Thinkful

We need a more “co-creative” society, fast.

2011-11-24T06:10:00.000Z

Robert Saffian penned an interesting editorial in Fast Company for their special feature on “How to live a creative life”. He noted that there are two parallel economies at work in the US at present: the traditional economy with big players, often from an industrial era who benefit from a status quo and an “innovative economy” who thrives on change and disruption. The latter lives within a new virtual triangle that connects Madison Avenue, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. These creative centres traditionally did not engage each other much. They have since taken bold steps to work together to create a new “co-creative” economy.

At eYeka we have always rebelliously connected dots where most preffered to erect walls. We see creativity as a tool that can affect changes not only in products, marketing or entertainment but could transform society for the better. As we have mentioned before on this blog, we believe that creativity can come from the most unlikely places. By breaking the dogma of closed-loop thinking and inviting people who are not the kind brands traditionally engage, we too forge connections that result in fast, fresh thinking.

Many researchers have already demonstrated how people who seem too remote from the context of a problem to be bothered, can actually bring the most creative solutions to the table. Yet as society is battling with an ever inflating (and frightening) array of challenges, from building a sustainable economy that doesn’t solely rely on debt to fighting climate change to accomodating a growing population, it seems like we are running-out of fresh ideas. Could it be because it is always the same type of people who are involved in problem solving?

Governments and NGOs have a unique opportunity to sollicit participation from “non-traditionally involved people” regardless of who they are and where they are, to solve very specific problems. Imagine the European Union inviting contributions from outside Europe to sort out its ageing population issue? Imagine Mexico City inviting people from all other the World to suggest how it could create green community spaces for its residents? By taking two bold steps: co-creating solutions with people and broadening engagement to all who are keen to contribute, it is fair to imagine that governments and NGOs could offer fresher solutions for the benefits of all. Looking at the ever-rising mountain of challenges that our society is facing, we hope they will be bold as we need a more co-creative society, fast.

Can you innovate your way out of a recession?

2011-10-24T03:33:00.001+01:00

Upon hearing news of an impending recession, most companies opt for the traditional corporate practice of shrinking budgets, cost cutting, sweeping layoffs and freezing plans. As corporate turnarounds experts will tell you, it is important to stop the blood flow first when attending to an injured patient. But if the injured is a competitive athlete, how long will you prevent him from training before his skills and stamina take a turn for the worst too?

Innovation is like a muscle, if you do not exercise it, it atrophies. Once the necessary housekeeping to ensure relative corporate stability is over, an economic recession could become a great opportunity for innovation.

“Many of the world’s enduring, multibillion-dollar corporations, from Disney to Microsoft, were founded during economic downturns. Generally speaking, operating costs tend to be cheaper in a recession. Talent is easier to find because of widespread layoffs. And competition is usually less fierce because, frankly, many players are taken out of the game.” – Reena Jana, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, July 2009

A study by McKinsey & Co. conducted over a period of 18 years found out that companies that “retained or gained market leadership during the recession of 1990-1998 invested on strategic acquisitions and pursued new opportunities rather than focusing on reducing operating expense”.

Full text on the eYeka blog.

Jaron Lanier on Edge

2011-09-15T06:23:00.000+01:00

Edge has a (too) rare interview with Jaron Lanier, one of the leading thinkers of the "digital revolution". Thanks to El Blogador for pointing it on my FB wall.

Innovation, co-creation on the eYeka blog

2011-09-14T08:15:00.003+01:00

As you may have noticed, I am not blogging much here these days. The good/bad news is that I am starting blogging again at http://en.eyeka.net/

Hope to see you there.

Buy a f*cking shovel . com

2010-12-22T12:10:00.001Z

Opportunist!

One fifth of animal and plant species are under the threat of extinction

2010-10-27T02:25:00.000+01:00

A global conservation study has warned. BBC

Chinese baby milk powder scandal manufactured by competitor

2010-10-21T07:03:00.005+01:00

As it turns out, the Chinese baby milk powder scandal (where infants grow breasts due to the chemical additives) was manufactured by a competitor's PR agency, using online forums and micro-blogging services to spread false rumors. Full story in Campaign China.

OFT to investigate hotels online booking industry

2010-09-26T09:57:00.002+01:00

"Allegations of collusion between hotels and online booking operators to keep room rates artificially high are to be formally investigated by the Office of Fair Trading." Consumer wins. FT

Europe according to stereotypes

2010-09-22T04:11:00.002+01:00

Europe as seen from France. More maps by alphadesigner.

Facebook overtakes Google on time spent

2010-09-10T16:09:00.001+01:00

Internet users now spending more time on Facebook than Google (including Gmail, Youtube...). CNET.

Paul's extreme sound stretch

2010-08-22T14:37:00.002+01:00

Create your own ambient epic soundtrack with Paul's extreme sound stretch. It makes pre-teen idol Justin Bieber sound like Vangelis. Read on Lifehacker. Mac version here.

Strategic Online PR and Media Relations Forum Asia

2010-08-20T14:30:00.002+01:00

I am speaking at the Strategic Online PR and Media Relations Forum Asia (23 – 25 August 2010) in Singapore on how brands must move from advertising to advocacy to succeed with social media.

Can Facebook fail?

2010-05-17T04:19:00.001+01:00

It seems that Facebook fatigue combined with the sudden re-discovery of basic concepts such as "privacy" are weighting down on Facebook's exponential growth. While I am not cheering for the demise of the platform that allows me to stay connected with otherwise too loose connections to bother sustaining, I am of course concerned about who gets hold of my status updates. And it seems that I am not alone. The BBC is running a good article summing-up why Facebook should worry and highlights a number of promising alternatives such as Diaspora.

Social networks urged to 'raise ad rates or die'

2010-05-12T05:16:00.003+01:00

"Datamonitor's Business Insights study predicts that charges for advertising on social networks will have risen steeply by 2015 (...) the report predicts social networks will only make £4.14 per user per year (US$6.03)". Looking at the backlash against Facebook's move to make its platform more advertiser friendly, fair to say that it will be a tough battle to convince users to gobble more ads and let go of more personal data, and to convince advertisers of a premium ROI.

Full article on Brand Republic.

Russian study shows GM soja causes infertility, genetic defects

2010-04-30T05:23:00.004+01:00

This 2 years study will be published in July unless it is "killed-off" before that. Truly frightening when we know of the considerable resources deployed to suppress any scientific paper showing harmful side effects of GM food consumptions. The issue is that GM crops contaminate natural crops thus reducing consumer choice. The GM food industry has also been successful at aborting government initiatives to label food containing GM ingredients as such.

Eat organic whenever possible.

Huffington Post

Comprehensive article in French here.

Toyota battling Chinese bloggers

2010-03-17T10:34:00.001Z

"Toyota Motor Corp.'s recall of millions of cars globally has created a PR fiasco for the Japanese car company. In China, the company now has one more thing to worry about..." Bloggers!

AdAge

Watch US TV shows outside the US

2010-02-06T03:43:00.001Z

http://tvgorge.com

US teens don't blog, don' twitter.

2010-02-05T02:45:00.003Z

Only 14% blog and 8% tweet. 73% use social networks. Speaking of Twitter, a Pew researcher commented that teens may have a "reluctance to put their thoughts on such a public forum when they can post them to their Facebook page instead". Didn't Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of privacy?

Forget tablet PC, here comes "sixth sense" technology.

2009-12-13T11:04:00.003Z

"Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data -- including a deep look at his Sixth Sense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper "laptop". Originally read on the Economic Times, on the recommendation of Professor Rao.

Food 2.0.

2009-12-01T07:09:00.001Z

Looks that the World will not run out of food due to overpopulation after all. Dutch scientists grow artificial meat. Telegraph.

Climate change: Are you thinking in rows or columns?

2009-11-18T00:42:00.002Z

Decision science applied to climate change. You can't argue with logic. A must watch video for all the skeptics.

The Trafigura debacle

2009-10-15T06:51:00.002+01:00

When ethics and PR collide, a lesson for business and communication students: Own up to your mistakes and proactively remedy the situation you created instead of attempting to conceal it. That stuff worked when we had a handful of TV channels and a few newspapers, not with millions of citizen journalists. Great account on the Guardian.

Climate Cover-Up by Oil lobby

2009-10-12T04:34:00.000+01:00

The American Petroleum Institute increased its lobbying budget by 82 percent in the second quarter of 2009, relative to 2008... Makes you think.

Climate Cover Up: the crusade to deny global warming

2009-10-12T04:26:00.002+01:00

In his new book, 35-year public relations veteran Jim Hoggan chronicles the history of unethical PR through the years, using the attack on climate change science as the most relevant, contemporary example. Watch this video interview where Jim talks about what he calls the "Philip Morris theory" – a strategy corporations use to cloak their spin with the legitimacy of science.

Federal Trade Commission to force bloggers' endorsement disclosure

2009-10-06T02:11:00.003+01:00

"Bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service." At last... BBC News. Disclosure: I have no connection with the FTC or the BBC.

Top 10 bizarre wine names

2009-09-13T06:17:00.003+01:00

This was sent to me by my friend El Blogador. In order of bizarreness?

Fat Bastard (I tried the Shiraz. Quite good and affordable)
Bitch
Le Vin de Merde ("the shitty wine" in French...)
Oops
Arrogant Frog
Elephant on a tightrope
Frog's piss
Cleavage Creek
Mad Housewife
Blasted Church (this is probably banned in the US. See my next post).

Full post and label pictures available on Oddee.com.

Carrier pigeon beats Internet in race to transmit data

2009-09-11T09:18:00.001+01:00

Fantastic PR stunt from a South African IT company frustrated with their local ISP.

Top 8 Apple spoof

2009-09-10T06:34:00.001+01:00

Hilarious.

Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women

2009-09-04T02:51:00.001+01:00

"Research shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function"... My wife probably put it on my poor English. Telegraph again.

Youtube to stream movies?

2009-09-04T02:46:00.003+01:00

At last, a legal way to watch on-demand movies online. The $4 price tag will not be a deterrent if streaming quality and speed is higher than the current alternatives. Will the movie moguls play ball? Telegraph.

30 things about art and life, as explained by Charles Saatchi

2009-08-30T06:23:00.000+01:00

Saatchi talks to the Guardian.

The best diving spot in Asia?

2009-08-27T11:01:00.001+01:00

The Cacao Pearl island is located off the western shores of Busuanga in Northern Palawan. It would be presumptuous to say that it is the best diving spot in Asia but it is probably the best-kept diving secret in the region. Palawan has over 2,000 kilometers of irregular coastlines, dotted with 1,780 sugar white sandy beaches islands, islets and rocky coves. It also hosts two world heritage sites for diving enthusiasts:

o The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) features a large limestone karst landscape with one of the World’s longest underground navigable rivers (8.2km). The site contains a full mountain to sea ecosystem.
o The Tubbatha Reef Marine Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) covers 332km2 including the North and South Reefs. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100M perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands. (tie in with my section on Tubbatha)

Most divers come here to explore shipwrecks. During WWII, the American fleet sank 24 Japanese warships in the area, 12 of them in conveniently shallow water, including swim throughs, technical and Nitrox dives and shallow novice dives and all within a 1.5 hour boat ride in a wide arc around the south side of Busuanga Island. Turning a former war theatre into a divers paradise.

The Cacao Pearl is the ideal base to explore the region’s diving hotspots and indulge in all kind of environmentally friendly marine activities. The Cacao Pearl island hosts eight beaches, secluded coves and crystal clear waters with 30 feet plus of visibility. We have and extensive fringe reef system, allowing you to leisurely slip into the water right off the beach with your snorkel and mask on, and straight into warm waters and a cornucopia of exotic fish and coral. Spot and swim with gentle whale sharks, playful dolphins and a variety of underwater residents such as dugongs, clown fish, lapu-lapu fish, squid, parrot fish, lion fish, glass shrimps, turtles…

The resort will host a PADI 5 star accredited dive centre with resident diving and surfing instructors. Marine activities will include deep-sea sport fishing (catch and release), non-motorised water sports such as house reef snorkelling, kayaking, hobie cats, surfing, kite surfing and wind-surfing. Guests will enjoy regular dive expeditions to the only marine World Heritage site in Asia, Tubbataha reef and the world famous Apo reef located in the Mindoro Straight as well as snorkelling safaris to ancient and protected fringe reef systems, walls, caves, shallow World War II wrecks, and turtle and dugong (manatee) feeding grounds.

A pier and mooring buoys will welcome visiting leisure crafts.

Fiat building first consumer generated car

2009-08-24T16:39:00.002+01:00

I am a great fan on how Fiat, which was left for dead a decade ago has reinvented itself and is now reinventing the industry. Just saw this on my Facebook feed, from old colleagues at Aegis Media:
"Working with Sao Paulo-based AgenciaClick, part of Aegis Group's Isobar network of digital agencies, Fiat started a website this month requesting ideas for the work-in-progress Fiat Mio." Fiat's marketing director in Brazil said "There are small things that don't cost much and bring great satisfaction to consumers, but haven't been given much attention. A lot of their ideas will end up going into our cars." Full article in AdAge.

First Video ad in a print magazine

2009-08-21T02:44:00.002+01:00

First appearance on US publication Entertainment Weekly on September 11 (odd choice of date...). The specs: 2.7mm thick screen with 320x240 resolution, 2 inches by 11/2 inch display size, the rechargeable battery lasts for about 70 minutes and it has a chip similar to those of these annoying greeting cards. No mention of speakers. Advertisers are CBS and Pepsi. From the BBC, MediaPost and CNET.

5 reasons why I like to read Monocle

2009-08-19T16:20:00.001+01:00

o Founder is also the founder of Wallpaper, arguably the most influential design & lifestyle magazine.
o It is not about fashion (fashion is for suckers) but about style - and about business, current affairs, culture…
o Finally, a magazine that recognizes Tokyo as one of the coolest cities on the planet. And I won’t use the word “sick” to mean “cool” as I am comfortable with my age.
o It launched when everyone thought print media was dead.
o Its website doesn’t give away much, if you want the stories, buy the magazine. A model for other publications struggling to adapt to the digital age?

Social Mention: Total social media metrics solution.

2009-08-19T12:11:00.004+01:00

Social Mention is a “social media search platform that aggregates user generated content from across the universe into a single stream of information”. It includes Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, blogs… I haven’t delved down into the methodology behind passion, sentiment, reach and strength but I like the dashboard and the breadth of sources covered. So far the best I have seen for free users and marketers on a budget.

Above is a screenshot of a social media search on "Cacao Pearl", our flagship luxury eco-resort project.

Why does your english let you down?

2009-08-10T02:56:00.003+01:00

A Guardian article about the longest running newspaper ad, for the Practical English Programme, a distance learning course on written and spoken English. Since the 1950s, 400,000 people have taken the course and the current MD reckons that despite several trials with new adverts, the original ad copy is still the most effective.

Times and Sun to stop free for all online model

2009-08-08T09:59:00.002+01:00

"Quality journalism is not cheap," said Murdoch. "The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free. We intend to charge for all our news websites." Article on the Guardian. If Rupert manages to pull this off, as I think he will, many media organizations and A-list blogs will quickly follow suit. I wonder how this will leave bloggers who quote articles or subscribers to feeds who automatically post on their blogs?

Everything you always wanted to know about the Cacao Pearl, in 90 seconds.

2009-08-05T09:29:00.001+01:00

Relax for a moment, turn on the speakers and enjoy the new Cacao Pearl website.

MomDot's hypocritical weeklong PR blackout

2009-08-03T02:23:00.004+01:00

MomDot: "our site, and many others, are inundated with hundreds, if not thousands, of product requests each year resulting in massive obligations and deadline stress"... "MomDot is challenging bloggers to participate for one week in August in a PR BLACKOUT challenge where you do not blog ANY giveaways, ANY reviews, and Zero press releases."

Looks good on the surface but MomDot looks more like a commercial venture to me than a blog, judging by the amount of self-confessed PR relationships, advertising on their site and the option to subscribe to be part of the "premier community for moms who blog". So basically the team wants to take a holiday in August to get away from the stress of running a commercial publication. Needless to say that MomDot can always refuse to follow-up on a press release if they don't want to. I turn away dozens a month and never talk about them. The whole PR Blackout call looks more like a PR stunt to me. I would support the initiative if it wasn't so hypocritical.

Boost world happiness: join Richard Wiseman's mass experiment

2009-07-31T08:15:00.002+01:00

Log-on to Science of Happiness. Fill in a short questionnaire. Watch a video that will teaches you one happiness exercise. Practice for a week. Input your email and receive another questionnaire a week later. The results will be published on the 11th of August in the Times.

Twitter: Real estate agent sues ex-tenant for tweeting

2009-07-30T02:11:00.003+01:00

Horizon Group Management, a Chicago based real estate agent is filing a lawsuit accusing an ex-tenant of defamation after she complained of mould in her apartment on twitter. The "defamatory" statement: "Who said sleeping in a mouldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's okay." The tenant's twitter account has 20 follower yet the company claimed that "it has severely damaged its good name". I hope they are better at real estate management that public relations. A simple Google search shows the damage. They certainly made a name for themselves although I should not tweet about that name.

Apple iPhone apps are the new Facebook apps

2009-07-29T07:37:00.003+01:00

I bet that Silicon Valley VCs are trampling over each other to fund apps networks and the likes. Interesting figures from this Guardian article:
- Apple takes 30% of each app sale
- Some 90% of apps don't make profits for those who create them
- 54% of free apps have fewer than 1,000 users
My all time favorite is still the "I am rich" app, a glowing ruby with no functions whatsoever but showing off what you can afford. 8 people bought it at a cost of a $1,000. I still don't get why Apple banned it from its store.

Facebook to sell your pictures to advertisers?

2009-07-28T10:38:00.002+01:00

You may have received an alarming message on Facebook stating that "FACEBOOK has agreed to let third party advertisers use your posted pictures WITHOUT your permission. Click on SETTINGS. Select Privacy. Then select NEWSFEEDS and WALL. Next select the tab that reads FACEBOOK ADS. In the drop down box, select NO ONE.Then SAVE your changes. (REPOST THIS)". Is that true? No. Facebook categorically refuted the rumor on their blog. They haven't said anything about your home address and credit card number though...

Embedded marketing

2009-07-23T01:52:00.001+01:00

Nader Tavassoli, professor of Marketing, explains why marketing is not just about advertising, it's about people.

Amazon Kindle users have their very own 1984 moment

2009-07-18T02:52:00.003+01:00

Amazon remotely deleted books from its Kindle users' library, including George Orwell's classic 1984. "It's like having Barnes & Noble sell you a book, charge your Visa and then 3 months later change their mind, credit your card and demand their book be returned". Tough especially when you are in the middle of reading it.... Beware, Big Brother is watching what you read. Guardian article.

Should TechCrunch have published Twitter's stolen internal documents?

2009-07-16T11:50:00.004+01:00

Mike Arrington, famed author and publisher of the TechCrunch blog received 310 internal documents supposedly hacked from Twitter's internal servers. To publish or not to publish? I'll go with his judgment call: Employee data are of course a no go but financial projections and new products memos are fair game. A bit of an outcry and call of unethical behaviour from readers but his comment frames his decision nicely: "if we only posted things that companies gave us permission to post this would be a press release site and none of you would be here. News is stuff someone doesn’t want you to write. The rest is advertising".

Teenager tells it like it is, media analysts in frenzy.

2009-07-14T04:21:00.003+01:00

Nice PR coup for Morgan Stanley: Fifteen year old bank intern is asked to write a memo describing his friends' media habits and reportedly, his report shook the media world... Analysts should get out of their posh office more often instead of reading reports about surveys. The memo: Teens don't use Twitter. Too expensive and the average low following is not worth it (if you want to talk to a few people only, there is SMS). They use their phone to text, call or exchange files via Bluetooth. They don't like advertising ("annoying and pointless"), read newspapers or listen to radio much. They don't use iTunes as it is too expensive and music can be sourced freely someplace else. They spend time on Facebook and money on cinema, concerts and video games that allow them to chat as well. FT article (includes a link to the report).

Fake Steve on Google OS

2009-07-10T05:53:00.002+01:00

Let's all take a deep breath and get some perspective...

G8 set new global warming targets to postpone decisions, actions

2009-07-09T07:49:00.002+01:00

"Leaders of the G8 leading industrial countries have agreed to try to limit global warming to just 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by 2050." From BBC. What irks the cynic in me is that no roadmap on how to get there has been agreed. Today’s leaders know well that they will not be in power then, nor their protégés thus could sit on it and leave the task on how to make it happen to future generations. In the meantime, it’s business as usual.

Google to launch an operating system! I might switch back to PC then.

2009-07-08T09:49:00.005+01:00

"We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds"... I am really excited about that. Google shook the search market when everyone thought the game was over (remember it was all about portals and entertainment...), then shook the advertising world when ad agencies dismissed the mom & pop shops using adwords (it turned out that there were a lot of them and it amounted to a lot of cash - now the big corporation have search marketing experts and big budgets that end up with Google no matter what). Talking about OS, I switched to Mac in 2007 to keep up with the Californian boys of my previous venture. Never looked back. After comparing boot up time and normal usage (how often the system crashes, usability, intuitiveness, speed...) I convinced my wife to relinquish her Sony Vaio for a MacBook. Now I love Apple but the kit is pricey and there is no Netbook in sight as of yet. A Google OS might just convince me to switch back.

Pre-Facebook, Pre-Internet: Lemmings

2009-06-30T14:36:00.002+01:00

Before Facebook sucked out all remaining productivity of the average cubicle worker, we had Lemmings... I found a DHTML version of what must be one of the most addictive game ever created. How many could you rescue?

iPhone apps are the new Facebook apps

2009-06-20T04:06:00.003+01:00

Reminiscent to last year's articles on how everyone can strike gold by developing Facebook apps (which followed from becoming a property millionaire on Second Life and a publishing mogul through blogs), the Telegraph has an article on how "anyone with a laptop and a good idea can stake their claim in the app rush". So what are you waiting for? Stop reading and start coding.

Bloggers have no right to privacy

2009-06-17T10:42:00.003+01:00

Landmark UK ruling where the High Court ruled against the protection of anonymity of a police officer who wrote a blog. The blogger sought an injunction to prevent a newspaper from naming him for fear of disciplinary hearings. As a result of being identified, the blogger is now being investigated and had been issued a written warning. The blog has been removed. Now I wonder why this could not be extended to online forums and review websites. Think twice before you post. Full story on the BBC.

Grab your Facebook username before it's too late

2009-06-16T02:03:00.003+01:00

Facebook just released the option to have usernames and redirect to your page at www.facebook.com/username. I have few homonyms in the World and already got mine. However, if you are blessed with the patronym John Smith, you better grab it fast before you become known as JOhH_SmITh187.

The millionth word in the English language is...

2009-06-11T03:20:00.001+01:00

web 2.0.

No kidding.

National Geographic Traveler features the Cacao Pearl

2009-06-08T08:29:00.002+01:00

June edition, page 40 under "Destinations Watch". Is it time to write a series of posts on moving from online PR to launching the World's first non-profit luxury eco-resort? Not just yet. But we are getting closer...

Only 10 per cent of Twitter users account for 90 per cent of all tweets

2009-06-06T13:02:00.002+01:00

Says Harvard Business School in a Telegraph article. This is consistent with many articles, stuies, reports, anecdotes I came across: Despite all the talks about "user generated content", we prefer to consume content that produce it.

Facebook brings in payment system

2009-06-05T02:14:00.002+01:00

Micro-payments have been heralded as the holy grail of e-commerce since 1999. Europeans and Asians sometimes use their cellphones to pay for online services (or virtual goods) but no one managed to deliver a popular, universally accepted web only solution. I believe Facebook could be the one to deliver it. Gartner reckon that direct payment could amount to a third of Facebook's revenues. Article on the FT.

Life beyond PR: It is sunny on the Cacao Pearl.

2009-06-03T03:34:00.007+01:00

I thought I would post some pretty pictures of my new project, the Cacao Pearl. It is the World's first non-profit luxury eco-resort, nestled in the Calamian archipelago in Palawan, Philippines. As you would expect, PR is core to our marketing strategy and we are having good media and bloggers' coverage so far ranging from mentions in the NY Times, SF Chronicle, Frommer's, Treehugger, Hollywood Reporter, A Place in the Sun, National Geographic, Hotels Magazine and many more. Completion is scheduled for early 2012. Too early to compile a mailing list but you are welcome to find out more at www.cacaoresorts.com. If you want to write about it and need more information, just ping me.

The trillion dollars question: China or America.

2009-06-02T16:46:00.002+01:00

China. If you don't believe, go there and see for yourself.

BT limits download speed on cheapest broadband packages

2009-06-02T01:15:00.002+01:00

"A customer who has signed up for an up to 8 megabit per second package can have their speed cut to below 1Mbps". Time to read the small print and complain all the way to the top. BBC.

OneTel Talk Talk but doesn't listen

2009-05-19T15:28:00.003+01:00

In 10 years in the UK, I had my share of bad service but never had to resort to the Office of Fair Trading for a resolution, until I canceled my contract with OneTel. Despite written letters a month in advance that were acknowledged and three follow-up phone calls, they still send me bills for a phone line in a flat I left 2 months and a half ago. Obviously they are taking the piss. I am sending my recorded letter tomorrow for their breach of contract under the supply of goods and services act 1982. They have 10 days to sent me a written confirmation that my contract is canceled and refund me. I will update on this blog. Needless to say that I am not recommending them to anyone.

Wolfram

2009-05-18T10:27:00.004+01:00

Touted as the new Google, Wolfram is actually not a search engine but a "computational knowledge engine". It is a bit like an expert system plugged-in an encyclopedia. Look at the online demo This is a very impressive start.

The end of free online news?

2009-05-18T10:04:00.004+01:00

Rupert Murdoch is looking to start charging readers to access his online papers. While many will dismiss it as rearguard fighting, I will not be surprised if other publishers jump in at the chance. As their readership moves online, newspaper publishers just can't make enough money on the Internet through advertising alone to run their business. The billion dollars question is whether there would be sufficient willing payers to compensate the drop in online readership (i.e. online advertising revenues) when they start charging. It looks like we will soon find out.

CNN article (still free).

Is a Recession the Perfect Time to Start a Business?

2009-05-04T02:59:00.002+01:00

In theory, resources would cost less but Jeff Nolan shows that it is not to be taken for granted. In a comment Edwk makes valid points: People joining you know that it will be tough so are more motivated and you have less competitors throwing money at the problem you are trying to solve.

The Best job in the World, Queensland Tourism campaign explained

2009-05-02T04:23:00.001+01:00

"... for US$1m, it generated US$70m of global publicity." and was probably one of the best campaigns of its kind I have seen for a long time. BBC.

50 Best IPhone Apps for MBA students

2009-04-30T12:52:00.002+01:00

On Management Courses. I thought students were broke by definition?

Gaping Void's Macleod writing book

2009-04-21T06:40:00.001+01:00

"ignore everybody" launches June 11th, 2009. I have always been a great fan of the cartoons and iconoclastic marketing thoughts so will await anxiously.

Pirate Bay guilty verdict: Now what?

2009-04-17T16:53:00.002+01:00

"...the site will almost certainly continue to operate and the legal battle will carry on for many months - or even years - to come...". The Register. A victory for litigation over innovation.

Cambridge researchers slam Facebook democracy

2009-04-17T16:45:00.000+01:00

"...the revised document is effectively identical to the original version, with merely superficial changes...". Ouch! Computer Weekly.

The 10 greatest computer flops

2009-04-16T00:40:00.000+01:00

From the Telegraph. Surprising how many Apply products are there.

Goldman Sachs hires law firm to shut down blogger's site

2009-04-14T02:30:00.002+01:00

I'll take it that Goldman have been spared by the crisis and have plenty of time in their hands. Article on the Telegraph. The blog in question is Goldmansachs666.com

Google Street View does not breach privacy laws

2009-04-12T04:18:00.000+01:00

"If consent were required by the law then the producers of, say, Match of the Day, would have to gain the consent of all people attending televised football matches who might be caught on camera". Enough said. Guardian.

Google About To Buy Twitter?

2009-04-03T10:25:00.001+01:00

Apparently, valuation is north of US$250K. From ITPro Portal.

Mashing-up Youtube

2009-04-03T03:00:00.003+01:00

Israeli artist Kutiman creates a fantastic album by cutting/mixing Youtube clips. Love it. First read on CNN.

Biting the hand that feed: Can we monetize social media?

2009-04-02T02:50:00.004+01:00

David Rowan, editor of the new UK Wired edition takes a shot at Second Life (the national sport at the moment) and hits all other social networks/services in the same time. The best business minds have spent over a decade figuring out a profitable business model for online media or social networks and the best option so far is still selling to an even bigger online media or social network. With the crisis shrinking everyone to size and funding drying up, this brings us in a world where we accept that online networks can only be a "cost of doing business", where we continue chasing an elusive magical business model that will turn millions of users into millions of customers or where we start charging people for services they clearly value. My hunch is on the 3rd option.

Twitter switch for Guardian, after 188 years of ink

2009-04-02T02:48:00.000+01:00

Great April's fools fun from the Guardian.

Second Life's span is virtually over as firms decide to get real

2009-03-31T11:17:00.001+01:00

Damning article on the Telegraph. Are journos seeking closure? In two years, will we see similar articles about Twitter?

Google Street View now in the UK...

2009-03-20T02:26:00.002Z

... And the results are just amazing. Conveniently, a picture was taken just in front of my former flat and as a result, I am missing London.

Explore at http://earth.google.com/ and tick Street View under "Layers".

The crisis of credit, visualised

2009-03-15T02:43:00.003Z

One of the best explanations of the credit crunch I have seen. First seen on Mr Brown, blogger extraordinaire of Singapore.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Microsoft Office labs vision 2019

2009-03-08T04:06:00.002Z

In 2019, there will be tactile screens everywhere. The only gardens will be on rooftops and we will all live in Hong Kong. Don't believe me? See for yourself:

Thank you to El Blogador for sending me this story. Read post from Long Zheng.

IAB develops new guidelines for behavioural advertising

2009-03-05T02:09:00.002Z

Self-regulatory and signed by AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!... The guidelines can be summarized as:

Notice

Each Member shall provide clear and unambiguous notice to users that it collects data for the purposes of OBA. This notice shall include information about what types of data are collected, how these data are being used and how users can decline OBA with respect to that Member.

User choice

Each Member shall provide an approved means for consumers to decline OBA from that Member and information on how to do it.

User Education

Each Member shall make information available to educate users about OBA and ensure that this information is easily accessible.

And of course, "No Member shall create OBA segments intended for the sole purpose of targeting children under the age of 13 years".

Full guidelines on IAB site.
First read on the BBC.

"Lunatic bloggers can keep the blogosphere"

2009-02-26T10:52:00.003Z

Guardian article about Ryanair v. Jason Roe, a freelance developer/blogger. I don't condone the tone of Ryanair's response but the short of it is that Ryanair can get away with that. Most of those commenting and swearing they will never fly Ryanair will quickly change their mind when asked to pay £100 more for the same journey with another airline. If they don't mind paying more, they are not Ryanair's customer target anyway.

Theo Paphitis' top business tips

2009-02-23T22:07:00.000Z

Some very sound advice on BBC. I am taking note.

London Business School ranked #1 in the world

2009-02-20T11:30:00.002Z

FT 2009 global rankings.
I certainly did not contribute to up the salary increase criteria :-)

Facebook U-turn again

2009-02-18T10:09:00.003Z

For the time being, your pictures belong to you. Guardian. Funny how the Facebook team still hasn't figured out a way to connect with their users before implementing such policies.

Military’s killer robots must learn warrior code

2009-02-16T08:50:00.001Z

" Autonomous military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict warrior code or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands" According to a report from the Ethics and Emerging Technology group. Article in the Times with a priceless comment from Dave E., Laos: "Marvelous – puts the recession into perspective though doesn’t it. Who needs to worry about losing their jobs when in fact the real danger is killer robots without conscience stalking the earth….".

Global recession - where did all the money go?

2009-02-02T10:59:00.000Z

Frightening. The Guardian.

Look around you: Maths

2009-01-31T13:02:00.001Z

Thanks to Frode for posting this on Facebook.

The World's best complaint letter

2009-01-26T13:03:00.002Z

To Richard Branson from a Virgin airline customer on the Mumbai to Heathrow flight last December. Hilarious.
On the Telegraph.

Obama's inauguration speech as a tag cloud

2009-01-21T10:15:00.002Z

From Wordle.net

Affordable glasses turn your computer screen in 3D

2009-01-10T14:01:00.002Z

"NVIDIA has created a kit that turns computer screen images 3D provided machines have GeForce graphics processors and one of the new-generation of high-resolution monitors launched at CES by Samsung, ViewSonic, or Mitsubishi. (...) Because the technology works with monitors, 2D computer games can be replayed in three dimensions". AFP article.

I want one! and loads of Panadol.

50 Reasons Why More People Aren't Using Your Website

2009-01-09T12:16:00.001Z

Written by Scott Heiferman. The top 3 are the most common issues:

1. Because they don't want to generate content, they want better life
2. Because it solves a problem they don't have
3. Because it won't help them with their problem

ESTATE AGENTS NOW SHOWING HOUSES TO OTHER ESTATE AGENTS

2009-01-07T10:27:00.000Z

"BRITAIN'S estate agents are showing houses to each other in a bid to combat loneliness and prevent their traditional skills from dying out." Another classic from the Daily Mash.

Atheist advertising campaign goes global, thousand more buses to burn in Hell!

2009-01-07T09:21:00.004Z

800 buses in the UK, a thousand tube cards, 2 LCD screens opposite Bond Street tube station, buses in Barcelona, Italy, the U.S. (Washington only)...

If only more were heeding this message from the American Humanist Association: "Just be good for goodness' sake".

Guardian article.

A floating city to welcome future global warming escapists?

2009-01-06T15:57:00.003Z

Floating eco-city concept by French architect Vincent Callebaut. The city generates more energy than it consumes through a combination of wave power and solar energy. It can host 50,000 people. No price tag yet but it is safe to assume that it will be used as a luxury development rather than a viable solution for the expected millions of people displaced from their homeland by the rising seas. It looks beautiful though... Article in French in Le Monde.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T19:23:00.000Z

Best Wishes to all my readers.

The Guardian's top 100 sites for 2009

2008-12-18T19:06:00.002Z

Full list here.

Google fall out of 20 Most Trusted Companies list, Facebook creeps in.

2008-12-16T09:54:00.005Z

In 2007, Google featured in the top 10. In 2008, it doesn't make the top 20. As seen on Andy Beal who includes a top 10 comparison with 2007. Truste reckons that influential factors this year were:

Importance of privacy continues to rise.
Consumers feel they are losing control of personal information.
Identity theft is top of mind.

This is a US survey, not global.

2008 Ranking

1 American Express (remained number one)

2 eBay (+6)

3 IBM (no change)

4 Amazon (+1)

5 Johnson & Johnson (+1)

6 Hewlett Packard (+10)

6 U.S. Postal Service (+1)

7 Procter & Gamble (+2)

8 Apple (new to the top 20)

9 Nationwide (remained the same)

10 Charles Schwab (-8)

11 USAA (+4)

12 Intuit (+7)

13 WebMD (-1)

14 Yahoo! (new to the top 20)

15 Facebook (new to the top 20)

16 Disney (-1)

16 AOL (-12)

17 Verizon (new to the top 20)

18 FedEx (new to the top 20)

19 US Bank (-2)

20 Dell (-7)

20 eLoan (-9)