A tip of the virtual cap to Junta42, which has recognized our humble blog in its list of the top 42 marketing blogs.

If only they could get Casey Kasem to count ‘em down . . .

I recently read in a health magazine that the carambola, or star fruit, has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C. With the winter season fast upon us, I grabbed a handful of them at my local grocer and confidently paid for my exotic cure for winter maladies.

However, when it came time to enjoy the star fruit, I was at a loss on how to consume it. Do I eat the skin? How should I cut it?

I turned to the Internet, and About.com had the answers I sought—plus pictures for all 5 steps. In a matter of minutes I was enjoying my new star fruit.

After the star fruit was finished, I reflected on the path I chose.

I had two chances to ask for advice from another person. The first was at the grocery store where I could have asked a clerk. The second was to call my aunt, who served us star fruit on her Thanksgiving salad, for advice. Yet I opted for immediate feedback via the cold, indifferent Internet.

Is that wrong? Is the Internet truly replacing the verbal passing of knowledge from generation to generation? In this case, I doubt it. I doubt the produce clerk, or any clerk at my grocery, was familiar with preparing a star fruit. Since my aunt was at work, the question would have to wait until the evening when she returned home. And I wanted my star fruit now.

So what if I was influenced by a lifeless publication and sought the advice of the soulless Internet—at least I ate something healthy.

Singapore is so intent on being a world leader in the media industry that the government has created the Media Development Authority, which is determined to put “Singapore at the forefront of the media age.”

How serious is Singapore about fostering a creative economy and a connected society? You just have to see for yourself…

We love deadlines. Love ‘em. Chew ‘em up, spit ‘em out. Ask for seconds.

“What,” you ask, ” are you some kind of communications masochists over there?”

Nope. We just understand that people want to see ideas evolve into reality right away (and without compromising quality). Online outreach, e-learning, and web-based interaction have made everyone’s expectations instantaneous. Production cycles have been compressed accordingly. That means zero tolerance for squandered time and talent.

Friday at 4:30 p.m., therefore, seems a perfect time to share some wisdom for preventing procrastination. These are seven common-sense tips to help you make it happen—now.

Set aside blocks of time to do things.

If it comes to mind, then do it.

Use a timer to bring you back to reality.

Do not multitask.

Modify your environment to eliminate distractions.

Compare your actions with your personal values.

Take back your brain!

You can check the article for specifics, but in so many words the key to getting things done is to…well, get things done.

Six years ago today, many of us at Mind & Media stood on the rooftop deck of our Alexandria office and watched the smoke rise from the Pentagon. Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who perished in New York, Pennsylvania, and our home state of Virginia.

This outstanding animated montage by Dan Meth and Micah Frank honors the pantheon of online pseudo-celebrities and viral vid characters. It was a little sobering to watch; so many clips with which I felt a personal connection obviously have the same widespread appeal as an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

I felt a bit betrayed. Now I know how Weezer fans feel.

Now treat yourself to some Sly and the Family to get the annoying song out of your head (you’ll thank me).

Someone over at Energy Fiend clearly understands the blessing and curse that is caffeine:

Now, I’m campaigning for the office to pick up the tab for some kopi luwak, $600-a-pound brew that owes its unearthly smoothness to each bean’s first passing through the digestive system of a civet, an Indonesian mammal that looks like it’s half cat and half rat.

In the animals’ stomachs, enzymes in the gastric juices massage the beans, smoothing off the harsh edges that make coffee bitter and produce caffeine jitters. Humans then separate the greenish-brown beans from the rest of the dung, and once a thin outer layer is removed, they are ready for roasting. The result is a delicacy with a markup so steep it would make a drug dealer weep.

The drawback is that civet coffee loses a fair amount of its caffeine in the (ahem) process. So much for medicinal value.

I recently googled a journalist friend, Gary Arlen, and found a piece he wrote from June of 2006 covering the Digital Media Conference. One of the speakers referred to the “Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) generation”. Here how Gary encapsulated the concept:

While the policy sessions generated passionate arguments, the conference’s content and business panels underscored the revitalization of the interactive business itself. Chris Maxcy, VP-business development of YouTube, acknowledged that his site is now serving up to 70 million streams per day, with typical sessions averaging one to two minutes long – and thus catering to the ADD generation.

The term “ADD generation,” as you probably figured out, describes an apparently younger demographic that only pays attention to media in short spurts (generally less than two minutes). The phrase was once all over the web, but strangely the most recent reference I found about the “ADD generation” was almost a year ago. Where is the ADD generation today?
Maybe we replaced it with another term, but I didn’t get the memo. More likely, it’s faded because it was never really applicable. The consumption of media under two minutes is the norm, constituting the mobile and online media experiences we all have with increasing frequency, but they are nothing new.

Short form media enthusiasts have been around since 60s political news coverage; the political sound byte engineered for broadcast tv and radio news was perfected for a public that could only absorb information in increments of 60 seconds or less. As soon as the news started cutting 5 minute statements into 15 second sound bytes, politicians wised up and began placing natural pauses before and after their desired sound byte. Broadcast news evolved for the public–and then those interviewed evolved.

As communications technologies progressed that same “sound byte” evolution applied to quotes online and then eventually audio files and video. The last person to the party was entertainment media. Could you imagine a broadcast or cable network or even program that just ran snippets of funny or engaging video? Did you say no? If so, you have forgotten a staple of TV during the 70s and 80s. How about network blooper shows or America’s funniest videos.

It goes to a matter of interest — not distribution technology. I don’t watch a 30 second video on YouTube because it is the only place I can see it (although it is the only place I can see it whenever and wherever I want). I watch that video because whatever it’s content I don’t want to watch it for five minutes or 30 minutes or an hour. If the video was about my interests, maybe I would watch it for an hour, but I could watch that hour on broadcast/cable TV, online or TivoCast (my new favorite service).

The ADD generation is gone because it never was. As a culture, we’ve been evolving toward shorter content bursts since electronic media emerged. Sure, we’ll dig in for longer experiences if they really suit our interests. Otherwise, if you want anyone to pay attention – regardless of age demographic – keep it simple, straightforward, and short.