Things I Am Thankful For This Year
This story was written by Rafat Ali.
In what has been a dramatic year for digital media, and indeed our own business, there are lots of things to be thankful about this Thanksgiving week as the year comes to an end. It is tough, considering it is hard to see long term in a business where the only thing to look forward to these days is, well, long term. But it is important to count our blessings on things that make our daily life easier, and better, and below is a quasi-personal list of digital media artifacts, services, and sundry items. Some of these have been around for years, but have taken on special and regular place in my life over the last year.
-- *Amazon* Kindle: Design disaster notwithstanding, it simply does what it says: allows me to downloads book and more important, when I am traveling in U.S. and outside, NYT and WSJ. I hate the "previous" and "next" button design, and general clunkiness of the device, but it has certainly helped lighten my luggage by a significant amount now. Now if only they can add Economist, New Yorker and Guardian newspaper to it....I may be able to help swing the Guardian bit, now that I think about it.
-- *Amazon* Prime: How can anyone not be using it? It paid for itself in the first three things I ordered, and now, it helps in impulse buying on the site, something I thought could never happen in the directed and form-filled online shopping environment. Behold the joys of a Touchless Trashcan
-- Hulu: You mean I can lean back, turn on the high-res and fullscreen option, quickly check my e-mail while the ads are on, and go back to watching "Fringe" without having to turn to Fox?
-- Gmail: In ways that can't be defined, Gmail has made e-mail so much more enjoyable, even though e-mail remains the biggest barrier to actual work
-- Unlocked *Nokia* N series: For a traveler like me, portable phones and interchangable SIMs make it all worth it, despite not having a full QWERTY keyboard on the *Nokia* N Series. Then the 5 megapixel camera means I have dumped the separate camera forever, for most part. Now if only they can marry the keyboard of *Sony* Xperia X1 with the multimedia of *Nokia* N96
-- Macbook keyboard: The unsung hero, the best keyboard there is in business. The new Macbook has elevated it to God-like status. I become a dithering moron while trying to type on any other laptop
-- YouTube: No, not for the viral videos, or even the TV moments you missed. But easy access to any song I am craving at any time, however obscure (even old Hindi/Bollywood songs) with of course the kickers being the live versions of the songs. I "discovered" Rahat Fateh Ali Khan thanks to YouTube.
-- Virgin America: For making the cross country trips so much more comfortable, no fuss, and efficient, without breaking the bank. The biggest thing is the power outlet on every seat, which again means no need for an extra heavy battery in the laptop bag.
-- Economist magazine: The tough economic times require the steady and definitive voice of Economist. I know, that's a tagline somewhere.
-- New York Times: For the election and economy coverage. Both extremely complex issues, and require deeper reading than online allows. Please, lets collectively try and figure out a way to make sure the business issues don't overwhelm the great journalism they commit. I am willing to pony up more money if needed
-- Guardian Media Group: Well, do I need to say more? One line: imagine if we were venture-backed in this environment
-- PG Tips Special Blend: It combines the delicate taste of Green Label Indian tea, with the richness of PGT. It has replaced my norml PG Tips, though it is much harder to find a box in LA. Thankfully London is only 10 hours away
By Rafat Ali