From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

I’m listening to Norah Jones complete new album, The Fall, on NPR while catching the muted MLB World Series on the background television. That’s right, the whole album, free. Thanks NPR!

On The Fall, Jones maintains her jazzy, sultry sound while pushing into more contemporary pop territory. “Chasing Pirates,” “Even Though” and “It’s Gonna Be” (the album’s most rock-oriented song) are excellent examples of her new approach. But she doesn’t abandon the old one completely: “Back to Manhattan” may be her loveliest song since “Come Away With Me,” while “Man of the Hour” is set to a bluesy shuffle and “December” possesses a lullaby-like quality.

A warm, organic-sounding record, The Fall showcases Jones’ musical depth in exciting and unexpected ways, suitable for old fans and newcomers alike. Please leave your opinions of the album in the comments section below.

Listen to Norah Jones on NPR here.

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I sent out this quick tweet last night to my JZ, Twitter and Facebook network but thougth I’d run it by you guys in the blog network to see what your thoughts are.

TBS MLB playoffs are “presented by BlackBerry”. Not Rim. Product brand recognition bigger than company brand. Good thing?

What do you think? Should a company make it standard practice to spend millions of dollars to brand one of their products rather than their company name? Should the MLB playoffs on TBS be “presented by Rim”?

A couple of weeks ago while on family vacation we had the opportunity to go to a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game in St. Petersburg, FL. During the middle of the 5th inning the grounds crew ran out onto the infield and gave it a quick rake-over (see the photo below).

Brilliantly, much to my surprise, the organization had sold ad space on the each rake used by the crew members.

Moral of this story: don’t let the obvious slip by you. Look where you look everyday but with new goggles.

Okay, I didn’t mean that as harsh as it sounded. But my life is digital. My family knows that. My friends know that. Most everything I do in my professional and personal life is captured in some way on some media platform.

I tweet my work. I tweet about meetings. I tweet about clients. I blog on several different blogs. I take photos like crazy with my BlackBerry and immediately email them to TwitPic which autoposts to Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. I take videos with my BlackBerry and live stream them to Qik which autoposts to Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. I tweet about my wonderful family. I tweet while on vacation. Heck, I even tweet while at Major League Baseball games.

I am digital. I am live. Hear me roar.
I get questions all the time about taking a break from being digital. And I always answer with the same response - “why?” I enjoy being digital. There’s no stress for me to being digital. I don’t need that break that some people might. In all actuality, I’m a bit uncomfortable not being readily connected.

Let me clarify a bit for you on what I mean by being “digital”. I don’t mean just having access to my social media channels, although they are important to me. My BlackBerry and notebook give me a safe place to write my thoughts, for my blog and for private. They give me quick access to my huge music library which is a great stress reliever for me. They give me a way to collect and view my vast photo and video libraries. They provide me a way to quickly Skype (audio or video) call with my Nicole or my daughters or my Mother.

So you see, being digital is not a burden to me at all. Being digital is my way of life that provides me the most efficient, profitable and comfortable way to manage my time, my daily tasks and my stress.

Besides, I love my job. My job is my life. My family and friends are my life. And my life is digital. So why would I want to change that?!

I ran across this podcast on NPR. Very interesting and worth the 35 minute investment during your busy life. Listen here.

Talk of the Nation, March 28, 2008 Major League Baseball began its season this week with a series between Boston and Oakland played in Japan. Guests discuss the science behind America’s favorite pastime from statistics, to orthopedics, to the psychology of die-hard fans.

Guests:
Dan Gordon, editor of Your Brain on Cubs: Inside the Heads of Players and Fans.
Howard Zelaznik, professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University.
William Raasch, team physician for the Milwaukee Brewers; associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.