My links are now on Del.icio.us

From now on, please find intersting links that I'm tagging and noting here on Del.icio.us

Thanks

Leo

Like watching Earth from the Moon

Watch this for 5 minutes...http://twittervision.com/ it's the nearest thing I've ever felt to being part of a Global community...

In praise of Disconnection

We're so used to the always on nature of the modern world, that cutting free from it feels strange. I just spent the last six days without phones, emails, blogs, facebook, twitters or any of that modern jazz. I barely even saw a Television. I did read the papers most days - which gave me more than enough sense of what was happening in the wider world.

I felt relaxed, in as much contact as I needed to be. A sense of bliss descended upon my week. We should remember just how rewarding and meaningful disconnected time can be. It can even feel like you're more connected to the immediate places and people around you. There is definitely a market for services that allow you to stay disconnected unless something of real urgency occurs. Perhaps you could preordain what things would be important enough for your phone to make contact.

Virgin have already spotted the opportunity for 'disconnection' with a six step guide to how to disconnect when you go on holiday. One to try next time?

No End of Inspiration?

The TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in the US strikes me as a wonderful place to look for inspiration and fresh views on the World. It must be good, even 2008's conference is over-subscribed. You can however access some content from previous TEDs here.

I'd love to go. Guess I'll have to wait til 2009?

Luigi Colani

Saw a really interesting exhibition at the awfully elitist Design Musuem yesterday. Luigi Colani, is an 80 something designer of products, objects, cars, tea-sets etc

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What struck me most was his unbending faith in using nature as the blueprint for all of his designs. He's been so successful that today, organic forms in product design seem quite the norm.

But this guy's been doing it since at least the 50's. Some of his designs looked totally futuristic, even today.

There was an interesting contrast showing traffic on a modern German street, as a backdrop to one of his car designs... surprise, surprise, modern cars look very conservative and box-like.

An inspiration.

Microscopic Splatted Gnat - says it all.

On Interesting

Its so true. Interestingness is a great way to get brands and people to connect. These series of short films for Nike are worth watching in their own right. They don't make me want to wear Nike Airs though. But perhaps that isn't always the point. They do give me a sense of how rooted in the culture they are. Think hiphop/new york/basketball.

Too often we only look to satisfy peoples' interest in the product or service and what it gives them, but satisfying an interest by sharing in a wider cultural idea is so much fuller, richer and more engaging.

The Tagmeme

Thanks to Matt at Thoughtcrime for tagging me with the most bugging early morning mental workout - but then blame Dan at Cubemate too I guess. The workout? Five things about you that people don't already know.

1. I used to be the lead singer in an Indie band (circa 1990-92). We made one demo *tape* in a studio... which kind of says it all really. Our drummer couldn't keep time. My dulcet tones were however, something else.

2. I've written hundreds of songs. Almost all of them immediately vaporised. I got into music writing, sampling and beat programming during the techno era and spent hours writing wannabe rave-anthems... then I'd get sick of hearing them loop and loop again, so moved on to the next one.

3. I keep meaning to be a writer. Written some poems that I like, not nearly enough articles and started some short stories. Including one that is one sentence long... the famous 'mini saga'. One day I'd like to just write from a countryside haven and make enough to get by.

4. I'm almost French. Well not quite. But I did spend most of my childhood living in Paris so I'm bilingual. Handy when on holiday in France. And when swearing at French colleagues at work.

5. I like lots of milk in my tea. Not sure why, guess it's since I was a little kid. so if you're making, it's 'white without'. Thanks.

Much more interesting than all this though is my realisation that I'm not sending this meme onto anyone else. so if you're reading and you're blogging, give me your link and I'll pass it on.