Michelle Bachmann won Saturday’s straw poll…good for her. But does it really mean anything?

It must to Tim Pawlenty, who has decided to leave the GOP race. However, historically only George W. Bush took winning in the straw poll and converted it to a win in the Iowa caucus, the nomination, and subsequent win of the White House. Otherwise, it’s been a horrible predictor of final outcomes.

There’s no doubt that Bachmann is running a good campaign. But if she’s thinks that what the Hawkeye elites had to say means much, she should heed the warning from one of the Three Little Pigs, who built his house made of straw…and we all know how that one turned out.

The wealth and growth experienced by cities like Nashville and Louisville are not shared by the shrinking tax base and business-crushing regulations in Pennsylvania’s cities. The problems facing PA’s cities was the topic of SmartTALK a Harrisburg-based public affairs program aired on WQLN Thursday evening. I weighed in with an e-mail that was aired and discussed. My contribution aired at about 29:55 into the program.

Watch the full episode. See more Smart Talk.

Two opposing platforms: Mac vs. Windows, iPhone vs. Android

Purpose: Big-C church better utilize the new technologies

What’s hot – HTML5 + CSS3 + JavaScript

HTML5 is  terse, shorter and simpler

Examples: <DOCTYPE> <script> <style><stylesheet>

New Tags:

• <header>
• <nav>
• <aside>
• <article>
• <section>
• <figure>
• <figure>

Recommend: continue to use <div> and use “class” with the future HTML tags: <div class=”content”>

<canvas> + <svg> IE9 supports svg now – Raphael SVG library

Canvas works on phones, mouse intrativity with SVG – ChromeExperiments.com

In SVG and Canvas, you can do everything that Flash does. If you are starting from scratch, you would need to do it in SVG/Canvas and not Flash

New <form> elements: <input type=”date” /> “datetime” “email” “tel”

You also get adaptive keyboards on mobile devices

HTML5 “Apps” -

• ScrumCards.net CACHE MANIFEST index.html
• Sencha Touch HTML5 Mobile App Framework
• PhoneGap – start in HTML5 & JavaScript then they will make it work as a native app in iPhone

HTML5 JavaScript API’s (Desktop Features, Browser Database, Geolocation, localStorage) cool, but not ready yet

<video>

• Flash was the most reliable way to play video on the web, 99% of desktops, doesn’t work in iPhone
• H.264 = Money, browser makers pay $5M per year, works in IE, Chrome, Safari, but not Firefox & Opera
• Ogg = Ugh
• WebM/VP8 – looks good, not out there yet
• Recommendation: use H.264 via HTML5, with a fallback to Flash playing the same file if the browser can’t play H.264 natively via <video>
• <video source=”mymp4file.mp4″> – MediaElementJS.com CSS styled video controls to control the user interface

CSS3 – not HTML5 but still awesome

• .gradient { background: #eee url (gradient.png) repeat-x; background: -webkit-gradient; background: -moz-linear-gradient} look at: westciv.com/tools/gradients
• .drop_shadow  { box-shadow: rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0 2px 5px; again adjust at westciv.com/tools
• .rounded_corners {border-radius: 5px look at gist.github.com
• .text_shadow {text-shadow: rgba(0,0,0,0.5) 0 1 px 1px;

@font-face

• lots of common fonts
• if you have a font you love for headings, you can load a font from the server
  • flat images
  • sIFR: flash, not working on iPhone
  • Cufon: JavaScript + <canvas>
  • @fone-face: pure css, tricky to implement
  • fontsquirrel.com/fontface/generator
  • code.google.com/webfonts
  • must use fonts that are licensed to do this

Social “Graph” – who owns your data?

• standards and protocols aren’t really being used
• Facebook “Like”
• OpenLike – open protocol to allow sharing the things people like in a simple standard method between web applications

John Dyer – twitter.com/johndyer

Nathan Smith – twitter.com/nathansmith

Notes forthcoming.

Life After a Great Idea: Moving Ideas to Implementation – Charles Lee

Ideamaking

1. Who Are You & Who/What Are You Leading? “Tribes” – Seth Godin – you can make change by leading the world, small groups of true believers, takes a 1000 people. Purple Cow – something worth talking about, something remarkable. Spend your time and money to make something that matters, that’s amazing.

2. How will you implement your ideas?

Practical Insights into Idea-Making:

• Wisdom comes from the streets – sometimes we project what people will like, not the actuality. If you want to do a college ministry event, talk to actual college people instead of projecting your perception. Allow people to speak into what you are creating
• Paper please – write it down, solidify the concept
• Work on simplicity – ($44 B in unused gift cards – giftcardgiver.com)
• Have a business plan – well-thought-through, numbers-crunched, sustainable plan. Don’t base your whole strategy on the “Like” button

Creativity & Idea-Making

• When you have an idea, you write down some thoughts.
• Then you have another idea, unrelated.
• Then you may have another random idea. Write them down and let them germinate.
• Then you’ll see connection from one to another, and some will die
• Finally you’ll have the big concept
• Share your idea
• Expect the “No’s” and dream anyway
• A Disturbance in the Force
• Work Hard and Persevere

May we never let the lack of implementation on our ideas get in the way of the what God’s wants to make happen in our lives.

Websites: charlestlee.com

theideacamp.com

Creative Workflow – Brad Zimmerman

Everything in Adobe Production Suite

1. Pre-production: have to meet to go over creative

2. Story Board/Shot list – iPhone: iStoryBoard, or Cinemek storyboard composer

3. Computer setup: boot on flash drive, two 1 Tera production drives: one with every file organized by sermon series, other is library drive with every image organized and categorized

4. Books:

• Making Ideas Happen
• ReWork

5. Automation: Photoshop: drop lip

Template files

Use the same soundtrack for similar videos

6. Workflow:

Drop all the video in timeline, fix audio then edit
Soundbooth repair and replace
normalize
apply hard limit
noise reduction
B-roll…drag and drop over top

Adobe Dynamic Link – import After Effects, grab and drop into timeline without rendering

Rightclick – edit original

Placeholders – pick a color (lower thirds) in After Effects import Premiere Project
Using a text document to write a program for arrays

Keying – New>Adjustment Layer – works on everything in timeline
Key>Keylight>Matte

Color Correction

Multi-camera editing

Brad’s work is at Cmv.tv

9:00 PM – The pundits keep saying that the debate is Obama’s to lose. They are wondering if McCain will lose his temper. Jim Lehrer from the NewsHour on PBS is the moderator and began his introduction at 9:01.

9:03 PM – The candidates are introduced and step on stage…applauce is polite but not robust, the candidates shake hands, each wearing a slightly different shade of blue suit. Lehrer’s first question is where do the candidates stand on the financial situation.

9:06 PM – Obama gave his bullet points, throwing all of the blame for the crisis at President Bush’s feet. McCain sounds more conciliatory in touch with the felt pain in the audience. Obama in the response came forth with that “shreded regulations” accusation. McCain brings up a history lesson from World War II about accountability.

9:13 PM – McCain talks about his fundamental belief in the strength of the American worker, which is what he meant a couple of weeks ago when he said that the fundamentals of the American economy were strong.

9:24 PM - The candidates are going back and forth on earmarks. McCain calls them a “gateway drug.” Obama talks about cutting taxes for 95% of Americans and poo-poos the $18 billion in earmarks. McCain makes a strong case for lowering the high business taxes, and wants to double the dependent tax credit to $7000.

9:32 PM – They are talking about what priority changes for their administrations because of the bailout costs. Obama wants more money for alternative energy, education, infrastructure (roads, bridges, and rural broadband?!). McCain talks about Obama’s liberal voting record, which made Obama chuckle. McCain wants to go after subsidies and overspending in the defense budget.

9:33 PM – First mention of Iraq, by Senator Obama, complaining about $10 billion a month being spent, while Iraq sits on an oil surplus.

9:36 PM - A half-hour into the debate, there is no clear winning candidate. Obama sounds like he’s yelling, while McCain is soft and intense.

9:44 PM – Lessons from Iraq, McCain reminds us that he was first to push for more troops to win the war, not defeat. Obama reminds that he opposed the war six years ago. Makes a statement about the war costing $600 billion, “soon to be a trillion.” A trillion? Only if the war blows up in our face. McCain points out that Obama was invested in defeat, and never met with the General until recently.

9:50 PM – With the discussion over the Iraq war, Obama is starting to lose composure and over speak, which is what the pundits warned against. It’s not McCain losing his cool, but Obama.

9:53 PM – I must say, even with the distractions of the week in Washington, both these candidates have a strong grasp of the issues surrounding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

9:56 PM – I don’t know if Obama’s regionally accurate pronunciation of Pakistan is going to fly with the “bitter clingers” in the middle of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. It feeds into that Obama is a Muslim myth.

10:05 PM - An hour into this debate, and I got to think that there is a slight advantage to McCain. McCain talks strongly from his experience, with a comprehensive understanding of the issues. This foreign policy talk is right in his wheel house. All Obama can do is complain and disagree, without any positive sounding foreign policy agenda points.

10:11 PM - This talks about whether or not we will talk to rogue countries is kind of boring.

10:22 PM – Talking about Russia and the recent agression against Georgia. Both candidates scoring points. Obama is wary of the nukes, McCain properly explains that the use of power was about the oil pipeline running through Georgia.

10:25 PM – Obama is off the reservation when it comes to his enviromentalist supporters. He just articulated support for off-shore drilling, and nuclear…the greens can’t be happy.

10:26 PM – Last question: the likelyhood of another 9/11 attack on the US.

10:29 PM – McCain reminding that he reached across the aisle to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 commission. Doing a great job now, still a long way to go. Obama concerned about nuclear proliferation, and Al-quida, wants to restore America’s standing in the world.

10:32 PM – McCain reiterates that Obama was wrong on Iraq. Obama points out that the focus on Iraq has kept us from working on problems in other parts of the world.

10:37 PM – Lehrer calls the end to the debate. The candidates said “good job” to each other and to Jim Lehrer, and then went to their wives.

10:43 PM - Anchors are harping on the fact that Obama kept saying “I agree with Senator McCain, I agree with Senator McCain.”

10:49 PM - Networks go to commercials, and I’m signing off. All in all, a great spirited debate. I’ll give the nod narrowly to McCain, although I’m not sure he pulled a ton of people in his camp.  Obama meanwhile didn’t implode. Thanks for reading, good night!

Take a bunch of US senators, congressmen, and governors and send them with “the golden ticket” to Iowa and New Hampshire. There they work on their performances with the finest political coaches in the country, honing their skills, and adding style. Then they meet the judges at the Des Moines Register, and WMUR/Manchester, where they will be evaluated on their delivery and presentation, accepting criticism about being “pitchy” or thankful that they looked beautiful at the debates.

Finally, the caucus goers and voters get to decide who goes on and those for whom “it’s the end of the journey.” The judges at MSNBC and Fox News bicker and disagree and throw cheap shots at each other. This goes on for months and months until the Kodak Theatre finale on November 4th.

Meanwhile the viewers, er, voters, get sucked up into the excitement…will my favorite stay on message (read pick the right song)? Who won the week? How big are the crowds? That guy is getting too “handled” by his stage dad/communications director. I’m getting tired of hearing that guy, maybe I’ll take a look at the other.

It isn’t surprising that this very visual and entertainment-centric society would have a less than serious approach to picking their commander-in-chief. What I am fascinated by is the juxtaposition of a real lack of defined position statements on the very serious challenges that face our country, or at least coverage of them, versus the huge television audiences for the acceptance speeches and Rolling Stones tour-sized crowds at political rallies.

We’ve been on a symbolism over substance slippery slope since the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Right now, just under two months from the final vote, it looks like the very attractive Obama, who was cleaning the clock of the frumpy maverick McCain, is getting trumped by the new audience favorite known now singularly as Sarah.

Something tells me that Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in this political idol environment. Wasn’t it a girl from Westfield, NY who convinced him to grow a beard to better hide his lack of Brad Pitt-looks?