http://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=rev_matt_y 2005-12-19T21:32:07Z http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/Trial+balloonrev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-12-19T21:32:07Z2005-12-19T21:32:07Z <p>"Sending up a trial balloon" is a phrase that means to test the reaction of a given group of people to a particular action. Most commonly used in reference to a <a href="/title/political+position">political position</a>. See also: <a href="/title/Test+Marketing">Test Marketing</a></p> http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/Test+Marketrev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-12-19T21:30:47Z2005-12-19T21:30:47Z <p>Test marketing is the practice of distributing a new <a href="/title/product">product</a> or <a href="/title/service">service</a> in a limited and closely tracked market that is perceived as <a href="/title/representative">representative</a> of the <a href="/title/target+market">target market</a> for the product of service.</p> http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/The+Holy+Bible+-+Anniversary+Editionrev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-02-28T17:52:38Z2005-02-28T17:52:38Z Artist: <a href="/title/Manic+Street+Preachers">Manic Street Preachers</a><br> Label: Sony<br> Year: 2004 <p> <a href="/title/Reissue">Reissue</a>s are a tough call sometimes. It's tempting to buy the new version of a much loved album, just to see what is different. All too often (<a href="/title/Gold+Remasters">Gold Remasters</a> series, for example) there is no noticeable change in the album itself except that it was <a href="/title/two+track+remaster">two track remaster</a>ed a bit louder than before. And maybe some nice liner notes. If you are a music collector of any sort, you've been burned more than once by reissues. I was understandably wary of the 10th Anniversary edition of "The Holy Bible" by Manic Street Preachers. But it came with a lot of extras, including a fair amount of things I'd not seen or heard before. So I bit the bullet and ordered it from Sony UK (it is not available in the US, including on Amazon's site. Though you can get it from Amazon UK). A very very nice slipcased <a href="/title/digipack">digipack</a> with the original lyrics booklet, an additional booklet of <a href="/title/ephemera">ephemera</a>, two CDs, and a DVD arrived. <p> Disc one is a digital remaster of&hellip; http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/Has+Beenrev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-02-28T17:21:01Z2005-02-28T17:21:01Z Title: Has Been<br> Artist: <a href="/title/William+Shatner">William Shatner</a><br> Label: <a href="/title/Shout%2521+Factory">Shout! Factory</a><br> Year: 2004 <p> <ol type="1"> <li> Common People (featuring <a href="/title/Joe+Jackson">Joe Jackson</a>) <li> It Hasn't Happened Yet <li> You'll Have <a href="/title/Time">Time</a> <li> That's Me Trying (featuring <a href="/title/Aimee+Mann">Aimee Mann</a>) <li> What Have You Done <li> Together (featuring <a href="/title/Lemon+Jelly">Lemon Jelly</a>) <li> Familiar Love <li> Ideal Woman <li> Has Been <li> I Can't Get Behind That (featuring <a href="/title/Henry+Rollins">Henry Rollins</a>) <li> Real (featuring <a href="/title/Brad+Paisley">Brad Paisley</a>) </li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ol> You would think this would be a camp album a la "<a href="/title/Golden+Throats">Golden Throats</a>". I was surprised when I heard it. Shatner doesn't sing, he talks through each song. There is more than an element of <a href="/title/Was+%2528Not+Was%2529">Was (Not Was)</a> going on. "It Hasn't Happened Yet" is classic Was fare, a simple minor key melody with a world weary voice talking about failed dreams. The <a href="/title/big+tent+preacher">big tent preacher</a> delivery of "You'll Have Time" is surprisingly precise. I would've thought Shatner would overact a piece with this much potential for <a href="/title/schmaltz">schmaltz</a>, but he walks right&hellip; http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/The+Slaughterhouserev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-02-25T23:27:04Z2005-02-25T23:27:04Z Title: The Slaughterhouse<br> Artist: <a href="/title/Prince">Prince</a><br> Label: none<br> Year: 2004 <p> This was Prince's first full album <a href="/title/internet-only">internet-only</a> release. A combination of new tracks and internet-only singles, this is a solid set of <a href="/title/funky">funky</a> jams. Prince seems to have finally <a href="/title/assimilated">assimilated</a> the <a href="/title/braggadocio">braggadocio</a> of rap lyrics and delivers it far more smoothly and naturally than on previous efforts (<a href="/title/Graffitti+Bridge">Graffitti Bridge</a>, for example). A little more raw than <a href="/title/Musicology">Musicology</a>, Slaughterhouse owes a lot both musically and lyrically to the <a href="/title/Black+Album">Black Album</a>. But without the pitch shifting. Funk workouts Y Should I Do That and Northside are in the vein of <a href="/title/2+Nigs+United+For+West+Compton">2 Nigs United For West Compton</a> or <a href="/title/Superfunkycalifragisexy">Superfunkycalifragisexy</a>, and there's more than a hint of <a href="/title/Bob+George">Bob George</a> in several tracks. In addition to promoting himself and the love of music, he takes very nicely phrased shots at the music industry in Silicon and 2045. <ol type="1"> <li> <a href="/title/Silicon">Silicon</a> - 4:18 <li> <a href="/title/S%2526M">S&M</a> Groove - 5:08 <li> Y Should <a href="/title/Eye">Eye</a> Do That When Eye Can Do This? -</li></li></li></ol>&hellip; http://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y/writeups/collaborate.dot.commercerev_matt_yhttp://everything2.org:80/user/rev_matt_y2005-02-24T16:56:53Z2005-02-24T16:56:53Z Towards the end of the <a href="/title/dot-com+boom">dot-com boom</a> I worked for a company that decided to <a href="/title/rebrand">rebrand</a> all of their software to make it sound more "<a href="/title/webby">webby</a>". The <a href="/title/moron">marketing geniuses</a> went out drinking over lunch apparently and came back with the earth shattering form of {target market}.dot.commerce. Thus the <a href="/title/retail+management">retail management</a> software became retail.dot.commerce, <a href="/title/business+analysis">business analysis</a> software became <a href="/title/analytics">analytics</a>.dot.commerce, and for some reason <a href="/title/supply+chain+management">supply chain management</a> became <a href="/title/collaborate">collaborate</a>.dot.commerce rather than supply.dot.commerce. <p> We (the technical group) tried to explain two things at this point. First that slapping a new name on a 10 year old product doesn't make it "<a href="/title/web-enabled">web-enabled</a>". This went very very far over their heads. Second and probably more immediately pressing in terms of dealing with potential customers, the name is stupid. <p> human being: Um, 'retail dot dot dot commerce' is your software?<br> marketing being: No, it's 'retail dot commerce'.<br> human being: But there's a dot&hellip;