Imagine That! Studios

Concerning Web 3.0: Cutting the Red Wire (Part One of Three)

I started reading up on Web 3.0 when I heard ReadWriteWeb regard it as the next big thing in the Internet’s evolution. Web 3.0 is becoming such a big deal that an expo all about it happened last month, preparing people for what was needed to handle this next wave. But what would Web 3.0 actually be? Will there be direct interfaces with a computer network as seen in The Matrix or Tron? Would it be something more ominous as seen in Eagle Eye where people can use technology of any kind to keep tabs on one’s whereabouts? How about something like Tom Cruise’s interface from Minority Report (the link is the scene in Spanish, but the clip shows what I’d love to see one day) where the monitor was your work environment? Yes, my imagination was running rampant.

Funny I spared a thought on the Cruise-Wagner-Speilberg offering because it turns out Web 3.0 is all about a specific scene from that movie. According to Amiad Solomon, CEO of Peer39, in his keynote address at the earlier mentioned expo, Web 3.0 is “…the monetization and commercialization of Web 2.0.” The more I read, the more I thought about that scene in Minority Report where Tom Cruise is walking around with his new eyes. Remember that? Cruise crosses through a public transport station, gets a quick retina scan, and then is personally addressed by holographic advertisements, directly catering to wants, needs, and desires.

Note: Web 3.0 is a bit like this, and the bit I’m talking about doesn’t involve the super-cool holograms. What I’m taking from the online chatter is that Web 3.0 is all about advertising specifically addressing an individual’s wants and needs based on web surfing habits. Even though the first use of “Web 3.0″ has been cited in the New York Times back in 2006, the concept is starting to pick up momentum as a new business buzz term, and some 2.0 “weblebrities” are scrambling to find out how they can continue their tenuous hold on to their “authority” titles.

Am I worried? Well, yes…but not about what you may think. On reading and re-reading my collected Web 3.0 resources, I thought of two words: Dot-Bomb.

Right now, I’m getting that whole Jack Bauer vibe, one hand gripping a pair of wire cutters, the other hand on my iPhone speaking through a tightened jaw “Chloe, I need you talk me through this OR WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” In my overly vivid imagination I am picturing a time bomb that is Web 3.0, its digital timer ticking down and a rainbow display of wires desperately needing to be cut.

This is my take on an upgrade might be a bit premature. Let’s start cutting, shall we?

Red Wire: Step in your wayback machines before the days of blogging, podcasting, and Twitter. (Hard to do, I know, but work with me…) Just shy of the end of 2000, Dot-Coms were the kudzu of the Internet. Turn a corner in a city’s or state’s technology corridor, and you would see a new Dot-Com logo gracing the side of a high-rise or business plaza. It was a good time to be a geek, and quite a few did inherit the Earth. For a brief time.

I was calling “Shenanigans!” though when I heard a news report about a Dot-Com that invested 3-million dollars into a Super Bowl ad. They gleefully commented “It’s been six months since running that ad. We’ve shown earnings of 1-million. We’re doing great!”

I’m not a math wizard, but isn’t that the same accounting behind our current economic woes?

So when the Dot-Bomb detonated, there was no reason to be surprised. It happened on account of bad business, poor budgeting, fuzzy math, and a lack of understanding in how the Internet works, what the Internet audience expects, and how businesses regard the Internet. Now, a new “Advance Guard” is heralding the arrival of Web 3.0, basing their model of success on…?

Exactly. *snip*

The timer is still ticking, but we cannot rush this process. We need to take our time and carefully, strategically, disarm this potential disaster. This post is merely the beginning, so see you next week as I continue this realistic look at the supposed next big thing of the Interactive Internet.

Let’s Get Physical!

A real challenge in being creative is keeping the ideas coming. Over the summer, I have caught myself sitting in my studio before the Silicon Altar, aimlessly plodding through a morning, surfing the Internets and its vacuum tubes, not really accomplishing much of anything. For someone dedicated to creativity and fast-thinking, this is a dangerous habit to develop that is extremely hard to break.

Last month, I had figured out what the problem was. I was out of my exercising routine.

I’m no Michael Phelps, but swimming has become something of a passion. A few weeks following Dragon*Con, I resumed my aquatic routine. Already I have noticed a dramatic change in my productivity. Within the first week of returning to the water, I produced three podcasts, hit a stride with Chapter Sixteen of MOREVI: Remastered, and clocked in some valuable writing time with Exodus from Morevi. This was all in the first week.

Exercise is just as valuable a tool in being creative as a good microphone, a DV camera, or a fully-loaded computer. Being active keeps you alert, fit, and most of all, thinking. After a workout, your blood is flowing, the endorphins are kicking, and creative concepts are easier to come by.

Ah, but what about the time taken for a workout? Isn’t that time away from a project or a deadline? I regard it as necessary time away. Writer’s Block, burn-out, and dry idea wells can usually be attributed to stress. Stress can come from working all the time, so give yourself a break. Step away from the mouse. Hit the gym. Whether it’s a walk around a track, a lap in the pool, or pumping iron, you find a routine that works for you and stick with it. Also, workouts are a great time to get caught up or discovering new podcasts…

Yes, even in the pool!

You can be efficient in planning for a workout by packing a bag with workout clothes toiletries, and a towel. (Don’t ever forget your towel!) This way you can drive straight from the day job to the gym instead of come home after a day in the salt mines and lumberyards, change clothes, get to the gym, go at it, and then come home to shower. That routine tends to make long days feel even longer. Plan ahead, and also plan to start slowly and simply. My own swimming regiment started humbly with one-hundred-and-fifty yards. Three laps. Before the year was out I was up to a thousand yards (twenty laps) within half-an-hour. Give yourself easy-to-reach and reasonable goals, and if you have previous injuries/conditions, consult a physician on what exercise or activities will work best for you.

The pressure is on when your work relies on creativity, so consider your personal health. If you find yourself completely at a loss for ideas, power down your creative station and give yourself some time to burn calories. Approach your exercise as you would a creative project. As you progress in your workout routines, you will find that your endurance builds as well as your productivity. Yes you might lose an hour here and there, but you will also loose a few pounds (or kilos, for my international readers) as well. When it comes to producing ideas, you are your most valuable resource. Make sure you don’t neglect it.

Marketing Microsoft: Part Two

From Pip Ballantine, I got a link to a post from the official blog of The New Zealand Herald…

“Ever Wear Clothes in the Shower, Bill?”

Who knew I was so in touch with the journalistic minds of New Zealand?!

Marketing Microsoft…Not That There’s Anything WRONG with That!

Microsoft has launched an aggressive ad campaign about their future. This bold move on their part can only be described as “aggressive” because it features both comic powerhouse Jerry Seinfeld and the now-retired C.E.O. and creator of Windows, Bill Gates.

I have seen this ad both online and on television (you know, television — what people had before high speed connections and BitTorrent?) and tried to figure out what was bothering me about it. I admit, I’m a Mac Guy; but it wasn’t the Microsoft angle that was bugging me. Something was just “off” about this ad. As if answering my silent query of “What did I just see?” the same channel ran an “I’m a Mac/PC” ad where PC pretends to be a pizza in order to lure college students to look at him over the Mac.

That was when I understood my problem with the Seinfeld/Gates ad. Simply put, I didn’t get “the joke” nestled somewhere within it.

Yes, I know, with that statement I have just taped a digital “Kick Me” sign on my back and will probably suffer a few hits. Before you strap on your Iron Boots of +3 Whoop-Ass, consider the following aspects of the Seinfeld/Gates ad:

• The ad opens with Bill Gates shopping for discount shoes and Seinfeld enjoying a churro. On recognizing one another, Jerry launches into his schtick while Gates looks completely out of his element. (Whether that was about buying shoes or Jerry’s sense-of-humor is still uncertain.)
• I learned that Seinfeld showers with his shoes on to loosen the leather. (Exactly what that has to do with Microsoft’s future I don’t quite get.)
• Apparently, when it comes to shoes, Gates is the frugal type.
• “The Conquistador” shoes wear tight.

Only at the end of this ad did I find out this was a commercial for Microsoft. Admittedly, I was transfixed by this ad, but not so much by what it was advertising but by where they were going with all this surreal banter in the style of (shocker!) Seinfeld. I read on a few blogs that this is supposed to be Microsoft’s retaliation against Apple’s “I’m a Mac/PC” ads and they do appear to come out swinging with Seinfeld and Gates in this flagship spot.

Too bad Microsoft’s punches are only hitting air.

This campaign is much like Microsoft’s Zune: A day late, a dollar short. The Mac/PC ads not only made their first strike against Vista (some of their claims a little too slanted, mind you); but their delivery style was so simple, and yet so slick, the ads themselves have become part of pop culture. (Click here to see the “I’m a Marvel Superhero and I’m a D.C Comics Superhero” parody.) All the Mac ads talk about Mac computers, what Macs do, how they act in comparison to the PC, and how they simplify the home computer experience. The ads even go so far to play up how pleasant the Macintosh experience can be.

From the Seinfeld/Gates ad, I get a mini-Seinfeld episode minus George and Kramer (although I’m sure they were on stand by, off camera).

The biggest question I have is for Gates himself: You did retire, right? If so, you’re doing it wrong! Since Vista rolled out, Bill Gates has been on the campaign trail for Microsoft and now he’s shooting commercials. (And looking very uncomfortable doing so.) Whatever happened to taking it easy? If anyone can afford to, it’s you, Bill Gates. Kind of makes you wonder why Gates is pounding the pavement so hard.

Maybe this is too early a judgment call to make, but first impressions mean a lot. After seeing this Seinfeld/Gates ad, all I can say is “Good luck” to Microsoft in this ad war against Apple. As it stands, I look at this ad the same way I look at the Microsoft Windows operating system, its “known and accepted” bugs, and how users continue to work with it amidst all the Trojans, spyware, and viruses it comes with.

I don’t get it.

Determination Through Failure

This past weekend was not what I would call the most rewarding of weekends.

Trouble began when a Western Digital MyBook (an external hard drive I had purchased barely a year ago) began acting odd. This would not have bothered me so much if the drive in question was not running alongside a seven-year-old LaCie external drive, that workhorse still running as well as it did the day I purchased it. So began a process of copying the MyBook’s content on to a brand new internal drive…

…and no, the internal drive is not from Western Digital.

A Saturday that could have been a highly productive day instead became a day of setbacks as the MyBook hit the wall. Hard. In the end I was able to make a few rescues and recoveries; but some recording sessions with The Billibub Baddings Podcast and early episodes of MOREVI: Remastered remained unobtainable. Even with the disk passing all diagnostic tests, the MyBook had the last say in the fate of my all-important data.

Throwing your hands into the air and giving up is a very easy solution. However, what do you gain from it? True, facing brick wall after brick wall with no logical reason as to why this EPIC FAIL is occurring can easily sap your willingness and drive to continue. So where exactly can you find the motivation to continue after lost blocks of time or, in the worse of cases, a full day?

“I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”
— Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison did not believe in failure, and this is just one of many quotes where he shows a deep disdain for the concept. His words — and many other quotes from him and other innovators, leaders, and all around clever people — are very good mantras to adopt as determination keeps you driven. When you can look at failures not as setbacks but as stepping stones towards the success you are striving for, then your drive remains constant and your goals closer than they were at the beginning. It can be a computer upgrade or a presentation deadline, but your accomplishments will not come to fruition unless you continue forward towards your project’s goals. Instead of dwelling on the obstacle, consider the problem and the myriad of solutions available in resolving it.

My previous Monday’s posting was missed due to events the day before it. A fellow author, Pip Ballantine, had discovered that her latest novel, Digital Magic, was formatted incorrectly. Typefaces were inconsistent, chapter headers were missing, and — most alarmingly — it was the first draft of the novel in the layout and not the final edit. To crank up the panic level, this layout was destined for the printing presses. Pip was distraught, frantic, and depressed as this put its launch date (which we are promoting together) in jeopardy. I told her “There are no problems, only solutions.” (That might sound incredibly profound, but in all honesty I was quoting the Disney Science Fiction movie, Tron.) Within two days, I had a new book interior ready for press. What came out of this experience reached far beyond the situation of a bungled book printing:

• The problems occurred on account of communication breakdowns between writer, editor, and publisher. In light of this near catastrophe new policies are being implemented.
• The book’s layout now exceeds Pip’s expectations.
• I discovered just how efficient and expedient I am in InDesign. Along with my own limits and abilities challenged, I consider the book perhaps one of the finest layouts I have ever done in my career.

What could have been a disaster changed the way we all work, and from this determination came solutions.

Determination is what keeps a passion and a desire alive, and with it the impossible can be accomplished. Hold on and take a moment to think of what you can do, not what you can’t. From the 10,000 failures, Edison created the light bulb. Had he given up, there is a good possibility you would not be reading this blog post right now.

Keeping Up Appearances

A credit card company has launched a new ad campaign that can only be described as rude, particularly to confident, creative professionals. In this commercial, two entrepreneurs are closing a deal with a small group of German investors. One of the entrepreneurs says as the lunch bill arrives “I’ll get the check…” and places a credit card on the tray. The card has an image of a comic book hero on it. The German investors laugh, make snide remarks to one another (in German), and then leave. The entrepreneur looks at his partner and says, “I think that went well.” His partner replies “I’ll pick up the check…” and then places over the “silly” credit card a PRESTEGIOUS one, its amber color supposedly a sign of its WORTHY status.

How utterly condescending, on so many levels.

Amidst its silly and antiquated attitudes of business in the twenty-first century, the aspect of this commercial that really insulted me at the core is a stereotype perpetuated by this self-important credit card: There is no room for personality in professional business. Freedom of self-expression — from the way you dress to the credit card you use — is forbidden, and can truly kill a deal. Really? Explain the success of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. How about the popularity (and the influence) of Google on the Internet? And what about Steve Jobs who made a business around being personable? Provided you keep a professional attitude, touches of creativity, spontaneity, and fun do have a place and can even carry some sway. No, I’m not recommending jeans and a black turtleneck for first-time meetings or burning neckties and business suits out of protest. I am suggesting that expressive latitude should be allowed. If potential business partners or investors are put off by your chosen artwork for a credit card, the fact you use a MacBook Pro over a Dell Notebook, or that you wear an entertainment themed neck tie as opposed to a Gucci or Ralph Lauren, there’s a good possibility these are people you don’t want to work with in the first place. Superficial hang-up’s like these will manifest themselves in creative second-guesses, brick walls, and disagreements that will only serve to undermine your project’s goals. Never lose that sense of personality, even in business pursuits. From that understanding of self-identity, great ideas happen.

A professional attitude is essential to success, but how much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice for success of any kind? A self-important credit card and an arrogant demeanor is no guarantee for achievement. What does work is a degree of self-confidence, preparation, and integrity.

And let’s not forget how to laugh at ourselves and the world around us. A sense-of-humor and a bit of fun can take you a long way.