John Winsor

Math That Makes Sense

More math here.

Via BBH Labs.

Will the Kindle DX Change Advertising?

For the last couple of days I've been intrigued by the possibilities that Amazon's new Kindle DX represents. I've had an original Kindle for a few months now. While it's been fun to use, it hasn't replaced books. It has just felt too small. My sense is that the DX will push the adoption further, once the price comes down from $489.

One big question is, what will happen to advertising in this new medium as more and more people replace paper newspapers with electronic readers?

As with any new technology, opportunities will certainly emerge.

How do you see advertising changing with this new medium? What will be the opportunities to emerge?

Need Your Thoughts for a Speech at Stanford's d.school

I'm talking at Stanford's d.school tomorrow and need your help on ideas for the talk. Here's part of the note I received:

As far as the content: Students are now working on their final project: They will be using design thinking to find a target user group and a point of view to spread some kind of change of behavior around the use of gas. What we want the speakers in the mini conference to focus on is techniques, thoughts and experiences around spreading ideas, unleashing virality etc. It can be a story with some learning's, it can be a few case examples whatever you like – plan on 20 minutes with a few questions.

I'd love to include your thoughts on spreading ideas and unleashing virality.

Thanks.

The World Digital Library Launches Today

What happens when everything is available digitally? Historical books, ancient maps, rare recordings? It's only going to accelerate learning. The World Digital Library is certain to change the way we look at history and bring cultures closer together.

SHARKLOVE

My good friend and fellow CPBer, Evan Fry, just created a cool new site called SHARKLOVE. Here's what he has to say about it:

Sharklove was founded in 2002 with a simple sticker designed for the Northern California surf community. It was a sticker that told the world, "I recreate in waters inhabited by Great White sharks so I am sending them good vibes. Because though they could easily swallow me whole, they are not monsters. They are awesome. And it's an honor to play in their backyard." But we soon learned that Sharklove should, and could, mean so much more. So today, Sharklove.com is a home and resource for shark lovers - a place where we can learn, share and rally. So whether you use it to get a free sticker, post a recent sighting or help stop what is arguably the greatest threat to our planet, as long as you're using it, we'll be stoked. And we think the sharks will be too.

As surfer, I love sharks. Being tapped on the foot once, I respect them even more. I'm sure you'll enjoy a little Shark Love as much as I do.

Great job, Evan.

Designing QR Codes

For a while now I've been interested in QR codes as a way to connect the physical and virtual worlds, yet the codes have always looked a little bit like a wart on a product, ad or poster. Tonight, I caught this on JoshSpear.com.

How many of you know what to do with the image to the left? Hopefully most of you. Aside from identifying it as Murakami work, it’s a QR code for your mobile phone. QR (quick response) codes are like the Japanese version of bar codes, because they started in Japan. The code is scanned into your mobile phone via the camera and outputs a link. Think of it as a way to add hyperlinks in the real world. Normally, these QR codes look like deformed boxy versions of bar codes. But as soon as Murakami touches one we are all gaga. It’s amazing what a little Louis Vuitton pattern and color can do to a QR.

Also, check out the other incredibly designed QR codes from SET. It's inspiring to see how design can
radically shift something from a wart to a beauty mark.

Never Lose Your Keys

LaCie has just introduced a new mode of storing and transporting digital content.  LaCie, who is recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of computer peripherals, is offering three styles of it’s USB key drive: itsaKey, iamaKey and PassKey. The USB keys were designed by 5.5 Designers, recipients of the “Grand prix de la creation” by the city council of Paris. The keys mirror that of a standard house key, which is compact and fits easily onto any keychain. Being made of metal, the keys are virtually resistant to destruction.

The LaCie Keys are available now, starting at $9.90. The itsaKey and iamaKey store up to 8 gigabytes of flash memory, whereas the PassKey has a microSD card reader.

What's the Difference Between Co-creation and Remixing?

Have you seen Thru You yet? It's worth checking out. An artist, Kutiman has taken samples of YouTube videos and made them into quite interesting songs. It begs the question: What's the difference between co-creation and remixing? Are you still co-creating if someone else has used your material and remixed it with something else? Either way, it's another example of the power of the collective. With so much information flowing in so many interesting directions, peopel can act as shapers and editors creating new genres of anything.

Here's one of Kutiman's creations:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...Barter?

With the economy in the current state it's in, people are going back to the old ways of exchanging goods and services with others. This is nothing new, as people have been doing it for centuries. What is new, is that thanks to the internet, your reach and possibilities are infinite.

According to the Associated Press 2/25/09:

Bartering ads on Craigslist have increased about 100 percent since last year, said Susan MacTavish Best, a spokeswoman for the online classified advertising service. Traffic is also up at local organizations like the Midwest Barter Exchange, a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based outfit that acts as a go-between for about 1,000 business clients.

As well as being cost-effective, bartering can also be quite fun. Heather Wood, a beautician in Boise has traded her services for daycare, as well as dental cleanings, and even a car pain job. She states, It's fun, and it builds a whole different kind of a relationship...They're getting what they want and I'm getting what I want. I would much rather do that than make cash most of the time.

Gary Forman, president of Dollar Stretcher, a company that publishes methods for saving money feels that people are yearning for more human interaction and that, [t]he human element and the relationship between buyers and sellers becomes more important when we get involved in bartering transactions.

Seems like a win: win situation for everyone.

The Rise of Unproducts

A friend of mine just sent me a link from an interesting design article penned by Ben Terrett. Here’s a snippet:

This is the year of economic crisis. Last year it was the year of climate crisis. That hasn’t gone away. I can’t help but feel the two complement each other. One idea emerging from the creative community as a means of fighting climate change is to give more value but produce less stuff. We’re beginning to call this “unproduct”. Have I ever bored you with this idea? No. Really?

Originally coined by the designer Matt Jones and built upon by the strategist Russell Davies, among others, unproduct is basically maximum idea, minimum stuff. Because it is such a new concept, good unproduct examples are very hard to find. However, clothing company Howies is making something called the Hand Me Down range - a range of jackets and bags designed to be very long-lasting. Guaranteed for 10 years, they come complete with a certificate where you state who you’ll pass it on to when you’ve finished with it. And it’s high quality, expensive stuff, sort of in line with Bruce Sterling’s last Viridian note.

Expect to see the trend of more value/fewer products accelerate.