In this "I Want Media" interview with Jeff Jarvis, Mr. BuzzMo'cheen says:

If I were Dr. Pepper, I would have given out samples of the product to bloggers and see what they said. Even if they hated it, some would write about it. Or I'd advertise on blogs -- there can be no cheaper CPM anywhere in media. This works for marketers and also for PR people: Bloggers are becoming influencers. Note how they are getting quoted in newspapers now. So you should deal with a blogger just as you deal with any other media person.

And guess what? Another company is doing just that, and I got the samples.

The company is Energy Technology Laboratories, a Modesto firm that makes smart conservation stuff for your house (or office or warehouse or mall or whatever). One of the marketing guys is Phil Baird, who I know from his (now dormant) site/blog.[Ken Layne]

It's nice to see a local company is in touch with the blogging community...Energy Technology Laboratories....wait! that's where I work!

Being webloggers ourselves, Dane and I had the opportunity to give back to the community. We thought it would be cool to send out some of our product to people in the community and see what they think about it. Normally people buy our product and we never hear from them, this way, we get the critical feedback we need.

One of the cooler products we work with, the Oxygenics® SkinCare Shower, is a low flow shower head that accelerates the water so that you still get a good shower. It's pretty cool and it actually works. I have one at home and love it. I'll be getting one for my mom in the next few weeks. She's got super hard water. The aerator in her kitchen faucet just clogged. Our showerheads aren't supposed to clog because of the Dupont stuff they're made with. This should be a real test.

8:39:07 PM   

As a hiker, backpacker, fly fisherman, and outdoors man I maintain vigilance with the world around me. Unspoiled land and habitat may be the savior of the human race. Even now pond-slime in an English bog has yielded a possible cure for AIDS. So when I see things like this it makes me stop and think.

Another Bad Bush Administration Announcement For America's Environment
It's TGIF for the Bush administration.  Now that Friday has rolled around,they can announce their latest plans for America's environment, safe in the knowledge that it will attract the minimum amount of scrutiny from the press and public. Today, a decision that paves the way for logging in America's largest rainforest, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.  The U.S. Forest Service is expected to deny Wilderness protections for as much as 9 million acres of rainforest, lands that the government itself has categorized as being pristine and free of roads.[SierraClub]

The scariest part of the whole article is something I've been noticing myself. Carl Pope, Sierra Club President points out how the current administration continues it's policy of "public ignorance is political bliss" (let's make that bold shall we?).

"By slipping controversial proposals in under the radar, the administration seeks to accomplish their goals quickly and quietly, without full public knowledge, public debate or public consent."

Fridays and holidays are typically times when the public is distracted.

Think about it, what did YOU read in the news yesterday? Can you remember? Exactly.

10:07:26 AM