Ideas are Orange

Apple TV could own the living room... but no

Apple TV will be released in a few weeks. No huge buzz has hit the Internet around this, and if it did, I missed it. This is essentially an "airport express" for video, not audio. All movies you download to your itunes can be beamed to Apple TV. This has an HDMI cable from Apple TV to your TV to get the image through, and voilá, you have wireless movies being projected to your TV.

But this is all a closed circuit - no surprise from Apple, and some people were here before Apple, with different formats which puts Apple at a disadvantage.

1. Most people who have had experience with downloading movies have DivX as their preferred movie format. Apple either needs to buy DivX to own the digital movie world (much like they own the digital music world) or it needs to come up with an open way of ripping DVDs into digital files, much like you rip a cd into itunes songs.
2. DivX movies are usually played with DivX player, Windows Media Player or any other option as long as you have the codec. Movies cannot be beamed from these applications to Apple TV. This really is the killing benefit, at least the reason I won't buy. I already have movies that I get from my home pc to my TV using a DVI cable to HDMI cable. Sure I would love to beam, but not at the expense of reincoding.
3. Why isn´t there an iLife suite, and that has itunes (for music), and iflicks (for movies), and pretty soon something like imobile (for mobile phone stuff). Apple needs to match hardware and software one to one, have a clear alignment here instead of mixing apples and carrots in the itunes offering.
4. iflicks needs to be a new piece of software. This could keep a repository of everything you've watched, beamed, etc... just the way itunes does for music. It also needs to be able to handle external drives with movies (hard drives will fall short if you intend to have 150+ movies).P eople would probably want to beam from Youtube, iFilm or other sites, Apple will own the TV when they get this done.
5. Apple could also be piggybacking on MS Windows, much like everyone has piggybacked on the ipod. They could be selling iLife for MS Windows, so that people got Music+Movies+Pictures in one place, which is pretty much what Apple boiled life down to. They haven't ever made a puse for the work side of the equation, buy they have at life.

I will not be buying Apple TV until it can beam DIVx Movies or any other movie file... including Flash files that can be downloaded from the web. That is why you need iflicks, to organize video content and beam to AppleTV.

he internet is between the Internet and the user. The TV involves family and friends. More viewers means more money. Having a piece of software to organize video - not apple movies - and beaming any of that to Apple TV is where its at.

The Colombian Experience

I have mentioned in several posts how much I like business books. Perhaps the book that I think still has to realize its full potential, the big idea still ahead of its time is "The Experience Economy".

When I see new global developments like those in Dubai, I can see how some countries are trying to make that leap from delivering services to staging experiences. And so, I search for the companies that are staging those experiences.

Mantaraya is one of the only companies I know in Colombia that sells an experience. A set of emotions - extreme emotions - that are staged for clients to be experienced in wild and exotic locales. They have a proven track record of providing exciting, environmentaly conscious and safe expeditions to breathtaking sites throughout Colombia. They stage their experiences in crystal clear waters or in deep green jungles. I doesn't get any better than that.

I always find an experience company interesting . I also find interesting the concept of "merit badging" explored by Tom Kelley to be the formal "emotional contract" by which an experience is certified. Perhaps there should be a site called mybadge.com where companies can put up their digital badges and people show what they have done. These guys could give people a digital badge as well as a real "patch" version. Perhaps there could be really deep experiences where you have to get a tattoed badge...

Do visit www.mantarayakayak.com

Turning the Oscars into the World Cup

Why aren't the Oscars more like the World cup? Every year, the hottest filmmakers and artists gather in the same place to receive the same type of award. It is a great tradition, and Hollywood is a diverse, entertaining and representative business.

But the Oscars have maintained a sort of "status quo", where the most change you are likely to see is the shows host and the haute coutoure worn by actors and actresses alike. So I wonder, what prevents the Oscars from being more like the world cup? From being global and turning the hollywood "brand" into something that is

• Oscar hosting cities should have a competition to be the host city - this should be a global event. Why are countries not competing to attract superstars? They compete to attract star athletes...
• Oscar nominated actors should travel to that city - it gives them global exposure, global reach, a worldly sense, and a broader audience. People would flock to see hit actors and actresses.
• Locations could be more exotic. The Kodak theatre is interesting, but Dubai, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, Moscow, Sydney, Hong Kong and others hold equally interesting places. How about setting up the whole Red Square in Moscow? or having the venue in the Forbidden City?
• The Oscars should be simultaneously translated into several languages during the transmission. They probably are, but that is if the country broadcasts the event - and that depends on global viewership.
• The Oscars need interaction! They need to consider some sort of watcher input throughout the show, they need to enable global online voting or local SMS message voting for some purpose. How about having a "people's award", where a specific film - other independent films for example are chosen in real time by the people?. They could learn something from reality TV.
• The Oscars need Youtube to have a new category. Best viral internet film... perhaps this could be voted by the people as mentioned before.
• The Oscars need more distribution. They need Apple Computer to set up an Oscar store the day after in order to pre-purchase the movie, purchase the Soundtrack, purchase outtakes or other material.
• The Oscars need Apple Computer to build an "Oscar Long Tail" of digital content that can be bought and downloaded. That would be to purchase historic movies, historic scenes, etc... They are digging up the past during the presentation, and that means Long Tail dollars.
• The Oscars need to contribute! They need to donate part of the proceeds from the show night to a local charity for different initiatives. They could be building great rapport with all of the hosting countries.
• The Oscars need Google Earth to [satellite] photograph the venue each night to keep a historic record of what the sky looked like. They could use Lasers to paint a global space message for example or create something remarkable.
• Some of the ad dollars could go to helping some invites that "can´t make it " by subsidizing flying - perhaps they could make up for it with viewer volume.

Tradition is great. Tradition does not mean that you cannot innovate and adjust to change sought by audiences and global connectivity on a social and technological level. I watched the Oscars last night and saw the same thing as before, so perhaps they are getting the same result as before.

Hollywood is a huge export with a huge fan base. So is soccer. But soccer is global, they understand the power of a global connection and going out to seek world audiences. Perhaps it is time for the Oscars to do the same.

Laser Graffiti Innovation

Talk about stumbling onto amazing stuff. Take a look at this unique way of using Lasers

Cool fact> In a Laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emmision of Radiation) light oscillates, instead of being amplificated. But they couldn't name the discovery Loser. My friend Jorge Camargo (MIT MBA Candidate told me this.)

Watch below...

This could be sensational for several commercial uses such as>

• Getting cool artists to graffiti buildings for charity
• Creating different characters on landmark buildings across the globe for a specific marketing campaign
• Having a web controlled robotic arm that can paint your own laser and you can have a pic taken and sent back to you via e-mail.... on the building of your choice... in the country of your choice.
• Painting graffiti on buildings at night for advertising. The Real Estate companies could charge for the "visual real estate"
• Doing a manual countdown on new years eve, projecting that laser on a huge building
• Having a global valentines day with red lasers, or a global earth day with green lasers, or a global halloween with orange lasers

Well, hope you enjoy the video. Kudos to the inventors, how amazing. Do create something remarkable out of this.

Proactiv, Nicorette, Jack Daniels and Mykonos Hold'em in Greece

I recently visited the amazing, breathtaking, imponent and unreal rocks of Meteora in Greece. I went there on a rock climbing trip with my younger brother. En route to Meteora, which is actually in the town of Kalampaka, we went through Athens.

I noticed several particular things in Athens.

1. There is a huge market for Proactiv in Greece(don't laugh). I've seen those commercials in Colombia, and although I've never bought it (non required explanation, manifest accusation) I trust Diddy, Vanessa Williams and other sponsors.
   
   So it happens that in Greece you survive on two things. Chicken Gyros - which have  a lot of tzaziki sauce, and Souvlaki - or chicken skewers, which the greasier the better. And wouldn't you have it, I have never seen so many women of all ages with pimples. In fact the word acne comes from the Greek word akmē. wow! You learn as a teenager about what causes pimples, and that tzaziki sauce is definitely a root cause. So I can tell you that Greek women are in desperate need of something to control the side effects of eating local food rich in sauces and greece (pardon the pun).
2. I was also able to appreciatte what seemed like a 100% smoking rate. I saw everyone smoking everywhere. Indoors, outdoors, men, women, in restaurants, clubs... everywhere. I even saw candy cigarrettes in convenience stores. Way to go big tobacco. Talking with a local, he confessed to me that mediterraneans would rather have a short but rich life, that they do not worry and that smoking is part of that. So taking from Malcom Gladwell, all mediterraneans are cool and therefore smoke.
   
   So some smart marketer needs to get over there with some Nicorette patches, Nicorette gum and other smoke addiction goodies. Huge smoker base and I bet more than one is willing to quit if the benefits of doing so are outlined correctly.
   
   BTW> My girlfriend quit the minute she saw a smokers tar covered lungs in a BODIES Exhibition in New York. Not kidding. Although some nasty images and ridiculous prices on european cigarretes still haven't done the trick.
3. Greeks love whisky. It is the sole drink of choice. I wonder if a savvy american marketer can extend that love out to Bourbon and take brands like Jack Daniels or Makers Mark to Greece.
4. It was also very interesting that Greeks play cards for good luck on new year. We spent new years eve in Kalampaka, and the first thing people do is play cards. Perhaps there is a market for online card gambling? or Mykonos Hold Em? If they turned Poker into a worldwide sensation I would say that a future champ lies in Greece.
5. One more. The royal family is very fond of bavarian christmas culture. They love christmas carols, christmas ponies, christmas  trees, etc... Even though it is far oof from greek culture. A greek christmas tree is actually a ship decorated with sea shells. But that is changing. Huge market for christmas lights, accesories, sweaters, cookies, you name it.
6. Ohhh.... if you feel like balancing the trade deficit, perhaps countries should import Athens's subway maintenance system. Their subway is completely impecable. Not one paper, not one cigarette but. Abosoluely timely and spotless... no kidding.

Huge Tires - more sidewalks?

It was completely by chance that I saw a CNBC profile on Rubber Sidewalks. An amazing California Entrepreneur takes old tires and to avoid landfills, save trees and save money... turns them into sidewalks. They are Rubber Sidewalks Inc. Magic!

So here is my connection. I recently visited Cerrejon www.cerrejoncoal.com . Cerrejon is the world's largest open pit coal mine in the world. It is in northern Colombia. It is owned by BHP Billiton, Xstrata, and Anglo American in equal parts. They mine over 28 million tons of coal that is shipped for energy purposes abroad. They have over 100 trucks hauling coal and sterile rock that needs to be blasted to access the coal sheets in the ground. Trucks come in different sizes, some haul 190 tons of rock/coal and newer ones up to 320 tons.

So.. their trucks have huge tires. And in Cerrejon there are hundreds or thousands of huge old tires. Those that have been worn out. They are piled up in a maintenance graveyard and simply left there, one on top of the other - no idea what to do with them. They are supposedly not recyclable because (I was told) they have an internal iron lining inside to keep them structurally sound when they are carrying 320 tons of coal! makes sense!

I wonder if the amazing entrepreneur from www.rubbersidewalks.com can make it happen. If she can get an executive from Caterpillar to explain to her the tire features and the possibilities associated with recycling these tires. Perhaps there is a way to remove some rubber and leave the iron ring with some rubber attached. Then an equation would have to be worked out to see if it makes financial sense to ship those tires from Puerto Bolivar (Sea Port) in the Colombian Atlantic, across the Panama Canal and to Long Beach in California. A logistics pro could figure out the Volume / Weight relationship without much trouble.

Cerrejón transports all its coal 150 km (100 miles) from the mine directly to a port (Puerto Bolivar) which they own. They have a train line going directly to the port. They would probably load the train and send it to the port for free if someone rid them of so many tires. They take up a lot of space [the tires] that could be used for community purposes, new buildings, you name it.

If it makes sense, then Rubber Sidewalks Inc. could probably find itself a huge supply of old tires, from Cerrejon, and probably other coal mines in other parts of the world. The companies perhaps could work with regulators to get the freight cost to be tax deductible? Perhaps the shipping could be deductible for the sake of the environment?

Just an idea... there really are a lot of tires there!

The New BNET

If you have never used BNET, it's time to start. The site is owned by CNET, and got started as a directory of business white papers. BNET management quickly realized that a white paper directory wasn't going to attract the...

Terrific link from The Business Pundit.

Read more

The PLC Statement

I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Anshand and Sussa, Sovereign of the land of Elam. I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god. Shutruk Nahunte - 1158 B.C.

Plate above Mr. Hundert's classroom door in The Emperor's Club (2002 Movie).

It's a quote from a virtually unknown king, who speaks of his list of conquests, but speaks nothing about the benefits. This king is unknown in history, because "great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance."

source> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutruk-Nahhunte

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Key word contribution!

Lets change the name of the "Profit & Loss" statement to the "Profit, Loss & Contribution" statement. Having invested my professional career in management consulting I know my way around financial statements. I have seen the "4th financial statement" or CSR report and read some to learn about the way that corporations spend money in socially responsible causes.

But you see, the 4th statement is optional. It is regulated in some parts of the world, it is essential for large corporations... but SMEs make up a much larger chunk of the cash that can be contributed. Small & Midcap Businesses are somewhat reactive when it comes to CSR.

CSR has caught on somewhat because it is a bundle. Like CRM or SCM or ERPs. Some things cannot stand alone. Well the P&L statement is due for a remake. It needs contribution for obvious reasons linked to global priorities. It needs to become the PLC statement and it needs some accounting backing. You have to own the financial statement to actually get things done, it needs to be regulated, and it needs to be incorporated into daily activity.

Here are some thoughts!

Contribution needs a global set of accounts! Is it really that hard to have global alignment around the "global priorities" of social contribution. Can't there be a global set of accounts to which contributions are credited to in the PLC statement?

• A global body like the World Bank dynamically ranks the worlds top priorities that require contribution and its accounts.
• The accounts should be targeted at specific needs (education, shelter, protection, etc...)
• The accounts should be targeted at a population (children, youth, single mothers, senior citizens, etc...)
• It is gaged every month.
• All Contributions are subtracted in the Balanced Sheet... you simply pay less taxes. No breaks, just less taxes, less profit but more contribution.
• A global money transfer company handles all transfers for free and gets a tax break for doing so. It will be remembered throughout history... can't think of better brand positioning.
• Global corporations can submit wire transfers to the global organization handling contributions.
• Funds are assigned based on needs, a quantitative poverty scale, the poverty line limits, etc...
• Money is not lent (no more debt) it is invested in those priorities - hopefully education which has unlimited returns.
• The return on investment? More education, less death, more environmental conservation, etc...

Bono needs a Big 4 Firm. That way he can get companies to sign on to the "End World Poverty" campaign and have them sign up to use a sanctioned PLC statement developed by Big 4 Firms. Big 4 Firms could advise on this and charge their hours towards the contribution themselves. They could probably figure out something like deducting "Contribution" in the PLC statement, but adding "Contribution" in the Balance Sheet as an intangible asset - a new one.

Several companies are going through record profit periods. That is fantastic. Will they be remembered?

• Oil companies are making record profits
• Private Equity is making record profits
• Investment Banks are making record profits
• Tech companies are still recording high growth
• will they be remembered?

I know that partners at investment banks get together to build homes or babysit, and oil companies give to communities. But so many people die from aids in a day that it is the equivalent of watching 7 jumbo jet planes go die in one day.... no survivors. The FAA just doesn't sit around if 7 flights go down right?

Can't we change a small thing like a financial statement to trigger change? Can't we innovate on our accounting to adjust with the times?

We need a new set of financial measures. We need Stern & Stewart to come up with the ECA measure (Economic Contribution Added), so that companies have to cover the cost of capital and also the "cost of contributing" and then they make their profit. ECA could measure what is being contributed in an elegant manner. I wish someday that Economic Profit didn't start at NOPAT but at NOPATC (Net Operating Profit Taxes After Taxes and Contribution). Either way.

• Can lives saved be added to the balance sheet?
• Can houses built be added?
• Can infrastructure added be added and reflect on brand equity?
• Can hours of education delivered be added?
• Can vaccines administered be added?

This really needs to be incorporated in the current operational activity.

MS Apps - When Windows becomes a browser

A browser can handle multiple windows right? Isn´t the natural transition from the PC Windows to the Web Windows right there for the taking? You have a browser that can handle multiple windows - but they are calling them tabs. They are in fact Windows. MS already has names for all the life and business apps that we use, but they need to be migrated to the web to "comply" with the Web 2.0 and one day 3.0 market risk - where the Internet will be the sole platform.

Windows will probably become a web platform instead of a PC platform eventually. It will probably be delivered from www.windows.com (hopefully - no tough domains please), nor domains that don't build on the windows brand.

So in a few months we should be able to go to URLs such as:

• games.windows.com (for an index of MS games on PC Windows now on the web... and play:)
• solitaire.windows.com
• freecell.windows.com
• hearts.windows.com

These should all seem like simple options. Think of this, companies block or outright uninstall the games. This is what you call a quick win, instantly getting people to move online to use the apps they really like. No need to figure out how to move the users from the PC to the Web... they will go where there apps go and corporations are doing part of the job of moving or restricting some apps. I'm sure that MS probably wants to move Excel or Word before the games... I would move the games, build some web platform cred with the real MS user.

Now think of your accessories folder:

• accessories.windows.com (note that all the usual Windows menu items are mapped to a domain)
• notepad.windows.com
• calculator.msn.com - to make those fast calculations we love
• wordpad.windows.com - to write down small notes
• mediaplayer.windows.com (media player with all your favorite stuff. Linked to MSN)

One day we will probably have the MS office apps

• office.windows.com (to see all the apps. that your or your company has licensed for you. Options or widgets could be added for 9.99 (think itunes) to perform additional functions - like converting to PDF or exporting to Flash, or sending pictures to flickr, or "pimping" your PPT presentation, or distributing your MS Project Progress with a small videocast, you get the point.)
• excel.windows.com - Google Spreadsheets killer - once and for all... please.
• word.windows.com - with cool BIG features like online translation from chinese to english
• project.windows.com - think of e-project.com (which I use)
• visio.windows.com - with collaborative editing for those flowcharts or those ERM models
• publisher.windows.com - so that marketing can show you the brochure

All of these in multiple Browser Windows. No more Windows on your taskbar... the windows on your Browser navigation bar.

MS Windows would need to be a platform instead of an OS. It would serve all other apps, and you would probably install them by "pulling them" from other sites. This would not install them on your computer...MS is your computer online, and they can shift their desktop ownership to browser ownership.

This is where MSFT needs a verb that has category killer potential. A verb that signifies "dynamically retrieving and installing a web application from a website onto your windows web platform". Something like "Google" for search... except that it needs to sum this up. Marketers contribute... although they should probably use a decision market for this instead of hiring a big ad firm. I can already picture those "xxxxx it" buttons on windows to get the latest software.

I liked the Vista launch and I like MS Vista. But some quick wins really need to start to surface that show the web migration effort. The games, accessories and other apps seem like obvious choices to test out with a HUGE user base.

My Favorite 2006 Business Book

My favorite 2006 read was Tom Kelley's 10 Faces of Innovation... even though he published it in late 2005.

This book helped me put a lot of things into context for the following reasons>

• First it made me realize the importance of playing different roles in different organizations. It is hard to gauge a companies culture when delivering an engagement, and different companies demand different innovator profiles. We embed ourselves sometimes in a personality type and avoid another.
• Second it made me realize that the goal is not "the best designed and built project" but instead "the most used project". We are wired to build for complexity in our business world. Nothing like the power of simple.
• Third, it deals with the need to change.
• I'll leave it at three for now.

My favorite bits were>

• "A lively piece of digital content can go viral"
• "Fail often to succeed sooner"
• "No matter where you are from or how patriotic you may be, I hope you're willing to concede that there are more ideas outside your country than inside"
• "Reverse mentors"
• "The right answer is worthless if rejected by organizational antibodies"
• "Consumers can tell you that a car named Viper is faster than a Lumina before any other part of the car is designed"
• "If you set out to make everything better about your product or service, you may end up with a gold-plated offering"
• "Merit Badging"
• "What you can achieve matters more than what you can accumulate"
• "I'm always ready to learn, though I don't always like being taught"
• "The power of a good story"
• "fortune cookies are 10% cookie, 90% experience"

Do buy the book. It is fantastic. Simple, Dynamic, Powerful.