Shifting Baselines Blog

11/28 - OK Go:  A dancing model for how to communicate effectively today using spontaneity

Careful, slow, cautious stodginess just doesn't work any more.  The media world is changing so rapidly there is only one way to deal with it, which is to have enough flexibility to be spontaneous and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.  Check out this great article about the band OK Go who kicked ass earlier this year by dancing across four treadmills.  The bottom line of the story is that NOBODY was certain of what they were doing, except they all knew instinctively they had to be open minded and follow their noses.  It's a valuable lesson for any sort of communication these days.

The band OK Go shows how blind enthusiasm can conquer the world today more effectively than sluggish timidity

11/20 - NY Times Decides Surfrider Not Crazy Over Montauk Lighthouse

Though they painted a picture of Surfrider activists as long haired and tanned in their earlier article, in this editorial, the NY Times comes down on the side of Surfrider's very logical suggestion that instead of continuing the losing battle against coastal erosion, just give in and move the lighthouse.  Opponents had tried to call it not feasible.  But moving a lighthouse is well within the bounds of today's engineering technology.   And it makes a lot more sense than throwing more junk in the ocean in the age old losing battle against physical oceanography.

11/15 -  Surfers and Surfrider:  Allowing others to mold your image ... negatively

The story for today's media world is that if you don't take the initiative and control your own image, others will do it for you.

Here's a good example of that in the NY Times yesterday.  It casts surfers and the Surfrider Foundation as a group of long haired, self-absorbed, affluent sportsters.  The author uses the word "dude" for the surfers and describes the surf activists as "tanned and long haired."  Which might be true, but is that the image surfers and Surfrider want?  Perception is important, but its up to you to manage it if you care.

Montauk Light: George Washington should have been more thoughtful of surfers when he commissioned it

11/3 -  We Was Right:  Our "No Seafood Grille 2050" is scheduled for ... 2048

When we made our silly film, "The No Seafood Grille 2050" we just guessed at the date.  But now a new study by Boris Wormet al. says the oceans are headed down the drain by 2048 and there will be ... NO SEAFOOD.  So say good bye to those fish sticks, and hello to jellyfish and bacteria.

Hey, we were supposed to be only joking with this film