From Trendwatching...Trends you deleted when things were too hectic

Just in case you didn't see these...Enjoy!

Dear Arnie, Instead of ambushing you with yet another Big New Trend this month, we decided to make life easier for all of us and send you an overview of the trends we've covered so far in 2010. And yes, that includes the ones you deleted from your inbox when things were just too crazy ;-) February 2010 FUNCTIONALL » FUNCTIONALL highlights a new breed of products and services designed for low(er)-income consumers in emerging markets, but with crossover appeal to consumers in mature consumer societies... Includes 37 examples. (Read online or download as a PDF) March 2010 6 TREND VIDEOS » Instead of our usual text-based briefings, our March edition consisted of a light-hearted yet insight-heavy video edition, featuring consumers from all over the world speaking their minds on a variety of trend topics... (View online) April 2010 BRAND BUTLERS » Why serving is the new selling. With pragmatic, convenience-loving consumers enjoying instant access to an ever-growing number of supporting services and tools (both offline and online), brands urgently need to hone their 'butlering' skills. Includes 59 examples… (Read online or download as a PDF) May 2010 STATUSPHERE » What constitutes status in consumer societies is fragmenting rapidly, with consumers starting to bestow recognition on fellow consumers who stray off the beaten consuming-more-than-thou-path... (Read online or download as a PDF) June/July 2010 MASS MINGLING » Long gone are the days when 'online' was synonymous with social isolation and loneliness. In fact, technology is now driving people to connect and meet up en masse with others, in the 'real world'. Includes 33 examples... (Read online or download as a PDF) August 2010 INNOVATION INSANITY » With the entire world now engaged in creative destruction, the amount of talent, of creativity, of innovations, is staggering. Case in point: the 67 smart, global innovations we rounded up for this briefing… (Read online or download as a PDF)

Read More

IT's a Cloudy Picture

How many other people are tired of here how "Cloud Computing" [and all it's various forms of "as a Service"] are changing the landscape of IT - and only those companies that embrace it right now and 100% will survive.

Well, I don't buy it. I do believe there is a change, it's been happening over the past 60 or so years - it's called computing. And with computing, just like everything, it changes over time. In college, we fed punch cards into the computer for our programming class [I didn't do well - one typo or card out of order and you were hosed]. Most people today don't even know what DOS stands for, let alone how to use it.

Computing changes, and the rate of change is getting faster and faster. How many people trust a research report from last year? Or a business plan that hasn't been updated in over 18 months? Data gets old fast. And the only way to stay in front of that curves is to continuously refresh your data - who has time to worry about the underlying "code" or application?

Enter the world of "software as a service" or "infrastructure as a service" - where the companies don't worry about making sure the application or server or storage or network is updated, they just worry about their "data". Which is where we begin to look at risk...

Who bears the risk of the application being available, or having something process properly? That's the service provider. The client worries about having the right data, not whether they have the latest version of the software or all the patches for the server operating system or any number of "infrastructure" related items - the service provider bears that risk - not the client.

So, Cloud Computing is more about shifting RISK from the Client to the Service Provider...

• The RISK of having enough [computing power, storage, network capacity, etc.]
• The RISK of having the most current applications version, or operating system, or security, or drivers, etc.
• The RISK of having purchased too much of something, because you're buying for Peak usage, instead of normal usage.
• The RISK of having having your budget blown before you even start the new year

But by shifting these risks, you just create new ones [that you controlled before]...

• The RISK of not purchasing the "enhanced" service level, just to save a buck or two
• The RISK of having a service provider "over subscribe" their services, because now they have to measure and plan capacity better
• The RISK of having a service provider be sold, acquired, go out business, etc.
• The RISK of being held hostage by your Service Provider - and what was a great rate three years ago, keeps going up and up - and there is no way to "replace" them now

This shifting of risk from one person/company to another is just the inevitable ebb and flow of our computing cycle. Ask Twitter. They were a cloud computing poster child - using AWS for compute and storage. That's how the got their start and it worked until they became wildly popular - then AWS couldn't keep up and Twitter had little capacity on their own. Now, they are building their own data center - taking back their control - taking on a different kind of RISK.

This is not new, it's just different.

Read More

Top Business Ideas | Springwise trends that always satisfy....

When you don't have any new ideas - you can still find inspiration on the internet. If you love looking at trends, you found the right post - Springwise is premium roast coffe for your business caffine needs [how about that for allegory?]. Enjoy!!

Collaborative photo books help groups tell stories
Media & publishing / Lifestyle & leisure

A new photo book service allows groups to pool their photographs
and collaborate online to merge their memories and create multi-
faceted, story-telling books.

Bicycle-powered stand serves up coffee hot and cold
Food & beverage / Eco & sustainability

Brooklyn-based Kickstand Coffee uses two bicycles, a fold-up stand
and a hand-cranked grinder to serve up sustainable hot and cold
coffee at events around the city.

Project marketplace connects businesses and
MBA students
Education

31Projects helps connect graduate students with companies and
organizations in need of business expertise.

Online tool helps families begin planning funeral
Life hacks

Aiming to prepare families and make the process easier, death-care
provider Stewart Enterprises has launched an online tool called the
Virtual Arrangement Conference.

Paperless mobile ticketing, no scanners required
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

Mobile ticketing may offer myriad benefits for both event managers
and consumers, but most options still require specialized scanning
hardware to read the ticket from the user's device. Not so Twicketer.

With every box of dog food, a meal for a homeless pet
Non-profit, social cause / Marketing & advertising

Attached to every Darford box of treats and food is an extra meal of
the company's Zero/G dog food intended specifically for donation to
a dog in need.

Location-based app for sharing social plans
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

Just as Foursquare allows consumers to keep tabs on each other's
current activities, so Plancast lets them track what their friends are
planning to do in the future.

PDX installs bike assembly station for travellers
Tourism & travel / Transportation

Located on the airport's lower terminal roadway, the bike assembly
station will enable people travelling with bicycles to more easily
assemble and disassemble their bikes before and after flights.

App lets consumers open and pay a bar tab by phone
Telecom & mobile / Food & beverage

Similar to the way RideCharge lets consumers book a taxi and pay
their fare by phone, TabbedOut lets them open a tab at their favourite
bar and then close it out by phone when they're ready to go.

iPad app turns social content into personal mag
Media & publishing

Flipboard bills itself as "a social magazine that brings to life the
stories, photos, news and updates being shared across Twitter
and Facebook.

Our contact details
Springwise BV, a 53rd Floor BV company
Address: Laurierstraat 71, 1016 PJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Web address: http://www.springwise.com/
Email address: info@springwise.com

Read More

When Good Charts Go Bad...

What happens when good data makes for bad charts and graphics? You really want to impress your boss and your peers, you have collected data upon data upon data - you have everything in-line for your presentation - but for the "love of Pete" - you can't make the data stand out.

Well - I found this little graphic and the web site it came from. And let me just say WOW!! There is more information than you can soak in about taking Excel data and making charts / graphs / dashboards to get your point across.

So what makes a Good Chart?? According to Chandoo.org - you need 5 things...

1. Keep it Simple - the best way to represent your data is in the most "readable" and "understandable" way possible. Don't complicate things - use what works - and you can do some amazing things within Excel to create your charts. But simple is aways better.
2. Sort Your Data - once again, make your data pop but sorting it the way that makes sense - if you want to present an idea of growth - make sure you data supports that picture and go from small to big - left to right.
3. Use Colors that Connect - most of us are not "color coordinated" and the cool combo today may be quickly out of style tomorrow. So use a site like http://www.colorcombos.com/ to get your colors right - or if your company has a authorized color chart - use it and stay within their "branding" guidelines.
4. Make It Easy to Compare - if you are using data that needs to be compared with other data - your charts should be up to that task. Don't use bar charts in one and then a pie chart in another - that's too confusing for your audience. Once again, keep it simple to follow, which means make it look and feel the same for comparisons.
5. Make It Personal - your audience wants to know something - they are seeking knowledge of some type or another. So allow them to ability to quickly get to "your point" - if you have to drag them along, then either your message is wrong or your audience is wrong. If you can't make it personal to them - then don't bother making the presentation.

So that's it. And check out the cool stuff at http://www.chandoo.org/ he is giving away at least a Masters Degree in Excel Charting. Enjoy!

Read More