vivian@merdock

Skype on TV

vivianatmerdock — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:19:47 +0000

I read this morning that 1/3 of Skype calls are video calls and soon we will enjoy Skype on large screen TVs. My family had the opportunity over the Christmas holidays to have a Skype video call with my brother who lives in another city. It was a multi-generational experience. I had asked my brother the night before if he had a webcam and he say he did not, but apparently he must have mentioned it to his daughters. I received two texts on Christmas morning to say that they would be taking a laptop to their father’s place and wanted to connect on MSN or Skype. I texted back my Skype name and after Christmas dinner, we began the video call.

My mother had never used Skype before and she sat in wonderment as my brother carried his daughter’s laptop around to give us a tour of his new house. The next day, my mother was on the phone telling all her friends about Skyping and she asked me when we could do it again.

I had heard of another story where grandparents watched their grandchildren on the other side of the continent open presents on Christmas morning.

When technology can connect families in such wonderful ways, what could make for better programming on large screen TV. Congratulations to Skype; you are bringing families together.

The Apple Way

vivianatmerdock — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:25:51 +0000

Entering Apple Store, 5th Avenue, New York

It seems that the Kindle has provided kindling for the fiery interest in e-readers, and the craze is in full blaze at CES this week. I have watched videos/photos and read descriptions of all the new styles, and it is mind-boggling, which I think feeds beautifully into Apple’s hands. Yes, we examine the variations of things we can do with these brands, but what they are missing is what Apple has become genius at….keeping it simple and training us in the possibilities of all things Apple. If you think Marketing is getting you to buy what you think you need, then Steve Jobs already has us converted to the path.

I was committed to the PC world until I realized Apple was addressing my diminishing list of needs to be in the PC world. I still have a PC laptop, but I can already say that the next one I have to buy will be an Apple. I had purchased an iMAC for the high-definition 24″ screen and to use it primarily for leisure computing. However, one of my clients worked in the Apple world exclusively and gave me a laptop to use while I worked on their projects. I immersed myself in the business application world of Apple and was sold. When I went back to my lonely PC, it was like all the megawatt lights had shut down. There was no visual fix; it was grey and utilitarian. I missed the spotlight that Apple had shone on me. So when they came out with the higher definition 27″ screen and the higher definition laptops, well, my conversion was sealed. When I asked an acquaintance how he liked the higher definition screen, he said that he had thought his eye sight had improved.

I still love the PC world, but it really comes down to the applications you are using. I never really thought Apple could be taken seriously for business applications, but if your applications are documents, presentations, movies, graphics and creating things of beauty, then iWork is great. In hindsight, it may have been the iPhone that sealed the deal. I struggled with the iPhone at first because I just wanted a phone and email device and here I was getting all these new applications that transformed the device at whim. I didn’t know that I wanted them, but apparently, I did.

When travelling, I found myself in Apple stores checking things out and talking to my iPhone fraternity/tribe of friends. The uniformity in design and futuristic flair caught my attention, especially at the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York. There was an overall logic that tied all the shiny gadgets together into one common technological lifestyle and I saw customers from 8 to 80 years old. That’s part of the genius that it connects multi-generations as well.

So it is easy to see why all these e-reader manufacturers are hyping the concept right now, but what they are really doing is getting our attention and further “preparing the way for Apple” and what this new Apple Tablet will do to enhance our lives. App developers, game designers, clothing and purse manufacturers are ready to romp. We’re waiting for Moses to come down from the iMountain. Now, that is successful marketing.

Possibilities for the new Apple Tablet – iSlate

vivianatmerdock — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:18:22 +0000

As I await the new Apple Tablet announcement and the shininess of it all, I am anticipating the potential new uses for this device. My clues came from Steve Jobs’ apparent comment of wanting it to be more than something you read in the bathroom. This is what I have come up with so far, but you likely have more imaginative ideas.

Digital photo frame
Puzzle games e.g. crosswords, crypto quotes
E-book reader – connected to iTunes
Presentation screen – for keynote presentations
Music videos to accompany music – attached to iTunes

Video games – offers more visual real estate than iPhone for more interesting games
Virtual world travel while listening to stories
Great for Skype video calls and business teleconferencing via Skype
Monitor for video and photo shoots – should connect to cameras via wireless or wire
Mini-TV
TV shows can use it as a device for real-time interactivity e.g. voting, comments, feedback, influence real-time storyline
Artist portfolio
Photography portfolio
Spin-off opportunities for iSlate fashionable carrying case/shoulder bags
Spin off for jacket companies to have an inset to hold iSlate but can still see screen
Spin off for holders/covers/frames
Connection to Apple TV/TV – Large screen TV, iPhone as remote and iSlate as interactive tool, search while watching show
Could overcome the small size issues of iPhone and DSI for certain apps
Great for newspapers and magazines to offer good online content
Complement to internet surfing. You can sign up to news/information feeds/real-time info and have it sit beside your computer…less interruptive…more like a news wire.
Weather apps can show webcam to see actual weather
Good for maps with additional info
Great for google earth
Great for online delivery of shows and YouTube
Great for internet radio
Audiobooks could have a pictoral presentation to match story
Newsfeeds could offer more pictures
Visual radio/podcasts – images to support sound
Could be a clock radio
Augmented reality device
Interpretative tour device for tourism applications if you can carry in special shoulder bag or jacket
Portable memory/interpretative device
Reads your GPS position and offers you information related to your location, but you choose your RSS feeds, could be audio with earphones, also visual info
Great menu display for restaurants
Stores can present sale flyer information or product info while in their store
Connect with friends virtually
Illustrative device for artists using touch feature
Should definitely have solar charging capability
One more shiny thing from Apple.
If you can carry inside jacket pocket, there could be a heater app as on iPhone
Could give life to boardgames like Scrabble for example – good for two person game at cafe
Monopoly could be reinvented and connected with geocaching around NYC for example
Potential for more social networking games
Portable digital fireplace
Table centrepiece that plays music and shows candles burning

PSFK Good Ideas in Media

vivianatmerdock — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:19:34 +0000

Here is a good discussion on how to build brands in the days of social media.

Luscious Lobster

vivianatmerdock — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:08:57 +0000

Here is a Luscious Lobster campaign that I directed to promote lobster a few years back. Since it is lobster season in Prince Edward Island now, I thought that I would feature it again and make you all hungry for lobster. Here are a few of the photos. Each photo took 5-6 hours to set up. The large shot became the cover shot for the brochure which was produced in 7 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin and Japanese. We also developed recipe booklets and posters and the campaign was featured in seafood shows in Europe, US and Asia.

Portraits of Famous People as Children

vivianatmerdock — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:58:25 +0000

Edith Piaf as a child

I recently discovered Louis Boudreault in Iles de la Madeleine a la Cafe de la Grave. I recognized his work, as I had seen it once previously in a gallery in the Westmount area of Montreal. Boudreault uses a mixture of painting and drawing to recreate people like Andy Warhol, Edith Piaf, John F. Kennedy and Einstein as children. It is interesting to see the innocence and wonder in their eyes, knowing the impact they would later have on our lives. Here is a link that features some of his work.

Manatee Bay goes to the Movies

vivianatmerdock — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:00:42 +0000

Movies at the Siamese Theater

Earlier this year I worked with a team to produce a 3D social networking world. The launch has been delayed because, well, more venture capital is required. The Siamese Theater is inspired by the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. The first movie feature was Little House of Horrors with the flickering and all.

Keeping it Real in Online Communities

vivianatmerdock — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:05:36 +0000

I read a report yesterday on virtual worlds and found an interesting point. They challenged the concept of “virtual” worlds.

Clay Shirky from his book, Here Comes Everybody writes, “The experience of a 25 year old is one of substantial overlap between online and offline friends and colleagues. The overlap is so great that both the word and concept of cyberspace have fallen into disuse.”

The report goes on to say that online interactions on “virtual worlds” are digital but are definitely real. “Digital natives”, meaning those who grew up with the internet, move easily between online and offline environments.

On the other hand, “Digital immigrants” which are those who came to the internet later have more difficulty understanding the point of using an avatar and are trying to make a distinction from what is real and virtual. But acquaintances made on the internet are as real as those we connect with by telephone. Online does not replace offline interactions but rather complements them.

Avatars are merely an online representation of ourselves, and we customize them as we would our own selves with wardrobes reflecting a desire to express who we are. Avatars allow us to curate our online personalities beyond static web presence and experience the net beyond point and click.

Reference: From Virtual Worlds to the 3D Web, Online Communities in China, Asia and the World, a EU-China Information Society Project.

PSFK New York Conference

vivianatmerdock — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:26:52 +0000

This year’s PSFK Conference New York is on April 2nd at the Jewish Heritage Center in Battery Park. I went last year and although it was only one day, it was a connection hub of trends and ideas. Many of the trends I was not aware of, as I was new to PSFK, but over the year, I saw many of these ideas that we spoke about take hold. This year’s conference will be set within more challenging times, so the creative ideas should offer even more poignancy and immediacy with pressure for authenticity.

http://www.psfk.com/2009/02/announcing-psfk-conference-new-york-2009.html

And to bring you up to speed, here are all the videos online from previous conferences. http://www.psfk.com/2009/01/every-single-psfk-conference-video-now-online.html

Steve Rubel’s Take on Digital Trends

vivianatmerdock — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:57:11 +0000

http://steverubel.typepad.com/files/edelmandigitaltrends0109.pdf