The passing of Michael Jackson, possibly the greatest entertainer of all time, is a modern day tragedy. Never before has there been such an equally exalted and ridiculed figure in the media. Following his recent demise, Jackson remains a figure of unparalleled achievement but also mystery. His extremely private life left many filling in the blanks in his storybook life. Though occasionally he would try to use the media to address speculation made about him, one thing Michael didn’t leverage (or even have access to for the greater part of his life) was social media.

Watching parts of his memorial service on television I couldn’t help but wonder, if Michael was on Twitter would things be different? Would he have interacted with his fans and questioners in a direct way, instead of through a shroud of publicists, skewed interviews or misinformed third-parties speaking on his behalf? Would he have brought more attention and reaction to his numerous charities and causes, enabling more people to get the help they needed and at the same time painting him in a better light? Would he have quickly told his story when allegations of child molestation were made against him instead of leaving time for entertainment news to sensationalize every detail? Would Michael, the business man, use it as a vehicle to market upcoming performances, albums and appearances? Would he have ‘tweeted’ photos of him with his kids, displaying what could have been a very healthy father-child relationship? If Michael Jackson used Twitter, would it have been a way for us to see another Michael, one few fathomed existed: an ordinary guy with an extraordinary upbringing and career?

Of course, none of this matters now. It does however make me appreciate the changing landscape of media in a new way. The ability for all of us to have a voice is a powerful thing, so long as as someone listens. For Michael Jackson, we already know no one had more listeners.

Update: As of recently there is an official Michael Jackson Twitter account. It would be interesting if it became a place to remember him through posts of archived messages and media.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is cool. There I said it.

Through it’s nerdy cool image (take Questlove of The Roots, the show’s house band, tweeting during the show as an example) the show that replaced Late Night with Conan O’Brien has become the perfect nightcap for the fast-paced, ridiculously attentive, socially-connected 18-35 demographic. This is mainly because Fallon, who gets respect from both nerds and celebrities alike, creates a comfortable environment for guests and his audience to truly connect (usually through Twitter). Armed with a MacBook atop his desk and with guests ranging from technology blog editors to famous actors and singers, Fallon has managed to capture an audience that has, for the most, alluded the big networks.

Kudos to Jimmy Fallon. The show is entertaining, real and like Fallon himself, just the right amount of awkward without losing it’s cool.

Keynesian economic policies seem to be a hot topic now as analysts discuss the Obama administration’s plan to reboot the US economy through deficit spending and a delay on proposed tax hikes.

Inquiringmind™ Magazine presents their guide to mens fall fashion – The Fall 2008 Buyers Buyble.

Greg Washington and crew always do a great job of executing any feature on inqmnd but this year I witnessed their hard work up close (lots of late nights at the T+L office). The result is as stunning as some of the price tags on the gear. After all, this isn’t so much a buyer’s guide as it is a style guide, complete with great copy on the history and importance of each piece.

While most style guides tend to be too trendy there are staple pieces in this one, specifically the leather bombers and boots, that are timeless. And even the exceptions — the flannel may be a bit over the top for my taste — are pieces I’m sure I’ll see being sported around Toronto soon.

• The Olympics – NYTimes.com created this great tool to track all your favorite events here
• Bell Canada rebrands and relaunches
• Pantry, a local gourmet-to-go kitchen, grocery and coffee shop owned and operated by my friend Greg Bolton gets some love from blogTO
• Greg Washington, the visual god behind inqmnd, joins the crew at teehan+lax and promptly launches a new blog, anotherfaceinthecrowd
• The Salvation Army of Ontario is looking for men’s shirts and pants, please help
• Three words. Scooters. Fatties. Info.
• Are you a Redesigner or a Realigner?
• Ride the Pineapple Express. You will not be disappointed.
• Meant to post this a while ago: The Sartorialist captures Kanye and his fiancee
• EA Skate is coming to the Wii

One thing that’s pretty noticable in the Democratic Primary campaign is Obama’s branding. From the very recognizable ‘O’ logo to the use of the web and social media, Obama’s camp really has it nailed. Newsweek’s Stumper blog interviewed Pentagram’s Michael Bieruit, one of the world’s most respected designers, about the success of the Obama brand. (via Pentagram)

Vudu’s really nailed the entire product experience here.

1. Availability: For broadband users, you’ll have quick access to over 5000 movies and every (yes every) movie released on DVD moving forward.
2. Quality: Upscaled movies via HDMI and soon 1080p HD movies. (Hold off on that Blu-ray or HD-DVD player.)
3. Pricing: You can rent for $0.99 to $3.99 or buy for no more than $16.99. The set-top box is $399 and there are no subscription fees. Just pay for the content you want.
4. Interaction Design: Slick, intuitive and simple interface and a phallic-shaped 5-button remote that’s supposed to feel great in your hand (no pun intended).

The site really does a great job of explaining Vudu (again another win for this product) so take a look and start hitting up the forums to get this thing north of the border. Just don’t tell Queen Video I sent you.

I am proud to be the Interaction Designer behind the redesign. With some great art direction the final product looks amazing, if I do say so myself! Cheers to Wendy Schaffer as well, my Creative Director here at Blast, for giving me the autonomy to really put my fingerprint on this redesign.

Here’s a prediction for the masses: If the Raps are looking at Miami or New Jersey in the second round, I think we may see an Eastern Conference finals appearance in the near future for Raps fans.