That's why the Tiger story is so intriguing. As is the case with most individuals in the public eye, we feel like we know what kind of person Woods is even though we only have carefully orchestrated public appearances/comments on which to base this impression. His personality seems calm, professional, and almost boring in public appearances. So it comes as a surprise to us to read allegations and insinuations that run the range from careless late-night driving to marital infidelity. But really, regardless of how this story shakes out, why should we think we know Tiger any better than all the other people in our lives who consistently surprise us by what they're capable of? If we don't know our intimate others as well as we think we do, why should our intuition fare any better when it comes to celebrities and strangers?

But the juxtaposition of the two news stories is also interesting because they focus on two targets that have very divergent goals when it comes to the media and public attention. While Woods has worked for years to keep his personal life out of the public spotlight, the White House crashers appear to be the latest in an increasingly long line of Americans pursuing reality-TV fame and media-based fortune at any expense.

The "Octomom." Jon & Kate. The Balloon Boy parents. And now the White House crashers. We've clearly reached the point where people aren't content to sit around and wait passively for their Warholian 15-minutes of fame. In fact, many are willing to take great risks to get this attention, whether to the psychological well-being of their children, the sustainability of their marriage, or even a clean record.

It says something about the incentive structure of our current media-driven society that people are willing to risk criminal charges to pull off a balloon hoax or crash a party with the President. And if any of these new arrivals to the media scene manage to land a reality show of some sort or even a few subsequent TV appearances of note, then one can only imagine the type of positive reinforcement that future schemers will have received for even worse plots.

In the end, it would seem that any publicity may indeed be good publicity, at least for those who seek to escape the challenging economy of today's reality by gaining entrée into the more lucrative world of "reality" media. Who knows if talk-show appearances and book deals await the White House crashers? Time will tell whether the same holds true in Tiger's case, since he's a pre-established celebrity of accomplishment. While his current tabloid-friendly exploits may come at the expense of the pristine reputation he has built up over the past decade, sometimes a little bit of controversy also makes the celebrities we take for granted seem just little bit more interesting than they were before.

But I'll leave all that for someone else to figure out. I'm busy working on my latest plan for multimedia world domination that will outdo even the White House crashers: I'm going to beat Obama to the podium and give my own State of the Union address in January. It seems like the potential benefits outweigh any possible costs...