weblog May 29, 2002   Salon has published "Will Americans go for mLife?", a new article that looks at the introduction on the US market of Ntt DoCoMo's i-mode. it reminded me of a similar analysis ("Exporting i-mode": part 1, part 2) published by AllNetDevices a little while ago (September 2001). both of these articles try to point out the reasons why i-mode has been immensely popular in Japan and why it won't be as successful in the western world. i think what is really interesting is that the focus in both cases is on the cultural and social issues related to the i-mode phenomenon, rather than on the underlying technology. in the meantime Ntt DoCoMo has partnered with KPN Mobile and they have brought i-mode to the Netherlands and Germany a few months ago. i guess only time will tell who was right. Posted by fabio sergio | 2:04 PM | permalink ............ May 20, 2002   saturday i went to Milano's Triennale to check out an exhibition about one of my favorite architects, Jean Nouvel, but as I entered the place i got "distracted" by another exhibition, "Cybugs, can machines think?". the theme happens to be one of those than make my heart tick so the switch was inevitable: bye Mr.Nouvel, hello bugs. wrong choice. 5 Euros bought us a few rooms with a few biographies, a few partially-working bots and quite a few products from the exhibition’s sponsors. highlight of the show: a mirror with a sign on it saying something along the lines of "The only known form or intelligence: you.". and i thought: "No, not this time.". Posted by fabio sergio | 9:55 AM | permalink ............ May 09, 2002   i think we've all been there. how much quality were you able to salvage on a project where the client wants you to do things you know won't work? Meg Hourihan has written an interesting article on the way sometimes even our best intentions are warped by the always delicate client-consultant relationship. i think Meg is spot-on with the possible ways she indicates to prevent damages, but truth is sometimes you just have to pick your compromises. [via Matt Haughey] Posted by fabio sergio | 5:01 PM | permalink ............ May 07, 2002   the Social Issues Research Centre has published interesting findings that show why mobile gossip is good for people. "Mobile gossip restores our sense of connection and community, and provides an antidote to the pressures and alienation of modern life. Mobiles are a 'social lifeline' in a fragmented and isolating world." [via Nic Ljungberg] Posted by fabio sergio | 10:02 AM | permalink ............ May 06, 2002   when Jacob said it first. even though i am hardly a fan of Jacob Nielsen's aggressive attempts at forcing usability down everybody's throat, he is very often right, and has been accurate in many of his predictions. he has been advocating internet micropayments as a sustainable business model to make money on the web for a long time. now it seems he's going to see his ideas put to good use on wireless devices. mobile solutions provider Ericsson has picked up Jacob's gospel and is spreading it in the wirelessly-connected world. where, to be honest, it really does make sense in the first place. Posted by fabio sergio | 3:01 PM | permalink ............ May 03, 2002   Artium, a Basque museum of modern art, has sponsored Vectorial Elevation, a very interesting attempt at using digital channels to interact with architecture and physical spaces. the installation had been originally conceived in 2000 for the the Zócalo square in Mexico City. if you did not check it out at the time you have a chance to do it now. "Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork designed to transform the Artium Square in Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital city of the Basque Country, Spain. Using a three dimensional interface the web site allows you to design a light sculpture with 18 robotic searchlights located around the Square. A web page is made for each participant with photos from 4 webcams. The piece will be live from April 22 until May 5, 2002." Mac user beware: java-intensive, crash-prone. Posted by fabio sergio | 9:38 AM | permalink ............ May 02, 2002   swedish airline SAS is known for its top-notch service and attention to details. it shows in the clean lines of their lounges and in-flight publication, scanorama, in the clarity of purpose of their website. the last time i had the luck to travel with them i was given a good example of user experience "in action". while eating one of the few good-tasting in-flight meals i have ever tried i was charmed by a salt&pepper paper wrapper. it reads: "the color of snow, the taste of tears, the enormity of oceans. pepper has been called "the gift of the east". though "gift" means "poison" in Swedish don't let that put you off". yes, they are evoking two of the most common and humble substances found on our tables. symbolism. dare i say poetry? there are at least two lessons here i believe. the first is about sparking emotion while your customer/user is already enveloped in a sensorial experience that touches all the senses, like eating. the result will be a whole that's more than the sum of its parts. cognitive and sensual pleasure, associated. a very powerful mix. the second is in the use of this mix to reinforce brand values. i was left with an elusive feeling of "being thought for". and we all like being pampered, don't we? Posted by fabio sergio | 9:44 AM | permalink ............ Not bored yet? Visit freegorifero's weblog archives for more useless words.

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