What is it: A 62-slide summary pack about the past trends in web design right up trends in 2010 by Tijs Vocker.
Why is it cool: It’s entertaining, enlightening and relevant to our specialty: communications. It also showcases slideshare.net which is filled with business-targeted slideshows, so you should browse to your heart’s content for almost instant gratification.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: Rosemary Butcher
What is it: A powerful idea from Clay Shirky, presented at the Web 2.0 expo. The idea is “cognitive surplus” describing the level of free time people have available in the western worldin terms of “unused” brain power. For example, the time spent watching television is 200 billion (with a B) hours every year in the US alone. By comparison, the generation of Wikipedia – the whole thing, every page, every language – is the accumulation 100 million (with an M) hours of human activity.
Why is it cool: If we look at it as an untapped resource, how could society channel cognitive surplusto the benefit of mankind? Interestingly, people are already doing this in the spontaneous, individual way we do as humans (not just big ideas like wikipedia). For example, instead of watching television, many people are reading, learning, exploring, experimenting, and sharing via the web… where this could all lead is nothing short of profound.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: In a short blog post, Seth tells the tale of two lemonade stands. It’s short, just read it.
Why is it cool: At pollinate, we pride ourselves on transcending mere research – or as the zen koan suggests, building cathedrals rather than merely laying bricks or earning a living. This little story is an inspiring reminder of how and why this works as a business model.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: The Hayden Planetarium has developed a Digital Universe Atlas, which stores, and continually updates, the most accurate observations of the known objects in the universe, including locations and movement (ie it’s four-dimensional!).They’ve developed this data into a video tour of the universe, starting at the biggest natural feature on our planet (the Himalayas), zooming out to the extent of our knowledge of the universe, and then back.
Why is it cool: Humans are visual creatures, and often the sheer scale of the universe overwhelms our ability to perceive just how big, in both size and time, the universe is. This video helps our comprehension just a little bit, and in doing so gives us a bit more perspective on the universe and our place in it.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: A PDF put together by Seth Godin, containing one-pagers from 70+ thinkers and writers, giving some big ideas to take us into the new year.
Why is it cool: You’re bound to find something thought-provoking and maybe just the inspiration you need (even if you don’t know it!). A sample gem:
Some people ask, “What if I haven’t found my true passion?”
It’s dangerous to think in terms of “passion” and “purpose” because they sound like such huge overwhelming ideas.
If you think love needs to look like “Romeo and Juliet”, you’ll overlook a great relationship that grows slowly.
If you think you haven’t found your passion yet, you’re probably expecting it to be overwhelming.
Instead, just notice what excites you and what scares you on a small moment-to-moment level.
If you find yourself glued to Photoshop, playing around for hours, dive in deeper. Maybe that’s your new calling.
If you keep thinking about putting on a conference or being a Hollywood screenwriter, and you find the idea terrifies but intrigues you, it’s probably a worthy endeavor for you.
You grow (and thrive!) by doing what excites you and what scares you everyday, not by trying to find your passion.
- Derek Sivers, sivers.org
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: Zen text editor is a multi-sensory tool to help people concentrate when writing.
Why is it cool: Recognising that the modern age is filled with distractions, and that distraction is the enemy of the focus and concentrated required, in particular, for writers, this text editor combats the information overload of our age. Much like the slow cow beverage of previous SCIOs, what other categories are ripe for counter-trend offerings?
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: An article profiling the marketing efforts by Dr. Pepper, a niche player in the behemoth-laden carbonated soft-drinks category, focusing on clever product placement, pseudo-doctor (Dr. J, Dr. J, Dr. Love, Dr. Frasier Crane) endorsements, and a strong digital community presence all tied back to their quirky personality.
Why is it cool: A common marketing question is how a small player can compete in against the leaders in its category. Dr Pepper demonstrates that it doesn’t have to be about “me-tooing” and fighting for the same mass market as the big boys. Recognising your niche, and ruthlessly owning it can not only give you a strong and defensible position, but it can also insulate you from the vagaries of the market as a whole. In this case, Dr Pepper is growing at 3% during a year that CSDs are declining by that much as a category.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka
What is it: A blog featuring the various ways in which devotees of the IKEA cult have hacked their IKEA furniture to repurpose it.
Why is it cool: An example of communities that would be unlikely to exist without the web. There’s also something heart warming about flat pack furniture being regarded as the beginning of inspiration rather than an end in itself.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: David Tunnicliffe
What is it: Transmedia is a way of telling a story in multiple narratives across media. Note how all the channels collectively create the story: like singers in harmony to create a melody – the total sound is dependent on the harmonious interaction of each voice.
Why is it cool: Transmedia marketing is psychographic, not demographic, and aims to create a mythology around the brand that transcends barriers and grows organically. From the article:
“The reality is that many agencies are not equipped or set up for success in this regard. Transmedia vehicles cannot be confined to a predetermined media plan or buy”.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: Howard Parry-Husbands
What is it: Scientists are doing studies to show that “being nice” is contagious: it spreads through social networks, right out to the third degree of separation (i.e. a friend of a friend of a friend)
Why is it cool: It’s kinda obvious that the world would be a better place if we were all nice to each other, and that finding ways to increase our capacity for empathy and compassion could only further this cause. Some people have long believed that simply by doing “kinda acts”, karma will spread and the world will be a better place. It’s nice to see yet another example where the science is catching up with the conventional wisdom.
Where to find it: here!
Submitted by: John Cucka