RIP Dominick Dunne

Almost lost in the Ted Kennedy news coverage was the death of Dominick Dunne. Dominick was a writer who reported on high profile criminal trials, most notably O.J. Simpson's. I always enjoyed his articles in Vanity Fair and would make a point to watch any of his television appearances that I came across. He had a no nonsense style and made no bones about his bias toward the victims of the cases he wrote about, no doubt stemming from the fact that his daughter's killer got away with less than 3 years of jail time. Mostly though, I admired his tenacity. He went against his doctor's orders last year when he was very ill and insisted on covering O.J.'s kidnapping trial. And he re-invented himself as a writer after a failed career as a Hollywood movie producer. He really told it as he saw it and that's what ultimately made him so influential and popular.

The Extra Foot

Sometimes, little actions can go a long way. About a month ago I bought a pair of shoes at Brooks Brothers. Yesterday I got a hand addressed, hand written note in the mail from the salesperson I dealt with thanking me for coming in the store and letting me know to contact her if I ever needed anything else (she also enclosed her business card). While I'm used to getting and immediately discarding the mounds of junk mail that I get on a daily basis, receiving this note really knocked me out.

There aren't many chains that will send you a hand written note these days and this salesperson took the time to follow up on her sale in a very classy way that reflects well not just on her but on the company she works for. I'm not a huge fan of Brooks Brothers so I don't know when I'll be back in the store again, but I know that with this small gesture this person has built up some memorable positive equity with me that will make me more likely to return.

One of my favorite quotes about business actually comes from a former baseball player, Lou Piniella, who's now the manager of the Chicago Cubs. I don't remember the exact statement but when asked what makes a great ballplayer he said it's how well you do the small things. So, when you're in a service industry like we are, you don't have to always go the extra mile. Sometimes the extra foot will do just fine.

Word Power

Reader's Digest has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so it looks like yet another venerable American Magazine is biting the big one. Not that I was ever a fan of the publication (it's a bit too right of center for my tastes) but whenever I think of Reader's Digest I think of my grandparents who were long time subscribers. Visiting them in their apartment in Jamaica Queens was my only exposure to the magazine and I can picture it now, lying there on their coffee table. I came to enjoy testing my language skills with the Word Power section that was my favorite feature (and really the only part of the magazine I paid much attention to). Sure, I can sign up and play the quiz on the Reader's Digest website now but it is, of course, not the same experience. My grandparents and visits to their home in Queens are long gone and now so too is their favorite magazine. I'd like to think that in addition to the fond memories I have of them, I can truly say that it pays to enrich your word power.

Legal Kryptonite

The heirs of Jerome Siegel have been engaged in a long standing legal battle with Warner Brothers. Siegel along with his creative partner Joseph Shuster are the original creators of Superman but signed away their rights to the character years ago when they were hired by Detective Comics. As pointed out in Techdirt, after years of litigation and changes in the copyright law, it's gotten down to Siegel's family getting back ownership of depictions of Superman's origin, the planet Krypton and his real parents, with Warner Bros. having rights to Superman's ability to fly, the term "kryptonite," the villain Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, and some of Superman's powers. This mishigoss is a case study of how ridiculous copyright law can be. You can read the whole story behind this case here.

Brothers from Another Planet

Someone was bound to come up with this idea.

A group at Cosmos Magazine, in honor of National Science Week in Australia and the International Year of Astronomy, has launched a site in which you can send an SMS message to Gliese 581d, a planet, possibly Earth-like, 20.3 light years away in the constellation Libra.

People are posting from all over the world and while I'm not sure if these entries are moderated in some way, a sampling of messages includes:

"we're a mob called human beings. we make lots of mistakes but we basically mean well most of the time, although i wouldn't trust us as far as you could throw us". ' Deb from Australia

"Do you have beautiful and sexy women that are always willing to share their love and DO NOT MAKE stupid comments? Bring some to the Dominican Republic PLEEEEASE" Jose from Santo Domingo City

"We are but primitive specks floating amongst the stars. Take solace in the fact that you are not alone should this message reach you. Love, Earth." Patrick from Flushing

Obviously, many of these are humorous but in a very unscientific perusal of some of the entries, it's interesting to see the themes that emerge if people had a chance to communicate with people on another planet and how these messages reflect how we see ourselves. A lot of people talk about what a hostile species we humans are, how we're destroying our own planet and the need for peace.

If extra terrestrials ever receive these messages, would they bother to respond?