Thanks to :trends for pointing out WHISHER it looks like a fab tool for sharing or as they put it 'global collaboration wifi' which sounds very grand, especially as just right now they appear to only have 3 users here in blighty. Connecting the communication hubs of London, Birmingham and er Newmarket. I couldn't get it to load but that's not saying much. The explanatory graphics are great and a sound lesson to many an application provider.
Stumbling around the internet looking for references for the new airline campaign I'm working on. Came across the simply stunning work of Neil Duerden, I've seen his stuff before but not realised quite how detailed he can get, really fab. The ever reliable Acejet170 highlights the extraordinary Running from Camera site. I can't do it justice so can only quote there own description "..The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can..." er thats it. But if you think thats barking try THIS, how high can you fly by holding onto a bunch of fairground ballons!!!!
There is something mournfully hypnotic about looking at abandoned planes, This amazing photo set found via English Russia and NOTCOT, shows a very sad looking collection of ex-Red Army hardware being broken up for scrap. The American plane parks are one thing (previous resting place for a number of the new niche carries 727's) but this is something else, a kind of brutal death by angle grinder.
I do like travelling by bus (top deck, at the front of course) Some people obviously hang around longer than me though, these fascinating pictures by ludwig are fab, Seat fabrics of our transport networks. seen via the Creative Review blog, but also featured on BoingBoing, I guess none of us have given up our travelcards yet. It does prove quite how fascinating Flickr sets can be - or how dull Friday afternoons are when all the client wants is '..logo and price bigger..'
never let it be said we don't get our money's worth with the weather in London. Rain, Snow, Sun, High wind, Calm and that's all before lunchtime. Nice sunset from one of the meeting rooms last night.
Hit a bit of a slow Monday today. I was trying to come up with new ideas for an Airline I'm working on, but not really getting excited by much when a quick trawl around the marvellous NOTCOT.org and heh presto, instant ads! or rather an amusing programme for generating arbitray layouts. Its all the idea of Alexis Lloyd a student at CD+T in New York. As part of his studies he has taken slogans from the corporate world, randomized and remixed them before pairing them with images from Flickr. Good brainstorm ice breaker and I was quite taken by a shot of a slightly shocked couple staring into space with the line 'Your Beer, Our Life' mmm might be something in that.
The restaurant chain Mash (Manchester & London) had a similar welcome phrase generator running as you entered, but wasn't as fun as this. 
Also mentioned on NOTCOT a fantastic set of free photoshop brushes for Japanese flower patterns, really fab, the designer Jason Gaylor is a total star for putting them up to share (normal rights etc attached)
The ever useful Veer resource sells great merchandise. This T.shirt is the ultimate answer to the classic question of 'what do you do?' I know most planners would have it that I simply illustrate there strategies, but you can't have everything.
On Veer's main business of fonts I do have to say I still get a real buzz from seeing new typefaces. Years of tracing letters out of the Letraset catalogue mean I still get a real buzz from stumbling across shapes and forms I hadn't thought of. The French site Dafont has the plus of being free and holding a huge selection of experimental fonts, the downside is a higher than average range of crud.
How cool is this? A massive radio controlled model of the new double decker Airbus A380. I soooo want a go. Seen on the IAG site
Its the plane Emirates is twiddling its thumbs waiting for, having spent the last two years telling everyone they'd be flying this year, (possible not due for another year)
Had a real blast from the past experience when I went to The London Boat show. It was like the exhibitions my parents would take me to in the 1970's, shuffling past dull static displays roped of from 'us' with access only to 'them'. The advertising featured black & white cartoons circa 1974 Daily Mail, I cound't deceide if this was an ironic joke or not. The blue blazer and chino clad salesmen wave us chosen ones in to the VIP area . The latter built on raised platforms so the full sense of privilege can be achieved. 
Even second rate nightclubs know not to shove such elitism in the face of the 'punters'
Thank goodness I hadn't paid for my ticket. If I had I would have been very miffed at paying (£15 adult + £9 carpark) to be taught I was an underling. The corporate car parks were all full so it seems the only ones paying to come in were the ones actually not allowed on any of the fun stuff.
Earlier this year we had had a fab day in the same venue at the London Motor Show. Total hands-on, interactive experience, learnt loads, had a ball, Got a chance to climb into just about every car there. Came away reconsidering a number of brands. my Flickr set of the day here. Finkangel has a much better one HERE
When the British experience/event/show industry is in such rude health (examples Here and Here and Here) why does an event with such lack of imagination like the London Boat Show happen? A very poor paying visitor experience and a touch of the Surrey Golf clubs about the VIP version.
Those of us actually deemed worthy to set foot into one of the hallowed 'by appointment areas' noticed the following 10 things;
1. If a boat is built to live its life on the ocean wave, why can't you step on it in your shoes?
2. There appears to be a mini hierarchy in the type of slipper/sock thing they give you to walk on the boats
3. There is an international law that states all boats have white uppers and dark blue bases, with insides clad in blingtastic cream leather
4. Gold bathroom fittings are still fashionable afloat
5. To sell radar equipment you fill a plastic tunnel with smoke and heat it to 40C, then get members of the public to shuffle through.
6. All the 'By appointment only' signs must have been stolen, forcing everyone to quickly print one off a laptop and sellotape it to a rope barrier
7. HMS St Albans, The Navy's newest frigate, has a parking dent on the rear left quarter.
8. Selling fast boats? all you need is young women looking bored in cut-off tight racing overalls. (like the motor show in the 1980's)
9. er, didn't notice anything else, we got bored and went home
10. Actually went to the Museum in Docklands which was great, report in 'Home life' section.
Something to bring a smile to your face. Honda Japan's utterly bonkers home page. charm, wit and advice on growing potatoes (yes really)
The construct of this site makes me enthusiastic about finding more. I get the impression this brand is home to people with a passion for what they do. There is a huge contrast to the Honda USA site. Which appears to be just a proficient automotive brand talking in a recognized way about metal.
Honda UK, apart from crushingly boring load times, tries to bridge automotive norms with some of the wit of the advertising. That said along with Australia none of them give advice about growing potatoes.
Why does this all even merit a comment? well its fab thats why. Global diversification is invigorating, More different please.
On a further car note, the only really fun thing to come out of the Detroit motor show was Chryslers's Chief Economist Van Jolissaint's gloriously off-message comments about not having to worry about climate change as it was "..way, way in the future.." and that big cars were on the way back. He also compared the European attitude to a 'Chicken Little' stance. I take it his next position will be in the Bush administration
Forgot to include the spud header from Honda Japan, oh and this 'man and Crocodile' absolutely no idea what thats all about thoughWatching the launch of the iphone live via www.macrumors.com, cutting edge technology news delivered like a 70's teleprinter, neat
ooooh yes I would like one please, battery life notwithstanding this really does look like it can do the business. There should be a vibrant industry in after market cases to protect that screen. My Sony 910i looks like its been attacked with sandpaper, simply by resting in my pocket (and bottom of bag, floor and bar top etc)
The functions have all the wow factor a non-tecchie like me dribbles over = screen automatically rotating throu' 90' as the phone twisted, Google earth pin pointing, mobile email that works with the address book, web and diary in sync.
and its small
and shiny
and the menus are OX
Full show and tell HERE
Steve Jobs presentation from today HERE
Great footage of the phone in action on a CBS news bulletin HERE
Indexed.blogspot This is an excellent antidote to all my previous posts about instant/digital/stat based charts for presentations. Jessica Hagy has drawn a great set of diagrams on index cards. Feels very right for the moment.
Finding it hard to get back into work? Got a new camera for Christmas? - Transparent screens have been around for awhile but this collection of images from Wookie is just fab. I would have thought its crying out for a porn version.
Like a complete nob I forgot to put the links into the transparent screen flickr sets (sorry wookie, lost your link as well) THIS is a link to similar, but not as well graded set.
Some times you just have to salute genius. A quiet little pub in Bolsterstone, outside Sheffield, December 28, In need of drumming up trade, holds a quiz night, charges £1 to enter AND includes a plate of meat pie, musy peas and gravy, what an offer!
It goes without saying the beer was cheap as chips as well. We got 18 out of 25, which put us in about fifth place (out of seven teams, they are pro' at this kind of thing up there)
Seasonal closedown for my laptop after a heavy party season, (its in for a service) back in Jan. Currently planning quite a complex photo shoot for 4/5/6 Jan involving a 767 at Stansted. more info later
Well never mind the shoot's been delayed, which was a shame as Niall at Horton Stephens had done a bunch of running around to get us ready to go at very short notice. BUT every cloud has a silver lining as we now have time to do a proper reccie of all the locations, Sooooo its off to New York next week, tough job, but i'll cope.
Ho Ho not very Ho.
Well quite a pony selection of agency/company/suppliers cards this year so far. The Media agency I am sharing an office with are overflowing with chocolate advent calendars. High(low)lights being the nice illustration on the Clear Channel one let down by woeful copy 
and poor font choice. Also a very bland offering from Orange, I really expected much more from them.
Arc's plant a tree ecard is OK but could have been so much better had it linked to Plazes or Google earth or Flickr. Reactive have some neat programming in theres and if I was a client I can imagine pushing there little animated bodies around would give me pleasure. But for out and out simplicity Brand Tacticians wins. 
For interactive fun, Russell Davies highlights Grand Unions Xpapr app' which is with out doubt one of the best time wasting / colour copier abusing ideas I've seen for awhile. (and possibly the tipping point for anti web 2.0 sites)
As ever the truth is so much funnier than the forced humour of company cards so I leave you with AdVerbatims. Everybody must be able to add something to this excellent collection of quotes from the creative process.
You have to really ask why The Train Line even botherd with this effort,
very poor.
Pre-smog controls, London suffered from fairly epic fog,(Smog) but these days its fairly rare. Today we had the first really heavy dose of
the year, The view from Waterloo Bridge was spectacular with sun glinting off the glass buildings of the city, caught up in what looked like cloud city from The Empire Strikes Back.
Looks like the rest of London is out on the lash tonight. Trying to find a bike space in central London after 9am is normally nigh on impossible, but cast your eyes at my lonely bike in the bay by Russell Square this morning.
Wooah not just pretty fog. BA cancels all its domestic flights tomorrow
The Fog Strikes Back! I was going to be meeting a client today who was flying in from the States, due to the weather they've been diverted to Manchester, with the offer of a coach transfer to London (est time 3 - 5 hour road time). The Trains appear to be rather busy today for some reason. -its going to be a long day.
A while ago I wrote about my worries regarding social networks moving onto mobile phones. It centred on my concerns regarding opportunist muggers who might use the technology for a double hit. Today the BBC carried a story regarding concerns about stalkers misusing the ipod/nike set up.
I think the danger is less with stalkers but more with predetermined burglary. If as a house breaker you have a property under watch and the owner jogs. then the ipod/nike setup offers a fab WiFi look-out system, as you can track the house owners movements.
I take it encryption is pretty easy for these types of units. So why not? the question is more regarding the issue of web2.0 sharing. swapping ideas and joining up friends is indeed cool. Amongst friends why put up barriers? well unfortunately, outside of the beta testers there are some pikey individuals. I just think the rush to get these products out has ment some elements of common sense regarding personal safety have been ignored.
Yet another excuse to while away the day cruising Google earth. Matching the Plazer locations and peoples icons with Googles fab maps. I do love the way they all move around when you 'fly in'. By the way Plazer now works on your mobile, which is very neat at this time of year when losing friends in the streets of Soho becomes an Olympic sport.
A Pub = It's warm, everyone is glad to see you and they serve drink.
If only all briefs had such a clear consumer benefit. Thanks to the ever joyful boys and girls at Scarlet magazine for that. They normally have a generous gift offer this time of year so give them a click, -it normally involves Rabbits.
