The culture of KOYONO has kept us struggling between the traditional route for clothing designers (make samples, sell to store buyers, manufacture, ship wonder if customers like the stuff, wait for payment from stores, etc.) and a route much more in keeping with our outlook on the world. Web 2.0 and it’s adherence to open standards, open data, and social networks, appeals to us deeply. We have focused the bulk of our attention to serving customers directly and acting as a conduit for other designers as well as a feedback loop for the opinions of customers through out our history. Web 2.0 is, of course, about many of these same principles. This article, The Habits of Highly Effective Web 2.0 Sites (Dion Hinchcliffe’s Web 2.0 Blog) provides a great and brief (should I say efficient) overview of Web 2.0 as a principal.
Whenever you are at the top, people want to knock you down. Is Slimmy in deed the Slimmest Wallet on Earth? We get this question regularly. Michelle Slatalla from the New York Times asked it in her article on the Slimmy back in May, 2005. Eric Hammond asks it in his recent post, Slimmy wallet - ThisNext. In the end, both of them loved Slimmy and forgave us for perhaps a touch of bravado.
The truth is this: You can find other things to use as a wallet that are slimmer than Slimmy (a rubber band comes to mind), but for a workhorse small-stuff-organizing device that looks good, the Slimmy is still world champ.
Another story, today, about the changing cultural relevance of pockets.North Jersey Media points out that there was once a time when pockets were considered a low-class concern. All of us KOYONO fans, of course, recognize that most of life now includes carrying things…more like having peripherals for our primary processing center (brain). You need your sorage devices (PDA, iPod) for data and your communications module (cell phone). We really think of pocketing as a means of enabling integration of these tools into your look and your life.
Comments Off
Look! It is I, KOYONO Cheif Experience Officer (CXO) Jim Haviland on the home page of this tech event,Tech 2006 - Council For Entrepreneurial Development. I wasn’t at this event (I was travelling for KOYONO), but I do think that it is important to support such gatherings when ever possible. Entrepreneurship can be lonely, especially for tech-focused companies who spend long periods in development and are often staffed with people who are not as adept as they might be in the art of in-person human communication. This year’s event included a number of very interesting companies that are not part of Research Triangle’s ususal focus on life sciences. I am very enthusiastic about the emerging entrepreneurship scene in NC.
As a start-up you do not always have the luxury of hiring an assistant to, well assist you. There are several aids and alternatives out there that can really help with your workflow and productivity. The one I have been using lately is the “Speech” function built into all Macs. You can find it by going to the application in the top navigation bar and clicking “Services” and then “Speech” (e.g. Mail>Services>Speech).
Now that you know where it is, go to any application and highlight the text. Then go to “Speech” and select “Start Speaking Text.” You can choose from a variety of voices and speaking rates through System Preferences>Speech. I use Vicki at one notch above “Normal Speaking Rate.”
You can use it to read long e-mails and website content when multi-tasking, proof read a letter or just have a conversation with you when you are lonely. But seriously, I use Speech everyday and especially to proof all blog posts. With the new OS X due out in the near future, Speech is supposedly far better and much more clear. Give it a try.
Here is how this post sounds via Vicki.
When I saw this on CNN today I thought about how little I know regarding the Middle East. We hear a lot on the media about what is going (e.g. Sunnis vs. Shi’as) and it just registers with me as two groups that don’t get along. As busy as we all are, we do not always take time to ask why or why not? Thank goodness for Wikipedia (yes cursory, but free and for the most part unbiased); it’s so awesome to be able to quickly and productively gain context and information. I have been doing it from my BlackBerry Pearl and using downtime to gain knowledge. I am also reading Tom Friedman’s “From Beruit to Jerusalem” - fascinating to say the least. A must read for those of you who have read the post this far.
Here is a start. Wiki away!
Iraq:
Iraq
Demographics of Iraq
Ethnicities:
Arabs
Kurds
Religions:
Demographics of Islam
Sunni Islam
Shi’a Islam
Map of Shi’as
Making all of these separatist elements in Iraq work in a unified manner will take a lot of work. Even Ghandi was not able to do it in India; that’s why Pakistan was created as a haven for Muslims (mostly Sunni I suppose) after the British left.
Also, understanding the demographics of Sunnis and Shi’as in the region really tells a story in and of itself (i.e. Iran is Shi’a but Syria and other more developed Arab countries are Sunni). Now look at the map of Iraq Demographics - very interesting. Which Islamic denomination was in control of Iraq? How does Lebanon fit in the picture; what Islamic denomination is Hezzbolah? Is Iraq destined to be another Lebanon? Are we arrogant and/or ignorant?
