Dial up Internet noise. The Reason why.

Filed under: Fun, YouTube , dialup

Eastenders title sequence gets ‘Google Earthed’

Link

“With everyone now so familiar with Google Earth, it struck me that the style of the map image, as well as the content, was a little out of date. I didn’t like how the ‘EastEnders’ title scrolled up, it’s always looked odd to me. It wasn’t until this year that we actually got around to doing anything about it.”  Executive Producer Diederick Santer

Filed under: Fun, Google, TV, illustration

a series of unfortunate incidents….

The best complaint letter ever.  Sent to Richard Branson @ Virgin

Filed under: Business, Fun , compliant letter, virgin

No.1 Business Waffling: “Thinking outside the box.”

Oh dear.  Buzzword use is on the rise.  And like a deadly virus ‘buffling’ (business waffling) is believed to be mutating such that it is on the rise even outside the work place.  Yikes!

You can picture the scene at home right? No?  Here you go.

Nearly half of you us (as indicated by 46% of respondents in a yougov survey commissioned by Ramada Encore) believe that Buffling is on the rise. Shame on you us.

….and don’t think for a moment this is restricted to the home either.

Filed under: Business, Entertainment, Fun, marketing , buffling, Business, buzzwords, Ramada Encore

Fail. Oh, the irony!

Fail

Oh the irony.  Ouch.

Filed under: Direct Email, Email, Fun, marketing , Direct Mail, Fail

The Powerpoint Pitch: Wake me up in ten minutes

I like Apple’s marketing.  It’s great.

(Do I still have your attention? Bear with me on this)

But their runaway success has a down side (not for Apple).

The (very) big downside is the Powerpoint slide that looks a bit like this:

You’ve seen it before right?  Wrong.  I knocked this out 30 seconds ago.  But one’s like this are used in nearly every presentation given by creative agencies and design teams trying to make a point.

OMG!  Wake me up ten minutes into the pitch or presentation when you’ve got to the bit when you demonstrate your own creative thinking you me-to-wannabe-good-for-nothing-look-a-like-creative-agency-of-little-distinction.

Arrrgggghhhhh.

Do people fall for this?

Filed under: Apple, Branding, Business, Design, Fun, Ideas and Riffs, Media, Strategy, ideas, marketing, technology , Apple, Ctreative Pitch, Powerpoint

1000 Paintings on youtube

Regular readers will remember I have posted about the One Thousand Paintings project before; here and here in fact.  I even bought my own 956.

There is now a Google Tech Talk video about the project, which really demystifies the whole thing, and adds a tonne more too.

Filed under: Art, Buzz, Cool, Fun, ideas, marketing , Art, art project, Education, engedu, Google, googletechtalks, One Thousand Paintings, paintings for sale, talk, talks, techtalk, techtalks

Why you should always proof read. Exhibit #1

Exhibit #1 here

Filed under: Fun, marketing , mistake, proof reading

Bad news travels fastest

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to pull his pants up.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965)

So lies travel too fast to handle AND you have a lot more fun with the truth.

Update 17/07/08: Using the same quote, eConsultancy blogger Drama 2.0 extends the analogy

Filed under: Fun, ideas, marketing, trust , churchill, lies, quote, truth

Facebook in reality

Filed under: Facebook, Fun, Online Video, Social Media, Social Networking, Viral, Web2.0, marketing, web 2.0 , Facebook, reality, YouTube

Innovation: Indexed

Jessica Hagy has an awesome site. It’s a little project, “that lets her make fun of some things and sense of others.”

This grabbed my attention, and there is plenty more like it.

Great stuff.

Filed under: Fun, Strategy, ideas, illustration, marketing , answers, Indexed, innovation, jessica Hagy, problems

Earning a living, in appalling rendering conditions

For all the email marketers out there – earning a living in appalling rendering conditions – This is for you.

Hat tip to the author Mathew Patterson.

You may also want to check out, or join the Email Standards Project.

Filed under: Design, Direct Email, Email, Fun, Google, Media, Yahoo!, digital, marketing, technology , CSS, Email, email marketing, gmail, Google, html, marketing, semantic, standards, web design, Yahoo! Mail

Great ideas

Great Ideas need landing gear as well as wings. C.D. Jackson

Filed under: Business, Fun, Ideas and Riffs, Planning, Quotes, Strategy, ideas , C.D. Jackson, great ideas, inspiration, Quotes

The 101 most useful websites

Out of millions to choose from, the UK’s Telegraph picks the 101 most useful websites.

Filed under: Awards, Business, Design, Fun, Influence, Measurement, Research , best, Telegraph, useful websites

Out of Office

In an era of ‘On Demand’ service and the continued blurring between ‘work’ and ‘play’, is it wrong to put up an Out of Office notice on your email these days?

I am beginning to think most people display far too old fashioned notices – and hide behind them.

I am out of the office from x – x with limited access to email. I will return your email on my return.

I guess it is up to each individual, but please. No access to email? An increasingly unlikely story.
If you are that way inclined, say it as it is;

I am on vacation and taking a break from work and emails. If appropriate I will return your email on my return. If your matter is urgent contact x on x who can help you in x business hours.

For the rest of us how about:

I am on vacation. I will be accessing my emails from time to time but don’t expect an instant reply this time. If your matter is urgent contact me on Mob: xyz.

I really think it is time to cut out the crappy Out of Office email shenanigans. What’s the worst one you have received?

Filed under: Customer service, Direct Email, Email, Fun, Ideas and Riffs, ideas, marketing , Email, On Demand, Out of Office, service