Vodafone.com.fj Preview

We've been working on Vodafone Fiji's new site for quite some time now and we've finally gotten to the point of launch. Content is still being ported over in some areas but we're looking to get users re-registered so that they can continue to send vmails from the site and play around with the new functionality.

The preview site is available at http://preview.vodafone.com.fj

I feel the most interesting part of the project is the My Vodafone section. Although applications there focus entirely on sending vmail and related phonebook functionality, it is the area that I hope will continue to be developed out further.

There was a great deal of customisation around the content management system. It was required given the amount of ringtones, wallpapers, etc..there's still a bunch of tweaking left to do (when isn't there?). We're also putting a lot of effort into measurement of what's going on and Vodafone has been awesome allowing us to support them here and drive these things. They are keenly interested in exactly how their customers want to use their site. We could not have asked for a better online partner.

Not suprisingly, Oceanic's developers and designers have been working their asses off on this thing, as well. Some of the AJAX-driven user interface workings were especially fun within the My Vodafone area. It has called upon a lot of user experience thinking. When I see the site now, I know there are a few rough edges but it's been a great project and a significant evolution from what we had been working with before.

We've got a survey linked off of it so if you visit, feel free to pass along the feedback so we can measure how well (or how poorly) the site was working for you.

Diesel's Real-life Holograms

Diesel's summer fashion show in Florence, Italy used the latest in hologram technology on the catwalk with the models. The result was an amazing mixture of fluid, ghostlike forms interspersing directly with the people walking up and down the stage. The audience sitting on either side of the stage could see these images and detail clearly which really says a lot about the way this technology is developing. Absolutely wild. I wonder if anyone actually paid attention to the clothes being modeled.

The entire show and more information is available on Diesel's website. Youtube clip is below.

Pouring Ketchup

If not for the Internet, I reckon some things would never, ever be known. I'm absolutely tempted to go out and buy a bottle of ketchup to try this. I'll have to buy a burger and fries, though, and who has time for all that?

Link to How to Pour Ketchup

Digital Talanoa : US Blues

In my first Digital Talanoa column almost a year ago, I wrote about branding and how it impacts our lives. I used Telecom Fiji as an example since they had just recently gone down the path of re-branding themselves with a new logo and corporate strategy. At the time, I stated that branding goes well beyond just a logo and is ultimately a measure of how we, as customers and stakeholders, “feel” about something whether it be a company, a person, a product or even a country.

Fiji has a brand and although I still believe it’s a very strong one, it’s definitely under some duress right now. This is not necessarily meant to be a political statement even though the ones doing the attacking are other countries.

Japanese Maglev Train

This is not new but I never get bored of watching this video. (Incidentally, YouTube announced and launched country-specific websites today for a handful of nations.)

Wikipedia has some more information about Japanese Maglev technology, if you're interested. What a kick-ass video, though.

Avatars and people

Via DF, an excellent photo essay on the NY Times website showing real people and their on-screen avatars in virtual worlds such as Second Life, World of Warcraft, etc...
Interesting how some of the "digital selves" are nothing like the real people while other avatars are very similar.

The New York times slideshow

Someecards.com

Funny story. I came across someecards.com last week and found it wildly entertaining. If you're easily offended or overly politically correct, go somewhere else. (Come to think of it, you probably shouldn't be here either)

I sent a card to one of my closest friends I grew up with. She wrote back letting me know that her brother is the guy that writes the content. Brook has been a writer for years but I had no idea what he was doing nowadays. Small world, after all.

If you're ever looking for just the right card to communicate those often-internal feelings, look no further. But be warned, use of this website can be addictive if you have no heart.

Someecards.com is awesome.

New Male Hairdressers

Caught a picture of this outside a shop in our business complex.
I was tempted to go in and ask them how much the old male hairdressers were. I was thinking about buying a few.

OneSentence.org

True stories, told in a single sentence. A popular sample:

"As I stood in the eternal checkout line, the first 12 seconds of "Grease is the Word" skipping endlessly over the sound system, I realized the pretend boyfriend I was describing to the crazy bag lady was you."

Content, baby. Content.
http://www.onesentence.org

Wireless Power

Amazing and exciting announcement from Massachusetts Institute of Technology about a wireless power solution being developed by a team of engineers, physicists and computer science brains. The ultimate goal could be to forever free our electronics from cords and wires and although they're not quite there yet, they were able to power a 60 watt lightbulb wirelessly from more than 2 meters away. Imagine never having to plug in your mobile phone or laptop again...wireless power. Wow.

MIT News article about the project - http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/wireless-0607.html