One for Fun: The Super Bowl Ad Directory
This Sunday is the biggest U.S. TV broadcasting event of the year.
It’s not the Grammys, the Emmys or the Oscars — it’s the Super Bowl.
This year, the event also looks to be a huge online ad-play as well, though many of the Web spots will posted for free, according to WSJ.com.
AOL plans to make the ads available “soon,” but marketing consultant Ian Schafer came out of the gate today with an early peek of all the clips he could find.
Also, PCWorld reports HeyNielsen will use its youthquake focus group to rate and rank the ads. The results should be interesting.
Did Tufte Miss the Point? Form Should Follow Function
Earlier this week I attended a workshop conducted by Edward Tufte, the Yale professor emeritus and information design lecturer.
During the day-long course, he emphasized the need for high-resolution, information-dense graphics and gave several examples of his concept.
Among them was a discussion about the iPhone interface.
He argued the iPhone hardware presented the perfect platform to deliver lots of detail in a small space and the widgets, particularly the stock and weather widgets, were cartoonish and a wasted opportunity.
Something about this assessment felt wrong.
When putting together a news story for the Web, people often bring up the architecture maxim: Form follows function. If the story is best told through images, should they be still or moving? If the story will be enhanced by sound, should you use a narrator or let the subject speak for themselves throughout? Should text be on an article page, a blog post or in a Flash presentation?
And most importantly, what will best serve the reader?
In the case of the iPhone, most users are glancers and scanners who need the basic information upfront while moving and a way to dive into things when they’re at rest. Goofy as the widgets may look, they do serve these purposes.
Christopher Fahey of graphpaper.com makes a more elegant rebuttal, saying Tufte misses this critical point:
“You are neglecting the fact that iPhones are *mobile phones*, designed to be used primarily by people on the go, or by people who are otherwise occupied. …Typical iPhone usage lends itself well to the information-thin designs you criticize precisely because it does not attempt to do more than deliver the most important information in a heartbeat.
Many others agreed with Fahey, even while defending Tufte. What’s your take?
How Badly Do You Want to Go to TED?
TED, the elite meeting of big thinkers in a wide variety of fields, including media and technology, has put one ticket up for auction on Ebay. As of this post, the bid is $33,535.00.
The normal cost of entry is an invitation and at least $6,000. Though the conference has a good reputation as a place to be inspired and to make influential contacts, I ask you: What meeting is worth more than five times the normal cost?
Perhaps this is all the more reason to look to not-so-glittery gatherings, such as unconferences like PodCamp, and Good Experience Live.
The Power of Photojournalism aka ‘Whoa.’
Will Sullivan of Journerdism pointed to an incredible film on the Toronto Star website.
Shot by staff photojournalist Lucas Oleniuk and composed entirely of still images, the film — that’s right, film — “Airsick” calls on Star readers to join with other cities worldwide in shutting off all lights for an hour March 29, an action that’s meant to bring attention to human impact on climate change.
The Earth Hour idea was first proposed last year by the Sydney Morning Herald. According to the SMH website, more than 2 million residents shut off their lights and caused a 10.2% drop in energy usage across the city.
The Star hopes to replicate the results. Pretty powerful stuff, I must say. If there is anything that could be improved about the execution, it would be allowing people to embed the film on their own sites.
Just What Are ‘Rich’ Internet Applications?
According to Tony MacDowell at the recently launched site InsideRIA.com, they’re a platform-agnostic programs that “leverage the best of the Web, without sacrificing the power of the desktop.”
O’Reilly, the longtime publisher of geek manuals featuring public domain animal art, is building a community of developers interested in creating Web tools to engage and entertain the user.
If you’re developing with Ajax, Air, Flashlight and Silverlight, or if you’re just curious, this may be a good pool to splash around in. InsideRIA launched Jan. 15 and doesn’t have much happening yet, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get a seat at the table and start some discussions.
