Thoughts on HP & webOS

I feel that one of the main problems with webOS is that many people like it a lot for the design and want to see its potential unleashed.

Yet few users have voted for webOS with their wallets and few developers have made webOS apps, because many questioned whether it could be a sustainable mobile platform. Another reason is that the hardware running webOS has always been a bit of a let-down.

On a side note, I can't help but wonder if Steve Jobs feels a little saddened to see HP's lack of vision and commitment nowadays to make great products. Yes, HP's obviously a major competitor but mostly in the PC industry where it makes much slimmer margins. Jobs' first summer job was at Hewlett-Packard and also where he met Steve Wozniak, so it's more of a personal sting to witness the once iconic company giving up on post-PC devices.

 

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Facing your food: Only eating the meat you kill

Burger

"This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I've basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I'm eating a lot healthier foods and I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals.

I started thinking about this last year when I had a pig roast at my house. A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn't want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don't have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from." 

— Mark Zuckerberg

His reasoning struck a chord with me, especially the point about people trying to ignore or forgetting about the where and the how of food on the dinner table. There needs to be more awareness raised on this - more people learning/reflecting/acting on the process of how an animal's life becomes our food, which many of us overlook as being a "commodity" product we buy at the local supermarket.

Is his approach the most direct/visceral/memorable reminder to be thankful? Yes.

That said, I think there's a gray area between being grateful for the meat you eat and the willingness to kill an animal. I think one can be thankful without killing the meat consumed - and conversely - be able to kill an animal without being grateful for it. 

Kudos to him for having the determination, connections and guts to do it.

[Ironically, this post was written at a McDonald's at 7:24pm. Ended up ordering a salad instead of the Big Mac combo I originally craved for.]

 

What makes tumblr special?

Ballon_tree_ceiling_anthropologie_tumblr

After going inside one of their stores this weekend, it was coincidental - but not surprising - to discover anthropologie’s presence on tumblr today.

An excellent fit between the brand’s whimsical, design-focused identity and tumblr’s youthful, aesthetically-oriented user base.

I’m not sure why, but it’s fascinating to see which brands are active on tumblr. Even if I’m not the target demographic, it’s interesting because often tumblr seems to provide a more exposed, organic look into the brand and its values. And I think a major part of it has to do with the social design/structure of tumblr itself.

Perhaps it’s the never-ending flow of beautiful, and somewhat obscure imagery that inspires you.

Or the hilarious-but-sometimes-overplayed memes and witty catchphrases that make you chuckle.

Maybe it’s because Facebook and Twitter have become so mainstream nowadays that makes tumblr shine brighter in its own way.

But there’s definitely something about tumblr’s positioning in the blogosphere as a close-knit (in terms of feel, not actual size/growth), visually-driven community that connects with people on a deeper, more emotional level with the content.

With its fast-growing user base, easy-to-reblog content and unique position in digital culture, tumblr should definitely be a place for certain brands to consider participating in. I just hope tumblr doesn’t become too commercial and lose the charm that made it special in the first place.

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[via nquo.tumblr.com]

 

Getting political with Foursquare's API

National Post

National Post and Chicago-based startup GeoPollster recently partnered to create GeoPollster Canada, an interesting experiment/game which uses Foursquare's API to conduct mobile polling for Canada's federal election today.

How it works: Upon logging into Foursquare, the user (privately) chooses which party they plan to support. After that point, each check-in from that account is counted as a virtual vote towards the selected party. Votes are tallied in real-time and the GeoPollster map is updated accordingly.

By tapping into Foursquare's early adopter user base, the data from GeoPollster Canada obviously isn't representative of the general Canadian population (due to demographics such as as age, income level, gender, etc.). It's not meant to replace traditional - and often more disruptive - polling methods. At least not yet.

As adoption rates of smartphones and location-based services continue to grow, political parties and marketers will want to consider using this type of data to get a better pulse on the preferences of a target demographic/region.

It's exciting to see how traditional media companies like National Post are collaborating with startups and finding interesting ways to use emerging technology. GeoPollster Canada is an innovative example of how location-based platforms and social media can be used to learn about people's sentiments on a specific topic. It demonstrates that there's so much more you can do beyond the increasingly common Deal/Special that comes with a check-in or mayorship. 

Bloc Québécois    Conservative    Green    Liberal    New Democratic   

Test drive a Volkswagen inside a print ad


Impressive interactive work from Norway - a Volkswagen print ad that aims to explain how technologies such as Lane Assist, Adaptive Lighting and Adaptive Cruise Control improve safety, with a clever spin.

Instead of using words/pictures/videos, you download the app and go for a "test-drive" by hovering your iPhone over the ad.

It's a slick execution of how augmented reality, mobile and print can work together to illustrate how these complicated features work.

The primary focus is on the experience, not the technology, and I think that's what makes it a great interactive campaign.