New Ain’t New No More

Archeologists found the earliest evidence of dentist drills dating back 9,000 years in Pakistan. These primitive hand drills were the earliest found implements which performed cavity repair. Dentists now employ motorized drills that spin at half a million RPM and can solve virtually any dental issue.

The cute portable music playing device that revolutionized music consumption was first introduced in 1997. The iPod is one of the most influential inventions in decades. Sony owned the portable cassette market, Apple is the overwhelming leader in mp3 players.


Beer was first invented in the 6th millennium BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Today, beer is a $300 Billion a year industry and it is consumed in almost every country on earth.

In the 1960’s, computers were behemoth mechanical creatures that filled rooms to perform basic mathematical problems. The computer installed on the Saturn V rocket which propelled the crew toward the first moon landing was slower than the later model known as the 286. The portable computer was first mass produced in the 1980’s. Today it is a mind that can carry out complex audio and visual tasks simultaneously.

An instrument we use every day was named after the Latin term fura or pitchfork. Forks have been used since 2nd century Rome.



In the last decade, scientists all over the world have finally mapped the human genome - the entire gene pool of human makeup.

As close as historians can guess, the first wheelbarrow dates back to around 400BC in ancient Greece. Medieval Europe and China have had their stake in its evolution. It is almost inconceivable that a home owner would not own one today.


What we now know as the Internet was first conceived in the mid 1950’s as a way for U.S. government officials to share and send information over long distances. It was known as the Arpanet. Although near impossible to predict, in 2009 there are hundreds of millions of websites, social media communities and you can do or find anything you can possibly fathom, online.




As soon as something is invented, creative minds get to work on improving it. Once we are introduced to something new in our lives, we somehow seem to find a need for it or seamlessly adapt to its existence.

Got any ideas?

@knealemann

photo credits:
thomasedison.com | kscience.co.uk | wikimedia.org | apple.com

Not-So-Common Sense Revolution

"The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next."
Henry Ward Beecher

As we all take a long look at all that we do, it has made us realize our strengths. If you haven't done this yet, it a worthy exercise.

Many media and entertainment colleagues are hanging on - in some cases - for dear life. And in other cases, there is a bright future.

But it got me thinking about common sense and status quo. We put things in boxes, we over analyze lowest common denominator and seek averages to keep us all happy. We don't rock any boats and if we step out there is a fear that our lack of conformity will get us into trouble. And we certainly wouldn't want to run the risk that someone may not like what we do, would we? Yawn.

"It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense."
Robert Green Ingersol

The music industry was rested on many pillars that were deemed true for far too long. The genie has crushed the bottle.

The publishing industry is going through radical change and consumers are driving this bus as well.

Newspaper outlets will survive and thrive again but a completely new mind set must occur or they can blame no one but themselves.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
Albert Einstein

The phrase "common sense" should be stricken from our vernacular. It has caused mediocrity, laziness, assumption, arrogance and many other deadly sins. What is common and makes sense to you is where it stops.

"Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done."
Harriet Beecher Stowe

This is not to say you and I may agree on virtually everything but we must look at the massive changes media is a going through to realize this can play in to your advantage.

So perhaps have another look your experience and your abilities with a fresh perspective. Don't throw anything away or assume what you know or what you have done is "common sense".

What are your thoughts?
What are your stories?
What is your common sense?

km

How Does It Make You Feel?

We are inundated by information, pitches, news, content, blogs, offers, podcasts, emails, phone calls and the question remains: are we getting any further?

The blogosphere is fraught with economic news and predictions while we all try and stay focused. The 800lb gorilla is stomping on our collective skulls while we attempt to stay positive.

Help Wanted

We are looking at each other for guidance and answers but in the process forgetting that others are doing the same to us.

Some estimates say that we sift through thousands of images and pieces of content every day. We have become masters at weeding out what we don’t need and getting to what we do need.

Research Isn't Always The Answer

When I was buying my current car, I did my homework. I test drove 12 different vehicles, performed in depth price comparisons, examined options, pros and cons, and ended up buying the car that I wanted from the start. I had over thought it.

It wasn’t my homework that sold me; it was what my best friend said as we stood in the dealership parking lot one summer evening. He turned to me as we looked at three different models of the same car and said; “Dude, get the one that will make you smile”.

No Hoops | No Games

The best radio promotion I have ever been a part of was entitled “24 Hours In Vegas”. Unlike most radio contests, we did not ask listeners to wait for the sound of the clown horn or be placed on a waiting list or answer a skill testing question, we just gave away seats on our chartered plane all the time. I had 180 seats to fill and it was a blast. We kept our focus on how it feels to be told without notice that you are going to Las Vegas.

Winners received two plane tickets, that’s it. No hotel, no spending money, no rental car, no taxi chits, a plane ticket. We took off at 10am on Wednesday and left Vegas at 10am on Thursday. Listeners were left to fend for themselves and live large.

People Are People

There were grown men crying, women screaming in disbelief, and the morning we took off we had a plane full of excited people. It wasn’t about ratings, or the radio station, it was about connection.

There were no complaints or whining about extras. The plane ride home was full of tired but excited people sharing stories of their adventure. New friendships were formed, some stayed up all night, some grabbed a hotel, two couples renewed their vows, and not one person missed Thursday’s flight.

It was a team of people sharing an experience.

It's Not About The Bottom Line

In a time when companies are making cuts and trying to find the message that will cut through, perhaps it's time to find out how your message or product or service will make them feel.

With radio promotions, it was important to stay within four main prize categories: money, trips, cars and things people don't have access to experience on their own. No one would turn away the first three, but it is the last one that will last a lifetime.

The iPod isn’t about high quality audio, it’s about freedom. TED2009 on right now is not just about smart people talking, it's about showing others they can dream and think big. Social media is not about collecting friends, it’s about sharing with others.

How do you make others feel?

km

Stuff For Your Stuff

Are you satisfied with the content for your gadgets?
I’m sure you have a few gadgets in your life. You probably have a computer, PDA or cell, mp3 player, digital camera, printer, television, and other electronic entertainment equipment.

There’s Nuthin’ On!
The Holidays are officially over and you may have realized something startling. We seem to have to weed through a lot of crap to get to the stuff we want. Years ago Bruce Springsteen had a song entitled 57 Channels and Nothing On which can be said about most of the gadgets in our lives. Some days there are 300 channels and nothing on!

The Google Stare
Perhaps this has happened to you. Over the Holidays whilst trying to digest more bad food, I was often stuck not knowing where I wanted to go. So out of habit, I would check Twitter and Facebook, then Google Reader, perhaps a music site and the cycle continued. There are billions of sites to visit but why do we get stuck?

Perhaps we still don’t feel we have enough control over our environment – despite our spoiled existence? And that includes living through these tough economic times.

Thingamajigs and Doohickeys
One of the most popular sites in the world is Gizmodo. It has all the newest coolest toys available. It's cool that you can buy a Bugatti for a million bucks, but what good is it if your route to work consists of urban gridlock? And do we really need a toaster radio?

Everything we own depends on other things to make it work. No power, no service. No content, your laptop is landfill. If you are out of cell range, your phone is rendered useless.

What is Stuff?
Stuff is content. Stuff is the device we need to access that content. Stuff is tools for work, games to play, words to read and music to enjoy.

It is fun to play with all applications on your iPhone or Blackberry but once that novelty wears off, what do you do then? You must then search for stuff to put on your stuff.

Possibilities
The great news is we can create whatever we want. If we don’t know how to write that computer code to make that cool thing dance on that website, we can find someone who can do it. If we want to gather a group of people to create a new concept or project we have that ability. The first stop is to ask ourselves - what we want to create?

Are you satisfied with the stuff on your stuff?

km

It’s Not About The Canvass Or The Canvas

It’s everywhere: pontification, prediction, forecasting, and we still have no idea what’s next. And we never will know. The reason we all try our best to look toward the future is because we think that something magical will happen some day that will solve any problems we may be facing today. All we have is now.

Media Media Media

Media is a word lobbed around to give us all the appearance of knowledge and wisdom. It seems to be all about social media, digital media, or mass media.

The word media is used primarily as a technological reference. Whether it is a radio station transmitter, a website mainframe, an outdoor surface, or a television broadcast tower; content transmitted from one source to a desired listener, user, viewer, or community seems to be the reference point.

But as you know, media is simply the plural of medium. Medium is the canvas that content is placed upon, that’s all.

Toys Have Become The Message

What is scary is when the content becomes less important than the thingamajig.

The most successful of the last decade is the iPod. It’s portable, (mostly) user friendly, nimble and cool. Apple has done a remarkable job of creating a need to own their portable mp3 player which has given them more than a 70% share of the market.

It matters not that the battery dies too quickly, the ear buds are uncomfortable, and the sound quality is horrible. Audiophiles need not apply. And it doesn’t matter.

Facebook has an estimated 100 million profiles and growing every day. But the interface is still awkward to navigate and there are very few customizable options – other than adding more applications to the left side of the screen or in a hidden box. It’s not the prettiest website on the planet. And it doesn’t matter.

Radio has been under attack for many years because of their musical safeness, horrifically inaccurate ratings’ system, and lack of deep rich content. Instead of growing bands online and on the street, the response for the most part has been to create even safer environments and hope not to cause “tune out”. The phrase “shut up and play the hits” grew tired decades ago.

Have you ever been watching TV, scrolled through hundreds of channels several times only to find “nothing to watch”?

Have you ever experienced the Google stare? There are an estimated 10 Billion websites available at a click, and you don’t have a clue where you want to go.

And I'm done with the BlackBerry vs iPhone discussion. Pick your favorite, you're both right.

Toys and sites are cool. They are requisite to all of this. But if we don’t continue to work on the stuff that we’re putting on the stuff, we may as well offer the unit in fifty colors. It won’t matter.

km

The Choice Is Ours

Recently a friend sent me an article about the future of television and the growing success of cable or specialty outlets.

I have always been fascinated by the never ending shift in what I call 'The 3 T’s': Tastes, Trends, and Technology. And what is most fascinating is the egg and chicken are ever present.

Does technology create new trends? Do audience tastes create demand for new technology? Do trends simply morph to whatever is available?

Ten years ago, there were no iPods. Now, Apple owns over 70% of the market in portable mp3 players. Did we need a portable music device that plays thousands of downloaded songs? No, but we don’t need chocolate ice cream either. Okay ...bad examples ;-)

It’s hilarious when a sensational story hits the news cycle – editors and producers scream on their boxes of soap about the public's need to know. Designers will spout the need to satisfy consumer pressure for new gadgets and advancements. Who creates this desire for the new shiny thing? Us or Them?

I like options, I’m sure you do too. But the next time you’re in an electronics store frozen with indecision over the azure or vermillion ear buds, mouth breathing at the Google screen, or frozen in front of the plasma for something to watch …remember, we may have asked for this.

km