Entries from June 2008 ↓

Hyperlocal Blogging
SEO consultant Matt McGee discusses the growing trend of “hyperlocal” blogs. He mentions the big names like Gothamist, but surprisingly left out a number of localized blogging communities like the Chattanooga-founded Terrablogs, which has been around for years. Coincidentally (or not), I’ll be announcing an exciting new group adventure into this space in just a few days. Stay tuned!

Can Android Vanquish the iPhone?
In a word, no. Seriously, though, Business Week is asking the question. Fair enough, but the fact is that Android is just a software platform at this point. There is no “gPhone” and there probably won’t be a handset manufactured by Google. Perhaps one of the big handset makers will take Android and do something great with it, but I don’t expect any Android phone to be as big a hit as the iPhone. Apple’s “closed system” — which is often lamented by that same crowd waiting for Android — is what makes their products successful and beloved. They control the user experience more than anyone else in this space, and they are the hands-down experts.

Sketch Notes
If you, like me, missed the SEED 3 conference put on by 37Signals, you’ll want to check out these incredible sketch notes from the event. There’s also a great profile of the conference in the Chicago Reader. I’m still processing the vast amounts of info and insights…

Summer on Prince Edward Island
Chattanooga may be the “scenic city,” but PEI looks absolutely gorgeous. I suppose Dan deserves summer vistas like this after enduring the frigid Canadian winter.

Based almost entirely on the recommendation of Brett McCracken, I picked up the new Coldplay disc on Friday night. I’d been wavering about it, because I really enjoyed Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head, but never even bought X&Y. I’m glad I gave Viva la Vida a chance, because it’s quite good. Coldplay took an unexpected turn with this album and there are a few songs that are stuck in my head.

One of the cool things that Brett pointed out in his blog post about the album is Coldplay’s take on “the single” — in particular, their merging of two very different pieces of music into one track. A perfect example of this approach also happens to be my favorite track right now: “Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love.” This could have easily been two songs, and two very good songs at that. I’m still trying to wrap my head around why they were put together as one track. The styles are obviously different. Is “Lovers” a study in contrast, or compliment? Is it purely random?

I came up with two other good examples of this songwriting approach. The first is the excellent “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand. The differences between the two sections (movements?) aren’t as stark as the Coldplay track, but there’s a very distinct moment when the song goes into a completely different direction. The second example is Arcade Fire’s “Black Wave / Bad Vibrations” which is more similar to “Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love.” “Black Wave” feels more like two “complete” pieces of music that were joined together, albeit with more related lyrics. I remember reading an interview with Win Butler where he said that the song is basically two sides of one story, or two approaches to the same problem.

Who has another good example of a sonic double feature?

You’ve heard it before; a brand is more than just a logo, a visual identity or a slogan. According to Brand Tags, your brand is whatever people say it is. They’ve set out on a “collective experiment in brand perception” by inviting users to tag well-known brands with the first word that comes to mind when presented with their logo.

The first thing I noticed was how fun it was to participate:

• Chevrolet? Trucks.
• Apple? Innovation.
• MySpace? Tired.
• Zappos? Service.
• Snickers? Satisfies.

Digging into the user-generated perceptions of these brands was equally exciting. The most interesting brands to look at were those with the strongest polarizing effects. People are rarely ambivilent towards Apple, for instance, and their tag cloud reflects that perfectly. Their tags range from “overrated” and “pretentious” to “beautiful,” “innovative” and “amazing.” Contrast those results with a middle-of-the-road brand like Bridgestone or Xerox. Their tags are primarily generic terms for their products, which likely means they are failing to communicate any differentiating passion or personality.

It’s often said that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. The brands with a sharp focus and a unique voice risk creating a few negative tags, but they also stand to gain the type of devoted followers every company craves. What kind of brand tags are you inspiring?

Oil & Heaven
Originally uploaded by JHawbaker1800

Graffiti artist, I honor the place where your craziness and my amusement become one.

Gadget lovers everywhere were hanging on every liveblogged word of the WWDC Keynote today, where Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 3G. Thanks to the rumor mills, there were few surprises, the biggest of which might have been the one-month wait until the release date! That aside, there’s plenty to talk about.

35% of the Fortune 500 in the iPhone 2.0 Software Beta
Amid all the talk about which features the new iPhone included or didn’t, I think this statistic was mostly overlooked. We all knew that Apple was going to make a push for Enterprise business, but to have such a high level of participation in the software beta is a big deal. It certainly bodes well for their chances of making a dent in the growing market for business-class smartphones. I also believe this move will position Apple well when (not if) they decide to push Mac sales to the enterprise. A big challenge with the iPhone was convincing CTOs that it was more than “just a toy” and addressing their real concerns about business-related features and security. Watch this video of IT executives talking about the 2.0 software — Apple understands needs of this market. They will surely take the lessons learned and apply them to the Mac.

White is the New Black, Again
When the iPod Classic was introduced in only black and silver, the color that started it all was suddenly gone from the iPod lineup. Now it’s back, as a “limited edition” color for the 16GB iPhone 3G. The white iPhone will be the new tech status symbol come July 11th. Gizmodo has a fun post on the resurgence of white in the palette: Apple Says White is Cool Again, But Is It?

The Future of the iPhone Line
There has already been a lot of griping discussion about the “missing features” from the iPhone 3G. As the WWDC approached, rumors were flying about everything from a front-side video camera for iChat to solar power panels. (Okay, the solar panels were far-fetched.) I think it’s safe to agree with John Gruber that the iPhone 3G is Apple’s big push for market share, not an attempt at a second revolution. What Gruber doesn’t say, but I am inclined to believe, is that Apple will add a higher-end iPhone product to the line at some point in the near future. They will be happy to sell tens of millions of iPhones at $199 and $299, but they also know there’s still a market for $399 and $499 iPhones with more memory and features. They would be foolish to pass that market up, so just as the iPod eventually became a line of products at different price points, so will the iPhone.

Hot WWDC News via SMS
Hopefully you already know that tomorrow is practically a holiday. That’s right, it’s the first day of the Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference, where Steve Jobs is expected to announce the new version of iPhone. Expect 3G, GPS, iChat, Solar Power and premium espresso. For those of you as brand-addicted as I am, theilife.com is providing an SMS update service for hot news during the keynote.

Cycling Photography
The changes are slim that I’ll be posting photos of myself in cycling attire, but thanks to the Fat Cyclist, I know now the art of hiding your gut while being photographed in a skin-tight cycling jersey.

Pop Phone
Seth Godin posted a YouTube video of cell phones cooking popcorn. The video’s authenticity is in question, but it’s entertaining and thought-provoking since the brain cancer/cell phone link has been back in the news.

…Finally
Last but not least, Hillary’s Fond Farewell. Senator Obama, if you’re listening, do not name Hillary your running mate unless your goal is to completely undermine the powerful brand you’ve built.

Praise the Lord, Eat a Biscuit!
Originally uploaded by JHawbaker1800

The Big Biscuit Barn has become part of the Saturday bike ride tradition for Team Green Nasty. The biscuits are truly praise-worthy, and the people are as friendly as you’d expect. We’re not sure what to think about Super Hair People.

I rode 33 miles today, and thankfully the stretch home after biscuit time was only about 4 miles. With every ride, I’m feeling stronger about my chances of surviving and even enjoying the 470 miles of RAGBRAI later this summer.

In honor of the first night of Riverbend
Originally uploaded by JHawbaker1800

For those of you outside of the Chattanooga region, Riverbend is our annual music fest dedicated primarily to country bands and has-been classic rockers. So, in honor of the mulleted masses who make downtown uninhabitable for ten days each summer, I am proudly wearing this badge of indie rock snobbery.

I’m speechless. This must be a joke: Are You Generic? It’s straight out of the Stuff White People Like playbook — hating corporations and loving t-shirts. (hat tip: Guy Kawasaki)

37Signals tells us why they skip Photoshop when developing a user interface. The reasoning behind their methodology is solid and it certainly supports their focus on usability. On the other hand, it put a spotlight on one of my few complaints about their work: the lack of visual appeal. Clean, user-focused design doesn’t have to look dull, and I’d love to see them bring as much refinement to the aesthetics as they do to the usability.

A high school classmate of mine, Joe Brown, is a locavore blogger who recently traveled to Cuba and explored their local food culture. He also confessed to what many of us have always suspected: “all academics are secretly communist.” Good to know.

And finally, it sure is nice here in Mayberry.

I’m reading Surprised by Hope, the latest book by N.T. Wright, which is about the Resurrection and how it should affect our worldview and the church’s mission on earth. I like this quote from a chapter entitled “The Strange Story of Easter.”

And the question of Jesus’s resurrection, though it may in some senses burst the boundaries of history, also remains within them; that is precisely why it is so important, so disturbing, so life-and-death. We could cope-the world could cope-with a Jesus who ultimately remains a wonderful idea inside his disciples’ minds and hearts. The world cannot cope with a Jesus who comes out of the tomb, who inaugurates God’s new creation right in the middle of the old one.