![The evolution of our vision of the future is more interesting than the actual evolution of the present. (via R U A CYBERPUNK? [Pic])](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4m4i6gCqh1qckxweo1_400.jpg)
The evolution of our vision of the future is more interesting than the actual evolution of the present. (via R U A CYBERPUNK? [Pic])
"The reluctance to put away childish things may be a requirement of genius."
—Rebecca Pepper Sinkler, via swissmiss
Make Things People Want
Great presentation on why the future of marketing likes in making things that people want, not making people want things.
The hierarchy of innovation
In response to Neal Stephenson, who recently wrote that the Internet may have put innovation “on hold for a generation”, Nicholas Carr posits that we’ve simply moved innovation to a different plane on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Whereas earlier innovations were about increasing survival (fire, weapons), then our safety (electricity, plumbing), we are now at the stage of using innovation to actualize and express ourselves.
Benchmark - May 9th, 2012
I’m hosting a round table discussion at the Benchmark conference in NYC on Wednesday. Benchmark is the first conference focused on measuring social media results - I’ll be chatting about how to bring brand experiences to life in social. Come say hi!
Revolutionary User Interfaces
Gorgeous museum of innovations in user interfaces - from the first calculators to the iPhone.
"Art is the elimination of the unnecessary."
—
The same can be said for innovation.
Pablo Picasso (via simko)
"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while."
—Steve Jobs, 1996 Wired Interview, via swissmiss
Observations from India
Aaron and I recently returned from a two-week vacation to India. I chose to travel to India because I wanted to go someplace completely different from anything I’ve experience before.
Mission accomplished. India is beautiful, bizarre, emotional, and intense. I’ve travelled fairly extensively, but I’ve never seen anything like it. So while this isn’t strictly technology or marketing related, I thought I’d share a few observations about the journey.
1. India loves Angry Birds
Angry Birds is an absolute phenomenon in India. It seems as though 1 out of every 5 man under the age of 25 is wearing an Angry Birds t-shirts. Angry Birds toys are sold on the streets. Knock-offs proliferate - whether it’s Angry Lolos or the culturally-relevant Angry Brides.
2. Indian drivers are the best in the world
Indian traffic bears little resemblance to what we’re used to in the Western world. There are few stoplights/traffic signs, and nobody obeys them. I only saw lane markers in a street once, on a highway in Mumbai. Traffic in India is like a river: it flows and weaves, and everyone involved goes at their own pace. And it’s not just cars: tuk tuks, rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, buses, cows, horses, camels, goats, people, and water buffalo are commonly found in the middle of busy streets. Everyone honks constantly, but it means “I’m behind you” or “I’m to your side”, not “get out of the way. This video is a fairly accurate representation.
Dealing with this chaos requires a steady hand and some serious driving skills. The cars (and tuk tuks, rickshaws, etc.) I rode in could pass another vehicle within a half an inch. They signal using sound (horn), hand motions, and eye contact. Once I’d adjusted to the differences, I felt incredibly safe.
3. Foreigners are still a spectacle
I was surprised by the number and variety of people who wanted to take my picture or have their picture taken with me, regardless of who I was with or what I was wearing. I asked several English-speaking Indians what it meant, and they all had the same answer: seeing someone with fair skin is still an unusual event for many people in India (and to be clear, the requests were not negative - they were friendly and curious). These little eccentricities of attention are disappearing as our world and media become more global.
"Publishing is not evolving. Publishing is going away. Because the word “publishing” means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says “publish,” and when you press it, it’s done."
