Steelso V6.0

I do enjoy Muxtape.

My first bash. http://steelso.muxtape.com/

I love the Shat!

Steelso :: May.11.2008 :: Cool, Music :: No Comments »

And if you need proof…

A story on the proposed British summer.

The most non-story I’ve read in ages. Well done!

Steelso :: Apr.03.2008 :: Big on Small :: No Comments »

Yes, its been a been a while and yes I am very ashamed. The reason is as boring as ever, work. Work has been crazy but it has been very, very cool. We’re doing some work I’m really proud of for Dunfermline Building Society and some fantastic, jaw dropping work that Beth did for a pitch that I can’t talk about. Yet.

I’m also working on Cosmopolitan magazine of all things looking into the murky world of social media. I’ve been loving it, it is so interesting though I do have to agree with the most wise Steve Rubel that all media is media is media, social or otherwise. I like his style.

Social networks though, that’s an interesting place. We had a chat today at work, the first of many great debates,  about social networks. It’s a selfish space, a place where people are nosy and all trying to find out about each other’s friends and acquaintances. It’s not a place that suits brand advertising unless it can help connect you. That’s the interesting part. How can brands connect you with people you care about? Do you want them to?

So. Social netorking. Lots and lots of places to do it. Who has the time to check all these feeds from Flickr, Facebook, Bebo, Digg, Mixx, Hi5, etc, etc, etc. It’s basically a hassle. I’ve been beta testing friendfeed for a while. It’s a website that brings all these strands together. I like it but I do feel that I’m getting overloaded with info and actually piling it all together is a real help but is too much. Also it doesn’t have an iPhone interface and one of the reasons that I’m blogging less is that my iPhone is really now where I spend most of my free knowledge time. I pick up tweets and do all of my RSS feeds from Google reader on the iPhone. It’s just easy.

The next debate at work is probably going to be about something on how advertising is dead. Online and offline. Is it?

Steelso :: Mar.31.2008 :: Clients, Creative, Equator :: 5 Comments »

Been doing a small internal presentation to brief the team on the current state of play for one of our clients and I had a great time doing the research, find the images and also mapping the story. I really enjoyed trying to be like Steve Jobs in my presentation. I’m using Keynote and it’s just such a great tool. Yes. I’m gushing.

Going to see Radiohead. Going to see the Hold Steady tonight. Off down to Hemel Hempstead soon. Selling my flat.  Trying to get insight all day. It’s a great time!

Steelso :: Feb.25.2008 :: Big on Small :: 5 Comments »

Blogging has been in my mind but just not in my things to do list. Simpe reason for that and that’s been that I’ve been too busy at work. It’s been hectic, crazy hectic, to say the least. That’s not to say of course that it has not been exciting.

I’m working on the Dunfermline Building Society website redesign which looks great. Going through client feedback tomorrow. We also launched a project for VisitScotland called Perfect Day and we’re going to be getting into phase 2 of it very soon. That’s an exciting project too. For SSE we’re doing some website updates which are looking really very sweet. Minor changes but really rewarding ones.

It’s all go and I don’t think it is very interesting just listing my work. I’ve do actually have a whole list of things to write about. I just need the head time to get it down. Sorry.

Steelso :: Feb.10.2008 :: Excuses :: 2 Comments »

Yes, not back on it, still on it. However Jake, my 6 year old son, loves my iPhone. He can’t believe he can use it without me telling him what to do. He’s adoring it, esp Physics 0.3, and is so impressed he asked me if the phone had been to magic school. To me that is the best review I’ve heard. Loving his work.

Steelso :: Jan.10.2008 :: Uncategorized :: 2 Comments »

You can fake fun. You can fake insight. You cannot fake passion. You can’t. I’ve tried to fake it and failed. You can try for a while but then it’s just an act and it can be seen straight through.

Passion is the fire. It’s the difference between doing something and loving something. It’s the one thing that can make a new client decide to go with you rather than another agency. It should surround the client, it should be in the copy that is written, that artwork that’s presented and in the meetings that you have.

For me this is the most difficult attribute to qualify. You can’t make passion. It really comes from within and as such I don’t think it’s possible for me, or anyone, to tell you how to be passionate about your job. I do know that it makes all the difference in the world.

You can tell a great agency by the passion that the people you come into contact have for you and your work. That passion should exude in designs, in ideas. You’ll feel it when you see it.

Steelso :: Jan.04.2008 :: Good Agency, Uncategorized :: 2 Comments »

How do we include everyone, those that think in picture, those that think in words, those that are shy and those that are loud? How do we allow people how have an opinion to express it in their way rather than the Internet’s way? This to me is one of the big challenges of the Internet.

I have an issue on debate in blogs. These guys are so, so much better at writing than I am. My learning style is reflection and discussion. It’s not the best blog style. So, for example, here’s a guy that I totally respect that I read and understand. He’s an inspiration in a lot of ways. But. He’s mentioning a a thing that I get and don’t fully understand. I like it, I kind of get it but I have questions. Sure, I could post a comment on his blog, I could twitter him but it is just not my style. I want to sit down over a thing (for ‘thing’ read ‘pint’) and talk to him about it. Not because I want to prove him wrong but to get into a debate to better understand his point of view.

To be totally 100% clear I actually think he’s right I just want to know more but I need to see the colour of his eyes when we chat rather than allowing the entire bloggienet look upon my learnings and snigger, sneer and disparage? I get that this is mostly in my head, I know that his blog his full of good people, I’m sure that any unlikeliness of bad behavior would not be tolerated. It is easier though not to involve yourself rather than deal with the possible aftermath. I am totally aware that this is really my problem rather than anyone else’s.

How do we get more people involved in the conversation? Thoughts?

Steelso :: Jan.04.2008 :: Thoughts :: 4 Comments »

This time of year you can see a whole lot of tech bloggers go all misty eyed and reflected on what the big thing was in 2007. The iPhone got some love from Time, and the BBC team passed on their thoughts. One thing that I thought was a huge game changer and that I’ve not seen any mention of is inclusion of a flat rate data plan for the iPhone.

Sounds pretty dull doesn’t it?

Mobile data and the way that it’s charged is a bit like the situation that the wired Internet went through 10 years ago. You had to pay a monthly charge (I was with Demon, £15 per month) as well as paying per minute for your phone bill. You could do all sorts of cheeky measures to reduce your cost per minute but it was still a costly affair. One eye on your screen, the other on the clock.

Then came Freeserve. Freeserve was a game changer. No monthly charge, you just paid through your phone bill. If you were on for 5 minutes you were charged for 5 minutes at a very, very low rate. It meant that a whole new audience could go on line, those people who wanted to dabble on-line rather than commit. Internet growth during that time climbed. Then unmetered access through dial up came about but never really took off.

Then came unmetered broadband. And that took Internet usage in the home through the roof. Why? Well the experience was better (freed up your phone line, speed) and as you paid a monthly amount it meant that you could plan what you could spend. Internet connectivity had become a utility service.

Mobile data is still in the early stages. Previously I was on a monthly contract that gave me 5Mb of data free on my phone then charged me about 85p every additional Mb. That could get pretty expensive for me. Though on my Nokia N80 it was hardly the best experience. And getting a wifi connection was painful and then even connecting to it was a nightmare.

Since the introduction of free wifi with The Cloud and connecting my home Internet connection to BT Fon means that I can get pretty good wifi access quickly when needed too. Since moving on to the iPhone data package I’ve saved around £75 of data in a month. This totally changes the way that I’m using data on the move. I’m looking at the screen and not with one eye on the costs. I’m using the mobuile Internet all the time now for updating things, maps, all sorts. It’s pretty liberating.

I’m not sure if O2 are planning to roll this package out to all their calling plans regardless of which phone you’re on. For me it has been a big step for casual computing and the most important step forward in making mobile Internet a real, everyday occurrence, it’s as big as the way that broadband revolutionised Internet use in the home.

Steelso :: Dec.28.2007 :: Thoughts, iPhone :: No Comments »

Nintendo started it all really with the idea of casual gaming, giving a gaming gaming experience to those outside the general gaming stereotype. It worked. Really well with Amazon sell 17 Wii’s every second. When they had them in stock.

So what’s casual computing? For me it’s about doing information related tasks such as catching up with friends, getting directions, etc that can be done through a web browser and eventually will do small transactional tasks such as pay for travel passes, get your coffee, etc. These devices won’t be super powered, they’ll be cheap, have a great screen,  good data connections, almost instant startup times, possibly incorporate GPS and very focussed on their intended tasks. Devices like that kind of exist, most notably the iPhone and the Nokia N800.

After a month with the iPhone I see it as an evolutionary step in the field of Casual Computing. I’m using it more as a easy way to get information. I’m catching up with my Twitter feeds through the browser, viewing Google Reader on it and checking out Facebook through my iPhone rather than firing up my laptop. It’s quicker and a lot more convenient.

None of the websites that I’m viewing carry any ads, the screen and experience has been streamlined to be a quick and easy download. I’m enjoying that but I know it’s a matter of time before the ads are going to be creeping in. It’ll be interesting to see how Google will use location based services to deliver ads based on what I’m looking at and where I am. So if I’m searching for a good pen (which I have been) then it will deliver an ad for a pen company that is in my geographical area rather than just being a company that’s based through the Internet.

It’s not got to the point where I can buy my pen using the iPhone but it’ll happen.  It’ll be so easy to use that my Gran will want one.the blockers that I see are that the devices will be too tricky to use, that there will be a hundred standards that block these devices talking to each other and data coverage will be patchy.

Seems that casual computing will be a talking point in 2008 with Apple leading the charge.  Buzz is going around for a new type of laptop to be launched next year and the always insightful John Dowell talks about Apple wanting to help you get a coffee quicker.

Steelso :: Dec.28.2007 :: Learning, Nintendo, iPhone :: 1 Comment »