State Of The Brand | A weekly discussion of how branding affects the world around you.: Census Bureau: Blinded by the White

State Of The Brand | A weekly discussion of how branding affects the world around you.: Census Bureau: Blinded by the White

Happy snow days. Be careful. Have fun. Take care. Enjoy your holidays.

Happy Holidays and Safe Travels

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday. No big technology stuff today, and no predictions for the future. Just a bit of humor that any of you who travel by air, either for work or pleasure, might enjoy.

This is Brian Regan, who is one of the better clean comedians you'll find. You can see more about him at http://www.brianregan.com.

Privacy & Text Messages

Are text mesages sent on company devices private? The Star/Trib reported that The Supreme Court will decide whether employees have an expectation of privacy for the text messages they send on devices owned by their employers. The case they will be looking at involves the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches. So until the case is heard and a decision is made (even after a decision is made) - use some common sense when tweeting, texting or using any communication device. Remember, once it's out there - it's out there.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

This is the time of the year that geeks like me get the opportunity to hear from some industry experts as they talk about the new year and what it will bring as it relates to technology.

BusinessWeek sat down with Mark Anderson, Publisher of the Strategic News Service, and asked him what was coming up for the new year (full interview video is below). Some of the key points he makes?

• All content is becoming mobile, and financially meaningful. He specifically notes that people are willing to pay for things on phones they are not willing to pay for on their PC. Everything being done needs to be reviewed for how it can be used on the phone.
• The winners in the phone / PC wars are the people who are able to provide an integrated user experience between both.
• Cloud computing will have something happen to it that will shake people's trust in its delivery and/or security.
  
• In the Newsmedia arena, Vendors should prepare to charge for things that they believe have high value, and conversely, customers should prepare to pay for things that have high value to them.

I don't really care how right or wrong he is, because to me that isn't the fun stuff. The fun stuff is how it gets me thinking about the opportunities which may become available in 2010 - opportunities that we can utilize to strengthen our organizations.

What a wonderful time of year.

Remarkable

Every now and then, I see something that I find remarkable. Sometimes, it's the message behind an advertisement on television. Other times, it's something so unexpected that I have no idea how a person could think it up (Warning - this second clip contains simulated violence against humans and legos).

During a random discussion about technology in 2010, I was sent a video that I would call remarkable. Pranav Mistry is an MIT graduate student and he has invented something he calls SixthSense. Still in its infancy, SixthSense is a wearable device that allows for interaction between data and objects in the physical world. Watch it...and see what you think.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Good thing cuz we have Holiday Party on 12/11. Wall of Wine proceeds will benefit MN Military Family Foundation. MSAE