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Cute 404 Page
8 Feb2010
As annoyed as I get when a website is down, a good 404 page will always make me feel a little better.
HootSuite managed to at least make me smile, even if it’s not working.
On February 15 (for those of you in the States), Adidas is set to launch something never before tried with footwear: Augmented Reality Shoes.
Say what?
You heard me.
Adidas Originals AR Game Pack – as they have been named – is a set of 5 shoes, each with a printed AR code on the tongue. A user can hold up the code on their webcams, where they will instantly get access to a virtual “Adidas Originals Neighbourhood.” Each shoe will have a different neighbourhood, like this one below:
But wait! There’s more!
Not only will users be able to see these neighbourhoods poppin’ out of their fancy shoes, but for February, March & April, Adidas will launch new interactive games within each neighbourhood where the shoe itself will be the game controller.
With two weeks left until launch of the shoes, Adidas has released a teaser video. While it doesn’t show the augmented reality in action, it does show the kind of variety you can expect to see, dependent on the type of shoe purchased.
This campaign has yet to launch and already the blogosphere is a-buzz with this new and innovative approach to selling shoes. But will this kind of digital work translate into big bucks for Adidas? I’m definitely curious and will be following the launch of the Adidas Originals AR Game Pack closely.
Thanks to a Digital Buzz Blog post for the image up top.
- In: Love
People Blog! There’s No Need for Privacy, Y’see!
11 Jan2010
I am going to do my best and not get all CAPS HAPPY when writing about the following article. Must. Control. Rage.
<Deep breath.> Ok.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook.com, recently told a live audience that the age of privacy is now over and if he were to create Facebook again today, user information would be publicly available rather than private, as it has been for years.
And what is his reasoning, you might ask? Why would users be perfectly fine with anyone accessing their private information? Why, because WE ALL BLOG, OF COURSE!
(Oops, sorry, the caps slipped out.)
Yes. Society is one big giant blogger and it’s Facebook’s duty to follow suit. Don’t believe me? Words from the wonder kid himself:
And then in the last 5 or 6 years, blogging has taken off in a huge way and all these different services that have people sharing all this information. People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.
We view it as our role in the system to constantly be innovating and be updating what our system is to reflect what the current social norms are.
OK, Facebook, listen up! You’re missing three very key important points here:
ONE. Yes, blogging is big. Pretty big, in fact. But Facebook-worthy big? Hells to the no. As Marshall Kirkpatrick writes, “Not very many people write blogs, almost everyone is on Facebook.”
And he’s right. I can think of numerous friends (Facebook friends, fancy that!) that do not blog, nor have any interest in blogging. Ironically, I can even think of privacy-zealot friends, who rightfully freaked out about the Facebook privacy changes this past December, who blog.
TWO. Which brings me to my second point: The difference between blogging and Facebook’s outlook on privacy is that with blogging we 100% control the information. I’ll say it again for emphasis: I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CONTROL the information I put on any blog I own. Whereas, where it looks like Facebook is headed, they could completely take away that control. They could give my personal information to whomever they like, whenever they like, however they like and not tell me. And some things, like my profile picture, I can’t do anything to stop them from sharing that with the world. Does that make me feel comfortable? All warm and fuzzy on the inside? Absolutely not.
THREE. My last point: I expected better from the world’s largest social networking site. Facebook, really? Do you hear the tone of disappointment in my voice? Because it’s there. It’s really, really there.
You are not a follower. You shouldn’t be a follower. You didn’t get to where you were by following trends but by breaking through with something different and new. So don’t go trying to conform to “social norms” (which I would still argue, as who the h-e-double hockey sticks would find giving away their privacy, no problem, “normal”?)
What you could have done (what you should have done) was become a LEADER in privacy. Show the rest of those silly social networks how IT IS DONE. Boom goes the dynamite, done. Give your users somewhere they can feel safe, where they can interact with their friends and not have to worry about who is seeing what. And who is selling what.
TO WRAP UP. I think there’s any opportunity here, for some young whippersnapper, to seize. If a respectable Facebook competitor would emerge, built on a platform of trust and privacy, I could really see many people, including my lovable privacy-zealot friends, switching over immediately and completely purging their Facebook accounts.
The problem right now is there is no real competitor to Facebook, and this results in users having very little choice and say in what happens with their accounts, as we’ve seen over and over with the Facebook redesigns and policy changes in the last couple of years (seriously, how do they manage to NOT LISTEN AT ALL?!).
So, young whippersnappers: hop to! Give Facebook a run for its money! And leave our information to us. We know what to do with it. Trust us.
(I think I did maybe a B+ on the “Avoiding Caps” scale. I’ll work harder next time. Maybe.)
- In: Rants
- Tags: competition, facebook, not cool at all man, privacy, ranting, wasted opportunities
Saw this little meme on another blog today and thought it would be interesting. Let’s see what we get.
Put your music player on shuffle, and write down the first line of the first twenty-one songs. Post the poem that results. The first line of the twenty-second is the title.
He’s 5 Foot 2 & He’s 6 Feet 4
Crawl through the darkness, fear all that don’t, fate is a gift
You were the mother of three girls so sweet
What? well fuck you…bitch
No, no, no, no, don’t phunk with my heart.
Ooh, now let’s get down tonight
It won’t do
Pardon me while I burst
On my way up north.
Everyday all of these crimes are committed
I feel you creeping, I can see it from my shadow
Come to decide that the things that I tried
I’ve been so many places in my life and time.
The good times are killing me. Here we go!
It ain’t no joke I’d like to buy the world a toke
Well he lit you up
Pride can stand a thousand trials.
Will someone please call a surgeon
There’s another world inside of me
I pray for rain because I’m trying
This here’s a tale for all the fellas.
Kind of funny! Especially the 4th paragraph to me. Hah. What do you think? Can you name any or all of these songs?
Year in Review Meme: 2009
30 Dec2009
I try hard not to get too personal on my blog here but I think it is fitting for me to look back at this year and review. 2009 was a very trying year for many people I know. It was a huge year of transition for me. Starting this blog was part of that transition to establish myself in Toronto once again after I returned from traveling.
So I’ve decided to do the Year in Review meme that’s going around. This is one of my most personal blog posts I’ve ever written here. Please be gentle.
- In: Important
- Tags: end of year, meme, personal
The Epitome of Ridiculousness: JG Wentworth
28 Dec2009
That said, the YouTube ad has over 700 comments, so clearly its doing its job of getting talked about. Not sure I agree with harukalioncourt who said:
This is one of the most creative commericals [sic] I have seen in the whole of my life!
One of the most creative commercials they’ve ever seen? Oh geez, my inner ad geek is CRYING BUCKETS right now. I think her poor little ad heart is broke too.
You want a good ad? Try this one on for size:
Editing, music, imagery, strong moments in history all pull together to help you reflect how long it has been. Follow that up with a strong statistic about the longevity of the brand and you have an ad that can create an emotive and logical response.
Or perhaps the “He Shoots, He Scores!” Coca Cola ad from the 2002 Olympics which Coca Cola is broadcasting again in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics. I did my best to find a video but all I could find was this mention on Advertolog. As a Canadian, that ad gets to me.
C’mon JG Wentworth. Pull yourself together and raise the bar, ok? I know I will thank you if you do. Repeatedly.
Lady GaGa Parody: Neutra Typeface
2 Dec2009
I know I’ve been posting a lot of YouTube videos lately and I swear I do have ideas for more content-driven posts but I had to – had to! – post this.
Not only is it funny but it’s actually surprisingly well done. I wish I was a bit more of a font geek… Sigh.
I wish I was a bit more of a geek on many things, actually.
Found via swissmiss.
Sesame Street Meets Mad Men
2 Dec2009
How great is Sesame Street? I mean, really, this is bang on.
It’s hard not laughing out loud in an office but I guarantee I was sitting here at my desk giggling silently.
“Happy! Happy! Happy! We’re Happy Men!”
Got to wonder, though: Was this really created for children? Or perhaps… the child in us all? </bad pun>
Thanks to The Renegade Agency Confessional for bringing this one to my attention.
Great Spot from INPES
29 Nov2009
As many of my friends know, I dislike smoking. And so I think this spot from INPES (France’s National Institute of Prevention and Health Education) has done a great spot on highlighting how incredibly lucky we all are to be the ones to stand here today and live our lives. Why would we throw our luck out the window on an unnecessary habit?
Check it out.
Found via AdJoke.ca. Thanks Paul.
- In: Important| Love
- Tags: advertising, anti-smoking, digital media, inpes, smoing, youtube
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