Online. Offline. Bottom Line.™
(skip to the content)
Home | About | Jobs | Privacy Policy | Contact | Login or Register
Monday, January 28, 2008
Here’s an intriguing story and scrollable graphic from Wired on what happens after you hit “publish” on a blog post.
It’s eye-opening to realize what essentially takes place for free. Before the Web, just think of the money, power, connections, and time it took to make things like this happen in the publishing world.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The presentations at TED are always thought-provoking. This 35-minute talk by Bill Strickland is another excellent example. Here is the synopsis from the presentation page (you can see the video in a larger size from the site):
“With subtle accompaniment by longtime friend Herbie Hancock, and a slide show that has opened the minds (and pocketbooks) of CEOs across the country, Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music and unlikely partnerships.”
Strickland’s unique delivery style contributes to a compelling message. Thanks to Garth at Presentation Zen for the point.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A new Gallup Poll this week reveals dismal consumer confidence in the U.S. economy. Approximately 78 percent of respondents gave the economy a poor or fair ranking, and only 22 percent ranked it good or better. The numbers have been getting steadily worse all month, and I’m sure Wall Street’s recent plunge has played a large part in the growing pessimism.
A CNN Money poll last week showed 48 percent of Americans are cutting back on their spending. Most people naturally assume a recession makes marketing’s job more difficult. In many cases that’s true, but economic downturns can also benefit resilient marketers. Here are three cases in point:
Friday, January 25, 2008
[Update: as of this Sunday, January 27th, the free preview on Google Video was no longer available: More on that at the Helvetica Blog here. However, I would highly recommend purchasing the DVD (which I just did). The link above explains it was the #1 watched video on Google Video this Friday. It would be interesting to see what the unauthorized exposure creates in the way of DVD sales. I hope it turns out to be a profitable mistake for the creators.]
Helvetica is an interesting 1-hour, 22-minute film documentary about typefaces, visual culture, and graphic design. I wanted to see this last year when it came out, but never got around to seeing it or ordering the DVD. Now you can see the entire feature-length film on Google Video.
Here’s a link to a story about the documentary in the New York Times.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Looking for a website that helps educate while attempting to combat world hunger? 
You’re in luck. Freerice.com is a charity website that allows users to play an interactive vocabulary game where each correct answer allows 20 grains of rice to be donated through the United Nations.
The site was created back in October by John Breen, a computer programmer from Ohio who got the idea for the site as he watched his son study for the SAT. Breen is also the creator of www.thehungersite.com, therainforestsite.com, and poverty.com, all sites devoted to charitable giving.