Sparking Ideas

Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies (and iPods)

2011-09-23T16:46:00.001Z

Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies (and iPods) Video on TED.com

35 Years of Apple Products - Visual History

2011-08-17T14:21:00.005Z

Follow iHateBadService.ca on Twitter !

2009-04-29T04:15:00.001Z

iHateBadService.ca is now on Twitter ! Be the first follower !

http://twitter.com/ihatebadservice

Ed Ulbrich: How Benjamin Button got his face

2009-02-26T05:06:00.000Z

Ed Ulbrich, the digital-effects guru from Digital Domain, explains the Oscar-winning technology that allowed his team to digitally create the older versions of Brad Pitt's face for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

2009-02-04T03:24:00.001Z

Stop talking to Machine. Get me a human !!!

2009-01-13T01:44:00.001Z

Tired of wasting time talking to those Automated Customer Support System ? Here are some tricks found at iHateBadService.ca to bypass those automated nonsense and get straight to a human ! Hope it helps !!

Lennart Green: Close-up card magic

2009-01-12T23:32:00.001Z

Like your uncle at a family party, the rumpled Swedish doctor Lennart Green says, "Pick a card, any card." But what he does with those cards is pure magic -- flabbergasting, lightning-fast, how-does-he-do-it? magic.

Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote

2009-01-12T23:30:00.001Z

Building sophisticated educational tools out of cheap parts, Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller into a digital whiteboard, a touchscreen and a head-mounted 3-D viewer.

15% OFF Discount from Sweet Wedding Favor !

2009-01-01T23:39:00.000Z

Are you looking for something Different for your wedding favors ?

Sweet Wedding Favor offers unique candies favors that are beautifully wrapped in a creative fashion. Wedding favors could be fun, creative and yet affordable. Sweet Wedding Favor can help you to wow your guests at your wedding and have them bring your wedding favor home with a smile on the face =)

If you are looking for wedding favors, or know something who's engaged, or you simply want to receive one of the sweet favors in their wedding, then you should check them out.

They are also running a promotion now, use the following discount coupon code and you will receive 15% off on your purchase !

FAVOR4U

Check it out and pass it along !

How can you encourage a child ?

2008-12-21T00:05:00.001Z

A thought provoking Ad from the Japan Children Support Foundation.

Complaining has never been easier ...

2008-08-06T04:56:00.008Z

Introducing iHateBadService.ca on iPhone.

Thanks to the iPhone's superb web browsing capability, now you can complain about bad service anytime, anywhere.

Step 1) Visit iHateBadService.ca

Step 2) Submit your bad service story (on the spot !)

Step 3) Your story is now posted in the iHateBadService.ca Blog

Google Video Outdoor Campaign

2008-04-01T01:33:00.001Z

Use your iPod to study and learn better ...

2008-02-21T04:50:00.003Z

I just found out that Apple launched the iTune U in their iTune Store last year, which offers free educational materials from colleges and universities, so that users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows. I haven't been keeping up with the latest technology .. sigh ....

iTunes U makes it easy for anyone to access amazing educational material from many of the most respected colleges and universities. Stanford, Harvard, Yale, MIT, you name it ... Simply download the contents and transform your iPod to a learning device, learning on the go has never been easier.

Warning: However, there will always be some lectures by boring professors that will put you in sleep in less than 5 minutes.

Sometime it's the most challenging problem that has the simplest solution ...

2008-02-20T06:43:00.000Z

Here's another great example of how challenging problem is solved by the simplest solution. Go watch how PlayPump Internationals help solving the problem of limited access to clean drinking water across Africa ! Simply clever !!

TNT Best of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

2008-02-19T03:45:00.002Z

Dwight Howard's superman dunk at 3:00 .. priceless ....

Optimus SMS Ads

2008-01-26T19:59:00.003Z

7 Reasons No one likes your ideas

2008-01-25T17:53:00.000Z

Ever got a brilliant idea in a meeting but no one seems to "get" it ?

Go ahead and read Dustin's article, it provides some good tips on what to avoid and how to increase your chance in selling your idea.

http://thepeoplebrand.com/blog/2008/01/04/7-reasons-no-one-likes-your-ideas/

Look for Loneliness - Children in Need

2007-12-08T05:46:00.001Z

This show is awesome, start loving it.

The One Laptop Per Child Project: The $100 laptop is now here.

2007-11-21T06:11:00.000Z

Nicholas Negroponte's idea of "100-dollar-laptop" has come to life recently. The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to develop a very low-cost, high-potential, extremely rugged computer
for the two billion educationally underserved children in poor countries. The laptop is now called the XO, because if you turn the logo 90 degrees, it looks like a child. OLPC is now running the "Give 1, Get 1" program which allows consumers in the industrialized world to buy one computer and have a second donated to a student in a developing country. The price for an XO laptop now is $200 USD (they are expecting to lower the price in the next few years). So you pay $400 (www.xogiving.org). One XO laptop (and a tax deduction) comes to you by Christmas, and a second is sent to a student in a poor country. And this program runs until November 26th.

The reviews of the XO laptop I read so far are pretty amazing. Checkout the review below from New York Times and you will see a little demo of the XO laptop.

Shadow Monsters

2007-11-21T04:30:00.001Z

This looks so much fun !

Something Different for your Wedding Favor.

2007-11-10T20:06:00.000Z

Are you looking for something Different for your wedding favors ?

Sweet Wedding Favor has just been launched recently and it offers unique candies favors that are beautifully wrapped in a creative fashion. Wedding favors could be fun, creative and yet affordable. Sweet Wedding Favor can help you to wow your guests at your wedding and have them bring your wedding favor home with a smile on the face =)

If you are looking for wedding favors, or know something who's engaged, or you simply want to receive one of the sweet favors in their wedding, then you should check them out.

They are also running a promotion now, simply send your question or feedback to hello@sweetweddingfavor.com and you will receive a discount coupon code for up to 15% off !

Y-M-C-A ...

2007-10-11T01:04:00.001Z

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken

2007-10-10T17:23:00.000Z

It is said that only about 7% of our messages are expressed verbally. Watch this presentation below by Doug Zongkers and find out how you can make a connection with an audience and make meaning using traditional death-by-PowerPoint techniques and limiting your vocabulary to one word.

Creative Friday - Wind Up Lamp

2007-09-28T14:45:00.000Z

I often read/blog/youtube/watch movie in bed and fall asleep and forget to turn off the light. If you are like me, you may find this product useful =)

Wind-up to turn the light on before you go to bed. The light will stay on until the key winds back. You will come to know how many times you need to wind-up. Its main source of power comes from its powerful spring-driven generator. As the high carbon tensile steel spring unwinds, power is transferred to a small dynamo electric generator which produces enough electricity to power of the light.

Love it ! I can totally imagine myself using it. It will also be useful for people who can’t sleep without the light !

Looking for off-the-shelf eCommerce solution ...

2007-09-25T23:01:00.000Z

I was looking around for off-the-shelf eCommerce solution recently for my friend who wants to start an online store. Being an owner of a small business, his needs can be summarized as following:

1) Cheap, cheap and cheap
2) A quick and dirty solution just to get the products online to test the water
3) Website + Shopping Cart + Payment all-in-one solution
4) No time to code himself
5) Product inventory system (nice to have)

So we came across solution like Amazon Store, Payment Checkout and also some sites offer integrated shopping cart solutions. But the cost is still too much for a small business who just wants to test the water (plus their transaction fee is not low either, e.g. Amazon has a 7% transaction fee).

As we see more, we are actually looking for something along the line of aShop Commerce, it is a provider of shopping cart software and complete solution for merchants to sell online. So you can do store setup, customize layout, product inventory, payment method, shipping, checkout all in once place. They also got pretty good demo on their sites as well. Only concern of course, is still the cost, so I guess we'll still shop around. If anyone of you got some past experience or recommendation, please let me know. Thanks !

Running any iPhone hack or unlock ? Bye-Bye Warranty.

2007-09-25T04:28:00.000Z

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software, which will likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed. Apple plans to release the next iPhone software update, containing many new features including the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store (www.itunes.com), later this week. Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones. Users who make unauthorized modifications to the software on their iPhone violate their iPhone software license agreement and void their warranty. The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone's warranty.

"The Art of Evangelism" Web conference

2007-09-21T14:41:00.000Z

Guy Kawasaki is holding a free online WebEx seminar called “The Art of Evangelism.” During this seminar, Guy will explain the strategies and tactics of evangelism for products and services. For those who doesn't know Guy, he is a managing director of Garage an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple Computer, Inc., and an Apple Fellow. His name is synonymous with evangelism as a secular business technique, and motorcycles.

I had registered, thought some of you may be interested as well.

Tuesday, September 25th
11:00 am Pacific
You can register here

Six nice reasons to use iHateBadService.ca

2007-09-15T05:19:00.000Z

From iHateBadService.ca

Collection of Awesome 404 Pages

2007-09-14T05:37:00.000Z

From The Best Article Every day

Apparently, this is a test of the emergency broadcast systems. You should remain calm, these kinds of things happen all the time. The “four oh four error” by Poropoptrt.com.

Watch the final Gmail Collaborative Video =)

2007-09-13T16:26:00.000Z

Goggle did a fun promotion inviting Gmail users to show how Gmail messages "really" travels around the world. They asked Gmail users to submit their own video clips that passed the Gmail logo from left to right on the camera. Gmail fans from more than 65 countries submitted more than 1,100 videos and Google has compiled many of them into this final clip.

Have fun watching it ! =)

Pay per post ...

2007-09-13T02:27:00.000Z

I have signed up for payperpost recenlty after reading some of its reviews. More important, I read the news that they announced it has completed a $7 million second round investment led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, an investor in the company’s Series A and one of the world’s leading high-technology venture capital firms. The financing brings the total amount of capital raised by PayPerPost to over $10 million. Mmmm .. that's a lot of money to spend, so they must have paid their posties well in order to grow their business.

PayPerPost is one among the various paid-to-review blog network in existence. The principle behind this is to connect advertisers and bloggers to write about services, products or events on their blogs and get paid for doing so.You can make any where between $5 and $2,500 for a post, depending on the advertiser and your blogs PR ranking. There is quite a huge selection of opportunities to post on and can, no doubt, find opportunities that are suited for your blog and that you can feel good about posting. I have so far been paid a few bucks here and there (e.g. this post is worth $10), hopefully that will turn into a nice little extra income ... mmm ...
sponsored content

Tackling Drink and Drive. Piss screen

2007-08-26T05:38:00.001Z

Poor goldfish ....

2007-08-22T05:24:00.000Z

Do you hate bad service ? We do. iHateBadService.ca

2007-08-15T23:13:00.000Z

I am sure everyone has experienced and are annoyed by bad services. Some people would write lots of complaint letters, hoping they will reach top management and receive the compensation they deserved. Some would have a big fight with the other party on the spot. But I guess most of us would just feel we couldn't really do much about it.

iHateBadService.ca is a new site which allows users to anonymously share their bad experience stories. These stories are posted in their blog so that others can read, subscribe and comment on them. And you can basically complain about anything without the hassle of signing up or registering.

Word of mouth can go a loooong way, and the negative ones can go even further. Companies better watch this space.

Please don't Click on my "Ads By Google" ...

2007-08-07T04:54:00.000Z

Rick Mercer's Blackberry Spoof

2007-08-01T02:36:00.001Z

Innovation Quote: You can't be remarkable by following someone else who's remarkable

2007-07-31T12:49:00.000Z

One way to figure out a theory is to look at what's working in the real world and determine what the successes have in common. But what could the Four Seasons and Motel 6 possibly have in common? Or Neiman-Marcus and Wal-Mart? Or Nokia (bringing out new hardware every 30 days or so) and Nintendo (marketing the same Gameboy 14 years in a row)? It's like trying to drive while looking in the rearview mirror.

The thing that all these companies have in common is that they have nothing in common.

Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in Second Life

2007-07-27T02:41:00.000Z

This is an amazing four-minute machinima film showing the 3-D re-creation of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in Second Life.

Ever looked at your favorite painting and wished you could wander
inside, to look at it from different perspectives?

- Robbie Dingo, producer of the this machinima film

Real transformers

2007-07-26T14:31:00.001Z

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads

2007-07-25T00:04:00.000Z

From oddee.com

Google Maps: Draggable Driving Directions

2007-07-03T20:32:00.000Z

Have you ever needed to customize your driving directions or plan multiple stops for your road trip ? Now you can do that easily on Google Maps by simply dragging & dropping the default directions to your preferred roads or highways, route around traffic, or add multiple stops on your way.

2007-07-03T20:28:00.001Z

With the launch of Apple iPhone, will iPhone accessories be the next hit ?

2007-06-30T04:30:00.000Z

Google as predicted in 1964

2007-06-27T02:35:00.000Z

Here is an interesting article from Web Owls about the “answer machine” of the future, which appeared in the book Childcraft Volume 6: How Things Change, published by Field Enterprises Educational Corporation in 1964. And the "Answer Machine" that they described is pretty much Google today =)

Here is one of the examples:

There are more examples, be sure you check them out !

P.S. The girl is using a flat-screen-LCD ...

Wonderbra =)

2007-06-26T04:57:00.000Z

Online Shopping Coupons ...

2007-06-26T03:08:00.000Z

Have you ever shopped online and wonder where do people get those "promotional code" for purchase discount ?

I came across Coupon Chief recently and it seems to be a good online portal to check for coupons, deals, and discounts. It features a wide range of offers from Best Buy, Home Depot, Gap, to Amazon and Comp USA etc.

So next time when you are shopping online, visit Coupon Chief before you hit that final "submit my order" button.

Social Entrepreneur: Heroes from a small planet

2007-06-24T23:00:00.000Z

The Frontline/World series is a collection of stories about "social entrepreneurs" who innovate in ways that truly transform the world. "These are stories about individuals whose ideas leap beyond charity to find systemic solutions to poverty, education, health and social justice."

You can check out the videos in the Frontline / World series in their website. I found them very inspiring and that there are so much we can do to give back to the society. I am sure many of you have already heard about that "Microfinance" Project and "Hole in the Wall" Project, they are also profiled in the series as well. One of my favorite stories is the Sound of Hope, this heartwarming story shows how music has changed the lives of many children and transformed their society.

Need your support ! Here's my pledge to support the Heart & Stroke Foundation

2007-06-23T00:36:00.000Z

I am participating in the Heart and Stroke Big Bike in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. You can help me raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation by sponsoring me online.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation is committed to protecting the health of millions of Canadians. Millions of Canadians are at risk for these diseases, and will be, for generations to come. More than 50,000 strokes and 75,000 heart attacks occur every year. Sadly, one in three deaths in Canada are due to heart disease and stroke. There is still so much more to do.

To make your pledge online, simply click the link here to access my secure pledge page. An electronic tax receipt will be sent to you immediately via e-mail.

Thank you for your support !! =)

Little Suspense + WOW + Short and Sweet = Smart Performance

2007-06-15T22:26:00.000Z

I signed up for PayPerPost

2007-06-13T02:06:00.000Z

Advertisement placed on your car

2007-05-26T03:46:00.000Z

I have came across a few creative use of advertisement placed on street car. Instead of making you throwing them away immediately, I am sure at least they will put a smile on your face.

1. Voilin Courses

2. 2006 BC Fencing Championships

3. Don't Drink and Drive. Call 707 308 294.

WOW ... This is creative !!

2007-05-07T15:00:00.000Z

You have to check this out if you need some "WOW" to start off your Monday !!

Here's a advertisement campaign in Bangalore created by Rediffusion for Sugar Free Gold, an artificial sweetener.

It's simple yet powerful, and I couldn't think of a better way to get the message accross: Everyone is switching =)

Friday Joke ...

2007-04-27T05:26:00.001Z

Try this out:

1. Go to http://maps.google.com/
2. Click on Get Directions
3. From Toronto
4. To London
5. Read step 26 =)

Liquid Armor Gear could keep troops, police, and prison guards safer

2007-04-25T02:27:00.000Z

Here is one of my favourite examples of "Outside the box" Thinking.

How would you describe a bullet-proof vest ? Hard, heavy, stiff and bulky ...

Dr. Norman Wagner, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Dela-ware's Center for Composite Materials, has a different view. Initially, Wagner and his team envisioned armor that could be spread on a person, almost like peanut butter on bread. And they were able to developed a liquid material to turn soft, flexible fabric into a tough, stab-proof, bullet-proof material.

The material is a mix of liquid polymers and silica (tiny sandlike particles). Together they produce a "sheer-thickening liquid" that stiffens instantly into a shield when hit hard by an object. It reverts to its liquid state just as fast when the energy from the projectile dissipates.

Sounds like Sci-Fi ? Check it out =)

The wildest USB gadget ...

2007-04-24T03:10:00.000Z

I am sure lots of you have seen different funny USB drives or gadgets .
But here is the wildest one I've seen - A USB Dancing Shoe ...

Companies that have the best recruiting / HR website ?

2007-04-20T02:54:00.000Z

Simply share your thoughts on "What company has the best recruiting / hr website" and you can win an free iPod from KnowHR Blog !

My personal picks are Pixar and Disneys =)

Think Different.

2007-04-14T03:10:00.000Z

People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do

There are better ways to make career.

2007-04-13T03:07:00.000Z

I simply love this recruiting agency jobsintown.de from Germany. I came across one of their clever ads awhile ago and here's a new one ! It is a banner ad placed at the entrance of an event with the text: "There are better ways to make career". Brilliant =)

More Multi-Touch Application from Jeff Han

2007-04-12T01:34:00.000Z

I have been reading more on multi-touch technology since Apple launched the iPhone and I have heard lots of people talked about Jeff Han's Multi-Touch presentation in TED 2006.

Here's a new footage of Jeff showcasing more sample multi-touch application in TED 2007.

Google announced free in-home wireless broadband service in beta

2007-04-09T23:39:00.000Z

Most of you may have already heard about this news, but just in case you haven't, read on.

Google has annoucned plan to bring free wireless internet to home. Google TiSP (BETA) is a free in-home wireless boradband service that delivers online connectivity via users' plumbing systems. The Toilet Internet Service Provider (TiSP) project is a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system.

This new service was annoucned by Google on April 1st.

The "Green Gym". Improving your health and the planet

2007-04-09T22:20:00.000Z

Saving the planet has become good business. Califonia Fitness in Hong Kong is trying to help making the gym more environmental friendly. The gym's "Powered By You" program is in an experimental stage and it is aimming to turn energy that goes into burning calories into real energy that can be used to power the gym. With the gym's modified cardio machine, one person on a cycle can generate up to 50 watt-hours of energy per hour. That's 4,380 liters of CO2 saved from our delicate atmosphere.

Creative use of luggage conveyor belt

2007-03-23T00:09:00.000Z

This is from Venice Airport Marco Polo in promoting Casino Venice =)

I have nothing to blog about ...

2007-03-22T01:43:00.000Z

Thursday Brain Teaser ...

2007-03-22T00:13:00.000Z

Imagine you have a shot glass of water, and a shot glass of Whiskey. How do you get the whiskey into the water glass, and the water into the whiskey glass. You can't use an extra glass, you can't use a straw, and you can't use your mouth .....

Can you play piano ?

2007-03-14T22:12:00.000Z

I am sure a lot of you can. This guy plays it in a different way - He plays it with his balls =) A very clever and entertaining performance. Enjoy !

The Business of Innovation Series on CNBC

2007-03-13T03:47:00.000Z

CNBC is running a 5-part series on "Business of innovation". The first two episodes (full one-hour) are now available online on the CNBC website. This is going to be an interesting series, each episode will explore different aspect of innovation and they will have innovation experts to collaborate on the topics. The series will cover:

Innovators & Iconoclasts
Revolution & Evolution
New Tricks & Old Dogs
People & Technology
Loners & Teammates

There's also an online component to the series which includes related articles, podcasts and forums.

I have just finished the first episode and here are some interesting points that I learned:

Google has a CCO (Chief Culture Officer)
During the 12 years that Steve Job was gone, Apple's stock rose 120%. And the 10 years he's been back, it rose more than 2260%
Rite-Solution came up with an internal mock stock market called "Mutual Fun", in which employees can trade and invest on "ideas"
Participation is the key in generating innovative ideas. It may take many bad ideas and failure in order to come up with great ideas
There is a bias that innovation comes from big brains, the smartest or the boss.
An innovative leader should "walk in stupid everyday" and be prepared to learn from the crowd

Check it out if you have time, the one-hour program is actually broken down into 4 video clips.

The Bathroom Singing Effect ...

2007-03-12T23:52:00.000Z

I read about the iCarta iPod Toilet Roll Holder few months ago. Some people may think spending oodles of time (watching tv / listening to music) in the bathroom is stupid. I did a little experiment this weekend and I would like to share what I found.

It was a lazy sunday morning, and I decided to run a nice hot bath. As the tub filled with steaming water, I took my Altec Lansing portable iPod speakers with me. It was such a relaxing experience listening to your favorite music in a nice hot tub ! And more important, the "Bathroom Effect" provided a great echo chamber to enrich the sound quality:

Many people sing in the bathroom because it acts as an echo chamber, especially with tiles installed. The multiple reflections from walls enriches the sound of one's voice, and "bathroom singers" enjoy themselves. Small dimensions and hard surfaces of a typical bathroom produce various kinds of standing waves, reverberation and echos, giving the voice "fullness and depth".

Now I couldn't find a better place in my room to put my speakers ...

Attracting and Retaining Top Talents

2007-03-12T02:31:00.000Z

I have read several articles that mentioned "Talent Acquisition" has become a hot topic in HR and it will be on CEOs' agenda in the next decade. One of the main reasons is the growing mismatch between the large number of people retiring in the next few years and the number of new people entering the work-force. According to Business 2.0 magazine, for every two baby boomers who retire in the next decade, there will only be one college grad to take their place. But attracting them is only half the battle, it is also very important retain them by fostering an environment in which people are inspired to achieve their fullest potential. Here is an excerpt from the article "Leading Clever People" in the recent Harvard Business Review:

Seven Things You Need to Know about Clever People

1. They know their worth. The tacit skills of clever people are closer to those of medieval guilds than to the standardized, codifiable, and communicable skills that characterized the Industrial Revolution. This means you can’t transfer the knowledge without the people.

2. They are organizationally savvy. Clever people will find the company context in which their interests will be most generously funded. If the funding dries up, they have a couple of options: They can move on to a place where resources are plentiful, or they can dig in and engage in elaborate politics to advance their pet projects.

3. They ignore corporate hierarchy. If you seek to motivate clever people with titles or promotions, you will probably be met with cold disdain. But don’t assume this means they don’t care about status; they can be very particular about it, and may insist on being called “doctor” or “professor.”

4. They expect instant access. If clever people don’t get access to the CEO, they may think the organization does not take their work seriously.

5. They are well connected. Clever people are usually plugged into highly developed knowledge networks; who they know is often as important as what they know. These networks both increase their value to the organization and make them more of a flight risk.

6. They have a low boredom threshold. In an era of employee mobility, if you don’t engage your clever people intellectually and inspire them with organizational purpose, they will walk out the door.

7. They won’t thank you. Even when you’re leading them well, clever people will be unwilling to recognize your leadership. Remember, these creative individuals feel that they don’t need to be led. Measure your success by your ability to remain on the fringes of their radar.

Throw away your Excel Charts ...

2007-03-10T01:33:00.000Z

Have you ever got frustrated when spending a huge effort in customizing your excel charts to make them look nice and more important - to convey findings from your data.

Here's Hans Rosling on TedTalk in which he debunks a few myths about the "developing" world. What impressed me is the Gapminder tool that he used to plot the animated charts. It provides much better understandings of the data and it is amazing to see how simple visualization can provide valuable insights.

Game 3.0: Second Life on PS3 ?

2007-03-08T04:52:00.000Z

Sony unveiled two unique Playstation 3 games: "Home", a real-time, networked 3D avatar based community that serves as a meeting place for PS3 users from around the world. And the other one is "LittleBigPlanet", a community based game where users play, create and share what they build with other worldwide PS3 users. Doesn't it sound familar ? Take a closer look:

Wow ... That's basically Second Life with soup up graphics. And it looks like a better environment than second life for "socializing" and "entertainment". However, I don't think these two will compete directly with each other since they are quite different.

First, Sony is targeting the gamers market, even though this maybe a good attempt in reaching the non-gamers (currently dominated by Nitendo Wii), this feature probably won't sell the console by itself. Second, with Sony's long history of engineering proprietary solution (from Betamax to UMD), it's unlikely to have an open developer/business community. And it's also unlikely to have an economy like in Second Life, as I assume most money users spent will go to Sony directly. But on the other hand, I could see huge potential in advertising in this virtual world with PS3's superb graphics capability and gamer target audiences. The Yankee Group forecasted in-game ad revenue to reach $732 million by 2010.

Happy Birthday Little Miss Vicky !!!

2007-03-06T23:55:00.000Z

Start off your Monday with some laughters =)

2007-03-05T03:54:00.000Z

An array of laughter studies show that laughing can increase one's creativity. It is hard to be creative when you are stressed, and laughing can relax you and help your ideas flow. How about this little cutie to start off your Monday ? Laugh out Loud !

Magic and Innovation: Jason Latimer

2007-03-03T17:00:00.000Z

I am a big fan of Magic Tricks, especially when people come up with new way of performing conventional magic. Here‘s Jason Latimer performing the classic “Cups N Balls” trick, but with clear glasses. Don‘t Blink !! =)

Link! Friday

2007-03-02T03:36:00.000Z

Here are some of the most popular Harvard Business School articles of 2006:

You can read the full list here.

The new IBM Jam Consulting Service

2007-02-28T02:24:00.000Z

IBM today unveiled plans to offer new "Jamming" solutions to companies and organizations. Similar to our InnovationJam, IBM is going to collaborate with the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) to hold the first-ever Automotive Supplier Jam. The Jam will be a cooperative effort between OESA, IBM and companies within the North American automative industry. This new Jam Consulting Service from IBM Global Business Services will be avaliable globally.

Thinking about potential clients, remember early this month Richard Branson offered $25 million prize for the scientist who can come up with a solution to fight global warming. Hmm .. perhaps they should have a jam ...

Can you make shadow puppets ?

2007-02-28T01:14:00.000Z

A very interesting Ad by Volksvagen. This would be a cool video to show at a kickoff of a brainstorming session. Or perhaps get people to do it in group as an ice breaking game =)

The simplest GPS Device ...

2007-02-22T01:33:00.001Z

Designed for simplicity, the Dandella GPS devices breaks down navigation to its most fundamental level: physical direction. Instead of voice prompting, the dandelion-shaped unit actually bends toward your chosen destination ... Read more here ...

What is the strangest object in your office (besides you)?

2007-02-20T12:51:00.000Z

My little 3D illusion Dragon ...

Philip Rosedale, Founder and CEO of Linden Lab talks about ...

2007-02-20T04:31:00.000Z

How would you advertise your washing machine ?

2007-02-19T23:42:00.000Z

How about this ?

It is interesting to look back in time

2007-02-19T23:39:00.000Z

Steve Job is one of my favorite speakers. You could always feel his passion and excitement about his products when he is on the stage. And here are two magic moments in which Steve Job introduced the "revolutionary products": The first ever Macintosh (1984) and iPod (2001).

A spacious mini cooper

2007-02-18T17:40:00.000Z

A creative ad by Mini Cooper placed at the Zurich, Switerland train station.

Anyone know any good online mind mapping tool ?

2007-02-18T17:36:00.001Z

I have found mind mapping a very useful technique in organizing thoughts, outlining ideas and brainstorming. People tend to take notes in a linear way (list, bullet point), but our thinking is often non-linear. That's why sometime I have a hard time reading my notes and following my original thoughts after a few weeks. (I'm more a picture person). I have also seen people using mind mapping for presentation instead of using powerpoint and it worked out very well too.

I am recently looking for an online mind mapping tool that would allow me to create and share mind mapping with others. I have tried bubbl.us but the features and graphics are not as rich as the desktop ones like MindMapper. Does any one know of any good online mind mapping tool ?

Google Patent Search (BETA)

2007-02-12T02:57:00.001Z

I Just found out that Google released a beta search tool back in December called Google Patent Search. You can now search the full text and image over 7 millions U.S. patents (from early 18th century patents to recent ones). It's quick and simple.

And here is an interesting one I learned from my Law and Business Administration class back in University: The method of swinging a swing =)

Simplicity is the key

2007-02-12T00:55:00.000Z

I was reading about Andy Kaufman on Wikipedia and here's Andy Kaufman sings along to the famous Mighty Mouse. Great example to show the essence of "Less is More". Enjoy !!