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This is the coolest thing I have seen in a while. IOGraph

I don’t know why I think this is so cool. (via Make).

Augmented reality just got a whole lot more interesting. A post in Wired’s Gadget Lab focuses on the health benefits of these new digital contacts that are being developed at the University of Washington. It also touches on the idea that, if you add LED, an antenna and a radio chip, you can use augmented reality to overlay an image or text that only the wearer can see, essentially creating something that isn’t really there.

Who knows how far along these are or if they will ever actually launch and be adopted, but the effect they could have on marketing, advertising and content delivery is fun to think about. Marketers could create one-to-one targeted outdoor campaigns, roadsigns, price discrimination, entertainment, etc. Imagine a movie poster for the next Pixar movie where the characters re-enact a scene from the film on the sidewalk in front of you. Then there’s the “Terminator effect,” like data and stats streaming before your eyes when you are shopping, watching sports or traveling in a strange city.

It’s hard to believe how far augmented reality has come in such a short time.

I am assuming that this is the opening cinematics for the new Beatles version of Rock Band.  Well done.

This is an ecosystem chart that we created for a sports drink client a few months back to show how content could flow upstream through seeding, UCG, social media, etc.  I thought it was interesting and could be useful to somebody out there.  Almost all of EVB’s successful earned media projects followed this pattern.

A lot of people don’t realize that the 2007 Elf Yourself site almost didn’t launch.  At the 11th hour a company called PixFusion emerged from nowhere and claimed to have a patent on the “upload your face” mechanism that made EVB’s site (and 1000 other viral sites) work.  PixFusion threatened a law suit and, after, weeks of negotiation, OfficeMax and PixFusion settled and the site was able to move forward and, as you may remember, received 193MM visitors that holiday season.

Now, after three years of continued success, the “patent-holder” has contacted EVB and requested that the agency take Elf Yourself out of its portfolio website.  It’s irritating when you develop an amazingly successful property, or icon for a client and then are not allowed to even take credit for it in your portfolio.  Well, we are proud of what we created and the elf is staying in our portfolio.  We’ll see where this one goes.

2thinknow has just released a study that indexes the most innovative cities in the world. Granted, I live in San Francisco and I am insanely biased, but WTF?? San Francisco is tied for 2nd with Amsterdam and Hamburg? The last time I was in Amsterdam, I think most people were still using 28baud modems. And Stockholm is number twenty-seven? Does this sound right? Here is a link to the entire list.

Just read a about Dvice about Dalton’s BioLogic FreeCharge that hooks up to your bike and uses resistance from the wheels to generate enough power to charge an iPhone or other USB device. Assuming that it is kinda like those old “generator” headlights.

Pretty cool that you can actually do something good for the environment AND charge your iPhone. These should launch March 2010 and cost about $100. Sign me up.

When a client says, “I am only looking for digital ideas from your agency,” what does that even mean these days? When Levis puts a video up on YouTube and it gets 3MM views, is that a digital idea? When T-Mobile films hundreds of people singing “Hey Jude” in Trafalgar square and distributes it on the Web, is that a digital idea? When McDonalds includes a SMS link in a billboard that gives you a code for a free Shamrock Shake, is that a digital idea?

What I have grown to learn over the years is that they definition of digital is every-changing. Every new idea is considered “digital.” In the early days, that meant CD-ROM, interactive TV, websites and the online advertising. As new, technology-driven, ways to connect with consumers emerged, they were added to the “digital” list. They included search, mobile, in-game advertising, digital outdoor, kiosks, installations, viral, social media, etc. etc.

It has become much easier to define “traditional.” Print, broadcast and outdoor are never-changing and forever stuck in time. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t perfect elements to a campaign, it just means that there definition will not evolve. It is almost easier today to define digital as everything traditional isn’t.

But, let’s face it, none of these labels matter. Consumers don’t see a difference between digital and traditional, they are simply living their lives the only way they know how. They snack. They browse. They sample. They move effortlessly between digital and traditional mediums and don’t look back. This is precisely why the best ideas out there don’t begin and end in a single medium. They mix media and use the right platforms to tell an engaging story that connects with consumers.

By asking for “just a digital idea,” we are artificially limiting the potential of a great idea.