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BUG 15 Music Videos
Here are the videos (in you tube form) that were featured at BUG 15 on the 18th September at the BFI, presented by Adam Buxton. Special guest director was Tim Pope.
Coldplay - Strawberry Swing
Director: Shynola
(embedding disabled on youtube)
Lucy and the Teenage Monster - Dance Steps
Directors: David Strindberg, Johan Bring
Tiesto/Sneaky Sound System - I Will Be Here
Director: Muto Masashi
Just Jack - The Day I Died
Directors: Ben & Joe Delaney
(embedding disabled on youtube)
The Walkmen - On the Water
Director: Nir Ben Jacob
Ill Ease - Here Comes Trouble
Director: George Wu
Sour - Hibi No Neiro
Directors: Masashi Kawamura, Hal Kirkland, Magico Nakamura, Masayoshi Nakamura
Neurosonics Audiomedical
Director: Chris Cairns
Major Lazer - Pon the Floor
Director: Eric Wareheim
The Hickey Underworld - Blonde Fire
Director: Joe Vanhoutteghem
Many of the Tim Pope videos are available on his website.
User Twesting
Those clever folks at ASOS are at it again. It’s little wonder that everyone in the online fashion retail space is looking to them for innovation.
I noticed this message pop into my twitter stream…
A little investigation found the original question…
And some of the replies…
It’s not a formal card sorting by any means, but if you want some quick & dirty user feedback it’s a great idea.
Awards
I just realised I’ve been nominated for an Irish Blog Award which is very flattering. I’m in the Best Newcomer category which also has some great people. I’ve no expectation of winning but it’s always lovely to discover that people are listening, and perhaps even enjoying occasionally. Best of luck to all the nominees.
e-Service that’s badly in need of energising
So I’ve been looking at the web offerings in the utilities sector lately and I’ve been amazed at how bad their e-service is.
You have to wonder why when the benefits of providing good customer service online are so huge
- When people self serve (i.e. solve their own problems) they feel a sense of accomplishment. You get happy customers.
- When people self serve they don’t call up your call centre. You get fewer calls to your call centre. You have to hire fewer people to answer calls (particularly the more trivial ones). You reduce costs. Is there any company in the world right now that doesn’t want to reduce costs?
- When you allow customers to access their accounts online you don’t have to send out thousands millions of bills out every month.
- When you invest in technology such as smart meters you don’t have to employ meter readers to go round checking the meter and disturbing people in their homes. Again with the cost reduction. You also stop overcharging people with estimated bills, and give people tools to help cut their energy costs.
BUT yes to allow people to do these things will require some investment. However the potential ROI is huge. Sure it’s not in income but in cost reduction and less obvious aspects like customer satisfaction which will reduce customers switching.
There’s a huge gap in the stagnant UK market for a big retail brand to swoop in and disrupt the marketplace with a very competitive offering. Tesco Energy? Virgin Energy? Companies that specialise in disrupting sectors dominated by monolithic organisations.
In Ireland where the energy sector has only recently been deregulated, ESB the incumbant is hemoraging customers at a rate of 1000 a month to Energia who have come in with a great online service offering on top of simply being cheaper. They’ve used the Resource Kraft product to let people visualise their usage and spending in detail, and while their help section isn’t great (British Gas deserves an honourable mention in this department), they have nice touches like their request a call service.
Time for the big boys to do something about it or just watch their customers drift away in drip and drabs and droves eventually.
Facebook and the Recession
Coincidence?
Sure, the timelines may be different, but it’s pretty eerie. Clearly the only explanation is that in a recession people use widgets less.
Thanks to Stuart King for the inspiration and FTSE image.
Online Video Players
I’ve been doing a bit of research into online video players. Looking into the various controls that are used.
I made some videos of the interactions of these controls which can be viewed on my screencast account. They do take a while to download as the files are quite big.
In terms of features I really like the Div X player from Scene6; I particularly like how the your screen dims except for the video you’re currently viewing.
Another special moment was discovering that the BBC iPlayer volume controls go up to 11.
Horribly Good
What does a great TV and film writer like Joss Whedon do during a writers strike?
Write something for internet distribution instead.
I expect this to be a massive viral hit from the writer of Firefly and Buffy. It features Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, as Dr Horrible a up and coming supervillain makes his way in the world - through song.
Usability Challenge 2008
Usability Challenge 2008 is a pretty simple idea. On the 1st August…
1. Find a usability problem - it could be a poorly designed toaster, a confusing or redundant letter from your bank, or even a problem with your experience boarding, flying and disembarking an aeroplane.2. Design a solution - solve the usability problem, and write your solution down, sketch it up or (if you’re feeling particularly keen) make a quick prototype of the improved product/service.3. Share it with a person who can solve the problem by implementing your solution - write to the toaster designer, call your bank manager, or talk to a stewardess. Hand him/her your idea. Encourage them to implement it. Be persuasive!
A Geological Srvey of the World of Warcraft
[viddler id=a10494c4&h=370&w=437]
This was one of my favourite talks from Interesting 2008. A very interesting talk about physics in World of Warcraft. Dave Funcky Pancake poked some holes in his applications of the special theory of relativity (or is it the general theory, I can never remember - the one about time and space - are they both about time and space?)