ThoughtSpurs

Tom Peters on Passion! from Tom Peters on Vimeo . I've talked about Tom Peters dozens of times before. He has been influential to me since the early 80s. When I left my first job in advertising my colleagues asked what kind of gift I would like from the proceeds of the whiparound. Without waiting to catch my thoughts or breath I said - "I'd like a copy of In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters'. Bear in mind I was leaving to take a job as a copywriter in an ad agency, you know, a creative job. I got the - well, 'if you insist' look. I hoovered up the book and got the bug for business as a place for ideas and for rattling the cage. I don't find it any surprise that Tom's world and the my world of creativity and innovation and converged over the years. I've never really seem them as separate. I find it hard to understand how the advert sing world is so reluctant to embrace creativity as anything more than an executional craft. In fact one of the...

Well, maybe I am a little thick, bit I really don't understand this commercial for Citroen. It features a Wagnerian soundtrack. A Tuetonic character who slips into his Citroen after a duel in the Bavarian mountains, stops for a liverwurst snack on the autobahn home. He ultimately arrives for the car's beauty shot somewhere near the Brandenburg gate. The denouement, if you'll pardon my French, "The New Citroen C5 - Unmistakeably German." Whaoh, backup. German? Ja, das ist korrect. German. The commercial doesn't work for me on a couple of levels. a) It is ridiculous. People don't duel anymore (EU regulations). b) Anyone who eats liverwurst at a German greasy spoon would not refuse the advances of a Fraulein in traditional peasant Sunday best. c) Citroen is French (cue the Marseillaise)and, d) The good thing about Citroen was that it was unmistakably French,…the madcap engineering genius, the weird styling, the flamboyant unreliability. It's accent was a...

My novel - Vanishing act - prophesises the arrival of a bill to protect the Maui Dolphin. Today the New Zealand government announced measures to close down fisheries along the west coast of New Zealand. The cost of the move is likely to be 80 million dollars, not counting the effects on families who depend on fishing for their livlihood. It is a paradox for the Labour government that their decision has such a profound effect on their key constituents. I also think that it is paradoxical that we have become conditioned to have an exaggerated concern for species facing extinction when extinction is simply a part of life on Earth. It is inevitable that humans will become extinct - we won't be around to observe it, but there is no doubt on the matter. The human collective ego sees itself as central to everything on the planet, but I am not so sure. Don't know what cockroaches chat about but I reckon they have a better chance than us in surviving - their track record is impressive. ...

Monique Rhodes is playing at a benefit for a Free Tibet on the Saturday. Come along. Studio 111 in MacKelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland - see directions here . If you need a little more lead time she is playing on Waiheke Island on the 8th of June at the Beachfront Cafe on Onetangi with Kiwi music legend Shona Laing. Contact me for tickets, $20. Monique's Web Site

What do you notice about this image (from Grand Theft Auto IV)? The temptress would have six digits on her hand if we add in the thumb. Found on PhotoShop Disasters. The odd thing is that the whistle-blower site of bad PhotoShopping includes this - it's an illustration, not a photo. But I am all for whistle-blowing over bad advertising and marketing ( you may have noticed ), so they're off the hook. I use Photoshop every day it is a very useful tool. I'm a low end user but know it is powerful enough to issue this warning: don't believe a half of what you see - especially if it has a logo in the bottom right hand corner.

I find it interesting how authors are becoming more responsible for promoting their own work. In a cluttered space - I don't know how many new books are published every year but I guessing that the figure is somewhere between tens of thousands and a lot. I came across this site which showcases author websites - Books Written By . My favourite is Will Self's site. C heck out his writing room . An ordinary space made interesting by the hundreds of Post-It notes. all over the walls. Slightly manic, maybe. My method is to start writing. I, of course, am not Will Self. But I am my self, maybe we are related? I gave a proof copy of Vanishing Act to a colleague at work to read. She told me she had read the sex scene the night before. I felt a little embarrassed - I guess one has to suffer for one's art. Sorry, did some irony drip on you? 160/109

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo . When I was teaching at Massey University Design School my students were fascinated by street art and graffiti. It was interesting to read their research proposals on the topic - especially the wild suppositions about the influence of street art on design trends and advertising - not always supported with sound arguments of he presence of reliable data. But the area is very interesting, if you can shake of middle class disdain for graffiti as a form of vandalism. In the movie above I think Blu elevates it convincingly to art with a capital A. Brilliant. Thanks to Ollie Langridge for the heads up.

I have ben enjoying using Twitter. I wasn't sure what the point of it was before but now I can see how it works more clearly. Obviously I am no alone - it seems the volume of twittering has collapsed the system for now. Am I having withdrawal symptoms?

This is kid of cool. A Swedish artist has made a drawing by sending a GPS tracking device by DHL around the world in a briefcase via very specific coordinates. Brilliant. I can't help but wonder if is a scam by DHL - you know - 'Let's do some viral marketing'?. Visit his web site I've cooked up a little art of my own. Over on the Jackson Pollock site you can drizzle away to your heart's content. It's kind of cool, if pointless. What do you think if it? I call it Pollocks

Isn't it curious how a cup of tea makes you feel better. Why is that? Is it the warmth? I rather like this oddball little videoo. It speaks to the British fascination with Tea (It never really took off in America, tea that is. Could be something to do with the Boston Tea Party - when the colonists threw tea overboard as protest over British taxes). I'e read some interesting books about hot beverages Pour your heart into it by Starbuck's Howard The Republic of Tea - Letters to a young zentrepreneur The Devil's Cup They're all pretty good. I just tried to buy a copy of the Republic of Tea book from Amazon but it seems out of print and none of the used options seem to ship to New Zealand. Drat. Scratch that - found an Amazon fulfilled used copy.

I am working on a new project. Less. A digital magazine that shares information and stories about sustainability. There may be a printed edition but it will be on-demand. One of the things I worry about in traditional printed magazines is that so many of copies of each edition are simply returned to distributors and pulped. Let me know if you have any stories or ideas you'd like to contribute. • Issues • Ideas • Products • Politics • People • Marketing • Design I don't plan on selling any advertising - though I will take ads for free for products and services that will be useful. I'm keen to try the Craig's List model. I've opened a blog Here and will have a site at lessmag.com shortly - hopefully. Less is a trademark. Copyright 2008.

This is one of the reasons I find it so difficult to appreciate the old narrative form of advertising content. After watching stuff like this I am none the wiser about the product. Just a little disturbed. How many layers of approval does something as abherrant this ad for kinder surprise have to go through without anyone wondering aloud if the emperor is wearing any clothes?

Over on the Conversation Agent Blog Valerie Maltoni is discussing A whack on the side of the head by Roger von Oech. I remember discovering the book in the late 80s. I loved it. In part because of its ideas but also in part because I liked the texture of the heavy newsprint it was printed on - and I liked the drawings. As you can see I am a superficial person (though you will know that if you have read any the 1100 posts on this blog). Though I sometimes get tired of talking about creativity (I prefer creating to ivity - borrowing from the Behance mantra) it remains a vital issue in business. Let's face it we are always going to need new solutions - not only for old problems but for new ones as well. Everything we create creates new issues. Valrie has made a list, in her usual intelligent, considered fashion. I will higrate and paraphrase - visit with her to get the meat and potatoes . You won't regret it. 1. The expectation that you will use creativity at work today has gone ...

This commercial for Shreddies comes from Canada eh. It is based on actual focus groups conducted in Toronto. I found it over on Talent Imimites, Genius Steals . Faris had this to say and, as it is Sunday morning and I want to get on with reading Bob Dylan's Chronicles Volume One I shall quote him more extensively than might be appropriate in The Economist . Thanfully this is not The Economist:… I've been reading Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. It illustrates the fact, that we intuitively know but that classical economics refuses to accept, that we aren't rational beings. We make decisions that are seemingly irrational, in the same way over and over again, because of how our brains are hardwired: anchors and priming, emotions and social context all interact to change how we choose. One of the things he highlights is the power of expectation to alter experience. He describes a replication of the famous Coke/Pepsi taste tests, done with the subjects in an MRI to recor...

This curious little commercial is amusing enough - for a bottled water called Drench (it has its tiny moment of erm…Fame…in there somewhere). Here in New Zealand I can't see that brand name working. Agriculture is such a mainstream part of our culture. One of the longest running and most popular television shows is called Country Calendar and sheep dog trials still get air-time as a sport. Even to city dwellers with the highest level of sophistication; the sort that sip caffe latte's on Auckland's Ponsonby Road and drive Aston Martin DB9s through the twisting street circuits of the Viaduct Harbour know that Drench is what you give to sheep and cows to protect them from intestinal worms. I can't see it taking off. Bad TV commercial though. And not in a good way.

…just like every body else. Well,…maybe except these guys: But is it art? I wonder if it as artful ruse by Levi's jeans to create a 'viral' video. Maybe to promote a return to loose fitting jeans. I'd hate to see the out-takes - ouch. Kids, don't try this at home. Via Another Planning Blog

I really enjoy the idea of Pecha Kucha. Last night I went along to my second event. It could not have been much different from the first - held at the funky Samoa House on Auckland's equally funky Karangahape Road. Last night's event had been slotted into the proceedings of the architect's conference being held at the SkyCity convention centre. The crowd were mainly architects, I guessed - from the way they were dressed, expensively bohemian I guess it would be fair to say. There was no interval in the proceedings, so ten presenters showed 20 slides, with each slide on the screen for 20 seconds. It is an excellent format and it forces the speaker to make their point with some pace. Of the presenters last night I enjoyed Min Hall, architect's story of her trip through the South Island of New Zealand in an aging camper van. Patrick Reynolds, photographer showed some interesting images and was an amusing fellow. Elvon Young proved, again, that technical, serious informati...

This TED Talk is a delight. Stoll spends most of his time talking about what he's not going to talk about. In the process he talks about creativity, if obliquely. "The first time you do something - it's science. The second time it's engineering and the third time you're a technician…" TED Web Site. Via SuperVery

I'm ever so slightly baffled. There is a trend in television commercials that I feel shouldn't pass without being noted at least. I'm talking about casting male actors in their early or mid twenties. These chaps have a waxy complexion, dark rings around their eyes, look like they were only very recently released from a really nasty prison. They are dressed in op-shop chic (World/Zambesi). It's really kind of creepy. Oh, I forgot to add they are usually unshaved. The whole thing is just plain weird. The best example is for Pink Batts. It is full of these blokes. Actually I like the ad - it makes my daughter laugh like a drain - it's a wonderful sound. I suppose the oddball world view is no worse than the idealized Aryan style we are all too familiar with or the irritatingly PC one-of-every type casting of government messages that come from the New Zealand Government's propaganda ministry.

I've been having fun with Twitter but it seems to be playing up. Tried to log in but I'm getting one of those certificate messages suggesting that there is a problem. There's a character on Twitter (hotdogsladies)that I have stumbled across who is very funny. Here's a sample: When our alien overlords arrive, I, for one, will advise the use of web commenting histories to decide who gets made into sandwiches first. I can't sign up to follow - keep getting the 'oops there was a problem, try reloading'

I am trying out a new web browser - Flock. It is oriented around aggregating social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and the like. It manages RSS feeds and does a whole bunch of stuff I haven't figured out yet. Of course it displays web pages too. I believe it is driven by Mozilla engines - the folks behind Firefox and Thunderbird I like it so far - except for the constant nagging in the yellow bar along the top - with messages about the current pages content. Download a copy and have a fiddle.

So, we all know what a film crew costs, right? British band The Get Out Clause made the video for their song Paper by setting up their equipment in front of CCTV cameras around the UK. Data privacy legislation mean that they could request the footage from the police and councils, then edit the material together to the audio. That's what you get when you have more CCTV cameras per head of population than any other country in the world - though I heard the Russians have installed 65,000 cameras in Moscow to combat the risk of football hooligans running wild during some big European match that is about to take place. The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper pointed out it was the biggest invasion since the Germans besieged the city in the second world war. Only Napoleon turned up with a larger force, in 1812, the paper noted. From the Guardian Big Bro is watching you. And wondering what the heck you are doing. Now he knows.

My first novel Vanishing Act has been trickling along. Until now I had put it down to the Long Tail (oh, and the fact that I haven't really been pushing it). But now, thanks to this interesting video - all is revealed. It is because the cover is green. If there are any designers out there who would like to redesign my book cover - feel free to contact me. Or buy the book and prove this guy wrong.

I am monitoring my blood pressure on the instructions of my doctor. She has given me a little machine that you attach to your wrist. It has a cuff that inflates and a box with a digital reader - it reminds me somewhat of an old fashioned Dick Tracey wrist phone. I have doubts about the unit's accuracy. It not only gives me wild variations of reading but also returns an error message more often that I would expect in the binary world of digital technology. Still, I shall dutifully chart my progress and see if the Accupril tablets work. She spoke to me in stern terms about compliance and the consequences of not controlling my BP. Given that I have no desire to go pop just yet I'll do as I am told…make it a personal challenge even. I doubt I will return to triathlon any time soon but a fitness regime would probably be a good thing. It was bit of an insight into my world view when the doc asked why I hadn't been taking my BP Pills? I could think of no better answer than "I...

I sometimes wonder why the world has become such a dispassionate place? Boston Legal is a slightly nutty show that sometimes errs into the absurd. I was watching tonight and enjoyed the impassioned plea to the Supreme Court bench reminded me that it is OK to care. My suggestion is that you stop shouting at the news on TV and start shouting at your elected representatives. Stop accepting that your elected representatives know more than you do about how you should raise you kids - especially if they are barren harridans who have never known the daily challenges and triumphs of parenthood. The truth is they don't. Stop leaving it three years before you exercise your mandate - democracy isn't an occasion.

This gives me a sense of deja vu. The shirts in the picture have a braille message on them. Which is kind of cool. They say "Don't touch the art" and are for sale, according to Trendhunter magazine , in museum shops in Europe. It reminds me of the Christmas gift I made for The Foundation of the Blind when they were my client back in the early 90s. I made shirts for the team (mostly women) with an image of a snowy landscape (I know, not very kiwi), snow fell onto the ground - it was printed with puff ink on black. The falling snow was actually lines of Braille with the translation in small type beneath which was the lyric to a Christmas carol. It was a fun concept and the client really appreciated the thought. I hadn't considered the downside though. The women weren't so keen on having their chest's read. Won a gong though - and, at the time, that's what mattered to me.

Things just have a way of spiraling out of your control when they get onto the web, don't they? I posted the unexpurgated version of this clip the other day. Well, the sequel has been remixed and it captures the essence of the situation rather well, don't you think?

“A bachelor is a man who comes to work each morning from a different direction.” That's a quote that I, as a confirmed bachelor, can relate to. If only in my dreams. Being single - even if I have been married a few times - is an interesting experience. One that I am only beginning to enjoy properly at the grand old age of 45. There are benefits to couplehood or even, dare I say it, marriage. Apparently you will live longer if you are in an enduring relationship. On balance you will also live longer if you don't throw yourself in front of a train. I watched a 60 Minutes clip about George Clooney - he's a confirmed bachelor too. But he is rich, talented and handsome. I feel sorry for him. Why am I telling you that? Well, I am just joining some dots. I am a bachelor, Clooney is a bachelor and the quote above is about bachelors. It came to me by email from the always interesting (and sometimes strange) Monday Morning Memo from the Wizard of Ads. Sign up for it . The quote is fr...

I just read on the magazine trade website Folio that Atlantic Monthly Magazine had removed the pay to view restriction from their website. This is good news. The Atlantic has some of the best writing around. One of my all time favourite stories was from their September 1998 edition. It is called Who will own your next good idea . And now you can read it, in its entirity, for free online - as well as material from pretty much every issue. Interesting audio visual material as well. Such as this interview with influential designer Micheal Beirut. See. I do care about you. Go to it.

I got my copy of Church magazine in today's mail. It is a small format magazine dedicated to cars. Not just any cars…no Priuses here (what is the plural of Prius?). Just flat head V8 32 Ford Roadsters with shiny Edelbrocks and solid wide rims - hold the chrome. It's a fetishists delight. I love it. Not too much too read either. Actually nothing to read. But reading and drooling is hard. I can't multi-task. Get yours here

It's funny. I've started using Twitter. I didn't 'get' it before. But the freewheeling casual style of Twitter has leaked into my Blogging. Yes, I know, I have a casual, freewheeling blogging style… But I have deleted the past couple of posts because I felt they were too twitter-esque. Unlikely as it might seem, blogging will be reserved for matters with more gravity - like advertising and marketing and language. Not exactly rocket science. Oh well, one man's gravity… * Word of the day: Apogee - The highest point.

Yesterday I bought some wood with which to make a pair of stilts for my eight yer old daughter. I wanted to do something a little different - round poles, a platform to stand on. Height adjustable. The woiks. Figured I'd need to get some specialist tools. Jig saw, hole cutting tool, drill (for the hole cutting tool)…Tim the Tool Man Taylor…ar ar ar ar. But as I am not a handyman I thought I should just go for some cheap Chinese tools in a big industrial looking box. How can you resit a big plastic box made to look like a big military industrial complex weapon of something or other. Within seconds of getting it out the box the latch had broken on the heavy duty looking box. The safety cover of the jig saw snapped in half instantly. The batteries barely hold enough charge to complete more than a couple of tasks. All in all a disappointing effort. You get what you pay for I suppose. Remind me to avoid cheap Chinese junk again. I'll just borrow tools like everyone else. Stilt one s...

Over on BrandDNA Stan has posted this poster produced by MTV to discourage illegal downloading of music. Aside from the fact that it is slightly absurd and ineffectual as a message I find it rather kinky. This is no ordinary thief this is one not only downloads music but also pinches his mum's silk stockings and cuts eye holes in them. Maybe the meaning of ordinary criminal is the kind that does do the full-on nose bent to the left menace of a pair of unaltered L'Eggs (none of your sheer La Perla rubbish). Stan mused on the use of the term ordinary criminal. I suppose the music industry, quite familiar with the kind of criminality that would qualify them as uber criminals - the kind that would make them a worthy nemesis to Spiderman or Bob Parr himself. You must have heard the stories of stolen royalties, payola and gifts of Cadillacs to black artists (which were them repossessed by the rental companies) - if you haven't then read Hit Men. 'Ordinary criminal' smac...

I talked about the importance of sound in the car experience before. Here's the dulcet tone of the new baby Ferrari F149. Music to my ears. Everything in Italian just sounds better. Spazolino da dente for example.

This is very cool. A clip from the blog created by Honda's UK agency describing the production of their newest TV commercial . I guess they have taken a leaf out of Sony Bravia's book - make a blockbuster and share every moment of the process right up until the denouement. As I said the other day - we're in the content business now. Just launching a commerical without build up and engagement is missing the opportunity to invite the brand's owners in. Thanks to Another Planning Blog for the heads up. Of course then there's the other side:

Yeah I can see myself as a superstar footballer bending it left right and center. WAGs left right and center. Red cards, platinum cards. I sometimes think advertising planners are full of talk and the ads end up bollocks anyway (come on - admit it. Most ads are bollocks). But Nike seems to get it right and has done for years. The other side of celebrity …me (in my dreams that is).

Nice graphic. Reminds me of the Penrose annuals I used to pore over in the 1970s when I was at high school. Do they still publish? ( answer: No. Last edition 1982 ). There is an interesting article about Penrose annuals on the Eye design magazine website.

How do you think over-dubbing an ad for the New Zealand market that was originally made for the U.S.* market but dubbed with an Aussie V.O. will go down in New Zealand. I'll tell you: Like a cup of cold sick. (does that sound Kiwi enough?) *Or somewhere.

"Through history we se an ironic process that Hegel or Marx would have appreciated; a dialectic whereby the success of a culture develops within itself its own antithesis. The more more well-off we become, the less reason we have to look for change, and hence the more exposed we become to outside forces. The result of creativity is its own negation." Mihály Csíkszentmihályi There it is. The reason why success carries with it the seeds of its own demise. As soon as you get cosy and begin to think you have the magic formula - you're screwed. Innovation and creativity is an interative process. Your success will be a beacon for competitors - and that is before things like technology come into play. The lessons: a) don't stop - there is no top. b) be prepared to leave a trail of unfinished business - you can't expect to exploit an idea until it is dessicated (because by then it is, well, …dessicated).

Eric Karjaluoto's blog Ideas on Ideas is a new addition to my RSS feeds. He writes interesting material about design, advertising and creativity. I just read a post about his book on creativity in which he bemoans the fact that he has stalled half way through. I know that feeling. He offers a list of techniques for breaking loose of the creative doldrums - these are the headings. You should visit for the meat and potatoes. 1. Break the pattern 2. Try working backwards 3. Tidy your workspace 4. Take something away 5. Mix-up your tools 6. Look differently 7. Talk it out 8. Prototype 9. Reorder the pieces 10. Start again 11. Throw away the part you love most 12. Go for a walk 13. Introduce something random 14. Make more 15. Make some rules 16. Set a deadline 17. Breathe It may be unintended by Eric but I think his last item on the list is incredibly important. The Buddhist technique for focusing or being in the moment is to be conscious of your breath. Being present is very important...

I was interviewed by Radio New Zealand yesterday. They wanted a comment from me about whether advertising had gone too far in two press ads for separate advertisers who had used the same image of a knotted sheet that a prisoner in the gothic Mt Eden Prison had used to escape from the highest turret and over the wall. One ad was from a gym. I didn't get it (apparently an oblique reference to being locked into a membership contract - obviously an arcane thing that gym people would understand) and the other for a manchester (linens) retailer who was offering 30% off flanel sheets. Neither ad was particularly provocative. I couldn't see how either would offend anyone. My response seem to let the interviewer down. My criticism was of the ads for being ever so slightly boring. To the respective agencies credit they are at least trying to be topical. In a newspaper you are looking for news, after all. So, I applaud their efforts. Not sure they hit the mark in creative excellence terms...

Here is a cute idea. A self promotion for a proof reader. The pencil is mostly erasor. Interesting juxtaposition. I wonder if the person who thought it up had the idea as a by-product of another task - then thought: "This is too good to waste…I'll find a proof reader…to adopt it."? Nothing wrong with that. People with ideas for business look to have them sponsored by venture capitalists. Maybe advertising agencies need to present more speculative ideas to businesses - those who are already clients and those who aren't. That way you get a proprietary advantage. You don't need to engage in competitive pitches because no-one else can implement your idea - unless you license it to them. Has anyone thought of a licensing model for advertising? Via AdGoodness

Tired? Listless? Send your creativity to Arizona. Here is a list of Flickr groups that might perk up your design ideas , or just be yet another distraction on the web. Like you need another distraction…? Have you noticed that being a web worker, or even constantly connectd to the web while you work you display almost all of the symptoms of ADHD? Link Via Xplane

My friend Monique Rhodes will be performing with the legendary New Zealand singer/songwriter Shona Laing on Waiheke Island. Beach Front Cafe 1 Fourth St Onetangi Beach 7 June 2008, 8pm one night only tickets from The Beach Front Cafe 372 2565 NO DOOR SALES I'll be there with bells on. So look out for the the guy with bells…erm…on (ahh the English language…)

Bill Peake forwarded these on to me for my opinion. The Ritz Carlton have made some minifilms set in their Hotels Last Night The Delay Nice enough. I suppose advertising is moving more and more to be the content business. The originator of this approach was, of course, Fallon's BMW work. I had a feeling of 'Yeah Right" to quote the laconic kiwi campaign for Tui Beer campaign. I kind of liked most of it, right up until the cheesy denouement in both. Still, execution aside. It is a good strategy.

In the show Absolutely Fabulous Edwina gets earings from daughter, Safron (Saffy) as a birthday gift. "Are they Lacroix sweety?" "Do you like them?" "I do if they are Lacroix." Q.E.D. It's all in the narrative.

Metalepsis (from Greek Μετάληψις) is a figure of speech in which one thing is referenced by something else which is only remotely associated with it. Often the association works through a different figure of speech, or through a chain of cause and effect. Often metalepsis refers to the combination of several figures of speech into an http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif altogether new one. Those base figures of speech can be literary references, resulting in a sophisticated form of allusion. (from the , bless 'em) I came across the idea of metalepsis in a book called Branded Nation - The marketing of Megachurch, College Inc. and Museum World. Brands depend on metalepsis - the assignment of elaborate stories that imply the brand represents something other than what it actually is. For example Steinlager beer represents New Zealandness (patently ridiculous - Steinlager is a niche beer). "For the nature of metalepsis is that it is an intermediate step, as it were, to that which...

Michel and Olivier Gondry directed this clip for the band Lacquer. A guy drives across the US from Los Angeles to New York. They shot it on 16mm film, one frame every second during the day, one frame every 10 seconds at night. A seven day journey becomes a four minute video. Reminds me of Vanishing Point (in which the car crashed at the end is a 1967 Chevy Camaro, not a 1970 Dodge Challenger). Or was it Zabriski Point? No points for getting that this post has no point. Vid via Simian Audio

Act Analog. - Guy Kawasaki. I like. Visit Guy Kawasaki's blog - How to change the world. You won't regret it (even if you only read the introduction to a speech he made in Houston: My name is Jenny Lawson and I write for The Bloggess and Good Mom/Bad Mom on the Houston Chronicle. I was pretty shocked when they asked me to introduce Guy because most people know that I’m unable to talk for more than fifteen seconds without cursing inappropriately so it’ll be a pleasant surprise for all involved if I can manage not say the c word or start talking about "vaginas" up here. Guy Kawasaki first came on my radar several months ago when our pseudo-editor, Dwight Silverman of the Chronicle, emailed to tell us that our parenting blog had been picked up by Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop site and that this was “very significant.” And actually it was very significant, both because the recognition was nice and also because it marked one of the first emails I got from Dwight that didn...

If I were to open a typographic studio (does such a thing exist?) I would call it 'Love Letters'. The best businesses have puns for names. Puns have had a bad run from people who prefer the blank verse of post-modernism. On the subject of type, I came across this fascinating little slide show on the Penguin blog - to which I now subscribe in my RSS reader (I use a thing called sage, a Firefox plug-in, which is excellent - a revelation, even). The blog is an excellent example of corporate blogging in that it allows its authors to have a voice. Which makes perfect sense, Penguin is not just in the business of editing text, binding it it and distributing - it is in the business of spread the joy of communicating in words. Anyway. I like it. The slide show discusses five books that have quirky typographic twists to augment the tale. Bear in mind, though, that the use of type in the five examples is not decorative but integrated into the narrative structure. | View | Upload your ...

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor It's not just politicians who have to remember the cameras are on. Apparently it applies to media as well. Somehow I can't imagine Judy Bailey losing the plot quite so 'volcanicly' ( to quote New York magazine's Daily Intel blog) . Fox presenter Bill O'Reilly definitely loses it. I hope there are plenty of keep 'em honest videos in the run up to New Zealand's general election later this year. There is plenty of unwitting comedic fodder in the kiwi parliament. Keep those cellphones handy. And…action!

Following my previous post I was fascinated by the idea of Librarian stereotypes. Just the other day I had a conversation with a friend about stereotyping. She was eager to tell me about myself based on my astrological sun sign. I wasn't very interested, I have to confess, because astrology is bullshit and, if she really wanted to know about me she would find out for herself. It reminded me of Richard Dawkins parody of astrology (replace 12 nationalities with sun signs and their stereotypical personalities and listen to how absurd it becomes - watch the video below - Enemies of Reason ). But I digress. In my search for steretyopes of Librarians I came across a brilliant blog called The Wit of the Staircase . (From the French phrase 'esprit d'escalier,' literally, it means 'the wit of the staircase', and usually refers to the perfect witty response you think up after the conversation or argument is ended. "Esprit d'escalier," she replied. "Espr...

Sometimes following a random link can lead you down the rabbit hole like Alice in Wonderland. Usually the place you arrive is less than wonderful. But sometimes there are interesting surprises - the kind you find when you leave the main roads and tourist traps when you travel. This morning I saw a keyword search link in my stats for Pangea Day - which I spoke about here late last week. The link took me to Google (where the bulk of my referrals arrive from). Next to mine was a further link to The M word - Marketing Libraries and interesting blog authored by a small group of Librarians from the U.S. The blogroll alongside the posts was fascinating. I spent some time peering into the world of Librarians. I realise that will raise many a stereotype but I have come to realise that librarians are about as bio-diverse as any other sampling of the population. I was reminded of conversations with my friend Kay Forrester who is the head of marketing for the large Auckland Public Library and it...

Here's a challenge. Find a version of Nothing Compares to You on You Tube (or anywhere) that has sound. The one artist who, seemingly has been so badly scarred by his treatment by the record business that he feels the need to control everything. Sadly he hasn't released anything halfway decent since he resolved his issue with the cmpany that owned his name - formerly Prince - then a symbol and now, apparently Prince. Artists need to get their heads around the web. You make your money performing. If you are an antiquity like Prince or The Rolling Stones (are they still alive?) - the vids remind us of who you were. Don't suppress them. It's called engagement…marketing even.

I like Uma Thurman. Not because she is astonishingly beautiful and seems very smart but because she reminds me of Zoë, my daugther. Smart and beautiful. The word is that Uma is suing Lancome, the cosmetics giant, for 15 million US dollars. Thurman was engaged by the firm to be the face of the brand. When her contract expired Lancome allegedly continued to use her image in Asian and Canadian markets. Oops. Negotiating contracts is one of the areas that either save money, make money or cost money for agencies. It makes me think of the producers I work with. Our business probably hire more talent than any other in New Zealand, certainly offering more regular work than non-speaking featured extra work than most talent might get - if they are lucky. Negotiating with talent is like buying a house. The time you profit is when you make the deal. There are a few points I would make: 1. Be clear. If you intend to use the commercial on the Internet - even if you are going to upload it to YouTube ...

A cool resource for you to try. Aggregates search topics from a number of sources. Thanks to Brand DNA (again) for the heads-up.

I forgot to tell you that Idealog won the Qantas Media Award for feature website of the year. Art columnist Hamish Coney also picked up an award for his columns. A nice accolade for the had work the team at the magazine put in. A nice addition to the MPA award for Business magazine of the year. Aren't blogs a wonderful place to get corny headlines out of your system? Actually the Qantas awards even had a category for best corny headline - though it wasn't called that. I couldn't understand the logic of the awards. Some received dinky little scolls with a cheap peice of metalic ribbon. Others got truly ugly silver salvers. It was a mess. At least the advertising industry has always understood the importance of trophies that look like tributes to a Roman general who has just taken half of Europe. Ok, hperbole, but you get the point. Even a simple pencil from D&AD, One Show or AWARD has heft. Is there a designer out there who canhelp these people out. How about the world...

I wrote a few posts back about my disappointment that the latest version of the MacBook Pro doesn't have an F11 key that shoves all open documents to the side to reveal my descktop in all is shambolic,chaotic glory. Stan Lee, author of the always interesting Brand DNA blog has left me a comment in which all is revealed. Hold down the 'fn' key on the bottom left of the keyboard and press F11 at the same time. It is a curious quirk but I am just happy to reconnect with my old habits. Thank you Stan. I had never even noticed the fn key and, in all truth I have no idea what its true purpose is - I can relate to that. I suppose it is like one's appendix. It seems to have no raison d'etre until it becomes infected and has to be removed. I must see if there are any books about the appendix. Perhaps a book of lists about great people stopped in their tracks by untreated appendicitis - would that be the footnote of their biographies? Stranger topics have been covered - I o...