July 25, 2008
11:24 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Every year, Fast Company magazine releases their Fast 50, the fifty most innovative companies doing business. And every year, since I've been working here, FastCompany.com asks users to submit their own suggestions of who the most innovative companies are and, in turn, to rate the submissions. This year is no different and after tallying yours votes we have published FastCompany.com's list of the Fast 50 Reader Favorites.
For those who are curious, here are the top five:
1. Marathon Technologies
2. Data Robotics, Inc.
3. Sales Spider
4. Consorte Media
5. YouMail
When you examine these top-rated companies a trend becomes apparent: companies that provide services for other companies are valued. And YouMail, the only business providing a service directly for the public, is largely corporate too. Also, besides telling us which firms are best at motivating their fans and clients, our entire Reader Favorites list reveals which companies were at least innovative enough to care about a website's submission contest and push to get to the top.
Thanks to all the companies that submitted nominations and congratulations to all 50 of the Reader Favorites!
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July 24, 2008
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Today the San Diego Comic Con began. While it was created for comic book companies to announce upcoming products, and for fans to meet the creators behind their favorite series, it has become an opportunity for Hollywood studios to sell their films to the geek crowd -- look for Watchmen and Wolf Man panels. Even those of us not at the convention wait with baited breath for new film details and even trailers to emerge from the con. And this is just one more exciting event that marks the usual summer of geek holidays.
Last week in Los Angeles E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) was held. Though smaller than years past, E3 was still a highly anticipated event for gamers. The big console creators had press conferences with big announcements. The game publishers had booths where journalists and industry insiders could try games being released later this year. The fandom at home learned some cool things and got new videos to drool over, too. Nothing, except for the huge game releases, is more anticipated for a gamer.
In August, Gen Con hits Indianapolis, appealing to another sort of gamer. This annual convention that has been held every summer since 1967, is devoted to the industries of role-playing games (Dungeons and Dragons), miniature games (Warhammer), and boardgames (Risk, et al). The publishers debut new products, often releasing them to sell to the public for the first time on the convention floor. Similar to other conventions, the public also gets to meet favorite creators and hear announcements about future releases.
And so geeks live for the summer months: for the flood of event films like the two superhero masterpieces in Iron Man and The Dark Knight; for the gadget releases like iPhone 3G or the latest generation of televisions from Sony or Samsung; for the many conventions with all the great news and images that come out. These are exciting times.
And just think: new television shows like Fringe and True Blood start in September and October! And the holiday event films like Harry Potter and The Spirit come in November and December!
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July 21, 2008
10:13 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Last week at E3, both Microsoft and Sony made announcements related to video. Microsoft announced a partnership with Netflix to make streaming video available on the Xbox 360. Microsoft also announced an expansion of the console's video download service to include films and television shows from NBC, Universal and MGM.
Sony, at a press conference the next day, announced the launch of video downloads on the PlayStation 3. With wide studio support, not unlike Microsoft's, Sony had leveled that playing field. Sony differentiated its service with video rentals and the ability to port the videos to your PlayStation Portable.
Also last week, Amazon announced a video-on-demand service. While only a beta with invited customers, the service features streaming videos from many of the Hollywood studios. It also features compatibility with mobile media devices. With 1 million iPhone 3Gs out there, chances are more media is being consumed on the go than ever before.
Video is everywhere -- and at your fingertips. With studios putting episodes of TV shows on websites the day after they air, with DVR cable boxes becoming the norm, with video game consoles that are focusing on HD content, the public now has incredible access. With the larger public now following Hollywood closer than ever, with strikes, with leaked pics from films, director announcements, weekly box office numbers, or rumors of trailer releases, is this really a surprise?
But what does it really mean? Is it escapism? Is it a greater attention to art? Is it a matter of being dazzled by the shiny prettiness of high definition everything? I think it is all of these. And it is also the fact that people need to pay attention to something else sometimes. They can only do so much thinking about work, politics, or the economy. People crave an escape or a distraction, a need to focus on the craft of visual art or the mélange of story. Video technology is enabling greater consumption of creative works -- and that can't be a bad thing.
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July 18, 2008
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Last night, Warner Bros. released online the trailer for the film adaptation of graphic novel Watchmen. After a two second conflict with myself over whether I should wait to see the teaser in the theater -- it is attached to The Dark Knight -- I clicked on the play button.
Wow.
As a huge fan of Alan Moore's book, often called the Citizen Kane of comic books, the trailer really got me excited. But, that was its very problem. The visuals are intriguing, the Smashing Pumpkins song hypnotizing, but the narrative being glimpsed at will not make any sense to someone who has not read the Watchmen book. The trailer was cut to appeal to the niche of existing fans more than to bring in the mainstream movie-goers. I am not sure that was a wise move for the first trailer -- I think that strategy would've been better for the second trailer or a teaser they could play at Comic Con next week.
In the end, it probably doesn't matter. With its appearance before the highly-anticipated Batman sequel, the job of finding an audience for the film is more than half done. And I have faith that director Zack Snyder will get the Watchmen the attention it deserves. Back to analyzing the trailer now.
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July 17, 2008
10:06 am | 0 recommendations | 5 comments
In his blog post, It's the End of Blogging as We Know It, Norman Birnbach discusses Jason Calacanis' announcement that he would quit blogging and stick with sending messages to a mailing list of friends and followers. Norman goes on to say that he agrees with TechCrunch that this move won't matter, because someone will just post the emails from Calacanis in a blog.
I believe this is completely correct. And it comes down to a very simple reason. You can't close Pandora's box. There are millions of people worldwide blogging. The blogosphere has developed into this complex web with its own etiquette, memes and niches. You can't get millions of people to stop doing such a routine action with a simple announcement.
The only way to stop blogging as a worldwide activity is to change it or replace it with something different. But this is already happening. Some people have changed from blogging to twittering. Others no longer do simple blogging, but social networking with a blog as part of the activity. Others do video blogs on YouTube or Digg articles to scratch that social itch. And if the Internet has taught us anything, it's that something new is just around the corner.
Online interaction and social media is now part of our culture and one Internet personality who only has recognition in tech circles is not going to change that.
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July 15, 2008
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Every summer at the E3 videogame event the big 3 platform holders have press conferences to try to capture the attention of gaming journalism, mainstream media, and the public. How did they fare this year? All three conferences held few surprises, but there were a few stand-out moments.
In my opinion, Microsoft by far had the best conference -- as well as the first). With live demonstrations of coming title like Gears of Wars 2, Fable 2, Resident Evil 5, and Fallout 3. A demonstration of their new OS upgrades for the Xbox 360, incorporating avatars (similar to Nintendo's successful Miis) and shared community spaces (beating to market Sony's vaporware Home). Other nice touches were the Netflix announcement, as well as new partnerships for video downloads with NBC, Universal and MGM. Microsoft also had new title announcements, such as a new Galaga, an upgraded version of critical hit Portal, and the title announced at the climax, Final Fantasy XIII. The latest game in the venerable role-playing series from Japanese behemoth Square-Enix, FF XIII was originally a Sony exclusive. Often cited as a title that many gamers bought a PlayStation 3 to play, FF XIII's appearance on Xbox 360 removes one of the big guns from Sony's arsenal.
Sony, which held their conference last, also had few surprises. A few titles for each of their platforms was shown: Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty and Resistance: Retribution for PlayStation Portable; Resistance 2, DC Universe Online, and MAG for PlayStation 3. MAG (Massive Action Game) is a first-person shooter from the makers of SOCOM, featuring 8 player squads engaging in battle with up to an amazing 256 players. There was even a God of War III teaser. There were no dates or real details to either the DC comics MMO, MAG, or God of War III. The details were for everything but software: a new PlayStation 2 bundle, a new PlayStation Portable bundle, the $400 PlayStation 3 system coming with a larger hard drive in September, and a new video download service with most of the Hollywood studios support that will be launched today. Virtual community Home was shown again, but once more a date for its release or other details were not given. For racing fans, Gran Turismo TV was announced -- a collection of international TV shows (Top Gear, etc.) and live races accessible through the already released Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Sony had plenty for PSP owners and those who use PS3 for multimedia, but little about PlayStation 3 games.
Nintendo's press conference felt quite different than the others. There was a sedate mood to the whole thing, a whimsical tone. Nintendo demonstrated several games, with few surprises. The long rumored Animal Crossing for Wii was displayed, as well as Wii Music. The former is interesting because is supports a new microphone peripheral, WiiSpeak. The latter is from legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and lets people play a selection of 50 musical instruments using the Wii's standard motion controls. Players will play games, simple music demos, and record their performances. Another new peripheral was shown, the Wii MotionPlus -- which adds greater motion precision to the Wiimote and will be bundled with Wii Sports Resort next year. Other titles shown were Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades and Spore Creatures for the DS. Another big reveal was Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS. But, no footage was shown or a release date revealed. Between the time devoted to WiiMusic and Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo once more focused on the mainstream rather than hardcore.
Overall, all three platforms will have new things this year -- whether it is downloads, communities, or peripherals. In terms of game announcements, Microsoft gets the win, but Nintendo's casual offerings and Sony's portable content will find eager audiences. Gamers, mainstream and hardcore alike, have a lot to look forward to.
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July 11, 2008
10:28 am | 0 recommendations | 3 comments
The iPhone, just as the iPod before it, has become the latest gadget-du-jour. As a gadget-nut I trolled the gadget blogs the weeks leading up to the Jobs keynote and then I trolled the blogs the weeks before the release. In these anticipatory days every little detail has been a revelation, every hands-on preview one more sermon to convince us that this gadget is the second-coming. That this one, not all the others before it, is the one that will make our lives better and give us something meaningful.
And it never does. These gadgets are never quite good enough and we are left hoping that next year's model will be the good one -- just look at the iPhone scrutiny of last year. In our consumer culture and lives of gadget-fetishism things like longer battery life and increased data speeds have become laden with exaggerated value. These things will make the difference! iPhone 3G will be fantastic! And people start lining up days in advance to buy something marginally better than the last iteration.
Whenever I buy a new gadget or piece of electronics I experience the euphoria of carrying the box from the store or seeing the Amazon box delivered. There is the ecstasy of the unboxing, then the hurried set-up as excitement overwhelms your body. And then the monumental first powering up and then the first hour of use. And every time, after the initial buzz dies down, there is a sense of dissatisfaction. I bought my PlayStation 3 a few weeks ago and felt this all once again.
The iPhone 3G will have its good reviews. But there will also be blogs about its failings. And many gadget fans, including myself, will say again, "We'll wait until next year, when they fix it." And the cycle will continue. And other fans have waited on line of hours or days and will buy it and pay the expensive monthly fee and declare it as perfection and will blindly attack anyone who says otherwise.
So the iPhone can go to hell. And so can the anticipation that is ultimately disappointing. We need to quell blind enthusiasm. We need to put companies to task for the slightest of iterations. And we need to realize that focusing on things which have a great effect on our lives, the presidential race or the economy or social responsibility or sustainability, is more productive then drooling over leaked specs and pages of gadget pr0n.
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July 9, 2008
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In her blog, Do We Really Need to be iReady?, Darla Mack discusses the marketing push for the new iPhone being released on Friday. I agree with her that the marketing approach seems a little silly. People really don't need to be told how to shop. But I would go further and add that this somewhat-viral marketing is unnecessary.
Like all of Steve Jobs' keynotes, the iPhone 3G announcement received a fair amount of media coverage. Furthermore, word of mouth about the upgraded gadget was strong -- we geeks like to talk about our obsessions. Are witty marketing moves like "iReady?" that effective? I would think some new print and television commercials to remind the public that the release date has finally come would be enough.
Apple and its music gadgets have become a part of the fabric of popular culture. It is omnipresent. You don't need to hit us over the head with the obvious. And just in case you didn't already know: The Dark Knight will be released next week, the Olympics start in August, and the sun is bright.
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June 30, 2008
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The New York Times article on redesigned milk jugs puts a spotlight on one of the ways Wal-Mart continues adopting green practices. Last year the company announced it was going to encourage product manufacturers to use greener packaging. Here is the proof that this move has worked. I hope Wal-Mart continues this movement, encouraging further greening of products.
I remember when I picked up the redesigned Poland Spring bottle or the sleeker Coke bottle. These things impressed me. Some companies were actually focusing on sustainability. What amazes me is that more have not. Saving the earth may not be the best reason for changing your business, but saving green-backs provides a pretty good argument.
And the fact that Wal-Mart needs to push this shows that most companies just haven't considered the possibility. Many companies get stuck in a routine and do not consider changing their fundamental strategies. Maybe stories such as the milk jugs will inspire executives to think about sustainable packaging. Exploring possibilities never hurt anyone.
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June 27, 2008
12:39 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
On Nightline last night, they had a mini-documentary about Ben Affleck visiting the Congo and sharing stories of what he saw in the conflict-torn country. As I watched his sunburned face, as he tearfully described atrocities he witnessed, I realized that we need to adjust our perceptions. Like many, I assume a celebrity is all good-looks and little else. That assumption is wrong.
If you think about it, Affleck has proven himself more than a pretty face. He co-wrote Good Will Hunting. He directed Gone Baby Gone. And now he puts himself out there with this venture. Our perception of him, and our focus on his romantic life, does not give him credit.
I think the same can be said of many public faces. Stephen Colbert is a Lord of the Rings devotee like myself. Jude Law is a Watchmen fanatic, just as I am. And both Bill Gates and Warren Buffet play bridge. There are more to people than their public image and you have more in common with them than you think.
So, I am adopting what I am calling the Affleck Rule: "Assume people are just as complex as yourself until proven otherwise."
I think everyone would act for the better, especially at work, if we all heeded this concept.
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