March 2007 - Posts
One hand in the present and two feet in the future
Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo and chief innovation officer for Publicis, was recently quoted in the Chicago Graduate School of Business Magazine ; "Three years ago in the marketing world, did anybody actually figure out that their world would be rocked
03/28/2007
Speaking 'World'
As Halliburton's headquarters transfers to Dubai (and Americans say goodbye to tax revenues, no pun intended), we witness yet another step forward in the arrival of a global economy. Let's avoid the thorny ethical implications for now and discuss the
03/27/2007
The Great Divide: Humans and Algorithms
Last week I talked about Jeff Bezo's Cha-Cha, the new search network that allows human- assited queries via a chat function. Jason Pontin of the NYT wrote an interesting review on Cha-Cha, Jeff Bezo's latest enterprise, and other "artificial articial
03/26/2007
Trolling for News III
Would someone please tell my eyes where to look first? Big opportunity here for someone to streamline and inject some art.
03/22/2007
Trolling for News II
Well, here is the news magazine Slate . Slate reporters are frequently sourced by NPR. Bad news here is that you have to put up with a full screen 3-5 advertising and once you open it you need a couch and glass of wine to take the time to enjoy it.
03/22/2007
Trolling for News I
For some time now I've been trying to find an on-line news source that I like. I read the Wall Street Journal and the Seattle paper most everyday. But I crave more news. And kind of like chocolate, I need a little lots of times a day. But since CNN started
03/21/2007
Educating for the Democracy of Genius
When anybody anywhere can submit an idea to the global marketplace for a virtual "yea" or "neh", credentials become less important that what we actually create. This fact has big implications on how we educate our workforce. We will require a more thoughtful
03/20/2007
Is this your mind on drugs?
G. Pascal Zachary's NYT article Is the Key to Creativity in Your Pillbox, or in your PC ? sites two potential trends in enhancing personal creativity at work. The first is drugs. An ancient solution but one with lots of progressive forms. He lists caffeine,
03/19/2007
Life as an integer
It's pretty clear that many, if not most people, don't love their work. In fact, you could argue that corporations promote a kind of ghetto. They create jobs Studs Terkel decried as 'too small for our spirit'. But many, if not most people, also refuse
03/15/2007
Brain 'On'
I talk to business folks almost daily who intellectually know the personal value of creativity, but find it hard to actually do it. When they take time to get that creative rush, they feel it is time spent away from 'real' work. Expression lives in one
03/14/2007
Art Speaks
TED conferences are about the intersection of technology, entertainment and design. What's even better is they deliver on the concept with their web design. Check TED out live and see for yourself:
03/12/2007
When the market hierarchy collapses
Last week I wrote about the Democracy of Genius, how technology has created a world where anybody can share and sell their creative wares. This new democracy is especially felt in the music industry which has been a traditional stronghold of bureaucracy
03/12/2007
Design for all - even Seattleites
Target's tagline has it right. Art speaks. And it speaks to everyone. There is something magical about the ability art has to elevate humanity and societies throughout history have recognized the power of the artist in their midst. The power of the paintbrush
03/8/2007
Separating the wheat from the chaff
Unless you've been trekking in the Andes for the last 18 months, it's hard not to hear the hype about YouTube. And for those of us who have spent some time there you wonder why all the hype. Watching someone slip and fall off a diving board may be funny,
03/8/2007
Talking to the Hand
Yesterday I was in e-commerce hell. We've all been there before: You have a problem that isn't listed in FAQ's. You can't wait 24 hours for the e-mail contact to respond. You cave and decide you have to call customer service. You search around for a live
03/7/2007
Chemistry 101
Two of my favorite addictions are books and clothes. So it follows that my "websites of choice" are Amazon and Nordstrom. Both sites handle incredibly high volumes of traffic. Both employ some of the most sophisticated technology available in e-commerce
03/6/2007
All Hail the Professional Amateur
Web 2.0 technologies now allow anyone with a good idea and an Internet connection to enter the global marketplace. Within the span of a couple of years, the Berlin Wall of barriers to business entry have come down and throngs of energized, capable and
03/5/2007