I had the chance to attend the annual Wings over the Rockies gala this past weekend which honored Astronaut Gene Cernan. He flew aboard the Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17 missions and is the last human being to have walked on the surface of the moon, lifting off on December 14, 1972.
We've never returned since.
It was a grand event and Wings over the Rockies is an extraordinary venue for hosting an event for your company or organization. But the focus this past Saturday was on a true "stick and rudder" guy, Gene Cernan.
The future of space travel is uncertain at best, the Shuttle program is about to end with nothing in the pipeline to follow it. Cernan and other astronauts in attendance told us that it's the kids in school today who hold the key to our future as space explorers and that we must do everything we can to encourage them.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
Showing posts with label Apollo 13. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apollo 13. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Chilean 33 and Apollo13.It is/was about content.
Anyone NOT watch at least part of the rescue of the Chilean Miners? I thought so. One more question: When did you watch and how did you watch?
***Update*** Web coverage of rescue among most watched ever.
It was an epic drama and a reminder of Apollo 13. When the crew radioed "Houston, we've had a problem" we tuned in. Well, tuned in when the networks had coverage. Otherwise we had to wait.
Not so with the drama in Chile as it unfolded. We could watch 24/7 as streaming video was fed from inside the mine itself during the rescue via television, or streaming video on our computers or PDA's. Unlike Apollo 13, we watched when and where we wanted to.
Coverage was on-demand.
There was one inportant similarity in the coverage of Chile and Apollo 13 and that was content. How to tell the story. I remember one anchor using a blow torch to demonstrate how the heat shield on the Apollo 13 crew module might react during re-entry. CNN distinguished itself with a most simple thing, a mock-up of the capsule used to bring the miners to the surface. A reporter climbed in and we got to see just how narrow the device was. A picture worth a thousand words. Another smart use of words to tell the story was saying the capsule was just a few inches wider than a basketball hoop. In this case, a word worth a thousand mind pictures.
Whatever the story or message, it's all about content and how you tell the story. Pictures are one thing. Connecting the audience with the pictures is something else. Something lost in all the hub-bub over social media. It's not the pipeline that's important but rather what's inside
Content remains king.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"
***Update*** Web coverage of rescue among most watched ever.
It was an epic drama and a reminder of Apollo 13. When the crew radioed "Houston, we've had a problem" we tuned in. Well, tuned in when the networks had coverage. Otherwise we had to wait.
Not so with the drama in Chile as it unfolded. We could watch 24/7 as streaming video was fed from inside the mine itself during the rescue via television, or streaming video on our computers or PDA's. Unlike Apollo 13, we watched when and where we wanted to.
Coverage was on-demand.
There was one inportant similarity in the coverage of Chile and Apollo 13 and that was content. How to tell the story. I remember one anchor using a blow torch to demonstrate how the heat shield on the Apollo 13 crew module might react during re-entry. CNN distinguished itself with a most simple thing, a mock-up of the capsule used to bring the miners to the surface. A reporter climbed in and we got to see just how narrow the device was. A picture worth a thousand words. Another smart use of words to tell the story was saying the capsule was just a few inches wider than a basketball hoop. In this case, a word worth a thousand mind pictures.
Whatever the story or message, it's all about content and how you tell the story. Pictures are one thing. Connecting the audience with the pictures is something else. Something lost in all the hub-bub over social media. It's not the pipeline that's important but rather what's inside
Content remains king.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The whole word is watching
What are you watching today, on TV or online? Every once in a while a story comes along like the unfolding drama of the Chilean Miners. A story so powerful it shoves asides just about everything else, even for a short while.
As was the case with Apollo 13 decades ago, a world is united. The world community is watching and praying for a happy ending and it looks like it will get one.
It reaffirms the human spirit and reminds us that regardless of where we live in this world, we are one.
Happy endings are a good thing. We need more of them these days.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
As was the case with Apollo 13 decades ago, a world is united. The world community is watching and praying for a happy ending and it looks like it will get one.
It reaffirms the human spirit and reminds us that regardless of where we live in this world, we are one.
Happy endings are a good thing. We need more of them these days.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
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