Month: March 2018

How To Save Time Magazine & ‘Disrupt’ Both Publishing & Social Media

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Let me be a bit more clear about all of this. So Time Magazine is up for sale. What if instead of letting some Right wing nutjob buy it and ruin it, you completely thought outside the box and re-invented it as a social media platform.

Here me out.

What you do is, move Time Magazine from New York City to Silicon Valley and make it a startup. The startup would be designed specifically to compete with Twitter, but you might be able to figure out a way to go after Facebook as well.

You use all the editors and writers for Time Magazine as your seed group of users. Instead of publishing a magazine each week, they would post content into the service. I think you should lean heavily on the concepts associated with Usenet from 20 years ago, but that’s just me.

Anyway, the point is, all those editors and writers would be the core of a Twitter Killer. They would then to invite other “thought leaders” into the service as part of your growth marketing plan and soon enough you could have something much cooler than Twitter that you could leverage to attack Facebook which is having some serious problems right now.

Let me be clear that no one listens to me, but this is fun to think about for a moment.

The Fate Of Time Magazine: It Should Be Reimagined Altogether #startup

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

If I had my way, I would scrap the current concept of what Time Magazine is altogether and re-invent it as a social media platform that would take advantage of the problems that both Twitter and Facebook are having right now. As you may know, Time is going to be sold — probably by June — and it really will be the end of an era. Time Magazine is kind of the New York Times of magazines, in a sense, and so when it changes hands it will mean A Lot to people like me.

Of course, some insane Right wing nutjob is going to buy Time and we’re all fucked. They’re going to buy it because they can get it on the cheap and Time’s brand name to old farts like me and Donald Trump is pretty potent. But it would be cool if someone would take my advice and scrap Time as we currently conceive of it and turn it into a social media platform. I would seed this new Time startup with content from the magazine, but I would go even further and deconstruct the magazine down to its core parts.

In other words, I would have Time Magazine writers and editors become users of a new Twitter or Facebook competitor that could really do something interesting. Why have those people writing articles in a traditional sense when you could have them posting stories directly into a new platform. That would be pretty cool.

I have on my Instagram account gone into great lengths about what this new service would be like, but in short it would be based on the concepts of Usenet, which was popular about 20 years ago. Now, I know Reddit does something similar to Usenet, but feel its application is kind of ham-handed.

It’s definitely an intriguing idea, though. The below video talks about this idea some, too.

Stormy Daniels As An American Icon

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Someone recently quipped on Twitter that Margot Robbie is set to get her Oscar win playing Stormy Daniels in one of the many movies that will be generated by the Trump Administration. Meanwhile, one of my favorite nattering nabobs on Twitter, Benjamin Wittes gave Ms. Daniels a little shade calling her a “sex worker” employing legal tactics barely above blackmail. He did say she was weirdly one of the more honorable characters being spit out by the Trump Administration clusterfuck.

So that makes me wonder — is Ms. Daniels kind of an icon of this surreal Trump era that we now find ourselves in? When the history of the Trump Administration is written, will we look back upon Ms. Daniels as an icon of the hole we dug ourselves into when we elected Trump?

Now, for me, the interesting thing is the Stormy Daniels Affair has garnered far more traction than any of the other many, many, many scandals produced by the Trump Administration. I just don’t get it. I just don’t understand why this, of all the scandals, is actually taking its toll on the Trump Administration. There are now three different women suing the president for various sexually related screw ups. Add to that the whole #TrumpRussia imbroglio and it does appear as though we’re headed for a perfect storm of epic proportions.

The difference between Stormy Daniels and the “bimbo eruptions” of 20 years ago is Ms. Daniels seems to have her own sexual agency. She isn’t some young woman being exploited by powers beyond her control. She is a self-avowed “slut” who claims the only thing she won’t do for money is “toilets and dishes.” As such, it’s difficult for people on the Right to slutshame her out of the public eye. As anyone who follows her on Twitter can attest, she is quick with a retort and can hold her own when it comes to the numerous MAGA haters who want to rain down sexual shame on her.

I, for one, see Ms. Daniels as the hero we deserve at this moment in time. She has managed to turn the tables on Trump and beat him at his own game. Maybe nothing will happen because of all of this, but it is definitely delicious to watch.

What the ultimate outcome of all of this will be is anyone’s guess. But it is within the realm of possibility that it could be Ms. Daniels, not Bob Mueller, who ultimately brings down Trump. What gets me the most is it’s possible we’ll see Trump’s junk at some point and that still won’t be enough to bring him down. I mean, Trump has already legally admitted that he had an affair with Ms. Daniels and the Religious Right is completely silent on the issue.

I’m old enough to remember the Monica Lewinsky Affair and how people on the Right were so quick to tell me that “character counts.” Now that the roles are reversed, the Right is employing the same moral relativism that they claimed I was using to defend then President Bill Clinton. The perspective of having been politically aware 20 years ago makes the current Trump situation makes me head spin. At the center of all of this is Ms. Daniels. If she does manage to bring down Trump rather than Mueller, it will be rather appropriate.

What makes all of this different is all of Trump’s other sexual peccadilloes were “baked in” to people’s views of Trump when they voted for him. Ms. Daniels, however, has brought with her some accusations that risk overturning some assumptions people have about Trump. That her lawyer would claim that she was physically threatened by someone in the Trump circle is difficult for even the most harden Trump cult member to defend.

Of course, they won’t defend it, they’ll just bob and weave and shadowbox like they always do. But it’s all very interesting. Ms. Daniels may push things to the breaking point. Things could very well get much, much, much more surreal before it is all over with. It may be so surreal that 20 years from now people will still be processing what happened.

I know I will.

So, Can We Blame Facebook For Trump Yet?

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

It is becoming more and more obvious that Facebook, as much as the Russian trolls on Twitter, is to blame for the success of Donald Trump in 2016.

This should have real consequences to their bottom line that will humble them. As anyone with even a casual acquaintance with Mark Zuckerburg can tell you — he’s kind of a dick. And as the Bible says, there is pride before the fall, so it’s likely the house that Zuck built will be extremely arrogant for as long as they can get away with it.

If Congress — and more importantly the general populace — take it upon themselves to do something about Facebook, eventually something will change. There is precedent for this. Gawker Media was extremely arrogant and no one thought they might be taken down — but they were.

So, as I have said before, it’s possible there’s a window of opportunity to do something about Facebook’s evil ways. It’s possible that under the right conditions that someone might be able to think up a better mouse trap and “kill” Facebook. I believe the old Usenet is a great blueprint as to how to do it, but it would take some serious tweaking and updating of those core concepts to do it.

But I think we need to start grouping Facebook in with Russian Twitter trolls — along with the second Comey letter — as to how is that Trump won in the first place. The 2016 election is now extremely tainted and some fundamental flaws in the American political system that will take decades to fix.

Regardless, Facebook has a long ways to go. It’s corporate culture is such that not until it feels real fiduciary pain will it sit up and take notice. If droves of people were to leave it for a less evil service, then maybe it might change its ways.

But it’s up to you and me to make a personal decision to do that.

A Window Of Opportunity Exists To Reshape Social Media

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

The recent news about Cambridge Analytica coming out of Great Britain lays bare the fundamental flaw the Facebook business plan — it doesn’t really have customers. The data of people who use it is where it makes money and as such that data can go to the highest bidder.

I have long proposed a new social media service that would be a Twitter Killer, but the concepts associated with it could very well be used on a Facebook Killer as well. But the key issue is — and here’s the rub — is you would have to apply the old Google slogan of “Don’t Be Evil.”

And that might be pretty difficult.

It might be difficult because, well, people won’t pay for a social media service. A social media service grows because of its viral nature and zero friction to adaptation. Even if you had to pay $1 a month, 99% of your user base would scoff.

It’s just not going to happen.

But having said that, we may have reached an inflection point whereby people might be willing to ditch Facebook if they were given assurances that there personal data wouldn’t be abused. Now, I don’t know how you could do that if couldn’t charge. And, yet, it seems as though if you could find a really wealthy liberal angel investor to fund a startup devoted to fixing the problems with Facebook (and Twitter) that it might be more successful than one might think.

Of course, you would have to bring something new to the table. You couldn’t just copy Facebook. You would have to be innovative. I still think that the concepts of Usenet, a service that was popular 20 years ago, would do the trick. It’s an established, tested method of social media that has, for the most part, been lost to the mists of time. Yes, Reddit exists, but I find it’s application of Usenet concepts ham-handed at best. I want a service that leans heavily, and directly on the Usenet I used 20 years ago.

Now, I’m aware that Google+, in a way, did just that, but that was designed by data nerds who didn’t understand basic human interaction. I guess what I’m saying is there has got to be a better way than Facebook and maybe someone with a liberal bent — and a lot of money — should step up to the plate.

#TrumpRussia, Cambridge Analytica, Stormy Daniels & Fall Of The House Of Trump

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

Something has shifted subtly. I can’t put my finger on it, but it seems as though we’ve finally, finally, begun to enter the second act of the TrumpRussia imbroglio. And it’s coming from an unexpected place — Great Britain. I have often said that it’s not like the Dutch can march in and save the United States from Trump, but maybe the Brits via their investigation of Cambridge Analytica might be about to do it.

Add to this what’s going on with the Stormy Daniels scandal and it seems as though as of right this second, we’re lurching towards a perfect storm when it comes to Trump.

This is not to say that there aren’t any number of ways Trump could weasel his way out of this. He could start a war with Iran or the DPRK. He could be successful in muddying the waters of public opinion so much that we can never pin him down. All of those are very possible.

And, yet, something really significant seems to be brewing with both Cambridge Analytica and Stormy Daniels, enough so that I feel as though we may get out of this alive just yet. As I have mentioned before, it’s almost impossible to get rid of a president and as long as Trump is power we are at risk. So, it’s almost an all or nothing kind of thing. As long as Trump is president, we face a real risk of becoming a “managed democracy” like they have in Russia.

But since everything Trump touches dies, it seems as though maybe, just maybe, it’s possible Trump will actually be brought down. But it won’t happen until after the 2018 mid-terms. And that’s where we face a pretty enormous Constitutional Crisis. If Bob Mueller finally gives Congress a report that lays out any number of reasons why Trump should be removed from office…and nothing happens…then, well, we’re all pretty well fucked.

The next few days will be pretty telling I suspect. The next few days we will get some sense of how likely it is any of this will matter. It seems as though the Stormy Daniels interview, should it be aired, could be one for the history books. It could be quite memorable.

No matter what happens, I still have hope. I still have hope that when all is said and done, Trump will be removed from office by Congress sooner rather than later. There is the odd chance that if Mueller says Trump should be charged and nothing happens that the country will get so angry that we will really be in historic times. Some pretty unprecedented things could happen.

Regardless, we’ll just have to wait and see. I have a little bit of hope, but not too much. I say keep an eye on the DPRK and Iran. Trump could, in a final act of desperation, start a war with one or both of those countries and we’ll wake up in 2025 to President Tom Cotton.

‘Getting High With Russell’ #Lyrics To A Woke Pop-Rock Song

I just like this expression and so I’ve decided to write lyrics about this.

Getting High With Russell
lyrics by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls
please give credit if you produce or perform

these days can be so stressful
Netflix and chill
just isn’t much of a thrill
so in an effort to deal
I hang out with Russell

I get high with Russell
’cause that’s my thing
make me feel so chill

getting high will Russell
getting high will Russell
getting high will Russell

he’s my right hand man
the guy I turn to when I’m in need
in need of some weed
he’s there’s for me all the time
gives me reason to smile

getting high will Russell
getting high will Russell
getting high will Russell

[bridge]
Russell knows where it’s at
he’s going to clean up is act
but before he does pass the dutchie
pass it on the right hand side

wee’re all going to laid
we’re going to have it made
but before we do let me explain
that I have to get high with Russell

getting high with Russell
getting high with Russell
getting high with Russell

Trump Should Get It Over With And Fire Mueller So The End Can Come

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am beginning to get the feeling that Trump is, like the great showman he is, teasing his eventual firing of Robert Mueller and wants to heighten the excitement for the season (series?) end of Celebrity President. But remember, it was a year after Nixon fired his Special Prosecutor before he resigned.

So, add to all of this the fact that Trump has a Vichy Congress to rely upon, the Russians could meddle in any prospective Blue Wave and Trump can always start a war with Iran or the DPRK to weasel his way out of all his problems and you have the makings of an enormous clusterfuck.

But I do think if Trump fires Mueller he will actually face some consequences for once. There’s a real chance that it would end his presidency…eventually. It is really, really hard to get rid of an American president and Trump could very well make it through 2020 and beyond.

All I know is I’m ready to protest if Trump fires Mueller and it won’t be easy to get rid of Trump if he does. It could take something like the People’s Impeachment that took place in South Korea for us to get rid of him. It could take a while. Like, weeks if not months of massive protests.

But the United States is not South Korea, so even that might not do the trick. I do think Trump should just fire Mueller and let the chips fall where they may. This teasing of us for weeks and months is really beginning to get on my nerves.

Stay Angry, Stake Woke #Resist

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I used to say we should “engage, not enrage.”

Those were very quaint days indeed.

Now, I realize we need to “stay angry, stake woke.”

We have to summon up the spirit of John Lennon and other icons to bring down the tyrant Trump using political means. Run for office. Vote. Organize.

No one is going to save us but us.

Do We Have What It Takes To Save Ourselves From Trump’s Autocracy?

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

We may have finally reached the tipping point of all of this clusterfuck. Or if we haven’t we’re getting a lot closer than we were. I still think we’re going to war with the DPRK by August, but we live in surreal times. There are no easy answers. I wish there were.

The issue is we’re going to have to save ourselves if that is even possible. It’s not like the Dutch are going to march in and save the day. We, as Americans, are going to have to fix this problem. But it’s very possible that Trump has successfully muddied the waters to such an extent that we’ll never pin him down.

But I still have hope.

The below video is pretty interesting.