Sep 172012
 
E36 M3 DIY Tune-Up, Continued

Last month I wrote about performing a DIY tune-up on my E36 M3. In that post I talked about replacing spark plugs and the air filter. This weekend I finished the main components of a tune-up by replacing the fuel filter and cleaning the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The fuel filter is a very […]

Sep 122012
 
Getting Angry With Social Media Promotion

An excellent blog post caught my eye yesterday, as it was designed to. Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer published a piece entitled “‘Social Business’ is Bullshit,” based on a presentation he gave to a recent conference on the topic. No doubt that got everyone’s attention. After the provocative headline, he clarifies his target is […]

Sep 072012
 
A Tale of Two French Reds

This past Labor Day weekend Gabriele and I tried two French wines with really strong reviews. One was a Bordeaux, and the other was a Rhone. One delivered as advertised, and one did not. The Bordeaux was the 2009 Chateau Fort Lignac, from the Haut-Medoc region. This meant a Cabernet led Bordeaux, and a local […]

Aug 282012
 
Good Times at BimmerFest East 2012

This weekend was BimmerFest East, a huge meetup of BMW owners organized and sponsored by Turner Motorsports. These events have been going on for a few years on the west coast, and came east for the first time last year. Like last year, it was held at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD. I caravaned up […]

Aug 262012
 
What Should Twitter Be When It Grows Up?

  Over at GigaOm Mathew Ingram is doing some excellent reporting on the evolution of Twitter. Twitter is evolving from a sort of free informational utility to a media company that uses other people’s content to sell advertising and drive eyeballs to other media partners. The company is adding features like expanded tweets and providing […]

Aug 202012
 
DIY BMW Tune-Up

My 13 year old M3 is approaching 60,000 miles. In BMW vernacular, that means the car should receive an Inspection II service. An Inspection II involves a large number of things getting inspected (hence the name), but when you look at the work actually done it boils down to a general tune-up. Spark plugs, air […]

Aug 172012
 
Social Media Done Right is Quality Over Quantity

My partner Marc Hausman wrote an excellent column last week for the Washington Business Journal. In it he introduces a concept we’ve been stressing to clients and prospects — lead introduction vs. lead generation. What’s the difference? Really it comes down to numbers. Our B2B and B2G clients are usually selling a specialized and relatively […]

Aug 152012
 
Critics Debate What Makes a Good Wine List

WINE & DINE COLUMN My latest WashingtonExec Wine and Dine column was published today. It highlights a debate in the wine world that started between the New York Post and New York Times wine critics, and has spread from there. What kind of wine list do you expect when you go out for a fine […]

Aug 092012
 
E36 M3 Rear Shock Replacement

Last week I described replacing most of the cooling system components in my M3. While doing that job, I also replaced my rear shock absorbers. My car only has 57,000 miles, but it is more than 13 years old. While replacing and reinforcing the rear shock mounts (RSMs) last year, I noticed the shocks were […]

Aug 072012
 
Excellent Pinot Noir for Summer

With DC firmly in the grip of the dog days of summer, Pinot Noir is often a good bet for red wine drinkers. It’s lighter in body and style than other reds, which can be perfect when the mercury rises. Gabriele and I have had some excellent Pinots this summer that were new for us, […]

Aug 042012
 
What Google's Transparency Report Says About Online Trust

Recently I’ve been taking a micro look at the exchange of online tools for personal information. The example was the personal information I signed over in exchange for the mobile Twitter application TweetCaster. John Battelle took a macro look at online trust recently on his blog, and it’s a very good read. He uses the […]