Every other year, accountability makes a resurgence. "Like it or not, CMOs still have to prove their worth" reads a recent headline in one major ad industry publication. But even as ad agencies work overtime in an attempt to link data with the machinery of statistics, the big question remains, how do you calculate, monitor and manage accountability?

Those of us old enough to remember pong know that today's video game consoles bear little resemblance to the early forms of video gaming. What was once a white block deflecting a white dot has become a nearly life-like visual experience with complex storylines and immersive environments.

I do not like roller coasters, crowds or excessive hype. The first two are why you will never catch me dead at an amusement park. Crowds and hype are also why I will always avoid the latest blockbuster that everyone - whether they have good taste in movies or not - says you have to go see.

I've been around the block of traditional media companies long enough that I should not get my hopes up too high. But I must confess I recently had a conversation with one of the largest cable/broadcast/print conglomerates out there that gave me a glimmer of hope.

A little less than 10 years ago, Harry Potter started his life in America. In the beginning, Harry was not just a fictional child-wizard who faces challenges of good and evil on and off a broomstick, but also as an editor's hope to bring to America a character that connects emotionally with readers for a lifetime.

Often I think back to 10th grade chemistry. I practically failed every test, but still earned a B in that class because I scored an A on the final exam, which was worth 50 percent of my grade.

A little over 10 years ago, I heard a conference speaker refer to sponsorship as "the brown suede shoe in a sea of black tuxedos." Apart from wishing I'd said it first, I was struck then - and still am now - by the way in which sponsorship has firmly retained its position as the Cinderella of the marketing mix, while advertising retains the mantle of Prince Charming.

Judging by the flurry of recent merger news and speculation, the music industry didn't exactly take the summer off. Of course, with the tunes biz still groping for footing in a post-Napster, iTunes-centric world, that's not surprising.

It's been almost 20 years since Robert Fulghum published his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which correctly reminded us that we can learn a lot from seeing the world through the experiences and ground rules of our childhood.

After a series of setbacks, HD DVD won a round in the high-def DVD format war in August when Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation chose HD DVD over Blu-ray.