategy.

By the way, in case you're wondering ... the marketing advice I give here is free. My little gift to you. And the benefit I get is credibility, a body of work about marketing, and a chance to dig deeper into my field of expertise, all of which cost me nothing but the time it takes to tap words onto the screen.

Money well spent.

Lessons from a hunchback

In my other blog, I'm talking up the perks of being in Paris for a week. In the Day 5 entry, I mentioned that we got a private tour of Notre Dame, and found out how Victor Hugo's book "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" managed to save the cathedral from being torn down.

I love being a writer.

So here's the thing ... this was a dilapidated building that was crumbling all around the Arch Bishop's head. It was expensive to maintain. It was becoming an eyesore. The good Parisians thought, "Why not a shopping mall? Or perhaps a nice movie theater?" Or whatever the 18th century equivalent may be. Disco?

But along comes Victor Hugo who goes and writes a popular novel of all things, and suddenly the public wants to keep the ol' girl around.

There's word-of-mouth marketing for you. One guy generates nostalgia for some real estate that's on the verge of collapsing, and now the whole world tours it, reads about it, and watches Disney versions of its story.

That kind of makes Quasimodo an early advertising mascot. Kind of like Jack from the Jack-in-the-Box commercials, but without the huge deformity. You know ... the big head?

Hunch-what now?

Anyway, as marketing goes, this kind of thing is ideal. I'm not certain anyone was even in the market to save the cathedral in the first place, but you can't argue with the results of a well-placed "campaign," nonetheless.

Charities, take note. Maybe the way to save that historic landmark is to take a few bucks and throw it at a novelist. Or, in this day and age, a well-known blogger, tweeter, or YouTube video maker. But don't overlook these tips:

1. Tell a story. Don't preach, don't whine, don't beg. Give the public a character and a tale to identify with so they'll feel a connection to what you're trying to save.
   
2. Don't worry about telling "the truth." It's a relative term anyway, where history is involved. Use your landmark as the central location for something fantastic. Fantasy trumps reality nine times out of ten. Of course, if that tenth time trumps fantasy, tell it. Just don't get locked into "facts."
3. Spread the news far and wide. Don't worry too much about making a profit from book sales (or video sales, or whatever). Profit, as far as this piece is concerned, isn't the goal. You are best paid by attention. Encourage people to tell the story to others, to mention the landmark, and to generally generate buzz about your project.
4. Be kind to your writer. We're an underpaid and under appreciated lot. Give the writer full reign to tell the best story they can, in their way. Don't censor or dictate. This isn't about ego, historic preservation, or keeping something within boundaries. This is about generating buzz with a good tale. Let your writer do his job, and when people start dropping in for tours you can "set the facts straight." Take a look at "The da Vinci Code" to see the power of fiction in drawing people to study real history.
5. Give the story away. You can sell copies in your gift shop ... that's a time-honored tradition. But your audience will be limited to those scant few who already know and care about your project. So instead, give copies away. Go to book stores and place copies with stickers that say "Free book! Take me!" on some of the stacks. Hand them out as gifts to everyone you've ever met. If it's a film, offer free screenings. Ask local theaters to run it at no charge to them and let them set a ticket price. In other words, give this thing away as much as possible, because your goal is to generate buzz.
   

Whatever form of media you choose, make sure it fits the broadest possible audience. A film, a television special, a novel, a YouTube viral ... there's virtually no end to the permutations. Just post an ad on Craigslist or elance.com and you'll find plenty of people willing to write your story for you. Then your job becomes easy: put it in as many hands as possible. The word-of-mouth you generate from this can make your project a success.

Michael Jackson crashes the Web

It hit like a tactical nuclear strike when we stepped off the plane in Paris ... Michael Jackson is dead.

Wow. It's not like I knew the guy personally, and I never saw him in concert or anything. But hearing that he was dead made me feel like I'd lost a relative or something. Holy crap. I didn't even think I liked the guy that much.

Then it occurred to me that I have nearly every track he's recorded since he left the Jackson 5 (thanks in some part to "HIStory"). "Thriller" was the first LP I ever bought with my very own money. And "Man in the Mirror" was a song so profound to me (at the time) it caused me to rally my church youth group for some charity work.

So the King of Pop was, somehow, connected to me, even if in a sort of wispy, ethereal way.

You know, the odd thing to me is that no one's really talking about how this guy was sort of a parody of himself in the end. He looked a little like a year-one sculpting project gone horribly wrong. Skin disease my buttocks ... that dude just wanted to be white. And what's up with the chin?

Is this too soon?

Anyway, it's a little unreal to leave the U.S. with a Michael Jackson firmly in place in Neverland, and then about ten hours later step off the plane into a world without the King of Pop. It's like we traveled through some rift in space-time. And now I can only think of one thing ... "Who will take care of Bobo the chimp?"

Then I hear the stories that after his death, people seeking news and information, not to mention downloading videos and music, nearly managed to crash the Internet ... worldwide.

Wow.

Name one other figure, currently living, whose death would even come close to that? Obama could die today and you might have outages in various parts of the U.S. Heck, the Pope died and I never heard a peep. Would Madonna have that kind of impact? Oprah? Maybe Oprah.

So that's the question I leave you with. What other possible even in all the world do you think would get enough attention from a worldwide audience to actually crash the Internet? If Michael Jackon's death couldn't do it, what could? Leave me your thoughts in the comments.

Word of mouth

I think this pretty much sums it up ... with awesome. Click to enlarge.

Check out more from xkcd.com.

20 percent time -- or "Never forget the gopher flies"

One way that companies like Google and 3M encourage more innovation and creativity from their employees is by offering them 15 percent or 20 percent time. The best way to explain this might be to share this quote from the 3M Website:

To foster creativity, 3M encourages technical staff members to spend up to 15 percent of their time on projects of their own choosing. Also known as the "bootlegging" policy, the 15 percent rule has been the catalyst for some of 3M's most famous products, such as Scotch Tape and — of course — Post-it® Notes.

Google implemented the same concept early on (making it 20 percent). This resulted in the creation of such Google services as Google News, Gmail, Froogle, and more. As stated on their site:

We offer our engineers “20-percent time” so that they’re free to work on what they’re really passionate about. Google Suggest, AdSense for Content, and Orkut are among the many products of this perk.

I believe this concept could work for almost any company. Giving the employees access to company resources plus time each week to dedicate to their own ideas and projects, for the benefit of the company, can lead to a flood of new ways for your to grow. And it gives employees a chance to shake out the cobwebs and stretch creative muscles in new and interesting ways.

If you're a small business owner just trying to keep soup and saltines on the table, don't fret. Giving yourself fifteen or twenty percent time can actually help you be less busy while making more profits. Start by blocking out a few hours a day, or a day a week, for exploring new ideas, doing research, trying out new software, etc. Treat this like paid time. It's sacred. It's blocked out for a reason, so it's not the time to check e-mail or work on other projects.

Once you have your time set aside, don't limit yourself. Explore every crazy idea that comes into that sweet, sweet melon on your shoulders. Mmm ... melon ... <>. Just let the ideas flow and see where they take you. Call someone you think might have the skills to write that program you dreamed up. Write a letter to a grant committees to do that study on the Southwestern gopher fly. Talk to a few experts in the field of lost dental retainer retrieval about your new concept. Whatever the idea, use your 20 percent time to explore it without guilt or pressure. It might just lead to new and bigger opportunities to grow your business and maybe fatten your wallet.

Courtesy marketing?

I'm reading "POW! Right Between the Eyes" by Andy* Nulman. The two-second synopsis is that it's about using surprise to boost consumer interest in your marketing. Sounds boring when I put it that way

A segment I just read was a story Nulman tells about being in a Chapters bookstore during Christmas, waiting in a long line to buy a stack of books. While waiting, an employee festooned with Christmas garb taps him on the shoulder to offer him a chocolate while he waits.

I don't have the exact passage, but to paraphrase, "They created a story that would later be told in a national best-selling book and in numerous public speaking engagements across the country. How many people have now heard of Chapters, for the cost of about ten bucks worth of chocolate?"

I've worked in marketing for some time now ... in fact, you could almost argue that I've been in marketing for all of my adult life. I recognize genius when I see it, and this is it.

For some reason, when I read this story, it brought up a memory from about fifteen years ago. I was at an Earth Day concert with a girl I'd been dating for a few months. We were still young enough in our relationship that I had let her convince me to see a live performance of Lisa Loeb.

To be fair, there was one really good moment where the crowd was actually chanting "Stay! Stay!" in an attempt to get her to do the one song anyone had ever heard from her. Without missing a beat, she said, "It's ok ... I'm not going anywhere." Badump-bump.

That day, the temperature was certainly in the triple digits, and the sun was brutal. People were being carted out in ambulances. Random concert goers were bursting into flame. And, of course, the vendors saw this as an opportunity to rake everyone over the glowing coals that made up the parking lot at our feet.

Water, suddenly the most in-demand substance around, was selling in small, two-ounce bottles for a startling five dollars per. Also, they ran out of water around the end of hour two of the ten-hour sweat-fest.

So, what does this have to do with free chocolate at a Chapters bookstore? I was just thinking, what if some enterprising company had said, "Hey, people like to live! Let's go buy a truck load of ice-cold bottled water, park our company-branded truck out front of this huge gathering of people, and give out free bottles to anyone who comes by!"

Imagine if they'd had the foresight to get vanity bottles, and put their name and Web address on them. Imagine if they'd done this while asking nothing in return, with maybe the hearty slogan of, "Continue to live ... compliments of Kevin." Or insert the name of someone or something YOU'D like promote ... this is my blog, after all.

Imagine that ... marketing through courtesy. That's certainly as surprise. I'd love to see more of it.

Let me know if you have examples of this, or if you are using something like this in your own marketing (or plan to). And remember the Kevin motto: Awesome is as awesome does.

* D'oh. I accidentally misspelled Andy's name. Because I'm a schmuck like that. Oh well ... Surprise Andy! Everybody gets an R!

Step

Something I've noticed lately is that I have more energy. Even better, I seem to have a lot less pain. And, not coincidentally, I'm seeing some shrinkage around the ol' mid-section. This is all thanks to my new walking regime, which has me in the park nearly every day for a three-mile lap.

I read a lot about men and women who are considered geniuses. Call it a study. And one thing that a large majority of them have in common is that they take daily walks. Some cite exercise for vitality, some want to commune with nature, while still others claim that a simple change of environment helps them think.

I'm going for all three.

True, I usually have my iPod going. That's more for helping me keep up the pace and energy, though. Believe it or not, nine times out of ten I'm listening to an audio book. This week's book of choice -- I'm re-listening to "The Alchemist." I've read or listened to this book several times now, and I come away with something new each time.

I like walking in Memorial Park. It's a good place for a recurring workout because I know the path, know how long it will take and what the landmarks and waypoints are, and my walk can be nearly automatic. But despite the familiarity and automation, there's still always something (usually someone) interesting to look at. There's this ever-evolving dynamic there, in which a slice of the world comes together to do something good for themselves. And for once, I'm a participant and not just an observer.

I like the fact that I'm seeing the benefits of all the exercise. I feel better. That's saying something, because I was starting to feel pretty crappy all the time. And I don't feel deprived of anything, though I am eating less (could stand to go even less). Not getting enough water yet, but I'm working on it.

All this started in preparation for Paris, but the side benefit is a better lifestyle. And occasionally I do get out of Memorial and walk in some more interesting places, like at Lake Conroe. And when we're in Paris I plan to try for some workout time there, too. It will counteract all of the pastries I plan to eat.

Hey, if it worked for Subway Jared it will work for me.

Pants bring respect

Random text-message conversation I had with Kara this morning:

Me: I'm sold. I'm going to get more solid color button-up shirts and a variety of pants. I get more compliments and more respect when I dress like this.

Kara: It's funny how when I don't do laundry you get more respect.

Everybody loves a good game

Ever just wonder what the hell someone was thinking?

[in] is coming

So this page looks a little different than the last time you saw it. That's because it's part of my grand plan to consolidate my Web presence and boost my personal brand. It's an [in] thing. You'll know what that means soon.

In the mean time, some future plans: I'm repurposing this domain to be the hub of all things Kevin. I have other sites, but this one will be tailored in a specific way. That way is [in]. To make a long story short, I've been working on a personal branding exercise that resulted in a re-think of all things Kevin.

I'll keep you updated as things progress. Meanwhile, I'll post normal entries here as often as possible, and you can also read my Chronicle blog, Mental Floss, at http://commons.chron.com/JKTumlinson. I'll have an easier link in the near future.

Enjoy.

Walkin' the walk

First, I know that the site looks wonky. I'm working on it. I recently moved to a new server so I haven't managed to transfer everything yet. But at least you can read this, right?

Second, this is a re-post of an entry on Mental Floss, presented on the Chron site. Sorry, I just wanted more people to see it.

I went walking in Memorial Park yesterday. I actually had a great time, and despite the agony of sinus pressure, muscle soreness, and a general protest from my shockingly out of shape body at the exertion I was forcing on it, I actually had a smile on my face the whole time.

One thing I did notice, though, is that no matter how fast I walked I was still getting passed left and right. This bothered me at first, but eventually I decided that A) my legs are shorter than everyone else's for some reason, thus making it hard to keep up without jogging, and B) I'm a slow walker. It's my thing. It's fast for me but slow to everyone else. Sort of like Einstein's theory of general relativity ... my time is different than your time. So be it.

I had come to a place of genuine acceptance, and was bouncing along just fine, until the girl jogging backwards passed me.

"Oh, COME ON!" I shouted, which she couldn't hear because by the time I reacted in Kevin Time she was already well out of ear shot. I did get some looks from the speed-streaked features of passersby, though.

Today I'm sore as hell, but I think I can keep it up. I just keep telling myself, "I'm feeling crappy now so that I won't feel crappy every time I do anything physical." That seems to work.

Nice and slow, but steady. If I can't get up to speed that way I have no idea what to do, because I've had exactly zero luck getting myself to take up any other form of exercise, and frankly I'm starting to mold myself to the sofa.

I was and always will be your viewer

I never did post my thoughts on “Star Trek.” And here I am thinking about going to see it again, this time at IMAX. Hell yeah.

So let me just say this … I thought this was brilliant cinema. J.J. Abrams may not be a “fan,” but he friggin’ nailed it. In one genius stroke he managed to preserve all of what went before while still relaunching the franchise. We get to have fresh, mind-blowing stories without the hassle of continuity!

And let’s face it … continuity was a problem with the original franchise anyway.

I’m a Trekkie. I own paraphernalia galore. I own a real bat’leth, ok? If I give this movie three phasers up, it deserves it. But don’t just take my word for it. Get it from Trek alumni. Wil Wheaton opens up his geeky heart here.

All of the Trekkies in the audience were cheering. All of the non-Trekkies were cheering. All of the theater staff, who had presumably seen the movie forty times already, were cheering. Damn, this flick is good. Go see it, or you will be considered a traitor to Sci-fi.

If Wil Wheaton is doing it, you know it's cool.

I just joined the Society for Geek Advancement. I'm Kevin Tumlinson, and I'm a geek. Also, I seem to be pantsless at the moment, and I reek of bourbon.

And where the hell did this "Star Trek kicks ass!" tattoo come from?

Good Times with Floods and Swine Flu

I have a little wooden pig that a friend brought me from the Philippines. Actually, he could have picked it up at a Sip-n-Go for all I know. But the point is Me + Wooden Pig = Real.

Now, normally my wooden pig is fun all by himself. I call him Ju-ju Pig, and he sits on my desk providing good vibes and holding down papers. I love him. He loves me. It's pig-tastic.

And then Swine flu hysteria started.

Want to have some fun? Hold a wooden pig close to someone's face and say, "Swine flu?" Then give the pig a little shake, like you're salting them or something. People will literally climb over desks to get away from you.

Trust me, I've been doing it for two weeks.

I'm praying to God that somewhere along the way someone invents "Darth Vader Flu," because I have a giant PEZ dispenser that's begging the scare the bejeebers out of somebody.

Speaking of scary, here's the update on our cars. Turns out both were totaled, so the insurance company is all but paying them off. Basically, when they pay out we'll owe a grand total of $250 on both cars.

Say it with ... "Sweeeeeet."

It gets better. Our insurance company is USAA, which happens to be our bank. This means there are no hassles between the two, and so it will go through as soon as we send over the signed paperwork. And to sweeten the pot further, they've pre-approved us for a loan to buy a new vehicle. So come this time Monday, I will (hopefully) be sporting a mid-sized truck with an extended cab. A truck, by the way, that I wanted to buy anyway but was forced to wait on because we had to pay off our cars first.

God likes me.

Who would have thought that a torrential rain storm destroying my cars would turn out to be a really good thing?

And finally, tomorrow is officially "Star Trek" day. I may wear a uniform to work. That would be nice. But after that, Kara and I are hot-footing it to Studio Movie Grill to catch the show with my brother- and sister-in-law. Expect Vulcan references aplenty from here on out.

Oh, almost forgot! My camera should be here today! Maybe. Hopefully. Check it: JVC GX-HD6.

I'll let you know when the awesomeness arrives.

Lessons learned from a floorboard full of water

So my car flooded.


It is now 4:12 p.m. and my floorboards are still full of water. I'm waiting on Enterprise to bring me a rental car, and the insurance folks will be here to take my car (and Kara's, the other car in this photo) in to be judged within the "next 24 hours."

It's going to cost me $200 in deductibles to have the insurance deal with the problem. Meanwhile, I spent all day working from home and waiting on someone to show up and take my car away.

Interesting day.

Oh, and I almost forgot, "Swine flu." There, I'm now part of the masses.

One interesting side note to the car flooding story ... Kara has been going crazy looking for this "Improve Your Vocabulary" book that she was reading. It had coupons for DSW in it. I'm not clear on what her actual motivation was.

Anyway, we've torn apart the vehicle she's currently driving, my car, the house ... any place where she might have left that book. Turns out it was (you guessed it) in her Malibu, which has been parked on the street with a "for sale" sign in the window for the past month or two.

And, you won't be surprised to learn, the book was completely soaked. I've managed to rescue the DSW coupons, so maybe it won't be a total loss.

Did I just write that?

Anyway, we'll see how this drama unfolds. Hopefully I get a rental car soon, so I'm not stuck hitching rides everywhere. But really, things could have been a lot worse.

Anyone else have any flood stories to share?

Be an indie film maker! [blatant promotion]

Yes, I'm selling my Canon XL1, plus all of its accessories.


Sweet deal for only $1,500. Check out the ad.