The Curious Mind of JT Dirks

My Observations on the Anthony Trial

2011-07-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Because of the probable blow back I want to state for the record that I neither followed closely the Casey Anthony trial nor do I know all the evidence that was introduced. I’m simply writing about the reaction and some passing thoughts I have on it. I in no way, shape, or form condone neglect of children in any way. Being a father myself, my stomach has been turned more than once at some of the theoretical ideas that have been floated as fact during this trial.

As anyone with any connection to the American public knows Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her daughter Caylee this morning. The reaction is overwhelming and interesting to say the least, especially for someone who works within the social media space. Here are a few of my observations:

Why do American’s spend more time watching these sensationalized trials than they do paying attention to what their elected leaders do? Yes, you can contend that the DA is an elected position but if you tell me that was why you were paying attention then you also might be guilty of lying.

Why when a verdict comes down that we don’t agree with do we shout that the system is broke? Why not blame the real people who created the issue, the DA’s team and the media. The DA didn’t do its job plain and simple people; they threw out a million dots but could not even connect 2 of them and I’m not the only one saying this. Their entire case was based on emotions not facts. These emotions then were played up by the ambulance chasing media who then threw around all kinds of wild and unfounded claims including incest. Oh yeah this is the same media many of your cried foul of when Lady Diana passed away only to buy that next edition of People and flip on TMZ when you walk in the door (Don’t get me started on this observation, it might take me weeks to layout for your viewing pleasure). The facts are there weren’t many the DA presented and then the media went crazy with its own version of the “facts” which everyone bought hook, line, and sinker.

What you hear on TV is not what you got to hear in court or what was admitted into evidence! It’s really simple, just because they say it on Inside Edition doesn’t make it so. I know this is a shock for some of you but it’s true. This jury cost hundreds of thousands in tax payer dollars to sequester in an attempt to give Casey a fair trial. What you should be mad about is that a team appointed by you the voters wasted time and the chance to find the truth by taking a half baked theory into the courtroom. They are the ones who wasted our time and dollars, not Casey and not the Anthony family. Any decent team of attorneys would have recognized right away that the evidence was circumstantial, would not hold water with a jury, yet the TV trucks were rolling in and the hype had already begun. Once again you the viewer forced the hand of a team that should have known better. Now the chance to convict Casey is forever gone because the DA simply failed to do its job.

Why is this being compared to the OJ trial? T Beyond the fact that both of these cases ended with acquittals there is not much else similar about them. African American male, prominent sports figure, TV personality, and endorser of many products we all bought versus a Caucasian female, no one knew before that first news story and living off the means of a single mother. What did I miss, are you dopes really that high on anger that you are trying to tie these two cases together?!?

Speaking of this point, why does this case all of a sudden further proof that the south or people from Florida are dumb? Last I checked the OJ case took place in LA. All over this great country bad verdicts are handed down every day; this is not regional people and to make it such makes you look just as ignorant as those you mean to poke fun at.

Finally, will murdering her, Casey, really make it all better? Murdering her you ask, yes, I’m talking about all those of you who have posted thoughts like; “she would have been safer in prison”, “wait till we get that baby killer on the street”, “she would be better off changing her name”, and other wimpy veiled threats that those making them should be ashamed of. No matter how you feel about any case or cause does an eye for an eye ever make it better? What happened to innocent till proven guilty? Just cause TMZ, Hollywood Insider, Inside Edition, talking heads on every major “news” station, and the magazines that have come to define our checkout existence say it doesn’t make it so. If something happens to Casey when she is released it will be a further sad example of how far we have fallen as a society and people.

In closing I write this not to stir the pot, troll for a reaction, or try to get some new followers to my seldom used blog. No my intent in writing it is to begin to challenge all of us to think before we speak. When I say think, I don’t mean that you wait 2 extra second before speaking either. As those who have read Freakonomics or Superfreakonomics know well, we as a society, America, have gotten into a bad habit of believing lies and rumors. We need to shut off our TV’s, stop reading only headlines, start to truly ask questions with the desire to know the answer, and redevelop the sense of wonder that made this a great country just a few short decades ago. Injustices are committed every day is this big bad world and many of them will never have a conclusion. However sensationalism, talking heads, and/or threatening violence against those you don’t agree with will never even solve one of these injustices. Only action, real action will help narrow the gap between justice and injustice, fact and fiction, living and existing. I for one will remember this day as another wake-up call from a life cut short and unfulfilled. That simple heart wrenching message though was missed by many of you in your haste to turn circumstance into crucifixion.

Understanding How Groupon Grew

2011-01-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

[Source: OnlineMBA.com]

Americans and Work

2011-01-29T11:21:00.001-08:00

[Source: OnlineMBA.com]

Poking Fun At Apple...

2011-01-29T11:14:00.001-08:00

Add one more player to the gang poking fun at Apple, Toshiba. Here is there newest page for users trying to visit their site using iOS.

Google's Instant Search Results Reveals Darker Side

2011-01-29T11:05:00.000-08:00

For a year now there have been whispers about how Facebook was outflanking Google but this past month these whispers have turned to hushed conversations. With the release of Google's Instant Search there has been much made of what shows up and what does not in the recommendations. Here is an interesting piece by Techni.com that underlines some of the issues this has created for Google.

Cracking The Credit Card Code

2011-01-29T10:53:00.000-08:00

For years I have always wanted to know more about how credit card numbers are created and verified. Found this graphic today which helps answer many of these questions.

Thanks to Mint.com for this gem.

If this is the future of 3D TV, I'm out!

2011-01-17T20:32:00.002-08:00

Sorry, I know it been a long while since I blogged on here but this video rose to the occasion. I've been in tears since finding this gem. Around the same time I also found this little ditty:

That last line is a beauty! Till the next time something rises to the level of blogging....

CWU Presentation

2010-11-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

CWU Presentation on Prezi

Interesting Tid Bit

2010-08-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Just found this through a colleague and wanted to share.

[Source: PhD Online]

Play A Little Catch-Up and Laughs

2009-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Well so much for that once a week thing; I apologize. It was like you turn 30 and forget how to blog. You would know this is not the case though if you read the other blog or count Twitter into the category (micro-blogging) as I've been going crazy there. So here is the 411 on my last few weeks.....

1) My little brother Jared (college student or should I say X as he completed his associates this week, KUDOS) came to visit which really means skiing. We hit up Stevens in what was one of the most epic days to date. Steven's Pass hats off to you for the new lift ticket system!

2) The very next weekend was my 30th; Jesse, my other little brother (soldier), who had been in Iraq decided to show up with his girlfriend and surprise me that evening. I knew he had been back since early March but he had called to say they were both to beat to make it up. Needless to say I was stoked and we had a great evening of drinks with many friends. I appreciate all those of you that showed up who follow this; very touched by the large out pouring of friends to celebrate my b-day.

3) Then did I mention my day job; yeah for some reason all hell has broken loose. It's apparent that the Emperors has surrounded themselves with radio people instead of marketing people. Needless to say as the economy goes so will this business I call work at this time. It's been sad really but a stark reminder to never stop yearning for knowledge about new things.

4) The nice part of my day job is that I was asked to speak by Hip Cricket at the NAB Show in Vegas. I love speaking especially on panels in front of media types. The show is also a blast to walk and see what is next. Highlights for me where the 3D HDTV, 3D Audio, Interactive TV from Brazil, and holography. Crazy stuff to be sure.

5) Oh and there is the family, best for last the middle. Monica is an incredible mother and Avery is the blessing that keeps giving. For as crazy as my professional life has been the rewards of being a Father are my quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) resolution to keep getting it done every day.

6) Then last week my GM/VP got let go so that means a new boss and all kinds of new challenges. After two years of Radio one things has become apparent, the only sure thing is change. As with all change it can be for the best, just strap the smile on, roll up your sleeves and do the right things everyday. The rest will take care of itself.

7) This weekend was all about family. Mon's first Mother's Day, my Mom of course, and I got to catch up with my Sis which was a long time coming (phone). Then I spoke to Jesse who let me know he is engaged, crazy stuff, congrats to both he and Eden! I was also in charge to mashed potatoes and salad for Mother's Day dinner at my in-laws. Jared then called to tell me he has completed his associates which has been his goal all along. Finally my Dad called and told me that my cousin Emily was being air lifted to AL. Back story or if you want to read more but in a nutshell; my cousin (oldest daughter of my Dad's twin brother) Emily was born with CF and has defied all odds. In the last few years she had gotten married and had a child which if you know about CF is beyond comprehension. Last year she had to have a lung transplant and the best hospital in the country for this is at UAB in Birmingham AL. Thus her being transported there. They thought her body might be rejecting the lung transplant but I heard from my uncle tonight they feel it is an infection which is treatable. If you could say a prayer, send good thoughts, or give her a few minutes of thought I'd greatly appreciate it. She has been a miracle in front of my eyes my whole life and I'm not ready to have that taken away just yet.

So that catches you up, damn that is a lot. So in order to give you your full JD fill here is a few of the best things I've seen recently.

This poster kills me, I'd love to have it on the wall of my office. Can you imagine seeing people actually read it and their expression. Classic comedy!

Once again the SNL boys hit it out of the park with this little ditty.

This is my favorite new website: www.textsfromlastnight.com

My guiltiest but funniest read of a lifetime has to be Tucker Max's "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell". While I do not condone this type of sexually deviant behavior while putting down women, I do have female friends that have read the book and enjoy it just as much! He is also a great follow on Twitter.

Twitter hint for this blog (if you have not made the leap do it but thats not the hint) use Tweet Deck. It's freaking awesome. Build a group called Friends and put in all the real people you know. It makes you an awesome follower on Twitter but also keeps you in tune with those closest to you.

That's a wrap, see ya next time.

....And they say YouTube only has crappy music

2009-03-20T13:51:00.001-07:00

A friend told me about this today and all I can say is WOW. This is someone who is taking all the crappy music video's on YouTube and making them into truly unique art forms.

Thanks Kevin!

Never to early to think about your Fantasy Football draft

2009-03-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Incredible new marketing campaign for Fantasy Football Season 09, its never to early to start your draft board.

March Madness 2030

2009-03-11T19:42:00.001-07:00

Couple of Sports Vids

2009-03-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week and tonight is the first opportunity I've had to surf the net. I found a few sports video's that need to be shared. I'll give my thoughts and then embed each one.

Hate Christian Laettner but this ad is great.

See more funny videos and Sports Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Who said the handicapped kids play nice. This might be a sign of the end of days.

Kobe give out ankle insurance, classic.

See more funny videos and Sports Videos at Today's Big Thing.

And then finally I would be remiss if I left off the best pre-game shots I've seen in years. And both happened in the same week.

See more funny videos and Sports Videos at Today's Big Thing.

My Favorite New Video..... Plus Car Ad That Works

2009-03-05T23:50:00.000-08:00

So this first video was sent to me a few months ago and it keeps me laughing every time I see it. I wanted to memorialize it on my blog for safe keeps. Hope it brings are many tears, smiles, and belly laughs to all of you.

This second video is from the same portal online (if you are not a member I highly recommend you buy one) and also has my office rolling. I think I’m going to whip it out as a great idea in my next car dealer creative session. LOL

Sleep Running

2009-03-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

Think we have all had dogs that dream but this poor guy takes it to a whole new level. Damn Big Yellow, slow down!

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Madoff's Whistle Blower

2009-03-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

This evening I got the rare chance to see 60 Minutes and found the interview on Harry Markopolos very interesting. More than that I found it scary; Harry’s closing remarks about the SEC is downright scary. Hope you will all take the time to hear what he has to stay.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Tenacity = An Unrivaled Skill

2009-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Ran across this article, 10 Fortune 500 Companies That Started With Next To Nothing; what an awesome read for anyone who has ever put themselves out there and not seen immediate results. This underscores the fact that tenacity is one of the best skills you can learn, pass on, or mentor someone in. It could be the key to turning around this tough economic time. As a good friend of mine who was recently laid off says, “When going through hell, keep going”. Bet you a shinny nickel these company founders would echo this statement.

Help Koy4Goff!

2009-02-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

Spam Crackdown Threatens Koy4Goff's Penis Enlarger, Free iPod Industry

Now don't just sit there, go open some spam and tell this administration no trash can off the coast of NY. I thought this was suppose to be the green President. Seriously, go open that penis email on Monday. Save Koy4Goff!

The J-Mac Story

2009-02-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

Another story of following your dreams........

Unreal block.....To bad they called a foul.

2009-02-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

The other night I was watching the Laker's and had the pleasure of witnessing newly acquired Shannon Brown go for what would have been the defensive play of the year had the ref not blown the whistle. I think the ref was in pure amazement along with the rest of us and need a stoppage of play to catch his breath.

See more funny videos and Sports Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Sony's POS

2009-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

This is to classic not to post to the blog. Brings tears every time.

Take a moment.....

2009-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

.....to be touched, inspired, challenged, and blessed by an incredible man and father, Randy Pausch. This has personally done all of those things and much more for me.

10 minute version

1 hour and 16 minute version

Have a great day!

Video Game Preview

2009-02-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Had no idea they were making this into a game, check out the preview

Watch more videos of Fallout 3

Oops! LOL

Baldwin spoofs the Wii

2009-02-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

I did not see this on Saturday night but due to the magic of Hulu caught it this afternoon.

This reminds me of one of my other favorite video's of all time.

That poor guy lives on forever and Alec again brings a laugh.

What is Twitter?

2009-02-16T10:06:00.001-08:00

Many of you have asked me about Twitter and why anyone in their right mind would use it, well I found this great slide show on a blog that highlights what I feel the power of Twitter is.

How Twitter Changed My Life

View more presentations from Minxuan Lee. (tags: micro twitter)

Hope this helps many of you who are thinking about making the Twitter jump, join me at my Twitter.

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T14:59:00.001-08:00

In honor of Valentines Day here is the love of my life and my Baby Bug. Love both you ladies!
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

A heart broken kid......

2009-02-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

WOW, that last two weeks have been brutal as a sports fan and Wednesday I feel the final blow was dealt. I'm left asking questions that range from the strange to the heart breaking. Am I actually expected to know what I know now and not ask questions about athletes likes Bo, Magic, Deion, Nolan, and anyone that played from 1970-today? Our sports lives as Gen X or Gen Y fans have been a big lie; a complete and total allusion.

Today came the harshest blow; Lance Armstrong announced he is suspending his drug testing program because it is to expensive and logistically challenging. WTF, pardon my French, I thought they were trying to screw him! If you have been swept up in the dream, Lance has told us that the French are evil and out to get him. And now this!

Today is easier for me than many of my friends who still have not come to terms with the fact that Lance had been cheating. Evidence you ask, well don't Google it, put it into ESPN, or pretty much any other web resource. His PR team should be praise and hired by A-Rod ASAP. Those searches would make it hard to think anything but that Lance is Super Man. So you ask for fact (and b/c I'm to tired to research it all here is the loose facts, prove me wrong), here they are:
1) Lance won 7 consecutive Tour de France's (in the meantime he was able to villeinize America's first cycling king of my lifetime, Greg Lemond)
2) In numerous consecutive years Jan Ulrich finished 2nd to Lance.
3) In 2008, the first year of HGH testing or for that matter any real drug testing of any kind Jan Ulrich was kicked out for doping.
4) Additionally 5-9 cyclist that finished behind Lance in those 7 years was kicked out.
5) Lance has been tied to tainted drug test before (insert Evil French chant here)
6) Lance retired after 7 b/c he was old and only won his last one by a hair........OK, OK, OK was just making sure you were paying attention,.....ready, he retired because new testing had been announced.
7) He takes a few years off, talks to other riders, figures out what they are doing, and says I'm coming back with drug testing by a third party.
8) First return event, gets his ass whipped and finishes 64th.
9) Once that leave the medias attention he announces that he is suspending his drug testing program (because Nike and his numerous other sponsors are paying him peanuts and logistics is really still an issue in today connected world).

I'm sorry, first Rose, then McGwire and Sosa, then Clemens and Pettite, and Palmeiro and Tejada...... Then this week we get A-Rod. And oh by the way while you were reading about baseball Lance stops his testing. I love the media coverage, ESPN has one paragraph and then it was off their front page in less then 2 hours. Even if you searched "Lance Armstrong" you had to put in "suspend drug testing" to find the story, now with a little more color I might add. Google his name and get nothing but praise. You would think this guy keeps the Earth on its axis.

Today I face the fact that sports as I know them have been a sham, and it breaks my heart. Shame on all of you and shame on you for putting your wallets in front of your virtues. You are no better than the bankers, brokers, and business men that tater the news in today's economic crisis. In my opinion you have been stealing from me every time I have bought a ticket, watched an event, or otherwise. Sports is just a microcosm of society people say, screw that, sports is a microcosm of the Madoff scheme.

How do you solve it? Start throwing people in jail like you do all the street thugs and petty drug criminals. Abolish the double standard, make perjury a real crime, throw in jail those that ran leagues that by not acting endorsed drug use, tell unions that this is not negotiable, and centralize all sports drug testing in one central agency so that new PED's can be identified earlier. Finally make one failed drug test an automatic life time ban and void any Hall of Fame eligibility. Put teeth in so that we as sports fans can go back to what we love; rooting for our sports teams and believing in a level playing field.

But like most idealistic things, I'm sure these ideas will be ignored and this kid will be forever heart broken.

Is Google Analytics really helping?

2009-02-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

This past summer we ran several online campaigns for clients who were using Google Analytics to measure traffic and referrers. At work we use a third party company to serve our display ads and count clicks to clients websites. As we wrapped up the first month of the campaign we compared traffic reports and the difference was shocking. Google showed a 90-95% variance from the report provided by our traffic resource. This got me asking questions and I came across several blog entries that got me think, Is Google Analytics Cheating You? After reading this article it became clear that Google has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar but the reason I'm writing about it today (seven months later) is that the problem still exists. I have had multiple companies and clients over the past seven months expereince the same thing. Here is what I suggest, run two analytics programs on your site and match them up. If you see GA giving itself a ton of credit that the other analytics tool does not report, you to have been getting ripped off by Google! Sad day for me as I hoped that Google would stay well away from Microsoft waters but I guess that is the idealist in me. Shame on you Google, and even more shame for not fixing the issue when first reported this past summer.

Economy of Free... Did it to us?

2009-02-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

I read this article tonight in the WSJ, The Economics of Giving It Away and could not agree more with what is said. For full disclosure I own a technology called BlaghNow and have haggled about the business model. Fortunately I have had good guidance and been instructed to lock down paying channels. It was a hard slog though because I saw other technologies being purchased or raising stupid money for a half baked idea. Today though it will be those that figure out how to monetize their ideas that will rise to the top. Lets just hope this level headed thinking remains if/when the economy comes back.

My commitment to you, the reader……

2009-02-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

OK so I’ve started this damn blog over three weeks ago and have yet to make a blog post. I have about ten million ideas written down of what to write about, it’s just finding the time to get it done. As you can see by the 9 to 5 post my personal job has become more demanding but I’m rededicating myself to giving you a daily thought or two. In order to find the time I have taken several steps: first my Twitter is now hooked up on the blog and I will use this to send around articles immediately (I may blog about them later but want to get you the information that is forming my thoughts sooner so we can discuss in a more timely fashion), second I have setup my personal device (cell phone for those of you wondering what a personal device is) so I can blog on the go, and finally I have blocked off 30 minutes in my day to try and push out some thoughts. I say these things for no other reason than the fact that if you only get small snippets and/or find numerous grammar mistakes and/or misspellings you are more forgiving than you might be on other more formal blogs. Look forward to interacting with you daily and hope you find these small nuggets helpful.

There are no more 9 to 5’s

2009-02-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

WOW this economy thing has us all down right now and the fear is spreading like wild fire. Today I have more friends out of work than at any other point in my life. Many of these individuals are highly educated, were top performers within their respective companies, and even mentored me during my career. It’s left me asking myself, how do I keep my job? This question came to me several weeks ago and I began to watch those around me. I have come to the following conclusion; damn is our sense of entitlement as a country killing us.

Read my lips, there are no more 9-5’s! Last day was June 1, 2008 but many of you are still treating your job like it is 2005. Wake up, shake yourself, and begin to realize how fortunate you are to have a paying position right now. Begin to think about your job and co-workers in two groups; those who do and those who don’t. Those who do will remain employed (and most likely ascend the corporate ladder as companies scramble to find solution leaders) and those that don’t, well I don’t have to say it, you get my point.

Begin to over communicate with your direct report and if you can open a dialogue to your bosses boss. Champion your victories, take full accountability for your failures, play well with others and become a moral leader in your organization (never stop smiling, it goes a lot further than you think especially in a world starving for good news). Stop thinking about the clock and start thinking about your task list, it may call for your to work numerous extra hours over the next few months. These steps will insure that when/if deeper cuts come this year you are not on the chopping block.

For those of you still wanting to get home at 5 so you can walk the dog, cook dinner, meet for happy hour, or the other numerous excuses I hear from people working the 9-5 dream; don’t blame me when your dream becomes an unemployment nightmare. Once again, I told you so.

Are you part of the “do” minority or are you part of the “don’t” majority?!?