I worked on in-running betting/gaming applications for live TV sport many years ago. The notion was probably ahead of it's time and the technology to support it simply didn't exist.
It does now.
Full marks to AKQA and their Heineken Star Player app, they've turned on the game layer and connectedness to full effect using the second screen for Champions League football.
We've dissed Heineken in the past on these pages, but they are spot on this time.
via contagious mag
Ken Robinson on Passion from The School of Life on Vimeo.
I remember this film from art school days many years ago.
I thought about it again just a few weeks ago, then lo and behold it turns up.
Synchronicity or something.
Thanks to crying all the way to the chip shop (via it's nice that)
See also johnsmithfilms
Again I have to say, I wish I was a Radiohead fan.
Here's the message that fans have been sent with a link to a free digital download of two tracks that appeared in the limited edition vinyl pressing that the band issued in support of Independent Record Shop Day earlier this month. 
Note: 'This is not part of a new loyalty points scheme, a Radiohead clubcard or even an air miles redeemable reward type thing...
It is just a big old-fashioned thank you.'
The Boat's favourite micro-brewery, BrewDog (of Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Punk IPA repute)are back with a special limited-edition beer to mark the forthcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th.
The beer, Royal Virility Performance contains aphrodisiacs Viagra, chocolate and Horny Goat Weed.
James Watt co-founder of BrewDog says:
“With this beer we want to take the wheels off the royal wedding bandwagon being jumped on by dozens of breweries; The Royal Virility Performance is the perfect antidote to all the hype. A beer should be brewed with a purpose, not just because some toffs are getting married.”
The craft ale will cost £10 per bottle, with all proceeds going to the charity for young homeless, Centrepoint, and will only be available to buy from the BrewDog.com website on the day of the wedding.
'Arise, Prince Willy'.
The story goes that some stuff happened one day which delayed the preparation of a dinner being hosted for a Soto Zen master, Fukai, and his followers.
Ina hurry the chef went to out to the vegetable garden with his knife and quickly cut some green vegetables, chopped them together and made some soup.
What he failed to notice was that he had accidentally chopped a part of a snake into the vegetables and ergo into the soup.
Anyway, the guests ate up the soup, and enjoyed it.
But when Fukai, the master found the snake's head in his bowl, he summoned the chef.
'What the **** is this?' he demanded, holding up the head of the snake.
'Oh, thank you, master,' replied the cook, taking the snakes head and eating it quickly.
Another perspective on eating one's own dogfood.
Even the most mundane of tasks or experiences becomes more interesting with the addition of a game layer.
In this case it's the London Transport Oyster card that's the key.
'Chromaroma takes your travel data and makes it into a game where every journey counts in a competition for the city.'
A bit like Foursquare on steroids.
I also like the philosophy of creators Mudlark;
'...building ways to create entertaining games from the data we create and leave behind without noticing.'
Data-Wombles.
In Melbourne we have the Myki travel pass.
There's actually little reason for daily commuters to purchase a Myki over a regular season ticket. In fact it's more useful for occasional travellers.
Over to you Metlink.
HT and finders fee to our man Mark Gretton.
Everyone has a story that they tell over a few beers. Everyone has at least one tale that gets a little taller each time it's told.
And chances are, if they're in that story, then every time they tell it, they become a bigger hero.
We asked Carlton Dry fans to tell us their tall stories, and promised to make a film out of one of them, with the role of 'you' played by Steven Seagal.
Here it is. Sheep Impact.
Starring Steven Seagal as Paul Wieland from New South Wales.
The latest installment in the Converse 'create culture so you don't have to pay to interrupt it' branded content strategy.
'Desire' is the track, featuring Graham Coxon of Blur, Paloma Faith and ex-The Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones.
It rocks.
In an unrelated incident I mentioned the other day, on Charlie's blog I think, that I do not need to understand the inner workings and mechanics of the car in order to drive it.
I put in the key, turn it and step on the pedal.
It works.
To the same token we don't need to understand the inner workings of the internet to know that it works.
It just does.
Not even Eric Schmidt understands it, as illustrated by this much quoted quote.
But if it's simply experiments in anarchy that's still good enough for me.
Among the exhibits at Old Melbourne Gaol, home of the Ned Kelly Story and one of Melbourne's prime tourist attractions, is a pair of leather gloves.
These items are akin to a sort of 'flat' boxing glove.
These gloves were applied to prisoners to keep them out of mischief during those long solitary hours in their cell.
Interestingly this exhibit is on loan from the Sheriff's office.
Presumably the Sheriff has now mastered the art of self-control or the pressure of increased administration duties has had an impact on his leisure time.
The key words in this nugget from 'controversial' (ie interesting) novelist Salman Rushdie being retell, rethink, deconstruct and change.
'Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives - the power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change - truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts.'
And in the context of agile planning...(thanks again @madebymany)
- Collaboration & conversation over strategy decks & documentation
- Seeking simplicity of purpose over 'sacred' consumer insights
- Test hypotheses over long-winded research & deduction
- Respond to change over following a plan
Of course, being agile has to include the possibility of failure.
In the course of eating his own dogfood legend has it that the hapless Salman thought it was a good idea to charge money from his then-wife Padma Lakshmi for proofing one of her screenplays.
Needless to say she very soon arranged for herself to be the ex-Mrs Rushdie.
Them's the breaks. Test and learn...
Some of you may have noticed a slight borked-ness in the Twelevision programme guide data feed over the weekend.
This is because the Twelevision robots got confused by the clocks changing for daylight saving in some Australian states.
It’s hardly surprising the robots got confused, it’s hard enough for humans to understand.
Some states change some states don’t.
The upshot is, if you downloaded the app between Thursday and Saturday last week then your programme guide data will probably be out of sync.
The simple way to fix this is to re-install the app.
Firstly, delete the app from your ipad.
Hold your finger on the icon for the Twelevision application until the icon begins to shake or wiggle.
Tap the "X" in the upper left hand corner of the icon.
When prompted, touch Delete.
Next delete the app from your Library.
To do this, start iTunes and under the Library category click on the Apps section.
You will now be at a screen that shows all of the apps installed in the iTunes library and on your computer's hard drive.
Select the Twelevision app icon and hit delete.
Then go back to App store and download and reinstall Twelevision onto your ipad.
Job done.
The next release of Twelevision will have this problem fixed so you won’t ever have to do this again when the clocks change.
Sorry about that.
If you've got an hour or so then here's Gary Vaynerchuck's keynote from the RE/MAX Convention in Las Vegas. Gary's talk is a slice of the content from his new book 'The Thank You Economy'.
If you've only got 57 seconds then try this on for size.
'...if you don’t care, no one will'
Another interesting use for second screen alongside TV. This time an insurance ad from Belgium for Axa Home insurance using QR technology to add the interactivity/immersion.
Having said that, QR codes could be potentially headed for the trough of disillusionment. Google have quietly phased out support for QR Codes from the Google Places service, replacing them with, invisible, near-field communication (NFC) chips.
HT to 2Dcode.
