Yuticha

Google shows the way of creating & distributing internet video

Here's some news on the internet video front that could set the trend for original content creation and distribution over the web.

NYTimes Reports
Google is experimenting with a new method of distributing original material on the Web, and some Hollywood film financiers are betting millions that the company will succeed.

In September, Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy” on television, will unveil a carefully guarded new project called “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.” Unlike “Family Guy,” which is broadcast on Fox, this animation series will appear exclusively on the Internet.

The innovative part involves the distribution plan. Google will syndicate the program using its AdSense advertising system to thousands of Web sites that are predetermined to be gathering spots for Mr. MacFarlane’s target audience, typically young men. Instead of placing a static ad on a Web page, Google will place a “Cavalcade” video clip.

In addition to this arrangement, Youtube will also dedicated channel for the show.

Green Apple: Now's the time for others to 'seriously' follow

After many before him have preached their commitment to a 'greener outlook' to their respective businesses, Steve Jobbs seems to have taken an earnest step in that direction. And, when Mr Jobbs does that, it sounds like a seriously 'green future'. 

From the Apple site

... Apple has been criticized by some environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products, and for not aggressively or properly recycling its old products. Upon investigating Apple’s current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well.

It is generally not Apple’s policy to trumpet our plans for the future; we tend to talk about the things we have just accomplished. Unfortunately this policy has left our customers, shareholders, employees and the industry in the dark about Apple’s desires and plans to become greener. Our stakeholders deserve and expect more from us, and they’re right to do so. They want us to be a leader in this area, just as we are in the other areas of our business. So today we’re changing our policy.

Now I’d like to tell you what we are doing to remove toxic chemicals from our new products, and to more aggressively recycle our old products. ...

Luxor Ad: Inspiration?

Just came across this amazing poster of Jimi Hendrix the other day, and I couldn't help notice the similarities (atleast on the art front) with the recent Cannes Award winning Luxor Highlighter ad ..

Nothing short of remarkable really works in marketing

Little Miss Matched is a company that I've been wanting to write about for quite a while now. It's one 'innovative' company. I was lured into reading more about it when I read Seth Godin's post today.

 The company hasn't taken the 'riskier' path of working out strategies that most intelligent marketers in big companies do and created a distinctive product - funky socks to fashionable girls ( 3 socks in a box, 133 styles and none of the socks ever match).  

The company was conceived by Jonah Staw and three business-savvy friends, who saw a marketing opportunity in the age-old problem of the lost sock. The well-connected foursome tapped a few investors, parents included, and set out to challenge the very notion of a "pair."

What got referred by most as a gimmick during its early days, seems to be working wonders for both the brand and the company. MissMatched socks are sold across stores in the US and their product line has extended to scarves, mittens, flip-flops and even a Little MissMatched book.

Genepax creates the first car that runs on water

As the energy crisis tightens its noose around the planet, here's a truly amazing product from the Japanese. Worthy of Steve Jobbs' attention I must say

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Engadget reports that Japan's Genepax has taken the wraps off its Water Energy System fuel cell prototype. It works by supplying air and water to an electrode engine and it works in a similar way to standard fuel cells. It works with something called a membrane electrode assembly that literally breaks down water to hydrogen and oxygen.

Not surprisingly, the company isn't getting much more specific than that, with it only saying that it's adopted a "well-known process to produce hydrogen from water to the MEA." Currently, that system costs on the order of ¥2,000,000 (or about $18,700 -- not including the car), but company says that if it can get it into mass production that could be cut to ¥500,000 or less (or just under $5,000).

Engadget

IKEA's WOM coup

Here's a wonderful example of how IKEA jumped at an interesting 'proposition' and ended up getting heaploads of Word-of-Mouth fame.

Comedian/Filmmaker Mark Malkoff's New York City apartment had to be fumigated. All of his friends have tiny studio apartments. Hotels in New York are insanely expensive. Left with few living options, Mark thought it would be fun and make an interesting video to move into an IKEA store where he'd live and sleep for a week. Never in a million years did he think IKEA would go for it, but miraculously they have a agreed.

Mark moved in early morning Monday January 7th to the IKEA in Paramus, New Jersey and will stay for the week through Saturday January 12th. Every day people can watch a video recap of his day on the website Mark Lives In Ikea. He will be living in IKEA 24/7 and eating all his meals in the restaurant (he may order Domino's take out once or twice). Thankfully they have a shower for him in the back offices.

Source

Saluting Mr Ratan Tata

No one can take away anything from one man's resolve to launch a car for the masses in India.

Ratan Tata is one person for me, apart from Steve Jobbs, who works on a belief and chases it to an extent where the barriers (and naysayuers) have no option but to give away.  And delivering a product that'll truly make a difference.

Seth Godin has a post on iPhone which encapsulates my emotions towards Nano.

Coke is tappening!

As 'going green' becomes the biggest fad in America - from consumer to IT, some brands have begun thinking of intitiatives to leverage this movement and to win consumer hearts.

The Coca Cola Company is one such company.

Mark DiMassimo, creative director of marketing shop DiMassimo Goldstein, and Eric Yaverbaum, president of public relations agency Ericho Communications, are planning to deliver 1 million used water bottles stuffed with messages to Mr. Kent (the company's new CEO from July) as part of an awareness campaign they call Tappening. The campaign aims to encourage consumption of tap water, as well as get consumers to buy reusable bottles emblazoned with messages including "Think Global. Drink Local."

Tappening is the most recent in a string of anti-bottled water initiatives. Several city governments, including San Francisco and New York, have begun encouraging residents to drink tap water. And, in 2006, David Droga, the creative chairman of Droga5, created a campaign to promote the Tap Project, which encouraged tap-water drinking among New Yorkers eating out at restaurants during World Water Day.  

 Tappening is already garnering a lot of attention. It was recently named as a hot item for 2008 by trendwatcherJane Buckinghamon ABC's "Good Morning America".
Source

Track these 'Hot Startups' in 2008

Wired has a year-end article titeld Top 10 Startups Worth Watching in 2008. As usual, it's an interesting compilation that has some known and some 'relatively lesser known' companies.

The ones I really liked hearing about was Fon  & Spock. Both of them are quite 'lateral' ideas and worth tracking in the months to come.


You pay for internet access at home, so why must you pay for it again at the coffee shop, the airport and the hotel? That frustration spawned Spanish Wi-Fi startup Fon. It's a simple idea: Give and you shall receive. "Foneros" first agree to share their home wireless connections with other Fon customers using a special router, which splits the signal into public and private streams. In exchange, they get the privilege of using any of the network's wireless signals anywhere in the world for free.


Google can search the web by keyword, but Spock gets more directly at a single question: What does the web know about you? By crawling the web for personal information and combining that with social network data, Spock creates a hub for information about actual people. Enter your name in Spock's pared-down interface and find out what the internet knows about you, or search by a keyword to find, say, ornithologists or sommeliers. Spock generates its profiles automatically, but individuals can "claim" theirs and correct any misinformation.

A big nail in the coal coffin..?

A Silicon Valley start-up called Nanosolar shipped its first solar panels -- priced at $1 a watt. That's the price at which solar energy gets cheaper than coal.

How did Nanosolar make this breakthrough?

While other companies have been focusing their efforts on increasing the efficiency of solar panels, Nanosolar took a different approach. It focused on manufacturing. Here's what it says on the company's home page:   

Nanosolar has developed proprietary process technology that makes it possible to produce 100x thinner solar cells 100x faster.

Essentially, they've figured out how to print solar cells on thin sheets of aluminum with a printing press.

This could be a big nail in the dirty coal coffin. Remember a few weeks ago Google announced its RE<C initiative, to develop renewable energy that's cheaper than coal? Here's one Google investment that is already paying off.
And, there are other reasons why it's worth keeping an eye on this Nanosolar:

    * IBM's top manufacturing executive has joined Nanosolar
    * The company raised $100 million to build a factory, and has secured more than 600,000 feet of manufacturing space.
    * It already has orders for the first 18 months of manufacturing capacity

Source: Solveclimate.com