Hello from the road
Maryam’s driving. She just guided her BMW through Roseburg, Oregon (we started late today, still have seven hours of driving ahead of us). We enjoy getting calls on the road. Hugh Macleod just called from England. Seems Armani is going after Savile Row and that has him in a tizzy. I wouldn’t worry too much. Folks who have $3,000 to spend on a suit don’t want a brand name. They want something far more personalized than that. At least if I had $3,000 for a suit (I’m a long way from that status) that’s what I’d look for. I wouldn’t want anyone wearing a suit that looked like mine.
Feel free to call us. It keeps us awake and we learn something. I wish I had my recording system setup, though. It would have been fun to record these calls on the road. My cell phone is always on my blog. 425-205-1921.
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July 11th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
In all honesty, $3000 suits are what’s wrong with the world. If I had an extra $3000, I give it to the poor, not buy a stupid suit with it. Do you know how many mouths $3000 can feed? Or how many books that can buy for inner-city kids or African kids who don’t even have books.
We in the US take too much for granted. I’m as guilty as the next guy. We worry about what restaurant we’re going to eat at when half the world just wonders what it will eat and if.
Not raining on your parade, Robert, just reminding everyone that $3000 suits are for people with more money than sense. It’s another reason why I hate the IT industy — people come into money and they feel the need to lavish themselves instead of keeping it real. Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover should be required reading for everyone.
July 11th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Just helping my son do a paper on Texs Longhorns, so I type “Longhorn Myths” into google…doh!
July 11th, 2006 at 9:13 pm
“Folks who have $3,000 to spend on a suit don’t want a brand name. ”
Not sure that is true - ever heared of Bling! Great numbers of rich people want to make certain that people know they are rich by covering themselves with expensive brand names. The Armani’s, Rolex’s et al would not exist without the rich.
I think the margin of error on your survey of one is as wide as the whole sample:)
July 11th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
I would call to tell Maryam I might be at BlogHer after all, but I’m feeling really grouchy. I’m SURE you don’t want grouchiness while you’re driving. But I’m excited that I might be at Blogher!
July 11th, 2006 at 9:38 pm
Robert, are you crazy? (Rhetorical question.)
Publishing your cell number on your blog … sheesh, I wonder how many calls you’ll get. And how many of them will be worthwhile.
Actually ….
You should get some kind of recording capability on your cell, and then publish them as a podcast here.
That could be cool.
July 11th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
John: I’ve had my cell number on my blog for years and only get a few calls a week and 95% of them are really high quality.
By the way, this wireless cell card from Verizon really rocks. We’re now in California!!!
I’m typing to you from Hwy 5. Somewhere near Yreka.
July 11th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
Here’s the link to the art museum
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2006/07/09/art-exhibit-the-listening-post-audio-visual-of-the-online-conversation/
July 11th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Hey, maybe if all suits cost at least $3,000, then the average cotton farmer in Africa would be able to make more than $400 a year, and thus he could afford to buy books for his children, those “African kids who don’t even have books.”
Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re not philanthropic enough; maybe it’s that we want everything and we want it cheap. Cheap gasoline, cheap coffee, cheap suits. Maybe cheap suits are what’s wrong with the world. :-)
“Wait a tic… Blimey, this redistribution of wealth is trickier than I thought.”
— “Dennis Moore,” Monty Python’s Flying Circus
July 12th, 2006 at 1:47 am
Robert.. this software that runs on Smartphone and pocketpc phone automatically records phone calls (both ends) to mp3:
http://www.clarkezone.net/default.aspx?id=a3edfe5f-69b4-451a-9124-254b58901586
It totally rocks. Have a good drive!
July 12th, 2006 at 2:29 am
Robert, it’s Savile Row (one “l”, no “Road”). Only people who invest $3000 in the place learn how to spell it properly. It comes with the territory :-)
July 12th, 2006 at 2:42 am
John, thanks!
By the way, we just arrived in San Rafael. Whew. What a drive!
July 12th, 2006 at 4:15 am
My ex works at the Armani store on Newbury St. in Boston, and I can assure you that you’re half right ;-).
To the people who drop $3,000 on a suit, or $20,000 on the entire season’s collection, brand matters enormously. They trust the Armani brand to make them look good.
The part you’re right on is the individual attention. But at Armani (or Valentino or any of the other top end retailers) you get enormous individual attention for your money and the suit/outfit tailored and accessorized to look perfect and individual to you. So for your $3,000 no one else will look like you do in that suit, and you’ll look impecably tailored.
Ah … how the offer half/1% live.
July 12th, 2006 at 7:09 am
[...] I’m going some research on Channel 9 as a successful example of Online Community Marketing. I even called Robert and Maryam Scoble around 11pm last night while they were driving down to CA to get some info. [...]
July 12th, 2006 at 8:02 am
Recently came across Luci.
An app that gives full reporter capabilities to your smartphone.
But I wouldn’t call you if you then post me here (not that I have anything to say in the first place…)
July 12th, 2006 at 8:04 am
Ai, typo…
It should be http://www.lucinl.com
July 12th, 2006 at 8:54 am
To paraphrase my namesake, Alan Clark; ‘$3000? I didn’t know you could get a suit that cheap!’
I once owned an Armani suit. Never again. It was a pile of junk compared to anything you can buy from Savile Row.
July 12th, 2006 at 9:02 am
I think it is crazy you post your cell number. You must get a million calls.
Phil
July 12th, 2006 at 10:11 am
I buy my suits off the rack like a good proletariat.
Let’s see, my wish list still has some unfulfilled things, like…
- universal healthcare
- free Internet
- European-quality public transportation
People that buy expensive clothes and drive overly expensive cars think their **** don’t stink. I work with people of that mental line of thinking. They’re obnoxious. Their cars are obnoxious. Their politics of capitalism are obnoxious. Sorry for the rant, but something I just read about Medicare going up $100 and the elderly getting stiffed with the bill is really the ugly underbelly of a system that is rapidly failing. WE can find money to support a stupid Iraq adventure, but we cannot even pay for the medication for the people that built this country in the last 50-60 years. Sad. Canada or Europe is looking good at the moment.
July 12th, 2006 at 10:24 am
RealestateCEO: I actually don’t. Maybe three per week. Well, last night I got more, but they were all from interesting people.
July 12th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Deke, I agree with you. But, when you realize people are self-interested it lets you understand how to change the world. That’s how I started Channel 9. I worked very hard to get over people’s fears and self-interested motivations.
That said, capitalism is still the best economic system, even with its many flaws.
July 12th, 2006 at 11:26 am
When will people learn that you can’t fix intractable social problems by throwing money at them? Nor does trying to legislate them out of existence seem to work. History has demonstrated that time after time. About the only thing that seems to make any headway against poverty is making a society as universally wealthy as possible.
July 12th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Robert,
Therein lies the crux of the problem — self-interested motivations. People almost don’t want their neighbor (metaphorical neighbor) to do as well as themselves. People are inherently seflish, and you have to, as you said, work your ass off to make a difference. One person can make a difference, but many people suitably motivated can usher in change in a major way.
Scott,
Making people universally wealthy is socialism pure and simple — everyone on a level playing field. I agree with socialism principles to a great degree, but the scary thing about them is that the government needs to have quite a bit of control to facilitate said principles.
Legislation and throwing money at a problem works if everyone is on the same page.
We (the collective wealthy 1st world countries) could end poverty worldwide within a year if every country truly wanted to help its neighbor. I find it disgusting that the US spends billions in Iraq chasing a stupid adventure while that money could be building any number of cool things for Americans here at home. Our own children are 40th in ranking education-wise. There are African kids who learn more than kids here, that speak more languages, that understand the world better.
I know of American people who are my age (late 30’s) who have never been out of the US, and not for lack of money. These people are well off folks making 80, 90, 100k a year. They think going to their state’s beach is a vacation rather than taking the family to Belize or Costa Rica, or Australia. Yes these trips can be pricey, but man, I want my family to have the experience to broaden their horizons, to see that we in the US are not the only people that matter.
July 12th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
“Making people universally wealthy is socialism pure and simple — everyone on a level playing field. I agree with socialism principles to a great degree, but the scary thing about them is that the government needs to have quite a bit of control to facilitate said principles.
Legislation and throwing money at a problem works if everyone is on the same page.
We (the collective wealthy 1st world countries) could end poverty worldwide within a year if every country truly wanted to help its neighbor.”
Deke:
Please send me the spreadsheet where you have worked all this out and I’ll publish it on my blog.
You might do yourself a favor and confine yourself to the US though as our poor lead a much better life than most people in many countries. The type of socialism you describe has been implemented on a large scale by many countries (Brazil is a good example) and yet these countries still have huge populations of people living at the subsistence level, in crime ridden slums. The problem with the “Capitalist Pigs” that you mention are the pigs, not the capitalists. In many socialist countries, and even in the US (I’d argue that our country is most of the way to being socialist already).
I live in an area heavily populated by the well-to-do and many of the people I get to know are not rich industrialists, but retired government workers that rose to a high level before they retired. They have better pension plans, better health care, and if you look carefully at the numbers they made better money than their “capitalist” counterparts for most of their careers (and they never had to worry about being laid off or fired).
Socialism is not the answer, it’s just another name for people higher up telling you what to do. At least with our system you can play business off against government. I happen to think that government has too much the upper hand right now, so I’ll keep voting for less government thank you very much.
July 12th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Hi Robert,
I’d just like to say I applaud you for making yourself so visible. I think this is definitely critical to Internet success — remembering there’s a real person behind that website or blog. It’s great that you post your cell number, and even better that you document your interesting phone calls. Hopefully this will encourage others to become more visible as well. My biggest blog pet peeve is blogs without “About” pages or contact info for the owners, because why do I want to read your opinion if I don’t know who you are?
Good luck with your new job! I’ll keep reading.
July 12th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
If I had an extra $3000, which I conveniently don’t…
[Always leave a loophole.]
July 12th, 2006 at 5:18 pm
@22, The better solution would be to let Americans keep more of THEIR MONEY rather than let the govt decide how THEIR MONEY should be spent. Agreed much mroe could be done to improve educational opportunities, but I think we’ve proven that throwing more tax dollars at the education problem is not the answer. We spend more and more each year it seems, but nothing improves.
Ooop! Need to get to bed. Off to get measured for a custom suit and shoes made on Savile Row in the morming while I’m here in the UK. Should run about $6500 US. :-)
July 12th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
THE vacation is about to end…
The vacation is about to end. We’re flying back with Lia after six nights in Singapore and I’m writing an account on the trip sitting in seat 81C in Lufthansa - we’re on our longest leg of this trip back…
July 13th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
One has to remember that a good suit can last a life time (well 2-3,4 years).
I purchased my suit from Savile Row in 2003 and it is still doing me proud :)
July 13th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
[...] I was reading my RSS feed somewhere in Utah yesterday and ran across an entry from Robert Scoble Called “Hello From the Road” [...]
July 13th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
[...] I was reading my RSS feed somewhere in Utah yesterday and ran across an entry from Robert Scoble Called “Hello From the Road” [...]