Press #6 to Hear about Sharks

I think people forget how far a bit of positive encouragement goes. It may be that it's simply too simple and we take it for granted. I've recently had a few people ask me when I will add to this blog or write something new on Facebook. That feels great. Not sure why the ask is there, but my hope is that my mix of middling observations and Duran Duran references are finding an audience.

It's also worth noting that I'm truly blessed with a job that allows me to freely write about almost anything I want so I do get most of my thoughts out. That said, I have struggled putting presentations together over the last couple of months so maybe this will help. Lots of stuff happening in my life, most of it positive and little of it for publication.

As an Account Planner, I'm finding that next to the classic Moleskine notebook, my greatest research tool is my mobile phone (currently an iPhone). I use it to make verbal notes, interview people and look things up. But the bit I use most is the camera feature. I just like documenting things. I'm finding more and more often that I'm using these images in my work. Though I do think it's important that the images not be "staged" for inclusion. I want the observations to be authentic and have scale (I can find them in other places).

What I want to do here is document some of the ones I've got banging around. It's more for me to be able to have a place to find them (with context) but perhaps you'll find them interesting. Or steal them. I don't mind.

Devin and I went walking in downtown Winslow (Bainbridge Island) one afternoon last month. Across the street from our coffee shop is this noticeboard. I love to walk by it or stare at it from the coffee shop. I don't know why. I just do. I think it's the ivy walkway it opens into or the fact it stretches around a corner. This day we walked over to tromp down the alley. I took a look at the various notices and they were what you would expect (yoga lessons, kayaks for sale, news etc...) but what I loved was how used and recent the postings were. It was really fascinating how many people had interacted with it over the last few days.

In an earlier post here I made reference to dying customs (mail, newspaper delivery etc...) but i think this is different. I think this is a reaction. Now granted, Winslow is a small town. But I can't help think that these notices, how frequented and thoughtful they are, might be a real physical expression of community that we're all missing somehow. My community is on Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter. It's in the contacts section of my phone. It's rarely my next door neighbor. Might noticeboards like this be a way for us to connect with the like-minded or the interested? By staring at it the way I do daily, am I maybe trying to get a quick read on what's happening on my island? I think i may be starting to miss real people. Anyway, I just like it. It makes me feel good.

I was having an airport breakfast with a coworker when she asked me for the sugar. This is what I handed her. I don't use sugar in my coffee. I actually like the way it tastes, but I can never get it right (same with cream) so I don't bother. It's too complicated. Add having to make the choice between 4 (!) sweeteners to the mix and I'd probably switch to tea. No real observations here except maybe that too many choices can actually drive customers a way. Oh, and we live in a really fat country (guilty) and this doesn't help. I'm sure it's perfectly normal in other countries to have this many options of sugar and sugar like objects. Anyone tried the the pink one?

I was in San Francisco last week and I counted myself on 14 different cameras before I got to the office. This image is from a Taxi. I was trying to look out the window into the bay but this sticker was stuck right in the middle of the window. Same on the other side of the seat. In fact the only window I could look out unobstructed was the front windshield. And when I did that, I was looking straight into... the... camera. Pretty clever if you ask me.

How might we limit exploration on websites or in retail in ways that drive to ultimate objective: attaining correct information or purchase? I know this is done with displays, isle width etc... but how do we quickly allow a customer to get what they want (a view of the bay) and what we want (a prolonged look into the camera)? If only I knew someone who worked in User Experience...

A couple of months ago I took Keegan to the Pacific Science Center. There was actually a model train show and he's crazy about trains so we went. But what we ended up doing was hanging out in the science center. I'd never taken him (shame) and I'd only ever been a couple times. I snapped this picture because I fell in love with how elegant the display was. You can't read it here, but it's basically showing you how large the various planets are. You've the yellow sun, so large it's filled by dozens of Saturn's. And it takes 25 earths to fill a single Saturn. It was feaking brilliant.

I love data. One of my passions at work is to try and get us to tell better stories with it. We deal with insanely complex numbers, definitions and rules. But what if we thought in shape, color and focused on contextualizing things? We'd have better meetings, happier clients and better slides. This tells a great story. It takes the big and gives it context. It also does it quickly. I love this.

I took my wolfpack to the Seattle Aquarium on a rainy Saturday not too long ago. As we readied for exploration I saw this sign. There were dozens of them. I'd used many audio tours before in museums, but this was the first one I'd seen that I used my cell phone to access. I love it. I can only imagine how much cooler these trips would have been as a kid had my parents been able to dial into a tour. Keegan and I used it. It's good. Dial it now. Really.

What I did was take snapshots of the exhibits and of these signs. Then I dropped the images into a powerpoint and printed a copy for the car. Now when the wolfpack is bothering me I dial the numbers (hands free mine you) and play the tours over the car speakers. I'm Martha Stewart like that. But seriously, tours like this are yet another use for my cell phone. I went through airport security with it last week. I got a Tweet from my Mayor on it today. Cell phones are cool.

Thanks for reading this far.