Some of you may remember Rockwell, a.k.a. Kenneth William Gordy, the son of Motown Records head Berry Gordy, and his only hit, “Somebody’s Watching Me“. Released in 1984, the song featured Michael and Jermaine Jackson singing chorus.
I always liked that song, and thanks to the Long Tail of music, this one-hit wonder gem lives on via iTunes and P2P file-sharing. It’s on my iPod.
Recently, I’ve been working with a lot of teams outside my strong ties, and I’ve been surprised at how many people in diverse groups read this blog. This is both flattering and hot-flash, clammy-skin frightening.
For example, groups like Legal, Marketing and PR apparently read. It’s even come to my attention that Fake Larry reads. Remember way back in the salad days when Fake Steve Jobs wasn’t Dan Lyons? The real Steve Jobs was on the short list of potential writers. Cause for a Rockwell moment for me.
This is a good thing, albeit nerve-racking. I like to think AppsLab is helping to change perceptions of Oracle, similar to what Jeff Nolan accomplished at SAP, with less turmoil. I don’t think I have the moxy that Jeff does.
I hope you guys enjoy what you read hear or at least approve it. Here’s to hoping everyone remains “happy” with the content.
I do remember Rockwell and his song and glad you mention it. One thing I want to ask is, I hope this not taken peronaly or too picky, what about using more plain English… for lots of non-native English speakers who are inspired by your postings. For example, I couldn’t find the meaning “foxy” in the dictionary I have but only in Urban Dictionary. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=moxy)
(BTW, I think Urban Dictionary is another 2.0 example)
I do remember Rockwell and his song and glad you mention it. One thing I want to ask is, I hope this not taken peronaly or too picky, what about using more plain English… for lots of non-native English speakers who are inspired by your postings. For example, I couldn’t find the meaning “foxy” in the dictionary I have but only in Urban Dictionary. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=moxy)
(BTW, I think Urban Dictionary is another 2.0 example)
Sorry about that. I’ve misspelled moxie, which you can find in Webster’s here:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=moxie
Thanks for noticing that.
You’re right about the Urban Dictionary, although I think its contributors fall into a more narrow demographic than say the Wikipedia’s do, making it less broadly useful.
Still, good example of New Web.
Sorry about that. I’ve misspelled moxie, which you can find in Webster’s here:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=moxie
Thanks for noticing that.
You’re right about the Urban Dictionary, although I think its contributors fall into a more narrow demographic than say the Wikipedia’s do, making it less broadly useful.
Still, good example of New Web.
I was 8 when I first saw the image below, and I remember thinking that someone had to make sure she got to school okay. I was eight years old. I got what his illustration was trying to say. So, why was this painter/illustrator in a photo magazine? …