Pretty cool: Massive ice boulders make waves on the Web

You know it?s cold when the snowballs are so big they look prehistoric.

The rounded ice boulders on the shore of Lake Michigan caught the attention of the Web when North Michigan resident Leda Olmstead posted pictures of them on Facebook. They proceeded to go viral.

Olmstead, who lives near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, walks in the area frequently with her dogs. She first noticed the snowballs-on-steroids last week and snapped some photos.

"I thought it was the coolest thing ever especially since I've never seen anything like it," Olmstead told local station WZZM13. "I have a small English bulldog, and they were as tall as her. They were pretty massive." She estimated that hundreds of snow boulders stretched for about 100 feet along the lakeshore.

While the ice balls seem to be an oddity, there's an explanation. Sleeping Bear Park Ranger Amie Lipscomb told Michigan Live they're created thanks to a combination of wind, water and waves.

"The rounded ice forms the same way the rounded and smooth stones that wash up on the beach form: Chunks of ice break off from the large sheets that form over Lake Michigan," Lipscomb said. "Waves tumble and pummel the ice, rounding and smoothing edges. The waves then wash the boulders up on shore."

"People think it's so boring and gross up here in the winter," Olmstead told WZZM13. "But I think it's beautiful."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/pretty-cool-massive-ice-boulders-waves-213910196.html

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Pluperfecter: internet marketing, SEO, web usability, web content ...

How do you get good at marketing, social media, SEO, web usability analysis, and ecommerce?
Personally, I am not real big on formal education for advertising and marketing, but that's because I've forged my own path. I studied English literature and sociology in college.

By the time new business, advertising, and marketing methods and concepts reach a university, they've accumulated accretions of bad practice, hyperbole, and misconception. It's easy for academics to theorize and speculate, without much real world experience.

All my training and expertise in marketing comes from applying principles of poetics, semiotics, ethnomethodogly, deconstruction, and psychoanalysis to the realm of business communications. I got my first job in marketing based solely on my writing ability and enthusiasm for advertising.

At the time, I was working at Hiram Walker and Pabst on the weekends. But I had been subscribing to Advertising Age magazine and reading every book I could find in libraries and book stores on the topic of sales, advertising, and marketing.

I created some speculative print ads, put them in a portfolio, along with samples of my short stories and other writings, and managed to get an interview at a local marketing company. The first place I went to hired me.

I have also attended industry seminars sponsored by reputable corporations or trade associations. My real foundation is both personal study and practical experience working for companies like Ruppman Marketing Serivces, Troy Bilt, Scholastic, Wall Street Transcript, American Banker, and Grey Advertising.

Master marketing by practicing it for companies. Get as much insight and information as you can, then do some speculative work for a business or product that you love.

Design a print ad for a perfume or musical instrument or restaurant that you like and use.?

Develop a marketing campaign for a favorite rock band. Create a promotional video for a brand you're crazy about. Do something that shows you have some genius and passion.

Also be relentlessly paying attention to the blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums and websites devoted to the field, along with books like:

"Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout
"Gonzo Marketing" by Christopher Locke
"Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy" by Nick Usborne
"Designing Web Usability" by Jakob Nielsen
"Free Prize Inside" by Seth Godin
"Kellogg on Marketing" edited by Dawn Iacobucci
"The Origin of Brands" by Al and Laura Ries
"The Cluetrain Manifesto" by Doc Searls, et al
"Naked Conversatons" by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
"Talent" by Tom Peters
"Small Town Rules" by Barry J. Moltz and Becky McCray
"Customer Centered Selling" by Robert L. Joles
"Credibility" by James Kouzes and Barry Pozner
"Mobile Marketing" by Cindy Krum
"New Rules of Marketing and PR" by David Meerman Scott
"F'd Companies" by Philip J. Kaplan
"505 Unbelievably Stupid Web Pages" by Dan Crowley
"Social Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman
"Guerilla Social Media Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson

Plus any classic books on advertising and by Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Peter Drucker, W. Edwards Deming.

Be cautious when it comes to buying books. There are tons of books out now on "social media marketing" and many of them are garbage, just rehashing the same ideas over and over again, or blabbering about a bunch of nonsense. Examine books on "social marketing ROI" if you want a good laugh. On and on they go, never really saying much in most cases.

Learn as much as you can about sales, psychology, web usability, SEO, online writing, direct mail, quality assurance methods, semiotics, sociology, deconstruction, art, design, web design, and other things of this nature, for they all intersect with what you're doing in marketing.

Just when I was feeling like I had learned it all, and was getting rather bored with marketing, along came the internet and websites. Suddenly a whole new world opened up to me, and so far, I have not approached anything like the end of it.

While I have shifted from social media marketing to SEO, I see no end to the intricacies and opportunities of the online realm.

So we must keep studying, thinking, implementing, and learning. You can never think you know it all, or know enough. You must be obsessed and keep on growing and knowing, more and more, and that's how you stay valuable in your field and worthy of ever-increasing pay.

.

Source: http://pluperfecter.blogspot.com/2013/02/become-expert-and-get-job-in-marketing.html

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Demand of the day ? eCommerce Business with Social Networking ...

Social Networking is everywhere and always evolving, with an idea to reach into all the elements of the human life ? Business, Lifestyle, Networking & Communication, etc. Therefore, if you?re into an online business world or managing the eCommerce Solutions for any enterprise, it is not wise to ignore its significance. With the technological advancements, modern trends and various avenues, it is essential to utilize the potential of Social platforms to achieve success for your open source eCommerce solutions. Even so, the basic question still lingers on i.e. how to interact or engage the audience or potential customers into your business idea, brand and offers.

Transforming Trends: Enhancing Business Values!

As the time is changing, business trends are also undergoing transformation and taking businesses to new extents. Today the conventional medium of branding and marketing is no longer efficient and cost-effective. Due to the on-going revolution in trends:

• Term ?Product? is no longer used, it is replaced by ?idea?.
• Online media created new global avenues, and businesses have no restrictions. Today, business have to provide information feeds, to regulate channels and explore future prospects.
• Promotional techniques received new definitions. Communication channels are now the medium of promotion. Social media is now a place for promoting or communicating people for business purpose.
• Money is out of the picture, as social networking platforms are available free of cost and enable businesses to reach out to a wider population. In addition, this also helps in business promotion, as well as assists in interacting directly with the potential customers.

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Social networking is one the best tools for business brand and promotion, that allows people to interact, think and suggest the right option from the list. However, with load of organizations entering the market, people are getting more choices and options. Therefore, it is also hard to hold people on to your business. To overcome this, Social networking platforms offer technique to facilitate businesses by allowing them to create their fan pages or web pages.

Your eCommerce Solutions or portals can grow up to a great extent, through effective social networking, as it allows you to interact with people and convince them about your business or concepts. So, it is imperative for a eCommerce business to utilize social networking for spreading the word and acquiring success.

Source: http://blog.hiddenbrains.com/demand-of-the-day-ecommerce-business-with-social-networking-touch.html

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Anti-doping agency extends deadline for Armstrong

(Reuters) - The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has given disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong two more weeks to cooperate fully in an investigation into cycling's darkest episode in return for a possible reduction of his life ban.

Armstrong had initially been set a February 6 deadline by USADA to answer questions under oath, but that was extended on Wednesday after the athlete's attorney Timothy Herman said the timing for an interview could not be accommodated.

"We have been in communication with Mr. Armstrong and his representatives and we understand that he does want to be part of the solution and assist in the effort to clean up the sport of cycling," chief executive Travis Tygart said in a statement.

"We have agreed to his request for an additional two weeks to work on details to hopefully allow for this to happen."

After years of denials, Armstrong admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey last month that he had cheated his way to a record seven Tour de France titles with systematic use of banned, performance-enhancing drugs.

Last year he was stripped of his titles after being labeled a "serial cheat" by the USADA.

Tygart then told the CBS "60 Minutes" program on January 27 that his agency had requested an interview with Armstrong while disputing the cyclist's claims of a clean comeback in 2009.

"His blood tests in 2009, 2010 ... one to a million chance that it was due to something other than doping," Tygart said.

In a letter to USADA on January 25, Henman said his client was willing to cooperate with the agency but that pre-existing obligations made the February 6 deadline impossible.

In that letter, Herman raised questions about the role of the USADA in ridding cycling of performance-enhancing drugs. He noted that "professional cycling is and has been largely a European sport".

Herman applauded the International Cycling Union's announcement that it would work with the World Anti-Doping Agency in a broad probe into the use of drugs and rely on a "truth and reconciliation" process.

"As such, we would like to make sure we coordinate with the truth and reconciliation process to examine the culture of doping in cycling in the past and to clear the air so that cycling can move forward," Herman wrote.

Armstrong, 41, said in his interview with Winfrey on her cable network OWN that the lifetime ban against him was like a "death penalty".

He added that he had no ambitions to return to professional cycling but would like to compete in sanctioned athletic events.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/usada-extends-deadline-armstrong-cooperate-011955899--spt.html

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No more Saturday mail? Postal Service plans cuts (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/283261560?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Stanford Engineering's Jens Norskov wins Boudart Award for catalysis

Public release date: 7-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Myers
admyers@stanford.edu
650-736-2245
Stanford School of Engineering

Norskov has contributed extensively to the development of computational methods and models of surface reactivity

Jens Nrskov, The Leland T. Edwards Professor in the Stanford University School of Engineering and director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis at SLAC, has won the Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis, an international award for scientific contributions to catalysts, which are integral to many important industrial and biological processes.

Specifically, Nrskov was recognized for developing computational methods and models of surface reactivity, introducing what is now a standard model of transition metal reactivity. Most recently, his research group developed the first database of surface chemical properties and an open-source software to access and mine thermodynamic and catalytic data, opening novel opportunities for discovering trends and for designing new catalysts and catalytic processes.

Nrskov was quick to direct attention to the entire SUNCAT group and its strength in theory, sophisticated computer modeling and experiments.

"It is a recognition of the team and what we've accomplished," Nrskov told the news website InMenlo. "It is by teaming up that you can really move things in a substantial way that a national lab in conjunction with a research university can really make a difference and attack the broader classes of problems."

The Bourdart Award is named for the renowned catalysis expert, Michel Boudart, who died last year after a five-decade career at Stanford University. Presented by the European Federation of Catalysis Societies and North American Catalysis Society, it recognizes contributions within the past five years to the understanding and practice of catalysis and comes with a $6,000 prize.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 7-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Myers
admyers@stanford.edu
650-736-2245
Stanford School of Engineering

Norskov has contributed extensively to the development of computational methods and models of surface reactivity

Jens Nrskov, The Leland T. Edwards Professor in the Stanford University School of Engineering and director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis at SLAC, has won the Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis, an international award for scientific contributions to catalysts, which are integral to many important industrial and biological processes.

Specifically, Nrskov was recognized for developing computational methods and models of surface reactivity, introducing what is now a standard model of transition metal reactivity. Most recently, his research group developed the first database of surface chemical properties and an open-source software to access and mine thermodynamic and catalytic data, opening novel opportunities for discovering trends and for designing new catalysts and catalytic processes.

Nrskov was quick to direct attention to the entire SUNCAT group and its strength in theory, sophisticated computer modeling and experiments.

"It is a recognition of the team and what we've accomplished," Nrskov told the news website InMenlo. "It is by teaming up that you can really move things in a substantial way that a national lab in conjunction with a research university can really make a difference and attack the broader classes of problems."

The Bourdart Award is named for the renowned catalysis expert, Michel Boudart, who died last year after a five-decade career at Stanford University. Presented by the European Federation of Catalysis Societies and North American Catalysis Society, it recognizes contributions within the past five years to the understanding and practice of catalysis and comes with a $6,000 prize.

###

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/ssoe-sej020713.php

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Fox dampens higher profit, revenue at News Corp

(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp on Wednesday reported higher quarterly revenue and profit on strong growth at its cable assets including its Regional Sports and FX networks.

But the rosy quarterly figures - revenue and profit beat expectations - masked troubles at three of News Corp's properties, most notably Fox.

The "fourth network," as Fox is sometimes called, has seen ratings weaken, with more softness at "American Idol" and "X-Factor."

"It's no secret (Fox) had a tough fall," said News Corp President and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey on a call with analysts, pinning the blame on both programming and a sports line up that fell short of expectations.

Carey, for instance, specifically cited the fact that the San Francisco Giants' World Series sweep of the Detroit Tigers deprived Fox of three high profile nights of live event programming.

News Corp's other trouble spots were overseas, with SKY Italia experiencing a drop off in subscribers because of that tough economy and declines at its Australian newspapers - the early seeds of the News Corp empire.

Carey said Sky Italia's performance so far this year is tracking $100 million below expectations and $150 million lower than last year's performance. He said News Corp plans to take $200 million out of the unit's cost base over the next two to three years.

Shares of News Corp, whose global assets also include The Wall Street Journal and film studio Twentieth Century Fox, fell 3 percent in after-hours trading after closing at $28.22 on Wednesday.

The media conglomerate said revenue rose 5 percent to $9.43 billion for the quarter that ended in December. Analysts were expecting revenue of $9.28 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

News Corp is preparing to separate its faster growing entertainment assets from its newspapers, a move that has been greeted with enthusiasm from investors who have driven up the stock almost 50 percent year-over-year.

Some details about the new publishing operations have been released, including naming Robert Thomson, a Murdoch confidant and the former top editor at The Wall Street Journal, as CEO. More financial information is expected to be released in the next month or so and the split is still on track to be completed by the end of the year, News Corp executives said on the call. Beyond that, however, no other information about the split was provided and analysts did not ask any questions about it.

Despite the problems in Australia, the division that operates the company's newspapers and book publishing assets reported an operating income increase to $234 million from $218 million in the same period a year ago, credited in part to the launch of the Sunday edition of its British tabloid The Sun.

ON MALONE, THE LA DODGERS

Murdoch was once again absent from the earnings call but his son James Murdoch, the company's deputy chief operating officer, fielded questions including the latest cable news out of Europe.

Rupert Murdoch's long-time rival John Malone on Tuesday inked a deal through his Liberty Global to buy British cable group Virgin Media - a potential threat to News Corp's dominance in pay-TV in Europe and its BSkyB network in the U.K.[ID:nL5N0B5646]

But James, who also serves as a director at BSkyB, downplayed any competitive threat.

"Across Europe we compete as well as work with Liberty Global. I don't think there is really a big change to the landscape there. We're pretty pleased with momentum and pleased with the strategic position of the business," he said.

Indeed, News Corp's cable assets have turned in strong growth and this quarter was no exception. Operating income increased 7 percent to $945 million. Advertising revenue at its domestic cable channels rose 8 percent.

"You are getting a massive out performance of growth at the cable group and we think that is compelling," said RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank.

Also attractive is News Corp's ambitions of expanding its sports programming. The company recently took a 49 percent stake in the network that airs the New York Yankees baseball team and snapped up a regional sports network in Ohio, Bank noted.

News Corp's moves to acquire sports programming rights is widely believed to be the prelude to its launching a national sports network to compete with Disney's ESPN.

On that point, Carey sheepishly said that while News Corp hasn't made an official announcement, "you could call it the world's worst kept secret."

"We think sports is in a huge arena that has room in it to build really attractive businesses," he added.

Carey also took the opportunity to take a shot at Time Warner Cable, saying that company's recent deal for the television rights to the LA Dodgers, reportedly valued at $6 billion-$7 billion, was "too rich for our blood."

News Corp said that net income was $2.38 billion or $1.01 per share, compared with $1.06 billion or 42 cents per share in the same period a year ago.

Excluding special items including costs related to the phone hacking scandal in the U.K., earnings per share was 44 cents, ahead of analysts' estimates by a penny.

(Reporting By Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Peter Lauria and Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fox-dampens-higher-profit-revenue-news-corp-000815336--finance.html

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