Best Advice Ever

From my grandfather, many years (30 maybe?) ago:
If someone offers you a mint, take it. They may know something you don't.

Another, more philosophical gem:
Usually the smartest person in the room is the one who says the least.

Which leads me to the question: What is the BEST ADVICE EVER?

I Miss MST3K

There is not one single show on any channel that I miss more than Mystery Science Theater 3000. It's been perhaps 10 years since it was on? It was inventive, sarcastic and above all, damn funny. It was not really mean or mean-spirited. It did not attack or debase anyone. It simply made fun of movies the same way any one of us would. If, say, we were forced to watch bad 50's movies with a couple of our quick-witted smart ass friends. Or with a couple of robots.
I don't know if I would watch it with my child, but truly, there isn't any comedic show now that I could/should/would show him. At least he would enjoy Tom Servo and Crow. And I know he would laugh at the right moments. Even if he didn't get the joke, he would get the punchline.

Naked Spinning Ballerinas I Have Known

I haven't spent as much time online recently. Instead, I have been diving headlong into HTML and CSS. It is amazing how little I know about either. I decided I want to create a site for my Orlando Daily Photo blog that would allow for advertising. More on that another time.

So, I just went through some email accounts that I haven't cleared out in awhile. A couple were at least 3 months full. Much to my surprise, there were only a few viagra ads. Much to my chagrin, there were quite a few viral emails from family and friends. Once past my "Why the hell are you sending me this?" reaction, I decided I need to respond. The question is, how?

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Well, maybe one to two. I have thought about telling them to set up a stumbleupon or mixx account. But I am sure they know I won't visit their sites. No matter even if I promise to do so daily. I don't want to call them directly. This will validate to them that I actually opened and read it! And obviously, after sharing my opinions through writing caused such a stir, emailing them might not be the best.

Instead, I think I will simply email these nice people the same exact things they send me. Maybe I will send it twice. Or three times! I know that it sounds stupid, but my logic is this:
First, they must love getting and reading these. So maybe they will enjoy seeing them again. And again. And then again.
Second, maybe by the third time that ballerina will finally spin the other way for them! What joy that will be! (And why the hell is she naked? Does that help in the spinning process?
Third, maybe (hopefully) they will see what it is like to be bombarded with inane images, stories, jokes and quizzes.

I will let you know how it goes!

Web 2.0 Meets the Lawyers

Social Media sites do one thing: They get people together so they can share the things that matter to them. And the people form groups of friends or networks based upon common interests. It is a fascinating venture in that the site is all user-generated material. The user essentially does all the work. The site simply is the meeting spot. Some add advertising as a way to generate money. Some sites, like Mixx and StumbleUpon, are ad free. How they do this, I have no idea. I know not everything on the internet is about money.

Then I found this little gem of a site called SueEasy. You, as a litigant, can scroll down through the list of class action law suits. If you don't find one, you can add yours. Or if it is a case involving just you in a civil or criminal issue, you can click on whatever speciality you need. Then, a lawyer gets in contact with you. No searching yellow pages. No asking strangers. No google searches.
In a way, this is a branch off from the social media sites. The user, or litigant, finds someone (lawyer in this case) or group (class action suit) that they wish to join. A friendship or partnership is established. Each party gets something they want from the site.
At once, I am disturbed by this and yet, a part of me finds this ingenious. Yes, there will be some ethical issues. But these will be policed by the users, both the litigants and lawyers, themselves, as well as the site administrators. Just like in any social media site. They have an image to uphold. And they certainly don't want to end up being a class action lawsuit on their own site!

This brings me to the big picture part of this: What other services can use Web 2.0 in their business model?

I can see this being used in a teacher/student environment. There is some application of this in the real estate arena. They simply don't have a formal version like this. And certainly nothing that crosses company lines.
I keep thinking there is a money-making idea with this. It is a matter of finding the right market for this.