Disqus - Friends of aisoon

Re: Acela Express

Rik Wuts — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:36:19 -0000

Will, indeed high speed trains are a great way to travel and much more relaxed than flying. But when disaster strikes, the troubles easily match those of flying; I vividly remember being transferred while on a trip home from Berlin, from the ICE to a train old enough to have taken the first settlers to the harbour, therewith effectively doubling the time of transit. It wasn't too comfortable either.

Re: ‘No Game’ – The Secret Society of Men With NO GAME

Rik Wuts — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 05:43:05 -0000

Howard, If you were to read 'the Game', I'm sure you would find that the main characters are a right bunch of nuts and losers, but it's a fun read otherwise. I hope to god some of it is made up. Otherwise, be prepared to find your son prancing around in make-up and purple clothes ;-)

Re: My Yahoo Plan as CEO….YApple!

Rik Wuts — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:13:56 -0000

Hahahaha. Insane, and yet so refreshing :)

Re: What is new marketing?

Rik Wuts — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:14:21 -0000

It it really an illusion? If so, shouldn't the purpose be to ACTUALLY
make them part of building something great?

Re 'the market for something to believe in is infinite' etc...

Re: What is new marketing?

Rik Wuts — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:54:15 -0000

Because i think that brands might need to realise that branding is not
about them but about the user. So what marketing should accomplish is
enable people to fulfill their own purpose, not fit within the
confines set by a 'brand'. To me, 'creating an illusion' is old
marketing. New marketing has something to do with giving users
something to talk about and then stepping aside.

Re: 2009….Year of the GRUDGE?

Rik Wuts — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:30:29 -0000

Yes! Like you said in the Dam, it's about ideas and filters. I love that thought.

Re: Stocktwits Closes its Series A a/k/a Building a Long Tail Meritocracy

Rik Wuts — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:10:47 -0000

Great work guys! Eager to see where you'll take this!

Re: Design as a strategic resource

Rik Wuts — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:07:09 -0000

Funny you should bring that up, I think an important issue in this
discussion is in defining the 'dimensions' of design. Rational vs.
emotional is very middle of the road, broadly appliccable, doesn't add
much. Technology vs. art is much more in the right direction, but I
would personally not put art and technology on the same scale, because
if design is about interactions and meaning, then the connection it
makes from technology does not lead to art, but something more narrow,
tangible. purpose? use? something like that, I'm not sure but art does
not feel quite right.

So, there, whole new discussion to be had. I think you're spot on in
your 'placement' of meaning, it's the central thing to good design.

Re: Mobile In/Mobile Out

Rik Wuts — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:48:13 -0000

I think a big problem for all this sharing and tagging etc. is that the same content gets saved and stored and sent around forever. Somehow filtering out the duplicates would make the whole reading experience even more valued - especially on mobile devices. (Why? Think of all the posts you see on a given day rehashing the same bit of news.)

So if you and I are reading the same book, but I don't know you, I should still be able to find and use your quote from tumblr or whatever without too much work. That way the really useful stuff will float to the top and we will be back to the situation where links were some sort of currency. And the reader will have to do a lot less filtering and such, it will be a more natural experience.

Re: Innovation vs. transformation

Rik Wuts — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:27:27 -0000

Haha, well at least the bunch of comments led him to write a new post
clarifying his point.

I agree that doing is more important than academic babble, but at the
same time I think this discussion is about the handles for doing:
transformation has different/more tools than innovation.

Re: Design as a strategic resource

Rik Wuts — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:29:11 -0000

Love that, very insightful.

Re: Avoiding The Big Yellow Taxi Moment

Rik Wuts — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:46:18 -0000

I think the most viable model, though only attainable for a small number of people, will be where the blog lends the writer credibility and a body of work/knowledge to write a book which in turn (if successful) leads to speaking and consulting work that actually pays the writer decent money. In the long term the book could come out of that equation but short term I think not.

Re: What If Your Model Is Wrong?

Rik Wuts — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:49:53 -0000

It's easy to forget when you're at the fast front end of a movement that the rest of the world isn't going so fast. 'yesterday' and the complementary 'tomorrow' aren't very useful in this respect: although the world has changed it's unlikely the entire rulebook should go out of the window overnight.
Let's not forget that economics is a science about human behaviour first and foremost, and as Hugh Macleod said: "Technology changes, humans don't". So while Keynesian (Friedman-ian?) economics in the most rigid sense might not be fully applicable as a solution to this current crisis, the ideas that it is based on surely are. So we may need to change the tactics, but depending on whose side you're on, the basic idea is not going to change all that much. And certainly not in the span of mere months that this crisis has been going on.

Re: Nalden on NALDEN.net

Rik Wuts — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:32:19 -0000

Yeah, sorry about that. We're not entirely sure how it happened.

Re: Redesigning A User Interface In The Open

Rik Wuts — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:19:55 -0000

Wowsa, good call! I hope ideo will be equally open about the evaluation of this process, lots to be learned from this!

Re: Inaugurapalooza

Rik Wuts — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:30:22 -0000

I'd not looked at it this way, but you're absolutely right. This would have been an amazing opportunity to ostensibly turn things into a new direction. Maybe what's missing in Obama's inner circle is some conceptual, non-political thinkers. People who can take an idea or a situation and turn it upside down....

Re: Twitter….What Would You Pay?

Rik Wuts — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:11:54 -0000

Twitter or FB. But both seem to have a problem to come up withenough revenue to support these valuations. I'll steer clear of cumbersome comparisons between the two but it would seem that twitters demographic makes it more likely for revenues other than ads to exist.

Re: Change Your Mind

Rik Wuts — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:41:17 -0000

The book is amazing as well!

Re: The World is Upside Down…Seriously

Rik Wuts — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:14:26 -0000

Why not make bailed out exec pay 100% contingent on the money they make for the taxpayer? LONG TERM etc.

Re: Latitude

Rik Wuts — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:15:18 -0000

DANG – Just tried to put in on my iPhone, but get a 'coming soon'. Sounds like a very useful feature.

Re: Latitude

Rik Wuts — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:44:25 -0000

Cool, I'l be looking forward to that.

I've just added you.

Re: Ok, I’ve had it.

Rik Wuts — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:02:23 -0000

I think you're partly right - to me it seems not so much insecurity but rather smugness that drives a lot of people to their views on design. Philip Starck is a notable example of that.

As for starting a business, the point I hope you will take away is that it's better to make something happen that will show people the power of design, rather than engage in meaningless banter. Rebelling within an existing corporate culture, building steadily but surely at a base of comrades is also a good move.

The most delightful business related advice that I ever read is 'don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness afterwards', and is–ironically–also from Seth Godin.

Re: Ok, I’ve had it.

Rik Wuts — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:04:36 -0000

That's a lovely point Ralf, "Design' without any clear objectives and variables (aka 'process') to be measured is simply 'Art."

But still, we should not want people to 'do design any favours' but just prove that it works by practicing the ideas and making great things happen. Actions speak louder than words etc.

Re: Creative entrepreneurs survive crisisses

Rik Wuts — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:08:25 -0000

I think you guys should read Richard's latest book (if you haven't already):
business stripped bare (
http://www.play.com/Books/B...
ml)

Great read and it covers exactly the things you're discussing.

To spoil a bit of the fun, he acknowledges that he's been lucky, but also
says that 'luck favors the prepared', basically saying that working your ass
off and paying attention sort of helps you get lucky :)

Reminds me of a great comment Mark Cuban made recently (I can't find the
link), basically insinuating that if he was so lucky to do Broadcast.com and
other great deals, that he will continue to be 'lucky' and that it is in
fact about being good at what you do and working bloody hard.

Re: Building creative business

Rik Wuts — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:52:44 -0000

Sorry for the tardy response. Anyhoos, I was not necessarily referring to a situation where you're a consultant first and a 'creative entrepreneur' second.

The point is that the skills that designers have are very much applicable to the process of conceiving and setting up a good business. That taking full advantage of something like design thinking, it has to be built in the core of the company, not poured on at a later stage.

I fully agree with what you say about NPK, but it just goes to prove the point I was trying to make: dedicate the people, use your skills and leverage partnerships (= outsource everything else).
No?