Everything Old Is New Again

40 years in the vault. Never before heard Jimi Hendrix cut just released. How FREAKING excited are you?

This week's big music news inspired me to go into my own vault and see what was lurking in the darkness...my vault being a two-drawer filing cabinet holding every word I ever scrawled over my high school and university life, spanning about 10 years (from 1991 to 2000).

It's been interesting going back and blowing off the dust on yellowed pages upon pages of essays and short stories. What nuggets of wisdom did I manage to squeak out when I was not reveling in all-night guitar jam sessions or gunning for the title of beer funnel champion?

Thankfully, if anything good came out of those years, it was that I found my creative flow...constructing thoughts and building meaning through the written word - it hasn't dwindled since.

So, now, in the spirit of 'everything old is new again', I'm happy to share little never-before-seen bits and pieces of compositions - starting, coincidentally, with a 1996 journalism essay I wrote about the impact of modern mass communication on music.

At the time, I was somewhat snarky and cynical about technology, but how things have changed over the years. If not for advances in digital re-mastering and the online capability to distribute music, Jimi's song may never have seen the light of day.

Sadly, the professor I had for that journalism class, Andrew Osler, passed away a few years after I wrote this. He really inspired me to challenge everyday assumptions and helped to nurture my passion for writing.

Thank you, professor Osler - hope you're on the other side, hanging with McLuhan, and having a good giggle over the iPad.

Enjoy!

Bill Gates: Good Advice On Avoiding The Tiger Traps

Bill Gates is quoted as saying: "If I only had two dollars left, I would spend one dollar on PR.”

Our good friend Bill should know. It was PR that helped catapult Microsoft from fledgling start-up into global brand (although to this day the annoying paper clip guy still wants all the credit).

Fortunately for Bill, while his minor skirmish with the law in the late 70s may have earned him some street cred (look at that mug...is that not one bad mofo poised for world domination?), he managed to keep his nose clean and his geek chic intact for the next 30 years. Thankfully, patent lawsuits aren't scandalous TMZ material.

If only Mr. Gates had gone for a spin around the links with Tiger Woods.

For Tiger, who is being dropped by at least one major sponsor so far (not to mention his wife), at this point he'd be well advised to go for broke.