Yes, it is another "not dead" posting. Meta all the way, and some topics coming up this time around
New job, new city - perhaps a new direction for the blog to go along?
The first two months of the 'break' were spent moving and getting to grips with a new job in the industry. Out of consulting and into doing.
The last month (june) has been spent mainly taking care of practicalities resulting from the move, as well as some lazy summer days in the sun. And since the rain is back today, what better drive than to post a bit as well.
Lately I've expanded my podcasts and rss feeds a bit towards more digital marketing and social media type content. So - some ideas and thoughts on that will be coming up over the summer. One key coencept being identity versus authenticity.
I've also spent some time getting a bit back into coding and development - so naturally some refelections and ideas down that street as well (Java after a few years mostly dabbeling with MS products, both desktop and web)
Then there is the quest for new gear, having a mac mini as a backup at work, and getting some good use out of the iPod Touch - now what? iPhone? Media PC or connector solution?
As always - the rss is never far off - and will let you know when a brain dump is underway (3 issues of wired all noted up and ready for posting - and some interesting print-outs from earlier in the spring)
...and the sun fled after weeks of summer...
Monday, July 7
Wednesday, April 2
Who is surfing you?
Well, for a specific value of "you", namely the participants in the official Norwegian benchmarking - TNS Metrix - you can now have a better idea of some of the basic demographic variables. A new solution [direct flash link] - gives charts and data for comparing up to three sites at once (or two against the total).
So, how old or young, how male or female - and how educated is your audience?
...and the sun should really be shining outside, it feels like spring but doesn't look it...
So, how old or young, how male or female - and how educated is your audience?
...and the sun should really be shining outside, it feels like spring but doesn't look it...
Wednesday, March 26
Be all you can
so true, and so simple - don't work against your audience, work for it and with it!
"The NRKbeta doctrine":
"The NRKbeta doctrine":
[NRK beta is the play/think site for the national broadcaster here in Norway]The only way to control your content is to be the best provider of it.
Inspiring insights
First off, if you haven't already - head over to CC and read his wonderful and inspering piece Contemplating Creativity - and the assorted comments and suggestion from a host of characters with some serious creative mojo of their own (including J.C. and Sigler).
So what gets the juices flowing - and is it still a shame (/fact) that quite a lot of the time spent in 'education' reduces the willingness to think outside the box and replaces it with the re-iteration of mindless facts?
First off, like stated over there - constraints are good - at least when it comes to taking images, setting off with an assignment such as "twenty images of straight lines, then twenty of curves" or "one image every five minutes, taken within 20 seconds" lets you see old places in a new light.
Then there is one of my personal faves; making a latte, taking the time and concentration all the way with the Gaggia and grinder. Then sitting down, preferably in the sun on the balcony and just enjoying it.
In terms of books, there are direct guides such as the "brainticklers" from good old Business 2.0, the little book of creativity by Stig [norw.] and Idea index for shapes and jump off points.
But what about schools and education?
Well, I think it is still true to a certain degree that education can be more limiting than inspiring in terms of creativity and pure enjoyment of wonders. But at the same time, isn't a lot of it just about growing up and getting a better grasp on things in general?
Ask a kid about why Pokemons can't do something or why Harry Potter needs a wand and they'll give you strict answers more often than not. Because they relate to the "rules" and the overall "setting".
So, as we grow older and gather experience, do we understand a bit more about the real "setting" we are in and the guidelines we need to stick with to avoid excess and wasted time?
...and the sun is slowly melting some of the easter snow...
So what gets the juices flowing - and is it still a shame (/fact) that quite a lot of the time spent in 'education' reduces the willingness to think outside the box and replaces it with the re-iteration of mindless facts?
First off, like stated over there - constraints are good - at least when it comes to taking images, setting off with an assignment such as "twenty images of straight lines, then twenty of curves" or "one image every five minutes, taken within 20 seconds" lets you see old places in a new light.
Then there is one of my personal faves; making a latte, taking the time and concentration all the way with the Gaggia and grinder. Then sitting down, preferably in the sun on the balcony and just enjoying it.
In terms of books, there are direct guides such as the "brainticklers" from good old Business 2.0, the little book of creativity by Stig [norw.] and Idea index for shapes and jump off points.
But what about schools and education?
Well, I think it is still true to a certain degree that education can be more limiting than inspiring in terms of creativity and pure enjoyment of wonders. But at the same time, isn't a lot of it just about growing up and getting a better grasp on things in general?
Ask a kid about why Pokemons can't do something or why Harry Potter needs a wand and they'll give you strict answers more often than not. Because they relate to the "rules" and the overall "setting".
So, as we grow older and gather experience, do we understand a bit more about the real "setting" we are in and the guidelines we need to stick with to avoid excess and wasted time?
...and the sun is slowly melting some of the easter snow...
Wednesday, March 12
Google is different - but not like that
CNET Blog on the counter-culture of Google - stickiness is not the key; "Google is probably the largest online firm in the world that does as much as it can to get you off its pages"-is a nice read, but neglects one point: income.
With AdWords Google is interested in having you click on their own links and hence onto paid journeys. And with AdSense on a lot of those other pages, driving additional traffic onto (for Google) freely produced content makes a lot of sense.
So yes, they are open at the core and offer up API's and a broad, free selection of services for you to pick and choose - but they can afford to because a lot of what you do (including reading and writing this post) happens in their sphere of influence and income - ad revenues from own sites stood at 10.7 with network clocking up 5.8 for 2007 (unaudited)
With AdWords Google is interested in having you click on their own links and hence onto paid journeys. And with AdSense on a lot of those other pages, driving additional traffic onto (for Google) freely produced content makes a lot of sense.
So yes, they are open at the core and offer up API's and a broad, free selection of services for you to pick and choose - but they can afford to because a lot of what you do (including reading and writing this post) happens in their sphere of influence and income - ad revenues from own sites stood at 10.7 with network clocking up 5.8 for 2007 (unaudited)
Tuesday, March 11
think outside the box
Using nothing less than Excel as a "game engine" - cells become pixels, and calculations become a cinch when you have not only linear coding format, but two dimensional structuring for displaying them. Sure it isn't up to par in terms of high intensity performance, but for casual games or for educational purposes? Not to mention for the "hey cool" factor - a good and fun idea. (Example file download from the article)
...and the sun hides away for now, making it more grey fall than early spring...
...and the sun hides away for now, making it more grey fall than early spring...
Friday, February 15
Video for niches
"the heaviest viewers (top 20 percent of viewers) averaged 841 minutes of online viewing per month, while moderate viewers (next 30 percent) averaged 77 minutes" - according to ComScore, as covered by NewTeeVee.
That is quite a dramatic difference, and does but a lot of other metrics in a new light - be it total number of streams or share of users playing video. It will be interesting to see if they keep publishing this kind of detailed breakdown or simply revert to the average and total numbers again.
Also, the pressrelase list some (for me at least) new sites that are apparently a big draw in the 'heavy' crowd - might be worth a look (not linking since I haven't seen the sites or their brand of content/ads yet):
That is quite a dramatic difference, and does but a lot of other metrics in a new light - be it total number of streams or share of users playing video. It will be interesting to see if they keep publishing this kind of detailed breakdown or simply revert to the average and total numbers again.
Also, the pressrelase list some (for me at least) new sites that are apparently a big draw in the 'heavy' crowd - might be worth a look (not linking since I haven't seen the sites or their brand of content/ads yet):
- Ouou.com
- MegaVideo.com
- Youku.com
- zSHARE
- Tudou.com
Monday, February 11
Tell the story - live the dream?
"Mass Effect was the most grandiose while Rock Band had the most subtle. The difference in the three games, he noted, was embodied by the different ways in which each approaches its narrative". [Dice discuss]
Games span from huge sandboxes, via story-oriented with a potential for sandbox (like the module editor for NWN - the narrative can both be made and used outside the confines of the basics of the game itselg), to more linear bite-sized levels and tasks. And then back again to the endless tasks of something like tetris or zuma.
So why do we play - most likely for a different reason at different times, and for a quite varied set of reasons compared to someone else's list. Games and gaming is no longer one thing, any more than 'music' is a single activity and direction. It is high and low. Easy and complex. Loud and quiet. And so on. Games are starting to truly reach that same level - of breadth of offering, of quality of selection and most certainly of scope of users. It is just something you do.
"If you want to read books that tackle profound philosophical questions, then the best — and perhaps only — place to turn these days is sci-fi" Clive Thompson over at Wired sings the gospel of Cory Doctorow (mostly well deserved) and ponders the challenge of dealing with 'issues' in writing. One oversight is possibly the ethical side of philosophy, having migrated quite a bit into the crime section - notably in works along the lines of American Pshyco.
He also mentions various authors on the edge, like Susanna Clarke (of Norrel fame) - whom I personally found rather long winded and a bit dull compared to a proper novel by Dickens, since his work was serialized and had to keep the tempo at all times. So, a better place to start looking is in the games section - and then nip over to the media section in general, and have a look at the 'universes' still expanding and finding their multiple shapes. Be it the Buffyverse in comic form for Season 8, Discworld branching into stories for older, younger and on tv - or the many faces of Star Wars in printed, drawn, animated and game form. Neither of the three sit comfortably inside a 'sci-fi' cordon, yet all take their fans on journeys of the mind as well as the dreams.
(on a side-note, Bioware has recently put a date for the first mini-expansion for Mass Effect - a sidequest on a different planet, with some 90 minutes of playtime. Look for it on XBL)
Games span from huge sandboxes, via story-oriented with a potential for sandbox (like the module editor for NWN - the narrative can both be made and used outside the confines of the basics of the game itselg), to more linear bite-sized levels and tasks. And then back again to the endless tasks of something like tetris or zuma.
So why do we play - most likely for a different reason at different times, and for a quite varied set of reasons compared to someone else's list. Games and gaming is no longer one thing, any more than 'music' is a single activity and direction. It is high and low. Easy and complex. Loud and quiet. And so on. Games are starting to truly reach that same level - of breadth of offering, of quality of selection and most certainly of scope of users. It is just something you do.
"If you want to read books that tackle profound philosophical questions, then the best — and perhaps only — place to turn these days is sci-fi" Clive Thompson over at Wired sings the gospel of Cory Doctorow (mostly well deserved) and ponders the challenge of dealing with 'issues' in writing. One oversight is possibly the ethical side of philosophy, having migrated quite a bit into the crime section - notably in works along the lines of American Pshyco.
He also mentions various authors on the edge, like Susanna Clarke (of Norrel fame) - whom I personally found rather long winded and a bit dull compared to a proper novel by Dickens, since his work was serialized and had to keep the tempo at all times. So, a better place to start looking is in the games section - and then nip over to the media section in general, and have a look at the 'universes' still expanding and finding their multiple shapes. Be it the Buffyverse in comic form for Season 8, Discworld branching into stories for older, younger and on tv - or the many faces of Star Wars in printed, drawn, animated and game form. Neither of the three sit comfortably inside a 'sci-fi' cordon, yet all take their fans on journeys of the mind as well as the dreams.
(on a side-note, Bioware has recently put a date for the first mini-expansion for Mass Effect - a sidequest on a different planet, with some 90 minutes of playtime. Look for it on XBL)
Friday, February 8
Did YOU watch it?
Delving into the numbers today, first off a piece on NewTeeVee on the "season" concept applied to web based series.
Regarding Quarterlife: "it seems to consistently pull in around 100,000 viewers per episode on MySpace"
The once so dominant LonelyGirl is also living up to the name, with viewership for the second season (on Youtube) of around 100k - sans one episode of 4 million plays, called "girl tied up"
Compare that to the new Yahoo Live with ~2600 concurrent users. Or perhaps to the Superbowl - with over 90 million viewers (link via C3 post)
Web-tv and video online? Great idea, superb for niche content and quick supplements to news stories. But still a ways to go before becoming a consistent distribution channel for new'ish content and ideas
...and the sun is shaded by the fog...
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