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Thoughts on the role of social media in planningOctober 22 2008

The extent of the “2.0” paradigm shift we are experiencing was driven home for me by an issue of Wired Magazine published this summer called The Petabyte Age: Because More Isn’t Just More – More Is Different (6.23.08). The issue focused on the idea that our relationship with data is changing, that access to unprecedented (and quite literally, unfathomable) volumes of data is challenging some of our most basic assumptions about how we acquire knowledge.

“Who knows why people do what they do? The point is they do it, and we can track and measure it with unprecedented fidelity. With enough data, the numbers speak for themselves.”

Formerly a resource, data has become an episteme.

What does this mean for planners? If data speaks for itself, we risk redundancy if we continue to see ourselves as merely speaking on data’s behalf. At the same time, as our long tail target markets continue to shift and splinter, it is now more important than ever that all relevant data be brought to bear on our creative process. We need to develop data systems that are more collaborative and more interactive. We need to socialize our data networks and draw metrics from our existing social networks. In short, we need more social media.

My perspective on the role of social media as a research tool is at least partially a factor of my age and pre-professio

Call them liars, because that's what they areSeptember 23 2008

from Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet
Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
September 20, 2008.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLETGET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake,

MovingAugust 27 2008

Baleen is moving. We're still unpacking and rearranging the furniture, but if you'll excuse bare walls and bubble wrap, we'd like to invite you to come take a look. The new site is be powered by WordPress, hosted on the TracyLocke server, and accessible through the One TracyLocke homepage. Unfortunately, access will require a TracyLocke username and password, at least for the foreseeable future. For any non-TL employees who've been following, check back here again in a few weeks. I am considering keep this site up and running as a personal blog.

If you're a TracyLocke employee, you can receive updates from the new site via RSS feed. (If you need help setting that up, I can show you how.)

The new site does not yet have an option to subscribe via email, but hopefully will soon. For the time being, I'll be sending out email updates manually.

It's going to take a little growing into, but I really think the new site is going to be way cooler than this one. As we settle into our new home, I would love to hear any suggestions you may have on how we could improve the content or the format of Baleen.

Thanks for reading, and be in touch.

Becoming the Big New Idea: First, Look the PartAugust 25 2008

by Mary Jo Murphy at NYTimes


The wind turbine’s detractors fall into roughly two categories. To some objectors, the turbine is the devil’s own trident — a whirling, whirring one that thwacks birds, chews bats and sets whales’ teeth on edge. To the less eco-minded, it is the blight just outside the front window or off the back porch — if yours happens to be the front window or back porch

But none of that matters just now. The wind turbine is the “it” item of summer 2008.

It is everywhere, and not in a bad way. Advertisements broadcast by the presidential campaigns of Senators John McCain and Barack Obama during the Olympics have featured a

4xProevenAugust 22 2008

by Springwise

Encouraging people to organize their own wine tasting parties, 4xProeven (Tastingx4) combines a board game with a four-pack of wine.

The concept is simple: four small (0.375 litre) bottles of red wine are packaged in a carton that folds out to a board. Four blank stickers are included to hide the bottles' labels. A leaflet explains the basic elements of wine tasting: look, smell, taste and compare. It also describes the four single grape varieties included in the game. Players shuffle the bottles and start tasting. By comparing a wine's taste to the four descriptions, the objective is to guess which is Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Just launched in The Netherlands, 4xProeven is currently sold online for EUR 24.95 and by a small number of wine shops, and the company is planning to launch internationally soon.

While wine tasting games certainly aren't new, they generally include game elements only, not the wine itself. And here's where we think 4xProeven missed a great opportunity (or maybe they're working on it). Instead of including unbranded wines, partner with a well-kno