Social Media on my Mind

I should be sleeping. It's after midnight and I've been running all around the city for a few days now, participating in every free panel discussion and conversation I can fit in during Social Media Week - the international "convo-bration" of digital word of mouth.

The problem is that I'm kind of wired, partly because of Wired. The magazine hosted a panel discussion this morning that included some brainiac speakers, including Denis Crowley, the founder of FourSquare (don't worry, if you haven't heard of it yet...YOU WILL. Remember when you'd never heard of Twitter?), as well as Tony Jebara, the Chief Scientist at Sense Networks. Tony described the fact that we're basically evolving around our devices. See, the more you rely on Google Maps, for example, which I'm quickly getting addicted to, the smaller your hippocampus gets along with your ability to navigate without your map crack.

I have been having a great time meeting people in person who I only touch-typed before... discovering one of my favorite bloggers and another friend I "met" on Twitter and I all share the same hand therapist for our poor, overworked typing hands, and so on.

I'm thinking I maybe should have majored in philosophy...or anthropology. This is a fascinating time. And while I'm pretty sure we won't all grow extra thumbs as we evolve around our PDAs, I do think we're facing an amazingly fast paced social morph into a vastly different species in most of the planet. Or at least those places where a Social Media Week is filled to capacity.

Stay tuned...

A Different Face Forward - My Melanoma Check Up (or: "Bronzer Beware")

As a “woman of a certain age,” I am used to getting the recommended regular medical tests and checks. But I didn’t know there was more to a skin exam than the occasional inspection done by my dermatologist, when I remembered to even book those check-ups. I was proud of myself for being a little more vigilant than many I know – who had never even done a skin exam let alone been checked between the toes, for example! I felt ahead of the curve by comparison.

Then the experience of two different friends gave me a head’s up about ways to get a better head-to-toe scan. My friend Leslie, who has a lot of “beauty marks,” lives near the Millburn location of MoleSafe and had gotten full body scans and "mole mapping" for herself and even her children. (I found out that skin cancers are on the rise among kids – especially teenage girls who have been allowed to use tanning salons.)
(I cringe when I think of us using those sunlamps as kids.)

I was thinking about checking out the place and then I bumped into my friend Carol, who had just gotten back from a follow up exam since her bout with melanoma a few years ago. Her cancer had actually been spotted by a woman standing behind her on a ticket line. Carol had had a sleeveless shirt on, and a woman tapped her on the shoulder and said, “pardon me for intruding, but has anyone ever checked out the mole on the back of your arm?...” Carol was vaguely aware of it, but it wasn’t in a place she could easily see. She decided to see the doctor…and a surgery with 16 stitches inside and 16 stitches outside basically saved her life the next week.

That was enough coincidence to send me to MoleSafe to see for myself…and have someone see ME better than I could myself! I spoke to Dr. Richard Bezozo, who invited me in so I could help share the experience with my readers. Bascially, MoleSafe is a three-prong protocol for screening: “Total Body Photography, total digital dermoscopy and digital sequential monitoring.” Apparently, that’s the gold standard for screenings that most dermatologists in the rest of the world recommend. We’re behind the curve in the good old US of A for being progressive in prevention. And it’s not like this is an invasive protocol.

Anyway, here's what happens: First, the place is clean, nice, and comfortable (and right near the train from NY.) You get down to your skivvies (you can keep a paper gown on, but I figured mole mapping is once a year and very important, so might as well go for the semi-full monty.) The exam room has a mat that looks like something from an old-fahioned dance less (or these days like a Dance Mat from Wii!)

My very reassuring nurse/“moleographer” had me take a stance with my feet in the position indicated on the mat with hands akimbo (I think that means hands on hip? but I always wanted to be able to use that word in a blog). She took a set of images that way, then a set of images on the otherside, feet in the opposite position.

Then we sat down at her desk while she uploaded the super high res images, then coordinated the pictures to points on a computer image of a body. It was like creating a constellation on paper. I could immediately understand how the consistency of taking the same position on the mat year after year is a lot more efficient than random poses and “eyeballing” things. My molegrapher then carefully did a visual exam of moles that caught her eye and captured those with a dermatoscope – it’s a super magnifying camera with a special light that really shows details of specific moles. She uploaded those images, also correlated on the computer to the ones she’d marked on the figure.
It was fascinating to see super enlargements of my skin on the computer. You might find out that there are some that are “interesting” – and might be reassured about others…but all of them are sent electronically (yes, safe and encrypted) to a sort of radiologist/dermatologist who reviews the dermatascope images professionally. You get a lovely CD of your body mole images to take home and give to your dermatologist. Then, a week or two later you have a report from the specialist sent to you.

The thing is, MoleSafe doesn’t do any surgeries or removals, so dermatologists are still involved in the whole process. I guess It’s like sending a person for an MRI and having then having them come back to the doctor to get treated for the broken leg or tumor or whatever. We need to be our own patient advocates and seek out MoleSafe on our own…or bring it to the attention of our doctors. You can go get one without a referral, and some insurance will cover it when you submit the receipt for reimbursement. Some won’t. But it’s an investment in your life compared to the approach most dermatologists have been using for the past 50 years.
So, I recommend you get on board. Or, get on mat, I guess.

PS: The good news is that I am a-okay, but have a much better sense of what to look for, where to look for it, and why.

PSS: MoleSafe is opening at NYU on 2/3. That should be the eye-opener a lot of people need about the value and legitimacy of this kind of protocol.

3-D'lemma

I had a reality check the other day when it came to the check at a restaurant. Not the price. The reality check was seeing the check. Sigh. I borrowed a votive from the table next to mine and made a vow to head to Duane Reed for the cheap-o reading glasses. Add that to the pile of things I'll have to keep by the bed, by the remote, by my desk. Maybe I should get three pairs...Oh and one for each purse and backpack since lately my friends (who can't laugh at this post since they know who they are) are asking if I have any they can borrow. I'll make it an even dozen.

So what happens when I have to deal with 3D glasses on top of that?

So far seeing a regular screen without glasses isn't a problem (phew!), but I can envision tons of issues when I invest in a new 3D capable TV. For example, how many pairs will come with a set? Any? I hear they go for $30 - $50 a pop...so how many will I need for when I have company? And speaking of company, what about cozying up for a date, watching TV, and looking...well, NOT CUTE! Are there designer frames? I'm just sayin'.... Let alone can two people actually smooch while wearing 3D glasses if the mood strikes during, say, one of DIRECTV's new 3D shows?

Will networks, like ESPN and their new 3D channel, distribute the glasses, or will Comcast or other providers? Who will brand them? I'm thinking its a new market for branded premiums.

What if someone walks off with your 3-D glasses? Can they be tethered to the TV? Will those little chains that turn eyeglasses into necklaces support 3D goggles? And what about prescription 3D? Can I get them at Lenscrafters?

Will I need to have them just to do most things online, soon? I mean, there's already Club Cooee, a sort of 3-D Second Life meets IM, and its fan page already has about 14,000 fans. And there are a ton more online places and ways to wear your glasses. Or not.

You can try to skip 'em and just cross your eyes with some content, and you kind of get a sense of it like in this YouTube video. I know this should work; there's even a drop down menu for about a dozen ways to watch it, but without those actual glasses, it's just not optimum. And frankly, all those options and trying to cross my eyes just gave me a headache.

Or maybe I just need glasses.

E.B.'s Best of the Top Ten for '10

I put all the effort into writing this week into my e-newsletter, with a whole compilation of some of my favorites of the Top Ten lists that came out recapping the last decade. So, to make my life easier, and to offer you one easy resource, here's a link to that newsletter.

From BrandChannel's favorite articles to the top recommendations for Social Media Strategy -- even the best books
for Small Business Owners and the best songs of the year from The MusicFile, it's all the scoop you could want IMHO of mostly business best-ofs.

(Special bonus! See my holiday recap video with my look back at 8 years of Moss Appeal! It's a link within that link, but here it is again.)

Happy New Decade, all. More later.

300 Million

Two stories this weekend, frustrated me. Both were about the impact of $300,000,000 in the world.

$300 million dollars I wish I could give.

$300 million I wish I could take away.

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal explained in a fascinating story, "Small Energy-Saving Steps can Make Big Strides," that even as we're working on big improvements in reducing our environmental impact, smaller, less glamorous options can "add up to major environmental progress -- and at a cost more palatable in struggling economies. ...[Options include the] lowly but effective efforts such as improving fuel economy in cars, better insulating homes and helping families in India buy $20 cooking stoves."

It will be challenging to develop and gain adoption of enough plug-in hybrids to reduce oil usage more than about 7% by 2030. But by just improving mileage efficiency on vehicles from 26 to even 36 MPG it could be a 32% savings in oil usage!

But, "if half the families in India began using improved stoves, the Atmospheric Brown Cloud would shrink by about one-third."

Incorporating the low tech while developing and rolling out the necessary higher tech solutions makes good impact and good sense.

"Envirofit International, a Fort Collins, Colo., nonprofit group, has sold some 100,000 stoves over the past year in southern India. The organization [ which, yes, is funded in part by the Shell Foundation, but also Google and the EPA] sells them largely out of vans that roll along dirt roads in rural villages. One study notes that 60 million stoves, if sold in India for only $5 each, would cost $300 million. Even if the stoves cost more, that rollout would be cheaper than most other clean-energy options."

That number came up again tonight, on 60 Minutes, in the piece on "How Gold Pays For Congo's Deadly War." We learned that:

"...even if Congo's gold is less than 1% of the world supply, that still comes to more than $300 million a year - enough to keep the war going forever, mining an inexhaustible wealth of misery."

$300 million is plenty to inspire and fund the warlords and rebels who force men and children to mine for gold for perhaps $1/day in "wages." If they survive. 5 million have died so far.

"Jewelers know about the tragedy in Congo, but it has never been standard industry practice to trace gold to its source. Jewelers buy gold from middlemen; they don't ask where it comes from.

...It was seven years ago the industry banned so called blood diamonds from West Africa. But, up until now, it hasn't done the same for gold. ...And of the major jewelers [60 Minutes] talked to, only Tiffany said it can trace nearly all its gold directly to a mine; theirs is in Utah. Walmart told us it plans to trace the source of 10 percent of its gold products by next year."

At a time of year when we are consumed by consumerism, let's push our comfort level and bring these two issues to light:

1. Do take on the low tech solutions that will help our world's environment (yes, turning off the lights DOES help!)
2. Do question the origins of your purchases and think about all the stakeholders and supply chains that go into those items.

And if you have a spare $300 million...well....

Ear Candy IMHO

The beauty of having my blog is the ability to put out there things that have impacted me, or influenced me personally and professionally. In this case, I have to share some about the back to back to back jazz I saw last week -- each performer fabulous and distinct. So, in my humble opinion, do your ears and your brain a favor by checking out the following, if you haven't already...and again, if you are already wise enough to be familiar with these artists:

Sachal Vasandani: Last week there was no way I was going to miss my favorite new jazz singer -- -- at his album release celebration at Dizzy's. I can't stand how much I love this guys tones. And it's not just me.

Sachal Vasandani - EPK from Mack Avenue on Vimeo.

While his self-penned "Royal Eyes" has stayed in my head for days, a stranger who wanted to catch some jazz while in town was seated at our table. At the end of the gig I asked him what he thought of Sachal and he said, "That's the best version of "In my Solitude" I ever heard." I'd been thinking the same thing. And while Sachal worked it on "Old Black Magic," he's just so smooth that after only a couple of listens his original songs start to sound like old standards. The first time I heard Sachal was also the first time I heard Gerald Clayton, maybe two or three years back at a showcase at the Steinway Store during the days of IAJE. I was stunned. I think he was maybe 23 then. Gerald performed again at the teeny but serious listening space, Jazz Gallery on Halloween. I saw him there with Roy Hargrove a while back. Now Gerald, with his new debut album, Two Shade, can be the headliner too.

Right now, though, he's off in Europe for a couple of weeks with Gretchen Perlato. The second he's back, go see this wunderkind. And he's a nice guy on top of it.

Maybe that's because he takes after one of the dearest people I know -- his dad, world-class jazz bassist John Clayton. If you want to weep, listen to him bow Jobim's "How Insensitive." If you want to laugh, my old favorite is his classic version of Keter Betts' "Walkin' Bass." But his Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra did it again. Stunned first timers, and confirmed the smarts of people who already follow CHJO, at this week's Champions of Jazz Benefit from WBGO. Not only did John's orchestra co-leaders Jeff Hamilton on drums and brother Jeff Clayton on sax do what they do so well, but they were in more amazing company. First they brought out the evening's honoree, Paquito D'Rivera, who was completely charming. I'd never heard him -- that I know of. But I'm sure his clarinet was on tracks of some of the albums I've heard, since he has 9 Grammys! Then, they brought out more of the old geniuses: singers Ernie Andrews,


He made us ALL feel like "Lucky So and So"s when he did that song...and Freddy Cole (yes as in Nat's brother) was class incarnate.
(Backstage after WBGO concert with Jon Hendricks, Freddy Cole, John Clayton. Nikki and Sachal. Everyone seems to know each other in the jazz world.)
And the new talent that sat it blew us all away, too. Stefon Harris on vibes with Milt Jackson flair, and unbelievably, the scatting and sound that came out of 15 year old Nikki Yanofsky was like she was channeling Ella. And I don't say that lightly.
But, all I can do is lead you to the music. You have to drink it in yourselves if you want. But thanks to this post, I can put it out there, and imagine you listening, and sharing IMHO.

IMHO - Film Fest and Broadway Opinions

I did my third yearly trek to the Hamptons Film Festival a couple of weeks ago. The beach in the fall is wonderful , and farm stands have all those colorful gourds...Well, you get the picture. And speaking of pictures, I saw some great ones...and not as great ones. Here's the scoop in case you can catch or avoid any of these IMHO ("in my humble opinion" for those not IMing w/teens):
In order of favorites of what I saw:
Big River Man - Documentary that you'll swear throughout most of that it can't be real. You'll think it's Spinal Tap, or something. But not only is this film real-life but it's hugely important to see.

Did you know that there's a guy in Slovenia who has swum the entire length of the disgustingly polluted Yangtze, the Mississippi, and now the 3,300 mile AMAZON river? Do you know the last trek took took this man, Martin Strel, about 66 days and basically drove him to the brink of insanity? He did it to raise environmental awareness (and because he probably already was a little insane). But while he's a hero in Eastern Europe, he's virtually unknown and unheralded in the U.S. Typical. Probably because he's no Lance Armstrong; he's 53, overweight, and a heavy drinker.

I digress. This is must-see, and will be on TV, premiering on Planet Green in January. Go John Maringouin (seen here w/me and my new favorite T-shirt)! A great docu-director who has made a career out of unusual stories. I mean, this guy lived on the Amazon shooting this for two and a half months, too!

• Applaus ("Applause") - Danish film starring the amazing Paprika Steen. She plays an actress battling alcoholism and trying to regain custody of her kids, but its all interspersed with her playing the alcoholic Martha on stage in "Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolfe?" With a tight story line and intense performances everyone in the audience was amazed it was a first time director. REALLY worth seeing if you can find this foreign film somewhere.
• "Solitary Man" - No one does man-on-the-brink better than Michael Douglass. Any guy approaching mid-life crisis, and the self-confident women (Susan Sarandon) who are fed up with them, should see this.
• "Men who Stare at Goats" - I'm sorry. I wanted to love it. I could BE a goat starer. But I only liked it. Clooney? Excellent. (Duh.) McGregor? Dunno.
• "Five Hours from Paris" (Israeli feature film) -- Good. Cute. DEFINITELY look for on NetFlicks. Maybe not for $12.50 at theater.
  

And just to throw in a theater thought? Really enjoyed Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway last week! Great set, great cast. Maybe NY-centric story for some, but fun. Looking forward to see the other "bookend" -- the 'sequel' of Neil Simon's story called "Broadway Bound," that also opens soon.

There you have it.