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| Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | |
girlgenius_feed
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5:00a |
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idlewild_
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12:11a |
Nom nom nom
Eat Well Every Day has a pair of bookended posts about ethical meat eating for health reasons, and vegetarianism as an option. Plus with a sexy daal recipe. OMG. (In the vegetarian post.) I have a great fondness for lentils in any form. Well, almost any form. We used to get to have lentils when Dad was traveling on business. Mum would whip up lentil burgers, which Dad wasn't fond of, and he'd get to eat expense account steak smugly while we got to enjoy a veggie meal. Although I seem to remember the recipe was pretty fiddly, so I'd probably stick with the daal now! Anyway, go take a look and let her know what you think... Current Mood:  tiredCurrent Music: White Gold-Metric-Grow Up and Blow Away |
| Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 |
suicideking
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2:39p |
So this is a post about TV. And while it contains elements of wrestling, it is really about TV and marketing. For years and years, the WWE had provided a pretty decent commodity within the world of cable television. They have produced 2 hours of live TV every Monday night for 12 years or so. While I wouldn't call them a "Flagship" of USA, they are definitely one of their main supports. Even with their slumping numbers, they can consistently deliver a 3.0 each week with no down time and no off season. (To compare, at their peak they were pulling down 7.0-9.0 on a weekly basis.) This has been great for USA, who has pretty much written the textbook as to how to grow a cable brand. They consistently expand their audience and choose shows for their lineup that gel well with the rest of their content. In short, they know that if they can get you to see what is on USA, they have a good shot at keeping you on USA for a few rounds of commercials. It's worth noting that USA's parent company, NBC Universal, has not had this growth across the board. This is important is realizing how USA is viewed internally. NBC realizes the strength of USA and its brand, and works to support the foundations of it. This is why you occasionally have a Saturday Night's Main Event on a Saturday Night Live off week. A few years back, another station decided to enter the fray. Tired of being a niche market, they wanted to expand their viewership and attract new demographic to their station, even if it meant they had to jettison their current loyal fan base. CBS/Viacom took a country music themed station, The Nashville Network, and turned it into The National Network. They saw the success that USA was having with WWE, and decided to pursue the same route. They tried to run ECW nationally, but the company was, for lack of a better term, not WWE. They didn't have the sets or the lighting or the pyro budgets that the WWE had, so they were not able to offer the same product. (Oddly enough, what made ECW the biggest little wrestling company on the planet was that they offered something different from the WWE, both in look and content.) It became apparent that ECW was not going to deliver what Viacom wanted: an expanding fan base. ECW brought their fan base with them, but didn't present anything visually to attract and ensnare the casual viewer. Viacom had two things in its favor: 1) They had a deal with ECW that was pretty heavily slated to favor them. They weren’t paying for the show, so they weren’t risking much by airing it. 2) The WWE was having trouble coming to a new deal with USA. Thus, The National Network signed WWE to be THE target programming of their new venture. It paid off exponentially. People tuned in by the millions to the new TNN, something that had never happened with their Alan Jackson concerts or rodeo coverage. The new TNN rebranded itself as a network catering to men. By the time the WWE contract was done, TNN had the momentum to be a full fledged station, on par with TNT and USA, using popular syndicated shows and inexpensive original programming to fill in it's base. After the WWE returned "home" to USA, TNN changed it's name to Spike and, with the addition of UFC, became a major name in cable TV. Spike has had its share of hits and misses. It does well enough that it doesn't have to worry about closing any time soon. It has had its biggest success when it partners with it's programming base as opposed to just joining in a business deal with them. In keeping with their brand strengths, the two biggest successes they have had are with UFC and a young southern independent wrestling company that has had its sites set on being a competitor on par with the WWE named Total Nonstop Acting. Spike has partnered with and invested pretty heavily in each of these, and has seen decent returns from each of these as far as ratings. Now, as notes above, WWE has had a ratings decline from its glory days. This is a weak spot in USA's chokehold on the industry. Thus, Spike came up with a plan. Part scientific process and part dumb luck: Throw appealing counter-programming at the WWE, closely micro-monitor the ratings and see what works and what fails. This is where Spike, with its partnering, has the upper hand over TNT, TBS or any of that genre of competition. Whereas other shows have to worry if they lose a ratings battle, especially if they do a "Very special episode," Spike has the back of both TNA and UFC. They can use them as test monkeys, throwing them in front of the juggernaut and observing what happens. If they get beat up, it's no big deal. The company is producing them. They have their back. All Spike ahs to do is make sure someone watches, even if it is a slaughter. Thus, last night Spike did it's first "test" against USA's programming on Mondays at 9pm. It hired the biggest names of yesteryear to make sure wrestling fans would care enough to turn in and sent them into battle. Just as expected, TNA pulled out all of the programming tricks that they wanted to observe and essentially set off their fireworks to get people to look. Next week, UFC is airing on Spike opposite the WWE. Dana White has publicly stated that he expects to get slaughtered in the rating and he doesn't care how they do because his boss wanted programming for that night, so he provided it. In a way, this is the true test to see what programming will work. The UFC isn't doing a damn thing different, which will give truer data as far as what works and what doesn't in the future. And that is what this is all about. Not the REturn of Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair. Not about Bret Hart's return to WWE or HBK's reaction to seeing him again. It is about USA dominating the Monday Night 9-11p cable time slot and competing companies rightfully wanting to take a piece of that pie. So once again the Monday night wars are on, and once again it has very little to do with actual Pro Wrestling and everything to do with cable TV ratings. *** This is me expounding on Paul Heyman's blog on last night. If it seems like i stole from him, i probably did, but at least i cite my source. It is worth a read and is a much more concise treatsie on this idea. Paul hits the nail right on the head. I was thinking the same basic idea, but Paul really boils it down and gets specific. Sadly, I think he is the only one who could lead a run against the WWE, but he will never work with the company that has the best position to take such a run (TNA), and with the hiring of Bischoff, I doubt he will at any point in the future. |
grrm
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11:42a |
Adventures in 2010
Life is magical... but full of pain. The Jets are in the playoffs. Who woulda thunk it, a couple of weeks ago? The game against the Bengals was certainly impressive. Can they do it again, though? We'll see. The Giants didn't play. I don't know who those guys in their unis were, but they sure were inept. Goodbye, Bill Sheridan. A good guy, by all reports, but a horrendous defensive coordinator. I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today. Current Mood:  busy |
daemonv
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12:10p |
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mirvana
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8:02a |
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365mav
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5:54a |
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365mav
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4:11a |
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| Monday, January 4th, 2010 |
daemonv
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12:10p |
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blairhippo
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10:57a |
Behind the Scenes at Triangulation
I'm no longer the editor of Triangulation. But I know I left the thing in good hands because my successor, Bill Moran, is doing stuff like this: Triangulation 2010 podcastsThis is the page where Bill shall be posting "podcasts" of the editorial staff discussing short fiction in general and the Triangulation anthology in particular. I put "podcasts" in snark quotes because, well, I think it kinda needs some sort of aggregator-friendly RSS mechanism before it's really a true podcast. You can't subscribe to it, after all; there's nothing to subscribe to. But there is something to listen to, regardless of what you want to call it -- and if you have an interest in short fiction, it's well worth listening to. The first episode is up as a simple MP3 download. I listened to it yesterday; the audio quality is solid, and everybody had interesting things to say. Check it out. |
mirvana
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8:01a |
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365mav
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5:31a |
1-2-09
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismaverick/4243076289/ chrismaverick posted a photo:
Day 1240 of 365 4 lyf.
Amaya was busy with other people New Years night, but told me she wanted to hang out sometime soon. So we did that today. Girls night out. Well, in really. A fun night of drinking and playing wii games followed by a late night dinner at Tom's Diner.
Me and my favorite girls...
That's right, Mikey, Jameel and Jack. I'm a pimp! :-P Jealous? I know you are.
365 days |
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girlgenius_feed
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5:00a |
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365mav
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2:32a |
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365mav
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2:16a |
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| Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 |
jameel
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8:38p |
Hmm...
I seem to be missing some userpics.... Current Mood:  confused |
mirvana
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3:03p |
RIP, Ed
Well, my holiday vacation was marred by the untimely, inexplicable death of a dear friend. I hadn't seen him or talked to to him in person in a while, but always thought that I would see him again, eventually. I think that I'm taking this one pretty hard because of the circumstances of his death, and also because perhaps I had some unresolved issues. There are quite a few things I would have liked to say to him, and my bad for thinking that there would always be tomorrow. Here goes: Ed, you are awesome. You are one of the few people I really liked hanging out with, and it was always a fun time. You are one of the positive things I will remember from the last few years of hanging out at The Upstage. You were also right about a particularly bad decision that I made way back then. I should have taken you more seriously at the time, and maybe I wouldn't have gone down that path. I always wanted to tell you that, but I hope you knew that. I think you did know that, because you were still my friend, it seemed, no matter what. I felt like you were always "on my side" and I was always on yours. I am realizing now what I've lost. I don't understand why you are gone. Why you? I wish I could have done something. I could have paid better attention. I could have made more of an effort. I figured that you had so many other friends, I was just an insignificant blip on your radar at this point. Although, you did wish me a happy birthday, and a happy holidays and New Year. I should have responded in kind, but I've been buried deep inside myself lately. I have so many regrets now. They are my burden to bear, as you've shed your burdens. I hope you found peace. I am sad beyond words. Current Mood:  sad |
mirvana
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8:01a |
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| Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 |
thewonderelf
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9:46p |
i'm getting rid of stuff
If anyone is interested in anything I'm listing here, comment to reserve that item and we can work out delivery of said item. Jewelry- fake leather bracelet with three straps and studs - small
- plastic black bracelet with glow in the dark purple spikes
- fake leather gothy bracelet with studs and spikes, about two inches thick - small
- pirate hello kitty wrist band (it served me so well in high school...)
- a crown of thorns wristband (my mom bought it for me. for you know, jesus and all that.)
- batman dog tags
- pokemon (nine tails) dog tags -- once when i went to hershey park i rode this ride that makes you go all crazy and stuff and i almost choked on these so please don't wear them to amusement parks, okay?
Clothes- black and red plaid hello kitty arm bands
- a gray hoodie with roses and a heart that says "love" but it has some purple stains on it (m)
- a pink and a purple long sleeved shirt (s)
- a pair of dark gray, size 11 dress pants. they have bleach stains on the bottom, but maybe you are more industrious than i am and could do something about them. the pants are really comfy.
- a pair of size 9/10 black platform flipflops. i only wore them a few times
Random Stuff- a powerpuff girls metal zipper tin. it looks like a purse, only it's metal. i used to keep my goth/punk jewelry in it. fyi.
- a clear, 10ish pocket expandable folder with labels.
- a red kanji bookmark that says luck. it's magnetic. (i only use index cards as bookmarks. i get distressed when i don't have an index card handy. it's true. index cards make the best bookmarks. although this one is pretty.)
- mini yahtzee. you can hook it on your keychain and it has tiny tiny dice. if no one takes this i'll actually probably keep it because the tiny tiny dice are really cute.
- a fake leather square pop open girly girl wallet.
- a dark puple quilted purse with small handles (not over the shoulder, which is why i never used it)
- a pink faux leather messenger bag with fake fur around the edges. no, i don't know why i own that either.
- a small black backpack. good for biking!
Movies- Fire Tripper (an old ass vhs anime tape. i got it at a yard sale. i never watched it. yard sales are dangerous places for me.)
- love hina spring movie
- geneshaft vol. 1
- the big o II vol. 1 (no it's not porn, you pervs)
- spirit of wonder
- argento soma vol 1 and 2 plus cool box
- arjuna vol. 1
- yuyu hakusho movie (i know, i know, i'm sorry...)
- witch hunter robin vol. 1
- ronin warriors (it's the new one, not the old one. i think. i don't know.)
- beat up version of argento soma vol. 1
- wolf's rain vol. 2
- galaxy angel vol. 1
- banner of the stars ii vol. 1
- kaze no yojimbo vol. 1 (i didn't ever buy any of these except argento soma and wolf's rain. they are all from high school anime club when we got free dvds to screen.)
I will also be selling a bunch of jrock stuff here soon. Or maybe I won't. I don't know. I guess if I get a library then I can keep it. I was going to sell it to make back some of what I spent to go to that Miyavi concert in Houston, but now it kind of doesn't seem worth the hassel. I could probably make a bundle, though. I guess we'll see. Current Music: Lovex |
idlewild_
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8:13p |
It's true what they say
After the first couple of tattoos, you just want more. I am considering (and will probably consider for quite some time before I do anything about it) getting a tattoo on my scarred and busted ankle. I made a friend damn near choke with laughter when I told her I wanted this. Because I told everyone that I broke the bones in my ankle during a fight with a timber wolf. And a surprisingly large number of people said, "Really!?"But that's a bit much to fit on one ankle, so I think I might go for "Pain Don't Hurt" in Latin. Current Mood:  sillyCurrent Music: Seven Samurai: Ending Theme-Ryuichi Sakamoto-Chasm |
pittsburghmagic
[ solaran_x ]
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5:51p |
CMU Legacy Event
For those who do not know, next Saturday at 3 PM there will be a Legacy tournament at CMU at the University Center above the pool (where drafts and such are held). Buy in is $5, and 100% of entry fees will be paid out to top 3 players. This is going to be a Sanctioned event, as such no proxies are permitted. If you've been on the fence about trying Legacy, this is a good time to bring your Standard or Extended deck and try it out against Legacy. |
daemonv
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12:10p |
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dutin
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8:14a |
Hello anyone looking for content here!
Yanked from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) d33ann cause i'm lazy like that and it was written so well! Hi new potential friends! Don't be dismayed by the lack of "new" posts here, I went underground at some point and now only post 100% locked posts. But don't fret, drop me a comment, and if we have some mutual friends or another compelling connection, I'll add you right away, and you can catch up on the current stuff. |
mirvana
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8:01a |
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| Friday, January 1st, 2010 |
zare_k
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9:32p |
have yourself a merry little christmas
This awe-inspiring display is found at the corner of Upas and 28th in San Diego. It has taken over two complete yards and was making inroads on a third. |
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