Chindogu is brilliant. It is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, Chindogu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions ends up discovering that it causes so many new problems, or such Read More...

This is a tale of two musical pioneers who received posthumous acclaim, and about the unexpected bedfellows of advertising and music.  Wikipedia utilized to provide relevant, titillating details. Back in the 60’s, there were large agencies like PAMS that cranked out canned audio jingles for advertisers or media companies to repurpose for their products on Read More...

That is the first actual post I saw on my Google + newsfeed. The post also summed up my initial experience on the brand new social network, the first truly viable competitor to Facebook. Upon receiving an invite last week, I stared into my iPhone’s browser at http://www.plus.google.com (no iPhone app yet, folks). I felt Read More...

I’ve always been excited by ‘the future’. Not in the flagrantly personal style of the crystal-ball, but rather in the “it-barely-exists-on-the-fringe-now-but-it’s-so-cool-let’s-see-what-can-we-do-with-it” sense. As an example I would point you towards our foray into virtual worlds, exciting, but…as it’s still a bit painful for me, I’ll just stand far back and point in its general direction— Read More...

1) Capri Sun Big Pouch (seriously- this was MY brilliant idea back in the 80s when I was seriously focused on my soccer career after winning the state tourney (yes, it’s true). This was before Gatorade was cool so natch we celebrated with orange slices and Capri Suns, which were clearly too small). 2) Flipsides. Read More...

One thing you can always count on from Apple is a good show. Monday’s keynote was no exception. First of all, the fact that Steve Jobs was there presenting was a pleasant surprise. Second and as if on-queue, there were plenty of hoots, hollers and applause at just the right moments. And most well-deserved in Read More...

Hold onto your gamer headsets ladies and gents, the day has finally arrived. Video game fanatics from across the world are gathered in Los Angeles for the annual E3 Expo. Whether they are into Pac-Man, Final Fantasy or Galaga, these gamers will immerse themselves in the latest and greatest in video games. This year, GSD&M Read More...

Heard an interesting point/counterpoint on this morning’s Marketplace Tech Report about the pros and cons of mobile phones that could be charged from sound.  It seems researchers in South Korea have figured out a way to convert sound waves into battery power. Is it the realization of Monsters, Inc – the power of scream?

And not like you’re thinking of it- so erase that visual of Paris Hilton eating a Carl’s Jr. burger for a moment. I’m talking about something else. I’m sitting in the keynote session featuring Antonio Lucio, from Visa, and he’s just defined the world we’re about to be living in, in a sentence. He said, Read More...

So, the 4A’s was in Austin this year and one of the big headlines coming out it was “Ad industry leaders say industry faces a talent crunch”. Martin Roth, CEO of Interpublic, stated that “…without getting the talent issue right, we’re not going to be able to survive in the marketplace going forward,” he said. Read More...