Why Apple and the Green Bay Packers are so much alike

My Packers stock certificateThanks to Santa, aka my wife, I'm now the owner of an NFL team. OK, part owner of the Green Bay Packers, courtesy of a recent stock sale the team unveiled to fund stadium improvements. I've been a diehard Packers fanatic since 1971, and this gift may go down as one of the best ever. 

For $250, plus shipping and handling, I now own one share in the team, for which I get a nice stock certificate, access to the company's annual shareholder meeting, and discounts at the Packers Hall of Fame. Unlike a publicly traded stock, this certificate cannot be sold or traded and has no direct monetary value.

Critics of the Packers' stock sale/purchase ask, "Why would you pay $250 for something that's not worth anything?" It's a valid question but assumes the stock must have a market value instead of the enormous sentimental value that has driven the sale. 

Diehard Packers fans can speak passionately about why being a shareholder is worth $250 or more, but just in case any of them may have forgotten, the Packers have done a masterful job of reminding their fans why they and the organization are special, and not just because Green Bay is the only publicly owned professional sports team in America. 

With the stock certificate comes a "brand book" -- a small CD-sized booklet that eloquently reminds the owner of the things -- big and small -- that make the Green Bay Packers different than any other pro sports franchise in the United States. 

In 28 easily read pages filled with big pictures and short sentences, the stockholder is quickly reminded why their $250 investment is far more than a piece of paper. 

Case in point:

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Capture Kern wins EPpy award

Got some good news today: The Bakersfield Californian's Capture Kern County project earned an EPpy award for excellence in journalism.

Capture Kern was among four finalists in the ungainly category of "Best Crowd Sourcing or Citizen Journalism with under 250,000 unique monthly visitors." Other finalists in that category were Fort Wayne Newspapers, Deseret News and the City University of New York School of Journalism's partnership with The New York Times. Here's a complete list of winners in the competition, which is sponsored by Editor & Publisher magazine (hence the EPpy award). 

Capture Kern was recognized for its wide reach and celebration of all things Kern County. In short, the project has, to date, enticed more than 1,200 photographers to submit more than 25,000 photos representing life in our county, and then allowing thousands of people to vote and comment on those photos, with the best and most popular being published in a 128-page full-color book. 

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Screencast of Bakersfield Californian e-edition

Here's a simple screencast I created recently to help explain the features of the desktop version of The Bakersfield Californian e-edition. 

I used the free version of Screenr to capture a 5-minute screencast. There are a few sections where audio and video is clipped but those burps don't dilute the overall message. For a free product, the simple Screenr tools deliver pretty good results.  

I'd like to do a screencast for our iPad app but I'm unaware of integrated software that captures iPad movements. All I've seen are videos shot from above the screen, an angle that while it captures hand movements, is hard to get right because of screen glare. Please let me know if you're aware of a screencast tool that works on iPad; it seems to be one of those "holy grail" products that no one has been able to produce.