My New Favorite iPhone App – TRACE

This is a super simple and easy to play game. With that being said it does not lack in fun or the right amount of challenge. The purpose of the game is to get your guy to safety in the rotating “sun”. To do this you have to avoid obstacles by drawing your own lines in for the man to walk on. You can erase lines and jump – if that helps you get to the goal.

I love the Microsoft Paint look and feel of this game. Even though it looks like it took 2 minutes to make, it is actually prety complex. Also there are TONS of levels (120), so you can play for quite a while – Im on level 45 at this point.

Best point of all is the game is FREE! I have included a couple more screenshots below. Give the game a play and let me know what you think.

The @TweetBomb

If anyone one is keeping up with trends going on on Twitter (I have a feeling a couple of people may be doing so), you may have noticed a spike in conversation about @tweetbomb. It is a pretty cool “social experiment”, as its calling itself. Although the real motive behind it is un-clear, it seems like just a fun way to get distracted for a few minutes in the afternoon.

The concept is simple. @tweetbomb will send out instructions to ‘BOMB’ an apparently random (there has been mention of some criteria being involved) Twitter user simply by send nothing but an @(username) message (it happens daily at 3:33pm est). Ideally, the person will receive tons of messages from random people. It seems like a pretty good way to find some new followers or followees on Twitter.

So far, there are 350 followers of @tweetbomb, and that number seems to dramatically increase each day and it appears a large portion of these people are participating. You can see some of the chatter going on about @tweetbomb here. We will see where the bomb leads us next. So if you aren’t following, you may as well http://www.twitter.com/tweetbomb

Why I love Stephen T. Colbert

The Colbert report is a great show. The brand of humor it brings is classic. I would like to share 2 reasons that inspired me to share my love.

1) This is the funnies graphic ever – declaring racism over.

2) He reviewed the new Guns n Roses CD and gave it 0 out of 5 “me’s” his equivalent of a star.

Please feel free to share your favorite Colbert moments.

Stumble it!

The temperature of the waters is…

Apparently this is how you tell temperature in France.

Dear Companies: Run Your Business Like You Should Run Your Life

I am not one to tell people how they should lead their lives. I’d love to, but I don’t think I am quite qualified for that responsibility. The Dalai Lama, however can tell anyone whatever he wants. I was reading his 18 rules for living (which you can find below) and while I agree that would make anyone’s life more fufilling, all I could think about was how these rules, if followed by businesses, could lead to tremendous success, especially in a world that requires brands to be so transparent online.

Without explaining each and every point, I think a couple are worth emphasizing.

Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values. This is crucial for a company to succeed. Of course, you need to evolve and accept new business practices, but do not lose your mission as a company. Consumers are smart and will notice if you are changing the core of your company.

Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality. You have customers for a reason, they value your product or service, which makes you an expert to them. Share that information, everything does not have to be a trade secret. Your consumers will appreciate learning from you, and it will create a more personal connection to your relationship.

The Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules For Living Your Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:

1. Respect for self
2. Respect for others
3. Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Ok, I know what you are probably thinking, number 8 and number 10 are probably not the best business practices. I agree. These are points to just live your life by. Your business needs to stay transparent, saying nothing is rarely the best answer.

The AWWW Factor: Unveiling the Puppy-Cam

I thought its puppies!

Every once in a while something comes along on the internet that draws massive attention, something that everyone is talking about. Usually it is something that someone creates with the intention to get as many viewers as possible, much like Fred Figglehorn. This time around though, a viral sensation has taken over the World Wide Web, with seemingly non-viral motives.

Enter Puppy-Cam. Originally launched as a way for the owners of 6 Shiba Inu puppies to keep an eye on them when they were not home, the puppy-cam was discovered by the general public and has created hysteria among dog-lovers everywhere.

Most incredibly, the puppies have developed somewhat of a cult following. They consistently have more than 10,000 people viewing at any given time, and have maxed out at over 15,000 viewers. In just the 5 weeks that the puppies have been on air, they have received nearly 2 million views to their cam.

At MGH, we can thank our own wom-mer, Ashley, for exposing everyone to them. It has been a mainstay on a few co-workers desktop – which in turn translates to frequent “AWWW’s” from across the office.

The Shiba Inu puppies prove the power of online word of mouth. I do not think a day has passed in the last few weeks that I have not seen a Tweet about “the puppies”. When you have something unique to offer, people will talk about it. With that being said, go enjoy the puppies. They have missed you for the three minutes you’ve been away!

***UPDATE*** All this puppy chat has lead to an article on Time.com. Not to mention a dedicated fan who is Twittering the pups every move (@pupdate).  This continues to show how powerful word of mouth really is!!!

This has also been posted on the MGH WOM Blog.

Gmail Video Chat – One More Step to Controlling the Internet

Google is rollling out its version of video chat via its gmail chat server today. The service allows g-chat users to connect with other who have installed the free plugin. Gmail video chat works very similar to iChat, with a small camera icon situation next to user-names of those with web-cam enabled computers. Currently, Google is in the process of rolling their new feature out to all Gmail users, so if you do not see if its not available yet, no fear, its coming soon.

What affect will this have on other similar services like Skype and iChat?

To me it seems like Apple and Google seem to be colliding more and more with their technology.  I am looking forward to seeing even more competitiveness between these two companies.

Check out the Google video introducing Gmail Video Chat.

This entry also appears on the MGH WOM blog.

Doesn’t That Defeat the Purpose? (CONTEST)

Ok, so the other day the secret service released the new First Family-Elect’s codenames. Is it just me or does that seem to sort of defeat the purpose of codenames. AND if you are going to pick names, names for the President of the United States, the best you can come up with is Renegade? Oh, and Biden’s name is Celtic. AWESOME.

Here’s the deal. What would you name the President and Vice President-Elect? Best answers get these two candy canes sitting on my desk, and the scratch off from my car (non-winner).

The Funniest Thing on the Internet

I am not sure if this is real. Nor do I really care. They year is not over yet, but I am comfortable in saying this is the funniest thing I have read all year online.

Hit Me Baby, One More Time

So, this is kind of old, but its still hilarious, and had to share. I believe he may be the next leave britney alone kid.