On Thursday I tweeted about the Irish music band, Grada, and posted a link to a video of them playing a live show in 2007. Within the hour a musician by the name of Shawn McBurnie had followed me. I always visit the website that followers list in their bio before following them back – it’s an easy way to determine their actual motive for following. The link listed for Mr. McBurnie took me to the website for his band, Rumgumption, a traditional Irish/Scots music group. After listening to one of their streaming songs I followed him without hesitation and sent him a direct message complimenting the song. He immediately messaged me back with a link to the Bandcamp page for the group’s new album, Crossing the Roaring Main, that is due out on December 12 – which is now on my music short list.

A win for me and win for the band.

That’s why I love Twitter.

A little more about the band in their own words: “We play traditional Irish and Scots music with origins ranging from ancient to sometime last week, and have amazed and enthralled literally dozens of people at a time.”

Rumgumption is Adam Modares (djembe, Uillean pipes), Jason Novak (cittern, flute), Chad McAnally (hammered dulcimer, Gaelic harp, assorted whistlage), and Shawn McBurnie (vocals, bodhrán).

Here is a holiday gift idea for the Irish music lovers in your life. Grada’s last CD, Cloudy Day Navigation, has been in regular rotation on my commute since I bought it at a live show a few years ago. Their musicianship is something to behold but their ability to create atmosphere and a sense of place with every piece they play is what keeps me coming back for more. You can hear a few cuts here. Their website has a little more about them and a new CD, Natural Angle, is on the way. Here’s hoping they come back to Southern New England in 2010.

If you live in the US anywhere outside New York and LA, go to New York or LA!

First Paranormal Activity exhorting us to demand the movie for our towns, and now this? Are we going to have to plead for movies from now on? Is that the new marketing model from Hollywood?

Don’t get me wrong, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus looks good enough to beg for. I just don’t want to have to work so hard for my entertainment. Next thing you know they’ll be making us beg for the over priced popcorn and soda.

Anyway, in case it never gets here…

Thanks to @instantam on Twitter for the heads up on this one.

Here is an eye-opening piece of research from the Pew Research Center. Despite what Republicans want us to believe (as evidenced by their disciple-like repetition of the talking point) only 15% of us believe that “America has the best health care in the world.” (See first line of chart) In fact a clear majority, 59%, rate it as average or below.

So maybe, Mr. GOP, just maybe, before you get up and start yammering on about how America has the best health care in the world, you should actually check to see if your claims match what real people are experiencing. And hey, one other thing to remember: saying something over and over does not make it true. Ask any 4th grader.

Here is the research summary: America’s Health Care is … Fairly Average – Pew Research Center.

This weekend my daughter and I participated in a Walk for Water to raise money for the purchase of a well for a village in Africa. The walk wasn’t long, just two miles, but at the one mile mark we filled the buckets we had been carrying with water. Where the first mile was breezy and full of conversation, the second was marked by grunts and groans, spilled water and fatigued arms. It was just a small taste of what over a billion people have to do every day to have clean water.

The well will be purchased and installed through World Vision which shares these facts on the Water & Sanitation page of their website.

Every 21 seconds, a child dies from a water-related illness.

When a community gains access to clean water, its child mortality rate drops by half.

In many regions, women and girls walk for hours every day to collect water that often isn’t even clean.

In partnership with other organizations, World Vision has plans to drill 825 deep wells in rural West Africa that will bring the gift of health and clean water to nearly 500,000 people over a six-year period.

The well we walked for will provide water for 100 villagers for their whole lives. The total cost will be $5,400. That’s just $54 per person. We spend that and then some on a mediocre dinner out. I’m not asking you to donate to the well I am working toward. All I’m asking is that you consider donating to World Vision’s quest to provide clean water to rural West Africa. This is their donation page specific to providing clean water.

Access to clean water is one of the most pressing problems our world faces. As the earth’s population grows demand for water increases but supply does not – at least not without our help.

Two Three related articles:

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_50821.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0319/p06s01-woeu.html

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/132/water-water-everywhere.html?nav=inform-rl

We’ve all been there. Mired in the muck. Working to solve or move or create only to feel like every effort lands us right back in the same tar pit. New ideas don’t come because our thinking patterns don’t change. Our brains form habits. We use the same logic, make the same assumptions and take the same path time after time. Here are some ways to stay open and fluid.

1. Read. Read.

2. Read about a subject that challenges you intellectually. We all want to feel smart so it’s natural to choose reading material that reinforces the intellectual picture we have of ourselves. But where does that get you? Put yourself back in school. Read something that makes your brain hurt.

3. Try to understand a point-of-view that differs from your own. Are you a conservative? Talk to, listen to and don’t argue with a liberal about a subject you are both passionate about. Then attempt to argue the others side. You already know how you think, and it’s not working. Assimilating another person’s thought process can help you approach your problem differently.

4. Read up on a subject that is distinctly different from what you are working on. Are you trying to optimize your manufacturing? Read about painting techniques. Are you trying to change your study habits? Read a book about the space program. The pathway that your work needs to take can often be found in the techniques of other disciplines.

5. Have a conversation about a subject you’ve been writing or thinking about. Talk with a trusted colleague or friend. Don’t edit – let the stream-of-consciousness just happen. Don’t dismiss what your conversation mate might interject. Accept it all to keep your mind open and let the conversation go where it goes.

What techniques do you use to stimulating new thinking when you’re stuck? Share them in the comments and I’ll combine them all in a new post at a later date.

Wal-Mart’s “Packaging Scorecard” has also applied pressure from the world’s largest retailer to over 66,000 suppliers to reduce packaging. Wal-Mart is pushing to become “packaging neutral” by 2025. No small feat. The impact of this decision has had profound ramifications in the entire consumer product industry.

via MediaPost Publications When It Comes To Packaging, Less Is More 07/08/2009.

Now if only Wal-Mart would make the same committment to reducing the number of obesity inducing foods they stack on their end aisle displays. The impact of that decision would have profound impact on the entire consumer.

What has haunted American car makers for decades continues in the form of Ford’s latest test drive campaign:  the failure to make a compelling case for their cars.

The theme “Drive the Ford Difference” is overused and undifferentiated. “Discover the Difference”, “Experience the Difference”, “Enjoy the Difference” are just a few of the iterations that come immediately to mind.

What is the difference?

The difference is what successful brands do. They find what makes the product different and then wrap it up in a  story that speaks to people.

What is the difference?

“The difference is in Ford Quality” – can there be a word that holds less value and meaning than the word “quality” right now? And then to mention it only in relation to your competitors? The “just as good as” implication may appeal to those already positively disposed to the Ford brand – to help them feel good about their decision – but will it do anything to convince the non-believers? I doubt it. Why would I change to something that might be just as good when I already have a brand that I know is good?

What is the difference?

The difference is “The most fuel-efficient mid-size sedans in America.” Let’s look at that claim. According to the small print, the 2010 Fusion is EPA-estimated 23 mpg city/34 mpg highway. According to their respective websites, the Honda Accord is 22/31 and the Toyota Camry is 22/33. In the most general comparison, the claim is accurate. Start comparing the specific models you actually want and the results will vary. A difference? Hardly.

What is the difference?

No wait, the difference is cash back. Cash back!? Never heard of that before. Ford wraps it in a “We’ll cover the first three payments” gimmick, but it’s still just cash back. And not different.

What is the difference?

“Hey…different is good.” (Delivered with a wink and smile by “Dirty Jobs” celeb Mike Rowe.)

That’s the best one of the largest marketers in the country can do? That’s the best case they can make for driving a Ford. Because being different is good? I’m going to spend tens of thousands of dollars because being different is good?

I wrote about the auto industry here back in November. Seeing this campaign makes the “merge-them-all” scenario seem less absurd than I originally thought. If the strongest automaker we have left can’t figure out why we should consider buying their cars it would seem that they need to reconsider the cars they are selling.

Steve Earle’s new collection “Townes” is a tour de force. Here he is on Letterman performing Colorado Girl. Found via ickmusic (Twitter = @ickmusic).