Random Culture

New Site: Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo

I always like to keep up with what agencies are doing with their websites. The Tokyo office of Wieden + Kennedy has launched a new site. It includes some interesting extras, like a blog, as well as custom Google Maps with points of interest from the staff. Worth checking out.

Quick Links: August 25, 2008

Microsoft Trying to Unload Avenue A/Razorfish
Apparently, they only acquired the company because it was a package deal. Looks like WPP may come out the winner, and at a steal.

Marketing to Millennials, and "Prewarding"
Business Week explores the use of Facebook and "Prewarding" to market to a younger demographic.

The History of Graphic Design
Seriously... the whole thing, just by clicking the link above :)

Samsung Omnia Unboxing: Tiny Girls, Explosions...

This is quite simply the best unboxing ever...

SXSW Panel Picker Badges!

Well, the folks at SXSW sent us badges to display on our blogs to encourage voting on the topics. If you remember, I have two topics submitted for consideration. One on social networking best practices and the other on the future of mobile. Click on the images below to vote for my topics!

GPhone is Finally Coming This Fall

But will it be any good? The New York Times says it's going to be even better than the iPhone, and will be available first on T-Mobile. However, according to other sources, the technology is powerful, but the design isn't up to part with the iPhone. Imagine that... good design wins out again?

Link via Silicon Alley Insider.

Daily Quick Links: August 14, 2008

America's New Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan
Forget strategy or quality, design is what drives business success
George Orwell's diary, now in blog format!
Pressure can push good ideas forward?

The Myth of US Broadband

We've all heard stories over the last couple years about the rise in broadband penetration in the US. But there's a dirty little secret in the US that your ISP probably doesn't want you to know... Our broadband speeds suck!

Yes, that's right, according to the folks at Digital Daily, the median download speed in the US is 2.35 mbps. That's compare to a whopping 63.6 mbps in Japan and 49 mbps in South Korea.

I'm just guessing here, but maybe we need a president that cares more about technology, and a telecommunications industry that's innovative.

Read the full article at Digital Daily.

Interview with DM News: Facebook Pages

I was interviewed recently for this article in DM News: "Facebook Pages Offer Powerful Brand Presence", by Kevin McKeefery. The article references the Facebook Page we built for TiVo. Facebook Pages offer a great opportunity for advertisers to build community without breaking the bank. And it makes sense for them to build community there, on Facebook, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and coax users away from the social networks that really matter to them.

Want to learn more? Download the official Facebook Pages Insider Guide.

SXSW Panel: Vote Now!

I have entered two topics for panels at SXSW, and the panel picker is now live! Vote for my two panel proposals:

1. Social Networking Marketing Done Right
   This panel would focus on the right way to utilize Facebook pages, Facebook applications, MySpace custom communities and other social networking platforms in the right way.
   
2. The Future of Mobile
   Presentation that looks at how mobile is being used in innovative ways, and what that might mean for us in the future.

Also, vote for Pete Lerma's panel! He's the managing principal for our agency, and has a great panel submission on real models for agency integration.

Small Objects Travel Faster

Jan Chipchase has an interesting job. He's a researcher for Nokia design, and gets to conduct some interesting user studies. One such study which I found particularly interesting can be explored in Jan's recent essay "Small Objects, Traveling Further, Faster." It's essentially at the rapid dissemination of technology to places we might consider remote.

Definitely worth a read!