The Nightshift: 28 May 2017

Editor’s Note: After a spirited internal debate, the Nightshift team decided that in order to provide appropriate coverage for things other than the current U.S. Political scene (i.e. “the hot mess in Washington”), we would trim down the amount of commentary and coverage on U.S. political events to a very modest length and let you go directly to the world’s great newspapers for more depth and comment on the world’s news. That is, after all, the idea for this type of site–get the world’s perspective on events, not just an American one. The re-focusing will also free up time and resources to cover other  things: major sporting events, art, entertainment, etc. And it will enable the team to broaden the editorial reach and continue with certain experimental editorial/communication initiatives. Enjoy the break–it should be refreshing. And if not…..we’ll change back. 
Press Clippings: 

Good Morning. It’s Sunday, 28 May 2017 and this is the Morning Edition of The Nightshift, the world’s overnight news feed.
Gregg Allman, one of the founders of the legendary Southern Rock band, The Allman Brothers, has died. He was 69.
President Trump is back in the U.S. after an extended overseas trip–his first as President.
British Airways has been severely hampered by a massive computer issue that has resulted in the cancellation of a huge number of flights out of the UK
The Monte Carlo Grand Prix and the Indy 500 will both take place today. Also, in Paris, the French Open tennis tournament is scheduled to start it’s first day of competition.
Now more than ever, catch up on the news in the rest of the world by reading the front pages of the World’s Greatest newspapers.
The International Headlines are all at your fingertips. Have a great week.
The Times (London
Financial Times (UK)
The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)
The Wall Street Journal (European edition)
Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
New York Times (New York)
The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles)
Daily News Egypt (Cairo)
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
The Moscow Times (Moscow)
Le Figaro (Paris)
Bloomberg.com (New York)
The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem)
The Japanese Times (Tokyo)
Sputnik (Moscow)
The Buenas Aires Herald (Buenas Aires)
The Sidney Morning Herald (Sidney)
Deadline Hollywood (Hollywood)
FiveThirtyEight (New York City)
Politico (Washington, DC)
Lawfareblog (Washington, DC)
Wired (San Francisco, CA)
The Fine Print:  Embed courtesy of our friends at Getty Images, who have the photographic history of the 20th and 21st Century on file. The image has not been altered in any way. We thank them for sharing.  The Nightshift is a production of Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. This post is number 1135 for this site. Thanks for reading. Now–catch up on the world. 

Transitions: Don Rickles (a.k.a. Mr. Warmth) 1926-2017

 
Editor’s Note: The Don Rickles video originally available is no longer available. Sorry about that. 
Paying Attention:
Let’s get one thing straight: you’re a hockey puck.
At least you are if you accidentally wandered into Don Rickles’ field of vision during one of his many live shows.
Accept that premise and the rest of this post will be much easier to absorb (and ultimately, enjoy). Rickles made his living (and a good one at that) by not cutting anyone any slack when he was on stage performing or taking part in a “celebrity roast” or just trading comments with a host on late night TV.
Rickles, the world’s greatest insult comedian, the man known as “Mr. Warmth” and the “Equal Opportunity Offender”, died on April 6th at the age of 90. He was in show business for over three quarters of a century and, even as late as 2016, he was performing in 75 shows a year. And you think you need to cut back a little on work….
Rickles was an insult comic, a cut-down artist, the Pooh Bah of Put Down. His act developed–according to legend–when he called out a heckler one night decades ago and the put- down got more applause than Rickles’ regular standup act. No fool, he knew a good thing when he heard it, developed the shtick and turned it into a legendary career.
Rickles had no fear. He insulted everyone, from President Ronald Regan to Frank Sinatra, but the performance characteristic that most endeared him to me was the speed at which he worked. Who knows how much of his material was prepared before a show? Who knows how much of it was improvised, made up on the spot to fit the audience, the times, the days’ events. The speed of Rickles on full blast was breathtaking because once he got up to cruising altitude, on a roll, he did not turn back, he did not pause, he pushed it further and further, collapsing his targets and his audience into physically demanding bursts of laughter. He was one of the rare ones who could make you laugh until you cried. John Gruber, who produces the website Daring Fireball, did a terrific post on Rickles that featured some of his best bits. 
Everyone likes a good putdown (some more than others) but a Rickles insults actually became something of a status symbol–if Don didn’t stick it to you, you were not as famous as you thought you were.
With the death of Don Rickles, we are nearing the end of a generation of comics who not only entertained America for most of the 20th century, but who also defined the art of comedy. They’re gone now, the greats from comedy’s golden age: Bob Hope. Henny Youngman. Jonathan Winters. Jack Benny. George Burns. Rodney Dangerfield. Milton Berle. Jackie Vernon. Robin Williams. Richard Pryor.  Most of them did undergrad work in the Catskills in upstate New York, and grad school in a thousand little clubs across America. Most of them were Jewish but comedy embraces all who are good, and so in the group of greats you have Bob Hope and Robin Williams (another high speed humorist) and Jonathan Winters  and Richard Pryor, mixed in along with the great Jewish comedians of the era. They were funny, they were not profane (Pryor had his moments but….), and they worked constantly and, in the process, shaped America’s sense of humor. You don’t have Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld without Burns and Benny and Rickles and Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks.
When this post originally went up, it was linked to a film that Jon Landis (director of “The Blues Brothers” and “Animal House”) produced. That link went away (sad, it’s a good film and worth your time to source).  However, we have been able to source “An All Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles” which is another special on Rickles. It’s also terrific and just a look at the attendees is all you need to see to know precisely how important Don Rickles was to comedy. Grab a glass of wine or a scotch on the rocks and enjoy, And really, who doesn’t need a good laugh in these very unusual times?
And that is what is so great about comedy, and what was so great about Don Rickles–the good ones cross generations forever. A joke is a joke and everyone in every generation likes to laugh.
When not insulting his friends, the powerful, and his audience, Don Rickles was a pretty good actor–his role as a gambling executive in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” was spectacularly good. Off stage, he was kind and considerate. On stage, he was a nuclear punch line.
Thanks for reading this far. Now enjoy the video tribute to Mr. Rickles.
The Fine Print: Embed courtesy of our friends at YouTube. All rights reserved by respective rights holders. 
 

The America's Cup: The Slow Evolution of a Classic Sporting Event

Nightshift Sports:

This is quite a sports weekend. The latest round of the America’s Cup starts this weekend. It is the oldest international sporting event in the world. For a sport deeply wedded to tradition, the 2017 version of The America’s Cup would be almost unrecognizable to the participants who raced in the 60s, 70s, 80s or even early 1990s. Gone are the big, monohull custom built sailboats; in are the foiling catamarans, no more than 50 ft. in length and capable of going up to 57 MPH on the water. Big crews are out; small agile crews are in. The sport has been altered to be more “television friendly” and attract a wider audience but it still relies primarily on commercial sponsorship and the patronage of extremely rich men to keep the Cup going. The Nightshift will be covering the America’s Cup with a series of articles and ClickPaks on the Cup, the participants, where and how to watch, and other details of the event.
To start things off, The New York Times provided a good overview of where the Cup stands at this particular point in time.  It’ll get you in the mood for high-speed, multi-hull, international racing.  All aboard.
The Fine Print: Embed image courtesy of our friends at Getty Images, who have the photographic history of the 20th and 21st Century on file. The image has not been altered in any way. We thank them for sharing.

The Nightshift: 27 May 2017

Editor’s Note: After a spirited internal debate, the Nightshift team decided that in order to provide appropriate coverage for things other than the current U.S. Political scene (i.e. “the hot mess in Washington”), we would trim down the amount of commentary and coverage on U.S. political events to a very modest length and let you go directly to the world’s great newspapers for more depth and comment on the world’s news. That is, after all, the idea for this type of site–get the world’s perspective on events, not just an American one. The re-focusing will also free up time and resources to cover other  things: major sporting events, art, entertainment, etc. And it will enable the team to broaden the editorial reach and continue with certain experimental editorial/communication initiatives. Enjoy the break–it should be refreshing. And if not…..we’ll change back. 
Press Clippings: 

Good Morning. It’s Saturday, 27 May 2017 and this is the Morning Edition of The Nightshift, the world’s overnight news feed.
Now more than ever, catch up on the news in the rest of the world by reading the front pages of the World’s Greatest newspapers.
The International Headlines are all at your fingertips. Have a great week.
The Times (London
Financial Times (UK)
The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)
The Wall Street Journal (European edition)
Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
New York Times (New York)
The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles)
Daily News Egypt (Cairo)
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
The Moscow Times (Moscow)
Le Figaro (Paris)
Bloomberg.com (New York)
The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem)
The Japanese Times (Tokyo)
Sputnik (Moscow)
The Buenas Aires Herald (Buenas Aires)
The Sidney Morning Herald (Sidney)
Deadline Hollywood (Hollywood)
FiveThirtyEight (New York City)
Politico (Washington, DC)
Lawfareblog (Washington, DC)
Wired (San Francisco, CA)
The Fine Print:  Embed courtesy of our friends at Getty Images, who have the photographic history of the 20th and 21st Century on file. The image has not been altered in any way. We thank them for sharing.  The Nightshift is a production of Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. This post is number 1132 for this site. Thanks for reading. Now–catch up on the world. 

The Nightshift: 26 May 2017

Press Clippings: 
Good Morning. It’s Friday, 26 May 2017 and this is the Morning Edition of The Nightshift, the world’s overnight news feed.
The Trump overseas trip is winding down at precisely the same time that additional turmoil is ramping up in the U.S. The latest problem: it has been revealed that Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law and key advisor, is now “under scrutiny” by the FBI. That doesn’t mean he’s done anything wrong; it also doesn’t mean that he’s done anything right.  In the new political world, everyone is under suspicion. Time will tell.
The Memorial weekend is one of America (and the world’s) best for sports: Indy 500, Monte Carlo Grand Prix, French Open, The Colonial PGA tournament. The Cavaliers finally got past the Boston Celtics–they will play Golden State for the NBA title. Plenty to watch and plenty to do this weekend, but remember–in the new world we live in, days of crisis are now considered normal.
Now more than ever, catch up on the news in the rest of the world by reading the front pages of the World’s Greatest newspapers.
Please note that to keep up with the increasingly fast changes in technology, we’ve include a link to Wired magazine’s daily news feed; that link is located at the bottom of the link list.
The International Headlines are all at your fingertips. Have a great week.
The Times (London
Financial Times (UK)
The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)
The Wall Street Journal (European edition)
Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
New York Times (New York)
The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles)
Daily News Egypt (Cairo)
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
The Moscow Times (Moscow)
Le Figaro (Paris)
Bloomberg.com (New York)
The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem)
The Japanese Times (Tokyo)
Sputnik (Moscow)
The Buenas Aires Herald (Buenas Aires)
The Sidney Morning Herald (Sidney)
Deadline Hollywood (Hollywood)
FiveThirtyEight (New York City)
Politico (Washington, DC)
Lawfareblog (Washington, DC)
Wired (San Francisco, CA)
The Fine Print:   The Nightshift is a production of Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. This post is number 1131 for this site. Thanks for reading. Now–catch up on the world. 

The Nightshift: 25 May 2017

Press Clippings: 
Good Morning. It’s Thursday, 25 May 2017 and this is the Morning Edition of The Nightshift, the world’s overnight news feed.
President Trump remains on the road in Europe. The investigational fires continue to burn in the U.S.
An investigative committee has asked Deutsche Bank for all papers relating to loans and banking operations with the Trump family and Trump owned/controlled entities. Deutsche Bank is already on the hot seat for allegedly laundering money for Russian investors/interests.
Lt. General Michael Flynn has let be known he will personally plead the 5th in any investigation and will not turn over any papers relating to his outside Russian, Turkey, and other consulting interests. The Congressional committee investigating him has, alternatively, issued subpoenas to two of his companies for documents (a corporation cannot plead the 5th).
New reporting says that the Russians discussed how to influence top Trump aides as early as last summer. Looks like it worked…..
And, in Montana, a so-called GOP candidate for Congress lost it after a journalist from The Guardian asked him a pretty straightforward question. The candidate tossed the journalist down, and started punching him. The s0-called candidate, Greg Gianforte, has been charged with assault and his endorsement retracted by three Montana newspapers. Expect also a civil lawsuit.
Now more than ever, catch up on the news in the rest of the world by reading the front pages of the World’s Greatest newspapers.
Please note that to keep up with the increasingly fast changes in technology, we’ve include a link to Wired magazine’s daily news feed; that link is located at the bottom of the link list.
The International Headlines are all at your fingertips. Have a great week.
The Times (London
Financial Times (UK)
The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)
The Wall Street Journal (European edition)
Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
New York Times (New York)
The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles)
Daily News Egypt (Cairo)
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
The Moscow Times (Moscow)
Le Figaro (Paris)
Bloomberg.com (New York)
The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem)
The Japanese Times (Tokyo)
Sputnik (Moscow)
The Buenas Aires Herald (Buenas Aires)
The Sidney Morning Herald (Sidney)
Deadline Hollywood (Hollywood)
FiveThirtyEight (New York City)
Politico (Washington, DC)
Lawfareblog (Washington, DC)
Wired (San Francisco, CA)
The Fine Print:   The Nightshift is a production of Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. This post is number 1129 for this site. Thanks for reading. Now–catch up on the world. 

Original Tastes

The perfection of imperfection; it's a trend.
The perfection of imperfection; it’s a trend.

Editor’s Note: this post was originally produced in 2015 but the story line is still accurate..perhaps even more so..and the link is still good. It’s repeated here as we move into the major season(s) for Concours shows. 
Paying Attention: 
Not so long ago, I was at the Pebble Beach concours, primarily to see a client’s car through the auction process but also to look after another car that a friend had entered in the show. The car was a Ferrari 250 SWB, a very desirable model from one of Ferrari’s great periods and it was beautiful in every way. It had undergone a complete restoration by Ferrari’s internal Classiche Department, and was, for all intents and purposes, brand new.
In a show that prizes perfection, one would think that particular car would have won.
It did not.
It did not even win  its’ class.
And when I tracked down one of the judges to ask why the car did not perform better in the judging, he said something that was a bit startling: “It’s too perfect. The car looks like a new showroom model. There’s no patina at all.”
I understood his point about the car being “too new” although I certainly don’t  agree with the idea that the car should be downgraded because it was a perfect specimen in a beauty contest that traditionally) prized perfect specimens.
The bigger point, however, was that at Pebble Beach (and at other big concours shows now) there is a movement away from engineered/renovated perfection and towards perfected preservation of a car in it’s original state. It’s a serious movement and it’s here to stay;  just a few weeks ago, the New York Times picked up on this significant cultural shift with this very fine article on the rising value of collector cars in “original” condition. It’s a terrific article by Robert Yeager and is going to provide much food for thought for collectors over the next few years.
 
The Fine Print: Photo (C) 2015, Donald Pierce. All rights reserved. 

How to make the iPad insanely great

Paying Attention:
Apple’s iPad, which created an entirely new category of computing device, has been going through a tough market cycle. In January of 2017, unit sales were down 19% and total revenue was down 22%; even with backward leaning numbers, the iPad still accounted for 13.3 million units and $5.5 billion in revenue and has successfully pushed back a challenge from Microsoft’s Surface combo pad/laptop.  Good by anyone’s standards but….Apple, which expects not just to be tops in each market category but absolutely dominant.
The iPad has a lot of room left for development. If you don’t have an iPad or haven’t spent a lot of time working with one, you should–one thing the iPad does extremely well via software is provide a wide range of options for creating and thinking about various project. The iPad offers a unique way of looking at creative options–it’s not just a portable window into media but represents at his highest refinement, the opportunity for new ways to think about creative options and data. But it could use additional development.
Frederico Viticci and Sam Beckett produced a concept piece that provides a visualized idealization of new software features for the next iPad operating system (IOS11). The video is very slick and very interesting–if you’re an Apple iPad fan(we are). We all know that Apple likes to generate its’ ideas and concepts in-house, but it’s a pretty good bet that Apple has seen (and is monitoring) this short video. Viticci runs a very interesting Mac-biased website that’s a good source for ideas and reviews. He lays out his thoughts on the next iPad in a short and interesting post. 

The Nightshift: 24 May 2017

Press Clippings: 
Good Morning. It’s Wednesday, 24 May 2017 and this is the Morning Edition of The Nightshift, the world’s overnight news feed.
President Trump is on the road (in Europe). He had a meeting at the Vatican today with the Pope and now he will meet with European allies. Most correspondents give the President high marks for his visits to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Palestine but believe he will be in a tough spot when he meets with the Europeans. We shall see.
Former CIA Director John Brennan testified in open Congressional session  yesterday about Russian hacking, alleged possible collusion and other alleged inappropriate administrative acts on the part of the new regime. In terms of messaging for the administration, Brennan’s testimony was not positive. The investigation continues and Washington remains a hot mess.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics to go up 3-1 in their series. The Golden State Warriors await the winner of the series to play for the NBA Championship.
Sir Roger Moore, who played Ian Fleming’s James Bond in seven different Bond films, has died. He was 89 and died at his home in Switzerland.
Now more than ever, catch up on the news in the rest of the world by reading the front pages of the World’s Greatest newspapers.
Please note that to keep up with the increasingly fast changes in technology, we’ve include a link to Wired magazine’s daily news feed; that link is located at the bottom of the link list.
The International Headlines are all at your fingertips. Have a great week.
The Times (London
Financial Times (UK)
The Irish Times (Dublin, Ireland)
The Wall Street Journal (European edition)
Washington Post (Washington, D.C.)
New York Times (New York)
The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles)
Daily News Egypt (Cairo)
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
The Moscow Times (Moscow)
Le Figaro (Paris)
Bloomberg.com (New York)
The Jerusalem Post (Jerusalem)
The Japanese Times (Tokyo)
Sputnik (Moscow)
The Buenas Aires Herald (Buenas Aires)
The Sidney Morning Herald (Sidney)
Deadline Hollywood (Hollywood)
FiveThirtyEight (New York City)
Politico (Washington, DC)
Lawfareblog (Washington, DC)
Wired (San Francisco, CA)
The Fine Print:   The Nightshift is a production of Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. This post is number 1126for this site. Thanks for reading. Now–catch up on the world.