While I’m at it (see my previous posting on my recent activities) I’d thought you might also be interested in a recent conversation on the use of social media in European and US corporations (MP3 file ~ 48MB) I’ve had with Tom Guarriello from the “True Talk Blog” (iTunes here).

I’m following Tom’s blog for more than a year now and I’m intrigued by the breadth, but at the same time depth of his postings ranging from Politics, Business over Design & Fashion, to Social Media.

However what fascinates me most is his playful yet still professional use of social media like audio and video sharing. accordingly Tom is creating regular video and audio podcasts on various topics on a regular basis.

On Monday this week we’ve been able to realise a long planned podcast on ‘Social Media in European and US Companies’ based on our practical and theoretical expertise. And as hoped and expected it has been fun and inspirational.

As a side effect again I’ve recognised that listening to your own musings after the recording has been done is a ‘Point of Truth (POT) experience. From this particular recording and on a meta level I’ve learned that I can still improve the scope I usually frame my thoughts in. As a non native speaker (& writer) I always want to make sure that my ideas reach the audience in the right (not to say ‘perfect’) way ;-) Unfortunately this sometimes goes to the disadvantage of coming to the point in a concise fashion say ‘delayed’. So some way to go ;-)

Anyway while (for sure ;-) we did not fully answer the question why in particular organisations with strong brands and fashion brands in particular have difficulties to articulate themselves on the web beyond their brand image we’ve identified several strategic areas that are worth digging deeper into.

After all what surprised me indeed has been Tom’s feedback that US companies are far less ahead of using the social web compared to European companies as I’ve imagined. A question that popped up and that attracted my attention as well has been: How much do Social Technologies affect the corporate as well as brand culture once an organisation has ‘dared’ to enter this field of communication? Any insights from you readers are more than welcome!

In any case have fun listening to our conversation and drop me a comment or email on what you’ve thought while listening :-)

The video above shows some of the work from the ongoing Helmut Lang exhibition called “Alles gleich schwer”. You can experience it both in real life at renowned kestnergesellschaft in Hanover and online at the collaboration partner Absolut.

Andra bloggar om: konst, mode, helmut lang, absolut, utställning

A snapshot of the latest trends of Location-based Service (LBS) in Beijing, Shanghai, Hongkong and Tokyo.

Trend Description:

Many people would agree that Location Based Services are becoming more and more popular worldwide and are opening a host of opportunities for business, but few would agree on the business model that will best monetize the service. Nokia, the mobile market leader, expects to ship 35 million GPS-phones in 2008 and the latest  ABI report blueprinted a $ 3.3 billion market value for LBS, but still the way to whip up revenues from existing technology and infrastructure remains unclear. Here we filtered some promising, if not profitable, practices of LBS in Asia to summarize new trends for industrial practitioners and those who may be concerned.

Cases:

GyPSii is a social networking platform headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherland. It has partnered with Shanghai Rannuo and China Unicom to launch its GyPSii service during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and has opened a China Data Center to enhance local user experience. What GyPSii is doing in China is encouraging its network users to send back location information via mobile devices and integrate it into the digital map. Other users (who are also content creators) then, can experience a seamless mobile lifestyle, connecting with friends and communities, searching UGC and viewing maps and directions to points of interest.

Naviblog X is Japan’s first location-based moblog/mobsearch website. With this service, usrs can easily create their mobile diary sites within 60 seconds even if they know little about programming.  After the sites are created, they point their mobile phones to the QR Code auto-generated with the sites and transfer them to the mobile phones of their friends or clients to log on the sites. It is also designed to geo-tag users’ information by one-click. Naviblog is said to be used on non-Japan phones soon.

LV Soundwalk

Fashion makers lag behind to none in creativity if not in high-tech. With thousands of foreigners entering China this Olympic year, Louis Vuitton, the French luxury fashion brand entered the mobile space with a unique location-based audio guide, available in six languages, to three major cities, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The voice is coming from three locally born actresses: Gong Li for Beijing, Joan Chen for Shanghai and Shu Qi for Hong Kong. It directs visitors by mobile phones in real time through the cities and costs 17 USD for for each city in one of the six languages, English, French, Cantonese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Trend Potential:

The convergence of social networking, user-created content and location is a big trend. Mobile-enabled LBS is important because it links up something missing on the internet. There are some major barriers for business related to mobile internet, such as licensing and sophisticated algorithms, but as some of the global players have discovered, a fast track to enter a local market is to line up with local mobile carriers, technological developers and last but not least the users, who know best what they want.

Read the original post at CScout China Blog.

Here it appears the entire main framing system is in place, including the roof purlins. Next will be the light gage wall framing to infill the exterior walls and frame out the window and door openings.



Here we see the recycled barn siding that we saw in an earlier post being installed as the first floor ceiling. The bar joists will be exposed, painted, but more or less as we see them here. The barn planks are going directly over the joists, and plywood floor deck will go down over the planks, and then finish flooring. I love the way this looks. The contrast between the industrial truss joists and the rustic planks is just great.

Tune into the 3030 House flickr group to see all of the photos forwarded by the owner.

Technorati Tags: 3030 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house

Technorati Tags: 6030 House, 6040 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house

On my recent trip to London for the Design Festival, I did not limit my search for aesthetics to home interiors and accessories. I stopped in a bookstore and checked in on some British cookbooks that are easier to find in the UK than in the US like Tamasin Day-Lewis, Leith’s Cooking School series, and the new Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends. Ditte Isager is the photographer who shot Gordon Ramsay’s new book, and I will admit that the photos sold the book. I am so enchanted by Ditte’s work, that I keep the book on my bedside table to look at before going to sleep so I’ll have nice dreams! Ditte’s signature photographic style is unmistakable and totally addictive. Her recipe for a fruit meringue cake looks fancy but is simple to make. Don’t be afraid of meringue! It will be your new friend! Click here for the full recipe or just click “read more” below. -Kristina

About Ditte: Ditte Isager was born and raised in Copenhagen. She was educated at Danish technical school of photography and Schiller studio and is now living in NYC. Specialized in interiors, travel, and food, her clients include Gourmet, Traveler, Domino, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsey, Fritz Hansen, to name a few.

Fruit Meringue Cake

Meringues
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
½ cup sugar

For topping:
whip cream
fruit or berries, whatever you feel like

1. Whip the egg whites, vinegar and sugar for around 5 min to it is thick and shiny.
2. Put a little bit of flour on baking paper and make a circle around 20 cm in diameter with the whipped egg whites.

3. Bake it at 305 degrees (F) for around an hour to it is crisp, turn off the oven and leave the meringues there until it is cold.
4. Whip the cream, you can add some berries to the cream too, and decorate the cake with whipped cream and berries

Why Ditte chose this recipe: This is my favorite cake soooooo easy and so delicious! I always make it for birthdays, dessert when friends come over for dinner ………any occasion.

Images are 4×5 polaroids taken with a Linhoff camera.

As the climate crisis mounts and Arctic icebergs slip away, polar bears are suffering starvation, population declines, and drowning as they must swim further and further to find food. Seeking to raise awareness for the endangered species’ plight, ADDI Concepts has taken wildlife preservation literally by designing a life-vest for displaced polar bears struggling to stay afloat as their homes sink into the sea.

(more…)

• P&G’s Innovation Culture
  Good case on how the idea of a 'Blue Ocean Strategy' can be applied: "The heart of a company’s business model should be game-changing innovation. This is not just the invention of new products and services, but the ability to systematically convert ideas into new offerings that alter the very context of the business."
  (tags: Innovation P&G Blue Ocean Strategy applied research)

Joie de Vivre Hotels’ identity as a socially-conscious company inspired us to design this SOMA hotel with all these good intentions. From beds and headboards made from locally reclaimed wood to glow in the dark messages, our guests will discover that we are good with a lighthearted twist."

Is it smart to lead with Good or to build Good into everything you do?

maybe sunset yellow?



or working with an image that approximates an old blueprint

Technorati Tags: house plans, Hus1, modern design, modern house

On October 14, 2008, in Seoul, Korea, the Open Web Asia 2008 conference will gather web industry leaders from across Asia, as well as the US and Europe. The day long event focuses on the theme of “The Social Web.” Speakers include Shusaku Maruko (General Manager, Corporate Strategy Department, FeliCa Networks,) Jean Min (Communications Director, Ohmynews,) Loic Le Meur (Founder and CEO, Seesmic.com,) Arthur Chang (VP of Sale, Alibab.com,) and Jason Calacanis (CEO Mahalo.) As well, Korean tech blogger, writer, and CScout consultant, Taewoo Danny Kim, will also speak.

The combination of executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists is going to explore how social media is evolving on the international, regional, and country stage. The event is the first pan-Asian web technology industry conference of its kind.

• Design Research Conference 2008, IIT Institute of Design; Chicago
  One of a few conferences I've never been to so far is the IIT Design Research Conference held each year in Chicago the home of IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology). Unlike many other conference organizers they are releasing the conference videos quite shortly after the conference has ended and that's what I've appreciated over the last years. While very often the selection of speakers tends to be the outcome of buddy networking there are from time to time some good talks available to be found in the archives.

  Pretty much the same counts for their other conference they are hosting each year the 'IIT Insitute of Design Strategy Conference' to be found here: http://snipurl.com/iitstrategy [trex_id_iit_edu]

  (tags: conferences conference design research IIT designresearch 2008 strategy&design)