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So this is what Google meant by "do no evil"

As fine of a search engine as Bing is, this is uncalled for. And as happy as the kids looked...all the free shirts aren't going to measure up to the amount of inevitable regret that'll come out of this terrible day in history.

Oh, and what's with the all Microsoft Office shirts in the Bing vid anyway? That's not synergy, it's incongruence.

Posted October 30, 2009
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Do more than peek

Using a dedicated device like the Peek for Twitter is a very scary proposition. Even if you can justify the $200 for the device (you wouldn't rather have that money go towards a smartphone? really?), the biggest risk of buying into something like this is the fact that Twitter itself doesn't stand still.

An investment in hardware that's designed for the Twitter of today doesn't make sense. What happens when Twitter introduces something new, like the recent announced lists feature? Planned or not, obsolescence sucks.

There are a few certainties though for Peek buyers though: less pocket/purse space, another charger to keep track of, and nothing you can't do for free using the smartphone that you should either already have or be saving up for.

Oh yeah, saying "from the makers of" is such a ethically bankrupt and pathetic way to sneak a Wired "Gear of the Year" graphic on the box.  

Update: Wired says it's $200 including lifetime tweeting, but Amazon is selling the device $99.95 with 6 months of service free and $7.95/month thereafter. Looks like we can add yet another monthly bill to the list of certainties.

Posted October 30, 2009
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Proof of the Google Train

This is what happens when Google decides they want to enter your business and do it for free. The threat is very real, and in terms of things businesses least want to hear, it's right up there with hearing Steve Jobs say "we want to get in on this" at one of his keynotes (like when the video-recording iPod nano was announced).

There's no telling what this train will run over next.

via Engadget

Posted October 28, 2009
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Meme + good parody = better meme

I was ready to let balloon boy pass, until I saw this:

My favorite line in the whole thing: "Ya'll think I'm in the sky, cuz my name is Falcon?"...what genius!

Posted October 22, 2009
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Now that balloon boy is safe...

Let the mocking and exploitation begin! Get your own Falcon T-shirt and listen to him getting scolded:

...and let's not forget the latest Twitter meme collision: "Yo Balloon Boy, I'm a let you finish, but Anne Frank had the best attic hideout spot of all time." Kanye and Anne Frank? Leave it to the internet to put 2 and 2 together. 

Oh, how quickly we'll all be over this.

Posted October 15, 2009
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Redesign!

It's been awhile since Posterous introduced theming, and I finally got around to personalizing this blog. You're probably seeing either the good ol' Arial or the sexy Helvetica Neue font in play here; this is basically a twist on the Dakhar theme with a few personal touches, but I'm quite proud of the results!

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Posted October 14, 2009
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How bad is "hurl yourself out a window" bad?

As part of the launch effort of Windows 7, Microsoft wants you to throw launch parties showing off their new OS to your friends. Even though the idea had potential, the pitch for it is a heap of disingenuous fail:

Even though the actors hit the talking points well and offer up some good activity ideas, the vibe of the pitch was terrible. The biggest culprit is probably the condescending laughter that happened every few seconds. It's hard to imagine anyone mistaking insincerity of this magnitude for anything remotely close to amicable, yet here we are with another dud.

One thing's for sure - bad advertising equals parodies galore.

Posted October 1, 2009
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Someone wake up the guys at Logitech...

It's been nearly a couple weeks since I've had my copy of Snow Leopard, and many months longer since developers have had access to test their hardware and software. So why is it that Logitech customers are still having to resort to manual workarounds to get their mouse to work?

What's worse, is if you try to go to their email support, you're greeted by this lovely notice:

There should never be a case for shutting down your email support for the better part of a month. Granted they are providing alternate ways to get support, this just screams poor planning. If anything, as a maker of input devices, Logitech has significantly more responsibility on their shoulders to provide prompt updates to its customers.

Logitech, I love your hardware. And though your customers may eventually forgive you, falling asleep at the wheel like this is unacceptable.

End rant.

Posted September 10, 2009
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Do you take the time to preprocess advice?

The Chinese Three-word chant (三字經) teaches us that human nature is kind. I find this is generally true, from the abundance of advice one can get from friends, family, or even the strangest corners of the internet. Unfortunately, following advice doesn't always work out in your favor. For that reason, it's generally a good thing to vet your advice before making a decision on any matter.

Your nose can probably tell bad milk better than the expiration date printed on the carton. For the same reason, you may be able to tell if the advice is remotely sensible before moving on to any sort of in-depth analysis.

(photo credit: thehappyrobot)

If the advice passes the sniff test, ask yourself this: does the advice-giver have anything to gain from the situation? Depending on what there is to gain, it's possible that you're the target of a scam and the advice you're getting isn't actually for your benefit. Money is a huge red flag here.

(photo credit: The Doctr)

Remember to also ask yourself if the advice-giver has anything to lose. If there's little or nothing to lose, take the advice with a grain of salt. A lot of bad advice is given by people who have no business doing so, but that's because the outcome doesn't affect them anyway. While advice-givers always stand to lose your trust, you need to sense how important that trust is to them in the first place. 

Even if it comes from an expert, advice is irresponsible by nature and never a guarantee or a contract. Having someone to blame if things go south doesn't rectify the situation, either.

(photo credit: ktpupp)

Since this is an advisory post on my part, let me answer the above questions for you:

Do I stand to gain anything to here? Your continued readership and some goodwill, perhaps :)
Do I stand to lose anything here? Again, your continued readership may be at stake.

Now you're ready to move on and process the actual content of the advice for yourself. I hope this helps you avoid the frustration of following some potentially bad advice...best of luck, and thanks for reading!

Posted September 9, 2009
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"Creativity can solve everything"


Saw this over at American Copywriter and I can't remember the last time a movie made it past my barrier of numbness to general (read: bad) advertising. Here's the official site and trailer:

Too bad it's not coming to Los Angeles until September.

Posted August 19, 2009
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