audacity:

Steve Jobs 1997 - the relaunch of Apple

This is a truly amazing video. Not only is it amazing to see Steve Jobs being Steve Jobs (black skivvy, humour, charismatic), but what is even more amazing is that Jobs did more than talk about it - he did it.

When this footage was filmed, the Apple share price was $4, Jobs had just come back after being sacked. His campaign 'think different' was revolutionary, and was the positioning that turned Apple around, to the point where today the stock hovers at $241, the market cap is US$20 billion, and they have around US$36 billion in the bank (and they are debt free).

Interestingly, this campaign was developed in conjunction with TBWA/Chiat Day - and they are still Apple's agency.

This video truly captures Steve Jobs' passion for simple and emotive marketing, and highlights his pursuit of finding meaning in everything his company stands for!

Enjoy this little piece of history (thanks to All Things D's John Paczowski for discovering this video).

too tired to pedal - try the electric wheel?

My twitter name is a dead giveaway (@lukerides) - but I love to ride...anything with two wheels!

Because of this passion, I just love any innovation that involves 'bikes'...the Segway, the Trek underseat storage (even used on our company website homepage).

I was chuffed to see that the recent James Dyson award in the United States (design and innovation awards) went to the MIT SENSEable City Lab Invention - the Copenhagen Wheel

"Top prize goes to MIT's SENSEable City Lab for their Copenhagen Wheel design, a sort of smart wheel that attaches to existing bicycles and transforms them into "hybrid electric-bikes with regeneration and real-time sensing capabilities."

A description of the Copenhagen wheel reads - "Its sleek red hub not only contains a motor, batteries and an internal gear system - helping cyclists overcome hilly terrains and long distances - but also includes environmental and location sensors that provide data for cycling-related mobile applications. Cyclists can use this data to plan healthier bike routes, to achieve their exercise goals or to create new connections with other cyclists. Through sharing their data with friends or their city, they are also contributing to a larger pool of information from which the whole community can benefit."

an open place where people design better for social good!

I think this platform is just genius. It plays further on the great equity IDEO have built in the innovation space, and involves others in the creative/innovation process.

The idea of assigning someone a design quotient (DQ) as they progress within the community is a very clever use of game mechanics. What a great idea also as a recruitment tool - where certain talents and DQ's can be identified and selected?

I hope to see more of these models over the coming months...

"OpenIDEO is a place where people design better, together for social good. It's an online platform for creative thinkers: the veteran designer and the new guy who just signed on, the critic and the MBA, the active participant and the curious lurker. Together, this makes up the creative guts of OpenIDEO."

how to win at rock, paper scissors!

Many believe that Rock, Paper, Scissor is a game fo chance and luck.

But not true...just like chess and checkers, RPS is a game of strategy, observation, and intelligence.

This great infographic from Flowing Data (and via @fahrenheit212) shows you how to master, and success at RPS.

Who knows, you could be the next World Champion, and pocket $50,000.

the break up letter

Smart Design, a really cluey research and strategy firm use the break up letter as a means of getting to understand the connection between people and products/brands.

By writing a 15 minute break up letter - words, emotions and descriptions are used that help Smart Design to get deep inside the mind of the consumer and what attracts them, and turns them off.

A very clever strategy, that can be a lot of fun!

Avoidance Conditioning

Can design really solve all the world's problems?

There are moments, like when I read Erik Askin's blog and his concept of 'design to annoy' that I believe design can make the world a better place!

Erik's approach to cigarette packets - making the contents harder to remove, and the package harder to carry involves an approach referred to as avoidance conditioning. Avoidance conditioning involves design or creativity to to de-motivate individuals off a habit.

Perhaps the only issue with this approach, is convincing the cigarette companies to change their packaging?

form follows function - Dieter Rams

Thanks to kottke.org for finding this great, simple interview with Diter Rams.

Rams is a German industrial designer closely associated with the consumer products company Braun. He has 'ten principles to good design"

Good design is innovative
Good design makes a product useful
Good design is aesthetic
Good design makes a product understandable
Good design is unobtrusive
Good design is honest
Good design is long-lasting
Good design is thorough down to the last detail
Good design is environmentally friendly
Good design is as little design as possible

what is a professional adventurer?

Steve Crombie is out there living a life that many of us dream of - he is a professional adventurer.

It sounds glamorous; but what does it really mean to choose this life?

Just keep walking

This is a great way to tell a great story. Many brands in Australia have great stories, but they just do not know how to tell them. This frustrates me!

the MV Agusta Muster rehearsal!

We had been planning an MV Agusta Muster for the 30th May, with a ride from Sydney to Wollombi and up the Putty Road.

But with so much rain around all week - we decided to reschedule the ride until the 20th June.

Then when we woke up this morning, we were greeted by the sun and blue sky's - damn the weatherman!

So, we organised an impromptu ride up to the Road Warrior - with 7 amazing MV Agusta's (the number 2 Ago of 300 in the world, and a fully custom Brutale), and a rare SPR, which ended up sliding down the road at high speed in front of me on one wet and slippery corner!

Other than the one 'off' it was a very fine morning, with some good lads, and some even gooder bikes!

Bring on the 20th June!