Bringing the Digital World into the Physical

Interesting technology out of MIT and Pranav Mistry.

We talk a lot about User Experiences at my company NGAGE. We tend to speak in terms of the current digital landscape, but this is a really interesting look at where we might be going.



Plus, I like the fact that he refers to keeping humans human by bringing the digital world to the physical world. Call me crazy, but I have seen too many movies where computers take over, I know that could happen. I am convinced that my Mac Pro is smarter than I am already, he's just biding his time.

Hey! Remember November?

I don't, it was like a blur.

A lot of stuff happened, and I saw and heard a lot of interesting stuff and things. I hope to bring everyone up to speed in the next couple days.

But for now, I want everyone to stop what what you are doing and become addicted to a game.

It's called Continuity, and it combines an Atari simplicity, with a Mario Bros. style and the frustration of a tile puzzle.

Here's a screenshot to give yo an idea.



Play it today, and I'll catch you up on my November by EOD.

And no, I haven't been playing this game all month, but it was tempting.

The Deal is Dead

So remember this post. Just Yesterday. Ehemmm... forget that.

The merger is off.

The best way I can explain it is NGAGE and Hughes were like two young lovers. We were super into each other, finishing each other sentences, similar goals and aspirations. Both of us liked Hugh Grant movies and preferred Reese's Cups to Pieces (if you get what I'm saying). Peas and Carrots as Forrest's momma would say.

Then we decided to get Married. Take the plunge. So we started moving in together just weeks before the nuptials. And then the bickering began. NGAGE always leaving the toilette seat up, Hughes taking up all the closet space. Nagging, differences of opinion and disgusting habits that had never been part of the relationship surfaced.

It was clear that the wedding had to be called off, for each party to remain awesome and retain their friendship.

C'est la vie.

NGAGE now Hughes...

Sorry I have been out of sorts lately. I was on vacation, where I destroyed at least 5 burritos, frolicked on 2 beaches and took in a whole lot of sunshine in San Diego. Also, work has been crazy lately. We're cranking out a website and promo pieces for Astound Sound. They're an audio software that takes your compressed music and movies and expands the sound without stretching it. Its pretty incredible, and the work we're doing for it is very cool. The new site should be live in a couple weeks. Here's the banner I'm working on now, just to give you a sense.



But also, we found out a few weeks ago that my company NGAGE has merged with an agency known as Hughes, and that we are going to retain their name. Hughes has been around for more than 30 years, and has about 30 clients. Scottrade, our biggest client, will remain so for Hughes, but we are also bringing our other beautiful clients, much needed digital expertise and agency culture/brand. Here's some of our combined work, I did some of it.



As I said, Hughes has been in existence for over 30 years, and has seen at least two generations of Hughes at the helm. They have been profitable, versatile and extremely thorough. They specialize in the front end, and the back end. The research, and the PR proliferation. We are charged with bringing them a better creative product, opening doors in the digital space and most importantly breathing some new life and freshness into the company.

The immediate question from everyone when I tell them is, "Is your job ok?" The answer is an overwhelming yes. First off, I plan to approach the situation like my job is in danger, even though it's not. I'm going to dominate. But, lets go through the list of pluses in my court:

1. Hughes is an agency that falls more in line with my educational background (though I feel like my education may have been a bit outdated), and NGAGE has prepared me for where Hughes and the marketing world is moving. I'm covered.

2. My Creative Director will remain my CD, and immediate boss. This is huge, and if I was jumping onto a whole new creative team, I think I might be a bit more concerned. Though new creative thinking is never a bad thing, it's nice that I am on the inside of this transition.

3. I don't have to move offices again. Hughes (South Campus as we're calling it) is coming here. Which means a new creative floor. Thus less shushing from the AEs and more creatives being creative; collaborating. Never a bad thing.

4. More clients. More variety. We're like Y98 over here.

5. New people, more people. Fresh blood, fresh ideas. More business contacts. More growth potential.

So, I'll keep you guys up to date on how I feel moving forward, but as of now, I'm pumped.

The Death and Life of the Kurca

So I live vicariously through Scott Lichtenauer lately, but I wanted to post his latest project for all, especially my Kansas City Slavic loving friends.

The Sugar Creek Slavic festival is a local event filled with slavic food, dance and garb. His current agency Salva O'renick in KC handles the promotion of the event every year, and has made Scott the point man for the past few years. He has dominated each time, especially given the nonexistent budget and zero time allocation.

This is this years installment.

Its a sort of who done it, Kurca (pronounced Kur-cha) murder mystery. Your three suspects are Borislava Jaje (the bakers wife, who fell in loving with the womanizing Kurca), Vlatko Ovaca (a peace loving shepard, enraged by the dissapearance of his flock) and of course Belbog Harmonika (plays "The Chicken Dance" on the squeeze-box like an angel, but has been silenced by the Kurca seemingly uncontrollable desire to destroy when hearing his rendition). Scott is Belbog by the way.

Check it out, as well as his normal blog The Surly Birds.

Honda Insight

I've been toying around with getting a new car. Mine is on the brink of needing a lot of repairs, I feel. Plus I have lost 70 MPG over the last year. I take MPGs very seriously these days, especially after the gas prices of last summer.

I think I might want the 2010 Honda Insight. What do you think?:





Check out this commerical/project that these people (I think from Vimeo) are doing for the Honda Insight. They are using car headlights to make a LEDstyle movie. It's pretty amazing, though I'm not so sure its very "Green". Regardless, if this cool execution puts 100,000 more Hybrids on the road, then the end will justify the means of wasting gas.


Honda Insight - Let It Shine from Honda on Vimeo.

You can see a making of here:


Honda Insight - The Making of "Let it Shine” from Honda on Vimeo.

I saw these on Google Reader, which pulled it from Gizmodo.

Google Reader is worth checking out if you haven't done so. It is a blog and friend aggregator. Keeping not only your favorite blogs and news sites updated in one centralized location, but also letting your friends see what your reading and you what they're reading. It aids in video, article and music sharing. Plus, the site offers recommendations as to other sites and blogs that you might be interested in due to the blogs that you are following or writing.

Pretty cool.

Let me know if I should get this car, or if you think I should get something else. Smart BRABUS, anyone?

This Guy is CRAP!

Have we seen this?



This guy hates your business card, rolladexes and probably puppies.

But he can get a crowd, damn it!

Here's my business card. It's on a 110lb paper stock with an aqueous coating. It's terrible for the environment, but feels like silk. 1.5"x3.5" of raw business contact identification. Stolze Priniting here in St. Louis made these happen:



I like it, but I bet it gets lost in a rolladex. Damn.