Author Archives: Ken Dowell

When Big Data Comes Up Small

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Ken Dowell

Big data is not a substitute for vision, for effective decision making or for leadership. And if you don’t bring that to the table, no amount of data is going to be big enough. Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The Use and Misuse of Big Data

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Ken Dowell

What is big data? It’s a lot of data. There is no need to try to come up with some more sophisticated definition. That’s all there is to it. It is what it is. Big data got big because so … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Digital Deception and the Law

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Ken Dowell

From a legal perspective, sockpuppets are like guns. They aren’t illegal but many of the ways people use them are. As the number of unethical, fraudulent and criminal acts perpetuated by online imposters grows, state legislatures in the U.S. have … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Deception | Tagged , , , , , | 26 Comments

A Baseball Fan’s Retirement Guide

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Ken Dowell

There must be a lot of people retired, retiring and starting to see retirement on the horizon because there is no shortage of folks ready to offer retirement “counseling.” Most of it is financial or healthcare related. I’m going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

17-Ton Marilyn, Enormous Abe and a Pitchfork in the Sky

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Ken Dowell

Forever Marilyn Forever Marilyn is part of the Seward Johnson, The Retrospective exhibit at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J. The 84-year-old New Jersey native was the founder of the Grounds for Sculpture in 1992. More than 150 of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

A Baseball Fan Memoir Chapter 5 – Money Changes Everything

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Ken Dowell

Between 1991 and 2014 the cost of bringing a family of four to the ballpark for a major league baseball game increased 168%. That is based on a statistic called the Fan Cost Index which includes four average price tickets, … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

On a Street Once Lined with Striking Silk Workers

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Ken Dowell

On a quiet residential street in Haledon, N.J., one house stands out from its neighbors. It is taller, more stately, and much older. And it is a national landmark because of its role in the history of the American labor … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

A Baseball Fan Memoir Chapter 4 – New Places, New Faces

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ken Dowell

I spent the 50’s in New York’s iconic and since demolished ballparks. The 60’s were all about Shea. And I started the 70’s drinking beer with my buddies at the “Mistake by the Lake.” In the 80’s and 90’s, largely … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A Baseball Fan Memoir Chapter 3 – On the Banks of the Cuyahoga

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ken Dowell

As the decade of the 70’s began, I was a college student in Northeast Ohio. I had some time on my hands, a friend or two with cars, and an on-campus job that yielded a couple of dollars. That was … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

(Nearly) Live at Social Media Week – The Future of Publishing

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Ken Dowell

Content will be created for mobile. Distribution will be through social networks. Monetization will come from native advertising. Is that the future of publishing? Or is that already the state of the state for media properties? Mobile, social and native … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital publishing | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments