February 2009
6 posts
5 tags
What an advocate looks like, disgruntled edition
The Tropicana orange-juice carton never struck me as an iconic package, like the Coca-Cola bottle or even the Heinz Ketchup bottle. (I’m guessing you can picture both of those without a photo, but needed the photo at right to remind you of what the classic Tropicana carton looks like.) However, for the Tropicana true believers, the orange with the straw sticking out of it was iconic — and...
4 tags
Putting a price on a good story
I ran some calculations last week, and determined that at least in one situation, a good story is worth $12. My wife had been openly drooling over red patent-leather Dansko clogs for months, eyeing them wistfully whenever we went past the Walking Company, professing her love for these hand-made shoes, and declaring her intent to own a pair “someday.” Being the attentive listener (read: I can take...
4 tags
When the story everybody knows is the problem
What story do you tell yourself when you hear “urban drug dealer”? Do you imagine a blinged-out thug driving an SUV with tinted windows and spinning rims? What story do you tell yourself about the most effective way to deal with urban drug markets? Do you think about armed police breaking down doors and making undercover buys to nab dealers? If so, you’re not alone. But according to David Kennedy,...
What an advocate looks like
“Excuse me,” the man said. I was pecking at my laptop in a Jacksonville Starbucks, earbuds in. I looked up. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just have one question and then I’ll let you get back to work.” Maybe it’s because I was in the South (and being in north Florida, Jacksonville actually is the South; most of the chatter I heard in that Starbucks that morning had a drawl), or maybe it was just...
3 tags
Coffee: A love story
Christoph Niemann’s Abstract City Blog post from Monday, I LEGO N.Y., was the most emailed story on the New York Times website early this week. Using only LEGOs and a few scribbled words and labels to identify the sculptures, Niemann cleverly captured images of New York City in a few simple plastic blocks. My favorite is this one:
Speaking of coffee, Niemann’s previous blog post,...
4 tags
Software doesn’t have to be a pain in the ass
Basecamp, the simple, subscription-based project management software application from 37signals, turned 5 yesterday. I know this because act3 uses Basecamp, and at the top of our Basecamp homepage yesterday was a notice about Basecamp’s birthday, with a link to the story about how Basecamp was born.
Even though it’s a story about software, the Basecamp story is incredibly personal...