Consumerism

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” I read this somewhere online, believed to be said by a consumer marketing guru. I just couldn't agree more to this statement. Now if we reflect on every product we have ever purchased, say for the iPhone, what was it that we really wanted? A phone to call others and be contacted? Or was it something else? Update: The man who said this analogy is Professor Theodore Levitt.

Mark Farrow / Visualizing Music

HUNGER TV - MARK FARROW - VISUALISING MUSIC from Hunger TV on Vimeo.

Mark Farrow loves music, and this is how it all started.

Streetpong

Check this out. A great concept on interaction, subtly promoting safety to pedestrianizes to not jay-walk. I just wonder why the device is positioned at such a low height, is it meant for children? This is just my kind of thing that gets me all excited.

On a side not, RIP Bill Moggridge.

Will.I.am

On August 28 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, musician will.i.am will do something no artist has ever done before: blast a song from Mars' surface through the Curiosity rover. Why? Because he can (and runs a charity).

Will.i.am didn't toss tons of cash at NASA for the privilege. The event is a collaboration between his non-profit, the i.am.angel Foundation, and Discovery Education, and the event will see members of the Curiosity rover's landing team educating students about the science and technology behind the mission's success.

According to NASA, "Reach for the Stars" is "a new composition about the singer's passion for science, technology and space exploration." The event, which will be streamed live on NASA TV will begin at 1 P.M. PDT.

It's a great marketing stunt for will.i.am, his i.am.angel Foundation, NASA and Discovery, but don't expect Curiosity to become a boom box over a science platform. In fact, the little rover just successfully took its first baby steps across Mars's surface.

Via NASA

How to ride the subway (NYC)

 

Extra footwear, hand sanitizers etc. Interesting contextual insights there (although perhaps applicable more towards the ladies)