Random thoughts
I was a big Instapaper fan for a long time.
Then, things started to stall. Even their responses to users’ requests.
At some point, after trying a few different services, I found Matter. Version 1 was a little confusing and started to slow down a bit.
Version 2 was released this week. Being part of the beta user group, it’s exciting to see a production version available to the public.
Even better is when those fundamentals (speed, UX, etc.) get better with new releases.
Articles (and emails)
- Samsung promises “groundbreaking” new TV feature: NFT support. “Staring at your non-fungible tokens on a smartphone or laptop screen is fine and all, but why not remind everyone who visits your home of the money you spent on digital art NFTs by showcasing them on your TV screen?” (link)
From January 2022. How well has this held up? While the focus of the article might have been (should have been?) on searching, purchasing and displaying art, by glueing themselves to the letters “NFT” Samsung made this TV (a long-term purchase) into a meme (a very short-term thing). Sure, we’re talking about it. How cool would it have been to turn a 10″ digital picture frame (they seem popular) showing your art into a 50″+ digital picture frame as the centerpiece of your front room? - Uber CEO tells staff company will cut down on costs, treat hiring as a ‘privilege’. “We have to make sure our unit economics work before we go big,” the Uber boss wrote. “The least efficient marketing and incentive spend will be pulled back.” (link)
While Uber’s services aren’t seen primarily as B2B, I have to imagine there are lots of marketing leaders who take their cue from all types of services, industries, leaders, etc. Marketing is typically one of the costs that are tightened during times of uncertainty, the ‘least efficient marketing’ is what stands out to me. It will be fascinating to see what marketing this is and how it’s defined. - Hitting the Mark: Business Leadership During Russia-Ukraine War. “Welcome to Hitting the Mark – a critical analysis of developments at the intersection of business, marketing, and politics meant for the modern C-Suite. For our inaugural edition, I tackle the issue keeping leaders awake at night: Russia’s war against Ukraine. Brand leaders: did you ever anticipate you’d be drafted into a war? Well, you have. And here are some thoughts on what to do.” (link)
Not much to say about this, other than it’s cool Mark Penn is sharing his views and insights.
Podcasts (and videos)
- Edit is everything. A quick, fascinating look at how Casey Neistat produces his videos. I’m trying to tie something specific into this when it comes to communications and I keep coming back to the idea of writing drunk and editing sober. (link)
- The Danger of Ignoring Julian Assange. While not getting into the politics of the story, the way Johnny Harris is telling stories has become super interesting fascination. I recently read where he’s flipping the storytelling process: Instead of starting with context then providing evidence, he’s starting with evidence then providing context. Pulling the viewer in with visual and compelling evidence allows them to see how this impacts their own lives. (link)
- The New Communicator 001: Hello. My podcast! Ok, last plug to sign up or / and listen to the inaugural episode. In this welcome episode, I talk about a 15-year old video, its relevance to today’s B2B communications and a bit about the the name of this podcast. (link)