The River

I’m not going to get too much into politics here, but on the debate, I generally agree with Andrew Sullivan’s take.

I had the good fortune to attend (and cover) a presidential debate when I worked for KTRH Radio in Houston. I was on vacation in San Diego in 1996, when Bill Clinton and Bob Dole (with Ross Perot protesting on the sidelines) faced off at the University of San Diego. So, naturally, I asked if I could cover it in my spare time.

I don’t have the best memory in the world, but I recall the excitement of being even a small part of the political process. I remember phoning in — heart beating quickly and hands likely sweating — and talking to the anchor, Rod Rice, before going on the air live. My adrenaline was surging, but Rod was always a calming influence. When the time came, Rod asked me a few questions and I delivered my analysis. Just one voice in the cacophany.

Now, we find ourselves among the analysis and spin of 2004. Here’s hoping the debates help push voters to the right decision. For those who didn’t catch debate 1, Audible.com has a free download (as it often does for important speeches, etc.) that you can play on your iPod.

Saw this sign on Park Avenue South between 19th and 20th. It seems we’ve moved from putting URLs on ads to simply using Google keywords. Indeed, when one searches on “motionizer” in Google, the first result does appear to be this “advertiser“. Maybe the guy couldn’t get the URL, or maybe he’s on to something (or both!).

FYI, in a couple of weeks, I’ll be participating in a free Webinar on blogs and PR hosted by the Public Relations Society of America. I’ll be joined at the October 6 event by PR guy and blogger extraordinaire, Steve Rubel. Microsoft is the sponsor, interestingly enough, given the company’s embrace of blogs.

Here’s what we’ll be talking about:

How will the participatory journalism of blogs affect the way we communicate?

How are journalists using RSS to monitor and distribute communication?

Should companies be concerned about what is being published about their company in blogs?

How will blogs and RSS impact traditional communication channels?

I’m headed to the Harvest in the Square to benefit Union Square tonight. I know a bunch of NYC blogger types are also foodies, so maybe I’ll see some folks there. Mmm… my mouth is watering just thinking about the food, wine, beer, etc.

UPDATE: Yum, yum. What a lovely night of gustatory goodies. As my colleague, Erin, said to me several times during the event, “Now, that’s a taste sensation.”

Ok, here are my recommendations:

Gotham Bar and Grill: Warm Summer Corn Custard with Roasted Chanterelles & Cool White Corn Soup. Lovely texture and flavor.

Union Square Cafe: Olive Oil-Poached Fresh Tuna Salad with Beans, Potatoes, Celery, Fennel and Arugula. Paired with Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Dry Riesling 2003. Solid, tasty tuna and delicious, complex Riesling. The Riesling was really the highlight of the night, wine-wise.

Amuse: Niman Ranch Pulled Pork Sandwich on New York State White Cheddar Bun with Bread and Butter Pickles. At first, I just ate the moist, rich pulled pork, thinking the bread was nothing special. But a couple of bites of the bun convinced me of its worthiness — white cheddar really permeated this bread.

Strip House: Confit Beef Brisket with Sweet Corn Tomato Salad & Red Wine Sauce. The brisket was lovely and tender, but the highlight of this for me was the sweet corn tomato salad. The corn kernels were delightfully al dente, and released such intense flavors.

SushiSamba: Buttercup Squash Mousse layered with Spice Cake Pomegranate Reduction. The buttercup squash tasted so delightfully of fall, but the spice cake and pomegranate really took this one over the top. I never thought of SushiSamba as a dessert place, but they really pulled this one off.

Anil Dash links to an Inc. article titled “Passport to America” that highlights regional differences in the way business is done in the U.S. I’ve thought about this a lot lately, given I’m moving to a different region in mid-November. I’ve always thought my coming from Texas has been a plus in some ways (and a negative in others). It seems to help bridge the culture gap when I’m talking to people from areas other than NYC or SF.

The Internet Engineering Task Force has shut down the working group that was coming up with standards for e-mail authentication. E-mail authentication, for those who haven’t been following this whole process, is thought to be the first step in getting rid of spam, phishing, etc.

*sigh*

I know authentication will be happening in one form or another, as Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo! and Earthlink are going to do something. (Probably all different things, but that’s another story.) I’d had this utopian idea that a bunch of engineering types could sit down together and work things out. Alas, it was not to be.

From Ted Hardie’s e-mail announcing the dissolution:
The group was originally chartered with a very tight time frame, with the expectation that a focused group of engineers would be able to produce in relatively short order a standard in the area of DNS-stored policies related to and accessible by MTAs….. Each [possible solution] represents trade-offs, and the working group has not succeeded in establishing which trade-offs are the most appropriate for this purpose….The group remains divided on very basic issues.

Well, I once thought the FTC’s planned sit-down in November would be fairly boring, because, of course, everything would have been worked out by then. But now…