Photo of the Day: Sea Otters

Sea Otters by Chuq Von Rospach http://www.chuqui.com

It is sea otter week here on Photo of the day. Why? Because they’re cute, that’s why. But look at those teeth. they have claws, too. Cute is not the same as tame. Or safe. So keep your distance…. 

Things You’ll Find Interesting May 5, 2012

Here are some items I found today that I thought you’d find interesting.

Photo of the Day: Harbor Seal

Harbor Seals by Chuq Von Rospach http://www.chuqui.com

A harbor seal practicing for the Harbor Seal Olympics in the high jump. He’s about as graceful on the sand as I am. 

The printer’s here….

IMG 0230

The Epson 2880 printer has arrived, and setup is beginning. With wide format printers, you have to remember they’re big, they’re heavy, and with art paper, it’s fed flat, so you need to be able to clear space on both sides for the paper to be put through. this weekend, I’ll start with the test prints and see how things go… 

 

Things You’ll Find Interesting May 4, 2012

Here are some items I found today that I thought you’d find interesting.

Leaders and followers…

Retooling the sharks part 1: management @ Chuqui 3.0:

The one criticism I’ve had of Sharks ownership and business team is that they are followers, not innovators. This has been true pretty much since day one. I’ve always wanted this team to drive innovation in the league; it is silicon valley’s team, after all, where a lot of this innovation happens in the world. But the  organization has never taken a league leadership role and always seems to wait for other teams to drive innovations — not surprisingly, given its owner, one of the more innovative teams is the Capitals. Maybe someday this will change, but I’m not holding my breath, and I don’t see the new ownership making this change.

The Sharks were one of the first league teams to have an internet presence, for instance (I know this, because Laurie and I were demoing this funky thing called a browser to them back around 1994 and telling them that this was going to be important to get in front of) — yet after being one of the early (maybe the first) teams to have a web site, they have pretty much followed what the league does rather than led the league forward. There are so many things happening here in the valley where the organization could potentially bring the partnership into the league and foster it through to the other teams, but that’s just not their mindset. They’re followers. Which is okay, but I always hoped for more. 

In my comments on the Sharks, I noted my disappointment that they were followers, not innovators in the league, especially in areas where their residence in Silicon Valley might give them networking opportunities to drive technology innovation into the league. Instead, other teams do that.

Caps and Wizards on Pinterest | Ted’s Take:

Click here. We are starting to build out a series of community of interests on this new social network. We will evolve it and make them better day by day. Pin away.

 

Which is why I thought I’d note that the Capitals are at it again, under the leadership of Ted Leonsis, and have added Pinterest into their social media mix for the teams. Pinterest, based in Palo Alto, about 30 minutes from Sharks world headquarters. And who’s doing the innovation with them?

The team in Washington D.C. 

Well done to the Caps for continuing to innovate and evangelize those innovations into the league. And it’s too bad the Sharks aren’t taking advantage of living in Silicon Valley to build the networks around the Valley that would both make the team a visible leader around the league, but help build the networking connections around their home region that would likely lead to future partnerships and sponsorships as the companies they work with grow and mature… 

(it just seems to me that there are opportunities here in business development, sponsorships, foundation and fundraising work, PR and Marketing, and in increasing the organization’s influence within the league power structure. Except none of it seems to be a priority…)

NHLPA files appeal of Torres’ 25-game suspension

NHLPA files appeal of Torres’ 25-game suspension – NHL.com – News:

The National Hockey League Players’ Association has filed an appeal of the 25-game suspension handed to Phoenix forward Raffi Torres last month.

Torres was penalized during the Western Conference Quarterfinals for a late hit to the head of Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa in Game 3 of the series. Hossa did not return to the game or the series, which Phoenix won in six games.

As I thought they would, the League came down hard and heavy on Torres. 25 games is a massive suspension. After thinking about it for a fews days, Torres and the Players Association have decided to appeal. 

There are really two reasons for this appeal. One is that this suspension is too heavy; nobody is suggesting that Torres should not be suspended, but even the more rabid “nuke him until he glows” believers seem to have trouble supporting this length of a ban. I’d suggested that the league would see Torres as a convenient target to make a statement, and it seems they did exactly that. I have trouble with 25 games off, even given Torres’ history of this kind of nasty hit. 

The other reason to appeal this is Donald Fehr, the head of the players association. the CBA negotiations are coming up. Bargaining chips are useful. And what’s the appeal process here? It’s heard by Commissioner Bettman, who happens to be Brendan Shanahan’s boss. In baseball, it’s fairly common for an appeal to get a bit of time shaved off by Bud Selig. In the NHL, to my knowledge an appeal has never been upheld or a suspension modified. (and in baseball, appeals are routine; in the NHL, they are exceptionally rare. coincidence? no). 

One can only imagine that the players association would love to see appeals be changed so it’s not strictly up to Bettman. A few media types suggested this should all go to arbitration, but there are reasons (a big one being need for timeliness) where that’s not a good option, but this suspension gives Fehr a chance to rattle the cage a bit and generate some talking points for the negotiation — even if it’s a demand for different appeal processes that gets given up as a concession along the way (which I’d say is likely if this is tried). So at the least, Shanahan has given the players association a small bargaining chip for the CBA talks. 

And it’s possible this could turn into a headache for the league later if the PA chooses to make it one. I hope Shanahan and Bettman don’t regret making a statement here down the road.

And having said that — I’m troubled by this suspension. it’s excessive. I’m making no apologies for Torres, but given how Shanahan has been ruling this season, I’d say it really should have been 10-15 games, not 25. I expect the appeal to go nowhere. I expect the union to make noises about that. Torres will be unhappy (but I don’t care, he made this bed, and now gets to sleep in it for a long time, and so it’s hard to find any sympathy for him. 

But what I want to see are clear deterrents to this kind of headhunting behavior, and the one thing this suspension is NOT is a deterrent, because unless you’re a player like Torres, you can see that this kind of ban hammer won’t happen to you. It does nothing to deal with the larger problem of players headhunting, and I think that’s a mistake. There was a middle ground they could have taken that would have made players take notice of the suspension. this isn’t that middle ground. 

And that disappoints me, because the league punished a serious offender, but still isn’t doing enough to solve the problem. 

I hate to be in Torres’ camp for this one, but I think the league over-reacted. And I don’t feel better for having predicted it… 

Photo of the Day: Jellyfish, Monterey Bay Aquarium

Jellyfish, Monterey Bay Aquarium by Chuq Von Rospach http://www.chuqui.com

 

If you ever get a chance to visit this exhibit, do so. It’s awesome. 

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