Polymer Studios::Web Consulting

Some things you don’t see every day

31. July 2008

Ad campaigns starring strange men in shimmering tarpaulin suits. Manhole cover advertising. Grass advertising. Scholarly books at Starbucks. Urgent appeals against public urination. (The sign reads: “PLEASE Respect the house of God! Don’t paint this wall. Don’t post bills. Don’t urinate on this street. Thank you.”)

The infirm leading the blind

31. July 2008

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One of the things I love about the Internet is how it makes possible the most improbable meeting of minds. Take Patrick “Barry” Barr, a Jamaican who spent his working years in New York but retired fairly recently to Lima, Peru, of all places. I met him on Flickr a few years ago and over [...]

Markets is markets

30. July 2008

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This is ostensibly a business blog, so let me make one business-related observation from the field. A couple days ago, my son and I visited the central market in Ayacucho, Peru. Great fun, markets, because you get a vivid snapshot of the town you’re in. Most markets I’ve seen tend to group vendors of like [...]

A land with many faces

18. July 2008

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Over the coming weeks, the posts on this blog might take a turn for the exotic, as I’ll be posting stories and photos from the far reaches of Peru. On the agenda: Hunting for megalodon teeth with Desert Man of Ica, who was recently written up in the New York Times. (Fortunately, we made our reservation [...]

Why the experience is the afterthought

15. July 2008

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Fanboys, bow before your creator. As Chris Anderson tells the story, this early graphical user interface, or GUI, by Xerox Parc, came about because computing became cheap and programmers could turn their attention to “trivial” matters. Like the Sarlacc, I take a long time to digest things, such as months-old magazine articles. But, hey, Mom always [...]

Chances of survival

14. July 2008

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Job security. Got some? Got enough? If you’re wondering about your prospects in the current economy, you might check out the Job Security Score. It’s a questionnaire that claims to tell you whether you should rest easy or revise your resume. I have no idea how accurate the score might be. I tried to complete it, but gave up [...]

Freeconomics

10. July 2008

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Just caught wind of a great article in Wired: “Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business” We’re debating this very question with a product we’re developing. One quote that stands out for me: “..free is not quite as simple — or as stupid — as it sounds. Just because products are free doesn’t mean that [...]

Punching the clock

8. July 2008

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When you work for an employer, it’s usually a pretty straightforward contract. You trade 40 or so hours of your week in exchange for a salary and some sprinkles. What happens during those hours is between you and your boss. But when you cut the tethers of employment and became a free agent, what’s the agreement? [...]

Permission, schpermission

2. July 2008

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Photo by Lars Klove It’s amazing how we need others to give us permission to break with societal norms and do the unthinkable. I don’t mean unthinkable acts like marrying your first cousin. Unless you’re royalty, in which case, it’s probably ok. Rather, I’m referring to what passes for unthinkable among neurotic social climbers in New [...]

Full monty

1. July 2008

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Two writers have come across my radar, thanks to the tweets of others: The disclosure on journalist Jeff Jarvis‘ blog BuzzMachine is a refreshingly thorough rundown of his business dealings, stock investments, religious affiliations and political leanings. It’s also funny in parts: “I make some would say too-frequent appearances on TV and radio but I am [...]