While I blogged about design earlier in the year, I was recently reminded of its growing influence yet again through the pages of Fast Company, the latest edition of which is the annual design issue. The feature article, titled “Design Intervention,” is located at www.fastcompany.com and highlights the design aesthetic of one of the world’s premier design houses, Philips Design.
Philips is the autonomous design agency of the venerable consumer electronics firm that has brought us the light bulb, cassette tape and compact disc, among many other innovations. A couple of years ago, it launched a creative positioning campaign called “Sense and Simplicity,” which resonates with me and others like me seeking to simplify our techno-centric lifestyle.
According to the article, the chief designer at Philips, Stefano Marzano, “has been tapped to unify the company through what it calls ‘simplicity-led design.’ He wants to establish his design principles—the unity of form and function, ease of use, and, in Philips’s world, improving the consumer’s life—as an organizing framework for the entire company…right on up to the user interface on every electronic gizmo.” Now that is music to the ears!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Service Versus Hospitality
In the latest issue of Fast Company, there is a Q&A with Danny Meyer, the proprietor of several of the top restaurants in New York City. When asked about the hospitality aspect of his impressive operation, he stated: “One of the real keys to the success of our restaurants is understanding the difference between service and hospitality. Service is how well something is done technically; hospitality is how good something feels emotionally. I think we’re at the dawn of the hospitality economy, and the companies that prevail are the ones that realize it’s the quality of the emotional experience that sets them apart.” That's service with a smile.
Monday, July 31, 2006
The Statistics of Publishing
Fellow journalist Chris Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and the author of The Long Tail, a best-selling book on the economics of entertainment. According to Anderson, there’s untapped potential in the vast number of books and other media that sell relatively few copies, representing the so-called “long tail” of the sales curve.
In a recent article in industry trade journal Publishers Weekly, Anderson wrote: “Here’s the reality of the book industry: in 2004, 950,000 titles out of the 1.2 million tracked by Nielsen BookScan sold fewer than 99 copies. Another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies. Only 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies. The average book in America sells about 500 copies. Those blockbusters are a minute anomaly: only 10 books sold more than a million copies last year, and fewer than 500 sold more than 100,000.”
And as if those statistics weren’t staggering enough, Anderson continued: “Today, there are about 32 million unique titles in America’s collective libraries. Only about two million of them—6%—are in print. Perhaps another 20%, mostly the oldest books, are in the public domain and legally free and clear to be scanned and put online. The rest—nearly three quarters of the knowledge, culture and history that lies in books—remains “out of print” but still under copyright.”
In a recent article in industry trade journal Publishers Weekly, Anderson wrote: “Here’s the reality of the book industry: in 2004, 950,000 titles out of the 1.2 million tracked by Nielsen BookScan sold fewer than 99 copies. Another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies. Only 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies. The average book in America sells about 500 copies. Those blockbusters are a minute anomaly: only 10 books sold more than a million copies last year, and fewer than 500 sold more than 100,000.”
And as if those statistics weren’t staggering enough, Anderson continued: “Today, there are about 32 million unique titles in America’s collective libraries. Only about two million of them—6%—are in print. Perhaps another 20%, mostly the oldest books, are in the public domain and legally free and clear to be scanned and put online. The rest—nearly three quarters of the knowledge, culture and history that lies in books—remains “out of print” but still under copyright.”
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Book by Book
If there is one thing I like about life it is the serendipitous nature of it, especially when it comes to visits to the bookstore, one of my favorite places to frequent. One such recent visit resulted in my discovery of a title called Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life, which is authored by Michael Dirda, staff writer for The Washington Post Book World since 1978 and winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for criticism.
Dirda writes in the book’s preface: “For Book by Book, I’ve set down some of what I’ve learned about life from my reading. In its character the result is a…bouquet of insightful or provocative quotations from favorite authors, surrounded by some of my own observations, several lists, the occasional anecdote, and a series of mini-essays on aspects of life. Above all, I hope the result is, to echo the poet Horace’s old formula, dulce et utile—enjoyable and useful—a book to read slowly, to browse in, and return to.” I must say, it is that, and then some. Check it out by visiting http://www.amazon.com/.
Dirda writes in the book’s preface: “For Book by Book, I’ve set down some of what I’ve learned about life from my reading. In its character the result is a…bouquet of insightful or provocative quotations from favorite authors, surrounded by some of my own observations, several lists, the occasional anecdote, and a series of mini-essays on aspects of life. Above all, I hope the result is, to echo the poet Horace’s old formula, dulce et utile—enjoyable and useful—a book to read slowly, to browse in, and return to.” I must say, it is that, and then some. Check it out by visiting http://www.amazon.com/.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Wired But Disconnected
While I appreciate the advances of modern technology, one of my pet peeves concerning it is that we’ve become what I call “wired but disconnected.” If you’re like me, you know other people—even friends and family members—who share the disrespectful habit of talking on their cell phones, checking their emails, etc., while you’re trying to engage them in meaningful conversation, often during meals or other such private times.
It seems that we’ve become tethered to our gadgets but unplugged from the lives of those around us. The irony here is that our widgets were designed to draw us closer together instead of coming between us. Of course, if used properly, technology and its corresponding toys are gifts that allow us to stay in touch with those we love.
The “disconnect” occurs when otherwise well-meaning people fail to acknowledge and respect the proper protocol for communicating effectively. For example, think of the “walkie-talkie” cell phone user who publicly chats away, obviously oblivious to life as we know it. And don’t even get me started with “crackberry” users who pay more attention to incoming emails than to the person seated in front of them for supper.
What it all comes down to is a need to practice the presence of people. The most important person we encounter at any given moment is the one we’re with at the time. And the greatest gift we give another is to be fully present with that person, particularly if it is someone we claim to love but typically ignore in our chase to be “connected.”
It seems that we’ve become tethered to our gadgets but unplugged from the lives of those around us. The irony here is that our widgets were designed to draw us closer together instead of coming between us. Of course, if used properly, technology and its corresponding toys are gifts that allow us to stay in touch with those we love.
The “disconnect” occurs when otherwise well-meaning people fail to acknowledge and respect the proper protocol for communicating effectively. For example, think of the “walkie-talkie” cell phone user who publicly chats away, obviously oblivious to life as we know it. And don’t even get me started with “crackberry” users who pay more attention to incoming emails than to the person seated in front of them for supper.
What it all comes down to is a need to practice the presence of people. The most important person we encounter at any given moment is the one we’re with at the time. And the greatest gift we give another is to be fully present with that person, particularly if it is someone we claim to love but typically ignore in our chase to be “connected.”
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The People Business
Between a story on CBS’s 60 Minutes and an hour-long feature on CNBC’s American Made, a new program spotlighting homegrown entrepreneurs, Starbucks and its chairman Howard Schultz have been front and center in the media lately. I must admit I came away from both programs impressed by Schultz the man and his mission to brand Starbucks as what he calls a “third place,” which the church also could model, incidentally.
“We aren’t in the coffee business, serving people. We are in the people business, serving coffee. And the experience is defined by what we have characterized for a long time as Starbucks becoming this ‘third place’ between home and work,” said Shultz. “The environment and the experience is the brand. It’s a very important distinction that people use our stores all over the world as an extension of their daily lives, and sometimes the coffee is subordinate to that.”
“We aren’t in the coffee business, serving people. We are in the people business, serving coffee. And the experience is defined by what we have characterized for a long time as Starbucks becoming this ‘third place’ between home and work,” said Shultz. “The environment and the experience is the brand. It’s a very important distinction that people use our stores all over the world as an extension of their daily lives, and sometimes the coffee is subordinate to that.”
Friday, March 10, 2006
Caching Life
I read a cool blog at http://www.christianlindholm.com/. Christian Lindholm is vice president of global mobile products for Yahoo and before that he was the software creator of Nokia’s Lifeblog, a multimedia journal. What I found interesting was his admission that after 14 years of electronic notetaking he has gone retro and started using Moleskin notebooks.
Pardon the pun, but on that note, multimedia journals are all about a trend called “life caching,” which is basically digital scrapbooking, whereby people mine the detritus of their lives in order to document them for posterity’s sake and to be able to relive them at a later time.
An example of life caching is the use of portable flash drives, or memory sticks as they are sometimes called, which serve as digital “life files,” capturing and preserving moments as memories. Interestingly, it has been suggested that sharing an experience may become as valuable if not more valuable than the actual experience itself.
Reinier Evers, founder of www.trendwatching.com, identified the trend of life caching and has this to say about it: “Human beings (fueled by vanity, by a need to raise their self-worth, by their desire for validation, for control, for immortality) love to collect and store possessions, memories, experiences, in order to create and share personal histories, or just to keep track for practical reasons. And now, thanks to an onslaught of new technologies and tools, from blogging software to memory sticks to high definition camera phones, they can.”
Pardon the pun, but on that note, multimedia journals are all about a trend called “life caching,” which is basically digital scrapbooking, whereby people mine the detritus of their lives in order to document them for posterity’s sake and to be able to relive them at a later time.
An example of life caching is the use of portable flash drives, or memory sticks as they are sometimes called, which serve as digital “life files,” capturing and preserving moments as memories. Interestingly, it has been suggested that sharing an experience may become as valuable if not more valuable than the actual experience itself.
Reinier Evers, founder of www.trendwatching.com, identified the trend of life caching and has this to say about it: “Human beings (fueled by vanity, by a need to raise their self-worth, by their desire for validation, for control, for immortality) love to collect and store possessions, memories, experiences, in order to create and share personal histories, or just to keep track for practical reasons. And now, thanks to an onslaught of new technologies and tools, from blogging software to memory sticks to high definition camera phones, they can.”
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Simplicity by Design
I never really thought much about design until I read a recent article about it in my favorite magazine, Fast Company. And it got me to thinking about how much design has actually influenced many of the major purchases I've made in my life.
From my Nokia cellphone to my Apple laptop to my Honda sedan, design has played an overwhelmingly influential, if somewhat subconscious, role in my decision making. As I thought about what my personal buying habits suggest an affinity for, the word that came to mind is: simplicity.
Indeed, one of Honda's advertising campaigns used "simplicity" as its unique selling proposition. And anyone even remotely familiar with technological trends is aware of how design simplicity has helped to make Nokia and Apple leaders in their respective fields of creativity.
None other than agent provocateur Tom Peters has suggested that design is THE differentiating factor in the marketplace of today. For more insights about the role of design, especially as it relates to simplicity, I suggest visiting www.fastcompany.com and www.trendwatching.com.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Wowed by Apple
I had such an amazing experience with Apple today that I had to blog about it. Four weeks ago today I became the proud owner of an Apple G4 PowerBook and was loving it all the way up until I noticed a couple of days ago that some of the paint was starting to come off the button used to open the laptop. I called my local Apple store representative immediately and the guy I spoke to assured me that it could be fixed in-house.
However, once my wife and I made the nearly hour-long trip to the store [to also attend a FREE class], I was informed that it would need to be shipped off to be repaired, which I wasn't wild about. Upon noticing my chagrin at the prospect of being without my new laptop for several days, the fellow went to speak with the store manager and soon returned to inform me that he was authorized to give me a NEW laptop in exchange for my defective one.
It's not every day that I am WOWED by a customer service experience, but I left that store today an Apple evangelist. My wife, who is a customer service manager herself, was equally stunned at the length to which Apple was willing to go to create an overwhelmingly satisfied customer. In addition to posting this blog, my wife and I both plan to relate our thanks to the store manager and to share our experience with others.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
The Call of the Mall
My very favorite time of the year is the holiday period stretching from Thanksgiving to Christmas and continuing through New Year’s, yet I was reminded the other day of the crass commercialism that threatens to turn the holidays into anything but “holy days.”
My wife and I watched with a mixture of humor and horror the frenzied rush of shoppers overwhelming retailers on what has become the biggest shopping day of the year. And as we observed, we couldn’t help but think that the day after Thanksgiving has become a victim of the twin thieves of thankfulness: speed and greed.
As long ago as the 1830s, the French writer Alexis de Tocqueville blamed the shopping instinct for jacking up the pace of life: “He who has set his heart exclusively upon the pursuit of worldly welfare is always in a hurry, for he has but a limited time at his disposal to reach, to grasp, and to enjoy it.”
And Kent Nerburn writes in Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life: “Unwittingly, we have allowed ourselves to be trapped by the thrill of the hunt. In our excitement we have forgotten that the pursuit of most possessions is nothing more than that—a pursuit—and have allowed ourselves to believe that our happiness would be increased by the next possession we acquire.”
As for me and mine, we intend to avoid the call of the mall, and hearken instead to the still small voice calling us to a kinder, gentler pace. If you are racing to and fro this holiday season in a vain attempt to find peace in presents, do yourself a favor and remember this helpful proverb: “Better is a handful with quietness, than both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.”
My wife and I watched with a mixture of humor and horror the frenzied rush of shoppers overwhelming retailers on what has become the biggest shopping day of the year. And as we observed, we couldn’t help but think that the day after Thanksgiving has become a victim of the twin thieves of thankfulness: speed and greed.
As long ago as the 1830s, the French writer Alexis de Tocqueville blamed the shopping instinct for jacking up the pace of life: “He who has set his heart exclusively upon the pursuit of worldly welfare is always in a hurry, for he has but a limited time at his disposal to reach, to grasp, and to enjoy it.”
And Kent Nerburn writes in Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life: “Unwittingly, we have allowed ourselves to be trapped by the thrill of the hunt. In our excitement we have forgotten that the pursuit of most possessions is nothing more than that—a pursuit—and have allowed ourselves to believe that our happiness would be increased by the next possession we acquire.”
As for me and mine, we intend to avoid the call of the mall, and hearken instead to the still small voice calling us to a kinder, gentler pace. If you are racing to and fro this holiday season in a vain attempt to find peace in presents, do yourself a favor and remember this helpful proverb: “Better is a handful with quietness, than both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.”
Monday, October 31, 2005
Receiving the Day
My wife and I just returned from a relaxing vacation to Kennebunkport, Maine and while there I read an insightful book titled Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time. My reading of it comes on the heels of another thoughtful book I read this month called Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest. Both books served to reinforce the convictions of my wife and I concerning the need to throttle the speed at which we live our personal and professional lives.
Retreating to an idyllic setting as we did helps to slow the pace of living but our journey toward “the unforced rhythms of grace,” as Eugene Peterson calls it in The Message, has been some time in the making. And it has been satisfying for us the last couple of months to experience the pleasure of sharing our philosophy of life with several others through a presentation we call “Sense and Simplicity: Relax, Refresh and Renew.” One good nugget of advice: slow down long enough to read a good book.
Retreating to an idyllic setting as we did helps to slow the pace of living but our journey toward “the unforced rhythms of grace,” as Eugene Peterson calls it in The Message, has been some time in the making. And it has been satisfying for us the last couple of months to experience the pleasure of sharing our philosophy of life with several others through a presentation we call “Sense and Simplicity: Relax, Refresh and Renew.” One good nugget of advice: slow down long enough to read a good book.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Taming Technology
I finally joined the twenty-first century and upgraded from dial-up to high-speed Internet. It has gone relatively smoothly, with a couple of kinks yet to be ironed out. But it has left me thinking anew about the place of technology in my life. For example, in exchange for all the extra speed I gained with the upgrade, I also spent considerable time contacting tech support personnel for assistance with the process.
In the long run, the transaction will be well worth it, I am convinced. Yet I can’t help but wonder how much longer I could have made do with the old-fashioned technology. I am no Luddite: one who is averse to all types of technology, no matter the convenience it offers. It’s just that I rather like living simply, particularly when it comes to taming the tentacles of technology. For I’ve realized that it may make life easier, but not necessarily simpler.
Technology has afforded me the luxury of being able to do the work I enjoy virtually anywhere in the world, as long as I am connected via phone and computer. And with the growth of wireless services, I am greatly anticipating the time I will be freed from the tangle of wires that encumber me. But even as the day approaches, I plan to keep the number for tech support handy in case of emergency.
In the long run, the transaction will be well worth it, I am convinced. Yet I can’t help but wonder how much longer I could have made do with the old-fashioned technology. I am no Luddite: one who is averse to all types of technology, no matter the convenience it offers. It’s just that I rather like living simply, particularly when it comes to taming the tentacles of technology. For I’ve realized that it may make life easier, but not necessarily simpler.
Technology has afforded me the luxury of being able to do the work I enjoy virtually anywhere in the world, as long as I am connected via phone and computer. And with the growth of wireless services, I am greatly anticipating the time I will be freed from the tangle of wires that encumber me. But even as the day approaches, I plan to keep the number for tech support handy in case of emergency.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
A Tale of Two Cities
Together with the rest of the world, I have been witnessing the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, particularly in the beautiful, historic city of New Orleans. As I’ve watched, I’ve been reminded of the immortal words of Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
That phrase summarizes for me the good and bad aspects of human nature that have been on display the last couple of days. “The best of times” has been represented by the heroic rescue efforts of the brave emergency personnel in New Orleans. Yet “the worst of times” also has been on display, namely through the brazen acts of thievery perpetrated by desperate city residents.
During a visit to New Orleans for a convention, I found the city charming, but for the notable exception of Bourbon Street. So it is with sadness that I see its downtown district awash in waves of water. But it is the human story that I find most disheartening. I can’t help but recall the quote I read of a tourist as she observed the rampant looting of the French Quarter: “I thought this was a sophisticated city, but I guess not.” A tale of two cities indeed.
As I try to make sense of the situation that continues to unfold, I also am reminded of the timeless words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That phrase summarizes for me the good and bad aspects of human nature that have been on display the last couple of days. “The best of times” has been represented by the heroic rescue efforts of the brave emergency personnel in New Orleans. Yet “the worst of times” also has been on display, namely through the brazen acts of thievery perpetrated by desperate city residents.
During a visit to New Orleans for a convention, I found the city charming, but for the notable exception of Bourbon Street. So it is with sadness that I see its downtown district awash in waves of water. But it is the human story that I find most disheartening. I can’t help but recall the quote I read of a tourist as she observed the rampant looting of the French Quarter: “I thought this was a sophisticated city, but I guess not.” A tale of two cities indeed.
As I try to make sense of the situation that continues to unfold, I also am reminded of the timeless words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Sunday, July 31, 2005
The Art of Creative Living
I read the latest book by famed “Painter of Light” Thomas Kinkade, called The Art of Creative Living: Making Every Day a Radiant Masterpiece. The book is the sequel to his bestselling title Lightposts for Living: The Art of Choosing a Joyful Life, a personalized copy of which I proudly own. I must admit Kinkade’s romantic vision of the simple life resonates with me personally and it is one that I seek to experience daily. Both of the artist’s books spoke to me on a deep level, but the riches of the latest one are most freshly on my mind.
In an effort to capture the essence of the book, I enclose here a brief excerpt from Kinkade’s luminous writing: “I have come to believe that in an expansive sense, creativity is God’s highest calling. The call to creativity isn’t complicated. It could be a life’s work or a ministry for the moment. Whatever your occupation or daily responsibilities, once you discover your special creative calling and begin to fill in life’s canvas, you’ll be on the way…to an experience of creative living that is your own work of art…a masterpiece.”
In an effort to capture the essence of the book, I enclose here a brief excerpt from Kinkade’s luminous writing: “I have come to believe that in an expansive sense, creativity is God’s highest calling. The call to creativity isn’t complicated. It could be a life’s work or a ministry for the moment. Whatever your occupation or daily responsibilities, once you discover your special creative calling and begin to fill in life’s canvas, you’ll be on the way…to an experience of creative living that is your own work of art…a masterpiece.”
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Sowing and Reaping
I recently perused a book in my library called Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer and a statement leapt off the page at me: “Remember, knowledge, a main currency of the BLUR economy, has a unique property: You’ve got it, you sell it—you’ve still got it! So, don’t hoard your knowledge. Spread it, get credit for having known it early, become known as the source of interesting ideas, whether they’re original or secondhand. If you don’t, your friends will hear it from someone else. Velocity of knowledge is crucial to your success. The more you give away, the more you’ll get back.” Sounds like sowing and reaping to me.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
The Reading Life
I finished reading The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life by Steve Leveen, founder of Levenger, the purveyor of “Tools for Serious Readers,” and loved it. Subtitled “How to get more books in your life and more life from your books,” the book recalls the simple pleasures of the reading life. For more about the book, visit the author's site at www.levenger.com/wellreadlife.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Chronicling the Blogosphere
I read Hugh Hewitt’s latest tome, a chronicle of the blogosphere titled Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your World. For the uninitiated, Hewitt is the unofficial historian of the blogging movement, with one of the highest traffic sites in the blogosphere, located at http://www.hughhewitt.com/.
As it states on the book’s cover, Hewitt articulates “why you must know how the blogosphere is smashing the old media monopoly and giving individuals power in the marketplace of ideas.” To that end, he does an artful job of explaining how Web logs are in the process of replacing mainstream media as the most influential, if not powerful, force in media today.
Hewitt cites the incredible growth of the blogosphere—which boasts nearly 5 million blogs in existence and is expected to double within the year—as indicative of a communications breakthrough comparable to the revolutionary printing press.
As it states on the book’s cover, Hewitt articulates “why you must know how the blogosphere is smashing the old media monopoly and giving individuals power in the marketplace of ideas.” To that end, he does an artful job of explaining how Web logs are in the process of replacing mainstream media as the most influential, if not powerful, force in media today.
Hewitt cites the incredible growth of the blogosphere—which boasts nearly 5 million blogs in existence and is expected to double within the year—as indicative of a communications breakthrough comparable to the revolutionary printing press.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Archiving the Internet
I was channel surfing the other day and stumbled upon an intriguing program on one of the few stations that make television worth watching: C-SPAN. The program featured Brewster Kahle speaking at the John Kluge Center at the Library of Congress about his ambitious dream of cataloging the Internet.
Kahle sold his company, Alexa Internet Corp., which is the chief chronicler of Web traffic, to Amazon.com in June 1999, and is now hard at work on the Internet Archive, a project that is designed to save and sort the world’s collective knowledge. For more info, visit its site at http://www.archive.org/.
“The Internet has the potential to be the greatest library in the history of mankind—a repository of memory, thought, culture, and scholarship; a record of what it means to be human. But without an archive, it’s nothing more than a catalog of the perpetually changing now,” said Kahle.
I jotted down some of the more fascinating statistics that Kahle shared in the process of outlining the daunting task he faces. According to Kahle, there are about 28 million books in existence today, 2 to 3 million music recordings, 100,000 to 200,000 moving pictures, 50,000 software programs, 50 million Web sites and 40 billion Web pages.
Apparently unfazed by the job ahead, Kahle blithely stated that as big as the challenge is, it is nonetheless doable in our lifetime. As an example, he said that the equivalent of the entire collection of the Library of Congress could be archived at a cost of 200 million to 300 million dollars, a fraction of its current operating budget.
Kahle sold his company, Alexa Internet Corp., which is the chief chronicler of Web traffic, to Amazon.com in June 1999, and is now hard at work on the Internet Archive, a project that is designed to save and sort the world’s collective knowledge. For more info, visit its site at http://www.archive.org/.
“The Internet has the potential to be the greatest library in the history of mankind—a repository of memory, thought, culture, and scholarship; a record of what it means to be human. But without an archive, it’s nothing more than a catalog of the perpetually changing now,” said Kahle.
I jotted down some of the more fascinating statistics that Kahle shared in the process of outlining the daunting task he faces. According to Kahle, there are about 28 million books in existence today, 2 to 3 million music recordings, 100,000 to 200,000 moving pictures, 50,000 software programs, 50 million Web sites and 40 billion Web pages.
Apparently unfazed by the job ahead, Kahle blithely stated that as big as the challenge is, it is nonetheless doable in our lifetime. As an example, he said that the equivalent of the entire collection of the Library of Congress could be archived at a cost of 200 million to 300 million dollars, a fraction of its current operating budget.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Watching for Trends
I subscribe to an insightful newsletter from Trendwatching.com and this month’s featured consumer trend is what is called Nouveau Niche. Here is an excerpt from the latest issue: “BusinessWeek called it ‘The Vanishing Mass Market.’ Others talk about Niche Mania, Stuck in the Middle, or Commoditization Chaos. We at Trendwatching.com dubbed it Nouveau Niche: the new riches will come from servicing the new niches! To continue thinking of niche as unprofitable or even worse, unpopular, may equal commercial suicide.” For more information or to subscribe visit www.trendwatching.com.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Blinking Without Thinking
I finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s insightful new book titled Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking the other day. I got tons of new insights from it, but for the time being I’ll simply include an excerpt from the book’s cover copy and a link to Malcolm Gladwell’s site for further reading: www.gladwell.com.
“Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to made in an instant—in the blink of an eye—that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren’t those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of ‘thin-slicing’—filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.”
“Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to made in an instant—in the blink of an eye—that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren’t those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of ‘thin-slicing’—filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.”
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