To follow up on the hipster dog post from last week, I bring you something much more ridiculous. Dressing your dog up is one thing, but caring about what they have to, um… say, is another. Thanks to the folks at Japanese Toy company Takara Toys, your dog can have a voice on Twitter. The BowLingual is a device that captures and analyzes a dog’s bark, matching it with one of six general emotions. It will be available this summer in an iphone app with Twitter integration. Seriously. How much information on Twitter is already completely irrelevant to our lives? I like dogs too, but c’mon people and dogs. Leave this one alone. 

Hipsters are everywhere you look these days. With their indie bands, worn-out threads, and coffee shop loitering tendencies. Now the culture is spreading to the canine world. Check it out. These dogs are way, way cooler than your dog. 

With the big game on Sunday, it’s time to start placing your bets. On the ads, of course. Who will get their money’s worth ($2.6 million) out of a 30-second spot? I have two picks: E*Trade and Doritos. The talking babies haven’t gotten old yet and somehow they seem to be getting funnier. And I love the Doritos approach with fan submitted commercials. It’s brilliant, and it’s proven effective. You can check out the finalists now, which are all pretty solid. Of course we’re excited to see what our friends at A-B Inbev put out there as well (we already know the Clydesdales are going to make an appearance). So Tim Tebow vs. Mancrunch aside, who will make the biggest buzz this year in the Super Bowl?

So I’ve been thinking about a conversation I had recently, and it’s a conversation I’m shamed to admit that I’ve had a few hundred times before. It went a little something like this…

“Hey, man. What’s new?”

“Not much. What’s new with you?”

“Ah, you know. Same ol’. Same ol’.”

“I hear that.”

“Yep.”

“Yep.”

“All right, later.”

“Later.”

Wow. What a waste.

We decided that there was absolutely nothing new to say or mention. Imagine that. Nothing new happening in the world.  No new knowledge to drop. Not a single tidbit of new information about… anything.

A perfect chance to give one another the gift of knowledge, and we turned it down. It was a chance to grow. A chance to innovate. A chance to evolve. But instead, we said, “F you, Mr. New.”

Who does that? (Especially in this business, right?)

Well, I did. And it’s never going to happen again.

Imagine all the things we could learn in a day, if we asked everyone we saw, “What’s new?” and we actually had a meaningful exchange about something new in our lives.

‘There’s some cool new anti WiFi paint on the market now.” “I think Paulie laughed at 30 Rock last night.” “The Walkmen are a great band. Check em out.”"Just read Baked In.” “Just pitched some great work for MOCADSV.”

Just one thing. One shiny new thing that you can give one another. Free.

That’s why, today, I start anew.

Today, I’m going to learn more about you and learn something new. Every time I see you, I’m going to ask you “What’s new?” and not stop until you give it to me.  And I want you to do the same. Ask me, “What’s new?” Ask everyone you meet. Everyday.

Emerson said it best, “Knowledge is the antidote to fear.” And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to fear anything.

So, I gotta ask…

“What’s new with you?”

If you’ve ever tried to hire anyone, you’d quickly discover that finding good talent is one of the hardest things you’ll ever encounter in your professional career. How are you supposed to know in a matter of 12 -16 hours you actually spend with a candidate that she is a perfect fit for the job at hand? It’s not possibly enough time to find out if this person is true to her word, passionate about doing great work or committed to building a great team.

Sure, you can spread out the risk. Make sure the candidate spends time with various leaders you trust throughout your organization, solicit candid feedback, define the specific criteria you’re looking for and ask smart, insightful questions that give you a little peek into the person’s soul.

But where does that really get you? How do you PROVE this person is the best candidate? How do you KNOW the candidate will play nice with others, present our work in a compelling manner and use influencing skills to better the agency? You don’t. At some point, you just have to take a LEAP OF FAITH. You have to TRUST your initial instincts and the feedback of others. You simply have to put a STAKE IN THE GROUND. And that’s hard to do…at least I find it is.

However, just because it’s a hard thing to do doesn’t mean I’m not up for the challenge. Or that I should stop looking for the perfect fit for the job. Or that it should deter you from applying for the job. Because when everything is right, it will fall into place. We just need to have a little faith and together we’ll get there. So, to that end:

Check out our latest job posting for an ACCOUNT DIRECTOR. Apply if you’re up for the challenge. I know I am. And I know I am still searching…

Yesterday we talked about the new iPhone and its addition of video. On the surface, it may not seem like that big of a deal (This is the point in the conversation where you say, “My old Razor shot video, what’s the big deal?”). Well, it’s actually huge. Why so big? Two words: Live video.

For a while now, a few companies have been fighting it out for streaming mobile video dominance. Most notably:  uStream, Qik, Kyte, Flixwagon, and LiveCast. Their success or failure is really dependent on two variables: 1) level of their platforms/technology and 2) consumer access. With the arrival of the new iPhone, and everyone who will buy one,  these players just got a major boost on the second point.

So why is this important to you? A lot of reasons. Let’s look at three.

News coverage – Sat trucks and network television will now be replaced by millions of backpack journalists and their cell phones. I was originally going to entitle this post “CNN is Screwed” but judging from their willingness to embrace new media (and save a few bucks), they’ll more than likely use this to their advantage. Right, Anderson Cooper?

Personal coverage – Little Jenny just graduated from college. Cool, right? Except half her family lives cross country. What to do? Whip out your cell phone and stream it for all to see… live as it happens. Post it live for all your friends to see on your Social Net.  Qik has already partnered with Facebook for mobile video uploads, but they’re not offering live video updates… yet. It’s just a matter of time. Can you say live video status updates? And you thought uploading those photos from your drunken Friday night was a bad idea.

Branded coverage – Imagine extending the life of an event or or promotion by simply having your audience share the experience live with their friends. Suddenly a 2,000-person event just became a 2,000,000-person event as each attendee shares their video with 100 friends on Facebook. Imagine having consumers in Times Square/Piccadilly/Shinjuku uploading live video to the D.O.O.H. boards as they sample your products. Stop imagining. It’s happening.

Just like most technologies, the possibilities are endless, and there will always be smart brands who take advantage of this technology. But the real question isn’t “When is it going to take off?” but rather “Where will you be when it does?” I don’t know about you, but I know where I will be.

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. Oh,  and so does this.

The subject of “office space” came up today in a conversation with Annie, and oddly enough, I come across this amazing feat of architecture from firm Selgas Cano over on PSFK.  It makes me think about our own false need of “work space” and how much we can adapt when provided a better solution.  So, we really have to…or is it just all we know how to do?

With all the ‘bicycle’-related posts you’d think I was some sort of gear head…which is not the case.  And while we have our fair share of spandex-clad riders…I just dig cool shiz.

Which brings us to this Mark Sanders-designed folding bicycle.  Obviously, it’s cool…but at a cool $2550, it’s a hefty investment.  Moreover…is there a need for folding bikes? 

Designers not only have a responsibility to creating functional and dynamic tools for living…they are also responsible for answering this question:  do people really need this? 

I guess I’m still lingering over yesterday’s post below re: The Bamboo Bicycle Studio and their take at reinventing the urban commute vs. this hi-tech solution. 

But then again…I’m not that into bikes.

For more info: http://www.areaware.com/proddetail.asp?prod=CYIM&CatID+&subCatID+4

Caught this on the Springwise e-letter this morning…a UK based company (off-shoot, really) that, not surprisingly, just shoots bottles. 

As the entire world downgrades, the need for lighting, slushing and spritzing your product becomes much less of a concern while the ability to promote your product without breaking the budget becomes priority. 

That sound you hear are photo studios around the world puckering up.

www.weshootbottles.com