It seems to me there is an opportunity out there. I’m going to turn a twenty-two year grip into a suggestion and an idea.
Here’s my problem. In many things we have the chance to have our say and don’t choose to – that’s our fault. In some instances we don’t have a chance to voice our opinions – at all.
Let’s go back to 1985, when Coca-Cola changed the formula of it’s namesake soft drink. Welcome, New Coke. Ugh. Nobody had a chance to really change the course of history on that one – even to this day. No you didn’t. Yes, I know Coca-Cola ‘Classic’ was brought back – I drink it often, but it’s not the original.
Personally, I think it was a staged event to make the switch from cane sugar (expensive) as a sweetener to the high-fructose corn syrup (cheap) we all know and love today. Don’t believe me? Fine, I have no proof to back it up, but there is a difference in the flavor from the true original, and what a great way to make the change and cut costs than to take away the real product for half a year and then bring it back slightly altered, but most people unable to really tell the difference.
At any rate, my point is that there is an opportunity for Coca-Cola (or any beverage manufacturer who has a similar opportunity) here to tap into a great new product. I want my old coke back, and I want it BAD. I’ll pay extra to have that original taste back – I’ll pay for a ‘premium’ beverage that is true to the 120-year old formula. And I want it only in 12oz. returnable glass bottles. Yep, old school all the way.
Hey, what a great twist of PR. Create a new (old?) product, package it in a ‘green’ (I hate that term) reusable (and recyclable) container, reach out to their oldest and most loyal customers (an already established market), and charge extra to do it.
Am I in the wrong here? With the custom, gourmet, and premium beverage markets that abound today, how hard would it be for a company like Coca-Cola to do this?
Just in case anyone was wondering, I took the weekend off blogging as it turns out. I’ve had a case of blogger’s block for close to two weeks and I simply turned off the laptop sometime on Friday and just didn’t touch it until a few minutes ago.
Has a day or two not trying to think, not trying to write helped? Not sure. I know I needed a little time to do other things and let the mind wander to it’s other corners, if only to just relax. I believe that I get too anxious to do things and it get’s counter productive to what I’m trying to do.
Anyway, I’ll probably get cranking again tomorrow, but am going to try and go and do some other work yet today. Possibly write some more "happiness" quotes – I’m starting to run short on them. 😉
Since I’ve been having a hard time writing things in my genre of topics I usually try to post on here I thought I’d let myself go off in a different direction.
While I’m not a hard-core foodie, I do like to eat good food. I’ve got a few favorite shows on Food Network and a number of things are starting to really bother me more and more.
When did we allow our food preparation to be outsourced to a growing industry of bland, mechanized, "individually sealed for your safety", corporations that get to dictate taste to us?
Why do we feel the need to make it taste the same in Los Angeles as it does in New York?
I’m not faulting any of the companies that cater to our desire and perceived need for quick, easy, meals. They’re just businesses trying to make money and grow market share. Yes, the national chains can offer good coffee, breads, ice cream, noodles, cheesecake, pizza, etc… but what about our cultural heritage that brings so many different regional ideas, experience, tastes, and ingredients to the table.
Alas, the modern interstate has rendered our palates comfortably numb with it’s rolling miles of paved pablum.
One last thing: portion size. WTF!? The food from all fast food, chain restaurants, and so on is soooo mediocre that one wonders why we need to super-size any of it. Even when going to a "sit down" restaurant, the servings are too big. And experts wonder why we have a obesity problem in our country!
I’m ranting here, and for good reason. Most cities have lost what culturally significant foods and dishes that were developed because of their geographic location and the unique combination of nationalities that had settled there. It’s sad to loose these dishes and flavors that have melted into the bland fabric that is American food today.
Don’t know the answer to any of this except to suggest you seek out the local mom & pop restaurants and frequent the ones that have keep to their regional specialties. Encourage them to continue doing what they do best and look for more that keep our regional specialties unique and special.
In addition, don’t forget that the cultural makeup of our country is changing. With larger numbers of various ethnic groups, the idea of food, flavor and ingredients are and will change. This is OK, because this brings fresh ideas and new techniques to our kitchens and our palates. And that is a great thing too.
…the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 against the United States of America.
In memory of those who lost their lives on this day six years ago to an extremist jihad that serves no purpose but to waste lives. These attacks against our country have not gone unpunished, and we will run this to ground.
Ok, yes this topic was tossed around a few days ago, and I only found the discussion yesterday. A lifestream is simply a page that aggregates your online works, be they blog posts, videos, pictures, comments, Facebook statuses, etc…
The ability to have one place where all your online contributions to “the great conversation” are kept in chronological order. Basically like a “river of news” format pioneered by Dave Winer.
Since a number of people, including Twitter budz Josh Bancroft (who started the idea), Dan York and Steve Rubel, have created one – I thought I’d play the follower here and give it a try. Using Tumblr, much as the rest have, I created my lifestream blog in about 5 minutes. Drop dead easy. An additional 15 minutes and I had lifestream.rickmahn.com set up to take you there.
One of the streams I want to add is my coComment feed. coComment is a comment tracking service, and does a pretty good job of it. The only problem is that the feed includes comments by other people who’ve commented on the same post. There is probably a way to disable that, or filter the other comments out – but I didn’t find it in the 5 minutes I allotted myself.
At any rate, I think that the lifestream idea has real value for anyone who is interested in what your perspectives are, or following you online. Below I’ve included some other bloggers that have commented on the idea or have created their own lifestream.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
