Here’s an article on Basement.org that talks about how Video iPods are cool but not useful. It draws on the Nielsen study that says that video use on iPods is very low.

I personally can never imagine spending more time than it takes to cast a cursory glance to view a video on the video iPod. Especially not for interesting content – I might use it to view some lectures from Stanford [ where the audio is important than the video and the only reason I might view the video is because there might be a PowerPoint presentation in the background ].

I own a U2 edition, 20 GB, black and white audio iPod.

As human beings, the most resisted aspect of life is change. As an organization, the most resisted aspect of “business-life” is innovation because innovation brings about change. If change and innovations [ and by innovation here I mean innovation in the organizational processes and management and not product-innovation ] are to be introduced successfully in life and in the organization, to minimize the resistance, the most logical thing to do would be to introduce it step-by-step and slowly.

But contrast that with someone trying to quit an addiction [ for example ]. For them each day without the addictive substance is a small victory and a huge change as compared to their previously addiction-filled life. There is debate whether it is better to quit smoking in one go or to start reducing the intake one cigarette at a time. I personally believe that it is better to completely cut out the cigarette intake – the first week/month might be full of tough withdrawal symptoms but the problem is more likely to be cured. But what if I switch the addiction from smoking to drugs? Quitting drugs overnight is not only not recommended, specialized care is also needed for people addicted to various kinds of drugs.

Depending on the kind of innovation that an organization is going in for, they could either do it by themselves or they could hire someone to work with them. It could either be picking a thorn out of the organization’s foot or it could require a sophisticated heart and brain surgery. Either ways, it’s better to have help and professional help at that.

Since the subject of Innovation is extremely subjective and no two cases are the same, a great contribution to the growth of Innovation Practice would be documented case studies detailing the peculiarities of each case.

I have also now managed to launch my personal blog and website at www.nainaredhu.com where the main aim is to create awareness about my art [ which would fall under the category of Indian contemporary art since I'm in India ] and hopefully create a market for the same.

Hiring for the following requirements: [ these requirements are for the web development company that belongs to a friend of mine ]

• Java — someone who is a pro with Java Velocity. This is for a ongoing offshore setup where we are upgrading the site for a client.
• PHP — freshers with an experience in PHP (if they did a course or did a project in final year MCA using PHP+MySQL). Money will be more if the person has a good amount of practical knowledge.
• PHP+MySQL — person with 1-1.5 years of experience.
• PHP+MySQL+Linux —- same as number 2 above but with a smattering of Linux administration khow (yeah this one is the designer drug). This guy is required to do the support work for an application and needs to be fast on the uptake, polished wrt email writing and reasonably good with the tech.

This small-time company’s been growing like crazy and he’s in a rush to hire because of the project load. All the jobs are based in Mumbai, India.

Please e-mail your CV’s to khanimtiaz @ gmail . com

“Basically, everyone said we were crazy,” recalls Zeitz (CEO of Puma). “But if you want to change the industry and do something completely new and innovate, research is a bad tool because all you will get fed back is perception today and not tomorrow.”

“I always describe working for Puma as, ‘They give you all the rope in the world to hang yourself with,’” chuckles Bertone (Brand Director of Puma). “Your job? Don’t hang yourself.”

Paula Scher : When you’re feeling stale, she says, the best thing you can do to shake things up is to “look at what you’ve been doing for the past five years–and stop. The thing that’s most to be feared is doing the same thing over and over again.”

Most organizations, she says, rely on a process of checks and balances to ensure that the design adheres to some particular corporate strategy–that’s the language MBAs understand. Trouble is, graphic design is inherently subjective. Who can say that one font is quantifiably better than another, or that one shade of Pantone green will lead inevitably to the destruction of your brand? Without a passionate advocate, a strong initial design may be nibbled away by bureaucrats, each eager to prove his worth with a tweak here and a nip there. Scher’s ability to persuade, she realized, rested on two things: “I would have to be perceived, first, as an absolute authority, and second, as the most powerful person to approach about design.

The above from the latest version of FastCompany articles (1) on Puma, (2) on Paula Scher and (3) on Ziba Design.

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