inpholust :: a creative journey ::

The legal copy in Apple's ‘Legal Copy’ ad

2009-04-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

The legal copy in Apple's ‘Legal Copy’ ad

Posted using ShareThis

The legal copy in Apple's ‘Legal Copy’ ad

2009-04-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

The legal copy in Apple's ‘Legal Copy’ ad

Posted using ShareThis

hibernating

2007-10-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

I am hibernating and will be back in 2008.

Switched

2006-12-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

After months of debating of switching to Blogger Beta or not, I took the plunge. They are finally out of "beta" and hopefully it shall be a smoother ride and I shall be back with a customized version.

I did venture out and played around with wordpress,typepad, iWeb and VOX. I like them all and use them for different things but Blogger has become my central blog.

Find Love

2006-12-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

Summer of 2005 I wrote about Steve Job's commencement speech at Stanford and tonight I watched it in its entirety on Youtube. Hope you enjoy it too.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays: Photos on Flickr

web 2.0 Poster

2006-12-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Via: Vincentabry
and Room 116

Web 2.0 Logos

2006-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Via: Stabilo Boss

interesting

2006-12-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

Mime Artist: Jerome Murat

jerome murat
Uploaded by segalier

Musicovery

2006-11-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

This post was going to about iLike which I have been using for about a month off and on. Its a social networking music service from Garageband. Walt Mossberg gave it a thumbs up last. iLike is free add on for iTunes and you can easliy download free mp3's and share musical tastes with likeminded.

But along came Musicovery via Russell's blog and now I am torn and hooked. Its visually more intriguing than Blogmusik. Musicovery is a webRadio and lets you choose a genre, and a mood within that genre. It then shows you a path of music it plans to take you on, and you can choose to skip ahead or back or make more connections between paths. Pretty fun way to present it. Musicovery does remind me of liveplasma and my other favorite online music player pandora.

Closed for Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Will be back shortly after the Thanksgiving holidays.

Brainstorm

2006-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

A great tool for searching through Flickr images related tag browser for brainstorming ideas, visuals and quickly scanning through Flickr tags.

Via Brand New

Ed Bradley

2006-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

“I hired Ed Bradley because he's a member of a minority. He's a great gentleman and a great reporter -- and if that ain't a minority, I don't know one.”

Don Hewitt, introducing Ed Bradley to a racially mixed crowd at an awards ceremony

Via NPR: Bradley was one of the few African-American journalists in such a high-profile position at the time he was hired to work for 60 Minutes. In a speech Hewitt gave to a racially mixed crowd, introducing Ed Bradley for a journalism award, the producer toyed with the crowd's sensitivities about Bradley's race.

Shocked to hear that Ed Bradley of CBS's 60 minutes is no more. A savvy journalist with a distinct talent that gave 60 minutes a voice compelling viewers to tune in every Sunday. He shall be missed.

Smart Car

2006-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

Nobody is a fan of instilling fear into automobile or insurance commercials both Volkswagen and Allstate have done so in the past. Yet this Smart commercial from UK resorts to scaring us into buying a car not just for size but an unexpected benefit. Well positioned since "small" is owned by Mini and thus this is a smart move.

Whole Brained

2006-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Russell Davies on building creative generalists.

"If I were preparing myself for my job right now I’d do classes in film editing, poetry, statistics, anthropology, business administration, copyright law, psychology, drama, the history of art, design, coffee appreciation and a thousand other things. Colleges don’t want you doing that, that destroys all their efficiencies, but it’s what they’re going to have to work out."

Problem Solving

2006-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Flipping through the October Creativity magazine (subscription required) I came across James Dyson: Anatomy of a creative brand builder. Not just synonymous with the Dyson brand but also holds true for all creative problem solvers ... you have to have the balls, heart, head and vision in tandem. Click on image for larger view.

"I just want things to work properly"

That's the quote made famous by James Dyson and heard on all the commercials which used to feature the creator.

The prominent daredevil yellow "bagless" Dyson vacuum cleaner evolved 5172 prototypes later. That is a remarkable story of the resilient James Dyson who disdained bags and went to solve the dusty clogged problem. His perseverance and love for design has now made him the 37th riches man in UK with a commanding 38% of the British vacuum cleaner market.

I was asked back in 2004 what I thought of the Dyson ad campaign; me being a design lover acclaimed they were good, the designer's presence reaffirms its a fabulous creation but it appears to be for a niche, affluent audience and not the mass household market who will base their choice over price. Yet, I loved the brand, the story and some day when I have the extra $500 for a vacuum cleaner, I will probably buy it. I recall being at Target during the debut of Dyson but my budget allowed an average Eureka to bring home and settled for walking at the low end of the aisle - nothing fancy just another cleaning product but left lusting for the marigold yellow Dyson.

Today, you can find a Dyson exhibited at museums like, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Grand Central Station, New York (UK in NY Exhibition), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (A Century of Design Exhibition),Science Museum, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Pompidou Centre, Paris and the Design Museum, Zurich.

Copycat or Borrowed Inspiration

2006-10-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

Saw the following, new XBox 360 commercial on the G4tv network. Iview it as a blatant copy of the iPod coomercial which obviously got me into an argument with a cohort and he remarked that their (Microsoft's)audience doesn't know about it (the iPod 1000 songs commercial).

Okay, fine agreed but its again a case of Microsoft borrowing an idea from another and making it theirs. No wonder the new Apple campaign is a tongue in cheek. As for the two commercials apparently separated at birth, you be the judge which is the copy and which is the inspiration.

Creativity

2006-10-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended a lecture presented by Mark Williams of Mortar on "Emotional branding". He opened with Apple's Think Different television commercial. A perfect example of a brand that instills admiration for a machine not for what it can do but the possibilities it offers.

This 1998 ad campaign from TBWA\Chait Day for Apple symbolized the emotional celebration of creativity. Apple was on a verge of collapse in 1997, this campaign reinstated that the computer is a tool for what you can do. The Apple brand resonated with the like minded and reinforced the faith that it was not a follower.

So remarkable and profound was this statement that unknown to the masses Apple was on the threshold of leading us into a world never dared by another. It is a brand synonymous with innovation, revolution, struggle and strife.

Think Different

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can
change the world, are the ones who do.

What I learnt at M-Squared

2006-10-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the third, M-squared conference hosted by Influx Insights a division of Butler, Shine Stern & Partners. The speakers were Josh Quittner,editor of Business 2.0, Jim McDowell the VP of BMW/MINI, Michela O'Connor Abrams the president and publisher Dwell, Jennifer Leonard, the co-author of massive Change from IDEO, Chip Conley from Joie de Vivre Hospitality,Jim Riswold, a former Creative Director from Weiden Kennedy and John Battelle of Federated Media.

Josh Quittner: Editor, Business 2.0 emphasized the power of blogs and journalism. We've all seen how GigaOm went from a solo blogger to a funded venture with a team of editorial contributors. He know persuades his team to maintain personal blogs and retrieves feeds for the main B2day blog. In essence he makes sure that the the content (which at times is tweaked) reflects the essence of the brand.

While Jim McDowell, pointed out that getting to know the customer was more important than market research and how Mini built an engaging, emotional and accessible brand.

Michela O'Connor Abrams shared how the idea of Dwell magazine was born and grown in the past 5 years by connecting, resonating with its readers, the design seekers.

Jennifer Leonard, the co-author of Massive Change and works at IDEO spoke about how design is changing the world. I especially enjoyed her presentation as it touched upon the promise and power of design in improving the welfare of humanity. I grew up in one of the worlds poorest nations, India (not the one you think is getting wealthy with outsourcing) and studied at a design institute which ensures its graduates are compassionate and responsible in their methodology utilizing sustainable resources, that too me is design and not what the Western world at time thinks they can purchase at Target.

Chip Conley of Joie De Vivre, explained that its not about selling predictability at his chain of boutique hotels but about creating experiences. He uses magazines to describe every hotel, for example the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco is in essence the Rolling Stone magazine. He also introduced me to the world of Maslow and Yvette their hotel matchmaker.

Jim Riswold's presentation was funny, emotional, heart breaking, courageous, daring and shall I say he is a brave fine artist. I loved his presentation, no matter what the world thinks.

And lastly, John Battelle of Federated Media talked about permission marketing and how much he disliked those dinosaur ads from Microsoft on Wired.com that he asked his writers to create copy for the banner ads, which fared 60% better than the agency created ones. He also emphasized that employing the customer to build your product by engaging them and allowing them to interact creatively.

XBox needs Bollywood

2006-10-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Awesome-ly bad commercial for the Xbox. Stereotypes at galore and ofcourse Bollywood comes to the rescue. This is a perfect example of stereotyping and making all ads in India look alike.

I am sure all game buffs in india will be doling out their hard earned Rupees after watching this brilliant piece of work. Clients underestimate and undermine the Indian consumer and presume they will buy anything with a Bollywood face touting their product.

Reminds me of Lost in Translation.

Birth of GooTube

2006-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

YouTube built a brand in 18 months by allowing users to share, blog, link, subscribe or create channels on its video networking site making it a clear winner.

People flock here for entertaining originality and of course you can find all that copyrighted stuff. What becomes of Google Video remains to be seen.

The Wall Street Journal has traffic percentages based on market share on other competitor sites. YouTube is undeniably ahead in the game.

InfluxInsights points out succinctly why YouTube and Flickr are successful.

GooTube Image Via: riddle

Sound Advice

2006-10-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Radio has become an afterthought as I spend most of my time divided between the internet, tv, podcasts and the little devil that changed how I listen to audio now, the iPod. Stumbled upon this on the radio sung by Baz Luhrmann based on the Chicago Tribue columnist, Mary Schmich's article she wrote for a commencement speech. I think its brilliant and a must listen.

Call of the Mall

2006-09-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Photo Via: Oldividhead

A couple of days ago, San Francisco celebarted the opening of a new million square foot mega mall and the largest Bloomingdales, west of Manhattan. It took ten years to build and is loctaed at the restored Emporium, which was destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake. It boasts a grandiose rotunda and plenty of attrations for shopaholics.

BusinessWeek has compiled the top ten retail wonders of the world.

Lies and focus groups

2006-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Via The New Yorker:
People just want to tell you stuff that they think you want to hear. So are focus groups nothing but an indicator of lies or a psychological fulfillment of the clients needs? Perusing online I stumbed on an interesting article from the Slate here.

While Malcolm Gladwell brilliantly explains this theory at TEDtalks (watch) or listen here:

powered by ODEO

Flicr-itis

2006-09-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

If you are perusing here you know you have Flickr-itis. My friends sent me e-mails and the blogs were abuzz with MOO. Great idea for conversation starters. I missed the free promotion ... oh well maybe Flickr should do something about it for pro members.

Phot via: richardmoross

No touch screen iPod

2006-09-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well that would have been good introduction, had the rumors been true. Instead we saw a range of new aluminum iPods and enhanced 5G iPods, the mini shuffle, movies downloads a new iTunes 7. The shuffling ablum covers is a good idea and now lets me enjoy my CD cover art. The rest is fine. I don't really watch anything on my iPod video, still listen and it will take a lot more before I switch renting DVDs from Netflix and download them to my laptop ... hmm that didn't have me jumping off the seat in excitement.

So anyhow they rolled our a new ad campaign to tempt you this holiday season. Another round of colorful Nanos.

Keynote Live

2006-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Apple Store is closed... find out why here at the Live coverage from Engadget.

Showtime

2006-09-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

This is what my iTunes store looks like currently, as Apple has shut it down for a Showtime update.

Also, check out the Wired blog for more images on the anticipated releases at the special press event by Steve Jobs. TechCrunch points out that

"people have noticed that Apple did not advertise iPods in this weekend’s newspaper circulars, something they regularly do."

All will be demistified in a few minutes.

BlogMusik

2006-09-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Search for songs on BlogMusik and stream them via a Flash player that looks like an iPod video (choose your color). To create a playlist, you need to create an account but you can serach and listen to almost anything. Accroding to TechCrunch it will be pulled off the internet soon, so check it out now. Easy to use and totally in tune with the web 2.0 spirit. Streams immediately and great quality.

Ganesha festival on Mute

2006-09-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

In the age when your televsion suddenly sounds louder during commercials here comes one which has a powerful message, if you are watching. Each year Lord Ganesha is bid adieu with the usual pomp and glory on the tenth day of the festivities. Though all prayers are said with good intentions the toll the discordant sounds of various processions takes on the ear drums is deafening for all devotees.

And for the curious ones, watch what it does shound like on the streets during most Indian Festivals.

Via: Newnimproved and Adrants

Pick Me

2006-09-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Lynn had recommeded this book and finally came around to picking it up. She is now a successful junior copywriter at The Richards Group. They kept her on after her internship, which is wonderful and she is busy evolving into a pro.

Wondering she did something right, I was intrigued and I reckon with her that its a must read for all advertising students whether creative, account planners or account executives. Its brilliantly written and an easy read with answers to all the doubts that plague strugging students.

I wish it existed when we were in school. It sheds light on how the portfolio night at Ihaveanidea came about. Which needless to say is a gift for all creatives.

Go get youself a copy today as school will never prepare you for this. Find it on Amazon.

Blogger vs. Typepad vs. Wordpress

2006-09-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Been experimenting with blogging apps the past few days. I am not too happy with all the changes and bugs after Blogger upgraded to Beta

I even tried my .Mac iWeb Blog. Its limited, I can edit the code but i have too many blogs (personal/streaming videos for my online portfolio) on iWeb that it takes forever to publish on my high speed Comcastic internet. I hope Apple will look into that feature soon or maybe I need to spend some time on it. The drawbackis the long url.

About Blogger
- its Free
- I do like Blogger but since they upgraded(?) up to Beta I have to figure out XML ... i am just getting a hang of CSS)
- It will be worth it to stay and learn the grunt behind the blog ... I like the free/ control factor

So back to Typepad:
- The address is cool: vandana.typepad.com/
- I can import all my blog entries (But it did away with my headers and imported each each entry more than once)
- I have to pay for something I can have free on Blogger
- I do get 30 days trial + two months free for paying annually on Typepad
- Its great for hassle free, quick updates to your blog
- Nice templates but in order to custmize your CSS you have to pay more

and finally Wordpress:
- I get my own vandy.wordpress.com
- Its free, but if you want to customize CSS you better pay up
- Not sure if I can import all my entries
- I do like the muscle and features of Wordpress

While Blogger:
- Its got everything but still hiccups with Beta
- Firefox won't display graphics but Camino is working now

Solution:
- stay home at Blogger(I downgraded from Beta, in order to retain my customized CSS features and worry about XML and upgrading in a few weeks)
- I will personalize the template, eventually and get on to sharing fun stuff (which I wanted to when all things went loco)

Photo Via: Thomas Hawk

Closed for Labor Day

2006-08-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

As I live on Treasure Island, smack in the middle of the Bay Bridge. I will be escaping the 77 hour closure to bask in the hot Sierras for a short break.

Limbo

2006-08-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Stuck in the doldrums here, just reverted to my old version but Firefox has similar issues like yesterday. No word from Blogger what the problem is. They shouldn't come out with a "Beta" and use us like guinea pigs.

I may end up moving to Typepad then.

Photo Via: Noqontrol

Blogger Bugs

2006-08-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Lots of issues with Blogger today. The only browser it works on a mac, is Safari (I don't care for IE) and Firefox, the Blogger friendly browser has gone loco as well. Will not display graphics or video on the blog. It all transpired after the switch to Blogger Beta. Reading the Blogger Google Group I find I am not the only one.

Unitl then no ads, no customized features will appear. Waiting patiently for all this to reslove.

Upgrade

2006-08-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all the move to the new Blogger I lost all my old features but thanks to my good habit of backing up I do have my code but unfortunately Blogger will not allow any raw editing at the moment.

So to go ahead in time I have been pushed back in time. Just have to wait till they add the feature (hopefully soon) as I want to post my own mast head and not some generic template. But Dear Google, why must you push out have baked versions? Its the same with Google Pages, Google Word and Google Spreadsheets, all gret ideas for web 2.0.

I had spent hours customizing and making my page spiffy and now I have to wait to ge things back to as they were.

Switched to Blogger Beta

2006-08-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

I finally made a move to Blogger Beta, which incidentally was announced the week after I started customizing my own blog via CSS. The intitial round was for new bloggers and most of us are now neing able to convert. Although I prefer editing my own CSS, as it is better than the rudimenatry tools that Blogger Beta is offering with a few frills.

I am still in the process of transitioning into the new features, adding categories therefore the blog may experience hiccups but all shall be sorted out shortly.

I will loose all my customized graphics in order to incorporate some of the new features from Blogger ... Sorry for the inconvinience.

my web site goes live

2006-08-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Finally open. Uploaded with quicktime presentations. Do take a gander.

Viacom ventures into Web 2.0

2006-08-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

The king of viral, YouTube
has been snatching eyeballs from traditional TV channels. Mushrooming from 58,000 to over 20 million viewers within seven months. Troublemakers on the major network TV block. Undeniably online video sharing sites and broadband channel alternatives like Channel101.com, Heavy.com,Google Video and the likes are serving programmes either the networks cancelled, rejetced or purely consumer generated.

Earlier this year NBC was upset when Saturday Night Live videos showed up on YouTube and then later recognized the potential, offered to have its own presence on YouTube while offering paid downloads via iTunes and its own website.

Today Viacom snatched up a stake within the online video market Viacom and announced that they will be acquiring Atom Etertainment for a $200 million.

"This acquisition is in line with our business strategy of being a leader in the digital space and connecting with consumers on every platform and device they use," McGrath said in an interview.

Yet Atom (Films) as I always knew it, is no web 2.0 and a bit mid 1990's. While Viacom adds to its portfolio CBS addes their innertube serving programming for teens and young adults and are still figuring out what viral videos are all about (sort of) ...

Sugar Pine Reservoir

2006-08-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Flash Slideshow

I recently spent a long weekend up in hot Grass Valley with friends. We went on mini adventures in old gold country. North of San Francisco rests this peaceful paradise. We made a brief halt at an old coffee shop/bar/diner/video parloer/with pool table and snake skins and dollar bills all over the ceiling along with deer antlers. Quaint and distant from modern day amenities except for the Budweiser, Frito Lay, Doritos and Mikes Hard Lemonade evrtything reminded me of a western movie and maybe to my friends a bygone era. To me it was an equivalent of an Indian village rest shop. People are content with VCRs and glued to a tiny 12inch TV. No electricity but generators and solar panels are the resources that keep life going.

They did mention the intermittent visit of a snake. A typical Indian village can be identified with most popular consumer brands along with a balring radio, a cassette player, maybe a VCR and small color TV (and snakes)with no electricity and yes bad roads. I guess entertainment, keeps the locals entertained or maybe while away the long days just like we city folks tune away out with our iPods.

Local adventures are so much fun, next time I plan to camp there and hike around. Gorgeous is an understatement and mingling with local folks and taking a break from alarm clocks is always a good thing. Picking wild berries, bumping into deers and admiring trees bearing fruit and sipping wine in a cave at the Sierra Knolls winery in the middle of nowhere was an experience I can never forget.

I recommend close to home adventures, there is so much to explore. So hit the road.

Bravia splashes 70,000 liters of Paint

2006-08-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Last time it was 250,000 bouncing super-balls in San Francisco and this time Sony goes to Glasgow with 70,000 liters of paint and 358 single bottle bombs.

Catch a glimpse of the making of the new Bravia TV commercial from Sony on Flickr and Youtube.

re-charge

2006-07-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

energia dos brinquedos
Originally uploaded by JoaoGabriel.

On a road trip to re-cahrge my batterries.

Will be back soon.

Google AD-nonsense

2006-07-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

So the darn adsense is back on this page (as a test). I had it for a long time in 2005 and Google thinks I should piblicize Katrina. I don't want to. I never figured out how to change that. I disabled it and got a note from them saying why don't you use Adsense? So dear Google ... now you know why?

Whats the point of non-sense ad-sense when it makes no sense.

I may just aswell banish it once again .... I have to look into this deeper.

Voip-ed

2006-07-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

finally connected
Originally uploaded by vandys.

Called Vonage on Monday afternoon and we were voip-ed within 48 hours The transfer from the AT&T landline is still in transition and we can only make outgoing calls at the moment. The sound quality is very clear except that when you are on the phone you end up chewing bandwidth - a bit - if that bothers you. So far satisfied, tested it calling overseas and I say Vonage does rock and their international rates were far better than annoying Comcast (which is what I have for both high speed and cabel tv - and contrary to their ads .... not so Comcastic)

My Podcast Collection

2006-07-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am putting together a collection of my favorite podcasts to share with you enthusiasts. Discussions I enjoyed on blogging, creativity and innovation. Its a project in progress so do tune in... and you can subscribe to the feed via iTunes.

I shall soon start putting together my own original content ... its in the pipeline.

Happy Listening!

Rail Nut

2006-07-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Samit is a bit too obsessed with the Indian Railways and is constantly creating maps and stuff for the Indian Rail. Its a well known fact that in India trains are akin to what planes are to the West. The best way to experience India is to travel by trains ... yes its slow but its the best to discover the people, culture and understand the infrastucture.

He has a lot of fun facts and probably knows the schedules by heart. I am encouraging him to start blogging about his passion. (soon then Samit?)

If your travels take you to the East do carry this atlas that he created. This particular one is my favorite.
As a kid, every year we boarded the train to go from Calcutta to New Delhi and then further up North to Chandigarh. Train criss cross the heartland and take you to a lot of places and it was great to spend sometime with the family and make new friends. For some odd reason I did find myself reminiscing on Youtube and bookmarked this video ... I have a few I shot during my last visit which I shall uplaod someday ...but this one caputures the sunrise from the train.

Flickr Glitches

2006-07-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Fantastic example of an error page -No 404. No oops. No we'll be back instead they just made it fun for us. While they work they want us to get creative with the two dots and post them online, tagged: "flickrcolourcontest". I am not mad that the photos aren't showing up ... I just want to doodle on the dots in the hope of winning a pro account.

Smart thinking, from a photo sharing site that wants its patrons to have some with coloring!

Drive Carefully

2006-07-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ever so important to drive carefully. I thought I'd post the above sign as a message and then I stumbled upon this great beer crown message. Nice Idea.

Via: AdsOftheWorld

Muir Woods

2006-07-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Spent my birthday amongst the majestic and over a 1000 years old Redwood trees in Muir Woods. At 240 ft. tall they are also considered the tallest living things on the planet. It was nice zen like weekend. Muir Woods is not too far from San Francisco. Did stop over in Sausalito for lunch and foggy views.

There are some photos here on my Flickr and the video on YouTube (not that great + I was so lost in the height that I left my camera vertical and forgot I was shooting a video ... oh well .. my apologies for making you giddy.

Birthdays in the electronic era

2006-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

E-cards and discount coupons filled my e-mail and snail mail box! Ofcourse the e-cards were from friends and some very creative online hosting sites. Interesting to note is that most discount coupons came in from brick and mortar stores, a handful online sites remembered. Honestly, most are going to sit around and expire before I even remember to redeem them but the essential stuff always get used. I always look forward to this part of the month, to redeem my birthday points! Something grand for growing old.

Yet for a brand its a great opportunity to connect with its consumer and show their softer side. I do thank everyone who remembered and thanks for the gifts - I shall just return the gratitude by shopping there more often ... isn't that the point?

As much as the consumer in me looks forward to these annual discounts a part of me does miss those traditional birthday cards. My parents always sent in a handful of beautiful Hallmark cards with lots of stamps from India but this year I exposed them to the e-world. They too switched to the economical e-card format.

Its convinient and quick an dhonestly no waste - no complaints - just thanks!

Via Spell With Flickr

Birthday

2006-07-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Birthday
Originally uploaded by Zsaj.

Closed for Birthday! Many thoughts .. but more later. One needs a day off!

Guy Kawasaki on Presentation Truths

2006-07-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Via Google Video and Signum sin tinnitu--by Guy Kawasaki

An excellent presentation by the legendary Guy Kawaski on the do's and don'ts of presentation, writing a mission statement and making a pitch to a potential venture capitalist. The simple upfront truths from the guru himself.

You can download the video from Google Video or get the slides from Guy's Blog (links above). Its almost 40 minutes long ... the best 40 minutes you ever spent glued to your screen!

More on this later.

Rise of YouTube.com

2006-07-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

The on-demand world that desires what they want to watch when they want to watch. They have been gluing their eyeballs each day to engage with user created content on YouTube, which has seen an impressive growth from a mere 58,000 viewers in May 2005 to over 20 million viewers today. No wonder NBC couldn't resist having a peice of the pie. More here.

Podheads

2006-07-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

I was stuck listening to old podcasts and songs while my laptop departed, twice to Apple. It was an interetsing ordeal, I stopped listening to my iPod during my morning commute, breaking a ritual but did tune in on my way back. I am a podaholic with podaholic friends but this article from Wired News had me in splits with it iPod jargon.

Interesting how we coin a new lingo around cool products. Yet this is an evidence of the consumer being heavily involved with product that is ubiquitous and addictive.

Yes, I am back to updating my podcast subscriptions and fixation.

Via Wired News: IPizz, Podaholics, Podestrians

Don't Click

2006-07-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Point, click and type is what we do to navigate through the online world ... but what happens when someone tells us not to click. Is it possible for the human mind to resist the temptation to click on this large red dot staring at us, beckoning us or is it the desire to know what's next or simply its a case of itchy fingers. Here is a fantastic example that depicts what happens when we go too far.

Via Seth's Blog

Lynn's Blogging!

2006-07-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Finally, finally. finally .... my copywriter friend, is away in Dallas, interning at the Richards Group. She says she is finally inspired to start a blog!.... I say high time and W E L C O M E !

Via Spell With Flickr

To Blog, Or Not to Blog

2006-07-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

To Blog or Not To Blog

A very good example why companies should blog. Why engaging readers is essentially engaging a potential customer. Watch this video posted on YouTube by Frankarr, from Microsoft.

Clouds on Interstate 80

2006-07-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Back in May, during the Memorial Day weekend we drove up to Grass Valley from San Francisco. The clouds were too pretty to resist .... so I documented them in both photographs and made two short movie clips, now playing on YouTube.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

2006-06-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

I worked on a project at school, last Fall ... to build awareness for Johnnie Walker Blue Label Whiskey.... and ofcourse my research had me enamoured .... so on a whim .... I put together a Johnnie Walker Flickr Pool, take a look of how its evolving .... the idea ofcourse was to do a post project visual anthropology study on Flickr ... theres a lot more there but people take a while to join the group .... but the journey has been fun! I will try and post my project in a bit .... and yes the Blue Label is by far and undeniably one of the finest blends but not that affordable on the wallet .... so my other and may be most favorite is the Gold Label ... enjoyed best ... frozen .... hope next time you are in a mood for whiskey .... just say cheers to a Gold, Blue or maybe even the Green label from Johnnie Walker.

Treasure Island

2006-06-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

Treasure Island Walk

Earlier this year I braved an overcast windy afternoon to capture this shaky video .... this is where I live .... yup on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay.More Images on my Flickr Treasure Island Group

Ferry Ride: Father's Day

2006-06-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Forced Hiatus

2006-06-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, last week, my laptop has been having intermittent distortion issues. See horrific images here. My laptop went back to Apple, again (twice in a month) as it didn't come back cured from its disease ... or might I say they sent it half fixed and i am on a forced hiatus and hodpefully will be back soon. Its annoying as you realize how much your life hinges on a computer to communicate or run your life. The good thing, if there is a benfit here is I had to back up where as the bad is that I have to borrow my friend's machine otherwise its a forced hiatus for now. I am learning to cope with a life sans podcasts and blogs.

Via :: Spell With Flickr

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

As I didn't have a computer yesterday ... this is a day late .....but still holds warmth, found this handmade sign at the farmers market at the Embarcadero in San Francisco .....honoring all Dads. And found this image pool on flickr

Computerless

2006-06-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

IMG_2676.JPG
Originally uploaded by vandys.

The image here says it all.

This is the reason why I haven't posted for a while and maybe longer because Apple returned my powerbook without fixing this issue, they changed my display (and will fix yours too ... see the DIY test here) which had white lines but somehow never resolved this ... so my powerbook is gone gone gone ..... for a while.

Therefore, living a life computerless - working on a borrowed one .... whenever I can .... what can I say .... life without a backup machine at home is a challenge .... yet I am learning to do other things - which is good.

So I guess this is a forced hiatus!

Presentation Zen

2006-06-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Trolling the blogs I stumbled upon these horriffic powerpoint slides, which depict the differences between the styles of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Steve Jobs, is who every presenter desires to emulate, while with all the money and might Microsoft creates this. And oh, might I mention PowerPoint
You can view more at Niall Kennedy's Flickr Caveat: brace yourself. This is the anti-presentation, a great example for bad powerpoint slides.

A wonderful analytical comparison at Presntationzen.blogs.comOr just watch this and you'll know what simplicity and naturalness are when it comes to the art of presentation. I switched to Keynote late last year and find t a more intuitive tool to build presentations.

Podcast vs. Blogs

2006-06-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to RSS we blogheads and podheads can satiate our hunger for intstant information.Out of curiosity, I looked into a comparison chart by Google Trends. Podcasts are catching up rapidly burgeoning. It remains to be seen who wins, but I have different uses for both when I am indoors I rely on my RSS aggregator, Vienna and when I commute or just wandering outdoors I prefer my podcasts all ready and preloaded on my iPod.

Yet there are many out there who find difficult to consume this medium. Some argue on what to call it. According to Here 2.0 only 30% of Americans have heard of podacsting and that a mere 5% download them. And he suggests its probably in the "naming" and that names matter.

Its like the American sidewalk vs. the Indian way of saying footpath. As Seth Godin eloquently points out in a rebuttal.

SO, my take Podcast sounds imaginative and an audiomag sounds insipid.

iDont iPod

2006-05-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

SanDisk's alternative offering to the ubiquitous iPod with a new viral site aptly called iDon't. It beckons all free thinkers to not follow the herd and be there own person. With its new Sansea e200 and the viral site which comes loaded with all materials needed to fortify the agenda - from posters, stickers to chat icons. What Apple aimed to achieve with the PC SanDisk is recycling it for their own. Still its original and engaging, kudos on a fantastic viral. It does make you stop and ponder .... too late to trade inmy iPod and iWon't.

Apple Temple in the Big Apple

2006-05-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Lourve has a Glass Pyramid and the delicious new Apple Store has a Glass Cube.

Located on 5th Avenue, the store will be unveiled today at 6 PM EDT by Steve Jobs. It will remain open 24 hrs. for all 365 days. A temple for all Mac and tech worshippers alike. Located underground it is marked by a 32-foot street-level glass cube with a suspended glowing Apple logo... a la .... moon.

Accroding to the WSJ (Subscription) the revenue from the Apple stores was $2.35 billion in fiscal 2005 that is 17% of Apple's total sales. The stores are a huge success for Apple. The offline experience of interacting with Apple products and the magnetic destination for all things creative, lectures, demos and the Genius Bar ... what a simple design and creative space.

Simply marvellous. Now I only wish I could be there.

Photo Via: GigaOm

More views at CNET and more on Flickr

Is there a story in these numbers?

2006-05-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Via :: HitWise and GigaOm

Here's a break down of traffic within some Google properties. The top 3 comprising, Google search, Image search and mail.

As I look at this, it appears to me that its less market share and more a story of how we use Google offerrings .... remember they just recently added calendar which sits at the bottom... so clearly people search more than goof around on Google Earth.

Adwords is quite low on this totem pole and Blogger is not on the list at all?

The Graduate

2006-05-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am finally done with Graduate School! Looking forward to new opportunities.

Via :: Spell With Flickr

Un-stuck yourself

2006-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read Paul Arden's It's not how good you are, its how good you want to be. Then you must. I found the first book far more motivating than the sequel. I gave away a half-a-dozen as gifts, well every book I bought myself , people wanted to borrow. I couldn't part with them, so signed them away as gifts.

They are both worth your time, a quick read and a reminder to lead a life less ordinary and taking risks. Its a pep talk, as well as an instrument to kick your butt -- all in good intention to help you overcome your shyness and be an assertive creative.

Quotes from the books...

"You don't have to be creative to be creative"
"If you want to be interesting be interested"
"Don't seek praise seek criticism"
"Knowledge makes us play safe. The secret is to stay childish."
"Don't go to university, go to work."

Thought-provoking!

Research vs. Strategy

2006-05-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am constantly reminded of this visual when I see an execution falling short of strategy and not using it as a springboard for inspiration.

The best example to take research and distill it down to one clear thought that makes a meaningful connection. Published in the March/April 2005 Communication Arts issue, profiling the work of Young and Laramore.

Its just brilliant! Download the pdf article here.

Take five pictues, tell a story!

2006-05-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Good reason to bring out that camera phone and capture. Engage the consumer, gather countless stories and give users an opportunity to win at the same time. Mobile Marathon invites festival goers to weave a story based on five pictures they take with a mobile camera phone.

Along with a lot of rock music will a lot of clicking!

Via Guerrilla-Innovation

Mac ad spoofs

2006-05-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Must see spoofs titled "Crap", "Porn", and "Sharing" inside on YouTube :

Like No Other

2006-05-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

The now, so famous Sony Bravia ad has triggerred many creative renditions. Is this a creative interpretation or an attempt to master technique? Creative works of arts have always inspired other works. It just proves, that there is only one original spark and this Sony ad is like no other.

YouTube and Google Video have an interesting collection of Bravia spin-offs.

Watch the behind the scenes, story, shot here in San Francisco's Russian Hill in 2005.

Caveat

2006-05-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin and Hugh from Gapingvoid want us to engage people in human conversations.

What are you looking for?

2006-05-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Marissa Mayer, Google vice president of Search Products and User Experience ---
" the first time ever, Google is making it possible to sift through billions of search queries from around the world to see what people are thinking about.”

Still in its initial test phase"Google Trends will be useful for search engine marketing experts trying to find out what users are really searching for. Today, search is important for how brands are percieved. A great tool to measure a brand against its competition. Google Trends lets you search and comapre upto 5 keyword seperated by comma with more. It may not just be a tool of whats in and hot but also what impact bloggers are making on brands.

For example compare Facebook to Myspace and see for yourslef.

How John Lennon Invented the iPod

2006-05-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

O! News - Apple v Apple [YouTube]

"And we found out, once he'd made his invention, that he'd been going to night school, doing an electronics course."

Yahoo! = Clutter ______ Yahoo != Clutter

2006-05-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

"We created Yahoo Tech to make life a little less complicated for our users."
-- Lloyd Braun, head of Yahoo Media Group

Yahoo! advertorial of all things technology. Helping soccer moms understand technology without the jargon. Its shiny and pretty and yes like all things Y! still quite clutterred. The ads encroach upon what the consumer really needs. Is it really helping people find the best product or is it simply pointing out the popular products?

Patrick Houston, the general manager of Yahoo Tech, said there was “a big, big opportunity for a site that is built especially for people who have neither the time nor the inclination to understand technology at the bit-and-byte level.”

Contradiction: they don't get it. I do fathom this as a consumer that Tech.Yahoo!'s end user is different from other sites with dense specs on products but what piques my senses is that Y! wants to create a social network for the technologically challenged and expects them ... I repeat those who do not comprehend tech jargon to join an online community for tech products? Hmmmmmm...... Will they? That remains to be seen.

I for sure know ... this site has no relevance to me. I have better places to research my products online before I buy them. My all time favorite since the mid-Nineties :: CNET.com

Yahoo! = Clutter to Yahoo != Clutter

Russell's mash-up

2006-04-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Russell speaks about advertisng in UK vs USA. Entertaining and insightful, subscribe to him on iTunes or just listen to it here

Branding Countries

2006-04-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

The barrage of ad campaigns lately has proved that counties are competing for the globe trotting thrill seeker's Dollars again. Most are a stodgy montage of images people have seen repeatedly now. Wether its India, Hong Kong there's nothing splashingly surprising in here. I am sure the ministry of tourism was impressed with money well spent and hiring some famous ad agency.

Wall Street Journal analyzes a few.

All the deplorable stuff from Discover Hong Kong to Bangladesh's Beautiful Surprise. These countries definitely need some serious thinking. Majestic India could only call themselves credible ... hmmm incred!ble. High time they came out of the bland and turn up the heat and get some spark back.

The Aussies appear to hit it on the spot, with the "Where the bloody Hell are You" campaign. Say it right, with fun and people will remember to fly down under. Cut through the clutter :: differentiate yourself.

There is a difference between branding and advertising. Branding seduces and engages the consumer to find you while advertising pursues the consumer to get more. Brand strategy works despite the lack of advertising. So hear ye countries:: branding is better than advertising.

Coffee and Tea social cultures

2006-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I noticed the Akeelah flash cards and scrabble board appear in Starbucks. Instore promotions now at Starbucks along with over-priced not so good coffee. Then taking a hint for "Talent Zoo" and the likes they too have their own personalized coffee cup sleeves promoting Akeelah and the Bee adding to the urban spam. How many cofffee addicts will convert to movie goers remains to be seen... or leave alone watch Akeelah and the Bee. What I haven't seen is one person engage with the flash cards or even read the coffee sleeves - So it seems pointless why Starbucks is trying to promote feel good movies. One thing it did achieve is, it created a lot of buzz.

Mark Cuban and Howard Schultz think Starbucks provides an environment where people can be exposed to new culutral opportunities and its the third page in peoples lives after home and work.. BusinessWeek has an interesting article clck here to read.

Looking back, just like Starbucks borrowed the barista culture and made chai tea lattes famous ... In hot Ahmedabad, where I spent my early undergrad years at design school, tea stalls are common, strategically loacted under a tree, lucky if it has a large canopy, a roadside curb ... even an island on the road.... where police authorites would have a cup or two too.

Tea lovers gather around to ruminate, gossip, chatter and philosphize anytime of day and night. Its a hang out without the fancy Baristas, Cyber cafes of urban India. Tea can be customized to your taste and you are normally greeted by your name and all one has to is wave and show a sign of how many tea cups you want ... you could unwind and the yound chai wallah boy would bring you your tea.

Todays youth in India prefer the trendy cafes with blaring music to hang out leaving the roadside treasure for the common masses, travellers. There is nothing that quenches your thirst like Indian tea and its culture. Product placement has been prevalent around these social hubs for a long time. From movie stars touting Coca-cola and Pepsi products, cigarettes, Indian chewing tobacco, beetle leaf ... so there are commonalities in our cultures ... Starbucks offers a network of comfortable stores for people whose daily habit constitues coffee - whereas in India its privatley owned tea stalls providing a source of income for a population addicted to chai.

Check out the Flickr Chai India Pool.

As for Akeelah and bee, I may just watch it when it airs on TV.

Flower Power

2006-04-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

d*s mini trends! [modern floral] — Design Sponge offers a wonderful collection of visual sources of floral trends. Once you get to the site click on d*s mini trends! [modern floral] to view images.

Handy Guide to Social Networks

2006-04-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

Valleywag gives a demographic breakdown on social networking sites.

CreativeSpaces

2006-04-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Suspended Words :: Thanks to Russell Davies linking my creative space on his blog ... its reached to 291 hits.

A little blog fame, for a burst of inspiration.

Thanks Russell. More on Creative Spaces by Russell Davies

See the Flickr Pool on creativspaces.

Tips on Presentations

2006-04-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Source: BusinessWeek

Six Keys to Commanding Body Language

How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs

Archetypes

2006-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wiki definition: An archetype is an idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated.

Seth Godin, wrote an interesting post on archetypes and pointed out that the now ubiquitous iPod changed the way we listen to music and how it succeeded in becoming the Mp3 player. Its all about the hands, Seth points out and the simplified interface enhanced the user experience.

Looking back: During the Hello, iPod World launch in 2001, Steve Jobs was scoffed at for calling it a "ground breaking digital device". Today the iPod is the quintessential outstanding design innovation archetype, with its unrivaled user experience. Steve's pitch to the world of this "ultra-portable" device has changed the rules of how we port audio, video and digital files today.

Watch the genius of electrifying presentations deliver his famous keynotes on YouTube.

A must read book :: The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson

Innovative Cover

2006-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Finally a different kind of cover — perfect from a magazine, talking of innovation and depicting thoughts on the cover :: be courageous, take big risks ::

Notice .... in the corner somebody doodle: Call 4 pizza .... nice, somebody had fun.

Nice Idea

2006-04-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

Great, for budding creatives to meet the creative honchos face to face. Get feedback maybe get employed. Go here to find out more.

The lengths that Butler and Shine went to pitching fresh talent to come in and see them. Watch this to see why you should go.

Bloggers and Ad creatives - gone by 2016?

2006-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Something I stumbled across a few months ago in Fast Company ::

Six Jobs That Won't Exist In 2016

Gatekeepers:TV schedulers, A&R guys, Wall Street researchers, cool hunters. As punishment, now it's our turn to ram stuff down your throats. Hope you like Bon Jovi!

Bloggers :Pay someone to write snarky comments? Do you think we're getting paid for this?

Advertising creatives: Talented amateurs making ads for fun and posting them online seem to be better at your job than you are. Bonus: No more "whither the 30-second spot" whining.

Auto mechanics: As cars run on software, the grease monkey will need a makeover.

U.S. high-tech jobs:But software engineers can always get a job down at the garage.

Indian call-center operators: American customer service is rescued from oxymoron status as companies realize that being nice to the people with the money is the only way to win.

Its open to debate, no one knows what will eventually evolve and predictions are known to be wrong.

The reason why I bring this up is to make people aware and think, when planning for the future. Think of your niche and develop your skills to stay afloat. Technology is getting inexpensive and easier to use and people can create content themselves with webcams/digicams etc. – Google pages, blogging, videoblogging, moblogging, you have it. The younger audience, especially, is shifting to the DIY world. They trust in WOM ( word of mouth ) over plain non engaging ads.

Example: Bowiechick on YouTube who made the Logitech quickcam famous with her breakup video, driving up sales after she posted another video of how she created her videoblog after people asked her how she conjured up the cool effects in Breakup. Now Logitech is letting her pick a free product of her choice, no money for her now, but that might change in the future - consumers are transforming the dynamic. For more read this article posted on ZDnet.

Creatives get entrapped with ideas that necessarily don't sell or help the brand, well I am referring to the rookies. They need to remember the brand / the product -- times are a changing and getting faster --- you can't spend too long conceptualizing when a kid around the block can whip and churn --- no wonder Mastercard, Converse, Kodak and other brands who are on the user generated content bandwagon want consumers to post their own created ads online ... shifting the focus from advertising generated to consumer generated ads.

What can the creative bring as his niche to enable this process?

Something to think about!

painting with lights

2006-02-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

painting with lights,
originally uploaded by vandys.

freaky lights

Painting with Lights

2006-02-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Driving back home from Grass Valley to Treasure Island, San Francisco .... since Jeff was at the wheel I was free to clickity click ... more at I-80

Weekend in Grass Valley

2006-02-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

Weekend with friends in Grass Valley ... its fresh and green and blue ... next time I need a better camera!

Grass Valley

images of India Today

2006-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Dichotomy of India

Dichotomy of India :: Coca-Cola delivered

2006-01-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

Just back from my visit to India :: Check out the collection on Flickr

I couldn't help grab a picture of a Coke vending machine on an old Indian truck, two men on a bicycle. I myslef was in a red Ford Icon.

The Indian dichotomy saga is written on every corner. Its hard to miss how the old and the new co-exist.

back from hibernation

2006-01-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

So .... I am back from a long hibernation .... sometimes life takes over blogging.

Creative Mojo

2005-07-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

Left Brainers now live in the East while the West, i.e., the UsofA ... can lead the creative economy. The knowledge economy is seeing a pardigm shift .... As usual the companies in the US can be the vanguards of change. This article in the current BusinessWeek just re-iterates the fact people have known yet never acknowleged. But on the other hand how are these companies doing it?

They cannnot rely on advertsing alone to differentaite their product but change themselves from within.
Bring on the Creaive mojo to usher innovation.

Only through innovation can they differentiate and not rely too much make up to look pretty. Think Apple ... think Swiffer.

Today, storytelling, creativity, design and business all go hand in hand. For compainies to succeed design strategy has to be complmented with fresh business ideas ... the pay offs can be enormous.

Steve Jobs has been steadfast in his beliefs on design and been the face for innovators. What he does next is what keeps people interested. its a simple theory ... apple users are renegades ...they go againstthe PC tide ... they celebrate people who aren't followers, who think different and change the world .. thus the logo .. a bite taken out o fthe apple ... the first act of rebellion in the Garden of Eden ...

When the Apple store opened in San Francisco a year ago .... a fews days prior to the opening my friend and i were walking by the boarded upstructure and he remarked ... " no way can they open so soon .. look at it ... its all bare " ... well that barebones simplicity has been at odds with your clutterred uninspiring spaces.... and the result has been a serene and exciting retail environment which serves as a store / display and in house customer support / free seminars and at times the crazy ones flock in for a product release and explore ... to m ethe tables remind me of an inn and it states ... you don't need too much glitter let the product do the selling ....

so here is to the crazy ones. ... because the crazy ones push the world forward ...

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_31/b3945401.htm

Sperm Mission

2005-06-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

One sperm in this viral approaches the point of return and experience second thoughts. You will be amused to find out what is being promoted. It is clever and will make you chuckle ;-)

go enjoy ...Sperm on a mission

A Different Kind of Keynote for Jobs

2005-06-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs Imparts Straightforward Advice

Wonder how many students are going to remember any of this but Steve did conjure up a debate. Is college worth it? is that piece of paper worth it? Do you really learn following a system?You can find the pros and the cons to what he said but he forgot one thing .. luck also plays a major role in life .. he was always at the right place at the right time. But if the networks covered his speech extensively, then he said what needed to be said and no one ever had the bollocks ever to do so ....

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."
Jobs, wearing sandals and jeans under his robe, was treated like a rock star by the students, in large part due to the surge in popularity of Apple's iPod digital music player. A group of students wore iPod mini costumes over their robes and several students shouted, "Steve, hire me!"

Steve Jobs told Stanford University graduates Sunday that dropping out of college was one of the best decisions he ever made because it forced him to be innovative - even when it came to finding enough money for dinner.

"Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward," Jobs said. "You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."

Coca-Cola Forms Account Planning Group

2005-06-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola Forms Account Planning Group ( April, 2005 )

It is interesting to note that big corporate giants like Coca Cola are bravely venturing into fresher territory. How many others will follow remains to be seen, if Coca Cola is setting a trend here. It re-emphasises the point that brands are strategic ideas and not just executional moments. Keeping the brand fresh and young is a continuous process.

Media Week Article "We did not develop the planning competency within Coke to replace the agency role. It's about becoming a better client, bringing greater brand equity insight and expertise into the overall planning and creative processes."