Restless Creativity

May 5, 2013

New Wheels

After riding around last year on a Canadian Tire special, I decided this would be the year I purchase a real bike (i.e. not from a department store).

Given my minimal knowledge of bikes, I’ll admit it was a bit intimidating to walk into a store and know almost nothing about the products on display. But, after much hemming and hawing, a few days research, and a fruitless trip to Calgary’s annual Bike Swap, I eventually decided on the Trek 7.2 FX.

I could feel the difference immediately. The Trek is fast, smooth, and light – everything my previous bike was not. In the week since my purchase, I’ve spent time on the bike each day.

I always look forward to riding it, and the more I ride, the more I want to keep riding – clearly the sign of a great bike. :)

My new wheels

May 2, 2013

Karma Wi-Fi

A brilliant little 4G hotspot, Karma is a tiny little device that rewards you for sharing your Internet connection with others.

 It’s not unusual for a bold coffee shop patron to ask his partner for a MiFi password. Karma just makes it a palatable process for the less bold and a profitable one for the carrier.  – Fast Company

I’d keep an eye on these guys… It looks like something that could turn a (admittedly small) market on its head.

April 29, 2013

The Changing Face of News Coverage

I’ve been reading some of the media self-reflection following the breakdown news coverage during the Boston bomber situation. In the past, these kinds of articles would hail new media as the saviour. But in Boston, both sides had their fair share of embarrassing gaffes.

Breaking news is broken. That’s the clearest lesson you can draw about the media from the last week, when both old- and new-media outlets fell down on the job.

For me, one of the most effective means of following the tragedy was a live blog put up by the National Post. The writers pulled from all credible news channels equally, embedding tweets, photos, links, iPhone videos, and commentary. Each update was appropriately sourced with backlinks, so you could follow the events more directly if you wanted.

The updates from the reddit community used a remarkably similar system, where ongoing updates were filtered through users who were in the know. And on Twitter, there were also worthwhile updates, provided you knew who to follow.

When these kinds of events unfold, we need editors just as much as we need reporters. Editors can tell us what to believe, and perhaps just as important – they can tell us who to trust.

April 23, 2013

Pizza Hut Launches Xbox App

Available today.

Microsoft and Pizza Hut have partnered up to launch a pioneer app for Xbox Live that will allow users to order from the chain’s menu directly through their Xbox 360.

This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this either (see  /pizza.) Talk about a PR goldmine.

April 21, 2013

It’s Time to Get Weird

A great nod to the fans (and their sometimes crazy antics) who make the NHL playoffs so much fun.

April 21, 2013

Achieving a Great User Experience

UX Matters writes about what it takes for marketers, product teams, and managers to create great user experiences:

Think of UX management as a closed-loop system, in which the organization influences the product team, the team members influence the solution they create, which then influences the organization, determining what new solutions they’ll create.

Worth putting in your Instapaper queue to read later.

April 18, 2013

No. 34