The 2006 posts that never were

Happy New Year Branded Newb Readers! I'm back from the holiday break and now it's time to get back to blogging goodness.

Let me fill you in: During most of the week from Christmas to New Years, I was away from the Internet. No laptop, no cord into walls, no 802.11G waves buzzing around my mutation sensitive brain cells. Basically, it was like 1992 all over again, except without the high school acne and the awkward jokes (ok, just a few awkward jokes). I bet you found out that President Ford died within the day. I didn't find out until the next day, when I saw a flag at half mast and finally found a newspaper. It was definitely a strange feeling, like the scenes in the Matrix when we found ourselves in the "real world". I'm glad to be back.

At almost every turn, I found something I wanted to blog about. Here are some potential posts that never happened:

• The Crack is Tough to Resist - Cracker Barrel is a retail juggernaut. Not in volume like Walmart or culture like Apple but in the experience you get with one of their restaurants. From the outside look of the building to the porch waiting area rocking chairs to the random country store items you can get inside, everything is strategically placed to make you spend more money. My credit card slip at the store was given to me on top of a glossy card which just so happens to also be a bright menu of pies I could order and bring home, if a last minute urge so happened to overtake me.
• Unconnected Networks Don't Make Sense - With wi-fi hotspots becoming ubiquitous, why hasn't an offering been successful in networking all these public access points? This is surely an opportunity for a brand to become established as the goto place for public wi-fi. That will take care of consistency, security and availability issues that you run across when traveling from coffee shop to McDonald's for a fix of "fi".
  
• Grandma is Hogging the Wii - The Wii is a little box of irresistible gaming candy. It can fit in the corner of a backpack and won't raise any eyebrows at airport security. Like that "just too slick" guy taking your daughter to prom, it will impress everyone in the family but leave you wondering if it's long-term material. Finally, on a personal note, I'm damn good at making Mii's. As a result, I'm quitting my day job and setting up shop at the Promenade. Let me make your Mii: $5 for 1, $8 for 2!
• Personality Proxy of the Day, 12/31/06 - Korbel Rouge