I just went back and read the Playboy Interview with Marshall McLuhan from 1969. It's always fun to go back and re-read some of the ideas that played a role in shaping my thinking. As a nice surprise, two ideas seemed to jump out at me as particularly relevant today. The Phonetic Alphabet Was Our Ticket Out of the Tribe In the interview, McLuhan argues that tribal … [Read more...]
Bad Javascript Humor
I'm a sucker for bad jokes in the form of code. Here's my contribution to the genre: <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> <!-- function tellBadJoke() { fence = new Object(); fence.sittingOn = new Array("Pete", "Repeat"); var fallsOff = fence.sittingOn.indexOf("Pete"); if(fallsOff!=-1) fence.sittingOn.splice(fallsOff, 1); … [Read more...]
What Chefs Can Teach Us About Social Media
It's easy to begin using Social Media and the cost of entry is very, very low. As a result, many organizations feel compelled to begin using social channels without thinking through exactly how they will use them. Even though it's easy to begin using social media, using it effectively can be difficult at best. At the core of the problem is that most organizations ignore … [Read more...]
What could possibly go wrong?
Slashdot reported today that Microsoft is filing a patent to cover using "altered parasitic organisms" as a delivery mechanism for disease-fighting substances. It seems like a good idea... And there's no real potential for things to go horribly wrong, right? And Microsoft products always work so well... … [Read more...]
Melting Rock with RockMelt
I've been using RockMelt for a week or so now. For those of you unfamiliar with RockMelt, it is a new browser that functions as a social desktop. If you're wondering what that looks like, consider a browser with social functions built right into the chrome of the application. The far left border displays the profile pics of your Facebook friends online, while the border to … [Read more...]
The Shape of a Social Enterprise
Much has been made of the idea of a Social Enterprise. The idea of increased transparency both within and without the organization. Internally, tacit knowledge is given a new degree of latitude. Externally, the line between inside and outside the organization begins to blur. I think we've done a lot of thinking about how social media will change our relationships with our … [Read more...]
Innovation is Fast and Furious
Let's face it - slow and steady only won the race because the guy in the lead was such a dips#&t that he got caught snoozing. Innovation doesn't happen at a tortoise's pace; it happens because someone, somewhere takes an operatic leap of faith. Someone, somewhere finds a new application for an old tool or solves a problem we didn't even think needed solving. Apple … [Read more...]
The Age of the Nano-Demographic: P2P Marketing
In college, I learned about new music from my friends. Like it or not, I picked up tips about personal style from them, too. You can blame them for some of the looks I've sported through time. The important point here is that my market-facing tendencies are not defined by my age, race, or socio-economic status as much as they are by the people I hang out with. This is why … [Read more...]
Taxonomy of Rap Names
I'm a sucker for data visualizations; especially ones that have a sense of humor. I found a pointer to a chart that presents a taxonomy of rap names. I find it funny that you need a nom de microphone to be a rapper, but I guess James Todd Smith or Calvin Broadus don't sound all that street. So have fun, get some background on the chart and check out the whole shebang over at … [Read more...]
Google Instant Search: Backing into semantics
What It Is Google recently released its Google Instant search product. It is basically a recommendation engine on steroids. The way it works is that, as you type, search terms are recommended; starting with the first letter. For instance, typing "W" will present you with the weather forecast based on your geographic location. That's because it assumes the word you are … [Read more...]
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