What’s really accelerating change now is not hardware, but software. It’s easier than ever to stack cloud services together, Lego style, to build and power a business.
Thanks Jon Davie of Zone for the link
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Show off media v non show off media
An awful lot gets labelled as social media. And irrespective of the words used, It seems any new way of communicating is bundled together as all the same sort of thing by the media for convenience.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp, Vine, Telegram, Skype are all birds of a feather, but I think they can be best be understood and categorised by noting whether they are show off media or not.
Places where people routinely show off, professionally or personally
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Linked In
– Vine
– Instagram
– FourSquare
Places where the whole point is to keep it private
– SMS
– email
– Whatsapp
– Skype
– Telegram
– Snapchat
The killer app for both groups remains your address book. That’s the truth as to who we care about – and the real long term asset.
Ray Bradbury on the power of intuition
I’ve had a sign over my typewriter for over 25 years now, which reads “Don’t think!” You must never think at the typewriter — you must feel. Your intellect is always buried in that feeling anyway.
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lastminute.com ads from 1999/2000
Digging through some old files I’ve found these four posters I commissioned for lastminute.com through M&C Saatchi/Immediate Sales. They’re not my favourites but they’re the only surviving ones I have. The Blair “don’t plan” ad was an opportunistic response to the news that the then Prime Minister’s wife was unexpectedly pregnant.
The best ad we ran, IMO, was “Surprise your girlfriend. Take her sister to Paris.”
The LMN brand was all about spontaneity, adventure and romance. I have to say I think they lost that sheen, though they appear to be wanting to get it back.
[ EDIT – I found more ads]
The speech that echoed around the TV industry worldwide. Some great wakeup quotes.
Netflix’s company culture
Culture from Reed Hastings
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Flow, the secret to happiness
If you’re wondering whether you’re in the right role, watch this fantastic talk
Some eye-popping slides here
Via Ben Evans
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Purpose beats benefits
It’s good to know what benefits your product offers, but really powerful brands have a purpose – a point of view on how they believe the world should be. This reason to exist can create an authentic connection with people and a guiding narrative for the business.
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How Pixar stays creative
Great interview with Ed Catmull, President of Pixar outlining some of the practical, tough ways they manage the creative process. There are some excellent insights into how to manage creative people and the importance of collaboration.
Fundamentally, successful companies are unstable… the forces of conservatism are trying to go to a safe place
There are a small number of people who are socially dysfunctional, very creative. We get rid of them.
When we say we are director-led, we mean the director has to lead
…and the world changes and keeps evolving. And new potential arises, but these people who are settled in don’t see it.
Steve Jobs Interview Computer World from Tim Sparke on Vimeo.
Announcing the news of Ferguson’s retirement on Twitter was not only surprisingly modern, but by seeding the hashtag #thankyousiralex, they also took control of the news’ reception – the story being spun towards thanking Sir Alex rather than uncertainty of ‘what’s next for united’
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Plants vs. Zombies 2
I mean, what’s taking them so long?
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A replacement for Google Reader
I just set up Fever. It’s a self-hosted alternative to the doomed Google Reader that syncs via your own server. It’s pretty painless to import your existing feeds and there are great iOS apps too. So far works flawlessly and the design is great too.
You need your own server space (I use Dreamhost) and if anyone wants any help, gimme a shout.
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Ed Balls
If you were advising Ed Balls on how to handle the gloriously silly, utterly pointless and very British Ed Balls meme, what would you tell him?
If he were to tweet “Ed Balls” today, entirely deadpan, people would love him.
