PSFK

Facebook’s Growing Omniscience

Christine Huang — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:28:42 +0000

Today Facebook announced the launch of their latest privacy-taunting feature, Facebook Connect, giving its members the option of using their log-ins to share and see their friends’ activities on a vast network of third-party sites. Now, when users are streaming videos on Hulu or reading the SF Chronicle, for example, they’ll be able to broadcast their doings to their circle of ‘friends’ simply by logging into their Facebook account.

While the web is already abuzz about the potential backlash from the service, NY Times points out its significance in the evolution of social media:

Supporters of [Facebook Connect] say such programs will help with the emergence of a new “social Web,” because chatter among friends will infiltrate even sites that have been entirely unsociable thus far.

For example, a person might alert his Facebook friends to the fact that he is watching a video on CBS.com and invite them to join him there to watch together and discuss the video as it plays.

“Everyone is looking for ways to make their Web sites more social,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer. “They can build their own social capabilities, but what will be more useful for them is building on top of a social system that people are already wedded to.”

And, the program could also help answer the question on many people’s minds - how Facebook plans on successfully monetizing its 120 million user-strong network. NY Times suggests the heaps of user data Facebook has been stockpiling will likely come into play, despite the company’s public backtreading with a similar tool, Beacon, last year:

Facebook has detailed information about its users: their real identities, what they like and dislike and whom they associate with. With a member’s permission, it could use that data to help other Web sites deliver more personalized ads. Similarly, those sites could tell Facebook what its users are doing elsewhere, helping to make its own ads more targeted.

“It’s becoming very clear that advertisers don’t know how to advertise on Facebook,” said Charlene Li, an independent consultant and social media analyst. “But if you take a group of Facebook friends and put them on a travel site where they are spending more time and generating more ad dollars in a focused area like travel, that is an opportunity ripe for getting revenues back and sharing it.”

NY Times: Facebook Aims to Extend Its Reach Across the Web

Most Popular Articles on PSFK From the Last 7 Days

Jeff Squires — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:01:54 +0000

Here are PSFK’s top five articles from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30, 2008. Results are based on Google Analytics and in order of overall page views.

AT&T Text Jumbli: Many Screens, One Experience - Allison Mooney

Graffiti Artists in Sao Paulo Reclaim Their Art - Lourenço Bustani

Uniqlo Heat Tech Human Vending Machine - Dave Pinter

OBEY Launches Website and E-Commerce - Orli Sharaby

Malcolm Gladwell On the Secret of Success - Dan Gould

Jewelry Maker Georg Jensen Crafts a Bicycle

Dave Pinter — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:59:17 +0000

We’ve mentioned the rise of bicycles as fashion brand accessory before on PSFK. Other companies seem to be rediscovering the love of two wheeled transportation as well. Danish jewelry and accessory maker Georg Jensen recently launched their bike called WHEELS, designed and produced in close cooperation with Danish Søren Sögreni who have built a reputation for unique and contemporary designed bicycles.

WHEELS is a true piece of daily life luxury. The surface of the bicycle resembles the handmade hammered surface of the unique silver hollow ware pieces created and made by Georg Jensen himself 100 years ago. These hammer marks are the epitome of Georg Jensen and still a very important part of the way the Georg Jensen silverware is made. The Georg Jensen bicycle has a handmade sterling silver plated bell. The leather grips and saddle are made by Brooks England, renowned for their high standard bicycle accessories.

That Jensen chose to build the bike near their birthplace in Copenhagen isn’t a coincidence. Denmark is after the Netherlands, the country in the world with the highest number of people bicycling. The country’s road network is designed to make it easy to be on two wheels and the official government includes bicycling as part of the national transport policy. In most big cities tourist can borrow city-bikes for free while they are visiting Denmark.

WHEELS will only be produced in a limited number and will be available at Georg Jensen stores in Taiwan, US, Australia and Denmark.

[ via Wallpaper]

Video: Good Ideas in 2009 in Collaboration

Jeff Squires — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:53:46 +0000

Last Tuesday, we took our Good Idea Salon to Naked’s office space, where a packed audience sat in on our panel discussion about collaboration. Moderated by Colin Nagy (Attention/PSFK), the panel discussed innovations in how businesses, organizations and ordinary people are working together. The panel included Amit Gupta (Jelly/Photojojo), Andrew Hoppin (NASA), John Geraci (Outside.In/DIYCity), and Matthew Stinchcomb (Etsy).

Tomorrow’s panel on Digital is sold out, but we still have tickets available for our discussions on Social Media (12/4) and Entertainment (12/11).

For details on the full series and tickets visit here: www.psfk.com/good-idea-salons

Dutch Government Gets a Branding Makeover

Dan Gould — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:15:39 +0000

The Dutch government has recently streamlined its visual identity. A new set of fonts named Rijksoverheid Serif / Sans was created to be used in all government communications and a single logo was developed to represent the government brand across the board. These branding renovations were masterminded by Peter Verheul and studio Dumbar.

Designworkplan explains:

The Dutch government brand identity was not concise or consistent, with over 200 departments and ministries costs were rising of each department havigd their own logo, typeface, print materials, signage and everything that involves the visual communication of that department. There was not a direct link to society and confusion about the identity the government wants to presents themselves. Project 1 Logo was born to bring back all brand identity of the Dutch government and give one signal to society about what the government stands for. In a pitch several design studios participated in order to create 1 Logo, 1 brand, 1 identity, 1 way of communicating between society and government, coming all together as 1 government. From 2009 until 2011 every department should use the new logo and typeface in all forms of visual communication, a huge operation which involves many parties. I believe there will be a brand guideline from studio Dumbar to lead everything into the correct, concise and consistent use of the brand identity.

Designworkplan: “Dutch government introduces corporate typeface”

Pipe Light: Mi Casa’s Interactive Public Art in São Paulo

Lourenço Bustani (PSFK São Paulo / Mandalah) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:58:32 +0000

On the relatively calm United States Street, in a high end neighborhood in São Paulo, one house stands out amidst the myriad of office buildings and stores. Mixing shadow and light, translucency and opacity, Pipe Light invites passers-by to interact with the shapes and colors of what is, in reality, an art installation. Architecture studio Tryptique decorated the interior and exterior of this previously abandoned house with metal tubes and lights. The tubes surround and wrap the house, both inside and out, creating a cybernetic effect. The project was commissioned by Mi Casa, a design store adjacent to the house. The lamps used in the installation are sold instore.

The Rise of Scifi TV

Christine Huang — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:47:41 +0000

What’s inspired the recent influx of fantasy-scifi TV programming? Here in the States, fantasy shows like Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and True Blood claim a surprisingly large viewership, while creators continue churning out new pilots and series ideas around the undead and the strange. And in the UK, the trend is even more apparent, with more than a handful of scifi shows slated for the Fall season. The Guardian takes a look at the growth of scifi on UK networks, suggesting today’s audiences are looking for more from their TV shows and characters - high-drama reality shows having upped the wow factor to levels standard sitcoms and dramas can’t meet:

What has prompted this plethora of fantasy programming? Julian Murphy, the producer of Demons and the BBC’s Merlin, views the schedules as a victory for classic British creativity rather than showing a fad for sci-fi or horror drama: “…Reality TV is a factor. X Factor and Big Brother create some amazing human drama, and you have to ask how scripted drama can compete. As a result I think it has to offer something more, something bigger.”

The article also points out how the current political and social climate might be adding to the appeal of moralistic, allegorical fantasy storylines:

And yet fantasy writing often contains a core of reality. When Rod Serling created The Twilight Zone in the late 1950s, it contained subversive anti-nuclear war, anti-McCarthyite tales; at the height of the war on terror, Lost, Battlestar Galactica and even Heroes carried messages that attacked the triumph of the right. So should we expect lots of messages with the latest shows? “They’re escapist but they deal with serious topics,” says Ben Stephenson, controller of drama commissioning at the BBC.

Scifi’s unique capacity for metaphor and spectacle is nothing new - and likely explains why the big budget film industry is still ruled by fantasy-scifi (E.T., Jurassic Park and the Alien series are still some of the longest reigning box office hits). What could be driving this shift in TV programming, then, may be more a matter of perception than of changing interests: networks are treating the once stigmatized scifi genre (and its followers) as the powerful, profitable force it has grown to be.

The Guardian: Sci-fi: A Monster TV Success Story

The Hidden Information in Digital Trails

Dan Gould — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:09:42 +0000

A group of students at M.I.T. have set aside their privacy and volunteered to become guinea pigs in an experiment which examines digital trails, and the information that can be extracted from them. Using this “collective intelligence” researchers hope data can be gathered from which valuable and hidden insights can be gleamed.

The New York Times reports:

Mr. Brown and about 100 other students living in Random Hall at M.I.T. have agreed to swap their privacy for smartphones that generate digital trails to be beamed to a central computer. Beyond individual actions, the devices capture a moving picture of the dorm’s social network.

The students’ data is but a bubble in a vast sea of digital information being recorded by an ever thicker web of sensors, from phones to GPS units to the tags in office ID badges, that capture our movements and interactions. Coupled with information already gathered from sources like Web surfing and credit cards, the data is the basis for an emerging field called collective intelligence.

Propelled by new technologies and the Internet’s steady incursion into every nook and cranny of life, collective intelligence offers powerful capabilities, from improving the efficiency of advertising to giving community groups new ways to organize.

NYT: “You’re Leaving a Digital Trail. What About Privacy?”

Eco-Travel Options Down Under

Claudia Cukrov — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:35:05 +0000

A few months ago PSFK wrote about whether ‘Eco-travel’ is possible; and now, a new eco-accreditation program set to launch in Australia is hoping to help answer the question. The Climate Action Australia Certification Program represents tourist agencies that reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint. Run by the government eco-tourism initiative Climate Action Australia, the site covers all forms of tourism activity, including: sights, tours, transport, restaurants, travel agencies, tourism commissions and industry bodies. With tourism declining alongside the economic downturn, the Australian government hopes CAACP will give agencies a competitive edge and attract eco-conscious travellers.

Agencies have to sit through rigorous testing to prove their businesses are eco-friendly, listing their business plan modifications to suit an ever-changing climate.

Business development manager for Ecotourism Australia Kristie Gray explains the CAACP advantage to local business:

A consumer will pick a certified product over non-certified 100 per cent of the time, given that they’re operating at a similar price point and offering a similar product.

With world-wide ecotourism sites like Green Globe setting the eco-standard for tourism ventures, the real question in these unstable economic times is whether consumers care more about the dollar or the planet?

The Age: Green light for eco scheme

Kevin Kelly On Technology As The 7th Kingdom Of Life

Piers Fawkes — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:42:42 +0000

There’s a video from the O’Reilly group where Joshua-Michele Ross interviews Kevin Kelly. Kelly discusses the rise of large scale co-operation and the similarity between technology and biology. A couple of quotes:

Socialism 2.0. We don’t have very good terms for what we’re seeing. Collectivism, communism, socialism which have negative connotations in American politics but in fact that’s what a lot of this is: Cooperation on a large scale. Elevating the common collective good and the individual at the same time. That’s the difference with communism which was about bring everyone down to a level.

…What does technology want? It wants us to be happy, it wants our co-operation. Right ow we’re the sexual organs of technology. It wants increasing diversity, increasing complexity, increasing energy density (efficiency), increasing specialization… The patterns that we see technology follows are the same patterns biology and evolution follows. In biology there is extinction, in technology we find that ideas and technologies remain and they are very hard to extinguish… There is almost no extinct technologies.

Radar O’Reilly

Space Science for the Masses: Spacehack.org

Christine Huang — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:15:39 +0000

PSFK conference speaker Andrew Hoppin of NASA has shared his ideas and initiatives towards building collaborative communities within and around the traditionally well-cloaked agency. Now we’re witnessing grassroots efforts to bring space science to the public sphere: Spacehack is a recently launched site aimed at providing an open, participatory online community for those interested in space, science, and exploration. The site serves as a directory for citizen as well as professional scientists interested in exchanging ideas and information about data analysis, education, competition, and open source projects. The site is meant to “encourage citizen science” and foster a more transparent, collaborative approach to the science and industry of space exploration.

[via Laughing Squid]

Mobile Phone Designed for Children Set to Launch in Hong Kong

Sean Leow (PSFK Shanghai) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:53:27 +0000

The world’s first major mobile phone specifically designed to meet the demands of children and their parents will be launched next month in Hong Kong. According to the design director, the inspiration behind the Mo1 was to “create a mobile phone which [could] be used by children safely and independently.”

The child-specific features designed for 6 to 12 years olds include:

No numbers on the keyboard so children can only call or receive calls from phone numbers that are pre-set by their parents
A GPS-based “Find Me Service” function that allows parents to know the location of their children
Speed-dial buttons for direct calls to Mom and Dad.
Emergency phone always enabled
Speakerphone / hands-free mode on by default, to avoid danger from radio waves

The Mo1 will retail for HKD 1280 (~$165).

[via ChinaTechNews]

Geotagging Literature: Senghor on the Rocks

Claudia Cukrov — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:35:32 +0000

Christoph Benda’s first novel has already broken new ground with its use of Google maps. Senghor on the Rocks tells the story of Austrian camera assistant arriving in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. Readers are taken on a verbal and visual journey, the location changing with the story using updated satellite view Google maps. The book (in German), was originally written from 2002 to 2005, and was later adapted for the latest geo-novel edition. Based on his time spent in Senegal, Benda’s collaborative partner on the project, Florian Ledermann explains the project:

We wanted to add something to the story that helps readers - especially as the story is set in an unfamiliar environment - to envision the mood of the story without illustrating it.

The satellite images provided by Google Maps do not constrain the reader’s imagination but are capable of actually triggering imagination by giving a rough impression without too much detail.

Sydney Morning Herald: Google Maps hack turns book into geo-novel

Free Shipping On PSFK’s Good Ideas In 2009 Report

Piers Fawkes — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:18:12 +0000

The fine people at Blurb have offered free shipping within the US for our book Good Ideas In 2009. All you have to do is add ‘freeshipping’ in to the promo-code box on the product page here before Dec 9 (and read the small print below*).

Want to know more about the book? Well, at this time of year we’re supposed to produce a trends report for 2009. When we all sat down and chatted about it, we thought such a report would be so gloomy and rather depressing. We didn’t want to write about things like ‘trading down’ or ‘discreet consumption’! We wanted to talk about all the inspirational ideas we read and write about every day, we wanted to spread the positivity, we wanted to encourage you to re-ignite the world. Honestly.

So we created Good Ideas In 2009. The 80 page click-to-print book features nine Good Ideas and manifestations of them. We write about design, mobile, collaboration, digital, social media, the long term and much more. Click through to the Blurb site and you can get a sneak peek.

The books are $50 for the softback and $60 for the beautiful hardback. If you’re considering buying reports for your company or just books for your coffee table, we ask you to consider Good Ideas In 2009. We’re rather proud of it. We hope it inspires you yo make things better.

Good Ideas In 2009

* To qualify for free shipping (up to $10), you must enter the promotion code in the shopping cart at time of purchase and complete your purchase in USD. Offer is good for free shipping up to $10.00 in value. Offer expires 11:59 PM PST December 5, 2008. Limit one-time use per user and cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid towards purchase of gift cards.

Thinking and Doing by The Designers Republic

Dave Pinter — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:50:03 +0000

Rumours and speculation swirled around the graphic design community recently when the website of legendary UK design firm The Designers Republic disappeared for several weeks. tDR’s work has since had a strong influence on graphic design, motion graphics, and even architecture for the last two decades. For many, the firm’s design work for Warp Records is as memorable as the music the label represented. People wondered if the end had finally come.

But as quietly as the original site vanished, a new stripped down micro-site appeared recently signaling a new direction for the firm. They’ve adopted the tagline ‘Thinking and Doing’ There is a slideshow reviewing recent work that shows a more restrained tone compared to past projects.

For those needing to do some reminiscing, the old site is available here at pho-ku.

[via fubiz ]

Video: Good Ideas in 2009 in Design

Jeff Squires — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:17:37 +0000

Last weeks Good Ideas Salon was another great success. Led by Dave Pinter (PSFK/GRID2 International), along with design experts including Craig Dubitsky (The Kind Group), Jill Fehrenbacher (Inhabitat), John Fiorelli (Cut and Paste), and Peter Semmelhack (Bug Labs), the panel discussed innovations they anticipate on seeing more of in the field of modular design.

Our next event is Good Ideas in Digital in NYC on Tuesday, December 2nd.

For details on the full series and tickets visit here: www.psfk.com/good-idea-salons

Motorola Tries to Astroturf Boing Boing, Hilarity Ensues

Dan Gould — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:52:58 +0000

Boing Boing Gadgets was recently the victim of an overzealous comment spammer . Commenter “MGOODE08″ was noticed repeatedly posting comments which just happened to always mention the Motorola Krave. This tactic might have gone unnoticed if used sparingly, but MGOODE08 overdid it, writing loads of comments, all with similar (and laughable) wording.

For example:

I’m so glad my boss isn’t like that! I’m working with Motorola right now, and became a huge fan of the Krave (motorola.com/krave). I especially like the full touch screen display and html web browser. It’s awesome!

and:

Oh man this looks awesome! I hope they release a version for the Krave by Motorola. Ever since I started working with Motorola I have became a huge fan of the phone (motorola.com/krave). With a full list of features, like a full touch screen, I can’t stop obsessing over it.

This practice is known as “Astroturfing“, a name for a public relations campaign which creates the (false) impression of being spontaneous grassroots behavior. MGOODE08 gets around too. CrunchGear reports on some astroturfing going on at their site, and a Google search for “Ever since I started working with Motorola” turns up over a thousand results.

Boing Boing Gadgets: “Motorola, could you please tell your viral marketer to get out of our comments?”

Murketing’s Limited Edition Tees

Christine Huang — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:25:26 +0000

Rob Walker’s Murketing Organization will be selling three extremely limited edition tee-shirts “inspired by consumer psychology research”, created by three up-and-coming design students at Savannah College of Art and Design. The 48-Hour T-Shirt Project (each shirt will only be sold for 2 days) will start on Monday Dec 1, when the first shirt will be sold exclusively via Murketing.com, with the other two debuting on Dec 8 and Dec 15. Walker explains: “Each design is inspired by actual academic research related to consumer behavior. That’s right! It’s a lesson in consumer behavior — and you can consume it! Ironic? Hypocritical? Or … fiendishly clever? You decide.” We’re not quite sure what to expect - but we’re excited to find out. Each shirt will sell for $18.

Atlantic Records: Digital Music Sales Killing Physical Formats

Dan Gould — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:17:15 +0000

Atlantic Records reports some “surprising” statistics (surprising for old media models at least). During the fourth quarter, digital music sales made up more than half of Atlantic’s revenues. 51% of sales came from non-physical sources such as music downloaded form iTunes and ringtones. One industry analyst quoted by the New York Times was shocked, stating “That’s very high. No one is near that,”. It’s equally surprising that this development comes as a shock. To anyone keeping an eye on media consumption, this move away from physical media is an obvious one. Some record executives are shook up by this development, wondering how they will make money in the digital world. Hmmm, maybe big record labels are kind of an anachronism? Others have been doing just fine selling digitally.

Silicon Alley Insider reports:

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker calls the transition “trading analog dollars for digital pennies.”

Atlantic, which claims it boosted digital sales without a precipitous drop in CD sales, is mostly alone in the industry with its success. Eight years ago, music sales were $14.6 billion. This year they’ll be $10.1 billion. Forrester Research says they’ll drop to $9.2 billion by 2013.

It’s worth wondering if costs cuts associated with producing fewer physical CDs won’t mean record labels will get to keep a larger enough portion of that smaller revenue to make the transition bearable if not beneficial. But grumpy record label execs aren’t ready to concede that point.Says former EMI exec and current Boston Consulting Group senior partner John Rose: “It’s not at all clear that digital economics can make up for the drop in physical.”

Silicon Alley Insider: “Atlantic Records Digital Sales Outpace CD Sales”

Crowdsourcing Instant Noodle & Beverage Flavors in Japan

Sean Leow (PSFK Shanghai) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:32:32 +0000

Cscout Japan points us to a great use of crowdsourcing to come up with new flavors for ramen noodles and fruit drinks in Japan. Recognizing the large community of ramen eaters online, the instant noodle company Acebook, has been collaborating with Japan’s largest social networking site Mixi to crowdsource new flavors and marketing slogans to go along with them. Over 4000 users voted for the following winning flavors that will be debuted in December: Collagen noodles, Milk Tantanmen, Bacon, egg, and vegetables and Ginseng Chicken.

In the beverage world, Calpis has adopted a similar strategy, crowdsourcing flavor combinations from Mixi users for their fruit Caplis series. The collaboration included not only the flavor combinations, but also the packaging design and advertising copy. The winning entry for mixed fruit was a blend of apple, pear, mandarin orange, and banana.

Both crowdsourcing activities represent great examples of how brands can find inspiration for new products, as well as make a long-lasting personal connection to consumers by engaging them in the decision-making process.

CScout Japan: Crowdsourced cup ramen [via Mixi SNS]

CScout Japan: Calpis and Mixi collaborate on crowdsourced beverage