News, Views & Clues
Mad Men & the Virtual Water Cooler
It has been a while since a television program has triggered the equivalent of “water cooler” conversation. Today, the discussions are happening online. The rallying point is the beginning of the fourth season of AMC’s Mad Men. For those of you not hip to Mad Men, you can learn about it here:. The first show this season opened with... Read More →
Dummies in a Museum - New Smithsonian Display…
The National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian has just unveiled a collection devoted to the history of road safety. The collection includes costumes and body parts from two advertising icons from the 1980s and 1990s: Vince and Larry, the crash test dummies that were used to illustrate the importance of safe driving in 40-plus TV spots. “You... Read More →
It’s Not Easy Playing Ginormous Greens…
The St. Andrews Old Course is famous for its seven double-greens AND for offering the most putting acreage of any major championship. One example is the green shared by the 5th and 13th holes which measures 101 yards from front to back. In a New York Times story, Tom Watson, a five-time British Open champion, was quoted saying: “Lag putting... Read More →
Mets Game in SF: Two Homers by Davis, Triple by Beltran Signs of Hope
The big news for Met fans on Saturday night was the fact that the team’s scoreless streak FINALLY came to an end. Seeing Carlos Beltran leg out a triple and Ike Davis plunking his home run into the Cove to drive him home, was a beautiful thing. Too bad the Mets were already buried in a 6-run hole that they couldn’t overcome. Ike hits the... Read More →
TV Commercial Filmed & Edited on the iPhone 4
Here’s an iPhone 4 story that doesn’t involve the antenna. Springwise has spotted the first TV commercial filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone 4. mymuesli’s founders were so impressed by the phone’s video quality, that they decided to use it for an ad that highlighted the convenience aspect of mymuesli2go. Embeded below,... Read More →
Icon Creates Passion-Driven Products…
The New York Times did a story (”What Price Perfection? The $80,000 Army Jeep”) about Jonathan Ward, the 40-year-old owner of ICON, a company that is rebuilding Army jeeps with aircraft-quality parts. Restoration 2.0: Icon CJ3B It referenced how Mr. Ward refers to ICON as a restoration business. “Restoration” does not begin... Read More →
The Wandering Mind: It’s a Good Thing…
An interesting story appeared in the Science section of the New York Times a short while back. John Tierney wrote about the virtues of a wandering (daydreaming) mind. Just to clarify, when you’re trying to accomplish one thing and lapse into “task-unrelated thoughts,” that’s mind wandering. His story included comments from... Read More →
Buck’s Cafe Buzzes with Dealmaking Breakfasts…
The San Jose Mercury News (MercuryNews.com) just did a story about how Buck’s cafe in Woodside, California is again buzzing with the sound of deals being made. “There is more activity on the venture capital front. There is renewed enthusiasm,” said Jamis MacNiven, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Margaret. “A year ago,... Read More →
iPhone 4 Antenna Issues Prompt Creativity…
There have been all kinds of really creative posts ever since the antenna issue with the iPhone 4 came to light. Apparently there’s a “bumper” for that. Apple said — you’re holding it the wrong way! There was a cartoon. And a Rap video… And a play off of WSJ/All Thing’s Digital pundit, Walt Mossberg. Let’s... Read More →
World Cup Watching via the Palm Pre…
Last week, ESPN said the Wednesday morning FIFA World Cup match between the United States and Algeria — in which the Americans scored a dramatic goal in stoppage time to earn a 1-0 win and a spot in the Round of 16 — was the highest-rated and most-watched soccer game in the history of ESPN networks, delivering a 4.6 rating (4.0 household... Read More →
An Close Encounter With Greatness…
The ad ran in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Great timing considering the level of interest in the 2010 FIFA World Cup had ratcheted up considerably with the United States making just made it into the “knockout round” the day before (See “The Americans Have Landed” which appeared on page D8 in the same paper). The picture,... Read More →
Nike’s “Write the Future” Campaign Kicks into Next Gear…
Nike isn’t an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. That designation goes to Adidas, who paid $350 million for a seven-year deal which expires after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. As an official FIFA top tier partner, Adidas supplied game balls (the controversial Jabulani) and has outfitted FIFA officials and refs. They may have garnered... Read More →
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