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The future of retail – What digital will do next for commerce
Back in July of this year, while schoolchildren dreamt of holidays and commuters sweated their way to work, management consultancy McKinsey sat down with president of eBay Marketplaces Devin Wenig. The interview is above; we're going to pick on some highlights below as Wenig pontificated on the future of bricks and mortar stores, the change needed in marketing, the fallacy of big data and what will make for good competitive advantage over other retailers in the months and years to come. Often with talking heads the output can be generic and anodyne. Wenig though offers some insightful thoughts.
The future of the store: "I think stores are going to become as much distribution and fulfillment centers as they are full-fledged shopping experiences… They'll become technology enabled so that you can go to a store and see enough inventory, but you may shop "shoppable windows." We're building those right now for retailers around the world. You may end up hollowing out the real estate, where the showroom is a much smaller part of the footprint, and the inventory and the distribution center become more of that footprint."
How marketing needs to change: "There are still many instances that I see where it is old-school marketing. It's still about major TV campaigns, get people into the stores. That's still important, and that's not going to go away. But understanding how to engage in a world of exploding social networks, how to use search, how to use catalog, how to optimize, and how to engage—very different skills."
Competitive advantage: "I think the answer is data… While from the merchant standpoint incredible selection may seem great, from the consumer standpoint it can be overwhelming. I actually don't want to shop in a store with a billion items for sale, I'm just looking for this. Data is the way to connect a long-tail advantage with consumers that oftentimes want simplicity."
Executing on strategy: "Great data is both art and science. There's a lot of press about the science; there's not as much about the art. But the truth is that judgment matters a lot… we bring quantitative analysis to that to say, "The right way to look at our customers is this, not this," even though there are infinite ways we could."
The fallacy of big data: "It's not about big data, it's about small data. Big data is useless… it's about me connecting with you, my business connecting with you. You don't want to be part of a big data set; you're just looking to buy a shirt. And that's about small data. That's about understanding insights that I can glean about you that don't feel intrusive, don't feel creepy, and don't feel artificial—but feel natural. That, to me, is the future. There are glimmers of success there. I wouldn't say the industry has arrived. For all the rhetoric about data, it's a work in progress, but a critically important work in progress."
Merging experiences: "E-commerce [fulfills] a utilitarian function… Stores have an important element of serendipity… The future of digital commerce is trying to get the best of both… we're trying to spur inspiration."
On past and future innovation – Disruption, inequality and robots
How to define innovation, how has it been studied in the recent past, and what does future innovation hold for the human race?
Sometimes the word innovation gets misused. Like when people use the word "technology" to mean recent gadgets and gizmos, instead of acknolwedging that the term encompasses the first wheel. "Innovation" is another tricky one. Our understanding of recent thoughts on innovation – as well as its contemporary partner, "disruption" – were thrown into question in June when Jill Lepore penned an article in The New Yorker that put our ideas about innovation and specifically on Clayton Christensen's ideas about innovation in a new light. Christensen, heir apparent to fellow Harvard Business School bod Michael Porter (author of the simple, elegant and classic The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy) wrote The Innovator's Dilemma in 1997. His work on disruptive innovation, claiming that successful businesses focused too much on what they were doing well, missing what, in Lepore's words, "an entirely untapped customer wanted", created a cottage industry of conferences, companies and counsels committed to dealing with disruption, (not least this blog, which lists disruption as one its topics of interest). Lepore's article describes how, as Western society's retelling of the past became less dominated by religion and more by science and historicism, the future became less about the fall of Man and more about the idea of progress. This thought took hold particularly during The Enlightenment. In the wake of two World Wars though, our endless advance toward greater things seemed less obvious;
"Replacing 'progress' with 'innovation' skirts the question of whether a novelty is an improvement: the world may not be getting better and better but our devices our getting newer and newer"
The article goes on to look at Christensen's handpicked case studies that he used in his book. When Christensen describes one of his areas of focus, the disk-drive industry, as being unlike any other in the history of business, Lepore rightly points out the sui generis nature of it "makes it a very odd choice for an investigation designed to create a model for understanding other industries". She goes on for much of the article to utterly debunk several of the author's case studies, showcasing inaccuracies and even criminal behaviour on the part of those businesses he heralded as disruptive innovators. She also deftly points out, much in the line of thinking in Taleb's Black Swan, that failures are often forgotten about, and those that succeed are grouped and promoted as formulae for success. Such is the case with Christensen's apparently cherry-picked case studies. Writing about one company, Pathfinder, that tried to branch out into online journalism, seemingly too soon, Lepore comments,
"Had [it] been successful, it would have been greeted, retrospectively, as evidence of disruptive innovation. Instead, as one of its producers put it, 'it's like it never existed'… Faith in disruption is the best illustration, and the worst case, of a larger historical transformation having to do with secularization, and what happens when the invisible hand replaces the hand of God as explanation and justification."
Such were the ramifications of the piece, that when questioned on it recently in Harvard Business Review, Christensen confessed "the choice of the word 'disruption' was a mistake I made twenty years ago". The warning to businesses is that just because something is seen as 'disruptive' does not guarantee success, or fundamentally that it belongs to any long-term strategy. Developing expertise in a disparate area takes time, and investment, in terms of people, infrastructure and cash. And for some, the very act of resisting disruption is what has made them thrive. Another recent piece in HBR makes the point that most successful strategies involve not just a single act of deus ex machina thinking-outside-the-boxness, but rather sustained disruption. Though Kodak, Sony and others may have rued the days, months and years they neglected to innovate beyond their core area, the graveyard of dead businesses is also surely littered with companies who innovated too soon, the wrong way or in too costly a process that left them open to things other than what Schumpeter termed creative destruction.
Outside of cultural and philosophical analysis of the nature and definition of innovation, some may consider of more pressing concern the news that we are soon to be looked after by, and subsequently outmaneuvered in every way by, machines. The largest and most forward-thinking (and therefore not necessarily likely) of these concerns was recently put forward by Nick Bostrom in his new book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. According to a review in The Economist, the book posits that once you assume that there is nothing inherently magic about the human brain, it is evidence that an intelligent machine can be built. Bostrom worries though that "Once intelligence is sufficiently well understood for a clever machine to be built, that machine may prove able to design a better version of itself" and so on, ad infinitum. "The thought processes of such a machine, he argues, would be as alien to humans as human thought processes are to cockroaches. It is far from obvious that such a machine would have humanity's best interests at heart—or, indeed, that it would care about humans at all".
Beyond the admittedly far-off prognostications of the removal of the human race at the hands of the very things it created, machines and digital technology in general pose great risks in the near-term, too. For a succinct and alarming introduction to this, watch the enlightening video at the beginning of this post. Since the McKinsey Global Instititute published a paper in May soberly titled Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy, much editorial ink and celluloid (were either medium to still be in much use) has been spilled and spooled detailing how machines will slowly replace humans in the workplace. This transformation – itself a prime example of creative destruction – is already underway in the blue-collar world, where machines have replaced workers in automotive factories. The Wall Street Journal reports Chinese electronics makers are facing pressure to automate as labor costs rise, but are challenged by the low margins, precise work and short product life of the phones and other gadgets that the country produces. Travel agents and bank clerks have also been rendered null, thanks to that omnipresent machine, the Internet. Writes The Economist, "[T]eachers, researchers and writers are next. The question is whether the creation will be worth the destruction". The McKinsey report, according to The Economist, "worries that modern technologies will widen inequality, increase social exclusion and provoke a backlash. It also speculates that public-sector institutions will be too clumsy to prepare people for this brave new world".
Such thinking gels with an essay in the July/August edition of Foreign Affairs, by Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee and Michael Spence, titled New World Order. The authors rightly posit that in a free market the biggest premiums are reserved for the products with the most scarcity. When even niche, specialist employment though, such as in the arts (see video at start of article), can be replicated and performed to economies of scale by machines, then labourers and the owners of capital are at great risk. The essay makes good points on how while a simple economic model suggests that technology's impact increases overall productivity for everyone, the truth is that the impact is more uneven. The authors astutely point out,
"Today, it is possible to take many important goods, services, and processes and codify them. Once codified, they can be digitized [sic], and once digitized, they can be replicated. Digital copies can be made at virtually zero cost and transmitted anywhere in the world almost instantaneously."
Though this sounds utopian and democratic, what is actually does, the essay argues, is propel certain products to super-stardom. Network effects create this winner-take-all market. Similarly it creates disproportionately successful individuals. Although there are many factors at play here, the authors readily concede, they also maintain the importance of another, important and distressing theory;
"[A] portion of the growth is linked to the greater use of information technology… When income is distributed according to a power law, most people will be below the average… Globalization and technological change may increase the wealth and economic efficiency of nations and the world at large, but they will not work to everybody's advantage, at least in the short to medium term. Ordinary workers, in particular, will continue to bear the brunt of the changes, benefiting as consumers but not necessarily as producers. This means that without further intervention, economic inequality is likely to continue to increase, posing a variety of problems. Unequal incomes can lead to unequal opportunities, depriving nations of access to talent and undermining the social contract. Political power, meanwhile, often follows economic power, in this case undermining democracy."
There are those who say such fears of a rise in inequality and the whole destruction through automation of whole swathes of the job sector are unfounded, that many occupations require a certain intuition that cannot be replicated. Time will tell whether this intuition, like an audio recording, health assessment or the ability to drive a car, will be similarly codified and disrupted (yes, we'll continue using the word disrupt, for now).
Embracing digital – New moves for old companies
Are incumbent companies starting to see the light when it comes to embracing digital? Evidence is slowly starting to point in that direction.
Artists are known for embracing change and innovation, but the art market itself has been slow to adapt to changing consumer behaviour. Now mega e-tailer Amazon is selling art on its site, and venerable auction house Christie's is pushing headlong into online-only sales, as Mashable recently reported. And while fashion designers know how to use digital to push the envelope, the fashion industry as a business has been notorious for their skittishness at investing in efficient, immersive digital experiences for their customers, so worried are they about detracting from the brand. So it was reassuring to see during Paris Fashion Week recently that French marque Chloé had gotten the message. As Zeitgeist's dear friend and fashion aficionado Rachel Arthur details on her blog, the brand launched a dedicated microsite for their runway show. Brands like Burberry and Louis Vuitton have been doing this for at least three years, so in of itself it's nothing new. What made the experience different were two things. Firstly, the site created a journey that started before the show, and continued after it, rather than merely offering a stream of live video and little else. More importantly, it tried to make the experience one that reflected the influence of those watching. As Rachel points out,
"As the event unfolded, so too did different albums under a moodboard header, including one for the collection looks, one for accessories, another for the guests, and one from backstage. Users could click on individual images and share them via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Weibo, or heart them to add them to their own personal moodboard page.
'[We] are excited to see how you direct your own Chloé show,' read the invite."
The recognition of platforms like Weibo should be seen as another coup for Chloé. Too often, companies send out communications to global audiences with perfunctory links to Facebook and Twitter. Not only is there no call to action for these links (why is it that the user should go there?), but there is no recognition that one of the world's most populous and prosperous markets are more into their Renren and Weibo.
Elsewhere, despite what seems like some niggling problems, Zeitgeist was excited and intrigued to read about Disney's latest foray into embracing how consumers use digital devices, this time creating a second-screen experience in movie theaters. Second Screen Live, as Disney have branded it, doesn't immediately sound particularly logical, as GigaOm point out,
"Of all the places I'd thought would be forbidden to the second screen experience, movie theaters were near the top of my list. After all, you're paying a premium ticket price for the opportunity to sit in a dark theater and immerse yourself in a narrative — second screen devices operate in direct opposition to that."
And yet the Little Mermaid experience that the writer goes on to describe cannot be faulted for its attempt at innovation, at reaching beyond current thinking (not to mention revenue streams), in order to forge a new relationship between the viewer and the product. Kudos.
Lastly, Zeitgeist wanted to mention the US television network Fox as a classic example of a company that has slowly come to realise the power of working with digital, rather than against it. In years passed, companies like Fox were indisputably heavily involved in digital, but only from a punitive standpoint. Fox and others were ruthless in their distribution of takedown notices to sites hosting content they deemed to infringe on their product. Fan sites that exploded in support and admiration for shows like The X-Files were summarily threatened with legal action and closed. There was little thought given to the positive sentiment sites were creating around the product, and little thought given to the destruction of brand equity that such takedown notices brought about. Not to mention the dessication of communities that had come together from different parts of the world, their single shared attribute being that they were evangelists of what you were selling. Clips of shows, such as The Simpsons, appearing on YouTube would be treated with similar disdain. So it shows how far we've come in a few years that this morning when Zeitgeist went onto YouTube he was greeted on the homepage with a sponsored link from Fox pointing him to the opening scenes of the latest Simpsons episode, before it aired. Definitely a move in the right direction.
The "Jaws" of death? – Rethinking film industry strategy
This past week, Zeitgeist had the pleasure of enjoying a new adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing". This adaptation was not performed at the theatre but at the cinema. It was not directed by Kenneth Branagh or any other luminary of the legitimate stage, but rather by the quiet, modest, nerdy Joss Whedon, who until a few years ago was best known to millions as the brains behind the cult TV series phenomenon "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (full disclosure: Zeitgeist worked on the show in his days of youth). Whedon was picked to direct a film released last year that can, without much difficulty, be seen as the apotheosis of the Hollywood film industry; "The Avengers". A mise-en-abyme of a concept, involving disparate characters, some of whom already have their own fully-fledged franchises, coming together to form another vehicle for future iterations. "The Avengers" became the third-highest grossing film of all time, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp. Moreover, to go from directing on such a broad canvas to shooting a film mostly with friends in one's own home – as with "Much Ado…" – displays an impressive range of creative ingenuity.
Sadly for shareholders and studio executives' career aspirations, not every film is as sure-fire a hit as "The Avengers", try though as they might (and do) to replicate the same mercurial ingredients that lead to success. Marvel, which originally conceived of the myriad characters surrounding The Avengers mythology, was bought in 2009 by Disney for $4bn. Disney for all intents and purposes have a steady strategic head on their shareholders. They parted ways with the quixotic Weinstein brothers while welcoming Pixar back into the fold. They were one of the first to concede the inevitability of closed platforms release windows – something Zeitgeist has written about in the past – they are debuting a game-changing platform, Infinity, which might revolutionise the way children interact with the plethora of memorable characters the studio have dreamt up over the years. However, such sound business strategy could not save them from the uber-flop that was 2012's "John Carter", which lost the studio $200m. This summer, the rationale for their biggest release has been built on what appears to be sound logic; taking the on- and off-screen talent behind their massively successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, and bringing them together again for another reboot in the form of "The Lone Ranger". The New York Times said the film "descends into nerve-racking incoherence"; it has severely underperformed at the box office, after a budget of $250m. Sony's "After Earth" similarly underperformed, suddenly throwing Will Smith's bullet-proof reputation for producing hits into jeopardy.
These summer films – "tentpoles" to use the terminology bandied about in Los Angeles – are where the money is made (or not) for studios. As an industry over the past ten years, Zeitgeist has watched as these tentpoles have become more concentrated, more risk-averse and therefore less original, more expensive and more likely either to produce either stratospheric results or spectacular failures. Paramount is an interesting example of a studio that has made itself leaner recently, releasing far fewer films, and relying on franchises to keep the ship afloat. Edtorial Director of Variety Peter Bart seems to think there's a point when avoiding risk leads to courting entropy. It's an evolution that has escaped few, yet is was still notable when, last month, famed directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas spoke out publicly against the way the industry seemed to be headed. Indeed, the atmosphere at studios in Hollywood seems to mimic that of a pre-2008 financial sector; leveraging ever more collateral against assets with significant – and unsustainable – levels of risk. The financial sector uses arcane algorithms and has a large number of Wharton grads whose aim should be to preserve stability and profit. Yet even with all this analysis, they failed to see the gigantic readjustment that was imminent. In the film industry, Relativity Media's reputation for rigorous predictive models on what will make a film successful is rare enough to have earned it a feature in Vanity Fair. So what hope is there the film industry will change its tune before it is too late? Spielberg pontificates,
"There's eventually going to be a big meltdown. There's going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen of these mega-budgeted movies go crashing into the ground and that's going to change the paradigm again."
Instead of correcting course as failures at the box office failed to abate, studios have dug in harder. Said Lucas,
"They're going for gold, but that isn't going to work forever. And as a result they're getting narrower and narrower in their focus. People are going to get tired of it. They're not going to know how to do anything else."
Such artistic ennui in audiences is admittedly sclerotic in its visibility at the moment. "Man of Steel", another attempt at rebooting a franchise – coming only seven years after the last attempt – is performing admirably, with a position still firmly in the top ten at the US box office after four weeks of release, with over $275m taken domestically. It's interesting to note that audiences have been happy to embrace the new version so quickly after the last franchise launch failed; though actor James Franco finds it contentious, the same has been true with the "Spider-Man" franchise relaunch.
Part of the problem in the industry, some say, is to do with those at the top running the various film studios. In "Curse of the Mogul", written by lecturers at Columbia University, the authors contend that since 2005 the industry as a whole has underperformed versus the S&P stock index, yet such stocks are still eminently attractive to investors. The reason, the authors say, is that those running the businesses frame the notion of success differently. They argue that it takes a very special type of person (i.e. them) to be able to manage not only different media and the different audiences they reach and the different trends that come out of that, but more importantly (in their eyes) to be able to manage the talent. They asked to be judged on Academy Awards rather than bottom lines. The most striking thing in the book – which Zeitgeist is still reading – is the continual pursuit by said mogul of strategic synergies. This M&A activity excites shareholders but has historically led to minimal returns (think Vivendi or AOL Time Warner), often because what was presented as operational or content-based synergy is actually nothing of the sort. It's a point Richard Rumelt makes in his excellent book, "Good Strategy / Bad Strategy". Some companies are beginning to get the idea. Viacom seemed an outlier in 2006 when it divested CBS. Lately, News Corporation has followed a similar tack, albeit under duress after suffering from scandalous revelations about hacking in its news division. A recent article in The Economist states,
"Most shareholders now see that television networks, newspapers, film studios, music labels and other sundry assets add little value by sharing a parent. Their proximity can even hinder performance by distracting management… they have become more assertive and less likely to believe the moguls' flannel about 'synergies'."
So in some ways it was of little surprise that Sony came under the microscope recently as well, part of this larger trend of scrutiny. The company has experienced dark times of late, with shares having plunged 85% over the past 13 years. The departure of Howard Stringer in 2012 coincided with an annual loss of some $6.4bn. Now headed up by Kazuo Hirai, the company has undoubtedly become more focused, with much more being made of their mobile division. Losses have been stemmed, but the company is still floundering, with an annual loss reported in May of $4.6bn. It was only a couple of weeks later that hedge-fun billionaire Dan Loeb – instrumental in getting Marissa Meyer to lead Yahoo – upped his ownership stake in Sony, calling on it to divest its entertainment division in a letter to CEO Hirai. Part of the issue with Sony is a cultural one, where Japan's ways of working differ strongly from the West's. This is covered in some detail in a profile with Stringer featured in The New Yorker. In a speech he gave last year, Stringer said, "Japan is a harmonious society which cherishes its social values, including full employment. That leads to conflicts in a world where shareholder value calls for ever greater efficiency". But Sony's film division – which includes the James Bond franchise – is performing well; in the year to March 2013 Sony's film and music businesses produced $905m of operating income, compared with combined losses of $1.9 billion in mobile phones, according to The Economist. It ended 2012 first place among the other film studios in market share. Sony is the last studio to consistently deliver hits across genres, reports The New York Times in an excellent article. The article quotes an anonymous Sony exeuctive, "We may not look like the rest of Hollywood, but that doesn't mean this isn't a painstakingly thought-through strategy and a profitable one". Sadly the strategy behind films like 'After Earth' begin to look flimsy when one glances at the box office results. While Hirai and the Sony board concede that have met to discuss the possibility of honouring Mr. Loeb's suggestion – offering 15-20% of it as an IPO rather than selling it off in full – Mr. Hirai also commented in an interview with CNBC, "We definitely want to make sure we can continue a successful business in the entertainment space. That is for me, first and foremost, the top priority". In mid-June Loeb sent a second letter, advocating the IPO proposal and saying "Our research has confirmed media reports depicting Entertainment as lacking the discipline an accountability that exist at many of its competitors". The question is whether selling off its entertainment assets would remove any synergies with other divisions, thus making the divisions left over less profitable, or whether such synergies even existed in the first place. For Loeb, the "most valuable untapped synergies" are still in the studio and music divisions yet after decades as one company they still remain untapped. That point won't make for pleasant reading at Sony HQ.
Another problem is the changing nature of media consumption habits. Not only are we watching films in different ways over different platforms, we are also doing much else besides, from playing video games, which have successfully transitioned beyond the nerdy clique of yesteryear, to general mobile use and second screening. This transition – and with it a realisation that competition is not likely to come from across regional boarders but from startup platforms – is largely being ignored by the French as they insist on trade talks with the US that centre on the preservation of l'exception culturelle. Such trends are evident in business dealings. The Financial Times this weekend detailed Google's significant foray into developing content, setting up YouTube Space LA. The project gives free soundstage space to artists who are likely to guarantee eyeballs on YouTube, and lead to advertising revenue for the platform. From the stellar success of the first season of "House of Cards", to DreamWorks Animation's original content partnership announced last month, Netflix has become the bête noire for traditional content producers as it shakes up traditional models. We have written before about the IHS Screen Digest data from earlier this year, showing worrying trends for the industry; as predicted, audiences are beginning to favour access over ownership, preferring to rent rather than own, which means less profit for the studio. As much due to a decline in revenue from other platforms as growth in of itself, cinemas are expected to be the major area of profit going forward to 2016 (see above chart). We've written before about the power cinema still has. Spielberg and Lucas pick up on this;
"You're going to end up with fewer theaters, bigger theaters with a lot of nice things. Going to the movies will cost 50 bucks or 100 or 150 bucks, like what Broadway costs today, or a football game. It'll be an expensive thing… [Films] will sit in the theaters for a year, like a Broadway show does. That will be called the 'movie' business."
In a conversation over Twitter, (excerpts of which are featured above), Cameron Saunders, MD of 20th Century Fox UK told Zeitgeist that "major changes were afoot". Such potential disruption is by no means unique to the film industry, and should come as a surprise to one. Zeitgeist recently went to see Columbia faculty member Rita McGrath speak at a Harvard Business Review event. In her latest book, "The End of Competitive Advantage", McGrath discounts the old management consultant attempts at providing sustainable competitive advantages to business. Her assertion is that any advantage is transient, that incumbency and success often lead to entropy, unless there is constant innovation to build on that success. Such a verdict of entropy could well be applied to the film industry. The model has worked well for decades, despite predictions of doom at the advent of television, the VCR, the DVD, et cetera ad nauseum. But fundamental behavioural shifts are now at play, and the way we devise strategies for what content people want to see and how they wish to see it need to be readdressed, quickly. Otherwise all this deliberation will eventually become much ado about nothing.
UPDATE (15/4/13): Of course, context is everything. The New York Times published an interesting article today saying investing in Hollywood is less risky than investing in Silicon Valley, though the returns in the latter are likely to be greater. Neither are seen as reliable.
This issue isn't going away. We write again about it, here.
When. Cinema. Works.
"[T]he big screen. That is its natural habitat—the only place, you might say, where its proud and leonine presence has any meaning. Anything more cramped is a cage, as Jon Stewart showed during this year's Oscar ceremony. At one point, we found him gazing at his iPhone. "I'm watching 'Lawrence of Arabia.' It's just awesome," he said, adding, "To really appreciate it, you have to see it in the wide screen." And he turned the phone on its side. Deserts of vast eternity, reduced to three inches by two."
- Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
Film can sometimes be a mercurial medium. Especially nowadays. It encompasses multiple genres, and, like food, is meant for different occasions, for different needs. Of course, sometimes we go to bad restaurants, or order in, and the experience is terrible. Uber-flop John Carter cost Disney a cool $200m, and wasted many a precious dollar and hour for those that went to see it (admittedly few). But sometimes it's like a great burger and fries – Die Hard springs to mind – and sometimes it's a sumptuous 6-course meal cooked by a Michelin-starrred chef – Lawrence of Arabia, or All the King's Men. Film can stimulate us, it can teach us, and it can be a breezy bit of consumption to pass the time, like a coffee at Starbucks. Moreover, as with food, it can be consumed in different places and circumstances. There are times when the right way to watch a certain film is on your iPad in a cramped airline seat. Pure escapism. But cinema has a crucial place too.
It was interesting today, when Zeitgeist went to see a movie, that it was preceded by an announcement showing an empty cinema, covered in cobwebs and dust, bemoaning the death of the medium at the hands of pirates. Its aim was to take the audience on a guilt trip: 'Why are you illegally downloading films?' 'Why aren't you coming to see more films at the cinema?' it pleaded. There are a couple of things strategically wrong with this approach. Firstly, what is the principle problem here? Alright, people are not going to the cinema as often as we would like. Zeitgeist remembers in a brief stint working for Fox several years ago that people went to the cinema 1.8 times a year in the UK. The Economist reports that the share of Americans who attend cinema at least once a month has declined from 30% in 2000 to 10% in 2011. The assumption is that people are instead pirating films at home, thereby depriving studios of money (ignoring research that suggests those that pirate are often avid cinema-goers, and optimistically equating every film downloaded to ticket revenue lost). Well, one quick way to address this is to make films legally available – at a sizeable premium – on multiple platforms day and date. We've argued this before, and entertainment trade Variety has used our argument for a lead editorial. It should be recognised, that, although the most prominent face of the film industry, cinema is not what makes the studio money; for years the bulk of profits have been made in home entertainment consumption. Furthermore, there are two fallacies here. One is that cinemas make most of their profit from the snacks people buy at the cinema, not the films themselves. If you want to increase margins, there should be a much more prominent focus on food options, and that means offering a wider, more tempting range of food to be eaten, which is then promoted more effectively. The way such snacks are currently promoted – "Let's all go the lobby" – has not altered for a half century. Lastly and most egregiously, the communication is completely misdirected, talking to the very audience who is already doing what the ad asks them to do. The ad is shown nowhere but the cinema, therefore only people who go to the cinema will be subject to this guilt trip. To avoid feeling guilty, one can avoid the ad by avoiding the cinema. The logic is completely twisted. Negative communications have been shown to be much less effective in influencing behaviour than positive affirmation. So let's think about a way to promote cinema that goes beyond a highlight reel of what movies are on in a particular season. More robust revenue streams will have to be found soon. Less people are turning out to the cinema, and in foreign markets, which are doing relatively well, a far smaller chunk of box-office receipts go to the studios.
What also played during the reel before the film started was a short film by Disney Animation that has been nominated for an Academy Award, called Paperman (see trailer above). Zeitgeist had watched the short some days ago on his iPhone after coming across it on Twitter, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was exciting and convenient to be able to consume something so quickly after hearing about it. Moreover, it was instantly shareable with the 400-odd people who follow our tweets when we retweeted the link. Seeing it in the cinema today though really reinforced the power of the big screen; the detail you couldn't see on the iPhone, the great sound, and the shared laughter and enjoyment from those around you. "Grandeur is a far from simple blessing", writes Anthony Lane in the same article quoted at the beginning of this post, in The New Yorker back in 2008. The pleasure of watching something in the cinema is ultimately an irrational benefit, which can be hard to quantify, but even harder to ignore.
UPDATE (06.12.13): The Economist featured a good article on how cinemas are seeking new revenue streams around the world, here.
Netflix: House of Cards and Castles in the Air
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."
- Henry David Thoreau
Though the brouhaha over the series House of Cards has been building steadily since its announcement almost two years ago, through rumours of budget battles between director and studio, it was upon the release of the series this week that the media meta-echo chamber really went into overdrive. The first season, with a budget far north of $100m, debuted to ebullient praise from critics. But what does it signify for the trail-blazing company's future?
Aside from the mostly positive reviews, the series piqued the media industry's interest for other reasons too. It is the first to be created and screened exclusively by Netflix, a company previously known for striking deals with studios to distribute and stream their content. Not satisfied solely with such (sometimes pricey) deals, the company also saw an opportunity for greater brand visibility and a separate revenue stream – assuming it eventually licenses the show regular TV networks – in fully-fledged independent production. What is also interesting is that the entire first season was made available for instant viewing, all 12 hours. By doing this the company recognised and capitalised on a trend that has been accelerating for almost a decade; people like to watch multiple episodes at once. This has never not been the case, but the weekly episodic installments of shows on network television have allowed the audience little say in the matter, and thus no room for such a habit to develop. This changed dramatically with the arrival of the DVD, specifically with affordable boxsets, as those that had missed the zeitgeists of West Wing, The Sopranos and 24 were able to quickly catch up with their obsessed brethren. Critics have often noted how the viewing of multiple episodes at once – which is how such reviews are often conducted as they usually receive a disc with several shows to consider – particularly for shows like Lost, improves the structure and narrative flow. With the arrival of boxsets, such opportunities were available to all. Indeed, marketers leveraged this enthusiasm for consecutive viewing, creating events around it. Netflix saw this with absolute clarity and allowed viewers to watch as much or little as they desired. Many, it seemed, chose to devour the whole first season in one weekend, which entertainment trade Variety covered with humourous repercussions to the viewer's psyche, across now fewer than six stages of grief. Zeitgeist has written before about the increasing popularity of streaming, and the complementary preference that audiences have for the type of films (action, romcom, broad comedy) they like to watch when choosing such a distribution method. It is interesting to consider then just how much the viewing experience differs between a 12-hour marathon over two days, and a one-hour slice over a period of three months. As the article in Variety half-jokingly posits, "Is tantric TV viewing a thing? If it's not, should it be?".
Of course, Netflix aren't alone in seeing an opportunity to delve into developing complementary products and assets. Microsoft are using the functionality of Kinect to pair with their own content development, letting children "join in" with Sesame Street, for example, and are in the process of setting up a dedicated studio for production, in Los Angeles. Amazon, which owns the streaming service LoveFilm, is also getting into the game, recently setting up Amazon Studios for original content production. At the end of last year, The Hollywood Reporter announced Amazon would be greenlighting twenty pilots, all of which were "either submitted through the studio's website or optioned for development". YouTube recently launched twenty professional channels on its UK website, Hulu is following suit… It really is quite startling to see such fundamental disruption and turmoil in environments where incumbent stalwarts (such as 20th Century Fox in film and Walmart in retail,) have long been accustomed to calling the shots. Could the model become completely inverted, such that the Fox network and HBO become the "dumb pipes" of the TV world, showcasing the best in internet-produced television? Maybe so, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The Economist this week argue that one of the most important factors in Liberty Global's recent purchase of Virgin Media was the avoidance of paying corporate tax for "years" to come. If content is still king though, a problem remains for those incumbents. The New Yorker astutely points out,
"An Internet firm like Netflix producing first-rate content takes us across a psychological line. If Netflix succeeds as a producer, other companies will follow and start taking market share… When that happens, the baton passes, and empire falls—and we will see the first fundamental change in the home-entertainment paradigm in decades."
Netflix must tread carefully. Crucially, what seems like competitive differentiation and all-quadrant coverage now can quickly shift. Amazon's ventures into content production will be backed up with a sizeable and perpetual stream of revenue that it derives from its e-commerce platform, which isn't going away anytime soon. The BBC are publicly welcoming new entrants, and is devising its own tactics, such as making episodes available on iPlayer before they screen, if at all, on television. Interesting but hardly earth-shattering, and likely to make little difference to viewer preference. Netflix will have to do better than that if it wants long-term dominance of this market. It will have to be increasingly careful with its partners, too. Recent, though long-running, rumblings of discord with partners like Time Warner Cable, though seemingly innocuous, tend to be indicative of a larger battle ensuing between corporate titans. Moreover, though the act of providing a deluge of content seems new and sexy now, what about when everyone starts doing it? Chief content officer for Netflix Ted Sarantos told The Economist last week, "Right now our major differentiation is that consumers can watch what they want, when they want it, but that will be the norm with television over time. We're getting a head start". Fine, but about when that is the norm, what is the strategy for differentiation then? Netflix have made some lofty, daring, innovative moves here, exploiting consumer trends and noticing a gap in the competitive environment. But they will need firm foundations to support this move into an adjacent business area, of which they know relatively little, in the years to come. As President Bartlet of West Wing was often heard to say, "What's next?".


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|21 Jan 2013
How to best partition Windows 8
I'm a newbie in Windows 8, linux, Partition....
I would like to use my new laptop with windows 8 pre-installed to the following:
- Create a Dual Boot Windows 8 / Ubuntu
- Create on my C drive (unique drive on my laptop):
*a partition for the system
*one for Windows 8
*one for Data and
*last one for Ubuntu OS
My aim is :
-to install VmWare on Windows 8 and run Checkpoint Splat with virtual machines to perform CCSA labs.
- to install GNS3 on Ubuntu for CCNP labs but with GNS3 accessing files in the Data partition
I have a Toshiba Satellite with 750Gb and 8 Go RAM.
According to you what's the best size for my partitions?
Is there a better way to partition my C drive regarding my aim?
Best Regards
***I don't know if it's the right section, sorry for that. Feel free to move this thread in the appropriate section***
|My System Specs
|22 Jan 2013
Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Perhaps this would be a better place for this question.( Just click on the link) Windows 8 Forums
|My System Specs
|22 Jan 2013
Hi karfera, welcome to 7F!
You may receive some help here on 7F, but you would do much better if you try your question over on our Sister Forum: Installation & Setup - Windows 8 Forums
It is amazing how much a seemingly trivial matter as the make or model of the HDD or whether you use a mouse pad or external mouse can make a difference.
You will most likely be asked to provide a Screenshot of your HDD, here is a sample of mine:
To get there you can follow the first four steps under Here's How .
I do visit 8F at times and find that it is almost a mirror image of 7F's layout, but I can not find it because I do not have a membership there yet and it would only be visible to members, but I would believe it would be very similar to 7F's, such as: System Info - See Your System Specs
The more you can tell us, the better we can help you.
Windows 8 Forums FAQ
|My System Specs
|22 Jan 2013
Your welcome.
If you think of it, post back a link to your 8F thread here, I would be interested in following it.
You could even post a link to this thread over there, it would make it easier to refer back to your original thoughts.
I found your thread over at 8F and asked for more help over there, so hang in there.
|My System Specs
|22 Jan 2013
Win7 x 6 PC's
Co-posted at Windows 8 Forums. This is the latest we have on the mess that Secure Boot and UEFI BIOS have made:
The partitioning process is the same as Step 3 in Dual Boot Installation - Windows 8 and Windows 7 or Vista - Windows 8 Forums
You'll need to disable Secure Boot on a Windows 8 PC to install Linux in a Dual Boot unless it has been allowed: HTG Explains: How Windows 8′s Secure Boot Feature Works & What It Means for Linux - How-To Geek
If it can't be installed in UEFI mode then check your BIOS settings to see if there is Compatibility Support Mode (CSM) for Dual BIOS/EFI mode so you can install Linux in normal BIOS mode to an MBR disk.
If not then try installing Linux in Legacy BIOS mode which may or may not allow Win8 to boot depending upon the BIOS - this is why you need a Dual mode setting. Otherwise you may need to follow the same steps as here to Bypass UEFI to Install WIn7 for both OS's.
There is more reading here about Secure Boot to understand it better: Microsoft Secure Boot Could Ban Windows From PCs | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com
Here is more about UEFI: The 30-year-long Reign of BIOS is Over: Why UEFI W... - Input Output
Technical Note: UEFI BIOS vs. Legacy BIOS - YouTube
Finally, the easier part: I'd make a middle data partition to copy your User Folders for both OS's backed up to the cloud or externally. Then from each OS rightclick the User folder to add to it's related Library - Include a Folder - Windows 7 Forums. Leave the corresponding empty OS drive folders in the Library so you can see if anything writes there and drag it over to data partition easier.
|My System Specs
|22 Jan 2013
Your request for help is unique and you should notice gregrocker has posted an identical answer to both your 7F and 8F threads. Greg is topnotch and is very knowledgeable in these matters.
Follow his instruction to the letter, and if something doesn't seem clear enough to you, ask before you do anything on your own, otherwise you may cause a problem that is irreversible and you will have to re-install.
|My System Specs
|24 Jan 2013
Thank you all,
Isn't it too much 200G for Windows as i will on ly install VMWARE Workstation 9 for lab purposes and possibly a few softwares.
VMWARE installed on Windows will require 2 GB + 1 GB per host (i will use approximatively 15 hosts).
Checkpoint products will be installed on VMWARE that is installed in Windows :
- disk space needed for 3 Checkpoint gateways: 3*37 GB
- disk space needed for 2 Checkpoint gateways management servers: 2*10 GB
On Linux I'll install GNS3 with 10 GB disk space required and a few softwares.
I've got a Toshiba stellite computer with Windows 8 pre-installed.
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3210M CPU @2.5 Ghz
RAM: 8 Go
64 bits OS, processor x64
See below the screenshot
I've taken screenshot of my partition (below).
* Don't take into account the disk 1 (E) partition
Can u confirm that in Disk o, partitions with 450 Mo, 260 Mo and 9.48 Go are for recovery system?
I am planning to let the recovery partition as it is and divide the TI30985500A (C) partition (688 Gb) into:
- 200 Gb windows partition
-100 Gb Linux partition
-388 Gb data partition
What do you think about this partionning regarding the informations i've provided above?
|My System Specs
|24 Jan 2013
Secure boot: technical types spreading half-baked information
Linux distributions are making slow progress on implementing measures to ensure that their images available for download are bootable on hardware that has secure boot turned on.
Secure boot is a feature of the UEFI, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, a replacement for the BIOS.
Microsoft has implemented this feature on hardware certified for Windows 8 in a way that requires the exchange of cryptographic keys; since the company controls the key-signing authority, anyone who wants to create a bootable medium has to necessarily obtain a key from Redmond.
Misinformation is rife about secure boot, simply because people confuse UEFI with secure boot and think that support for the former means support for the latter. Many so-called technical types are as guilty as others of spreading wrong information.
mjg59 | Secure Boot distribution support
"Microsoft's real aim is to kill the aftermarket in used computers that have Win 8 installed by not allowing you to install something other than Windows"
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Definitions for RETHINKriˈθɪŋk
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word RETHINK
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
re•thinkriˈθɪŋk(v.t.; v.i.)-thought, -think•ing.
to reconsider, esp. profoundly.
Category: Common Vocabulary
Origin of rethink:
Princeton's WordNet
reconsideration, second thought, afterthought, rethink(verb)
thinking again about a choice previously made
"he had second thoughts about his purchase"
change one's mind
"He rethought his decision to take a vacation"
Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary
to think about doing sth differently; = reconsider
We're going the have to rethink the plans for the weekend.
To think again about a problem.
Find a translation for the RETHINK definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these RETHINK definitions with the community:
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"RETHINK." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/RETHINK>.


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Steve Farrell
You are in... Forums > Discuss This > MotoGP > Jorge Lorenzo withdraws from Laguna Seca MotoGP race
Matthew Birt says:
Jorge Lorenzo has confirmed that he will not compete in the forthcoming Laguna Seca MotoGP clash in California to give himself as much time as possible to make a full recovery from an injury-ravaged fortnight.
Lorenzo was ruled out of today's German round at the Sachsenring after a heavy crash in FP2 on Friday damaged a titanium plate in his left...
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Feb 09
Posts: 4781
philehidiot says:
obviously realises that it was stupid to go back so quickly and he just risks further damage.
Jul 13
Posts: 36
Revilo612 says:
Very surprising indeed. It seems pretty certain that Dani will be racing at Laguna so either way, this is very bad for Jorge. This injury to his collarbone must be pretty bad if he can ride a day after having surgery on it but not a week after after surgery.
Sep 11
Posts: 2289
YamahaGYTR says:
Good move by Jorge to withdraw from the Laguna round wonder who Yamaha brings in as a temporary replacement.
Jun 11
Posts: 2568
PaceyCasey says:
It's a shame but these things happen. Here's to a safe and speedy recovery JLo.
Nov 11
Posts: 829
Firebird3 says:
Yep, it is a pity he is not going to make it at Laguna, as more riders that are fighting at the front the better. Also he'll be losing points to both Honda riders which will be very difficult to claw back in latter races. It was definately a risk to race so soon after an injury, but he has had so many race weekends that has been incident free, he must of thought it was worth that risk.
Jul 11
Posts: 110
bruce1937 says:
Yamaha should take the opportunity to give Lorenzo's bike to Cal and put Espargero on Cal's bike.
I think it would show the folly of their plans for next year.
Feb 12
Posts: 182
BarkerBill says:
you'll get yourself slated on here for talking common sense like that . . . !
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text:
The Blue Fish - Bayou
- Address:
550 Texas Ave
Houston, TX 77002Neighborhood:
- Cuisine:
SushiPrice: $30 and under
The Blue Fish - Bayou
- Dining Style: Casual Elegant
- Website: http://www.thebluefishsushi.com/
- Phone: (713) 225-3474
- Hours of Operation:
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 2:00pm, Saturday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm;
Dinner: Daily: 5:00pm - close
Bar Hours: Daily: 5:00pm - close
- Payment Options: AMEX,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
- Cuisine: Sushi, Japanese
- Dress Code: Business Casual
- Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
- Additional Details: Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wine
A word from The Blue Fish - Bayou
The Blue Fish features the freshest premium selections of sushi and sashimi, along with spectacular signature rolls and hot food dishes. We also boast a variety of sake, beer, wine and spirit selections to complete the dining experience.Continued
Foodspotting photosSee all photos
Awards voted by OpenTable diners
- Diners' Choice WinnerOutdoor Dining
The Blue Fish - Bayou - Best Restaurants in Downtown ›
The Blue Fish - Bayou reviews from OpenTable diners
84 reviews since July 31, 2014
- Food4.3Service3.9
- Ambiance3.9Noise LevelModerate
great for outdoor dining (37)fit for foodies (28)good for groups (25)scenic view (15)great for lunch (14)hot spot (14)vibrant bar scene (12)special occasion (11)late-night find (10)neighborhood gem (9)romantic (6)kid-friendly (4)notable wine list (2)great for brunch (1)Show More
- Good food but customer service needs workClintAVIPDined on 11/22/2014This was our 3rd time to dine. Had a 5:45 reservation for 6. Arrived 5 min early. Checked with the guy at the counter. He asked if the party was all here. I stated 4 were and 2 were parking as we speak. He stated he would get our table prepared. The entire restaurant was empty. Only 2 tables had people sitting. The bar was jammed and packed with people. As we continued to wait we asked if we could sit. The other two members of our party were waiting for the pouring rain to stop so they could make there way into Blue Fish. He said no. He lead me to believe we were going to be seated and never stated the entire party had to arrive before he would seat us. If I had know this, we could have moved from the entrance to the bar. I would like to add we were seated without our entire party the previous two times we dined at BF. We stated we were all ready to order cocktails and he said oh then just go to bar. He stated that they were packed and couldn't seat us. Unbelievable. He was rude and not friendly. We made our way to the bar and could not place an order as it was packed with people. The last two of our party arrived and I made my way back to let him know. He then stuck us at the first table where everywhere entered BF. It's a terrible table. Everyone bumps you as they walk by. I would also like to state that our person that seated us led us to the wrong table. He then shouted at her "I said table 20 not the table for 20!!" Her face was shocked as was ours. This guy is in the wrong business. His actions made for a very unpleasant start to our evening and also caused BF to lose sales. We would have easily ordered an additional 6-8 drinks if we had been seated when we arrived. Again it was impossible to order at the bar. Food arrived sporadically. Parts of our order arrived when the entire table was finished eating. Food is good but customer service needs work to say the least.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- DisappointedBippaDined on 11/21/2014My wife and I went to the Blue Fish hoping for an upscale dining experience in the theatre district. The service however spoilt this for us. Upon knocking the back of my chair whilst passing behind me, a server failed to appologise. Upon raising the issue with him my wife and I experienced a rude and apathetic response. Spend your money elsewhere.
- Great before a showrkkrVIPDined on 11/20/2014We picked this place because we had show tickets at the Hobby Center. It was very easy to go between the two places. The food was pretty good and the wait staff was very attentive.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- ServiceAliceVIPDined on 11/19/2014Our waiter was exceptional. We told him we had a musical at 7:30 and he was very attentive to us the entire time. Food was excellent as usual and the happy hour menu had wonderful options. We come to Blue Fish every time we attend a musical downtown and will continue to do so.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Mega Lobster roll--Amazing!TexasEaterDined on 11/14/2014We went here specifically for the Mega Lobster roll which is fantastic. We have had it before. It is HUGE and recommend you split with someone but neither my hubby nor I wanted to share so we each had one. Next time I do that I won't get an appetizer. The Mega Lobster is just too big but then I don't want to waste any lobster so I end up stuffing myself. We go to the Blue Fish frequently prior to shows at the Bayou Place. Also recommend the calamari roll. Our server was very informative and made a good wine recommendation. We wanted try sake, and she recommended a good one for beginners. Be sure you have a reservation. Will definitely go back!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- ServiceFilmCriticDined on 11/7/2014The last two times I've been there, the service has been below par. The time previous, everyone got their food and were eating for 30 minutes before I got mine. Last time, the orders were mixed up, (why can't they keep track of who orders what???) and I got someone else's first dish. My two (appetizers!) were served last. Go figure. Blue Fish needs to revamp their order-serving system. It's all screwed up.Special Features:
- NEW FAVORITE SPOTSUSHIGIRL34Dined on 11/1/2014WE HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE! THE FOOD WAS TO DIE FOR, AND THE WAITRESS WAS AMAZING. WE WILL BE BACK!!Special Features:
- Best Restaurant for Before a ShowBeforeTheConcertVIPDined on 11/1/2014This is the best restaurant in the Theater District for before a Broadway Show, opera, symphony or play.Special Features:
- Great sushi and amazing ambiencepsparks92Dined on 10/30/2014I took my girlfriend to dinner here when I wanted to eat dinner downtown (a first for both of us). It didn't seem very busy, but this was on a Thursday evening, so I wasn't too surprised. We were promptly shown a table and given a wine menu and some time to sit with the food menu. Our waiter was very friendly and offered to explain anything on the menu, and it was a genuine offer; it didn't seem like he was simply trudging through a script. When I asked for any recommendations, he mentioned both the top seller and his personal favorite, of which I opted for the former. We started with the Kobe Mandu, which was quite delicious. As soon as he brought the appetizer by, he took our sushi order and timed our sushi coming out perfectly.Special Features:
- Melt in your mouth sushi!!TexasJHawkDined on 10/17/2014My best friend and I had a girls weekend in Houston and on the top of our to-do list was eating fabulous sushi! The Blue Fish certainly delivered in that regard! Sooo yummy!!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Never againblarghDined on 10/15/2014If you want to be patronized by a twenty-something waiter that believes he invented uni, go and waste your money there. We decided to sit outside. BIG MISTAKE. We were serenaded by jackhammers. When we asked to be moved inside, we were told that there were "too many reservations" which is funny because a) we HAD reserved and b) 40% of the tables inside were unoccupied. Food arrived in distinct waves: soup. ten minutes. Tofu, two orders of tempura, one order of sushi. Fifteen minutes. Two members of our party had all their food and ate while the other two waited. The waiter claimed that "there are four kitchens and it is difficult for them to coordinate" even when the things missing were one more tempura and sushi. Ridiculous.
- Before the showOpenTable Diner Since 2006Dined on 10/4/2014We had dinner before a show. We were seated on the patio. The weather was wonderful so this was quite lovely. It was great to enjoy the nice evening and people watch before the show. The server was attentive and helpful during the drink ordering process. He made suggestions that were helpful and helped us pace the ordering. After we ordered we rarely saw him though. Two of three entrees were brought out together. They were nearly half finished before the third was delivered to the table. It was difficult to get the server again so we could get the check and pay so we could leave for the show. Entrees were higher priced but sushi was on par with typical sushi pricing. Overall the food was quite good though and we enjoyed it.Special Features:
- Great pre concert spot!LSUMikeDined on 10/1/2014Good fresh seafood and excellent service. We showed up early for our reservations and they gladly accommodated us.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Absolutely loved it!RedheadsrockDined on 9/24/2014Fabulous food! Fantastic atmosphere! Personable and friendly, very helpful staff! Can't wait to go back!!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- fishloverDined on 9/21/2014This is a great place for a meal before theater, symphony, or opera.Special Features:
- OpenTable Diner Since 2006VIPDined on 9/20/2014Still one of the best sushi restaurants in Houston. Food can be a little slow coming out when they get slammed on weekend nights with everyone needing to get to a theatre performance. They had 7 sushi chefs working, so I can't fault them for being understaffed. But the sushi is definitely worth waiting for and we still made it to our performance with plenty of time to spare.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Strange timingMuncherDined on 9/6/2014We have eaten at Blue Fish often and really like the food. However, the timing of serving our items the last two times has been strange. One time, we got the tempura vegetables right away then had a wait for the salad and Ahi Tower (my very favorite thing). This time we got the Ahi Tower right away. I was waiting for my husband to get his tacos before I started. We waited a long time. The tempura vegetables came after we finished our two other items. We got sweet potatoes instead of mushrooms. We were to the point of having them remove the vegetables from our bill as we had to be at the ballet at 7:30 when they finally arrived. We arrived at 6:00. We had mentioned the tempura to our waiter twice.Special Features:
- Fun!GlobalsurfVIPDined on 9/6/2014My family had a great dinner before a Dynamo's game. The food was first rate and the bill was reasonable. We will be back!
- Excellent Sushi AlwaysArchbackVIPDined on 9/6/2014I have dined here three or four times in the past year with a friend who is also a lover of sushi. Always excellent, fresh sushi. Good cocktails. Good service. Convenient for pre-theater, opera, or symphony meals as it's across the street from the Wortham. This is a go to spot for sushi.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Great sushi, great servicegrosa001Dined on 9/6/2014Tried this place for the first time... the sushi was awesome, especially the "Sundae Roll!" It's a must-try if you go there. We also had a caterpillar roll and the Hawaiian roll, which were both good as well. Our waitress was excellent and provided near-perfect service. Food was out in good time, and the waitress was very friendly and offered great advice for our first visit to the restaurant. Would give it a 10 out of 10.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Downtown-Theater District GemAmateurFoodCriticVIPDined on 9/5/2014Before a concert at Bayou Place, Jones Hall or any of the amazing venues downtown we often go to Blue Fish for dinner before or after. Great place!Special Features:
- Covenient for TheaterCWandMrsCWVIPDined on 9/4/2014My wife and I have been to Blue Fish several times, but this maybe the last. It is convenient for the theater. Sushi is not special, particularly the limited uncooked fish selection. The cooked sushi is too texas-ified, too much sauce.
- LOVE IT!!MauUnaDined on 8/30/2014Recommended by a family member, and so glad we actually followed through with the visit. Nice atmosphere and the food, and employees are great as well as reasonably priced. I have a new favorite spot.Special Features:
- Good sushiAlizooDined on 8/29/2014Our first visit to Blue Fish and we were surprised at how good the sushi was. I had grilled salmon with veggies and rice, it was a little greasy and an enormous portion. We finished off with my favority Japanese dessert, mochi, but I was horrified to find them quartered and with cream squirted all over them! The staff very kindly replaced them with un-messed about mochi. They were not bad, the greeen tea ones seemed a bit stale but the vanilla one was lovely.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- music4uVIPDined on 8/28/2014Great food and location to Jones Hall and Wortham where we frequent. We will be back!Special Features:
- Fun and good food too!!KMHoustonDined on 8/21/2014Picked this restaurant because of close proximity to Wortham for a girls nite to the theater. Location was perfect, food was great with some interesting twists on sushi. Loved the ahi tacos!! Service was great, drinks a little pricey, especially the wine. But, it's a downtown prime location, what did I expect. I will definitely return.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Pre-show dinner for 6TexmexerDined on 8/16/2014The online reservation was quick and easy, BF called us to confirm the day of, and we were seated promptly. The service was great. We had no problem getting to our show on time. The sushi was fresh and very tasty, and all the food was also very visually appealing.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Theater dinnerLuncheonVIPDined on 8/15/2014We picked Blue Fish for our dinner choice since it was across the street from the Wortham Theater and we had tickets to a show. So glad we had reservations since there was only one available table. We sampled a variety of items and shared among the 4 of us. My Pinot Noir (house wine) was not good (bottle must have been opened on a prior day) but they had no problem switching it to a Cabernet glass that was wonderful. The various rolls were wonderful and Ahi tuna salad was great! Will definitely be back!!Special Features:
- brianDined on 8/12/2014The waiter meant well, but was a little too passionate about the food and our dining experience. He also tried to mix up our tuna stack, which took about 5 minutes and was mostly unsuccessful. The food was ok, but not great. It came out way too fast and wasn't paced at all. Even when we ran out of room on the table they just kept bringing more plates. Also, having to pay $9 to have my car parked in a waiting zone in front of the restaurant is absurd. When I left, the valet handed me the keys and pointed to where my car was. I know everyone hates the valet nonsense in Houston, but this was by far the worst I've had to deal with in 5 years here.Special Features:
- Great place to go for good food.bluefishmainreveiwDined on 8/3/2014Really my family, friends, and I really enjoyed ourselves. The only complaint I have is that we felt really rushed as if they wanted us to hurry up n go. When im out enjoying food n friends I like to take my time was not in a hurry to leave. That was the only turn off.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- The following 253 reviews are from the The Blue Fish - Bayou reviews archive.
- incomprehensibly slowfoodieVIPDined on 7/29/2014arrived at 7:40pm to make the 9:00pm show next door - ordered 1 roll and 2 orders of sashimi - took over an hour and was lied to by the server multiple times assuring it was "being rolled" - the worst service in the city without question.
- if you like waiting...NYCHOUDined on 7/29/2014We arrived for our reservation and were seated promptly, drink and food order placed timely, drinks/appetizers came out in a timely manner, then all things came to a halt. The hostess came to our table to advises us that the kitchen was backed up and asked us to reconsider our roll order (original order: sushi, sashimi, and one roll). We complied, and ordered more sashimi. Our 2 piece sushi came out and then we waited. 30-40 minutes later I notice the people seated around us, who arrived after us, were enjoying their rolls, and yet we still had not received our sashimi? Just as we decided to give up and pay for our drinks/apps our order arrived. we ate fast paid the bill and missed the opening act at Bayou Center.Special Features:
- Great sushiOpenTable Diner Since 2014Dined on 7/25/2014Got there early, service was good, great food. Was a little noisy as it filled up, but otherwise it was a great experience.Special Features:
- Good food; late openingAnnyDined on 7/19/2014Great option if you go to the symphony or some other event downtown, walking distance and late opening. Food is good, no extraordinary but good. Service good alsoSpecial Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Blue FishXtinaDined on 7/19/2014We were promptly seated and our food came fast. My dining companions really enjoyed the Ahi Tower, Mega Lobster and Sundae sushi. The Kobe potsticker was ok. I was expecting small chunks of meat, not ground meat. Our waiter was attentive and helpful when ordering.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Food is solid, ambience so soAWGoodDined on 7/3/2014The sushi is very good, the drink selection is very good, but we were looking for something a little more exciting. In their defense it was a the night before Independence Day so I'm not sure it was an accurate reflection. I much prefer the Washington Ave. location though.Special Features:
- Love bluefishLisaVIPDined on 6/27/2014This was my first time at this Blue Fish location. I've always loved the washington location and my finance and I thought we'd give this one a try. Food is the same but the atmosphere is completely different. We dined outside. It was a nice evening and it's cool being in the middle of downtown. The age group here was mostly 30's +. The washington location is a younger crowd and busier. The menus are actually nicer here. Thick and laminated compared to just paper at the washington location. Because it wasn't as busy, we got much more personal attention. Also, free parking after 6!!! Washington makes you valet since parking is limited. Will definitely be back!Special Features:
- Very tasty mealDL27VIPDined on 6/27/2014The service wasn't as good as the food, but I think it had more to do with the lack of servers working. We went later than normal dinner hours and I think they were short staffed. The food was delicious!Special Features:
- FrreeesssshhhhhrunningismyprozacDined on 6/23/2014Ordered the fish trio, snapper, salmon and tuna and was really surprised at how fresh the fish tasted. Paired with a fabulous gin and tonic the diner was amazing!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Experienced StaffNicinhoustonDined on 6/23/2014We had a very polite, friendly and helpful waiter who served and adviced us with the right drinks, delicious appetizer and delicious food. We will be back!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.


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Although older women are more likely to break a bone, older men who do break a bone are much more likely to suffer another broken bone later. A 2007 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that low bone density, a lack of physical activity and low calcium intake raised the risk of subsequent fractures in older men.
Fall Prevention
As an older adult, you are at increased risk for falling because your senses aren't as sharp. You can't see as well, and the balance mechanism in your ears becomes less accurate.
Preventive Care
Which exams do you need? You should have blood pressure, vision, hearing, and certain other tests every year.
Working with Your Healthcare Team
The way you and your health care provider talk with each other can affect how you take care of your health.
Poor physical health can impair mental health - and mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety, can affect physical health.
Home and Personal Safety
At home, add light to help you see better, and keep your rooms free of clutter. When you're out and about, wear shoes with good traction and bright clothing.


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Online since 2004, we're the #1 Chevy Truck & SUV user community. If you have any questions about your Chevy or GMC Truck, SUV or Crossover, or just want to connect with other GM owners and enthusiasts around the world, you've found the best place on the internet to do that.
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Registering is Free and Easy! Do it today and we'll see you on the forums soon!
Installing the Z71 stickers back on my truck ... They are black and silver
Discussion in 'Chevy Truck Accessories' started by Rockstarrchevy81, Jan 25, 2012.


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Cookbook: James Peterson or Alton Brown ? [Moved from Cookware board]
I'm looking for a cook book that is as much a recipe book as a "why" book. I'm trying to decide betweem Alton Brown's, I'm just here for the food and James Peterson's, Cooking.
I really want to be able to learn from the book and cook from it, with out having to deal with to much technical jargon or boring subject matter. Hope that makes sense.
I am also open to other suggestions and possibly other James Peterson cookbooks.
Any James Peterson book wins, hands down. I have his French cookbook. It is very good and covers all the major dishes. For some reason, he seems very underrated to me. I also have his book on Sauces and it is very thorough in its content.
I've been thinking of getting AB's book too, so I'm eager to hear the replies. The one thing I don't like about Good Eats is AB's tendency to use quasi-obscure tools, gadgets and ingredients that I don't have. Is the book like that too?
Another big fan of James Peterson here. I have the French book and the Shellfish book. He writes cleanly and simply, without a lot of gushing, and explains things very clearly. I've yet to try a recipe from either book that had problems with timing or instructions. They all work; they all taste good.
re: JoanN
I'm going to have to look him up - have to confess, have never heard of him. Haven't bought a new cookbook for a good couple of weeks now!
Edit - this looks v. interesting:
re: MMRuth
If you are a cookbook addict, run don't walk to B&N and check out his many books. All are excellent. His book on Sauces is exceptional. JP is well worth exploring. I just don't understand why this guy is under the radar and so overlooked...
I have Peterson's "Glorious French Food" & I love it-he's a lot more laid back with less hype than Alton Brown. After all, he's not competing with Ina or the rest on the cooking channel. All the info is there, but you don't feel compelled to read & absorb it all to successfully make his dishes. I'd go with his "Cooking " book, sounds more like what you're looking for.
I prefer Shirley Corriher's "Cookwise" more then Alton's tome. http://www.amazon.com/Cookwise-Secret...
I love the CIA textbooks, but they cost more then many are willing to spend and the recipes are not sized for typical families.
The Cooks Illustrated book's have great recipes and still teach. http://www.amazon.com/New-Best-Recipe...
I have all of Peterson's books. "Cooking" is remarkable. I think he's one of the best cookbook writers working in the last few decades. His writing is clear and he has tacked a number of topics individually and in impressive depth. "Soups", "Sauces", "Fish and Shellfish", "Vegetables", "Glorious French Food"....all clearly informed "Cooking" and all for the better. You can't go wrong with that.
Brown's "I'm Just Here for the Food" is, if anything, actually more elementary and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's more science project oriented than kitchen project oriented. I thought it was a fun read and I enjoyed what he had to say and how he said it.
Ultimately, Brown's book just ended up in the giveaway pile and "Cooking" is on my bedside table. I think you'd be happy with either, but if you're embarking on a path of serious cooking then I think Peterson's book will last much longer as a reference.
re: ccbweb
I know I could google, but can you tell me a little more about Peterson?
re: MMRuth
Not a lot of info, but helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Pe...
re: ccbweb
Ditto to ccbweb.
I haven't even looked at Alton's books, but would recommend Peterson just because he is so good, and Alton is a TV guy, you can get what he has got there.
The Peterson book is uncharted territory to me, but I nevertheless would tend to pick it over "I'm Just Here For the Food."
Don't get me wrong, I love AB's book. It's informative and humorous. His explanation of why frying at 350F cooks food faster than baking at 500F is priceless. (350F oil is an angry 140-pound laid-off dot-com geek who's had too much coffee and is hiding a lead pipe behind his back; 500F air is a sleepy 280-pound retired NFL lineman who likes puppies and has had a lot of beer today--who would you rather have take a shot at you?)
But even though the book contains a lot of useful information, it seems like more of a collection of interesting facts and wry observations about food than a true "why" cookbook. It's something I read for fun and refer to occasionally, not a source of solid information for kitchen questions that come up while dinner's cooking.
Well. Sounds like Peterson wins hands down! Alton's books look like childrens books anyways.


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The DAS is a classic cold weather jacket - and it will certainly keep you warm. Most people will be better served by a lighter insulated jacket that can be better layered with other pieces. However if you are looking for the warmest synthetic jacket, this is probably you best bet. The DAS parka or "Dead Air Space" Parka has been a cornerstone of climbing parkas for over 20 years with no extra frills and a boxy cut designed to fit over your other layers.
If you prefer something less expensive, the Montbell UL Thermawrap Jacket - Men's and the REI Revelcloud Jacket - Men's are both excellent jackets. They are much thinner, and much less warm, but also layer better and are more versatile. Our favorite lightweight synthetic jacket is the Rab Xenon X.
Check out our complete Men's Insulated Jacket Review to see how this jacket compared to others.
Hands-on Gear Review
Compare insulated jacket ratings side-by-side >
Street Price: $299 | Compare prices at 5 resellers
Pros: One of the warmest insulated jackets.
Cons: Hood not very protective, bulky.
Best Uses: Alpine climbing, ice climbing, ski touring.
Manufacturer: Patagonia
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OutdoorGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review
The DAS is the go-to standard in the world of super warm synthetic jackets and has a good reputation. The newest generation features a combo of PrimaLoft insulations - 120g/m2 PrimaLoft Synergy with an additional 60g/m2 of PrimaLoft ONE in the torso. The DAS is primarily intended as a cold (or damp) weather belay parka and that is indeed its best place. The warmth of the DAS will be too much for most applications unless you're simply standing around all day in cold weather. In that case you might be better served by one of the hydrophobic down jackets with highly water resistant fabrics that are coming on to the market now like the Patagonia Encapsil or Mountain Hardwear Nilas which will offer more warmth for their weight. Generally speaking we feel that heavy-weight synthetically insulated jackets shine best in extended expeditions to places like Alaska or Patagonia where dampness over time through use, and inclement mountain weather conditions are a big concern. For climbing in more moderate temps, like summer alpine rock in the Sierra of the Cascades, the DAS will be overkill.
The hood of the new DAS is adjustable only in the back with a single drawcord. Some of our testers disliked this, and felt that on a jacket already weighing about 24oz, a secondary drawcord would be welcome, and perhaps necessary for fully storm-proofing the hood. The hood fits best over a climbing helmet, bringing the front of the jacket up over your chin and mouth for weather protection. Without a helmet on the hood is rather awkward. The hand warming pockets are insulated on both sides giving you a warm place to rewarm hands at the belay. The cut of the DAS is bigger and longer than on lighter weight jackets, coming down over the butt to provide more warmth and to accommodate the other layers you'll be wearing underneath.
Weight / Compressability
at 23.6oz the DAS is among the heaviest jackets in this review, but it is actually relatively light considering how warm it is. Patagonia keeps the weight down by designing the DAS in a no-frills style and by using relatively light, but weather resistant fabrics. If you're mainly using your insulated jacket in the more benign weather of spring, summer, and fall, you'll happier with the versatility and lighter weight of a less warm jacket like the Rab Xenon X, Haglofs Barrier Pro Hood, or the slightly warmer Arc'teryx Atom SV. If you're looking for a very warm jacket however, the DAS can provide you loads of warmth in a reasonably light package.
Weather Resistance
Patagonia uses a Pertex Endurance outer fabric on the new DAS. We've seen this fabric on several insulated jackets, both down and synthetic, and we find it to provide great weather resistance. The hood design, which we discussed above, is simple, but doesn't have cinch cords on the front, making it a bit more difficult to really cinch the hood fully around your face.
The DAS is smartly featured for cold weather. There are two large hand pockets (insulated on both sides), and a smaller external chest pocket perfect for a camera. On the inside are two mesh drop-in pockets. These are great for keeping a water bottle warm, re-warming gloves, etc. and are a feature we appreciate. The waist has two cinch adjusts, which conveniently can be used single-handed. The hood only has one adjustment (in the back). One thing to note is that the DAS doesn't offer great face protection from the cold unless used over a helmet. In other words, if you're not climbing, you may feel like the jacket doesn't come up high enough over your face when it's cold out. The wrist cuffs are elastic, which we feel is simpler, and cleaner, than finicky Velcro wrist cuffs.
To keep the weight down, the new DAS does not have fabric reinforcements on high wear places, but in general the durability is adequate for its intended use. Because the DAS is so warm, you'll generally be using it when stationary, unlike a lighter weight insulated jacket that you may well physically climb or hike in. For what it's worth, one tester put a large hole in the back of our DAS after a day involving sliding around on snow covered sand dunes.
The DAS is ideal for standing around in the cold, or hunched at a cold weather belay. It is very warm and thus lacks the mobility you might feel with a lighter jacket. It's also meant to fit over other layers and so will feel a big large and baggy if worn alone.
Best Appliation
The DAS is one of the most expensive insulated jackets. It will likely last you along time however, and has a great warranty. If you climb or recreate regularly in winter you'll appreciate having a DAS among your outerwear options. If on the other hand you mainly venture into the backcountry in the summer, or simply need a year-round jacket for all uses, the DAS is not the best choice, and you'll be happier and get more use out of a lightweight insulated jacket.
Other Versions
The Patagonia DAS Parka - Women's, $300, is the women's version of this jacket.
The Patagonia Simple Guide Hoody, $150, wins our Best Buy Award and is an affordable softshell that performs well in a variety of conditions and for a variety of activities.
The Patagonia Primo Down Jacket, $650, is our Editors' Choice award winning jacket, as it presents a solid package of effective and durable performance. The durability and neutral styling will deliver many years of service to even the most dedicated user.
A big part of Patagonia is the history, manufacturing process, and philosophy behind their gear that is told in Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. Highly recommended reading.
— Chris Simrell
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Most recent review: February 12, 2014
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Tags: Wings , Beer , Sports , Burgers , Sandwhiches , Drinks , 200 Consumer Square , Plattsburgh , Ny 12901
About Buffalo Wild Wings
All you need to know "About Us" is these three things: Wings. Beer. Sports.™ Why do those three things matter to us so much? Because that's what our fans want, and that's what we're all about—making our fans happy.
1. 200 Consumer Square
Plattsburgh,NY 12901
(518) 320-3536
Join Us For Trivia Night Every Wednesday 7pm-9pm. Mention This Ad And Receive $5 Off $25 Purchase During Trivia.
Expiration Date: 05/22/2014


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Back in September of 2010, noted music journalist (and former editor-in-chief of SPIN and Vibe magazines) Alan Light was among 4,000 people sitting in the Jacob Javitz Center for Yom Kippur services when the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah choir took the stage to conclude the solemn proceedings with ... More >>
Cold, broken, and holy
Frankenstorm Sandy is throwing salt in everyone's concert game. Here's a list so far of everything that's been postponed or canceled. Check back for updates throughout the day. And stay safe.
Please welcome the next Ernie and/or Swizz Beatz. Photo by Frank Micelotta/ FOXHoly shit, only one hour this week! Do you guys know what this means? It means we don't have to sit through endless inane video packages about every contestant's favorite fruit or whatever the fuck! It means the ne ... More >>
For the week of April 18-24, 2007
Spiritual lumberjack from Maine beardishly avoids spectacle


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16 Under-$25 Beauty Finds That Only Look Like They Cost a Fortune
Get head-to-toe gorgeous this fall with new makeup and beauty finds...all under $25!
Fall beauty steals
A pump of this zesty shower gel goes a long, sudsy way. Jonathan Adler Pop Bath & Body Grapefruit Body Wash, $22.
J Muckle


text: If you come to Dickson, TN, you have to come check out Mazatlan, across the street from Wal-Mart! Mazatlan has some of the best Mexican food that I have ever ate. The service is amazing, everyone is so nice and you will leave there with a full tummy and a smile on your face. The food is priced right, for... More


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Book your room at ibis Braga
Room, 1 Double BedMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child)
Hotel in Braga near Santa Barbara Garden
Situated in Braga, this hotel is close to Santa Barbara Garden, Archbishop's Palace, and Braga Cathedral. Also nearby are Palacio dos Biscainhos and Theatro Circo.
Hotel Features
Ibis Braga provides a bar/lounge, wireless Internet access (surcharge), dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk.
Room Amenities
In addition to wireless Internet access (surcharge), guestrooms feature air conditioning along with safes and complimentary newspapers.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
ibis Braga
Hotel Amenities
Ibis Braga features multilingual staff, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a safe deposit box at the front desk. High-speed wireless Internet access is available for a surcharge. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Onsite parking is available (surcharge).
Ibis Braga is a smoke-free property.
- Multilingual staff
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Wireless Internet access - surcharge
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Smoke-free property
- 24-hour front desk
- One meeting room
- Bar/lounge
- Elevator/lift
- Self parking (surcharge)
Available in all rooms: Wireless Internet access (surcharge)
Available in some public areas: Wireless Internet access - surcharge
Room Amenities
- Hair dryer (on request)
- Wireless Internet access (surcharge)
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Air conditioning
- Complimentary newspaper
- In-room safe
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at noon
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Pets allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
We should mention
The photos in this description reflect the brand standard and are provided for illustrative purposes only.


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Reviewed By Donald S (ETOWAH, NC) Reviewed for a 2013 Mini Cooper —5/30/2014 2:01 PM
Very good looking and fitting once installed. Fronts went on easily. Rear seats (Countryman) had to be removed from the car to do a good job (but that's not hard).
Reviewed By Cynthia P (Oakland, CA) Reviewed for a 2004 Mini Cooper —5/30/2008 12:33 AM
While the sides don't actually have specific openings for the lumbar adjustments (I can still sort of get to them if necessary) and the velcro pieces don't quite reach in some places, overall, the seat covers are well made and really do look fabulous. I ordered a similar product from another site only to find out (quite a while later) that the product was no longer actually available. It was refreshing to find that AutoAnything was able to actually deliver the product I wanted and quickly. Thank you!
Reviewed By Dean P (SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL) Reviewed for a 2006 Chevy Suburban —11/20/2014 5:55 AM
The First and Middle row seats of my 06 Suburban were worn out. The leather was ripping and looked very worn and ugly. After Installing the New Tan Seat Covers it totally changed the appearance of the interior. It went from looking like an old worn out 06, to looking like a new car in the inside. It totally transformed the inside appearance.