Not Quite Conversation by Kevin Ohannessian

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Labor Days and Life at Work

Labor Day has come and gone and the last fun day of summer has passed. There are less than 100 working days left in the year, a fact relayed by Bud Bilanch in a recent blog post. Everyone should look at that number and not sigh, but instead realize that there is still an opportunity to do something wonderful at work this year.

You could push that pet project forward as just the thing to do to close out the year. You could make a conscious effort to be more cordial to your co-workers and get to know them better, before the chaos of the holiday party. Maybe you could reorganize your methods and routines on the job, if only to clean up your desk. Or you could even muster your determination and strive for that raise or promotion you think you deserve.

If you realize that your time is finite, and that you really only have today to act, then you are free to do great things. Considering how much time we all spend at work, we should probably make the most of it.

10:56 am | 0 recommendations | 2 comments

Ramen Noodles and Other Tiny Innovations

This week we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of Ramen Noodles. That's right, those nearly instant packages of fluff food have been around for half-a-century. The noodles' inventor, Momofuku Ando, may have passed away last year, but his contribution to the world lives on. That may sound silly, being so grandiose with something so seemingly frivolous, but it is worthy of such words.

Millions of college students, penny-pinchers, and workaholics eat the noodles annually. It, and its cousin the Cup of Noodles, may be the single greatest enabler of folks working late into the night -- whether finishing a project in the office around midnight, or making the final edits on your dissertation in a noisy dorm. That simple invention by Momofuku-san has affected more lives than you can imagine.

Everyone should pay attention to their day a little closer and realize all the little innovations that have made modern living better. And then realize someone was behind that. Someone worked very hard to get you the zipper, or the credit card, or the touch screen on your cell. And they may have eaten noodles while doing so. So enjoy these small wonders and don't forget to stop and smell the ramen.

10:35 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Kanye West and His Absolut Image

On the train ride home last night, there was an ad for "BeKanye" -- a miracle drug to turn YOU into Kanye West! It was a fun poster, done in the style of those cheesy supplement ads. And though it made me smile, it took me some careful examination of the small, legal text to see it is an advertisement from Absolut Vodka.

While the clever poster caught my attention, did it really do its job if I didn't connect Kanye to the Absolut company? I guess it is a branding campaign and I am supposed to go to the faux website where additional text and a commercial makes that connection to Absolut Vodka. I've knocked other companies viral efforts before and will not go down that road again, but what about the effect this has on Kanye's image and branding?

When a celebrity make a decision to use their identity in such way, there must be a realization that this may change the public's perception of them -- for good or for ill. While I don't think Kanye will be damaged by this campaign, his image of being a serious musician who is socially conscious (a certain comment on live television comes to mind) may be underminded. Of course, that may the whole point...

Do you think Kanye is risking his brand in this campaign?

10:26 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Another Look at China and the Olympics

When I wrote about China and its mishandling of the Olympics, I wondered if there was more deception to come. And apparently there was. As a colleague of mine commented in the original blog, two girls on the Chinese gymnastic team may have had their ages illegally raised on documentation from 14 to 16 so they could compete. And today the Telegraph has reported that Chinese officials have copped to the fact that the little children in the opening ceremony who were announced as being from the 56 ethic groups in China were all in fact performers from the majority.

This revelation about the 56 kids is similar to those other deceptions in the opening ceremony, moves to improve the façade of the Olympics. And there may still be more details coming about the theatricality of the opening ceremony. But, China has gained some points with me. This time, someone fessed-up to this switcheroo and gave an explanation about it being commonplace in Chinese theatrics. China may be learning to admit the illusory actions they have done to put on their best foot forward. It could be the first steps toward authenticity.

A conversation with another colleague made me realize that perhaps we are being harsh on China. If we were holding these Olympics and they came to our country and criticized us, we would probably attack them back -- look at the backlash France received for sharing its criticism of our war on terror. Perhaps we should stop being hypocritical. After all, we have our own share of human rights violations (Guantanamo Bay, Waterboarding) and face-saving deceptions (Mission Accomplished banners, limited photography of military burials).

10:13 am | 0 recommendations | 4 comments

The Olympics in China and Authenticity

In my mind, already, China has botched these Olympics. Word has come out that two different aspects of the elaborate opening ceremony were faked. Some of the fireworks seen on the televised ceremony were computer generated. And the Telegraph has reported that a girl singing in the ceremony was only lip-synching to another girl's voice. The little girl who actually sung the pre-recorded song was deemed "not cute enough."

Atop this fakery, are the big-picture grievances. They are green-washing the whole thing and not truly cleaning up Beijing's pollution problem. Building walls to hide poor housing? Not a very welcoming act. Then there is the Chinese censorship of the Internet and monitoring reporters' actions in the country. Should the host country of the Olympics act like they deserve it? Honor the distinction of being chosen? I wonder what other deceptions will be revealed during the course of the Olympics.

China has a problem with authenticity. The Chinese government is more concerned with appearances than with substance. And, in my opinion, that is not the way to act as a leader -- and isn't this Olympics China's chance to be a world-leader?

12:46 pm | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Barack Obama's VP Announcement and Embracing Technology

Barack Obama's latest move online has cemented his place as the presidential candidate that has fully embraced the Internet and web 2.0 concepts. On his website, the public can now sign-up to receive an email or cellphone text message to be among the first to know who Obama announces as his running mate.

This is a novel method of revealing to the world the identity of your Vice-President candidate. It also promotes a personal conversation with the Obama campaign. I also like how it shows that politicians are embracing technology and the new kinds of communication it allows.

Will John McCain follow suit with his VP announcement? And which candidate will be the first to release an iPhone app?

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Heavy Rain as Video Game Art

Since the creation of video games, every year game developers have pushed the boundaries of graphics, ever-seeking greater realism. New images were recently released of Heavy Rain, from French developers Quantic Dream. Browsing through the gallery (click on the images to enlarge them) one can see that they have hit new heights in realism -- uncanny valley be damned!

There is this unspoken notion in the world of video games that if we can make games as visually close to film, maybe they would get the same respect in the public and in the art world as film does. Games like Call of Duty 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 have worked toward this goal, but it seems like Heavy Rain may be the first to actually make it.

These awe-inspiring screenshots, taken along with Quantic Dream's previous announcement that Heavy Rain's focus is on drama and on the moral choices of the characters, maybe the question of whether games can be art will finally be answered.

10:17 am | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

The Value of Free

This weekend, I turned on my cable box to find that I was now receiving about 20 more high definition channels than in the past. I could now watch wonderful shows like Rescue Me or Dirty Jobs in HD. And the best part of this was Cablevision provided this upgrade without additional charge to me.

Every now and then a company surprises you by doing something wonderful that, in your eyes, was completely unnecessary. If I'm already a customer, why does a company go out of its way to do something for me? But why are we so surprised -- it makes a lot of sense. When a company improves its service without any monetary grain it benefits from improved customer loyalty. More importantly, the company is now providing a better product to win the public's heart and to gain the advantage over its competitor.

Whether it is Apple's iPhone Application store with free third-party software, free coupons printed on pharmacy or supermarket receipts, or even Popeye's automated registers that will sell customers additional food at a discount, companies are benefiting from providing more.

Now if you excuse me, I have to go watch Mad Men.

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Music to My Ears

William Barrell wrote about how a song inspired him and his business in his blog, I Believe I Can Fly. As a writer, both of fiction and for FastCompany.com, music has often inspired me. Sometimes you reference a lyric or song title in something you write (bonus points to those who got "Not Quite Conversation"). And sometimes the mood of a song haunts you and affects the tone of your writing.

While I usually listen to podcasts while I'm in the office, I will only put on music when I am writing a long feature. In these cases, the music helps me shut out the world and focus my brain on the matter at hand. Music can hit a person's emotions in a more direct way than almost anything else. If you can use those emotions that a song wells up in you, whether it is while writing something or brainstorming for your company's next quarter, then you are putting more than your mind into what you are doing.

How do you use music at work?

10:39 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Do I Really Want to Accept that Friend Request?

I came to work today with an email alerting me to a friend request on Facebook. It was someone from High School who, not only was I not close with, kind of acted like a jerk toward me. So what is the etiquette here? Do I just ignore his request? Do I friend him and start a dialogue to see if he has changed?

The answer to this conundrum may come down to how a person uses social networking. Why do you create a profile page on any of the networks? I created the Facebook profile on a bit of lark. Would I mind getting a message from a high school friend that I have fallen out of touch with? No. Do I mind that someone who wasn't a friend has contacted me? I am still not sure. Much like the creation of said profile, I am ambivalent. And in this day and age, where social networking has become so common place, others must be facing this same dilemma.

So, do you accept every friend request you get? Why or why not?