Matt's Content

'Be one of the first to see Tin Parade's newest party!'

2010-02-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

'Be one of the first to see Tin Parade's newest party!'

Some Recent Advice From a Friend

2009-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I was really moved by this e-mail sent by a buddy who's never let me down when it comes to straight talk. This is from the heart, and I wanted to share it. He's also always good with the levity.

Hey Matt,
Sorry to take so long to get back to you.
First of all, sorry, dude! That sucks. My heart goes out to you.
Second of all, I would totally consider giving you my liver. Or my kidneys. Well, okay, scratch the liver part.
I'm not sure what the implications are with the whole diabetes thing. But if you are having a hard time finding a doner, I will talk to my doctor. Seriously- just let me know.
And third of all, I thought I'd pass along some unsolicited advice, one sicko to another. Since I've been living with a disease for, yes, 21 years (my diabetes can drink, now), you damned well better listen to me!
The thing that has allowed me to be successful with diabetes if funny- it's probably the biggest best lesson I took away from my Landmark stuff- and yet I never realized that I was doing it with diabetes until I consciously started doing it with the rest of my life. It sounds simple, but it's HUGE.
And here it is: Don't add meaning to your disease. There is no meaning- it just is. (the Landmark lesson being that we add all meaning to everything that happens in our meaning- less lives)
Our brains can fuck us over with the "Why Me" question, you know? In fact, I remember at Tracey's service when Brandon was reading from her journal- I was really proud of her when she wrote that she figured out there wasn't any meaning to her cancer- she just happened to get it.
I only remember once asking why me- back when I was 12 or 13. It really sucked. Maybe I made a decision not to go there again- don't know. And I see people who haven't done well with diabetes- they eat like shit, or drink a bunch, don't care about their blood sugar. I almost promise you it's because they ask why me, start adding meaning, and then get pissed about it, feel sorry for themselves, and end up where they end up, without any feet or something.
On the reverse side, because I'm a cult Landmark fanatic, I practice adding my own meaning and way of being to life. So I choose to focus on seeing diabetes through a filter of honoring the people I love- and when I add that meaning, taking care of myself makes sense. It's not something I "have to" do, or something I guilt myself into doing, it's something I get to do.
So-- back to you. You'll do well with this. I know you will.
And I also invite you to think about what kind of meaning you want to add to it. All there really is is that your kidneys don't work right, and the rest is just added meaning. And I also invite you to think about your family and what a gift to them it would be to have you as a healthy guy with a great outlook on his life.
And if you ever want another disease ridden person to talk to, I'm here, man. :) Seriously. I'm yours to count on.
Hope that helps.
Take Care, and keep me up to date. And if you want my kidney, just ask. (although you may get diabetes.) (but probably not)
Tyson

"Air Force One" and Fighting Bad Guys

2009-03-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

You know how in epic movies, and classic literature, around the 2nd act of the film, or final chapters of the book, the protagonist always has one more battle either against himself or the antagonist before finding solitude? For instance, the movie you're watching leads you into the comfort that things worked out for the hero; but you know this isn't the end because there's 25 more minutes left.

I watched Air Force One starring Harrison Ford as President of the United States, and Gary Olman as a deranged terrorist who hijacks the un-hijackable plane. I was suffering another unexpected stint in the hospital last week for "surgery complications" associated with my catheter. (admission: I was on a really heavy dose of pain medication which would have made Sandra Bullock's performance in Speed 2 seem Oscar worthy).

In a classic final act, the President of the United States just killed like 11 terrorists including the ring leader, Olman, who was seriously pissed the whole time. Out of fuel and plummeting towards the ocean, we think the President might get off Air Force One alive - - the odds being really good since Harrison Ford's never cast to get killed in the end of the movie. Anyway, out of fuel and plummeting towards the ocean, one of his staff pulls a gun and starts offing the crew. We're about 1,000 feet above the ocean, and Harrison Ford manages to thwart this dude by avoiding some bullets (for the 16th time) and clipping himself to a wire connected to a rescue plane. Our President lives to see his wife and kids; bad guy goes down with Air Force One, and Glenn Close (playing the VP) doesn't end up becoming President. The end.

While I watched, lying in my hospital bed, coming out of my pain med induced inebration, I couldn't help thinking about my final act. Not dying or anything terrible like that. I mean death resonates a little (it's sort of inevitable when you're having every test in the book to rule out heart failure) But I am resolved to a happy ending. Anyway, when Harrison Ford is finally reunited with his family I think of my reunion and this disease that's been playing Gary Olman's part in Air Force One. I want to kill the bad guy and get off the crashing plane too.

My hospitalization is short this time. Mind altering chest pain and cramping that forces me into a cold and understaffed Burbank ER last Friday at 1AM is not a heart attack, nor is it even a once thought pulmonary issue. It's myalgia. Muscle pain. That's it. Gotta rule out a lot to get to muscle pain.

I guess all the ruling stuff out coupled with the intense pain medication all led me to my deep connection to the good triumphing over evil themes in Air Force One. Otherwise, it's just an over-the-top, predictable action flick with a big star.

I'm home now, reunited with my family. My mom is here with us for a while. My son Jax just said he's going to marry his little sister and "stay with her for ever and ever".

Feels a little like the bad guy is dead for now.

A "New Normal"

2009-02-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

I thought about setting up a fresh blog to post about my current health issue. I decided on this blog, originally created to rant, evangelize and prophesize on digital media would work just as well. Read below if you're curious about my opinions on that topic. Otherwise, ignore what preceded and just pay attention to posts titled "A New Normal", "My Kidney Translplant", "Dialysis 101" "How I'm Feeling Now" (some of those sound like good future titles).

If you're reading this without knowing anything about my current health status, I have stage 4 kidney disease (stage 5 is acute failure). I owe this to a genetic disorder called Alport Syndrome which currently affects about 1 in every 5,000 people. I am on a national waiting list for a kidney transplant and am being evaluated by the Comprehensive Transplant Center team at Cedar's Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a living donor. I write now having just returned home from my second trip to the hospital in February.

I was admitted to the hospital two weeks prior after my creatinine was up to 5.0 and my BUN (blood urea nitrogen) was around 120 (these are both metabolic measurements in the blood that, when high, indicate severe kidney disease). With normal BUN measurements for adults being 7-20, 120 makes you feel very sick. My symptoms ranged from nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and extreme hunger.

After a 4 day stint at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank two weeks ago, my BUN came down from 120 to 73 with the assistance, at doctor's orders, of nearly 9 liters of saline pumped into me intravenously to help hydrate me. After things had plateaued in terms of my blood toxicity, doctors released me but warned that dialysis was probably on the horizon. The thinking: My BUN and creatinine would likely climb back to dangerously high numbers soon.

Two weeks later, the blood work showed kidney function declining again as predicted. The time had come for dialysis; the only means to rid my blood of the horrible waste materials built up that my kidneys were unable to clean and start me on the road to feeling better. I had sort of been preparing myself for this inevitability for many months.

2 years ago, my creatinine was around 1.4. This reflected a "high-normal" number. Blood work was closely monitored by my nephrologist (kidney doctor), Dr. Noha Barsoum who started getting concerned about 50-100% increases in my creatinine over 3-6 mos periods. 2.7 last summer, 3.7 after the new year, and a solid 5 in February. I had to get honest with myself and accept that I wasn't feeling "okay". Something was just "off". There was a cloud over me in terms of my daily well-being. I knew some of what I was feeling might have be psycho-somatic, brought to the forefront of my mind by the doctor's news that my kidneys were failing fast. I started reading more and more about how amazing people felt who suffered from kidney disease for years and then went on dialysis or had a transplant. They didn't realize how sick they were until they were better. My day was coming.

On Friday, February 20th I was taken into surgery to have a permanent venous catheter inserted in through my neck. Over the last two days, to be exact, I was put on dialysis twice using this new catheter as the gateway to filtering my blood. The surgery for this catheter is uneventful and routine as surgeries go, but for me it has been anything but routine. The recovery has been painful and really inconveniencing. I am managing fine, but I was not really prepared for this to be such a major ordeal. Nor was my wife prepared. The post-op was horrible for her as I was in a lot of pain and not getting the pain management from nurses we felt was needed. Several morphine doses and vicodiine's later I was fairly pain-free, but now mentally useless (thanks narcotics). Without much time to recover from the surgery and anesthesia I was put on my first round of dialysis. That first round of dialysis, I was told, could result in me feeling better immediately.

At 1:30AM Saturday morning I lay in bed by myself and actually giggle with a new found energy. Several hours earlier, I had been lying in bed stoned on narcotics, still in pain and hooked to a dialysis machine, but after that first round of treatment, I now felt good enough to get out of my hospital bed and walk to the bathroom. I just felt like a fog had been lifted.

I had a second round of dialysis on Saturday for 3 hours. My blood work has since shown my BUN down from 105 to 68 and falling!

I have clearly hit a major milestone in my treatment. It's been a long time coming. Alport Syndrome has been this ticking clock on my kidneys for over 36 years. What started with some microscopic blood detected in my urine as a kid has evolved into a full-blown kidney malfunction being aggressively treated by excellent doctors. I also have incredible health advocates supporting my recovery.

My mom has been amazing as a guide, coach, teacher, and as usual, an incredible mother and grandmother. She's held my hand from afar, flown to our aid at home, and been on the phone with me everyday to get updates. My inbox is full of her links to sites exploring my disease, diets, and treatments and my in-calling mobile minutes are maxed talking about how I am feeling. She also recently gave me a gold necklace her late father wore while recovering from Hodgkin's Disease in the 60s. The gold necklace contains the Hebrew word "Shaddai" for God of Strength . It was given to him by his wife, my Bubbie. My mom wrote on a note to me w/ the necklace that she hoped the necklace would protect me during my journey to better health. She wrote that it's what she wants for me, to protect me, as would my bubbie and papa. It broke my heart. I wear it now. It's just about the most moving thing my mom has ever done for me.

My wife Ryan has been a rock. She's been supportive in just the right way. Not too overwhelmed, but just overwhelmed enough to let me know she's in a new strange place in her life too. I anguish at what it must be like to see me go through this; even bathing me while I am equipped with delicate tubes coming out of my chest that absolutely cannot get wet. I'll never forget her for her kindness, patience, determination and bravery. : )

And last night, my four-year-old son, Jax, looked at me lying in bed in some discomfort and said, "it's alright Dada. I'm right here. there's nothing to worry about". Words I am sure he has heard his mom and dad tell him during his time of need. If I didn't already know what a sweet, special soul my son possessed, I was reminded last night.

So goes it for me now. I will stay on dialysis until I get a transplant. I will go to a local dialysis center in Burbank on Tues, Thurs. and Sat. each week for 3 hours at a time from 5:30AM-8:30AM. If you're bored and want to share a cup of coffee with me during part of my morning dialysis, visitors are welcome, coffee is free, and I'd enjoy the company. I will start feeling better and better. And as friends recently relayed to me about their friends' experience with dialysis, my life will return to a "new normal". I like that. I find that encouraging as a matter of fact. I can handle a new normal much better than the alternative.

I Phone - - the big snob, and an extension of the self?

2008-01-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

Apple applied for a patent late last month for a system that would allow customers to place coffee, fast food or merchandise orders from a wireless device, then jump in front of those ordering in person when picking up their order. (source: Cynopsis Digital, 1/03/2008 - - thanks Wayne)

Okay, I am already convinced that I Phone users are really proud people. Those who own one react as if they work for Apple whenever non-owners are critical of the I Phone's poor web browsing speed (personal experience).

As if it wasn't enough that you have to act all impressed when a friend or colleague shows one off, now you have to step aside at Peet's when they order a Soy Latte from their I Phone while you're in line and they're still parking their car.

I'm not impressed.

Is there a Web 2.0 bubble? Keep an eye on that "Beacon" of light

2007-12-07T12:46:00.001-08:00

I grabbed this video from BoomTown. If I had a valuation, I'd hate this video. Alas, I am a more like a fraction of a fraction of the pie kinda guy. I'd take that, come to think of it.

Made Kosher for Hanukkah

2007-12-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

What goes good with latkes on Hanukkah?? HAM! Juicy, spriraled ham. Thanks Ralph's Grocery store.

Widget for Tin Parade: New business venture from Ryan Larson & Kristen Gara!

2007-11-14T16:46:00.001-08:00

Hulu, Facebook, Killer Apps like Twitter

2007-10-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Is it fun, easy, eventful, and jump on the bandwagon gotta have it kind of stuff? Does it go on my Facebook page? The answers to these questions must be yes in order for the next interactive product to make noise or undermine the conventional wisdom that says their is no new new. Twitter did it. Facebook, with it 5,000 apps and counting is the backdrop, and if you're not a product on the Facebook platform....well you'll have to go to the big Google meeting in Mountain View, CA. Or you can go anyway because you'll want to be on this new Open Social platform too.

Are you a portal like Hulu? You're dead. Forget about traction. You're too big, to repeatable, to similar, not stealthy, and not new. Then again, you might just have a video experience that has never been seen before, a decent round of funding too and the content from two of the biggest suppliers in the hemisphere. But wait. I can watch Friday Night Lights on NBC.com and it works fine. But NBC.com doesn't have Conan the Barbarian. They do have Conan O'brien. I'm so confused! But maybe that was Hulu's intention all along. For now, Joost has Showtime's Dexter for free and they're not pushing any adds down my throat (CBS might change all of that if the Writer's Strike persists in 2008), so that might be my video platform of choice for now, but I'm nomadic and so I'm sure I won't have many reasons to stay loyal (guess what Joost, your newsletters aren't really wetting my appetite to load your client on another computer). My guess is VeohTV, Joost, The CBS Audience Network that helps populate their platforms has a preeetty nice jump on Hulu by the way. Time will tell. Meanwhile, the web is getting more and more social. Are you?

A New Professional Frontier

2007-09-06T10:20:00.002-07:00

CBS Interactive is my new professional home! I am thrilled beyond words to describe my pride, excitement, and commitment to this exciting new chapter in my digital life. I am quite new to CBS Interactive, having started just last week, but the CBS/Viacom Corporation was my employer for many years during my stints in the old media biz.

I enter the CBS digital fold at a crucial time as the CBS Homepage is undergoing a reformation. I use the reformation reference very loosely here as it is historically a religious term. As it represents a break from something old, like the Roman Catholic Church, to a new way at looking at something I apply it to the conversion of one web model to another. For the CBS Homepage in its Alpha state (9/5/2007) is a stunning achievement for such a large platform that has resided in an older reactive state for many months. This is not to say that there have not been many small, important steps towards this new site for many months, or that this transformation was not organic, steady, and thoughtful. There is an architecture behind the new CBS Homepage and the old CBS Homepage that reflects a passion for change, risk, and community.

I am seated at a small desk at CBS and, as I type, my mind is humming with ideas. I have awoken each day for the past week and a half with a mix of zeal, fear, and wonderment at where my digital life has led me.

Can (UGC) video kill the movie stars?

2006-12-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

An interesting article last week from Daily Variety's outspoken, Editor-in-Chief, Peter Bart reflecting that the box office malaise is not as bad as the naysayers predicted. Bart's editorial points out that the 2006 box office tallies are a slight improvement from last year. He suggests that considering the absence of "franchise" films, the increases can be traced to surprise hits like "Little Miss Sunshine".

This news is certainly a little encouraging for movie studios who I am sure still pray daily for good movie attendance to help boost their ancillary market, particularly the sale of DVD.

The new era of digital entertainment has put a strain on the business models of traditional media suppliers but the figures for 2006 suggest that the "seismic shift" hasn't happened yet, and probably won't be happening for a few more years.

It is really easy to get caught up in the rhetoric about the threat to the viability of network television coming from the Niklas Zennstom's (Venice Project) of the world. The hyperbole from News Corp. entertainment leader Peter Chernin who talks about mobile entertainment eclipsing television and the internet as a media platform is fairly quixotic.

Let's all take a deep breath and remember that for now: Only a small minority of people use their cell phones for entertainment, ITunes counts TV downloads as a fraction of its revenue, and The Venice Project is in Beta. Oh, and YouTube hasn't really monetized yet. Certainly rapid change is evident and user behavior is changing. Traditional media wants in too and, to some extent, the future of digital downloads of movies and television shows depends on their compliance and participation.

I for one am excited about the opportunities that exist for some kid in North Dakota or Iowa to get 3 million eyeballs for his online video diary and then get invited by Coke to create content for the holidays. I am thinking of ways to get into that game too.

For now, video for all its accolades, whether it is on the internet or on a phone, can't hold a candle to "Little Miss Sunshine" at an AMC 14.

Major Nets in Talks to Launch Their Own Video Site

2006-12-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

According to Techcrunch today the major nets have been in serious discussions about partnering up to launch a one stop video site for their tv content. Viacom, who owns Ifilm, Atom Entertainment and Disney have dropped out of the discussions, but NBC, Fox, and CBS remain at the table together.

Techcrunch reported that the motivation here is to crush Google/Youtube by suing them for copyright violations once the Nets' video site is successfully launched. Endgame would be that if you want to watch your TV shows online, you have to go to their site.

Obviously, there are pros and cons. Daily Variety reports today that Mark Cuban (whose voice is so important in this debate) commented to the press at the UBS investor confab in New York that the user-generated model is inherently incompatible with congloms; "if CBS is controlling how CBS content is used," he said, "then it's no longer a social network, it's a corporate-distribution forum."

And let's not forget that while each net clamors to be the 18-49 ratings winner week to week, they don't collectively appeal to the same demos - - and advertisers know this. Moreover, they have to be a little cautious about diluting their broadcast ratings by giving viewers the option of On-Demand programming on a massive scale.

I couldn't agree more with Mark Cuban's assessment of the incompatibility here. I also don't see how a one for all model would benefit viewers/users. Doesn't this throw competition out the window? I get that YouTube is a ubiquitous destination for TV content but there must be a way for the Nets to leverage their content individually across multiple platforms to benefit users, crush their violators, and reap rewards. Afterall, the thing the Nets know how to do is monetize and generate ad revenue. The media chiefs spent most of their time at Upfronts last year crowing about their multi-platform launches.

While I don't see these talks resulting in a deal of any kind, I cannot figure out why Fox would still be at the table. Myspace is their YouTube. NBC I get because the IVillage brand can't absorb a large digital television platform. They could consider using Heroes as a springboard for an interactive site that eventually includes other programming. CBS & their Digital Czar, Quincy Smith, are probably only months away from a major online purchase.

I will be very interested to see where these discussions lead. The rumor of a Metacafe acquisition to jumpstart things is peculiar for the collective nets. What Metacafe does might be repeatable and Bob Wright, Chairman of GE, told Charlie Rose that very thing when asked about buying YouTube. I'm sure the interactive gurus at CBS, NBC, and Fox can come up with their own Metacafe. If Metacafe is as popular as Comscore suggests, beating Yahoo Video & Myspace Video in viewers, it's going to make the Grouper pricetag look like a deal. Why not spend some smart money and purchase a giant stake in Yahoo. Create YahooNet. This will appeal to Terry Semel as it will fix their monetization issue. Yahoo, as the #1 website, has yet to be a fully tapped platform for television, and is in need of a big event.

That's how you crush Googletube and, at the same time, have the safety net of a fully operational online business, if this video craze should ever blow away when the bubble bursts on web 2.0. But that's for another discussion.

Video

2006-11-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

A clip posted at Revver. Coming to a Verizon V Cast subscriber near you. . .

Revver, YouTube License Vids to Verizon

2006-11-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Revver just signed a content deal with Verizon. YouTube did too. What's in it for the 40,000 video publishers @ Revver when they're vying for space with the millions of youtubers?

Revver says they're sharing licensing fees with users, which is great insight into providing another example of how YouTube is monetizing content without users benefiting. Something has to change in YouTube's thinking there. Not certain how the fees are paid to Revver and their users, since these videos will be available as part of the V cast subscribtion (currently $15/mo.)

Mobile Web is officially the first 2nd window for viral video. The video spaces that haven't monetized content need to hurry up. YouTube needs to get on the ball here too. The only reason they struck the deal with Verizon is because they have so much content. YouTube doesn't really patrol for copyrighted material like Revver so I guess that means YouTube has to start diligently screening for any content that is to be licensed to Verizon. The big question is; how does Revver and YouTube claim ownership to license to mobile. Let me check the terms & conditions and get back. I'm willing to bet not a lot of users considered this when they were giving away their content to youtube.

It's getting clearer and clearer that there is money to be earned, shared, and distributed, and the video community will certainly be paying closer attention to that.

A Response from Current TV

2006-11-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Current TV cannot encourage the use of Creative Commons for its V Cam campaign because Current's position is that not all of Creative Commons licensed content is free. Fair enough. I still think there is a great opportunity for indy music & amateur video content on sites like Eyespot to find there way towards monetization. But when it comes to long tail advertising and digital intellectual property there are clearly many many obstacles and unanswered questions.

So, the smartest and most proactive thing to do in this brave new world monetizing video content is to shoot it yourself. Certainly, uploading your content for cool, effortless editing at Eyespot makes a lot of sense.

Creative Commons & Advertising models

2006-11-12T22:11:00.000-08:00

I recently came up with what I thought was a super way to leverage the tools and content at Eyespot.com for submission into the Current TV V Cam program. Eyespot is a video space designed to give users an environment to share content in the form of clips and mixes. They encourage re-mixes and provide a very easy to use editing tool. The site is a lot of fun and I believe has done it right when it comes to creating an engaged audience.

The V Cam program at Current, http://www.currenttv.com/make/vc2/vcam, is designed to drive users (Current calls them Viewers) to create enticing advertising content for Current's sponsors with the potential for some real money if ads were theoretically used in conjunction with internet, broadcast, Current TV, cable, and satellite, or even a Super Bowl jumbo tron.

I downloaded a particular sponsors logo from Current for use as an end tag, per Current's instructions, then decided to post the logo to my account at Eyespot where I edited the sponsor's logo within a 30 sec. spot I created mixing Eyespot content. The content on Eyespot is made available through Creative Commons (Attr. 2.5) which means that: others may copy, distribute, display and perform your content, and to make derivative works and commercial use of your content without paying any royalties to you. However, users are required to acknowledge your authorship and may only reuse or distribute your content under the same Creative Commons License. Nutshell, user-submitted clips and mixes are free game as long as the C.C. is honored in any distribution.

The conundrum is that since advertising doesn't provide end credits or acknowledges authorship, that I am aware of, one cannot really honor the C.C Attribution 2.5 in this case. I will admit that I took a very easy approach to Current's challenge of creating viewer generated advertising. I cut together the content at Eyespot in about an hour, and didn't have to shoot anything. There was also zero cost. I was really just experimenting with the entire process. I could be way off base using Eyespot to create a commercial, but their Terms and Conditions say it's okay as long as the Creative Commons license is in place. I have an e-mail out to Current awaiting response that addresses the question of Creative Commons. I will report what I learn from that response.

In the meantime, of course, I am thinking of creative ways to produce sole proprietor content for Current's V Cam program. I do think this raises an important issue. Eyespot is making it possible for people to make derivative works of anything they wish to, as long as the clips and mixes are not premium content and that Creative Commons license is engaged. The clips made available at Eyespot are very tantalizing for the purpose of cutting together commercials. Especially for the internet. Take a look at the site and see for yourself.

There is a win-win scenario here I think if Eyespot and Current could partner up. Imagine, the possibilities if a 17-year-old needed footage of a hopping club scene for his T-mobile spot, and couldn't afford the location, and wasn't old enough to get inside and sneak the footage. Eyespot has that and much much more at your fingertips. The end game in the video space is always to encourage expression in engaging ways and gain new content providers.