http://nquo.posterous.com Most recent posts at the nth blog. posterous.com Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:02:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/4gXM9ur4t4Y/thoughts-on-hp-webos http://nquo.posterous.com/thoughts-on-hp-webos <p> <p>I feel that one of the main problems with webOS is that many people like it a lot for the design and want to see its potential unleashed.</p> <p>Yet few users have voted for webOS with their wallets and few developers have made webOS apps, because many questioned whether it could be a sustainable mobile platform. Another reason is that the hardware running webOS has always been a bit of a let-down.</p> <p>On a side note, I can't help but wonder if Steve Jobs feels a little saddened to see HP's lack of vision and commitment nowadays to make great products. Yes, HP's obviously a major competitor but mostly in the PC industry where it makes much slimmer margins. Jobs' first summer job was at Hewlett-Packard and also where he met Steve Wozniak, so it's more of a personal sting to witness the once iconic company giving up on post-PC devices.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/AvczdhegqdmnHlftbsqyGglfbkddiwbyiFCgjmcCBEueIbfvmlofIlopgkkh/media_httpdesinformad_EtahJ.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpdesinformad_etahj" height="348" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/AvczdhegqdmnHlftbsqyGglfbkddiwbyiFCgjmcCBEueIbfvmlofIlopgkkh/media_httpdesinformad_EtahJ.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/thoughts-on-hp-webos">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/thoughts-on-hp-webos#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/4gXM9ur4t4Y" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/thoughts-on-hp-webos Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:25:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/gsKAd5VlWTc/game-on-stockholm http://nquo.posterous.com/game-on-stockholm <p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7u0ij9D5S4Y?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;">via <a href="http://nquo.tumblr.com/post/6114561834/mcdonalds-picknplay">nquo.tumblr.com</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;">McDonald&rsquo;s Pick &lsquo;N Play: a fun, interactive game from DDB Stockholm using mobile Safari, geolocation, and a giant billboard. Biggest win? No app/download required.</span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/game-on-stockholm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/game-on-stockholm#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/gsKAd5VlWTc" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/game-on-stockholm Thu, 26 May 2011 16:34:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/M1Qa7f1ve1w/facing-your-food-only-eating-the-meat-you-kil http://nquo.posterous.com/facing-your-food-only-eating-the-meat-you-kil <p> <div style="color: #000000; font-family: Lucida Grande, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 12px; background-image: ; background-color: #ffffff; line-height: 1.4; font-weight: normal; background-position: 50% 0%; padding: 0px;"> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-05-26/DmowiuHrIpuEIhevAtriHGGIjkqIGakrfDfiagowbyhqravxIwsFDczJFehd/burger.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Burger" height="500" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-05-26/DmowiuHrIpuEIhevAtriHGGIjkqIGakrfDfiagowbyhqravxIwsFDczJFehd/burger.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color: #333333;"><em>"This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals.</em></span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;"><em>I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from."</em>&nbsp;</span></p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #333333;">&mdash; Mark Zuckerberg</span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;">His reasoning struck a chord with me, especially the point about people trying to ignore or forgetting about the where and the how of food on the dinner table. There needs to be more awareness raised on this - more people learning/reflecting/acting on the process of how an animal's life becomes our food, which many of us overlook as being a "commodity" product we buy at the local supermarket.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;">Is his approach the most direct/visceral/memorable reminder to be thankful? Yes.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;">That said, I think there's a gray area between being grateful for the meat you eat and the willingness to kill an animal. I think one can be thankful without killing the meat consumed - and conversely - be able to kill an animal without being grateful for it.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;">Kudos to him for having the determination, connections and guts to do it.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #333333;"><em>[Ironically, this post was written at a McDonald's at 7:24pm. Ended up ordering a salad instead of the Big Mac combo I originally craved for.]</em></span></p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/facing-your-food-only-eating-the-meat-you-kil">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/facing-your-food-only-eating-the-meat-you-kil#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/M1Qa7f1ve1w" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/facing-your-food-only-eating-the-meat-you-kil Tue, 24 May 2011 18:41:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/e4yuscFJYjA/what-makes-tumblr-special http://nquo.posterous.com/what-makes-tumblr-special <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Ballon_tree_ceiling_anthropologie_tumblr" height="619" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-05-24/sbHbsFncaqnsmmnzyrGcGdaiukDmtweEEzhHnbbilHxnzgIsxrnueCkvnExi/ballon_tree_ceiling_anthropologie_tumblr.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="456" /> </div> </span></div> <div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After going inside one of their stores this weekend, it was coincidental - but not surprising - to discover anthropologie&rsquo;s presence on tumblr today.</span></p> <p>An excellent fit between the brand&rsquo;s whimsical, design-focused identity and tumblr&rsquo;s youthful, aesthetically-oriented user base.</p> <p>I&rsquo;m not sure why, but it&rsquo;s fascinating to see which brands are active on tumblr. Even if I&rsquo;m not the target demographic, it&rsquo;s interesting because often tumblr seems to provide a more exposed, organic look into the brand and its values. And I think a major part of it has to do with the social design/structure of tumblr itself.</p> <p>Perhaps it&rsquo;s the never-ending flow of beautiful, and somewhat obscure imagery that inspires you.</p> <p>Or the hilarious-but-sometimes-overplayed memes and witty catchphrases that make you chuckle.</p> <p>Maybe it&rsquo;s because Facebook and Twitter have become so mainstream nowadays that makes tumblr shine brighter in its own way.</p> <p>But there&rsquo;s definitely something about tumblr&rsquo;s positioning in the blogosphere as a close-knit (in terms of <em>feel</em>, not actual size/growth), visually-driven community that connects with people on a deeper, more emotional level with the content.</p> </div> <div> <p>With its fast-growing user base, easy-to-reblog content and unique position in digital culture, tumblr should definitely be a place for certain brands to consider participating in.&nbsp;I just hope tumblr doesn&rsquo;t become too commercial and lose the charm that made it special in the first place.</p> </div> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Tumblr_logo_small" height="41" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-05-24/dDGplfgqtInDqdsblbimBJngcwgwyqlbtzDHCnAflbgyAviAJnnDfylvJufB/tumblr_logo_small.jpeg.scaled500.jpg" width="160" /> </div> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">[via <a href="http://nquo.tumblr.com/post/5805459920/what-makes-tumblr-special">nquo.tumblr.com</a>]</div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/what-makes-tumblr-special">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/what-makes-tumblr-special#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/e4yuscFJYjA" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/what-makes-tumblr-special Mon, 02 May 2011 12:15:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/9_BCbZi5O44/geopollster-canada http://nquo.posterous.com/geopollster-canada <p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/" target="_blank"><img title="GeoPollster" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/logo-main.png" height="276" alt="" style="border-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="370" /></a></span></p> <table style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> <tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> <td style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><label style="font-size: 1.25em; color: #555555; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><strong style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">In Partnership With&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></label></td> <td style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/politics/index.html" target="_blank" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="National Post" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/np_banner_2.png" height="28" alt="National Post" style="border-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="198" /></a><br /></td> </tr> </table> <p>National Post and Chicago-based startup GeoPollster recently partnered to create GeoPollster Canada, an interesting experiment/game which uses Foursquare's API to conduct mobile polling for Canada's federal election today.</p> <p>How it works: Upon logging into Foursquare, the user (privately) chooses which party they plan to support. After that point, each check-in from that account is counted as a virtual vote towards the selected party. Votes are tallied in real-time and the GeoPollster map is updated accordingly.</p> <p>By tapping into Foursquare's early adopter user base, the data from GeoPollster Canada obviously isn't representative of the general Canadian population (due to demographics such as as age, income level, gender, etc.). It's not meant to replace traditional - and often more disruptive - polling methods. At least not yet.</p> <p>As adoption rates of smartphones and location-based services continue to grow, political parties and marketers will want to consider using this type of data to get a better pulse on the preferences of a target demographic/region.</p> <p>It's exciting to see how traditional media companies like National Post are collaborating with startups and finding interesting ways to use emerging technology.&nbsp;GeoPollster Canada is an innovative example of how location-based platforms and social media can be used&nbsp;to learn about people's sentiments on a specific topic. It demonstrates that there's so much more you can do&nbsp;beyond the increasingly common Deal/Special that comes with a check-in or mayorship.&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/parties/blocquebecois" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="Bloc Qu&eacute;b&eacute;cois Party" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/parties/blocquebecois.png?1301585585" height="57" alt="Bloc Qu&amp;eacute;b&amp;eacute;cois" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="57" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/parties/conservatives" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="Conservative Party" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/parties/conservative.png?1301585585" height="57" alt="Conservative" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="57" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/parties/greens" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="Green Party" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/parties/green.png?1301585585" height="57" alt="Green" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="57" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/parties/liberals" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="Liberal Party" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/parties/liberal.png?1301585585" height="57" alt="Liberal" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="57" /></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://geopollster-canada.com/parties/newdemocrats" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><img title="New Democratic Party" src="http://geopollster-canada.com/images/parties/newdemocratic.png?1301585585" height="57" alt="New Democratic" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px;" width="57" /></a>&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/geopollster-canada">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/geopollster-canada#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/9_BCbZi5O44" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/geopollster-canada Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:21:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/9ZX1z2DCyFI/test-drive-a-volkswagen-inside-a-print-ad http://nquo.posterous.com/test-drive-a-volkswagen-inside-a-print-ad <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FhbkqFdKnP8?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe><br /> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Impressive interactive work from Norway - a Volkswagen print ad that aims to explain how technologies such as Lane Assist, Adaptive Lighting and Adaptive Cruise Control improve safety, with a clever spin. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead of using words/pictures/videos, you download the app and go for a "test-drive" by hovering your iPhone over the ad. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a slick execution of how augmented reality, mobile and print can work together to illustrate how these complicated features work. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">The primary focus is on the <em>experience</em>, not the technology, and I think that's what makes it a great interactive campaign.</span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/test-drive-a-volkswagen-inside-a-print-ad">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/test-drive-a-volkswagen-inside-a-print-ad#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/9ZX1z2DCyFI" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/test-drive-a-volkswagen-inside-a-print-ad Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:49:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/d_rKpwbjQ1k/bmw-i-a-bold-take-on-the-future-of-mobile-tra http://nquo.posterous.com/bmw-i-a-bold-take-on-the-future-of-mobile-tra <p> <p><span style="font-size: small;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="110216_bmwi_tile" height="200" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/mCipDhHgvDgABxsbulupAbsEcIFAFvkpxlfABbhnjvuAvHoxjoqgbgndFvlx/110216_BMWi_tile.png.scaled500.png" width="200" /> </div> </span></p> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">BMW launched its new sub-brand <em><strong>i</strong></em> on Monday, and it had me thinking about where the auto industry is headed - electrification and mobile services. <a href="http://www.bmw-i.com/en_ww/" target="_blank">BMW i</a> is positioned as a sustainable, innovative, premium brand focused on "individual mobility". </span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It's a bold way for BMW to demonstrate thought leadership on sustainability and innovation as a premium brand, given the intense competition: Audi is working on <a href="http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1035461_report-audi-to-use-e-tron-name-for-electric-cars" target="_blank">several e-tron concepts</a> and Daimler AG (holding group of Mercedes-Benz, smart) is <a href="http://www.teslamotors.com/about/press/releases/strategic-partnership-daimler-acquires-stake-tesla" target="_blank">partnering</a> with Tesla Motors on various models (which it holds a 10% stake in). Another recent initiative is <a href="http://www.bmwactivatethefuture.com/" target="_blank">BMW Documentaries</a>, a series of intriguing videos showcasing the past, present and future of mobility.</span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6bh_QiybNjo" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">By having a separate sub-brand, BMW can clearly define/position their upcoming offerings, as opposed to having a green badge moniker at the end of each existing model (which many hybrids currently have). In a similar vein, Toyota recently decided to <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20110110/BUSINESS03/110110054/Toyota-grows-Prius-brand" target="_blank">grow</a> the Prius brand from being a single model to a growing lineup. </span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The new brand boldly represents BMW's scale of commitment and effort to making electric vehicles - the i3 and i8 models seem to be developed from the ground up, from engine design to choice of materials to architecture. Names ranging from i1 to i9 have already been trademarked, if that says anything. Though the i3 and i8 are still in concept phase, but I can't help but wonder if the BMW i lineup will eventually emerge as the mainstream BMW brand once electric cars have reached mass adoption.</span></div> <div><span style="font-size: small;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/EtmppJhrgGxDuHvxjClrrzAegnijBFslredahJFDmoHwElnafjsHzhIGxxCi/BMWi_i3_articl_kl.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Bmwi_i3_articl_kl" height="268" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/EtmppJhrgGxDuHvxjClrrzAegnijBFslredahJFDmoHwElnafjsHzhIGxxCi/BMWi_i3_articl_kl.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/fCdbpDAGfvhpbxljbBpaImsjlbsFlBtBgIcicfqrkwodDleuizbymdvidbEu/BMWi_i8_article_kl.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Bmwi_i8_article_kl" height="226" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/fCdbpDAGfvhpbxljbBpaImsjlbsFlBtBgIcicfqrkwodDleuizbymdvidbEu/BMWi_i8_article_kl.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">But the part I find most interesting/clever about the BMW i brand launch is the focus on "<a href="http://www.bmw-i.com/en_ww/mobility-services/" target="_blank">Mobility Services</a>", which seeks to provide experiences both inside and outside of the car. The first mobile services product is MyCityWay, a geolocation-based app which resembles Yelp, except it reacts in real-time. &nbsp;The company has even started a venture capital fund in hopes to invest and partner with location-based startups.&nbsp;</span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-size: small;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Bmw_mobility_app_mcw_01" height="430" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-02-23/xkxvnfEvuyJledadlICpDBGljqyAACJowcHyAuIcskqHdolrEpHdscDGJGAs/BMW_Mobility_App_MCW_01.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="216" /> </div> </span></div> <div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">BMW is aiming to provide an integrated experience that goes beyond selling cars - they're trying to figure out how cars can interact with mobile software to better fit into our busy, urban, technology-infused lives. I think BMW i represents a smart, forward-thinking approach in terms of strategy and branding, and signals a general direction of where the auto industry is headed.&nbsp;</span></div> <p><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IPhRITdnrhE" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/bmw-i-a-bold-take-on-the-future-of-mobile-tra">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/bmw-i-a-bold-take-on-the-future-of-mobile-tra#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/d_rKpwbjQ1k" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/bmw-i-a-bold-take-on-the-future-of-mobile-tra Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:15:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/87LooXrZ3JI/practice-practice-practice http://nquo.posterous.com/practice-practice-practice <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <object height="417" width="500"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FzDBiUemCSY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FzDBiUemCSY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" height="417" width="500"></embed> </object> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzDBiUemCSY&amp;feature=player_embedded">youtube.com</a></div> <p>Early TV appearance of a 23-year-old Steve Jobs.&nbsp;Raw and unedited. "<em>GAHD!"</em>&nbsp;</p> <p>A stark contrast to the polished presenter he's become today.</p> <p>It's unintentionally inspiring - goes to show that practice and experience go a long, long way.</p> <p>Gave me some food for thought about the age-old argument of 'nature vs. nurture':</p> <p>Natural skill and disposition are clearly important factors, but would the upbringing, environment and life experiences of a person ultimately be stronger determinants of personal growth?</p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/practice-practice-practice">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/practice-practice-practice#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/87LooXrZ3JI" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/practice-practice-practice Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:48:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/pUlaaTytBXo/45-awesome-things-i-came-across-in-2010-0 http://nquo.posterous.com/45-awesome-things-i-came-across-in-2010-0 <p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">2010 was certainly an interesting year, to say the least. Here's a non-exhaustive list of awesome stuff I've come across this year.&nbsp;Numbered for reference, not by ranking.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">1. Stockholm MINI getaway</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WMWu1h_6OfE?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">The Swedes are known for their digital chops, and this is a great example. I like how it ties in geolocation, mobile, gamification&nbsp;and&hellip;real exercise. It just looks fun.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">2. The Expendables trailer</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/expendables">www.youtube.com/user/expendables</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Witness destruction of the intertubes.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">3. Nike GRID</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.nikegrid.com/nike-grid/">www.nikegrid.com/nike-grid/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Grid" height="387" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/gxjydBEqiaagbjEBcdIGekImwiqqJHsAevtpkAajhFrhuzskIvBHElEBkvfB/grid.png.scaled500.png" width="215" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">I like how the campaign chose to use the iconic London telephone booth for logging runs, combined with simple technology for users (smartphones,&nbsp;pedometers, special sneakers not required). Runners only have to register online and punch in their ID at the phoneboxes in order to race against other postal&nbsp;codes.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">4. Don Draper says &ldquo;What?&rdquo;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16658562?portrait=0" frameborder="0" height="283" width="500"></iframe><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">5. The Wilderness Downtown</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/">http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w44cdIOor7E?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Amazing interactive short film by Chris Milk, with data and imagery from your own childhood.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">6. Sour &ndash; Mirror</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://sour-mirror.jp/">http://sour-mirror.jp/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7IXBrDlr2yQ?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Another clever interactive music video, this one&rsquo;s from the Japanese band Sour. There&rsquo;s nothing like stompin&rsquo; through the internets&nbsp;with multiple synchronized windows and ASCII art on Twitter. Works best on Safari/Chrome.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">7. Inception</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XcnSU0LOkH8?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Love the intricacy. The hallway fight scene was epic.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">8. TRON: Legacy</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lk6pNcLDL_I?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">A real visual treat. Some people are giving negative reviews regarding the plot, but that seems to be missing the point &ndash; it&rsquo;s all about&nbsp;the aesthetics/effects/music.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">9. The Social Network vs. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Social" height="284" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/DestwhBrBpxzEdbncqueuupiwfFoiJCdicnpymvyoedksJjfAzsfazCDCkmv/social.png.scaled500.png" width="457" /> </div> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Wallst" height="306" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/FGhpbkoHdwyaFjadwrBoCqCwjjEtsrDlBFhhInJlnkwHEJhekxxecaIrEood/wallst.png.scaled500.png" width="459" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">It was interesting that both movies released around the same time. After watching them back-to-back, it almost seems as if&nbsp;&lsquo;The Social Network&rsquo; was the true sequel to the original &lsquo;Wall Street&rsquo; in terms of tone. Although the industries couldn&rsquo;t be more&nbsp;different (social web startup in a dorm room vs. investment banking on Wall Street), both movies were about revolution, shaking&nbsp;things up. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">In contrast, &lsquo;Money Never Sleeps&rsquo; was about the recession, the troubled American financial system. Greed was perceived&nbsp;to be a bad thing, in contrast to the original movie. &lsquo;The Social Network&rsquo; carries an inspirational tone towards today&rsquo;s youth, much&nbsp;like the first &lsquo;Wall Street&rsquo; motivated young people to pursue finance. The phrase &ldquo;Greed is good&rdquo; has been culturally overtaken by&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m CEO, bitch.&rdquo; Is it 'cool' now to drop out of school and build something?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">As Bob Dylan would say, &ldquo;The times they are a-changin&rsquo;.&rdquo;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">10. Jason Schwartzman introducing the New Yorker iPad app</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rKr-E7J-6pQ?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Check out the ringtone.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">11. Kanye West &ndash; Runaway</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Bm5iA4Zupek?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">After the infamous incident with Taylor Swift at last year&rsquo;s VMA&rsquo;s (and the super-meme that resulted from it) &mdash;what a&nbsp;comeback this is. Currently have this song on repeat. Above all the superfluous stuff, he&rsquo;s a true artist (or you could argue that it's part of his artistry).</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">12. Windows Phone 7</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EHlN21ebeak?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Really(?) relatable ad. The new UI gets some getting used to, but it&rsquo;s a refreshing take on what mobile operating systems should be&nbsp;like.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">13. Apple iPhone 4</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R1wbQdVezio?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Touchy-feely, in a good way. IMO, it&rsquo;s still the most droolworthy piece of mobile hardware on the market. Retina Display at 326&nbsp;pixels per inch &ndash; there&rsquo;s no going back.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">14. Apple iPad</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Gap" height="270" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/pcagzzjmeEExaonIgyClCmqeiognucuhaxjtxmqztHxbiqqFhlCaaqBwfEcw/gap.png.scaled500.png" width="431" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Impressive for a first-generation device, which revived tablet computing and gained mainstream adoption at a record-breaking pace,&nbsp;with a whole slew of tablets (RIM, Google, HP) rushing to market next spring. Not to mention iPad 2. 2011 will certainly&nbsp;be a big year for tablet computing (lots of new ones coming out, more choice for consumers), though it might take a while for Android, etc.&nbsp;to knock iPad off the pedestal. But will print media be able to find a reasonable and sustainable business model on the iPad?&nbsp;&nbsp;Are&nbsp;RSS readers with beautiful UIs the solution? It&rsquo;ll be interesting to see.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">15. Google Maps 5.0</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TAh4yiCzgKw?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">One of the best features in Android. 3D, vector-based, tilting, offline caching &ndash; what&rsquo;s not to like?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">16. Near Field Communication (NFC)</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wk5mUdeEF8c?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">I'd be surprised if this doesn't get widely adopted in the next year or so.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">17. Instapaper</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://instapaper.com">http://instapaper.com</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Insta" height="292" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/HcybExoEyjoasHacIGCAkkHathvhcrHDjgkpkwabBEelHdjGlClfxdsBHepr/insta.png.scaled500.png" width="375" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">A simple yet amazing bookmarking service that saves web articles for later reading. It just works. Put a bookmarklet in the browser,&nbsp;and when you click it the article is sent to Instapaper in a distraction-free, plain text format. The iPhone/iPad apps are well-designed.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">18. Flipboard</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.flipboard.com">http://www.flipboard.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v2vpvEDS00o?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">A slick app that turns your Facebook/Twitter and RSS feeds into an attractive social magazine format. Also offers curated content&nbsp;from different categories of interest. The content partnerships are interesting &ndash; a new business model for traditional media?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">19. Instagram</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://instagr.am/">http://instagr.am/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Instag" height="188" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/CCllGtFGxqwFzmavJIpCCyeHxJfjbfoClvtrFeguwnrGBtbqHxwlCmdbaiDn/instag.png.scaled500.png" width="188" /> </div> &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Instagram has exploded in usage with a fast-growing community of users, retro filters and foursquare/twitter integration. I&rsquo;ve come across&nbsp;some breathtaking photos on it, and it&rsquo;s interesting to see snapshots (literally) of other people&rsquo;s lives, some who might be halfway&nbsp;around the world. Quite addictive for the curious and the creative minded.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">20. New Twitter/Twitter for iPad</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Twit" height="303" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/wDABfBIiyskklFhoCmojDivyzfdBgIaAcAqdduftdrIpcFvkwEbqjEvkbDGk/twit.png.scaled500.png" width="480" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">#NewTwitter and Twitter for iPad seem to be pushing UI design forward. Both use the two-pane design that people have become&nbsp;familiar with on the iPad. It&rsquo;s easy to use, and supports rich media, while retaining the clean look of the original Twitter interface.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Bonus: The new web design uses the Golden Ratio, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio#Applications_and_observations" target="_blank">fascinating ratio</a> used in math and the arts.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">21. @BPGlobalPR</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://twitter.com/BPGlobalPR">http://twitter.com/BPGlobalPR</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Bp" height="269" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/jjFIBAbmziirnrgzzgwatDuBvxcacGJaafrDFDgwhkGGDrxHjIfnJxDxIGAe/bp.png.scaled500.png" width="375" /> </div> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&ldquo;I started&nbsp;@BPGlobalPR, because the oil spill had been going on for almost a month and all BP had to offer were bullshit PR statements. &nbsp;No solutions, no urgency,&nbsp;no sincerity, no nothing.&ldquo; Full letter <a href="http://streetgiant.com/2010/06/02/leroy-stick-the-man-behind-bpglobalpr/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">22. Angry Birds</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Angry" height="216" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/dGqHeapwpjEHFAdzjcBtIzvAsknsfbuBjFjijwhrnJDiFzoCvFuacbGjeoix/angry.png.scaled500.png" width="345" /> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Incredibly addictive and surprisingly engaging. What&rsquo;s interesting: its cross-appeal with hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike.&nbsp;And its seemingly perpetual position at the top of the App Store charts. Might be the amusing characters, wacky sound effects and&nbsp;gleeful cheering &ndash; feels good, doesn&rsquo;t it?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">23. Joy is BMW: 3D Projection</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pm9yb1w7-Lc?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Nicely executed. Look at the expressions of the people watching&hellip;joy.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">24. Interview with Dieter Rams on Industrial Design</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A6-wA-7QIeE?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Genius designer.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">25. Word Lens</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://questvisual.com/">http://questvisual.com/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h2OfQdYrHRs?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">A clever app that translates words instantly, using augmented reality through your smartphone&rsquo;s camera. Oh, and it doesn&rsquo;t require a&nbsp;data connection. Quite revolutionary, I&rsquo;m sure the tech giants have an eye on it already.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">26. Jay-Z Decoded</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1704745/jay-z-decoded">http://www.fastcompany.com/1704745/jay-z-decoded</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/iqhzCfDiHojsyDgJJsngtpxDGBeInfGjlskvqBabqCHABFFnvzoDwxuyrinz/pool.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Pool" height="269" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-12-31/iqhzCfDiHojsyDgJJsngtpxDGBeInfGjlskvqBabqCHABFFnvzoDwxuyrinz/pool.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> <br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Possibly the coolest book promo ever.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">27. Kickstarter</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com">http://www.kickstarter.com</a></span></p> <p><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16647049?portrait=0" frameborder="0" height="283" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">With funding platforms like Kickstarter, it&rsquo;s now easier to get started (and get feedback) on the creative projects you had in mind.&nbsp;This iPod nano watch initiative caught the Internet&rsquo;s attention and raised almost $1 million in a month.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">28. Down on Me (cover)</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dwimc4cvUmQ?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Surprise appearance.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">29. Facebook Messages</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bdzuFG6q63k?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Clever idea.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">30. YouTube Poop &ndash; I had an Error</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BJHR8bV_gt0?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Deep sea wackiness discovered in the deep channels of YouTube.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">31. Old Spice video responses &amp; Voicemail Generator</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-8JsvwUcok0?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Obvious one. Making real-time video responses to fans was a brilliant idea, and a fan from Reddit responded by making the Old&nbsp;Spice Voicemail Generator (<a href="http://oldspicevoicemail.com">http://oldspicevoicemail.com</a>). Pretty awesome, and an excellent example of how &lsquo;engagement&rsquo; can go&nbsp;above and beyond the basic Like/retweet.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">32. Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u6XAPnuFjJc?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Fascinating and insightful.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">33. SNL &ndash; Blake Lively as Cher</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6wyCyX0VNyw?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Cher &gt; Serena van der Woodsen.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">34. Exit Through The Gift Shop</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a0b90YppquE?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Mysterious and entertaining.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">35. Greyson Chance</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bxDlC7YV5is?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Discovered on YouTube, now signed with Ellen DeGeneres.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">36. Meryl Streep Commencement Speech</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5-a8QXUAe2g?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">This one&rsquo;s a gem. Always liked watching commencement speeches, even more so in 2010 (when I actually graduated).</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">37. A Life on Facebook</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mCUCZCBso_w?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Can get depressing if you think too much about it.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">38. Why Intelligent People Drink More Alcohol</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201010/why-intelligent-people-drink-more-alcohol">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201010/why-...</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Feel better about your alcohol consumption over the holidays. Or over the past year, ahem.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">39. Why Everything is Shit Nowadays</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.sabotagetimes.com/life/stuffed-crust-anyone-why-everything-is-shit-nowadays/">http://www.sabotagetimes.com/life/stuffed-crust-anyone-why-everything-is-shit...</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Spot on.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">40. The Sandra Bullock Trade</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/opinion/30brooks.html?_r=1">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/opinion/30brooks.html?_r=1</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Interesting points on the relationship between money and happiness.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">41. Video games: the addiction</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/mar/21/tom-bissell-video-game-cocaine-addiction">http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/mar/21/tom-bissell-video-game-coca...</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">A fascinating look into the mentality of a hardcore video gamer and prize-winning writer. No regrets on GTA, sleep deprivation and&nbsp;cocaine.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">42. The Future Ain't What It Used to Be</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/31/future/">http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/31/future/</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">"Here in the First World we&rsquo;re increasingly trapped in yesterday&rsquo;s tedium."</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">43. The Three Threats to Creativity</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2010/11/the-three-threats-to-creativit.html">http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2010/11/the-three-threats-to-creativit.html</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Good points.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">44. All the lonely people</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/11/all_the_lonely_people.html#more">http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/11/all_the_lonely_people.html#more</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Robert Ebert on loneliness, bittersweet narcissism, and the internet.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">45. Only Connect</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/printout/0,29239,2036683_2037181_2037179,00.html">http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/printout/0,29239,2036683_2037181_2...</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Social psychologists weigh in on Facebook regarding the magical number: 150.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">That is all. Feel free to share your thoughts and inspirations below.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Happy 2011.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/45-awesome-things-i-came-across-in-2010-0">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/45-awesome-things-i-came-across-in-2010-0#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/pUlaaTytBXo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/45-awesome-things-i-came-across-in-2010-0 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:55:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/38yypc3IUQs/a-sexy-print-campaign-for-a-newspaper http://nquo.posterous.com/a-sexy-print-campaign-for-a-newspaper <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <blockquote> <div> <p><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__sarkozy.jpg" target="_blank"><img title="sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__sarkozy" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__sarkozy-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" width="412" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__beauty.jpg" target="_blank"><img title="sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__beauty" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/sonntagszeitung__the_insight_story_campaign__beauty-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" width="412" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/SonntagsZeitung__The_Insight_Story_Campaign__Obama.jpg" target="_blank"><img title="SonntagsZeitung__The_Insight_Story_Campaign__Obama" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/SonntagsZeitung__The_Insight_Story_Campaign__Obama-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" width="412" /></a></p> <p style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_bush.jpg" target="_blank" style="color: #777777; text-decoration: none;"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4897" title="soz_bush" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_bush-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ced4ca;" width="412" /></a></p> <p style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_baby.jpg" target="_blank" style="color: #8ab459; text-decoration: none;"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4896" title="soz_baby" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_baby-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ced4ca;" width="412" /></a></p> <p style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_putin.jpg" target="_blank" style="color: #8ab459; text-decoration: none;"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4894" title="soz_putin" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_putin-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ced4ca;" width="412" /></a></p> <p style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; margin-left: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_soldat.jpg" target="_blank" style="color: #8ab459; text-decoration: none;"><img class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-4895" title="soz_soldat" src="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/commons/soz_soldat-412x582.jpg" height="582" alt="" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ced4ca;" width="412" /></a></p> <p>Advertising Agency: <a href="http://www.yr.com">Advico Y&amp;R</a>, Zurich, Switzerland</p> <p>Creative Directors: Christian Bobst, Philipp Skrabal<br /> Copywriter: Martin Stulz<br /> Art Director: Lukas Wietlisbach<br /> Photographer: Scheffold Vizner<br /> Consultant: Marcel M&auml;gerle, Manuela Wettstein</p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2010/11/sonntags-zeitung-the-insight-story/">ibelieveinadv.com</a></div> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Clever print ads - the kind you would actually stop flipping through pages and look at. Really communicates the "depth" of news stories that the client claims to offer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">A good reminder that traditional (dare I say "unsexy") print ads can be engaging as well.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">I think the 'Russian doll' idea would work well as a simple interactive campaign too: only the display the outermost shell at first, then cue the user to pinch-to-zoom in order to reveal the inner layers.</span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/a-sexy-print-campaign-for-a-newspaper">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/a-sexy-print-campaign-for-a-newspaper#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/38yypc3IUQs" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/a-sexy-print-campaign-for-a-newspaper Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:37:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/wcdVIbIe5ls/re-almost-all-market-research-is-wrong-cc-far http://nquo.posterous.com/re-almost-all-market-research-is-wrong-cc-far <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <blockquote> <div> <p><span style="color: #888888;"><strong>By Britton Taylor</strong></span></p> <p>A few weeks ago Faris Yakob provocatively argued on his <a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2010/10/all-market-research-is-wrong.html" target="_self">blog </a>that &ldquo;All Market Research is Wrong.&rdquo; Not surprisingly, the post stirred up quite a bit of dialog from the ad folks, as the relationship between research and creativity has never been rosy.</p> <p>While I would contend that almost all market research is wrong, I wholeheartedly agree with Faris&rsquo;s core premise that [most] market research is flawed because people aren&rsquo;t very good at describing why we do what we do, nor are we very good at predicting our future behaviors.</p> <p>While it&rsquo;s fun (and easy) to vilify research, I also agree with a <a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2010/10/all-market-research-is-wrong.html#comment-6a00d8341ca6f253ef0133f5318b87970b" target="_self">commenter</a>, who pointed out that research isn&rsquo;t always the problem: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s treating it as the only tool in the box, and using it unthinkingly as a substitute for judgment.&rdquo; Amen to that.</p> <p>What I don&rsquo;t understand is why we, as an industry, aren&rsquo;t doing more to question shoddy methodologies in a culture of research that consistently rewards safe and forgettable thinking.</p> <p>At W+K we do our best to draw a line in the sand with clients when it comes to the relationship between research and the work. Of course, every client is different, but I&rsquo;d argue that the following 5 &ldquo;unwritten&rdquo; passed-down-through-the-ages principles have long been an important element of this agency&rsquo;s success:</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">1. Don&rsquo;t give people what they want&mdash;give them what they never believed possible.</span> A considerable amount of research is structured to seek conceptual permission from consumers. But given the chance, most consumers are going to revert to familiar constructs and ideas. As Dan points out in this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCRta3T7t7Q" target="_self">interview</a>, the most powerful work is stuff that people never saw coming.&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2. Research early, research late, boycott the middle.</span> Conducted in the right way, research can be a powerful enabler of creativity. We love exploratory research&mdash;research with influencers and opinion-leaders, ethnographies&mdash;anything and everything that can lead to stronger, more insightful briefs. When it comes to the creative itself, however, we rarely test animatics or ideas prior to production. An ad isn&rsquo;t an ad until it&rsquo;s done and a storyboard just isn&rsquo;t going to do the work the justice it deserves (see #3).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">3. Animatics are scary (a.k.a. production = magic).</span> W+K strongly believes in high-production values. Directors, editors, producers, talent&mdash;all of these pieces can elevate and transform an idea from the page. Testing an idea in animatic form ignores the creative contribution these folks bring to the party and fails to account for the magic that typically happens on set. I shudder at the thought of &ldquo;The Man Your Man Could Smell Like&rdquo; as an animatic. The idea would have never made it out alive.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">4. An &ldquo;acceptable&rdquo; ad is unacceptable.</span> Be provocative, entertaining, polarizing, and disruptive. Have a point of view. Move someone. Do something that people will talk about, debate and discuss. Take, for example, the latest LeBron <a href="http://www.wk.com/campaign/rise" target="_self">spot</a>. My least favorite focus group maneuver is to ask for a show of hands to see how many people liked an ad, as if this metric is the ultimate barometer for success.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">5. No diagnostic or predictive test is better than the real world.</span> One of the most exciting aspects of the new media landscape is that you can experiment with lots of different ideas and executions at a relatively low cost. If we live in a world where engagement and shareability are key, then why is most research conducted in solitary confinement with positioning statements or half-baked concepts? To truly understand an idea&rsquo;s potential you have to make something and release it into the world.</p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://blog.wk.com/2010/11/almost-all-market-research-is-wrong.html">blog.wk.com</a></div> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Interesting viewpoints on market research and creativity. A few thoughts on the five principles that popped into mind while reading: </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>1. </strong>Reminds me of the famous quote from Henry Ford: <em>"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.&rdquo; </em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Steve Jobs' response on why Apple doesn't do market research: </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-size: medium;">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about pop culture, and it&rsquo;s not about fooling people, and it&rsquo;s not about convincing people that they want something they don&rsquo;t. We figure out what we want. And I think we&rsquo;re pretty good at having the right discipline to think through whether a lot of other people are going to want it, too. That&rsquo;s what we get paid to do.&rdquo; </span></em></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sure, it's meant for a completely different industry, but maybe the same mindset can be applied to the communications industry. As an advertising/marketing type, what kind/calibre of work would <em>you</em> want to see, create, and be proud of? If you're getting paid to do the job, chances are [hopefully] that you know a great campaign from a good/crappy one, compared to someone in a focus group. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>2 &amp; 3.</strong> As someone just starting out, I haven't yet had a chance to witness first-hand the magic that comes out of production (I'd love to). But as a viewer, it's usually not too hard to differentiate high-value productions from low ones. First impressions are everything, especially with <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d" target="_blank">all the distractions</a> that exist nowadays. A hell of a lot more than the traditional "Where's the remote?".</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>4.</strong> Wholeheartedly agree. "Acceptable" is the new mediocre. It's like scoring 65% on a test or ending 4th place in a race - do you (and your brand) really want to just 'pass'? There's nothing to boast, talk, or get emotional over.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>Be memorable.</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lady Gaga. She's a media magnet not because of her music, but because of her provocative, polarizing image. Not only does she drive attention; more importantly, she drives conversation. Now you might be rolling your eyes, but who hasn't heard of the <a href="http://cl.ly/372w" target="_blank">Meat Dress</a>? She single-handedly creates pop-cultural memes and a level of public attention/fan loyalty that most brands would kill for.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>"It used to be that the most valuable thing on the planet was time, and now the most valuable thing on the planet is attention.</em>" &mdash;John Greening</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>5.</strong> Real artists ship.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bCRta3T7t7Q?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/re-almost-all-market-research-is-wrong-cc-far">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/re-almost-all-market-research-is-wrong-cc-far#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/wcdVIbIe5ls" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/re-almost-all-market-research-is-wrong-cc-far Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:23:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/E5FWVCaxhs8/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d http://nquo.posterous.com/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/kkzmdxgkgttmDsJdfbdfpjpkiChElvDHfGiwBtvHmajDGHifxIgHtmbisFje/media_httpbehancevoll_JJFIs.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Media_httpbehancevoll_jjfis" height="375" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/kkzmdxgkgttmDsJdfbdfpjpkiChElvDHfGiwBtvHmajDGHifxIgHtmbisFje/media_httpbehancevoll_JJFIs.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </div> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <div> <blockquote> <div> <p>Interruption-free space is sacred. Yet, in the digital era we live in, we are losing hold of the few sacred spaces that remain untouched by email, the internet, people, and other forms of distraction. Our cars now have mobile phone integration and a thousand satellite radio stations. When walking from one place to another, we have our devices streaming data from dozens of sources. Even at our bedside, we now have our iPads with heaps of digital apps and the world's information at our fingertips.</p> <p>There has been much discussion about the value of the &ldquo;<a href="http://www.cameronmoll.com/archives/2008/11/showering_and_thinking/">creative pause</a>&rdquo; &ndash; a state described as &ldquo;the shift from being fully engaged in a creative activity to being passively engaged, or the shift to being disengaged altogether.&rdquo;&nbsp;This phenomenon is the seed of the break-through &ldquo;a-ha!&rdquo; moments that people so frequently report having in the shower. In these moments, you are completely isolated, and your mind is able to wander and churn big questions without interruption.</p> <p>However, despite the incredible power and potential of sacred spaces, they are quickly becoming extinct. We are depriving ourselves of every opportunity for disconnection. And our imaginations suffer the consequences.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Why do we crave distraction over downtime?</strong></p> <p>Why do we give up our sacred space so easily? Because space is scary. During these temporary voids of distraction, our minds return to the uncertainty and fears that plague all of us. To escape this chasm of self-doubt and unanswered questions, you tune into all of the activity and data for reassurance.</p> <p>But this desperate need for constant connection and stimulation is not a modern problem. I would argue that we have always sought a state of constant connection from the dawn of time, it&rsquo;s just never been possible until now.</p> <p>The need to be connected is, in fact, very basic in Maslow's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs">hierarchy of needs</a>, the psychological theory that explains the largest and most fundamental human desires. Our need for a sense of belonging comes right after physical safety. We thrive on friendship, family, and the constant affirmation of our existence and relevance. Our self-esteem is largely a product of our interactions with others.</p> <p>It is now possible to always feel loved and cared for, thanks to the efficiency of our &ldquo;comment walls&rdquo; on Facebook and seamless connection with everyone we've ever known. Your confidence and self-esteem can quickly be reassured by checking your number of &ldquo;followers&rdquo; on Twitter or the number of &ldquo;likes&rdquo; garnered by your photographs and blog posts. The traction you are getting in your projects, or with your business, can now be measured and reported in real time.</p> <p>Our insatiable need to tune into information &ndash; at the expense of savoring our downtime &ndash; is a form of &ldquo;work&rdquo; (something I call &ldquo;insecurity work&rdquo;) that we do to reassure ourselves.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>So what&rsquo;s the solution? How do we reclaim our sacred spaces?</strong></p> <p>Soon enough, planes, trains, subways, and, yes, <a href="http://www.evervuetv.com/">showers</a> will offer the option of staying connected. Knowing that we cannot rely on spaces that <em>force</em> us to unplug to survive much longer, we must be proactive in creating these spaces for ourselves. And when we have a precious opportunity to NOT be connected, we should develop the capacity to use it and protect it.</p> <p>Here are five potential mindsets and solutions for consideration:<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>1. Rituals for unplugging.<br /></strong>Perhaps those in biblical times knew what was in store for us when they created the Sabbath? The notion of a day every week reserved for reflection has become more important than ever before. It's about more than just refraining from work. It's about unplugging. The recent <a href="http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/">Sabbath Manifesto</a> movement has received mainstream, secular accolades for the concept of ritualizing the period of disconnection. Perhaps you will reserve one day on the weekend where you force yourself to disconnect? At first, such efforts will feel very uncomfortable. You will deal with a bout of &ldquo;connection withdrawal,&rdquo; but stay with it.<strong></strong></p> <p><strong>2. Daily doses of deep thinking.<br /></strong>Perhaps &ldquo;sacred space&rdquo; is a new life tenet that we must adopt in the 21st century? Since we know that unplugging will only become more difficult over time, we will need to develop a discipline for ourselves. Back in the day when the TV became a staple of every American home, parents started mandating time for their children to read. &ldquo;TV time&rdquo; became a controlled endeavor because, otherwise, it would consume every waking moment. Now, every waking moment is &ldquo;connected time,&rdquo; and we need to start controlling it.</p> <p>We need some rules. When it comes to scheduling, we will need to allocate blocks of time for deep thinking. Maybe you will carve out a 1-2 hour block on your calendar every day for taking a walk or grabbing a cup of coffee and just pondering some of those bigger things. I can even imagine a day when homes and apartments have a special switch that shuts down wi-fi and data access during dinner or at night - just to provide a temporary pause from the constant flow of status updates and other communications.<strong></strong></p> <p><strong>3. Meditation and naps to clear the mind.<br /></strong>There is no better mental escape from our tech-charged world than the act of meditation. If only for 15 minutes, the ability to steer your mind away from constant stimulation is downright liberating. There are various kinds of meditation. Some forms require you to think about nothing and completely clear your mind. (This is quite hard, at least for me.) Other forms of meditation are about focusing on one specific thing - often your breath, or a mantra that you repeat in your head (or out loud) for 10-15 minutes. At first, any sort of meditation will feel like a chore. But with practice, it will become an energizing exercise.</p> <p>If you can't adopt meditation, you might also try clearing your mind the old fashioned way &ndash; by sleeping. The legendary energy expert and bestselling author Tony Schwartz takes a 20-minute nap every day. Even if it's a few hours before he presents to a packed audience, he'll take a short nap. I asked him how he overcomes the midday anxiety enough to nap. His trick? "Practice," he said. Like all skills that don't come naturally, practice makes perfect.<strong></strong></p> <p><strong>4. Self-awareness and psychological investment.<br /></strong>Our most basic fears and desires, both conscious and subconscious, are soothed by connectivity and a constant flow of information. It is supremely important that we recognize the power of our insecurities and, at the very least, acknowledge where our anxiety comes from. Awareness is always the first step in solving any problem.</p> <p>During research for my book, <em><a href="http://the99percent.com/book">Making Ideas Happen</a></em>, I was surprised by how many legendary creative leaders credited some form of therapy as a part of their professional success. If you're willing to invest in it, then take the plunge. Whatever you learn will help you understand your fears and the actions you take as a result.<strong></strong></p> <p><strong>5. Protect the state of no-intent.<br /></strong>When you're rushing to a solution, your mind will jump to the easiest and most familiar path. But when you allow yourself to just look out the window for 10 minutes &ndash; and ponder &ndash; your brain will start working in a more creative way. It will grasp ideas from unexpected places.&nbsp; It's this very sort of unconscious creativity that leads to great thinking. When you're driving or showering, you're letting your mind wander because you don&rsquo;t have to focus on anything in particular. If you do carve out some time for unobstructed thinking, be sure to free yourself from any specific intent.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>***</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">The potential of our own creativity is rapidly being compromised by the era we live in. I believe that genius in the 21st century will be attributed to people who are able to unplug from the constant state of <a href="http://the99percent.com/tips/5902/beware-of-reactionary-workflow">reactionary workflow</a>, reduce their amount of <a href="http://the99percent.com/tips/5810/reduce-your-level-of-insecurity-work">insecurity work</a>, and allow their minds to solve the great challenges of our era. Brilliance is so rare because it is always obstructed, often by the very stuff that keeps us so busy.</p> <p><em><a href="http://scottbelsky.com/" target="_blank">Scott Belsky</a> is the CEO of Behance and author of the national bestselling book <a href="http://the99percent.com/book">Making Ideas Happen</a>. You can follow him <a href="http://twitter.com/scottbelsky" target="_blank">@scottbelsky</a>.</em></p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://the99percent.com/articles/6947/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-deep-thinking-sacred-space">the99percent.com</a></div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Excellent article, fascinating topic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've always wondered what the consequences would be on the way we think, when people (myself included) become&nbsp;increasingly&nbsp;attached to their digital devices and social networks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Because of the way humans are wired (no pun intended), It's tempting to reach for your smartphone when you have a free moment - to check your text messages/favorite social app, rather than sitting back and allowing yourself some downtime.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">But really, how important/material is that status update, text, or @reply? Do I have something interesting to say/contribute, or am I mostly doing it to fill in that lull of time? Do I have to say it <em>now</em>?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Real-time services are so tempting because it offers <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/seths-blog-driveby-culture-and-the-endless-se-5" target="_blank">instant feedback/gratification</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Being someone who loves the Internet, it's exciting to be more interconnected with the world at large, and the possibilities that arrive with it &mdash; not to mention the interesting viewpoints and resources shared that you wouldn't have come across otherwise. But when does one cross the line from being "social" to "too social"? It's seems like a fine line.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Breakthrough ideas tend to occur during what most might consider "mundane" moments (e.g. showering, dishwashing, etc.) I could probably use some more recent examples, but Isaac Newton discovered gravity while sitting under an apple tree. Archimedes had his famous "Eureka!" moment sitting in a bathtub.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">To quote Bill Moyers: <em>"Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous."</em></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">The impact that 'hyperconnectivity' and diminishing downtime have on creativity and humanity in this age are difficult (if not impossible) to quantify. Nonetheless, it's very important - and increasingly so - to have the discipline to unplug and let our minds wander.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">*<em>Additional food for thought</em>: <a href="http://web.hbr.org/email/archive/dailystat.php?date=102910" target="_blank">HBR</a> reports that Americans are scoring lower in creativity tests compared to the past.</span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/E5FWVCaxhs8" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/what-happened-to-downtime-the-extinction-of-d Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:06:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/r6bTv5fc88Q/re-heroes-and-mentors http://nquo.posterous.com/re-heroes-and-mentors <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <blockquote> <div> <p>Mentors provide bespoke guidance. They take a personal interest in you. It's customized, rare and expensive.</p> <p>Heroes live their lives in public, broadcasting their model to anyone who cares to look.</p> <p>The internet has created a long tail of heroes. There are tens of thousands of musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, social leaders, politicians (okay, maybe not thousands of these), coders and colleagues to find and emulate. WWHD. What would my hero do?</p> <p>I find heroes everywhere I look. I find people who speak to me over my shoulder, virtual muses, who encourage me to solve a problem or deal with a situation the way they would. This is thrilling news, because there are so many heroes, so freely available, whenever we need them.</p> <p>For all the people out there using the fact that Jeff Bezos (or Jacqueline Novogratz or Husain Abdullah or Chris Anderson or Anne Jackson) won't be their mentor as an excuse for inaction, there are a dozen who realize that their example is enough.</p> <p>Like a custom made suit, a mentor is a fine thing to have if you can find or afford it. But for the rest of us, heroes will have to do.</p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/heroes-and-mentors.html">sethgodin.typepad.com</a></div> <p>One of the most amazing things about the world we live in today is that we can virtually (pun unintended) reach out to our heroes. With social innovations like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and of course the Internet itself, the degrees of separation are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lea-lane/six-degrees-of-separation_b_534311.html" target="_blank">declining</a> between the six billion or so people on this planet.</p> <p>Going back to Seth's analogy of a mentor resembling a custom made suit, there are now a plethora of locations that offer custom made suits &mdash; you just need to know where to look, and what your 'measurements' are.</p> <p><em>Mentors are the heroes that respond to you.</em></p> <p>PS. Check out my previous <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/how-mentorships-can-benefit-everyone" target="_blank">post</a> on how mentorships can be mutually beneficial.</p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/re-heroes-and-mentors">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/re-heroes-and-mentors#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/r6bTv5fc88Q" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/re-heroes-and-mentors Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:04:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/7qYf8q-DNk4/the-new-gap-logo-a-brilliant-conspiracy http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-gap-logo-a-brilliant-conspiracy <p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/NsS1nWm7ougITDP2zpbumtrtXWt86EhhjuKic9fKkwWWgnrzooGx1LpVhXmO/new_gap_logo_vs_old.jpg"><img alt="New_gap_logo_vs_old" height="335" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/EFDS63RACFVl0gXc4v5JU9MpNOOXRn8kckHoclpuVD3g6i8bV95FvNv43tPO/new_gap_logo_vs_old.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p /> <div>A few days ago, Gap decided to release a redesign of its logo. Probably as an effort to 'modernize' the brand, similar to what Pepsi, YMCA, <span style="text-decoration: line-through;"><a href="http://www.psfk.com/2009/02/tropicana-reverting-to-old-package-design.html" target="_blank">Tropicana</a></span> and Aol have done.&nbsp;</div> <p /> <div>As you would probably agree, the new logo isn't very impressive&mdash;to say the least. With an extremely bland Helveticized 'Gap' with an equally generic blue box at the end, designers heated up the Twitterverse with their rage, while cranking out redesigns on&nbsp;<a href="http://dribbble.com/search?q=Gap">Dribbble</a>. To up the amusement factor, a not-so-official&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/GapLogo">Twitter</a>&nbsp;account was created in (comedic) defence of the new design, In line with the now-infamous&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/itunes10icon">iTunes 10 logo</a>. In typical internet fashion, a new <a href="http://craplogo.me/" target="_blank">site</a> has popped up that lets you make your own "crap logo".</div> <p /> <div>Now, everyone's talking/tweeting/blogging about it, even mainstream publications like&nbsp;<a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/07/dont-like-the-new-gap-logo-make-a-better-one/">TIME</a>.&nbsp;</div> <p /> <div>The conspiracy theorist in me believes that this is what the clever folks at Gap were planning for all along:&nbsp;</div> <p /> <div>1. Introduce a crappy new logo.</div> <div>2. Generate lots of buzz online, by offending the design community with the new logo. &nbsp;</div> <div>3. Enraged designers become inspired, come up with their own redesigns.</div> <div>4. Go on Facebook and call it a 'crowdsourcing project' in response to the 'passionate debates'.</div> <div>5. Select a new (hopefully better) logo from all the submissions and enjoy tons of PR &mdash; all for <em>free</em>. Or, revert to the classic logo and call the project off.</div> <div>6. Wait another 20+ years, then rinse/wash/repeat.</div> <p /> <div>Okay, probably not Step 6. But if the whole thing is in fact strategized beforehand, we've grossly underestimated the marketing folks at Gap. In just a few days, they've managed to generate tons of free press and become a more culturally-relevant brand (for better or for worse).&nbsp;</div> <p /> <div>Although the new logo design is (intentionally?) a flop, it seems that Gap as a brand has won from this debacle/meme.</div> <p /> <div><strong>*Update</strong>: Gap has decided to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/10/12/gap.logo.social.media/index.html" target="_blank">revert</a> back to its former logo, after <a href="http://weblog.muledesign.com/2010/10/dear_gap_i_have_your_new_logo.php" target="_blank">witty</a> responses from the design community debating why logo design work should be valued&mdash;not crowdsourced for free.</div> <p /> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/85o9L3ddvMD6BiHIXBd1WGbHBtBynFXhoAoVGRRyij8gwyUK7nrGprznnYLz/Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3.34.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3" height="75" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/GUUirCfHRPL485gfG1CRF2iPu0zRR6Do8xpj8WdoB1PCfmXZfWyvnNcLRmth/Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3.34.png.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/Z9eB5gtgC4nx3Gl5bxGAeCPvuNKKJqE1vDwLqU0jv1yPNmKYQgPVBpU91Xfm/Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3.26.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3" height="214" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/nfOrmkhXrcq9Mf9SxMMkubNdZPNXC2Gyl78gGN0DlSLkLoGBeEIAnoz9wz2F/Screen_shot_2010-10-07_at_3.26.png.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-12/hqofjtHcIflxesIkCrpCEmqBwqGeodmyqFHEgACAeJxhxbkqCGjEouyjtzaE/gap_logo_undo_cmd_Z_satire_instagram.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Gap_logo_undo_cmd_z_satire_instagram" height="750" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-12/hqofjtHcIflxesIkCrpCEmqBwqGeodmyqFHEgACAeJxhxbkqCGjEouyjtzaE/gap_logo_undo_cmd_Z_satire_instagram.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-gap-logo-a-brilliant-conspiracy">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-gap-logo-a-brilliant-conspiracy#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/7qYf8q-DNk4" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-gap-logo-a-brilliant-conspiracy Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:42:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/nvPZ47RO5Yg/bill-gates-and-google-tv http://nquo.posterous.com/bill-gates-and-google-tv <p> <div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22px; font-size: large;"><em>"People always overestimate the amount of change in the short term and underestimate the amount of change in the long term."</em> - Bill Gates</span></div> <p /> <div><a href="http://www.google.com/tv/index.html%0A"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/K8BsEKUZ42OgroQ5JStw0wHkq1tE7Gwa0M4WYnFVIJYhJXSRfkgefYHpecWD/Screen_shot_2010-10-04_at_3.59.png.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Screen_shot_2010-10-04_at_3" height="340" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/bpeGE8iBIc40uyT5w4TAVGxW2RZqAQZqZ4yMOxEv5bH1RgbfRIPQvU4fJVrm/Screen_shot_2010-10-04_at_3.59.png.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </a></div> <p /> <div>Google TV seems like a really solid product - intuitive interface, plus seamless, native integration with the web, social platforms, and other apps.&nbsp;</div> <p /> <div>I think it's truly "revolutionary" (a term that has been overused by marketers), with the potential to change 'television' as we know it - in a similar way to how the iPhone changed the mobile landscape. Can't wait to try it.</div> <p /> <div>And by changing the behaviour of TV watchers with a new definition of what 'television' means to people, exciting opportunities arise. Google wants to discard the traditional advertising model for television, which is costly, hard-to-measure, and something it lacks control/market share in. With Google TV and its likelihood to succeed, Google will be able to grow its core source of revenue, advertising, on three different screens: &nbsp;mobile, PC, and now television.</div> <p /> <div>In short: Google wants to be where your eyeballs are when you're online &mdash; regardless of the device/medium.</div> <p /> <div><a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-google-tv-tv-meets-web-web.html" target="_blank">Official Release</a></div> <p /> <div><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/diTpeYoqAhc?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/bill-gates-and-google-tv">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/bill-gates-and-google-tv#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/nvPZ47RO5Yg" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/bill-gates-and-google-tv Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:07:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/IWQgpalcdJE/the-new-yorker-ipad-app-feat-jason-schwartzma http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-yorker-ipad-app-feat-jason-schwartzma <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <object type="application/futuresplash" height="417" width="500"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKr-E7J-6pQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKr-E7J-6pQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/futuresplash" wmode="window" height="417" width="500"></embed> </object> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKr-E7J-6pQ">youtube.com</a></div> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Entertaining demo. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Favorite scene: the inverted pool dive. (too bad the iPad's not waterproof)</span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-yorker-ipad-app-feat-jason-schwartzma">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-yorker-ipad-app-feat-jason-schwartzma#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/IWQgpalcdJE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/the-new-yorker-ipad-app-feat-jason-schwartzma Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:51:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/eAxFMkw6NV0/the-countrymans-inception http://nquo.posterous.com/the-countrymans-inception <p> <p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BnAhv26AEBw?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-24/vmGgbtnepwulkusFptwvktsdcHzBGhxamfJaJuAqDHmmImpByFqFffytvitu/Screen_shot_2010-09-24_at_7.41.16_PM.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2010-09-24_at_7" height="281" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-24/vmGgbtnepwulkusFptwvktsdcHzBGhxamfJaJuAqDHmmImpByFqFffytvitu/Screen_shot_2010-09-24_at_7.41.16_PM.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <div>Cool spot promoting the MINI Countryman's launch. Neat how they used new&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">CG technology to showcase the Countryman's versatility in a way that reminded me of 'Inception'. You get an overall feeling of escapism (<em>fun</em> escapism), with the 'Getaway' tagline, stunts and special effects.</span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I think MINI does some of the best automotive advertising around. They're bold, interesting, playful, and they make me smile. MINI ads make me want a MINI. The 'chick car' image seems to have been skillfully shaken off - now MINI seems to represent exciting, fun-as-a-go-cart driving - boldness in a small, iconic design. "MINI-malism", if you will.</span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The strong brand comes from lots of brilliant, creative storytelling (from a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEjpEsznck4" target="_blank">design installation in Milan</a>&nbsp;to being&nbsp;<a href="http://blankanvas.bypatlaw.com/the-advertising-slut/mini-cooper-advertising/2010/02/19/" target="_blank">mounted vertically on buildings</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/outdoor-ambient/mini-cooper-your-eyes-are-wandering-8428505/" target="_blank">urinal&nbsp;posters</a>) - stories that make its fun, bold, and mischievous attributes resonate with young urbanites. Not to mention that the excellent-handling cars back up the brand image (advertising can only help so much).</span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hFtgQmUIjBs?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></div> <p /> <div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note: Is it just me, or does every successful video campaign seem to have a "behind the scenes" clip to follow nowadays?</span></div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-countrymans-inception">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-countrymans-inception#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/eAxFMkw6NV0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/the-countrymans-inception Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:24:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/wHJ3tRbNCVM/mooncakes-by-starbucks http://nquo.posterous.com/mooncakes-by-starbucks <p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/FavrzvFayzJyABfvmmBnGpuqzzDugtkmwkBotDuGzmeduikrwoglkkwGHscf/IMG_0000.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0000" height="488" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/FavrzvFayzJyABfvmmBnGpuqzzDugtkmwkBotDuGzmeduikrwoglkkwGHscf/IMG_0000.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Apparently Starbucks now sells branded mooncakes during Mid Autumn Festival. First Western brand I know that does this.</p> <p>Seems like a smart move to further Starbucks' cultural presence in Asia, considering the success it has had so far.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/mooncakes-by-starbucks">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/mooncakes-by-starbucks#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/wHJ3tRbNCVM" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/mooncakes-by-starbucks Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:52:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/z1HtYpEUGaw/a-better-approach-to-brainstorming http://nquo.posterous.com/a-better-approach-to-brainstorming <p> <div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <blockquote> <div> <p><img title="How To Facilitate Insights" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/fe7ad3b083c72194e1e6d681bc0382d4.jpg" height="417" alt="How To Facilitate Insights" width="500" /></p> <p>A recent piece at <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/201009/how-have-more-insights?page=2">Psychology Today</a> looks to neuroscience to help identify the conditions that will help us generate more insights. The author, Dr. David Rock, identifies some key brain states that research has demonstrated will help us arrive at more of those &lsquo;a-ha&rsquo; moments;</p> <ul> <li><strong>Quiet:</strong> We tend to notice insights when our overall activity level in the brain is low; like when we&rsquo;re not putting in a lot of mental effort, when we&rsquo;re focusing on something repetitive, or just generally more relaxed (i.e., when waking up, or after a nap). Insights are quiet &ndash; and consequently require a quiet mind.</li> <li><strong>Inward-Looking</strong>: People tend to have insights when they are &lsquo;mind wandering&rsquo;, which is like a form of daydreaming. They are not focused externally on the problem. In order to save resources to notice an insight, people shut out external data. Insights are therefore more likely to happen when you can look inside yourself and not focus on the outside world.</li> <li><strong>Slightly Happy</strong>: When people are happy they are more likely to notice a wider range of information. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to lead to more &lsquo;tunnel vision&rsquo;. To be more insightful, be&nbsp;open, curious, and generally interested in something versus anxious in any way.</li> <li><strong>Don&rsquo;t Try So Hard</strong>: If you want insights you need to stop trying to solve a problem. The reason for this is that usually insights happen because we become stuck at an impasse; the impasse tends to involve a small set of solutions that we have become fixed on. However, the more we work on this same wrong solution, the more we prime the brain for that solution and the harder it is to think of new ideas. The alternative is to let go of the problem for the solution to come to you. Why? Our non-conscious processing resources are much bigger than our conscious ones.</li> </ul> <p>In conclusion, relaxing and quieting the brain, mind-wandering and letting go of the challenge itself are likelier to help us arrive at an insight than constant, focused brainstorming and a pressured deadline to solve said challenge. That said, it is clearly difficult to avoid those later conditions in most organizational contexts.&nbsp;We tend to put pressure on ourselves, brainstorm as a group, have that extra coffee, or gather a lot of data &ndash; all of which make the brain noisier, instead of quieter. A better approach to solving a complex problem within an organization, or team environment, is to define a question as a group, then allow individuals to take time out and do something interesting but repetitive and simple for a while. Teams can be structured or organized in a way that allows participants free time to use their non-conscious brains outside of the context of the office, or challenge &ndash; and allow that quieter, more relaxed mind frame to arrive at the best insights.</p> <p><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-work/201009/how-have-more-insights?page=2">Psychology Today: How to Have More Insights</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.psfk.com/2010/09/how-to-facilitate-insights.html">psfk.com</a></div> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">So the traditional way of brainstorming might not be the best method for idea generation. Since most agencies (and businesses in general) operate under tight deadlines and fast-paced environments, it'll be interesting to see how widely this approach is implemented, and how internal processes may change to accommodate it. 'Creativity' and 'innovation' are increasingly mentioned as two of the most powerful forces in business, so what lengths will companies go to foster better insights?</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Quite important, considering that advertising is an industry propelled by great ideas.</span></p> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/a-better-approach-to-brainstorming">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/a-better-approach-to-brainstorming#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/z1HtYpEUGaw" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/a-better-approach-to-brainstorming Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:12:50 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~3/Y2InrfM97AI/the-power-of-tco-twitters-url-shortener http://nquo.posterous.com/the-power-of-tco-twitters-url-shortener <p> <div><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/TowiXVce00bs7PIdr2mh4yWnYzDDPp0ShXjHRTjZwRnwZlKn6RmNOtve5UlT/Screen_shot_2010-09-02_at_12.4.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2010-09-02_at_12" height="251" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/nquo/tsQyo4MnXibezuk9AUhtQHInchhNxO74W4aDL0u6m9ve4YihPWFi0B19iAfm/Screen_shot_2010-09-02_at_12.4.png.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </div><p /><div>Last night the Twitter team sent out an email to its users regarding some new feature rollouts (along with launching an amazing&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.twitter.com/2010/09/twitter-for-ipad-sharing-content-in.html">iPad app</a>). I've highlighted a few lines below:</div><p /><div>"You will start seeing these links on certain accounts that have opted-in to the service; we expect to roll this out to all users by the end of the year. When this happens, <b>all links shared on&nbsp;</b><a href="http://Twitter.com/"><b>Twitter.com</b></a><b>&nbsp;or third-party apps will be wrapped with a&nbsp;</b><a href="http://t.co/" target="_blank"><b>t.co</b></a><b>&nbsp;URL."</b></div><p />"When you click on these links from&nbsp;<a href="http://Twitter.com/">Twitter.com</a>&nbsp;or a Twitter application, <b>Twitter will log that click. We hope to use this data to provide better and more relevant content to you over time.</b>"<p /><div>This is going to be <i>huge</i>. Think about how many links you visit via Twitter everyday. Soon enough, Twitter is going to have an excellent, laser-like profile of what content you're interested in.</div><p /><div>And marketers will no doubt be interested in accessing the data to reach their desired audiences. &nbsp;</div><p /><div>While Facebook still has much more users (and user data), Twitter feeds are public so the potential for content to be shared is much greater.&nbsp;Targeted advertising platforms like Facebook Ads will have some serious competition in the near future.</div><p /><div>It seems that the user data collected from t.co will be packing the punch to Twitter's developing business model (more so than Promoted Tweets/Trends).</div> </p> <p><a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-power-of-tco-twitters-url-shortener">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://nquo.posterous.com/the-power-of-tco-twitters-url-shortener#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNthBlog/~4/Y2InrfM97AI" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1083918/8bit_avatar.jpg http://posterous.com/users/1gytJIl5Oql nik nQuo nik http://nquo.posterous.com/the-power-of-tco-twitters-url-shortener