Monday Thoughts….

Do you remember what you were doing on September 27th, 1998? Other than being single and working at a different ad agency in New York, I have no idea what I was doing that day. Yes, I totally missed the birth of Google and I assume most everyone did just like me. We all now know how significant that launch was. As with most things, it was impossible to see at the time what it will become.

There are loads of stories out there on how Google has fundamentally changed our lives. I certainly have been affected — what would my day be without gmail, calendar, maps, analytics, adwords, adsense, etc., ? Where will my son find his entertainment without YouTube? How would I have remodel my bathrooms without Google search? However, what I find particularly interesting on this rainy September Monday is what the dominant super search engine and technology provider is not anymore — Google is no longer the most visited website in America. That now belongs to another college dorm room project, Facebook.

As we try to look out another 12 years, one thing is certain — some unrecognized beginning will once again fundamentally shift how technology affects our lives and changes our behaviors. We won’t see it coming and probably won’t be able to realize the significance when we first encounter it. Our best bet is to not get too complacent with what we have and always remain open to what might be.

April Fool’s – Google Changes Name to Topeka

In it’s rich tradition of April Fools jokes, Google changed their “Google” logo to “Topeka” today. Why? Awhile back, the mayor of Topeka declared to change their name to Google if they were chosen to be the first city to get their Google internet service.  A bold move by Topeka rewarded them with a one-of-kind free branding/marketing on the first day of April.

Google? Topeka?, originally uploaded by Stubbornella (aka Nicole).

May Video Snacks

[As posted on Sigma Blog]

No one loves snacking on great videos more than the folks at Sigma (BTW, we call ourselves “Sigmites”).  To us, it’s both an inspiration and a great escape—fresh thoughts to fuel new ideas, and as refreshing as a brisk walk on a spring morning.  So this week, we are rounding-up some of our favorites that we found during the past week.  See more in our Video Snacking lounge.

Death Cab For Cutie’s Little Bribes – We first found this video on Twitter.  @RossChing sent out this tweet and three days later, it’s been picked as Vimeo Staff Favorite and been viewed over 23K times. Good luck @RossChing, no need to “bribe” when you can crank out this kind of awesome work.

Blame it on Ringo – They say there are 4.2 million CCTV cameras in the UK and an average person is caught on camera 300 times per day (so they say…).  For the CCTV camera on Abbey Road, blame it on Ringo.

Obscura Mint Plaza Building – Projections are in 2D but when combined with 7 HD projectors, it’s sensational.

YouTube Mosaic – Made with 1.4 million tiles and thousands of unique YouTube video stills.  It’s definitely a one of a kind, maxing out YouTube’s annotation editor.

San Francisco Zoo’s Critter Quest – What a smart way to re-connect with locals and visitors, perfectly blending traditional media with digital.

Let it Shine – We’ve all seen Honda’s light show videos, but we really like the version on Vimeo. To get the perfect integration experience, view this one on Vimeo.

Thanks for tuning in… now get back to work!

Not on my shirt, but yes on my blog…

One of the best thing about Twitter is the abundance Twitter tools, apps, widgets, etc.  Almost everyday, I come across something new and today, it’s @Walter’s Twitter Mosaic via @ljjones.

Twitter Mosaic creates a mosaic of your followers and/or friends (similar to FriendorFollow.com) which can be placed on to a T-shirt, mug, mouse pad and tote bag.  The site also gives you a code to place the mosaic on your blog.  More details here.

As much I appreciate all my Twitter buddies, I can’t imagine wearing all of you on a T-shirt. Please don’t take it personal, it just doesn’t go with my wardrobe and I’m not sure how you would feel about having your ‘image’ be in my wash with my socks. So, I’m posting you in this blog entry.  Cheers!

While Waiting for the Big Nor’easter…

Found two things that really inspired me.

Giovanni Sollima for reminding me of my past cello days…

John Keats for showing how beautiful words can be..

Don’t be discouraged by a failure.  It can be a positive experience.   Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. — John Keats

Video Snacking: Did You Know?

Get ready for information overload! This is their latest and best version.