Archive for April, 2007

If you’re a local business, and you’re not in Google Local now, I must admit, possibly living in denial.� Google 411 (1-800-GOOG411) is amazing, and I am just blown away that so many businesses haven’t taken the time to insert their company into the Google Local Business Center.� We couldn’t find our favorite pizza restaurant through it tonight.� Paid 411 is dead.

Another thing that’s apparent is that names not easily pronounced phonetically are going to be at a disadvantage without human assistance.� Puccinis Pizza (pronounced Pooch-ee-nees) for example, will lose to simpler names such as “Mad Mushroom Pizza.”

The other thing I’m looking forward to is the ability to send the google results to my phone via text - and for attached coupons to come with the text into the phone (codes, hopefully, that the restaurants, etc. will accept over the phone.)

Lexmark finally went public about their new wireless inkjets. What a huge difference (see inset) The designs hit a “cool” nerve with me - like an iPod or a G4 Macintosh. In fact, I see a big influence from Frog Design’s work and the Lexmark stuff.From the first time I saw one, they’ve reminded me of the glossy white, almost acrylic decor that was always seen around in 2001 or “Space 1999” … rounded edge, mysterious, with almost no buttons.� It will be the� coolest looking thing on your desk (it has one button, and one light. You’ll have to brush up on your “Lexmark Morse Code.”) They are very sticker-friendly. You can put post-it notes (”Buy Ink”) or your favorite Nine Inch Nails bumper sticker and they’ll stay put. They should have made the big acrylic-like panels “glow” slightly. Now that would have been wild. The “brushed metal surrounds” are straight out of a Kubric film. I love it. Thank GOD that modern design seems to be coming back. Less organic, swoopy crap. I’ve always liked the edgy stuff - brushed aluminum. Tube amps. Tinted glass over glowing Segmented LED Digits. And I love Nixie Clocks. I dig how the photo on the right has a big brushed analog clock on the panel.� Wow, so 70s.

Pictures of new Lexmark Printer � Compare to old, swoopy design Brushed metal surrounds - so Hal 9000 tight radius corners are all the rage in design these days.� They started with the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey Okay… yes, I’m a frustrated industrial designer… so that’s the end.

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The scene… headhunter staff meeting….

“What are we looking for?”� �
� � … “we need some quitters!”�
“Yes… yes, but how do we get them???”

Seth Godin, my favorite author by far, just published a list of quitters (people who have quit one path and shifted to another, and found even more success) that includes people you’ll recognize, such as Jeff Foxworthy, Tom Peters, Bill Gates, me.� � WTF?� Well, I left the Silicon Valley scene for Kentucky and it was just wierd enough I guess.� � But the escape from the cubicle-rut let me do what I love in such a beautiful place… and to get really good at it.”

“I was working� cubicles� in the Silicon Valley, working on software that would never see the light of day, for people who didn’t care one way or another.� I worked with great people, but we all sort of did the work for academic reasons… preparing ourselves for something later.� � The pattern was always the same.� New manager.� Corporate Offsite.� New vision statement� on coffee mug.� Lots of coding.� � Late nighters.� Project changes.� Ship, dilution, or cancellation.� Bug fixing.� Is anyone using product?� Does anyone like it?� Repeat.”

….I quit that, and now do this.

But Seth is asking people to look inside for a path that suits them.� I’ve heard many times that you should “do what you love and the money will follow.”� I think Seth is saying that you should “cut your losses” quickly and find the groove you belong in.� It’s not a defeat to quit.� It’s not the end of the world, and you are not going to shrivel and die.� It’s like testing on the web a bit.� You are probably NOT going to get it right the first time.� You will have to observe what is happening around you, you’ll need to make a call.� But make it.� Get out from under the losing situations and try until you get it right.�

I find the story is told in� Pink Floyd’s “Time”:

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but youre older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought Id something more to say…..(Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd)

I’ve often been annoyed to see people holding cell phones while driving in tricky driving situations, and even more so when the other hand holds a cigarette or other item. But it’s never been more than an annoyance. I shake my head and wonder what could possibly be so important to talk about that it couldn’t wait until the roadway was less demanding. But today, I came within inches of a bad accident because of a young driver being on the phone and crossing three lanes of traffic at 45mph. It was really scary. They barely had their hands on the wheel…. and they definitely had their brain in neutral.

But I still disagree with any form of ban on cell phones while driving. It’s a slippery slope that introduce a scary level of police intrusion into our lives based on what appears to be some flawed research. While New York (and others world wide) bans holding a cellular phone to one’s ear while driving, they don’t ban putting on makeup, or munching on french fries. Has anyone done any research to see how many accidents are caused by people frantically trying to find a place to pull over and talk to their boss or get directions? When a limited police force is out issuing tickets for “safe drivers using cellphones,” who’s watching the rusty red Camaro tailgate the minivan full of kids? What about accidents that happen while the policeman is writing the ticket (rubberneckers, traffic blockage.)

I don’t think anyone should hold a cellphone while driving. Or put on makeup. Or hold a stupid poodle. While there’s not a hands-free way to put on mascara or feed french fries yet, it’s sensible for people to employ simple, cheap technologies for hands-off cell phone use. Bluetooth headsets are available for $20 now, less than a manacure for fluffy at the groomer’s, and most decent phones have Bluetooth on them. These are simple to use and very comfortable. While the conversations are still distracting, at least the hands can be on the wheel.

Cell phone companies should provide clinics on how to set these up for people rather than staff their kiosks with clueless high schoolers who can barely communicate with less savvy customers. If Best Buy and others really cared, they’d provide a free bluetooth headset setup service with every cell phone they sold, along with safe driving tips for the customer. As it is, I’d guess that less than 20% of cell users know how to answer a call using bluetooth headset without looking at their phones.

Google has made things even better with their new, Free 411 service, (1-800-GOOG-411) … you can use your voice to get lots of information, and be connected using your bluetooth setup. Make it speed dial number 1. The merchant will pay for the call. If you dial “411″ on your phone, and spend $2.00 for directory assistance, you are seriously missing the boat at this phase.

Update: Search Engine Land reports that Microsoft has launched three new local search services from Tellme. I guess that’s speedial #2.

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Warning: Turn down your computer volume before clicking.� � You might want to close your eyes and forget how much you’re paying in taxes, too.

As I just finished writing some� rather large checks for my company taxes, I felt like a mini-rant about this site was in order.�

I’m talking about the Aviation Safety Reporting System (http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/).� The site� is not only a pain in the ass to use, but makes me angry to see all of the wasted TAX money on useless flamboyance.� If we want to look up data, enter data, and use communications tools, why don’t we all take a lesson or two from Edward Tufte or Jakob Nielson and create an efficient, fast, textually driven site appropriate to the purpose.� � I do not feel much safer knowing investigators are using this kind of a system to obtain information.

It appears that the old site was revised to be flash-specific.� The old site is bad, too - so someone clearly noticed this and� got someone to re-do it.� � So I’m still trying to understand WHY didn’t they just make it a better data-driven site?� � This is one of the worst examples I’ve seen of design gone� awry.� Unless this was done with volunteer/donation money, I feel robbed!

Who knows if the aquisition of DoubleClick� is a good economic move for Google, but I think it’s a bit like capturing a multi-billion dollar “specimen” to examine under the microscope while they perfect CPA models.� We as search marketers need to get used to the whole CPA solution that Google is brewing, and those of us working in Ecommerce need to embrace Google Checkout even more openly.� What does this mean for Yahoo Stores (an area I work in a lot) where GCO is not possible.� Hmmm food for thought.

I first blogged about� Google’s Pay Per Action marketing� back in June when they really started to look like they were going down the CPA route pretty seriously.� And now it’s happening.