He not busy being born is busy dying.

Or, if you prefer your musical references via the UK as opposed to the US, as Dave Edmunds once sang,
Crawling from the wreckage, crawling from the wreckage, INTO A BRAND NEW CAR!

In case you missed the memo, and I doubt you truly care, Arianna Huffington ankled the “Huffington Post,” to focus on her wellness company, which is like A-Rod leaving the the playing field to become a Yankee advisor, he was toast and no one ever wanted to listen to him anyway, his expertise was doing his own damn job, at best.

And what is Arianna’s job?

Being famous and getting rich.

The HuffPo was a good idea that followed its initially hyped vision ever so briefly.

The HuffPo was gonna take back the dialogue from the right, was gonna own the web if not talk radio, all the liberals angsting about Bush would have their own platform, where they’d write…for free.

Think about that, it wouldn’t go over today. That’s a dead paradigm. We’ll cough up cat videos, post pictures of weddings and anniversaries, but those who provide content for a living, those who are writers, are on to the scam, they’re not working for free.

Not that there aren’t people who will.

Welcome to the modern web, where everybody’s posting but the caliber of writing is so godawful that no one is reading. We don’t even know if your ideas are half-baked, we can’t get past the headline.

And the HuffPo was all about headlines.

It was about search engine optimization to generate clicks which sold advertising. And the team that developed this paradigm wanted to cash out, and did, and the progenitor moved on to create BuzzFeed, and the HuffPo ended up a couple of years and a couple of changes behind it.

Now let’s give credit where credit is due… The HuffPo invented CLICKBAIT!

You know, all those saucy headlines that lead to non-stories. The HuffPo specialized in that, when it started we were still susceptible. But today, Facebook has mounted an assault against clickbait, it ruins the customer experience. But what kind of experience is it when the whole damn site is clickbait?

That’s today’s “Huffington Post.” A lot of headlines and images but no content, it’s the news equivalent of a Twinkie.

But Arianna became more famous and got more rich and the last laugh is on us.

That’s the game today. Marissa Mayer does bupkes at Yahoo but gets rich in the process. It’s about one and done. Having your payday. And then living the good life ever after.

This is not Steve Jobs on a mission to change the world taking a dollar a year in pay. This is all about cashing out, and staying out.

So, you know that the HuffPo was sold to AOL, and you know that AOL was sold to Verizon. And now there’s no place for Arianna, she’s a cog in a machine that doesn’t want her. But the truth is Tim Armstrong and the AOL brass ultimately didn’t want her either.

But this is less about Arianna than the site, the HuffPo itself. It was cutting edge once and didn’t keep up with the times and is now marginalized. A thrill when it launched, now the left wingers would much rather go to Nate Silver’s 538, at least there’s data there, to go along with the analysis, it’s not all puff pieces, empty calories.

And it’s not only the HuffPo, it’s Perez Hilton too. They both kept expanding into new territories, the HuffPo even launching a divorce vertical and Perez/Mario getting into fashion and pets. But these expansions looked exactly like what they were, land grabs to sell more advertising, and we’re sick of ads, we want substance.

So, BuzzFeed does clickbait better than the HuffPo. It’s clickbait with a twist, they create the content, and source it out everywhere, as opposed to the HuffPo consolidating others’ stories. Aggregation sites are history, we’re inundated with links, we now live in an app economy, on our mobile devices, we choose who gets through the filter and if you don’t, you’re irrelevant.

And Facebook at least pays lip service to its users. The HuffPo was almost always above its target audience, holier-than-thou just like Arianna herself.

It’s a modern tech story, no different from Osborne Computer or Kaypro or WordPerfect or other titans that triumphed and faded away.

They stopped innovating, they didn’t keep up with the times, then they were extinct.

Music is better, because if you’ve had hits you can trade on them forever, people always want to relive the good times.

Then again, the who moved my cheese people can’t get over the death of rock and the rise of pop music and EDM, they refuse to embrace change, they want the past to return, and that’s never gonna happen.

And the new music stars know the game has changed. Only an oldster spends three years polishing an album, the new kids on the block, led by the rappers, personified by Drake, are constantly in the marketplace, even releasing mixtapes for free. Because they know if you’re not in the show, you’re soon to be forgotten. There’s a tsunami of info and if you don’t catch the wave, ride it to the beach and hold on for dear life, you’ll be plowed under, taken out to sea and never heard from again.

Still, the joke is on us. Because we buy this crap. The concept that Arianna Huffington is a star with gravitas entitled to our attention. Not admitting she’s a creature of the media, she’s barely different from Kim Kardashian, but the latter is richer, and if not educated, even more street smart.

So, if you’re following Arianna into her wellness venture I’m laughing. Why exactly should we be listening to her, because she wrote a book? If I want to know about sleep I’ll go to a doctor, I’ll go to an expert, someone who dedicated his life to the cause as opposed to a trendmeister out for a buck.

But bucks she has, from her divorce and the sale of the HuffPo. Arianna’s a winner. Because that’s the American game, making something out of nothing and getting rich in the process.

But when so many are struggling, when the real problems of this nation not only go unsolved, but unaddressed, it’s unseemly that we’ve got a coterie of people who’ve rigged the game to get rich and famous yet have contributed almost nothing to society.

You might hate the cops, but on a good day they keep the peace.

As for teachers, there are tons of bad ones, but they’re on the front lines of the future, educating our children, they’re where the rubber meets the road but we keep complaining about their unions. Come on, teachers haven’t been well off since Reagan, many have other jobs, they can’t live on their pay.

And I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of either police or educators, all I’m saying is they’re underpaid people who are truly making a difference.

Does Mark Zuckerberg make a difference?

Well, he allows us to connect with everybody we ever knew, but is this the basis for a productive society? Where you roll up the world’s population to sell them ads and bogus information?

We’ve got it wrong folks, we need a reset. Don’t confuse today’s tech titans with the progenitors. This is not Bill Gates contributing to productivity, putting a computer on every desktop, this is mostly wankers coming up with lame ideas that hoodwink us so they can get rich.

Of course there are exceptions, Uber is a breakthrough, Airbnb too, however disruptive.

But selling advertising in new ways? Utilizing subterfuge to get us to pay attention?

If that’s your goal, if that’s your achievement, you should be exposed.

And I’m exposing Arianna Huffington here.

Furthermore, she was a bad techie. Steve Jobs brought us the mouse, got rid of the floppy, kept killing the past to get on with the future. Arianna just stuck where she was, a one hit wonder with a pretty lame song to begin with.

Good riddance.

There aren’t going to be any jobs.

Did you read Farhad Manjoo’s article in yesterday’s “New York Times”? All about Amazon’s distribution, now moving to drones? If you get your package via drone, and the costs drop as distribution becomes more efficient, not only do all those delivery people lose their gigs, and the people in the warehouse, which runs on robots, too, but so do the people in physical retail, which can no longer compete.

Sounds good, very efficient, BUT WHERE IS EVERYBODY SUPPOSED TO WORK!

The good news is you can have instant access to products at a cheap price.

The bad news is you can’t afford to buy anything.

Been to a mall recently? Absolutely horrifying. There’s no one there! I went to the Westside Pavilion for a movie and the place was empty and half the food stalls had closed and I know that’s anecdotal, but look at Nordstrom’s numbers and Macy’s too, the latter is closing so many stores…

But you hear the canard that manufacturing must come back to America. That people need to be put back to work at high-paying jobs.

But I hate to tell you, even if they open those factories most of the jobs will be automated, never mind what labor there is driving costs up untenably. Do you want to pay more for a flat screen so Americans can go back to work? We live in the least altruistic society ever, it’s all about me, all the damn time, no one wants to sacrifice. If you think people care about poor musicians, you probably didn’t live through Napster, as for YouTube…the public LOVES IT!

And it gets worse… The triumphant companies making more money with fewer people are dominating in a way that will ultimately hurt the little guy.

Kind of like Apple Music, overpaying for exclusives. Myopic musicians like the cash. No fan ever liked an exclusive. But, the truth is there are no exclusives for developing artists, certainly not those who are not major label priorities. It’s going to be harder to make it. If Apple Music with no free tier succeeds it’ll be good for the top line performers, but bad for those on the bottom.

The winner take all economy is leaving the rest of us out. It’s not only Facebook decimating MySpace, there’s room for less art, you can make it, but no one will see it.

And it’s only gonna get worse. Elizabeth Warren castigates the Silicon Valley titans for their egregious behavior, but the two candidates running do not.

And right now it looks like Hillary’s gonna win.

So it’s gonna be the same as it ever was. With the rank and file losing out. Remember when the rank and file bitched and started the Occupy movement? It’s the media that killed it, saying there was no message. Oh, there’s a message all right. The oligarchs and the monopolists are making life hard for the rest of us. They give us free products in exchange for our privacy and expect us to be happy. And if we dare to push back, with Adblock Plus, they cry foul.

Let’s not even get into Trump. He’s a bozo who’s left rationality behind. But one thing’s for sure, his supporters are angry.

It’s this anger, on both the left and the right, that should be addressed.

But it’s not.

Because the educated winners who made their own bucks feel entitled and don’t want to give up anything and they’ve convinced the underclass that the problem is not them, but the supposed “takers.” And if the rich pay more in taxes, what’s gonna happen when you become rich? Even though the odds are low, it’s this dream that keeps you moving forward.

The discussion is all wrong. It shouldn’t be about immigration or trade… We should acknowledge the change in our society, how it’s become automated, and we should ask how we lift up all players, give them a platform to survive and hopefully thrive.

But no, you’re not making it because you’re just not working hard enough. Even though I had rich parents who gave me not only tutors, but flew me around the world to show me how the other half lives. And then I worked hard to get into a good school and… I started my own business and made a billion. I’M ENTITLED TO IT! I’M SMART AND YOU’RE NOT!

And you’re frustrated and on drugs since my buddies at the pharmaceutical company forced supposedly non-addictive Oxy down your throat and now you’ve switched to heroin and…

It’s not a level playing field folks. And those in the media are envious of the billionaires, which is why Henry Blodgett started “Business Insider,” so he could sell it, why Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher left the “Wall Street Journal” so they too could become rich… Either you’ve won and have circled the wagons or you’re one of the small cadre with a chance of succeeding because of your relationships and status or…

You’re completely left out, like you and me.

Think about it.

“Think Amazon’s Drone Delivery Idea Is a Gimmick? Think Again”

My Own Worst Enemy – Spotify

My Own Worst Enemy – YouTube

This is the best Aerosmith song in decades!

I discovered it via “Release Radar,” Spotify’s new, algorithm-driven, customized new release playlist.

That’s right, Spotify. No, I don’t get paid by them. Yes, the site is imperfect, but not only is it the best streaming service, it’s got a free tier so we’ve all got access, we can all participate, we can all be part of the group, and in this social world that’s everything.

It was a stealth release. “Release Radar” that is. There was a press release last week and then…nothing. Spotify’s got some of the worst marketing of all time. But, the service…

The word is out on “Discover Weekly,” the playlist custom-tailored to you based on what you’ve listened to. And although I’ve discovered a lot of good stuff via “Discover Weekly,” most of it’s far from brand new, and it’s the new stuff I hunger to be exposed to.

And, so far, “Release Radar” is far superior to “Discover Weekly,” the hit to shit ratio is so much higher. With “Discover Weekly” I just click through to find something good, with “Release Radar” almost every track has me listening through.

And my customized new release playlist started off with…

A transcendent version of “Send In The Clowns” by Bryan Ferry, who even knew it was out?

And a new cut by Jamestown Revival.

And a good Florida Georgia Line cut with Tim McGraw.

But it’s the Steven Tyler cut that closed me.

I was aware the album was out, the hype reached me, Tyler’s got a way of promoting without looking like he’s doing so, but going country is still a cheap shot and the initial single, “Love Is Your Name,” didn’t reach me.

But “My Own Worst Enemy”…

You see we don’t know where to start, we might not even know the album is out, and if we do, what track do we listen to?

Lord knows how the algorithm picked out “My Own Worst Enemy,” but it’s looking like the machine is gonna beat the humans, not for the first time, after all, didn’t that IBM computer win on “Jeopardy”?

Now the haunting acoustic intro of “My Own Worst Enemy” sets the mood. This is late night swamp music, when the iPhone camera is clicked off and illicit things happen and you experience the highest highs and the lowest lows of life.

And the stunning thing is…it sounds exactly like Tyler! Like he stepped right out of “Get Your Wings.”

But, the song…it’s more than serviceable, but it doesn’t close you.

And then… At 1:15, after the chorus, when the keyboard kicks in, when the rest of the band kicks in, this is the “Dream On” formula, the whole thing is amped up, reminiscent of what once was but without being a remake.

And the chorus could be better, but then there’s that twist at the very end, when he sings he was wrong, he’s his own worst enemy, you’re intrigued.

And then the strings kick in, Tyler’s vamping, and you’re telling yourself, THIS IS GOOD!

And the accordion adds texture, but what puts it over the top is…the searing guitar solo at 3:40, just when the song fades out, just when you think it’s done, this is the Guns N’ Roses trick, this is what made those Aerosmith records iconic, the wailing on the six string, you’ll be sitting at home blown away, this is the Aerosmith sound you LOVED!

How did this happen? How did Steven Tyler do everything wrong to do everything right? Going on “Idol” for the dough, eviscerating his credibility, his foibles now all over the tabloid press. And Hootie went country but he was so much younger, and every other rocker with a deal has gone Nashville, Tyler was through the door so late that…

Nashville is not embracing him.

But if you’re an old, dyed-in-the-wool rocker…

This is a REVELATION!

Turns out “My Own Worst Enemy” was produced by T-Bone Burnett, with Tyler’s help, demonstrating that the Alpha Band player via the Rolling Thunder Review movie soundtrack guy most memorable for his work with Counting Crows…STILL HAS IT!

And the song was written by Tyler with the Warren Brothers, whoever they are, it’s not a complete song for hire, it’s not just the Nashville formula.

And you’re gonna put this on and say I’m wrong. And if you’re a wanker you’re gonna click off. But if you’re open to being closed you’re gonna let “My Own Worst Enemy” play through and…

Goddamn it, you’ll discover, IT’S GOOD!

P.S. Be sure to hang on through the fade-out, all five minutes and eleven seconds of this cut, it’s like “Sister Morphine,” “Moonlight Mile,” “November Rain,” but it’s BRAND NEW, and isn’t that what we’re looking for, a way to be turned on to the best of what’s coming out, as we march forward in this incomprehensible world we inhabit?

Me On CNNi

I can’t look at myself on screen and maybe you’ll find it painful too! I swear the hair I’ve got left has gone gray since the surgery and…when did I get so old?

It’ll happen to you, isn’t that what our parents said?

So I don’t believe in self-promotion and if you want to skip this clip it’s fine with me.

But this is me. And people are clamoring to see it, so I’m sending it.

P.S. When you see me reach my right arm behind myself at the beginning of the clip…I’m adjusting the volume, there’s a speaker in my left ear.

P.P.S. And you’ll notice I’m not moving my left arm. That’s right, the doctor says not to let my elbow leave my side.