Microsoft TechFest '09

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Some cool improvements on the Surface. If it ever makes its way into the market...

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Universal Cell Phone Chargers by 2012

The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association), which represents more than 750 of the world's cell phone operators, announced today that it has closed at a deal with the world's leading handset makers, to come up with a universal phone charger using Micro-USB technology. GSMA promises that by 2012 most cell phones will use the same kind of connector to charge their batteries.

The GSMA hopes the initiative will slash the greenhouse gases that result from the manufacture and transport of chargers by 13.6 and 21.8 million tonnes each year. In addition, GSMA CEO, Rob Conway, said that the GSMA will push cell phone manufacturers to develop chargers that consume about 50 percent less power.

According to GSMA, companies which have signed up to the plan include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

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1) This charger would eliminate a chronic user frustration and help the environment; great! But what took them so long?

2) Apple is not on the list. From a user perspective (although I'm not trying to speak on behalf of my fellow iPhone geeks), that does not disappoint me. Everywehere I go, I seem to have easy access to a computer and someone's iPod cable, which = cell phone charger. 

Thanks to cnn.com and cnet.com

The Message and the Audience

I moved to a new office in my building a couple of months ago. This morning, I decided it was finally time to get rid of the card box that's been staring at me from the corner of my office since I moved.

As I was removing paperwork from the box, I ran into some interesting notes from 'Structuring the Message', a courses I took in my company.  The notes referenced the importance of being very mindful of who is your audience when you prepare a message. Good stuff.

Careerbuilder Builder Super Bowl Commercial

Careerbuilder seems to know the audience it's targeting, but is that audience realistic? Does the company have a target audience significant enough to justify the $3 million investment?

With about 500,000 jobs slashed last month alone in the USA and a very uncertain economic future...who is looking to leave a job today for higher employment satisfaction? 

Target 'A New Day' Commercial

In contrast, when I was watching TV last night, I saw a Target commercial that I think is much more 'on target' for today's economy. Which one of you has not found a way to be a little more prudent with your money? I'd say Target has a more realistic audience, and has done a good job of structuring the message to it with this commercial.

From a User's Perspective

Cooper uses 'The Drawing Board'- a cool series of narrated slide shows that walks a persona through a scenario- to look at the world from the perspective of users and their goals. This highlights a lot of bad interactions in a user's daily life, which in turn stimulates discussions about how technology can alleviate some of the frustrations caused by these bad interactions.

I'm a big proponent of investing time in knowing users so that we can accurately target their needs. And as such, I strongly recommend that you check out this short video. Besides the fun pictures, this presentation really drives the idea home.

The Drawing Board: Commuter Buddy from Cooper Journal on Vimeo.

My Kind of Diversity

I thought it would be interesting to learn how many people ‘like me’ (same gender and ethnicity) are part of the newest entering classes of the top ten EMBA programs in the USA.


Here is what I learned:

Data drawn from BusinessWeek.com's EMBA profiles published on 11/13/08.

Here are the questions I have:

1. What could these schools be doing better to attract and retain Hispanic women?


2. Should we imply that because of these low numbers it would be easier for Hispanic women to enter these programs, or are these numbers a reflection of how circumstances make it harder for Hispanic women to thrive in these environments? Or is it neither?


3. How can I, and you, impact our communities so that today, or 5, 10, 15 years down the line, there are more Hispanic women pursuing such a prestigious degree? Should we care?

According to the 2008 Census, there are 46.7 million Hispanics in the USA, about 15% of the total population. This population is projected to nearly triple from 2008 through 2050.