Links & Blinks…
- Connectivity & Blogging tips
- Mac blogging tools (to which I would add NetNewsWire)
- Blackbox headphones
- The Guardian gushes on Silicon Valley
- The basics of RSS
Tradition Matters. Culture Matters More.
The Haka is something most American’s haven’t had a chance to experience. It’s something to see.
While a recent headliine in the WSJ described it as a Tongan war dance the article did go on to reference it as a Maori war dance in fact – made popular by The All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team. A Tongan war dance is known as The Kailao but this again is different than and should not be confused with the Sipi Tau, performed by the ‘Ikale Tahi’, the national rugby union team before each match.
It is pretty impressive as well but very different. Both the Haka and Ikale Tahi would be performed the moment before each game, before the teams "go into battle" – that’s the symbology. Take a look at this to see both in action.
"Ka Mate! Ka Mate! Ka Ora!" (We’re going to die! We’re going to die! We’re going to live!), has nothing to do with Tonga – the Odessa Permian Panthers are in fact taking a leaf out of the All Blacks who perform the Haka before games.
As insulting to any Kiwi as The Wall Street Journal headline was, the Welsh Rugby Football Union insulted us more this morning by requiring the All Blacks to move the Haka to another stage of the pregame entertainment.
I’ll go as far as to accuse them of racial insensitivity and ignorance. It isn’t about entertainment. All Blacks’ captain Richie McCaw said it best, " “The tradition needs to be honored properly if we’re going to do it,” said McCaw.
“If the other team wants to mess around, we’ll just do the Haka in the shed. At the end of the day, Haka is about spiritual preparation and we do it for ourselves. Traditionally fans can share the experience too and it’s sad that they couldn’t see it today,” he said.
At the end of the day the All Blacks did the Haka – those of use watching the came on the web got to witness the weird spectacle while 70,000 fans could do little more than boo the absence of a mighty tradition – and then watch as the All Blacks destroyed Europe’s five nations champions 45-10. Back at’cha. A shame for Welsh spectators. A win nevertheless for All Blacks fans.
The Greatest Vintner In America…
Most folks living in, or visiting for that matter, Silicon Valley head to Napa to sample wines and enjoy the scenery. Most are oblivious to Ridge Winery, nestled in the hills above the Valley – about 45 minutes from San Jose.
Here’s a terrific article that might inspire you to head-up to the tasting room and take in the stunning views.
If you’re looking to make a patriotic statement with your wine choice this Thanksgiving, here’s a suggestion: Give thanks to Ridge Vineyard’s Paul Draper by drinking one of his wines. Draper, 70, is arguably the greatest winemaker America has ever produced. Ridge’s Monte Bello, produced in a vineyard high above Silicon Valley, has been the iconic American cabernet sauvignon for nearly four decades now and is widely considered the equal of Bordeaux’s first growths. Draper almost single-handedly turned zinfandel, a nonentity of a grape not so long ago, into a serious, agreeable wine. He also makes some of the finest California chardonnays on the market. But it often seems that Draper is more appreciated in Europe than he is at home. This Thanksgiving, it’s worth giving the deity his due….
John Kapon, the president of Acker Merrall & Condit, the New York-based wine auction house and retailer, put it rather emphatically in an e-mail:
There is no question that Draper and Ridge, as well as others like Randy Dunn, Bo Barrett to name a couple, are underappreciated/overlooked in the context of American wine and its history. The cult wines have been getting all the hype and attention but many of them crack up after 5 or 7 years in the bottle… . Hype sometimes wins over substance, but the real winners will be those who let wines like Ridge stay in their cellar!
Ridge, like its other Valley counterparts are massively underappreciated wineries.
On Dealing With Analysts
Mike has some good thoughts on dealing with Industry Analysts. Also points to some other thoughts. Worth listening to.
On Extreme Ironing & Google’s Strategy…
Marissa touches on Google’s strategy at Harvard’s Cyber|West conference this week… Somone is at last taking control of the Google message playbook as she echoes the Eric Schmidt’s theme from earlier in the week: “although Google’s process appears chaotic, our strategy is not.” Their strategy ties to four main points:
- More Content
- Easier Computing
- Personalization
- Better Search
More on strategy over here. Marissa also touched on Extreme Ironing…
