Want to learn how to alienate your current and potential client base? Take a lesson from Microsoft. No, I’m not talking about Vista, however maybe the OS and Xbox team had dinner last night. John Rodman, the group project manager for Xbox and Xbox live commented:

“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing. We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.” Link.

The people with the most disposable income to be able to afford a next generation gaming system are the 25 – 35 age group. Of all the people I know within that group, most cannot wait to get their hands on a Wii. Judging from the response to the Wii, I think I can infer that to a lot more people then just my friends.

Think you could do a little better market research there, Johnny.

This comes after Sony’s comments that the Wii is an “impulse buy.” Last time I check the normal price of an impulse buy (like a DVD, CD, or book) it was maxing out around $25. That would be roughly 10 percent of the cost of a Wii. Maybe your economic prowess is why your console sits on shelves while no one can find a Wii except on Ebay.

In mid March, the NCAA Selection Committee picks the 65 teams that will compete for a national championship. They seed the teams one to sixteen based on the record the teams compiled over the year. If all goes according to plan, the one seed will play the two to get to the Final Four.

This year, for the first time in a long time almost everything went according to plan, with the one seeds playing the two in three of the four regions. The final region had the one seed paired against a three seed. The NCAA did its job to perfection; one of the teams that has been on top most of the year will win the championship.

So why is it so damn boring?

I am a huge college basketball fan as any of my friends can attest. I am the guy at your work that takes off the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament and spends the day watching basketball. I live for March, and the excitement the tournament brings. So to say my friends, along with myself were a little shocked when I told them I had no interest in watching the Great Eight or the Final Four would be an understatement.

The truth we all love upsets. Every March, college basketball fans fill out brackets in hopes of establishing dominance and respect among their friends and coworkers. After creating their brackets, most usually go out and cheer for the team that is not expected to win, even at their expense of their bracket. We as a country have a soft spot for David when he is paired against Goliath.

The lack of a David in the tournament this year after the second Friday of basketball has made the whole thing a bit stale. No one except people that have gone to these schools want to cheer for a team that has been on top all year.

Last year no one seeds and only one two seed advanced to the Final Four. If you talked to a college hoops fan, he would have told you two things – 1) his brackets were a mess, and 2) this was great!

So congratulations to the NCAA for having the insight to pair teams up so well this year that the best of the best play each other for the national championship. Hopefully for us basketball fans, you are not as successful next year.

As the UW Board of Regents recently discussed changes in undergrad admission, I kept hearing the same story from colleagues and in the media.  A Wisconsin high school student with a high grade point average and good test scores did not make it the cut at UW – Madison.  How could this happen?  Were they the victim of reverse racism by UW admissions?

Last year over 22,000 high school students applied for 5,600 spots in the freshman class. The truth is there are few guarantees in life, including access to the UW’s flagship college.  However, if a student is serious about attending the UW, there are other ways to get in, guaranteed.

That’s right, guaranteed admission to UW-Madison.

Last year, the UW struck an agreement with three schools: Madison Area Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Nicolet Area Technical College.  The agreement grants students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average and earn 54 credits admission to UW-Madison.

A similar program has been in place with the two-year colleges in the UW system for a number of years.  By submitting a “Declaration of Intent to Participate” form, and completing the freshman and sophomore year with a grade point average of 2.6, students are guaranteed admission to UW-Madison.

“It’s a great program, and it saves you a lot of money,”  states Nathan, a sophomore at UW-Marathon County and a participant in the program.  Like a lot of students, Nathan wanted to attend UW-Madison when he graduated from high school.  Despite good grades, respectable test scores and a list of activities, he was not accepted.

Nathan was a bit discouraged, but decided to start close to home at a local two-year college.  He knew that if he kept up his grades, he would be able to transfer to Madison after two years.  “It’s nice because I was able to keep my job and live at home.  It helped me save money.”  Nathan also saved on tuition.  The difference between his two-year college and UW-Madison is about $2,000 a year.

When I talked with Nathan, both he and I were surprised more people don’t take advantage of the UW’s promise of guaranteed admission.  The UW system has thirteen two-year schools scattered across the state, including locations near most major cities.  The addition of the technical schools to the program makes a UW education even more accessible.

“I think some people think they are entitled to get into Madison if they did well in high school,” said Nathan.  “If they don’t, they’d rather blame it on someone else than find a different way to get in.”

Admission to UW-Madison is not a given, nor should it be.  Some people will be admitted to Madison right out of high school, while others will have to prove themselves at another Wisconsin university before gaining admission.  What is most important is the opportunity for a degree from Madison is there for those that want it.

In a world with few guarantees, admission to UW-Madison is a nice one to have.

As the world changes, and opportunities become scarce, we must make our own in order to be heard.

This web site is one mans attempt to be heard.

This site will mainly focus on politics and technology, but will also take the occasional detour down the road of sports, life and what is happening in the life of the author.

Like the content, the look of this page will change often.  As a web designer, I like to play with new ideas.  Thus the look and feel will evolve as become more accustom to the world of WordPress.

In short, this will be an ever-changing site where a professional writer-in-training can discuss whatever he wants.  Hope you enjoy.