Two words...kitty wigs.

Click here.

To the moon, part II

When I was a child I wanted to be an astronaut. I spoke about "sticky boots" that allowed you to go upside down. My parents encouraged this, and I believe used this as a way to encourage me to eat my vegtables.

As an adult, I know how completely ridiculous that must've sounded to my parents at the time, but thankfully they let nature take its course and I realized for myself that I would never go to outer space. My, how life pulls the chair from under your dreams.

In honor of a dream that never will be, I invite you to watch this HD video from the moon, taken on 10/31/07.

Best meal of the week

So I've been traveling most of the week, was in NY and Chicago. I had many nice, expensive meals and spent far too much, not that I had much choice. But today I had the best meal of the week. I got in this morning, and since I had no appointments at work and no one was expecting me in, I came and worked from home. So I got to have lunch with Abby - Spiderman mac and cheese and applesauce. Obviously,this wasn't the best lunch of the week because of the food. But the company was unbeatable. Thanks Abby!

Lego zombies...

I want one...see more here.

I don't know what to say about this...

There's nothing to say, other than this is frightening. Funny, but scary.

Who'd have thought?

Foldschool is a collection of free cardboard furniture for kids. I haven't made one, but want to. I'm not saying this is revolutionary or anything, but it's creative and it gets big points for that.

Visit the site here.

Where not to live.

I'm not going to tell you where to live, but I'm gonna tell you WHERE NOT TO. This link shows various bomb scares, shootings, and other mishaps. Updated every 7 minutes.

You've been warned.

Mashup time

This is an intersting mashup. In 1978 French filmmaker Claude Lelouch strapped a camera to his Ferrari and raced thru the streets of Paris. Thirty years later someone added a Google map to the footage. Thanks to Joe for sending this.

Check it out here.

Fun way to spend a few minutes

Are you as confused by some of the terms creatives use? Me too. This is a fun game where you can learn some design terms, while racing against time to finish the game.

Here's the link.

Historic day in the Kennedy house

I've been teaching Abby to read for the last four months. There are few things as enjoyable, as rewarding, as teaching your children to read. Or so I've learned.

So why is this a historic day? Because Abby read her first book. Ever. It's called Sid and the Mess, and it's a little reader from Kindergarten. It's 10+ pages long, and is about a horse who knocks his animal friends out of the tree. It's not the best book she will ever read, but that's not the point. The point is that she read it. And is reading it even as I type this, right next to me. It's the third time I've seen her read it today, and the enjoyment and pride that she feels about this accomplishment is such a rewarding thing.

I hope that Abby's life, like Maddies, is spent reading. That she read my favorites - Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Ender's Game, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Xanth series, A Malady of Magicks, The Lord of the Rings. I hope I can foster a love of reading now, and throughout her whole life. But today, she read Sid and the Mess. I think that's incredible.

To the moon!

I'm no lover of Google. But they know how to create buzz, and that's why I liked this announcement so much. Turns out they're offering $20 million to the first team to "successfully land a privately funded craft on the lunar surface and survive long enough to complete the mission goals of roaming about the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending a defined data package, called a “Mooncast”, back to Earth."

I've not read extensively on private space travel, but I know that it's terribly difficult to even get a privately built spacecraft out of orbit let alone on the moon. And I can't imagine that the $20 million would even begin to recoup the costs of doing this.So why do I love it?

Because I think Google knows this, and therefore knows that they will not have to pay this out. But yet they get the buzz and recognition for dreaming of something so cool as being the first to beam a mooncast. Plus, this will likely tie to some other product they're selling in a really cool way. They're seen as a revolutionary company, willing to do or try anything as long as it pushes the bounds of what's comfortable. They're not willing to be categorized as a search company, or a software company. They're just smart, and ballsy, and cutting-edge.

So good for them.

Feel better about yourself

My friend Jen shared this site with some celeb photoshopping. Crazy. But should make us all realize that our perceptions can be influenced by the media machine. And that we all look a little better than we think we do.

Take a peek here. You'll giggle.

Bad Wolf...and the power of words

Sometimes words resonate with me in ways that they don't to ordinary people. I don't know why, but I think it's because my Mom loves words, and I think it's one of the gifts she gave me. Anyway, I know Melanie thinks I'm an odd one, but the writing in Dr. Who is really outstanding. Last night I re-watched Bad Wolf and The Parting Ways - great episodes, and such great writing. Here are my favorite lines, with my favorite favorite lines bolded, for you're reading pleasure. They are great here, and even better when delivered by Rose.

The Doctor: What have you done? Rose Tyler: I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me. The Doctor: You looked into the time vortex, Rose, nobody is supposed to see that! Emperor Dalek: This is the abomination! Dalek: Exterminate! [Dalek shoots at her with its laser, but Rose lifts up her hand and stops it, reversing it back into the Dalek, the Doctor looks on in surprise] Rose Tyler: I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words... [Rose lifts her hand and takes the words from the Bad Wolf Corporation sign] Rose Tyler: ...I scatter them, in time and space. [the words float off away from them] Rose Tyler: A message, to lead myself here. The Doctor: Rose, you've got to stop this, you've got to stop this now! You've the entire vortex running through you're head, you're gonna burn! Rose Tyler: I want you safe, my Doctor. Protected from the false God. Emperor Dalek: You cannot hurt me, I am immortal. Rose Tyler: You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them. [Rose lifts her hand again, the Dalek that tried to shoot her disappears in an explosion of golden dust] Rose Tyler: Everything must come to dust. All things, everything dies.

Ordinary things matter

This Labor Day weekend reminded me of how special "ordinary" things can be. Today I played Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land with Abby. The loser had to do a funky dance. Sitting there in the family room, playing board games with my little girl is a seemingly simple, mundane thing. But I'm so glad I was able to do it, and what a funky dance I did. She said, "you're funny Dad". So really I'm the winner.

I've also got a new little buddy - Maddie really loves spending time with me, and I her. She cracks me up with the funny, totally independent things she does. Tonight all of us - Mel, Me, Abby, Maddie, and Grandma all played hide-and-go-seek. And Maddie totally ate it up! After she was found she would say "again, again". And she was literally screaming at the top of her lungs, expressing as only an 18 month old can, how totally fun and exciting a game of hide/seek can be. Or how wonderful a uncooked, raw corn cob can be (she almost ate the whole thing). Small, simple things. But wonderful, amazing everday occurances that make life sweet.

The 50 Greatest Local TV Commercials of All Time

Too good to miss out...laughter begins here.

New favorite show

I have to admit something. I've been wrong. Oh so wrong. A couple of friends at work have been going on and on for sometime about the new Dr. Who series, by the BBC, that's on the Sci Fi channel. I've been quick to say how lame Dr. Who is - mostly as a result of limited exposure to the old series that I used to see occassionally on the Canadian channels in Michigan. Looked horrible and lame.

But I've been wrong. Granted, I havent seen the old series, but the new series is AMAZING. My friend Rachel lent me the first season, and I've been watching it every chance I get. What's most grabbed my attention is the creative, tight, witty writing. The effects are still so-so, good for a TV series, but not as good as some. But the writing, and the characters...wow. I won't bore you by analyzing what makes the show so great, only to say that it doesn't take long for you to feel for these characters, to love them, to root for them. Shows that give me characters to love, first and foremost, win me heart and soul. And this show does that.

Watching one episode last night (2 am - boo) called Father's Day, in particular, really touched me. It made me grateful for my own daughters, made me more conscious of my duties as a father, and made me want to grab them, hold them, and never let go. If a TV show can do that, I'd say it's a success. And Dr. Who is that - and more.

My fight against city council

Created another blog to fight a proposal to build mobile homes - you heard right - mobile homes in West Kaysville.

Go to citizensforkaysville.blogspot.com.

Chris Farley lives

In a van, down by the river...

Check out this website

Unbelievable journey...click here

An artist's look at statistics...

Artist Chris Jordan looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. The picture above depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes.

More here

Linking to my favorite Blogger...Creed.

Huge fan of the office. Want a great laugh, check this out.

Might be illegal, but it's so cool...

Don't know if I love this and I'm not sure how impactful this will be in getting people to the movie. But I love the idea of putting the Surfer's image on 40,000 quarters. Brilliant, grass-roots awareness. Illegal, but brilliant.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/business/media/04quarter.html?_r=1&ref=media&oref=slogin

Every marketers nightmare...Bank of America promotional fax mistaken as bomb threat

The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

ASHLAND, Massachusetts: A Bank of America employee misinterpreted a faulty fax about a bank promotion as a bomb threat Wednesday, leading authorities to evacuate more than a dozen neighboring businesses.

The fax from a marketing group about a Bank of America small business promotion contained images of a lighted match and a bomb with a fuse, bank spokesman Ernesto Anguilla said. But words explaining the promotion did not transmit.

"The fax machine malfunctioned, so a partial image came through that looked somewhat suspicious," Anguilla said.

The missing text included the phrases "The countdown begins" and "Small business commitment week June 4-8," according to a copy circulated by police.

"It was an internal communication designed only for our employees," Anguilla said. The fax was sent to the bank's branches in parts of New England as well as New York and New Jersey.
The bank's Ashland branch manager called police Wednesday morning. Fears also arose because the branch received a suspicious package delivered by a customer around the same time, police said. A State Police bomb squad searched the bank branch and checked out the package, which was a delivery of documents.

About 15 small businesses in a shopping plaza were evacuated for about three hours, including a day care center with about 30 children, Police Chief Scott Rohmer said.

Authorities eventually learned from Bank of America security officials that it was a false alarm.

The future of art - Robots and Monsters

When the art world and web 2.0 connect, great things happen. You get http://www.robotsandmonsters.org, a charitable project that went boing. I participated last week, and that morning Joe emailed me and 700 other peeps and said he was overwhelmed by the response. I like the good cause aspect, but come on. What a great model for other artists.

Reminded me of http://www.onethousandpaintings.com/home/, another idea that is so stratightforward: One thousand numbers = one thousand paintings for sale.

I've been chatting with artist friends about this, and really think there's a new business opportunity that should be realized.

Oh, and check out Project 337, a local art experience here in Salt Lake City.

New opportunities in emerging markets

I just realized there's alot here about emerging markets, technology, and user info. Sorry. I've been working on these issues for 6 months or so for a client. It's very top of mind for me...understanding how these markets work and how you can scale solutions when they are so different and complex. I mean, look at BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). I mean, really. Can these markets be any less different?

So it's on my mind. I will try to be more diverse, since my real passion is similar, but different - new business ideas. I've never started a business, and don't know if I can do it. But I really want to...it's a combination of drive + fear of letting someone else control my destiny.

Rich insights into low income consumers

How should you market to customers in emerging markets? How should you alter the message, product, or brand to make it desirable to these "new" customers? These are complicated questions, so rash generalizations do not hold up - particularily when you begin to slice customers further by socio-economic data, cultural issues, climate, needs, etc. However, a good rule of thumb is to not treat them dramatically different than you would other customers. A research report by Synovate backs up this thought.

Here's a little taste + the link to the report.

Low income consumers in the world's emerging markets want many of the same things out of life and the same quality in their products as middle class consumers and differ mainly in their purchasing behaviour, according to a recent global study by Synovate.

When it comes to attitudes, low income consumers in emerging markets have many of the same life priorities, values and brand perceptions as their middle class cousins. Health, family and physical security are the top three most important things in life for more than 80% of low and middle income consumers, followed by a good home, an education and a good income.

Full article here: http://www.synovate.com/knowledge/infact/issues/200611/

Living with – or without – technology

Almost half of us think new technology looks cool even if we don't understand it, according to a recent Synovate survey. The global market research company also learned that while a mobile phone is the gadget most people could not live without, almost one-quarter of respondents claim they could live without any of their high-tech toys.

What is the most important feature when deciding which technological gadget to buy? Check out the full article here: http://www.synovate.com/knowledge/infact/issues/200606/

Battle of the brands for emerging market hearts

While almost 60 percent of consumers in emerging market countries would buy a local brand over an international brand if both products were of equal price, consumers in these 'Hotspots' countries have the same brand preferences for cars (Toyota), fast food (McDonalds) and hotels (Hilton) as developed market consumers.

Good data, interesting findings. Learn something about it here: http://www.synovate.com/knowledge/infact/issues/200703/

Why didn't I think of this...

Would you spend $100 on an umbrella? Me either. How about if it looked like this? Yeah, me too.

Check it out or buy it here.

eMachines sees an opportunity to market low-cost PCs in emerging markets

Read that eMachines is targeting its low-cost thin client PCs to educational institutions and emerging markets. The article is here.

http://crn.com/hardware/198800791?queryText=emachines

We will increasingly see more and more manufacturers trying to make their business models work in emerging markets among developing segments. This makes sense for many reasons, including the shear number (more than 5 billion cannot currently take part in the digital revolution) and the purchasing power of the top countries ($15 trillion by many accounts). We have seen mobile handset manufacturers going here, and will see the PC manufacturers trying to make it work as well.

We're not solving a problem, we're making a one.

Interesting article for those thinking that those in developing markets simply want our junk. Not true. In some cases, our "charity" can backfire and hurt those we want to help. Not that I don't think we shouldn't try. But this is a bit ridiculous.

In a broadcast that was shared with me by a colleague, there's an interesting analysis of how e-waste can hurt those who we think we're helping.

I actually am a proponant of using technology to help those in emerging markets. But this shows there are ramifications that we need to consider.

Check it out here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june07/ewaste_02-19.html

Creative solution to a real problem - getting clean water.

Isn't creative problem solving one of the most beautiful things. When you look at the solution and say, "yes, that's a great solution to a real-world problem". From my experience with poor people in developing countries, I've always been amazed at how they improvise and use all that they have to make things better. I really dig the creativity of those who are working on developing market problems.

Here's a great solution to a simple problem - getting clean water.

You'll love it, I'm sure.

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Look/water_park

How the poor spend their money

Interesting article on how the poor spend their money. Reminds me of the days when I was poor...there were many of them. The desire to indulge is what makes us, well, human. Animals, for instance, find nothing wrong with eating the same thing each day. They're just thrilled to have a meal.

Me, I've had times of poverty when I've eaten nothing but toasted tomato sandwiches, hot dogs, and corn. They were free, and that's what we ate. I can eat hot dogs, and the sandwiches remind me of simpler times. But corn...nope.

Here's the article. http://www.slate.com/id/2162738/