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> recent picks

join the debate...

-  Which (RED) are you?

-  BBC triumphs in Business Super Brands

-  Mac vs. PC face off hits the big screen

-  Funky Business ... in Speed Read

-  "We-Think" - "mass creativity"

-  43 resolutions... 43things.com

-  YouTube hits in 2006

-  Drugs and gardening

Apple targets mobiles and TV

-  Climate Change Bill : UK takes global lead

Email overload?  Declare bankruptcy...

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  19 June 2007

Sweet mother of temptation, check out this bold strategy to deal with that backlog of emails (spam, useless and unwanted subscriptions, but also bona fide useful and important emails, wherever the hell they are now).

 

Just start again.  Like packing your bags and upping sticks for a new town, with only a few polite messages to close friends along the lines of "you might want to email me again about being your best man and when the wedding is, have I missed it?" to tether you back to your old life.

 

Read more in the full Guardian article:

>  "The secret of happiness: delete all" - email bankruptcy

 

Also in the news today - Google's YouTube service launches localised international sites in Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK.  Check out the BBC coverage "YouTube makes international move"

 

Enjoy.

 

R.J.

 

Another blogger's lost weekend ...

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  17 June 2007

Oh how lamentably predictable.  Another AWOL blogger as the initial excitement wears off.

 

Well, not quite.  Sorry I have not posted for a while.  Yes this is in part this is down to what, I hear, is known as slackertude.  A common affliction amongst the modern generation (and it sounds bloody sensible to me - can I get a badge so people know what they are dealing with?)  I can also throw in some bouts of sickness, heavy work commitments and being off to sunny Portugal.  No, I didn't think you'd be that impressed.  Half term report: must do better.

 

On which topic, I've been standing back (too far back you might say!) to re-appraise the site and how to structure the information and content more logically.  After 6 months of chucking stuff together it has (I hope) a haphazard charm but not a lot of logic.  Work is underway behind the scenes to launch a bigger and better rockandrollimaginations v2 shortly.

 

What is amazing is how much goes on in such a short space of time.  What has this blog missed for my negligence in not posting for a while?  Par example:

  • Microsoft and Google scrapping for online advertising dominance.  The Gates empire parks its tanks on the Google campus with its biggest ever acquisition ($6bn) of Aquantive.  Certainly a convincing 'my acquisition is bigger than your acquisition' statement when compared to Google's earlier sneak purchase of DoubleClick for a measly $3.1bn.  But then Google are already in pole position, thank you very much.  Game on.

  • Google and eBay in fisticuffs too this week: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6755789.stm.

  • More action on climate change as the charge of the nuclear brigade takes a step further with a UK white paper that seems certain to herald massive investment in new generation reactors.

  • Me in Portugal to hear from two leading futurologists - economist Hamish McRae and future consultant Rohit Talwar.  Both are involved in some of the leading UK and global trends work.  Look out for more in the trends section soon.

So please keep watching.  Things are about to get interesting.

 

Bye for now.

RJ

 

Massively Multiplayer Online Games head towards critical mass as second wave platforms emerge

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  20 March 2007

Who can resist a report entitled "Western World MMOG Market: 2006 Review and Forecasts to 2011"?  Actually it has one big statistic to make you stand up and take notice : the market value of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) has hit $1bn outside Asia (which has its own gigantic bubble of MMOG activity).  World of Warcraft is cited as the rocket fuel for MMOG expansion in Europe, followed by the UK-developed ... Read full article

 

Who is behind the Information Revolution?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  15 March 2007

Who has come across this bunch then?  information-revolution.org.  Quite rightly they point out that everyone is using the same search engine (presumably Google) and if we are not careful we will all fall into the manipulative clutches of a monopolistic provider, freedom of speech and thought will be a long distant memory and ... well you get the picture.  Read more...

 

Amazon Mechanical Turk ... how not to make that first million

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  15 March 2007

Want a cent or two to craft a few paragraphs?  A bit of spare change to figure out how to categorise a web URL?  Got 3,549,274 hours in the day to make a decent living, or just fancy being a sub minimum wage stooge?  Proof that there are plenty of people online with just way too much time on their hands and an obscure sense of participation : Amazon's Mechanical Turk.  Maybe it will grow into something more worthy, but doesn't this just smack of exploitation on the part of those posting HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks) and desperation or stupidity on the part of those lulled into wasting precious time on the nonsense that is on there?  R.J.

 

Gaming gets BIG with Spore and LittleBigPlanet

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  15 March 2007

I am no hardened gamer (or even much of a busker) but I am seriously wowed at reports of both Spore (created by Sims guru Will Wright) and LittleBigPlanet.  Both allow gamers to create and share fantasy worlds and creatures on a scale of sophistication never seen before.

 

Spore lies at the more "fantasy" end of the spectrum, with effectively an entire galaxy to explore and populate - starting with a single drop of water to kick-start planetary life.  LittleBigPlanet is more cutesy but has similar principles of user character creation, backed with jaw dropping physics and interaction with the virtual environment.  It allows users to add customised touches like stickers and decals - just as the developers did with their own offices.  And the really exciting thing :- all of this hooks into the online community to enable global participation and collaboration.  Second Life and others might have got there first, but games like this represent a new level of WOW! visuals and accessibility.  Here's a screenshot of some little darlings from LittleBigPlanet:

A screenshot from LittleBigPlanet

>  Wikipedia entry on LittleBigPlanet

>  Times coverage "From microbe to master of the Universe: a computer game that lets you play God"

>  Slashdot on LittleBigPlanet: "If these elements are for real, this is the reason to buy PlayStation 3"

Official Spore website

 

£150m BBC Jam online education platform ditched

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  15 March 2007

The BBC Trust, the organisation that regulates the affairs of the BBC, has effectively compelled the BBC to ditch its BBC Jam children's education service.  Services will be suspended from March 20 amidst concerns of legal action arising from complaints from commercial ventures that it represents unfair competition.  This links directly with my previous blog on the risks faced by the BBC from allegations of unlawful state aid as it sprawls its empire beyond public broadcast.  Its problem is that the Government is demanding it broaden its public services.  This inevitably starts to encroach on the imperfect public/private sector dividing line.

>  Times coverage "Watchdog tells BBC to drop learning website"

 

Climate Change Bill : Britain takes the lead on global climate challenge

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  13 March 2007

It is official : the UK government has seen an Inconvenient Truth and been holidaying with progressive politicians in California and Iceland.  It has published a draft Climate Change Bill which promises binding targets to reduce carbon emissions, in a focused drive to hit the stretching 2050 environmental targets (emissions no more than 60% of that pumped out in 1990).  In other words, this is how UK will 'do its bit' to stabilise global warming - with a legislative framework and independent panel to give it teeth...  Read more on the draft Climate Change Bill

 

Which (RED) are you?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  12 March 2007

It is easy to be cynical, but one thing I admire about Bono and Bobby Shriver's Product(RED) initiative is that it does not shy away from aligning western materialism with African poverty.  Think about that for one moment.  We are talking about the grotesque disparity between the global "haves" and the "have nots".  There is something brave, brazen and smart (or maybe shallow...) in (RED) targeting the western obsession ... read the full article

 

Google applications ... true mobility and resilience?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  11 March 2007

Google continues its evolution from search into online applications with Google Docs & Spreadsheets.  Obviously no time for a fancy naming or slogan session at Google HQ : this one does exactly what it says on the tin...  Click for the low-down

 

Conservapedia grabs UK publicity ... Wikipedia unfazed

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  10 March 2007

There are scores of websites that are publicly for, against or just plain indifferent to the Wikipedia phenomenon.  In the light of recent UK press coverage / interviews this one is just too good not to mention: Conservapedia.  It sees itself as every conservative American Christian's antidote to the unfettered libertarianism of Wikipedia...  Read the full article on Conservapedia

 

Not even time for a quickie these days...

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  6 March 2007

You know how it is.  In the early days you cannot get enough of it - taking every opportunity morning, noon and night.  Then you find that the first flush of romance starts to wear off, but the spark of excitement is still enough to keep things ticking along quite nicely.  Then before you know it you struggle to muster the time or energy even for a quickie.  I am talking, of course, about ... read more

 

More on the BBC's commercial future

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  5 March 2007

Following on from my earlier detailed post on the BBC's Creative Future plans, check out this Financial Times piece: "BBC plans commercial push".  It reflects many of the themes in my blog post - and it looks like there will be further announcements this week.  The gist is that politically there is pressure for the BBC to make best commercial use of its assets (thereby easing the BBC licence burden) whilst those competing in the private sector are pushing back at (effectively) a state subsidised body unfairly encroaching on its territory.  (Note: subscription required to access full article).  RJ.

 

Mac vs. PC face off hits the big screen

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  2 March 2007

The UK is not used to blatant comparison marketing.  We tend to be so polite that the traditional wisdom is we won't give credence, or even any airtime, to one-upmanship.  The only area we can just about stomach it is in politics, but even there ... read more about the new Apple ads

 

 

BBC triumphs in 2007 Business Super Brands report

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  1 March 2007

Here at rockandrollimaginations.com we keep a close eye on what goes on in SuperBrands World. We have seen enough artfully placed copies of their annual brand surveys in the reception areas of major UK corporates (confirmed sightings : Heinz, Starbucks) to know that their reports do matter.  What's more ... (well, what is more?  Read on here...)

 

Pixelotto ... I've started so I'll finish (if it kills me)

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  24 February 2007

I'm sick of Pixelotto.  You're sick of Pixelotto.  The whole world, in fact, is pretty sick of Pixelotto.  Yet there is some strange urge and perverse determination that is keeping me clicking.  This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact ... Read more

 

U2 'Window In The Skies' mash up video masterpiece

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  8 February 2007

Okay song, jaw dropping video.  Hands up, I am bit behind the times on this one.  The song's been knocking around for a while on the back of the U218 singles compilation, but I've only just caught up with the video.  A tightly synced compilation of stars from the 50s through to present day... Read article and see the clip

 

Funky Business book ... now available in Speed Read

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  7 February 2007

Get some Swedish funk inside you.  Funky Business is one of our MBA must reads.  I decided to reacquaint myself with it whilst in Les Arcs for a skiing break.  (I say it pretty casually but, in truth, even after breaking my slopes virginity I'm still doomed to the "can't ski, won't ski" brigade).  I've now reduced the book into a snappy Speed Read for those that want a sheep dip introduction.  Enjoy.

 

Doritos ad created by Joe Public for Superbowl

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  3 February 2007

User generated content goes mainstream in the US courtesy of their national treasure - the Superbowl ad space (treasured probably as much as the event itself) - and Yahoo Video.  The YouTube generation get to cut their own 30 second ad for Doritos and the winner will be unveiled...  Read the rest

 

IBM : "Who's in charge here? In the world of digital convergence, it's the end user"

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  4 February 2007

Okay, no big surprises here but an interesting piece by the IBM institute which underlines the power shift from major corporates to the consumer.  Innovation 'proves itself' first within the consumer base these days and feeds its way back into enterprise.  The juice for this process is the all pervasive technological infrastructure...  Read full piece

 

"We-Think" - Charles Leadbetter book on "mass creativity" gets public preview

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  26 January 2007we think

It goes with the territory if you are about to launch a book extolling the attractions of open source communities and 'mass creativity', but still good news to see that Charles Leadbetter has released a full draft of his book "We-Think : The Power of Mass Creativity" onto his website...  Full story

 

Pixelotto struggles ... still getting your daily clicks?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  22 January 2007

Regulars will have seen my coverage of the Million Dollar Homepage sequel - Pixelotto by Alex Tew.  Well things aren't going too swimmingly - with a prize fund stuck around $149,000 for several weeks and net rumours of advertiser unrest...  Full story

 

Carbon neutral bandwagon gathers pace ... Marks and Spencer and Tesco announce radical environmental plans

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  20 January 2007

2007 is fast becoming the year of climate change action (reaction).  2006 saw a lot of talk.  Now, slowly but surely, the wake up call is having a direct effect on corporate decisions if not (as yet) the steady march of increasing emissions.  It is an important symbolic step in the right direction, though.  When big business starts buying into big ideals great things can happen.... Full story

 

The longtail : saviour or distraction for iMagineers?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  14 January 2007

I've been working on the Rock 'n' Roll iMaginations manifesto and wondering where the longtail theory fits.  The orthodoxy on the longtail is well known.  As the internet breaks down limitations in storage, distribution and geography it enhances and unleashes...  Full blog article

 

Apple targets mobiles and TV.  Nothing big then.

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  9 January 2007

Broadly in line with expectations Steve Jobs' address at the Macworld conference focused on the keenly priced "AppleTV" (about £155) and the iPhone, which boasts touch screen technology.  Jobs reckons the new phone will "change everything".  Whether your average Joe is quite so impressed...  Full article

 

Meaning Inc.  Talent yearns to 'make a difference'

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  8 January 2007

Money talks?  In the battle for tomorrow's talent it only talks so loud.  Research by YSC, the corporate psychologists confirms that people increasingly want real 'meaning' in their work.  They want to feel they are engaged in something worthwhile and can make a difference...  Read more

 

Big week ahead as Apple and Microsoft take to the stage

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  6 January 2007

The massive Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opens tomorrow.  Bills Gates opens up proceedings.  The expectation is some grandstanding on the importance of the 'digital home' and related technologies.  Microsoft have been pushing this for years, and it is still far from clear...  More analysis

 

43 resolutions?  What are the chances...

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  1 January 2007

New Year.  New Blog.  New Opportunities.  Welcome to 2007 everyone.  My only NY resolution is to not make any resolutions until at least mid January.  No point getting dragged into the normal week one routine of resolution -> broken promises to self -> bitterness and regret -> solemn retaking of resolutions -> broken promises etc  Better to amuse yourself with the bric-a-brac that the rest of the world is self-motivating itself into a frenzy over.  You can't beat 43things.com ... Full article

 

Top YouTube clips in 2006

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  29 December 2006

More than 36 million people have now watched the top clip by the nouveau-famous Judson Laipply - a motivational speaker from Ohio who dances to songs onstage.  Yes, you heard right.  36 million.  For a bit of dancing...  Read more, including the full clip list

 

Drugs and gardening

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  28 December 2006

Whatever the clichés, Rock 'n' Roll iMaginations has no interest in the whole recreational drugs debate.  People make their own choices.  But by a strange accident my Christmas has been dominated by a compulsive read called "Growing out of Trouble" by the BBC gardener Monty Don...  Yes, that's right - drugs and gardening - read more

 

Bootleg Beatles break up for Christmas

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  22 December 2006

Saw the Bootleg Beatles perform in Birmingham last night.  Top notch stuff, as ever.  "Paul" is an absolute ringer, if lacking a bit in the screamy shouty department.  The show bristled with a slightly thrilling (and surprising) "edge"... Full report

 

FT picks out convergence as key 2007 technology trend

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  29 December 2006

In a comment piece today the Financial Times has drawn out three trends for technology in 2007 - all focused on media 'convergence'.  The first is convergence of user generated content (a la YouTube) alongside professional media...  More analysis

 

Bebo tops Google 2006 searches.  

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  23 December 2006

The BBC has reported on the most popular searches this year on Google, revealing two main trends.  One, that people are still using Google as a basic gateway to get to other (pretty well known) sites such as Bebo, MySpace and Wikipedia.  Secondly, the almost total dominance of social networking sites or related concepts.  Read more and see the full list

 

Wikipedia guru squares up to Google

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  23 December 2006

As previously trailed, Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales has web search firmly in his sights.  His bold ambition is to knock Google off its perch early in 2007.  He hopes to bring the wiki global community concept together with bigtime backing from Amazon to establish a search engine that draws on the editing skills and value judgments of real, living and breathing, human beings...  Detailed analysis on Wales' Google assassin

 

Beatles Love documentary on BBC

Richard Jones, CEO //  27 December 2006

Caught the BBC Love documentary tonight, showcasing the amazing work of Cirque du Soleil.  I had read a lot about them - they are frequently picked out by people like Tom Peters as one of those funky businesses that have reinvented themselves far beyond any drab "trapeze and trampoline" clichés.  This docu showcased the amazing vision and sheer brass balls of Guy Laliberté and his team.  The storyboard concepts, funky "skater" segues and jaw dropping visuals were stunning and inspiring....  Read more on Beatles' Love extravaganza

 

Rock 'n' Roll iMaginations launch party in the Big Apple

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  17 December 2006

Getting a new site up and running is always the most exciting but exhausting part.  Having put most stuff together for rockandrollimaginations.com during early December I headed off for a mini break in New York.  And then I got there and thought - why not just chuck this stuff online... The low down on NYC launch

 

Lotto is new target for Million Dollar Homepage sensation

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  5 December 2006

"I wrote down the attributes that this idea would need: it had to be simple to understand and to set up, it had to attract a lot of media interest and it needed a good name. After I wrote them down, the idea just came to me."   Read more on Alex Tew's latest pixel invention

 

>  How to write a "new economy" or business 2.0 book...

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  23 November 2006

Some early scribblings on this comedy topic.  It is just soooo easy for these books to wind people up.  Surely the secret is never to take them too seriously, and just accept that they are bound to make one or two good points along the way?  Anyway, starter for ten ... (click for more)

 

Flunking Creativity Course Blues #9

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  12 November 2006

Now I'd rate myself as something of an ideas man.  I've got notebooks and scraps of paper all over my apartment collecting random thoughts, concepts, site ideas, sketches and the like.  That type of abstract stuff tends to bombard my brain here, there and everywhere - inspired in real time by a technicolour cross-section of people, media and .... Read more about my course embarrassment

 

Or maybe that should be You 2.0?

Bobby Joy, Design Curator //  10 November 2006

The Cluetrain Manifesto talks about the radical difference that a few degrees can make in transforming ice into water, and water into steam.  You don't realise that something dramatic is about to happen - then the temperature moves and "boom".  You might analogise into climate change, but the Cluetrain zeroes in on the web 2.0 revolution, with the suggestion that the fully networked economy is on the cusp...  Read full article

 

 

Another rock 'n' roll dream dashed... vodka.com sold

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  9 November 2006

Spotted the fact that vodka.com has been sold to some Russian guy.  Bought for a cool $3 million.  Hope they had a drink to celebrate.

RJ

File under:  Rock 'n' Roll Spirit  |  Discuss  |  Customer Complaints

 

 

The name's Vaio.  Sony Viao.  

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  8 November 2006

Saw Casino Royale this weekend.  A great film and the new, hard edged, Bond fits nicely alongside the modern competition such as the Bourne Supremacy.  Some tricks die hard though.   Yes, you guessed it - merciless product placement of watches, cars, mobile phones and laptops.

 

Anyone remember that great Amiga game James Pond?  Forgot all about it and then it all came back to me during one of the action scenes.

RJ

File under:  Rocktails  |  Discuss  |  Customer Complaints

 

 

>  Heard the one about lascivio, emineo and advancel?

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  6 November 2006

Recognise these soon-to-be-massive brand names?  Don't they just reek of well oiled market research and drip with nouveau cool?  Click for an explanation...

 

 

Cool kids click into trend spotting

Richard Jones, iMagineer-in-Chief //  5 November 2006

Further reading

www.coolhunting.com

www.trendcentral.com

www.trendhunter.com

www.trendwatching.com

 

File under:  Zeitgeist  |  Discuss  |  Customer Complaints

 

 

please drink responsibly ... and often

 

rocktails archives....

June 2007

 

May 2007

 

April 2007

 

March 2007

 

February 2007

Pixelotto ... I've started so I'll finish (if it kills me)

U2 'Window In The Skies' mash up video masterpiece

Funky Business book ... now available in Speed Read

Doritos ad created by Joe Public for Superbowl

IBM : "Who's in charge here? In the world of digital convergence, it's the end user"

 

January 2007

"We-Think" - Charles Leadbetter book on "mass creativity" gets public preview

Pixelotto struggles ... still getting your daily clicks?

Carbon neutral bandwagon gathers pace ... Marks and Spencer and Tesco announce radical environmental plans

The longtail : saviour or distraction for iMagineers?

Apple targets mobiles and TV.  Nothing big then.

Meaning Inc.  Talent yearns to 'make a difference'

Big week ahead as Apple and Microsoft take to the stage

43 resolutions?  What are the chances...

 

December 2006

Top YouTube clips in 2006

Drugs and gardening

Bootleg Beatles break up for Christmas

FT picks out convergence as key 2007 technology trend

Bebo tops Google 2006 searches.  

Wikipedia guru squares up to Google

Beatles Love documentary on BBC

Rock 'n' Roll iMaginations launch party in the Big Apple

Lotto is new target for Million Dollar Homepage sensation

 

November 2006

>  How to write a "new economy" or business 2.0 book...

Flunking Creativity Course Blues #9

Or maybe that should be You 2.0?

Another rock 'n' roll dream dashed... vodka.com sold

The name's Vaio.  Sony Viao.  

>  Heard the one about lascivio, emineo and advancel?

Cool kids click into trend spotting

 

 

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