Google Gears Demo

Oh, and being excited as I am, I decided to actually link to a second video! (today we're making history: this may very well be the shortest video by Robert Scoble ever)

Google Gears rocks! (+ lots of other tech news)

Now this was meant to be big. Steve and Bill on the same stage.
Well at the end of the day it didn't really keep up with (my) expectations: they just chatted and laughed a lot (I wanted a riot).
Anyway here's the video (if you're a I-can-read-quicker-than-that guy, here's Engadget's liveblogging)

By the way: why is everybody talking of Microsoft's Surface computer? Not much in there except for the cool "Minority Report" style demo.

Indeed, out there there's A LOT OF NEW STUFF that's going to change our lives:

First and most important: Google Gears (for a full coverage see Lifehacker's post). This is finally enabling us to access Google Reader offline. It's something I always wanted and something that should have people at Redmond kind of nervous (seems like Read/Write Web agrees). How long before we can get Gmail and GDocs without being connected to the web?

Then: Apple has finally launched its new DRM-free iTunes Plus. While this is huge but expected, the news is the 160Gb AppleTV. Now that's a digital hub! Also, it's going to play YouTube videos (though is a somewhat tricky way).

Finally, Scoble has a nice video on a speech to text recongnition technology.

Oh, and Google enabled sightseeing on their GMaps. The results? A lot of funny pictures!

Last update: lots of acquisitions going on. CBS acquired my favourite Last.fm, eBay took StumbleUpon and Fox got Photobucket and Flektor.

26 Reasons What You Think Is Right Is Wrong

My job has a lot to do with understanding where people is right or wrong on something and make the most of it (Seth Godin says it's about understanding worldviews).
So you can understand why this brilliant post about 26 reasons what you think is right is wrong got me really interested.

My top 4:

4. Confirmation bias - the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.

7. Déformation professionnelle - the tendency to look at things according to the conventions of one’s own profession, forgetting any broader point of view.

18. Omission bias - The tendency to judge harmful actions as worse, or less moral, than equally harmful omissions (inactions).

25. Von Restorff effect - the tendency for an item that “stands out like a sore thumb” to be more likely to be remembered than other items.

Me? I tend to speak my mind.
That's why I'm wrong most of the time.
Next time you hear me telling bullshits, please let me know (I'll appreciate if you'll also tell me which cognitive bias I'm operating).

Top 5 Google Reader reference posts

Why should I waste my time writing how Google Reader is by far the best feed reader in town when there are so many clever posts around?
So, big story short, here's my top 5 links (some stuff may overlap etc):

1) Getting good with Google Reader [lifehacker]
My personal favorite how-to on GReader. Here you can find all the basics, from keyboard shortcuts (heck, don't even try to use to tags, to shortcuts.

2) How to add search to Google Reader [The Google OS]
Useful to search through your feeds (Google folks, let's face it: it's just unconceivable that GReader has no integrated search!!!), if you wanna go hardcore you can also integrate it on the main page, though I'm not sure how it's going to cope with...

3) The OS X-like skin for Google Reader [Hicksdesign via Lifehacker]
Being a Mac user I'm design driven by definition, so this is a must have in my opinion.

4) 10 Smart Hacks for Google Reader [Lifehack.org]
This is mostly interesting for the nice idea of setting priorities your feeds (like must read or can be skipped)

5) there's no five.

I could bother you with stuff about link blogs or navigating through your feeds with your Nintendo Wii but I guess that's much too esoteric stuff (and it's just a google search away), so have fun with GReader! :-)

[Bonus video: for the very basic folks out there, here's how to set up GReader]


[Bonus video 2: for the very basic cavemen out there, here's a video answering your question "what is an RSS"? (no, seriously. If you've come this far into the post without even knowing what an RSS is you should really see some kind of specialist)]

Tuned into music

I stumbled upon tunedintomusic blog.
The guy/gal (doesn't specify) posts lots ofreviews of lesser known / independent music and - as far as my music culture may go - does a great job. I thought it might interest you folks. :-)

Me? I'm still trying to make my Last.fm account work with my Facebook account. Damn web 2.0!

Google's 7 principles of marketing

1. Result must be trackable


2. Promote trial


3. Let others speak for you


4. Data. Not hype.


5. You’re smart. And your time matters.


6. We’re serious. Except when we’re not.


7. Big ideas move us.

I think this is very useful stuff and I'd love to see these principles implemented wherever I'll work in the future.
My personal favourites are 1. Result must be trackable (you can't believe how many times not tackling this point upfront will give you headaches) and 3. Let others speak for you (maybe I'm wrong but this seems to imply the basic understanding that brands are conversations and that having others to speak about you will bring much more credibility in what is being said).

Txs Haochi for the link.

[Photo by Niall Kennedy, used under a Creative Commons license]

OpenCola Recipe

OpenCola was a very nice experiment that didn't have the deserved success.

Anyway, courtesy of WikiHow you can get the recipe and make it yourself:

Flavoring

• 3.50 ml orange oil
• 1.00 ml lemon oil
• 1.00 ml nutmeg oil
• 1.25 ml cassia oil
• 0.25 ml coriander oil
• 0.25 ml neroli oil
• 2.75 ml lime oil
• 0.25 ml lavender oil
• 10.0 g gum arabic
• 3.00 ml water

Concentrate

• 2.00 tsp (10 ml) flavoring
• 3.50 tsp (17.5 ml) 75% phosphoric acid or citric acid
• 2.28 l water
• 2.36 kg granulated white sugar
• 0.50 tsp (2.5 ml) caffeine (optional. use caution)
• 30.0 ml caramel color

Txs BoingBoing for the link (and for the advise on how much sugar is there in these cans)

Dr Martens Punk Ads lead to Satchi & Satchi firing

Warning: this same post appeared on Talkmarks blog. Given its odd-news-oriented attitude, I thought it was a nice idea to share with you.


Some days ago, an ad campaign featuring some dead punk-rockers (though I personally don't consider Nirvana to be punk) wearing Dr. Martens boots leaked on the internet.
This got the attention of the blogosphere as well as of traditional media (lovely Courtney obviously had something to say), and lit up a conversation that culminated with Dr. Martens finally firing Saatchi & Saatchi (their ad agency).

The Daily Swarm has a full coverage of the facts.

This is, I think, a huge mistake for Dr. Martens.

I don't want to discuss the creative idea (that I like) here, but let's face it: how long since you heard something - anything - about Dr. Martens boots?
They still have a lot of awareness, but they're definitely not today's trend like Crocs, for example.
They had a chance to shake a fading brand, but chosed to close the discussion instead of riding it.

So what would I have done instead, you ask?
Well, I would have first blamed the agency for the leakage just to make lawyers happy. Then, I would fire up the discussion, saying that those ads (that - again - won't ever be published by Dr. Martens) are nice and shouldn't offend anybody. After all, those guys were really using those boots. This would of course boost even more conversation around this, focusing on something that is actually good for the brand (its link to the punk -rock generation).
Next steps would obviously depend on how the conversation would develop (I think you can't control the conversation around your brand, you can just listen and take actions), but I can't foresee anything bad coming out of it.

If you found any interest in this pointless discussions on marketing as a conversation, have a look at Talkmarks blog!

Selling Trash

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This guy is selling trash.
I'd buy some, I swear. This is the real prize machine for the big brother era. You'd love to get some mysterious information about somebody in your town.

Txs BoingBoing for the link.

Tim Biskup's Art

BoingBoing's favourite artist rocks!


Definitely I won't be able to go to California to have a look, but if anybody knows of any exhibition in Europe pls leave a comment with the details!

Creationist Museum to open in Kentucky

Again on linking to stuff you think is bullshit.
BoingBoing writes about

Some silly creationists are finally opening their wacky $27 million Creation Museum on Monday in Petersburg, Kentucky. The slogan on the museum's site? "Prepare to believe.

Reading this shit, it reminded me of this unbelievable video that I previously shared on my tumblr.

This link (also coming from BoingBoing) tries to shed some light on the evolution discussion, standing clearly on the evolutionary side.
Again, I love the approach to link to most sources that have different opinions and giving your view on the point.

A disputable truth?

A couple of months ago I watched An Inconvenient Truth from Al Gore. For the folks living in mars that's the documentary on global warming that won an Oscar a few months ago and re-invented a career for Al. My first reaction to it was "I really have to do something for this. Now."

What did I do then? Well, Nothing. I guess this makes a point on the kind of person I am.

But the thing is, I just read a couple of posts from Scott Adams on the subject and I think they're by far the best arcticles I've ever read on Global Warming

Why best? Because he does what I need to be informed. He linked to different opinions, giving his view on what he linked to. Can this be the internet-era journalism? I guess so. One of the things he links to is this video. Now I don't have competencies to say whether this is saying bullshits or not, but I too think that linking to a different opinion helps people develop an opinion so here it is.

But pls take a minute to have a look to Adam's posts:

Part 1

Part 2

UPDATE: now there's a Part 3

UPDATE 2: now there's a Part 4