Google becomes more visual and personal as it develops ways to search using images instead of words - plus new ways to search your communities for what they're doing.
sent from Colby's iPhone
24 March 2010
23 March 2010
UK Elections Debate2010 Largest Online Polling Forum
Salesforce.com and Telegraph Media Group Launch Debate2010 just ahead of next elections in the UK.
Will this engagement in crowdsourcing social issues reflect true public opinion - or just that "slice of life" profile of eager participants?Will be interesting to compare the sourced predictions to the actual results. Looking forward to observing what issues rise from Debate2010.
18 Use Cases Social CRM - New Rules Framework
Altimeter Report: 18 Use Cases Social CRM, The New Rules of
Relationship Management It is all about engagement and profiling.
From Jeremy Owyang at Altimeter Group "Don't know how to approach Social CRM? Start with this framework. This key framework is from the report "Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management" From the Altimeter Group, in March 2010."
Read the full report and develop a strategy around Social CRM.
Relationship Management It is all about engagement and profiling.
From Jeremy Owyang at Altimeter Group "Don't know how to approach Social CRM? Start with this framework. This key framework is from the report "Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management" From the Altimeter Group, in March 2010."
Read the full report and develop a strategy around Social CRM.
Stepped out of TallyFox....
I stepped out of TallyFox & into the sunshine - back to purposeful collaboration & appreciation - a great start to Spring
via Ping.fm
22 March 2010
21 March 2010
20 March 2010
Now you see it: scientists create invisibility cloak in 3-D
Scientists create the first cloaking device to render an object invisible in three dimensions.
sent from Colby's iPhone
19 March 2010
5 January 2010
5 October 2009
4 September 2009
Posting from iPhone
This is an experiment to check blogging software.
Only problem is no way to include images.
Only problem is no way to include images.
30 August 2009
25 May 2009
Global Travel Sites for Taxi's & Hotels
Two new travel tools are now part of my travel toolkit. I recommend them for everyone who has to travel to many different cities in different countries.
First, the International Taxi Fare Calculator. Taxi costs vary from city to city. Even though this site is still in Beta, it can calculate your fare from airport to accommodation in major cities listed in their drop down menu. I've used it a few times already, and it has been pretty close to what I've had to pay.
The second recommendation is Wotif.com to find amazing accommodation deals at GREAT RATES for a broad range of hotels, motels, apartments, resorts and bed & breakfasts around the world. You can even book last-minute for rates you would never expect - at 5 star hotels as well. They are taking the empty rooms and managing "room sales".
Would like to know how you've experienced these.
First, the International Taxi Fare Calculator. Taxi costs vary from city to city. Even though this site is still in Beta, it can calculate your fare from airport to accommodation in major cities listed in their drop down menu. I've used it a few times already, and it has been pretty close to what I've had to pay.
The second recommendation is Wotif.com to find amazing accommodation deals at GREAT RATES for a broad range of hotels, motels, apartments, resorts and bed & breakfasts around the world. You can even book last-minute for rates you would never expect - at 5 star hotels as well. They are taking the empty rooms and managing "room sales".
Would like to know how you've experienced these.
14 April 2009
Start-ups - the Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Everyone is looking for the next big thing. Business organizations use their experience on all levels to take advantage of trends, indicators, brand behaviour and assessments to identify the perfect gap to fill.
What do start-ups do?
No start-up is the same, except in their naiveté.
My experience in helping start-ups or participating in them is that it should be all about the people and how to mobilise their expertise. A start-up is a joint venture at its most basic level. What is the inventory of each person's assets in four arenas - personal, relationships. creativity and knowledge, and material? How have they applied those assets in the past? What is the potential for applying those assets in the future? What assets do they have that are not yet valued? Look for the demonstrated and forensic evidence that each person can contribute something necessary to actually build a business around a great idea.
After that, it's all about how well they work together and learn how to handle situations together. Are they solo players or team players? Have they identified the essence of their brand and its unique behaviour? Do they understand basic business practices and how to work as an organization to deliver that unique brand - including managing the relationships that will help build their business? Have they got evaluation criteria in place for making decisions together - and how much value those decisions generate?
Finally, who is going to ground the pie-in-the-sky big idea into a working framework with blueprints to actually build and grow a business around that idea? Who is going to position that idea with the right communication so that everyone who needs to know about the idea will be drawn into the business of that idea? Who is going to lead the people and the business in the direction it needs to go?
What do start-ups do? What's your experience - the the good, the bad and the ugly?
What do start-ups do?
No start-up is the same, except in their naiveté.
My experience in helping start-ups or participating in them is that it should be all about the people and how to mobilise their expertise. A start-up is a joint venture at its most basic level. What is the inventory of each person's assets in four arenas - personal, relationships. creativity and knowledge, and material? How have they applied those assets in the past? What is the potential for applying those assets in the future? What assets do they have that are not yet valued? Look for the demonstrated and forensic evidence that each person can contribute something necessary to actually build a business around a great idea.
After that, it's all about how well they work together and learn how to handle situations together. Are they solo players or team players? Have they identified the essence of their brand and its unique behaviour? Do they understand basic business practices and how to work as an organization to deliver that unique brand - including managing the relationships that will help build their business? Have they got evaluation criteria in place for making decisions together - and how much value those decisions generate?
Finally, who is going to ground the pie-in-the-sky big idea into a working framework with blueprints to actually build and grow a business around that idea? Who is going to position that idea with the right communication so that everyone who needs to know about the idea will be drawn into the business of that idea? Who is going to lead the people and the business in the direction it needs to go?
What do start-ups do? What's your experience - the the good, the bad and the ugly?
12 March 2009
Periodic Table of Typefaces
I really enjoy people turning their ideas into Periodic Tables. Here's a new one thanks to Download Squad: 
Periodic Table of Typefaces
Awhile back I also posted the Periodic Table Printmaking Project and a Periodic Table of Visualization Methods.
Periodic Table of TypefacesAwhile back I also posted the Periodic Table Printmaking Project and a Periodic Table of Visualization Methods.
3 March 2009
Aha! Twitter Is Personal
When I first decided to make the plunge and start Twittering (actually pushed by some serious users), I thought I would do that as @quantumbrands. Branding, technology, and social media are woven together by people and their communities. It became very quickly obvious that I needed a business Twitter and a personal Twitter.
We see the world through such a different perspective in our roles in business than through our human being roles of just being ourselves. I have contact with different groups of people in business - and follow them for different reasons. With Twitter @colbystuart, I reach more lofty ideals and more conscious choice about my personal interests and fascinations.
Are you Twittering in different identities? Why?
We see the world through such a different perspective in our roles in business than through our human being roles of just being ourselves. I have contact with different groups of people in business - and follow them for different reasons. With Twitter @colbystuart, I reach more lofty ideals and more conscious choice about my personal interests and fascinations.
Are you Twittering in different identities? Why?
4 February 2009
EnlightenNext - Magazine for Evolutionaries
"EnlightenNext - The Magazine for Evolutionaries" is sharing a digital version of its December 2008-February 2009 edition. Definitely worth a read for inspiration and to provoke some new thinking on evolutionary processes.
Their own description of the magazine: "Through in-depth interviews and insightful cultural analysis, EnlightenNext offers new ways of thinking about ourselves, our world, and the future we are here to create."
After you read it, ask yourself "What did it awaken in me?"
Their own description of the magazine: "Through in-depth interviews and insightful cultural analysis, EnlightenNext offers new ways of thinking about ourselves, our world, and the future we are here to create."
After you read it, ask yourself "What did it awaken in me?"
3 February 2009
A Deep Breath, A Fresh Beginning
I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of tea. The installer has just moved the telephone line from the old studio to my flat - a temporary solution until I find a new work studio. It's quiet, and I feel relaxed and reflective.
What a change from this upheaval of 2 months of moving out of our work space. We've unloaded so much "stuff" that no longer served a purpose in our lives or our way of working. It creates more space - to think, to do, to create.
Creative Awareness
I want to do for myself and my business partner what we've been doing for clients for years - re-purpose and re-launch our brand. When you've been in the creative industry of communication, advertising and media for 30+ years, you need a fresh look at the world and your role in it. We want Quantum Brands BV to have real meaning for our clients - and to create more virtual work and learning environments. We want to build on the values that have meaning for us: creativity, adventure, wisdom, joy, passion.
poster www.MarkAndrewWebber.com
Today, I am making a list of things I really enjoy doing. ( I already have that list of things I never want to do again.)
I am also reading through the blogs I've aggregated in Bloglines with pleasure - seeing what catches my eye and my interest. What's hot? What's not?
Though I will continue to dedicate much of my time to Kids 2020 Foundation, I need to discover the kind of work that gratifies the soul of my creativity. Without that, how I can expect myself to inspire others?
What are you doing that really awakens your creativity and brings you to life? Take a deep breath...and...
What a change from this upheaval of 2 months of moving out of our work space. We've unloaded so much "stuff" that no longer served a purpose in our lives or our way of working. It creates more space - to think, to do, to create.
Creative Awareness
I want to do for myself and my business partner what we've been doing for clients for years - re-purpose and re-launch our brand. When you've been in the creative industry of communication, advertising and media for 30+ years, you need a fresh look at the world and your role in it. We want Quantum Brands BV to have real meaning for our clients - and to create more virtual work and learning environments. We want to build on the values that have meaning for us: creativity, adventure, wisdom, joy, passion.
poster www.MarkAndrewWebber.com
Today, I am making a list of things I really enjoy doing. ( I already have that list of things I never want to do again.)
I am also reading through the blogs I've aggregated in Bloglines with pleasure - seeing what catches my eye and my interest. What's hot? What's not?
Though I will continue to dedicate much of my time to Kids 2020 Foundation, I need to discover the kind of work that gratifies the soul of my creativity. Without that, how I can expect myself to inspire others?
What are you doing that really awakens your creativity and brings you to life? Take a deep breath...and...
27 December 2008
Trend Map for 2009
Ross Dawson posted a fascinating explanation of a multi-tenacle hydra trend-map for 2009. He identifies the vital trends, risks and danger zones for 2009. Ross is Chairman of the Future Exploration Network, whose Chief Futurist - Richard Watson of What'sNext - created this Trend Map for 2009.
Ross Dawson has identified the following themes :
"SOCIETY: Search for control, enoughism
TECHNOLOGY: Simplicity, Telepresence, Gesture based computing
ECONOMY: De-leveraging, 2-speed economies, Shorter product lifecycles
ENVIRONMENT: Bio fuel backlash, Negawatts, Nuclear power
POLITICS: Virtual protests, Globalisation in retreat, Immigration backlash
BUSINESS: Networked risk, Transparency, Asset price uncertainty
FAMILY: Debt stress, Allowable luxuries, Middle class unrest
MEDIA: Flight to quality, Facebook fatigue, Skimming, Micro boredom"
You can find a larger version of the Trend Map posted on Cambodia4kids.org's photos on Flickr.
Grab a cup of tea and take the time to really explore the Trend Map and Ross Dawson's explanation.
23 December 2008
Anthropological introduction to YouTube
A message about communication and media - an expression of the times.
This is the story of the impact of social media and what creates meaning for people - and how people choose to express that.
3 November 2008
Book on High Speed Networks & Social Computing
The Tower & The Cloud - Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing is an e-book that addresses high speed networks and social computing, two powerful forces that have been shaping our economy and our lives. This is extremely relevant in the context of not only learning, but also in the scope and implications of the global financial debacle we are facing.
This industrial scale computing - consider the global financial networks - has implications that are far-reaching in their impact. Human beings have limits in their levels of competency in their standards and practices when dealing with computational environments. They do not meet the oversight practices required for such highly advanced networked technology. We tend to compartmentalize how we deal with these standards and practices.
This leads us to ask very weighted questions.
"Who is actually responsible for the oversight of this?"
"Do they really comprehend the complete dynamic of what humans are capable of understanding and what realistic compliance practices they can put into place to evaluate the implications of such a global financial network?"
Perhaps, more importantly, "Who is teaching our children the evolutionary practices they need to cope with advanced computational networks?"
The Tower & The Cloud - Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing awakens insight into these issues. It is available for download as an e-book - according to Common Cause agreements - or purchase of the hardback
This industrial scale computing - consider the global financial networks - has implications that are far-reaching in their impact. Human beings have limits in their levels of competency in their standards and practices when dealing with computational environments. They do not meet the oversight practices required for such highly advanced networked technology. We tend to compartmentalize how we deal with these standards and practices.
This leads us to ask very weighted questions.
"Who is actually responsible for the oversight of this?"
"Do they really comprehend the complete dynamic of what humans are capable of understanding and what realistic compliance practices they can put into place to evaluate the implications of such a global financial network?"
Perhaps, more importantly, "Who is teaching our children the evolutionary practices they need to cope with advanced computational networks?"
The Tower & The Cloud - Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing awakens insight into these issues. It is available for download as an e-book - according to Common Cause agreements - or purchase of the hardback
16 October 2008
Kids 2020 Beta Website Live!
I've been back and forth the USA quite a bit this year. We've been trying to get a prototype for the Kids 2020 Learning Programme in place. In the meantime, we've also been hard at work trying to get the website ready to open to the public.
In my role as Chairperson for the Kids 2020 Foundation, I proudly announce that today, parts of the Beta 1.0 version of the Kids 2020 website are now live.
We appreciate any feedback you would like to share with us. Of course, the site is very limited at this time. We are only a small group of volunteers making small steps forward.
Many, many thanks to Hans, Marcel, Gwyn, Sierd, and Rob. They have shared their expertise and shown their dedication to bringing Kids 2020 alive online.
In my role as Chairperson for the Kids 2020 Foundation, I proudly announce that today, parts of the Beta 1.0 version of the Kids 2020 website are now live.
We appreciate any feedback you would like to share with us. Of course, the site is very limited at this time. We are only a small group of volunteers making small steps forward.
Many, many thanks to Hans, Marcel, Gwyn, Sierd, and Rob. They have shared their expertise and shown their dedication to bringing Kids 2020 alive online.
17 June 2008
Firefox Download Day is Today!
Spread the word to everyone! Firefox would like to break the Guinness world record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. Mozilla's Firefox Download Day 17 June 2008 is harnessing the power of social networking for this viral campaign.
The launch download begins at 10 am PST, which is 19:00 this evening in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
NOTE: Mozilla broke the Guinness Book of World Records record - 8 MILLION people downloaded Firefox3 within 24 hours
10 February 2008
Periodic Table Printmaking Project
Promoting both science and the arts, The Periodic Table Printmaking Project is a collection of 118 prints. BoingBoing posted this with links to an interview with AzureGrackle, the organizer of the project, in Etsy.
The Periodic Table Printmaking Project is an international collaboration of 96 artists who produced 118 prints, each representing one element. Each print is a unique woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or a combination of these techniques.
Check out the Flickr photo blog with additional images.
Find out more about the project in the AzureGrackle blog.
The 96 artists came from 8 countries - Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Scotland, USA (with 29 states & Puerto Rico from the USA: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin).
The Periodic Table Printmaking Project is an international collaboration of 96 artists who produced 118 prints, each representing one element. Each print is a unique woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or a combination of these techniques.
Check out the Flickr photo blog with additional images.
Find out more about the project in the AzureGrackle blog.
The 96 artists came from 8 countries - Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Scotland, USA (with 29 states & Puerto Rico from the USA: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin).
31 January 2008
New Logo for Quantum Brands BV
We're starting year with a new look for the old logo - designed by my partner, Sierd Loman. With all the digital applications, he wanted something that would take the symbol into new dimensions. He's working on a "moving" version, a bit like the gyroscope from the film "Contact".
9 January 2008
Almost Recovered
The immobilizer comes off next week - hooray!
After 6 weeks in this thing since the shoulder operation, the active me is screaming to get out. I have a renewed appreciation for the efforts that people have to make when they only have use of one arm. Simple things like putting your hair in a ponytail are impossible.
Once I get the motion back in my arm, I will return to blogging.
Thanks for all the emails and books!
24 October 2007
Recognizing Patterns in Life - Fibonacci numbers
There are beautiful patterns in life. Mathematics is beautiful, and its beauty is in its language of patterns. There are mathematical formulas for expressing these beautiful patterns in life. One of these is called
The Fibonacci numbers - the mathematical formulas for the patterns of nature. There is also the the Golden Spiral sometimes called the Fibonacci spiral, which captures growth patterns in nature. Many think that the nautilus shell follows this concept, but in reality its growth patterns follow a logarithmic spiral, similar to spiral galaxies, spider webs and the approach of hawk to its prey.
Another beautiful mathematical formula is the Golden Ratio, governing ethestics.
We need a certain distance to recognize patterns. Sitting in an airplane, we recognize the patchwork quilt of fields, hedgerows, or city blocks below. Yet, standing among them, we can’t see them because we are too close. In other words, we can’t see the forest for the trees.
I love puzzles because I like figuring out the patterns. This is why I can easily see things that others cannot. Images, sounds, smells, rhythms, textures, groupings.
Training our minds to recognize patterns helps us put things together and move easier through our lives. This is called strategy. Some also it call it magic.
This is part of what unifies us - our lives, society, business and the economy - and holds us together. These patterns are concepts. These concepts are the stories of our lives. These concepts hold the secrets and beauty to everything. If you recognize them, you know the secret.
Our lives are made up of concepts within concepts.
The next time you’re trying to figure something out, go for a walk and look around you at the wonders of nature.
Get some distance from what you’re trying to figure out - and then look for those patterns.
Share what you have discovered by looking at the same things through a different lens. What did you find?
The Fibonacci numbers - the mathematical formulas for the patterns of nature. There is also the the Golden Spiral sometimes called the Fibonacci spiral, which captures growth patterns in nature. Many think that the nautilus shell follows this concept, but in reality its growth patterns follow a logarithmic spiral, similar to spiral galaxies, spider webs and the approach of hawk to its prey.
Another beautiful mathematical formula is the Golden Ratio, governing ethestics.
We need a certain distance to recognize patterns. Sitting in an airplane, we recognize the patchwork quilt of fields, hedgerows, or city blocks below. Yet, standing among them, we can’t see them because we are too close. In other words, we can’t see the forest for the trees.
I love puzzles because I like figuring out the patterns. This is why I can easily see things that others cannot. Images, sounds, smells, rhythms, textures, groupings.
Training our minds to recognize patterns helps us put things together and move easier through our lives. This is called strategy. Some also it call it magic.
This is part of what unifies us - our lives, society, business and the economy - and holds us together. These patterns are concepts. These concepts are the stories of our lives. These concepts hold the secrets and beauty to everything. If you recognize them, you know the secret.
Our lives are made up of concepts within concepts.
The next time you’re trying to figure something out, go for a walk and look around you at the wonders of nature.
Get some distance from what you’re trying to figure out - and then look for those patterns.
Share what you have discovered by looking at the same things through a different lens. What did you find?
15 September 2007
The Difference between Values, Principles, Ethics & Morals
As we take the philosophy behind Kids 2020 out into the world, we open the discussions with the role that values play in making choices. The wonderful tendency of value-based discussions is that they quickly reveal content and separate it from “spin”…much to the chagrin of the spin-masters.
What is becoming very apparent to me is that most people do not have a clear understanding of the distinction between values, principles, ethics and morals. These four terms seem inter-exchangeable for most people…even for those responsible for defining company values.
This creates confusion because each of us works with our own personal glossary of terms, and with our own definitions for those terms. No wonder people get confused - we make glaring assumptions and just keep charging through the communication…establishing our authority, whether it's validated or not.
So, what is the difference between a value, a principle, an ethic and a moral? Rather than just give people clear guidelines, I prefer to engage them in exploring the differences. Each of us has to discover why that is relevant to us, so that we can adopt the meaning and significance of what differentiates these terms from one another.
For instance, terms like “liberty”, “discovery”, “compassion”, “joy”, “duty” are values. These are concepts that drive our choices - hidden deep inside our DNA or culturally adopted - consciously or unaware, we depend on them to construct the frameworks of our lives. Values influence how we make choices.
How you would carry these values out into practice would become guiding principles. You could also establish a standard of behaviour for a moral code from them, particularly if there were lessons to learn from not adhering to this code with a resulting judgment. Or, you could establish ethical practices from them, a set of principles to guide behaviour and manage expectations in a civil society.
Once we begin to engage in conversations about values, we begin to learn more about people, situations, business, and the many different kinds of community. We also learn so much about the different lenses through which individuals choose to view their world…perspectives.
What conversations are you having about values? Are these discussions helping you make more informed choices?
What is becoming very apparent to me is that most people do not have a clear understanding of the distinction between values, principles, ethics and morals. These four terms seem inter-exchangeable for most people…even for those responsible for defining company values.
This creates confusion because each of us works with our own personal glossary of terms, and with our own definitions for those terms. No wonder people get confused - we make glaring assumptions and just keep charging through the communication…establishing our authority, whether it's validated or not.
So, what is the difference between a value, a principle, an ethic and a moral? Rather than just give people clear guidelines, I prefer to engage them in exploring the differences. Each of us has to discover why that is relevant to us, so that we can adopt the meaning and significance of what differentiates these terms from one another.
For instance, terms like “liberty”, “discovery”, “compassion”, “joy”, “duty” are values. These are concepts that drive our choices - hidden deep inside our DNA or culturally adopted - consciously or unaware, we depend on them to construct the frameworks of our lives. Values influence how we make choices.
How you would carry these values out into practice would become guiding principles. You could also establish a standard of behaviour for a moral code from them, particularly if there were lessons to learn from not adhering to this code with a resulting judgment. Or, you could establish ethical practices from them, a set of principles to guide behaviour and manage expectations in a civil society.
Once we begin to engage in conversations about values, we begin to learn more about people, situations, business, and the many different kinds of community. We also learn so much about the different lenses through which individuals choose to view their world…perspectives.
What conversations are you having about values? Are these discussions helping you make more informed choices?
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