michael mccomb

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27 Mar 2011

Branded Data: Visualizing the Internet's Future
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With the increasing amount of data being generated on the Internet, and the mind-boggling ways data is being visualized and presented, there's also the increasing risk that the data is being carefully "managed". We've all seen Hans Rosling's staggering data visualizations that make you see history and development in entertaining and informative new ways. In a recent post by Dominic Basulto, there's a warning that the way data is being stored and shaped by organizations and companies may lead to wonderfully engaging visualizations that have a distinctly slanted perspective. He writes, "Data, in other words, can be "branded": This latest data visualization on global warming has been brought to you by..."
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13 Nov 2010

Are you working the workarounds or working the system?
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Although I am very much not a software developer, I am familiar with the ideas of code patches and workarounds that just get things done. Of course these shortcuts are inevitable as time, resources and complexity force developers to do what they need to do to hit deadlines and ship, with the idea they they will go back and sort things out in interim releases. Too often, however, they don't go back and fix the system. Some software remains full of these workarounds and jerry-rigs, so much so that they come to define it. Over time the system itself becomes a patchwork of shortcuts and temporary fixes and therefore demands more costly space, processing and back-end service. The ability to connect with other programs, hardware and functionality becomes constrained and difficult. Developers then begin to see their job as "working the workarounds" rather than spending their valuable time creating more customer-centric features and other innovations that sit on top of properly built code. Naturally this becomes cultural and over time you have policies and systems that form around these workarounds, further reinforcing them. Then, attracting talented developers will be tough as they will sniff out quickly what their opportunity (or lack thereof) will be. Customers soon catch on as well, thus completing the cycle. The challenge for any developer (or manager) is to step back and look at what you are spending your time and effort working on. Are you working the workarounds or are you working the system?
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3 May 2010

It’s Better To Fix Problems Than To Prevent Them
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I was discussing a particularly vexing circumstance with a friend recently. He was describing his attempt to gain consensus from different divisions within his client’s company to agree on a plan of action that he had proposed. The trouble was that there were divisions who appeared very insistent that nothing be done for fear of making mistakes. Without strong leadership in the situation, the process remained somewhat convoluted and ultimately un-ambitious. It made me think about the role of leadership and management as either (1) promoting getting something done, moving things forward, producing…or (2) considering, minimizing risk and preventing errors. So I Googled. I found a quote by Ed Catmull of Pixar, a rather productive and creative company, who has a certain point of view that’s a bit different. “The notion that you’re trying to control the process and prevent error screws things up. We all know the saying 'it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission'. And everyone knows that, but I think there is a corollary: "If everyone is trying to prevent error, it screws things up. It’s better to fix problems than to prevent them'. And the natural tendency for managers is to try and prevent error and over plan things.” And speaking of over-planning, it’s often called “Decisioneering” which is the over-engineering of a simple decision because you can. In fact by using Decisioneering often the event that drove the decision point is over, closed out and has expired by the time the Decisioneered solution has been finalized. (from Urban Dictionary) For example:

“A committee of analysts commenced a Decisioneering process on how to best go about killing a fly. They considered using a flyswatter, as well as researching, proposing, socializing, re-researching, re-proposing, many other ideas. In the end they decisioneered an elaborate, well researched, and effective Rube Goldberg device. Only then did they notice that the fly had left the room.”
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19 Apr 2010

How An AIDS Vaccine Might Work Revealed In Beautiful Animation
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Graphics and animation company XVIVO does fascinating, beautiful and meaningful work that helps audiences see medical information in revealing new ways. A recent example was done for the International AIDs Vaccine Initiative which shows, in immersive graphics, how a vaccine might work at the cellular level. Their animations and illustrations are done for institutes, corporations, museums and other organizations. Their brand line "knowledge through vision" is spot on as they deliver on it - you feel you know more about how the vaccine, device or disease operates by seeing it brought to life visually. It also motivates and helps promote causes. The better you can communicate on a number of levels, the better chance you have of getting your desired outcome. So with the AIDS vaccine demonstration, here is a link to donate.
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27 Mar 2010

Sell Ivory Stocks And Make A Difference
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Ivory. The ban on the sale of ivory has not really had the dramatic impact on poaching of elephants that was desired. Further, there are enormous stockpiles of ivory gained from raids on poachers. The conundrum - what to do with all the ivory? Many have seen the broadcast images of giant piles of tusks lit ablaze, drama indeed. On the one hand, destroying the stocks prevents it from going to market and sends a clear signal of futility to the poachers. On the other hand, getting all that ivory to the market would reduce prices of illegal ivory and would make poacher's lives harder. But how to sell it and who gains? One sensible approach is to monitor and provide central oversight on selling the stockpiles at fair market value, and putting the proceeds back to the artisan villages and, more importantly, back to the families of the wildlife offers on the front lines fighting the poachers. They need much more funding to prevent corruption. Research and other conservation efforts, such as an elephant DNA bank, could also be funded.
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21 Mar 2010

Art Changes The Face Of Nuclear Power Station
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[From Weburbanist] Regardless of how you feel about nuclear power, the architecture of the familiar hypberboloid cooling tower associated with nuclear power is instantly recognizable and undeniably fascinating. These towers stand like silent sentinels, guarding their power stations or simply creating a small spot of interest on the landscape. Many nuclear power stations which have been demolished have left behind their cooling towers, often because it is expensive and complicated to destroy them in a safe manner.

(image via: Wikipedia)
At least one nuclear power plant is taking strides to warm the public to its presence. The Cruas Nuclear Power Station in France commissioned artist Jean-Marie Pierret to create a giant mural on a cooling tower; the mural was finished in 2005 and focuses on the interplay of water and air.

(image via: Gregor Rohrig)
Maybe the most well-known decorated cooling towers in the world are those at the decommissioned Orlando Power Station in Soweto, South Africa. After supplying coal-powered electricity to the area for more than half a century, the plant was shut down in 1998. The cooling towers remain, though – one now sports a huge advertisement, and the other is home to the largest mural painting in South Africa. In addition to being one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area, the site is home to bungee and BASE jumping, a power swing, and various other thrill-seeking attractions.
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19 Mar 2010

Vespa scooter given new life as super-cool office chairs
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There are brands that just resonate and Vespa is one of them. You can hear the engine as it spins through romantic little streets of Rome. These venerable little slices of history get abused and would end up in the heap if it weren't for Bel&Bel design who are recycling them into way cool office chairs. The biggest problem is what color and if you want lights or not... See all the models here
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15 Mar 2010

Reverse Graffiti - scrubbing walls clean for design
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Graffiti is one of the most controversial art forms out there since it defaces public property – but what if graffiti artists actually cleaned up the walls they tagged up by etching their sketches into the grime that already exists on them? The delightful process, called reverse graffiti or “scrubbing” isn’t new – we’ve written about it hereand here before – but awesome examples of it keep popping up. Case in point: one band of students in Durban, South Africa who’ve been gracing spaces with works of the subversive street art form in their area. [Inhabitat]
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3 Feb 2010

Random rules for ideas worth spreading (From Seth)
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From Seth Godin's blog If you've got an idea worth spreading, I hope you'll consider this random assortment of rules. Like all rules, some are made to be broken, but still... - You can name your idea anything you like, but a google-friendly name is always better than one that isn't. - Don't plan on appearing on a reality show as the best way to launch your idea. - Waiting for inspiration is another way of saying that you're stalling. - You don't wait for inspiration, you command it to appear. - Don't poll your friends. It's your art, not an election. - Never pay a non-lawyer who promises to get you a patent. - Avoid powerful people. Great ideas aren't anointed, they spread through a groundswell of support. - Spamming strangers doesn't work. Spamming friends doesn't work so well either, but it's certainly better than spamming strangers. - The hard part is finishing, so enjoy the starting part. - Powerful organizations adore the status quo, so expect no help from them if your idea challenges the very thing they adore. - Figure out how long your idea will take to spread, and multiply by 4. - Be prepared for the Dip. - Seek out apostles, not partners. People who benefit from spreading your idea, not people who need to own it. - Keep your overhead low and don't quit your day job until your idea can absorb your time. - Think big. Bigger than that. - Are you a serial idea-starting person? If so, what can you change to end that cycle? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person. - Try not to confuse confidence with delusion. - Prefer dry, useful but dull ideas to consumer-friendly 'I would buy that' sort of things. A lot less competition and a lot more upside in the long run. - Pick a budget. Pick a ship date. Honor both. Don't ignore either. No slippage, no overruns. - Surround yourself with encouraging voices and incisive critics. It's okay if they're not the same people. Ignore both camps on occasion. Be grateful. - Rise up to the opportunity, and do the idea justice.
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9 Dec 2009

Capturing the Asian (Innovation) Opportunity
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From s+b See Strategy+Business article "One thing Asian companies are not reducing is their interest in innovation. (See “Profits Down, Spending Steady: The Global Innovation 1000,” by Barry Jaruzelski and Kevin Dehoff, s+b, Winter 2009.) Asia’s emerging economies, particularly India and China, are following the pattern originally set by Japan and Korea. They, too, were once known for low-cost manufacturing and mimicry of Western design. Over the years, Japanese and Korean executives deliberately built up their companies’ design and manufacturing skills and became global innovation leaders in everything from cars to mobile phones to plasma televisions. Now, the Chinese government’s five-year plan includes a similarly deliberate emphasis on creating an innovation-oriented economy. India’s innovators, although they have less government support, are active in such fields as health care, finance, agriculture, and public–private partnerships. (See “The Innovation Sandbox,” by C.K. Prahalad, s+b, Autumn 2006, and “Not Just for Profit,” by Marjorie Kelly, s+b, Spring 2009.) Innovation is usually born of need and opportunity. And Asia has some of the greatest unmet customer markets and societal challenges in the world, with its vast rural areas, huge demands for natural resources, significant environmental problems, and aging populations. Many Asian governments will rely on private-sector innovation to help meet these challenges. For example, after paying little attention to air quality during its initial burst of industrial development, China has announced a plan to become the leading producer of hybrid and all-electric vehicles by 2012. Companies whose capabilities dovetail with this green strategy could find a lucrative welcome. Meanwhile, Toyota is developing personal-care robots that can perform housekeeping and nursing chores, which it intends to target to Japan’s growing senior citizen population. For the same reason, the Japanese pharmaceutical firm Kowa has set up a joint venture with Teva, an innovative Israeli drugmaker, to bring 200 new drugs to market by 2015. If such innovations succeed, other companies may follow."
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