Random Culture

Bill Gates' Last Day at Microsoft

As you may have heard, Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft to focus on his charity work. So as a part of the keynote for CES this year, the folks at Microsoft put together a video about his preparations for leaving. Watch the video here, chock full of cameos.

Bill Gates' Last Day at Microsoft

As you may have heard, Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft to focus on his charity work. So as a part of the keynote for CES this year, the folks at Microsoft put together a video about his preparations for leaving. Watch the video here, chock full of cameos.

What is Mainstream?

Beth Comstock, the President of NBC Universal Integrated Media, spoke at the American Magazine Conference on Monday, saying that we're in the "Golden Age" of media. She referenced the explosion of online video content, and anyone who's paying attention should come to the same conclusion... this is indeed an important time in the history of media.

But what struck me about her talk was something that Advertising Age mentioned in their coverage of her talk... the "40% Rule." According to Comstock, technologies can't be considered "mainstream" until 40% of houses adopt them. Using this litmus test, video games are considered "mainstream", but MP3 players are not, as her research has them only at a 34% reach. I hope this doesn't mean that Comstock is saying technologies that haven't reached "mainstream" levels aren't worth paying attention to... because something in the assertion that the iPod hasn't reached enough critical mass is absurd to me.

What's more, there's a larger discussion that this spawns. Namely, that businesses or technologies no longer need to reach ubiquity to be important. The Long Tail, anyone? I would argue that technologies are worth paying attention to long before they meet the standards of the "40% Rule", and that using it as a benchmark for importance can limit early opportunities to get involved and reap the benefits.

So what's the magic number? Simply stated, I don't think there is one. You have to look at more than just household reach. Who's being reached, even if it's only 5%... and how fast is it growing? Even if a technology plateaus at 5%, if those 5% are your most important target, dive in... don't wait for technologies to become "mainstream", you may just miss the boat.

Read the full Advertising Age article here.

Link via AdPulp.

What is Mainstream?

Beth Comstock, the President of NBC Universal Integrated Media, spoke at the American Magazine Conference on Monday, saying that we're in the "Golden Age" of media. She referenced the explosion of online video content, and anyone who's paying attention should come to the same conclusion... this is indeed an important time in the history of media.

But what struck me about her talk was something that Advertising Age mentioned in their coverage of her talk... the "40% Rule." According to Comstock, technologies can't be considered "mainstream" until 40% of houses adopt them. Using this litmus test, video games are considered "mainstream", but MP3 players are not, as her research has them only at a 34% reach. I hope this doesn't mean that Comstock is saying technologies that haven't reached "mainstream" levels aren't worth paying attention to... because something in the assertion that the iPod hasn't reached enough critical mass is absurd to me.

What's more, there's a larger discussion that this spawns. Namely, that businesses or technologies no longer need to reach ubiquity to be important. The Long Tail, anyone? I would argue that technologies are worth paying attention to long before they meet the standards of the "40% Rule", and that using it as a benchmark for importance can limit early opportunities to get involved and reap the benefits.

So what's the magic number? Simply stated, I don't think there is one. You have to look at more than just household reach. Who's being reached, even if it's only 5%... and how fast is it growing? Even if a technology plateaus at 5%, if those 5% are your most important target, dive in... don't wait for technologies to become "mainstream", you may just miss the boat.

Read the full Advertising Age article here.

Link via AdPulp.

Sir Elton John: Shut Down the Internet

Sir Elton John has a mission... he wants to close down the Internet. According to The Sun Online, he says:

"The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff. Instead they sit at home and make their own records."

The solution? He proposes shutting down the Internet for a while to see what happens. Elton's fear of technology extends beyond the Internet. He apparently doesn't have a mobile phone, either.

It might just be me, but I don't trust the opinion of anyone who played themselves in The Country Bears.

Link via Hi-ReS! blog.

Sir Elton John: Shut Down the Internet

Sir Elton John has a mission... he wants to close down the Internet. According to The Sun Online, he says:

"The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff. Instead they sit at home and make their own records."

The solution? He proposes shutting down the Internet for a while to see what happens. Elton's fear of technology extends beyond the Internet. He apparently doesn't have a mobile phone, either.

It might just be me, but I don't trust the opinion of anyone who played themselves in The Country Bears.

Link via Hi-ReS! blog.

3D Email: Hoax, or Worst Idea Ever?

Tired of the same old boring inbox? Why not use Second Life to read your email? Well, if this trailer is any indication, because it's an awful idea...

Not sure if 3D Mailbox is real... but I sincerely hope it isn't.

Link via TechCrunch.

3D Email: Hoax, or Worst Idea Ever?

Tired of the same old boring inbox? Why not use Second Life to read your email? Well, if this trailer is any indication, because it's an awful idea...

Not sure if 3D Mailbox is real... but I sincerely hope it isn't.

Link via TechCrunch.

Future of the Web, Circa 1994

Ever wonder what people in 1994 thought the future of the web would look like? Well take a look.

Via Fimoculous.

Future of the Web, Circa 1994

Ever wonder what people in 1994 thought the future of the web would look like? Well take a look.

Via Fimoculous.