Archive for the ‘ fun ’ Category
This might be a lazy post, but important nonetheless!
Watch this amazing video to give you a sense of the world we’re working in today and tomorrow. Five minutes well spent. And you can bop along to Fatboy Slim while you ponder. It’s a win-win.
Broadband viewership has doubled! Well, at least in the States.
And a large number of people want to see companies on social networking sites… or so it may seem. Social networking is a very broad term. Personally, I’d be happy to stop receiving ads for celebrity dieting techniques while I’m on Facebook.
I have tried to cancel these ads (you can click a thumbs down on each thumbnail advertisement and let Facebook know why you don’t want to see it) but so far, their technique isn’t working too well. I regularly see a Rachael Ray diet beside my profile, despite regularly telling Facebook it’s irrelevant. I don’t want a Rachael Ray diet! I don’t want to start calling everything yummo.
Just because: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qQKdHxeMkk
Turns out YouTube is shutting down all copies of this pageant. Seems suspicious. Anyone know why?
I currently work in the educational gaming world for kids. I like to argue that all games are educational, but there’s this little ‘curriculum’ issue. We’re sometimes told to create “math” games or “literacy” games… but how can you make learning fun?
This argument makes a lot of sense. It says there’s this great divide between educational games and ‘fun’ games and this can be solved easily through more thoughtful development. It totally makes sense to me. People want to learn things they’re interested in – not things that are rammed down their throat. Video games can act as a conduit to that information.
I’d like to think I’m trying this angle with the games I help write with my coworkers. For example, whenever I use a phrase such as Firewall or Verbosity, it’s sometimes suggested to me that “kids don’t know that term.” I’ve always believed that those kids who want to learn what that means will ask an adult or look it up themselves. Those who aren’t interested won’t absorb the content anyway.
Are there any educational games out there that are more about the fun? Let me know!
Google in the midst of creating a mobile phone device. I know! We just got used to the iPhone craziness. Rumour has it the first device with this software (called Android) will launch will happen in the States sometime in November. The phone is built by HTC and will include Google software and lots of other features.
Web Monkey studies the six reasons why the iPhone will deliver where Android won’t.
There’s also some talk that it’s more than just a mobile device and might reach TV sets. The iPhone already acts as a universal remote for the Apple products, so this isn’t too big of a surprise.
This is pretty big because it’s Google, a company that offers free usage on products that have traditionally gone with a paid-for model. For example, they have a free-to-use documents path that leads users to services that work just like Word and Excel. Its Analytics service is used by many companies (and me!) as a free way to monitor website usage. Did I mention all this is free? Perhaps this phone is another device that may, or may not, shift how business is done.
Bring this up next time someone asks you why you don’t have an iPhone yet.
If you use Google Reader to read my blog, you may have noticed a lovely new way to control the way you share news items with pals – even those who aren’t on Gmail. Hit Sharing Settings and see who’s sharing posts with you and who you’re sharing with, which is a nice addition.
I’ve been watching the sports in Beijing, but I’m also amazed by the architecture of the Olympics. Lego has taken it one step forward. This takes my breath away.
Finally, there’s a new online video player, with a twist. Strike.TV launched in beta and it’s product that comes directly from Hollywood storytellers. The idea launched while they were on strike. Get it? Strike TV? On strike? Gee, I could have thought of that. Maybe I have what it takes to be a screenwriter after all.
This post from Julian Cole on Adspace Pioneers in Social Media marketing is interesting. He lists the top 12 moments that help define some of social media moments for advertising. It’s a clever look back at how social media has grown in just three years. It has gone from a niche service for the computer savvy to everyone on the planet, then slowly back to niche.
Organic’s Three Minds outlines whether niche social networks will attract marketing dollars as corporate media focuses its attention on the idea of spreading the word online.
I just wonder if the marketers will get it right in the niche world. If they don’t speak the language, or end up insulting those in the group, it can backfire. Also, some marketers are using social media all wrong. As ReadWriteWeb pointed out, why is there a site for those who want to talk about cat litter?
It would be OK if the litter site turned into a place where users could mock the ability to comment on kitty litter. But I guess that would put the delicate brand into the hands of the masses. It happened at Amazon.com when its users could describe their experiences with every product available, including groceries… and Uranium Ore. One favourite: “This Uranium Ore facial scrub has given my skin a beautiful glow!” Also read about Land Tanks “… it also has plenty of room for groceries.”
Sadly, Amazon took down the over 1,000 reviews for milk.
Let me know if you’ve seen other ridiculous social media sites.
I’m slightly addicted to podcasts. They’re a great thing to listen to while you’re on the way to work. But be careful with the funnier ones such as The Bugle from the Times Online, because you’ll laugh out loud on a quiet subway train. Not… that… I’ve.. ever.. done… that..
Podcasts are a great way for independent folks to get their product out there. I wouldn’t have known about the Pilates on Fifth video podcasts I can do from my living room, or the stories about everyday Americans doing extraordinary things in This American Life (I’m Canadian, so public radio is CBC), or speaking of radio, the latest in indie music from Canada CBC Radio 3. Most importantly for the user, it’s free.
But what about content creators looking to monetize their online video? Head over to the iTunes movies and television offerings and it’s mainly well-known broadcasters and distributors promoting their stuff. Unless you’ve got a distributor, you’re out of luck, right? A blogger at Cinema Tech released some info on how to get your indie onto iTunes, but that begs the question: if an iTunes user had the option of watching an unknown film from an unknown creator and a known film, what would they pay for to watch?
Does it make more sense for the indie artist to work for free on a podcast while the established distributor and producer makes money on the iTunes shop?
There’s a new music site called Jogli that boasts over 12 million albums and 500 million songs. And it’s all packaged into an easy-to-navigate site
Don’t judge me, but the first thing I looked up when I came across the site was Duran Duran. Maybe I’m nostalgic, or maybe I wanted to age myself. But after searching and finding a link to their not-so-popular New Moon on Monday song (and realizing I hadn’t seen or even thought of searching for that video since I was 12), I watched it. What a horrible video. But what a good service to see it on.
When Jogli launched the video, it started up (courtesy of You Tube) with additional information such as lyrics (wow! even the lyrics are bad on New Moon on Monday – and yet I still love it) and the song’s album information.
I won’t touch the copyright implications, although I’m sure this will work as an easy tool for future lawsuits against You Tube. This site is pretty cool, though, and it’s all still in beta.
Shut your office door. Pretend you’re on a conference call or something. Or if you don’t have an office, get a wifi-enabled laptop and sneak into the stock room. Why? Because these videos are important.
The first is an interview with Ze Frank. I’ve mentioned him before. He managed to turn a small experiment into a worldwide phenomenon all by giving power to his audience. He explains it way better. This is amusing and enlightening.
Next, snoop around the online video player for Ted – Technology, Education and Design. It’s an amazing collection of lectures – and there are great snippets of what’s next in technology.
Kevin Kelly, says the web is less than 5,000 days old and everyone thought it would be “TV, but better.” But it’s so much more, and he looks at the next 5,000 days.
Don’t understand the long tail that everyone keeps talking about? Watch Chris Anderson break it down. Want to know why is a mobile phone an important tool for humanity?
Sure beats Dancing with the Stars.*
*Please note I have never seen Dancing with the Stars
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