Just Wait 'Til More Boomers Get Older

One of my first Christmas purchases arrived today, a black-and-white paddle cutting board. With its stark contrasting sides, it should be the perfect thing for my mom, who has macular degeneration. And that got me thinking about another product I'd like to get for my mom and dad: a cellphone that is easier for them to use than what they have now. Their smallish Nokia model is OK, but they are really interested in a Sanyo "Jitterbug" phone they've seen in ads in the AARP and American Legion magazines. Its screen and number pads are larger than your typical cell these days, so it's better-suited for older folks. The problem is that you have to buy a special service to get the phone-it isn't sold by other providers, like Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. Maybe there's something comparable out there, but I haven't found it yet, and that's a real shame. This is a huge opportunity for somebody to come along and provide a great product to what will be a fastly growing market.

My Top 10 Music Lists For 2007

There was some really outstanding music this year, from old favorites like Wilco to the ongoing trainwreck who is Amy Winehouse. Will I still be listening to any of it very much next year, never mind five years from now? Aside from The Arcade Fire, maybe not. And, it's going to be real interesting to see how the recording industry continues to decline next year, after the big release of Radiohead's In Rainbows. With all of the competition from Internet radio streaming, HD radio, downloading, and MySpace, the old marketing/promotion model is crumbling, and what takes its place is anyone's guess.

Well, enough of that speculation ... for now. Here are My Top 10 Songs of 2007:
"Play Tough"-Apples In Stereo
"Hang Me Up To Dry"-Cold War Kids
"No Cars Go"-The Arcade Fire
"Into Action"-Tim Armstrong
"Jarhand"-Immaculate Machine
"Split The Difference"-Aqueduct
"Valerie"-Amy Winehouse
"Good Excuse"-John Butler Trio
"Knock 'Em Out"-Lily Allen
"Thou Shalt Always Kill"-Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

My Top 10 Records of 2007 are:

Neon Bible-The Arcade Fire
Sky Blue Sky-Wilco
In Rainbows-Radiohead
The Reminder-Feist
Back In Black-Amy Winehouse
Or Give Me Death-Aqueduct
a CHILD in life yet a DOCTOR in love-Magic Bullets
Wincing the Night Away-The Shins
Immaculate Machine's Fables-Immaculate Machine
Two Shoes-Cat Empire