Michael Villanella, Copywriter Intern, Palio

I wasn’t alive in 1981 during MTVs first broadcast, but I know that, creatively, music videos aren’t much of what they used to be. I have distinct memories of growing up watching MTV with my two older brothers and being impressed by the art of music videos. Today music videos aren’t as big of a focus in the music biz, but every once in a while a quality video comes along that wakes people up. The following sheds some light on three recent videos that do just that. Each has a mini-lesson that can be translated to advertising and applied to your own creative endeavors.

Don’t neglect the nostalgia factor

Advertising has always had an emphasis on fresh ideas to capture people’s attention. Creating something that never existed has a sense of excitement and allure. While these ideas are great in their own right, it shouldn’t be frowned upon to take a different approach from time to time. Sometimes older ideas are overlooked simply because “it’s been done” or “everyone’s seen it already,” however sometimes the fact that “it’s been done” can be an idea’s strongest attribute.

The Foo Fighters took some interesting steps on their latest album. In an attempt to create a different sound in the digital recording age, they recorded their entire album on analog tape. Not only was it recorded on tape, but lead singer Dave Grohl’s garage was used as their “studio.” And, no, I’m not talking about a garage converted into a studio but rather the literal garage where Dave parks his cars. When this news first came out, many wondered if this would pay off as a clever aesthetic decision or just be an attempt to be different.

By creating on tape, and in Dave’s garage, the recording had a unique sound that couldn’t be replicated anywhere else. As Dave explains the recording process here, each recording becomes a performance. An instrument will sound different each time it’s run through the tape machine. As a result, no single take sounds like the next and a very distinct vibe is captured.

The Foos didn’t stop there. The music videos for the first two singles off the album, “Rope” and “White Limo” were recorded on VHS tape. As we all know, VHS tapes have a grainy picture with warped colors.  These types of video aren’t seen anymore in the age of HiDef. The visual and audial cues from the videos reflect those classic MTV days for a lot of older fans.

In these two instances, the Foo Fighters didn’t reinvent the wheel and yet a great creative product resulted from recycling the past. All of the old techniques acted as an unofficial marketing campaign to promote the new album. It captured an older audience by having them relate to old techniques that echoed a warm, nostalgic part of their life.  At the same time, it captured a curious, young audience that wondered, “what the heck is tape?” after Dave sent out a TwitPic of the his tape machine.

Challenge the Obvious

A lot of times we get hung up on creating a huge game-changing idea but forget that sometimes great ideas are actually very simple. For this we look to Marty Hardin’s weekly Tech Watch blog. A few weeks back Tech Watch referenced two great examples of simplicity at its finest. First up is Radiohead’s music video for “House of Cards.”

Historically, Radiohead has been known to take risks, so it should be no surprise that on the day of the video shoot there wasn’t a single camera on set… sorta.

The music video utilized Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR to capture what became their music video. So what the heck are those? These are two devices that use lasers to capture 3D images and landscapes. The data is fed into a computer where it is fooled around with and the result has a beautiful effect that’s both stunning and provocative.

When I first saw the “House of Cards” video about two years ago it left a lasting impression on me. It looked so cool to me that I wondered what kind of crazy voodoo was used to create it. At the time, I mistakenly credited the visual to special effects, only to recently discover the real reasons behind it. Somewhere along the creative thought process, someone was bold enough to challenge the obvious fact that cameras are used to shoot video.

Not Cheap but Inexpensive – Be your own McGuyver

I find that some of the best ideas come from being resourceful. Limited resources are a breeding ground for creativity because you have no choice but to create something out of nothing. Moullinex’s video for “Catalina” is a great example of how $99 and a little technological know-how can create something that will turn a few heads.

By using a technique similar to Radiohead, Moullinex took a Microsoft Kinect to capture the 3D footage and a few open source programs to toy with the data. Afterwards the video was polished up in Adobe After Effects and released into cyberspace.

What’s great about the “Catalina” video is that the small monetary value of this project has no affect on the artistic value. Creatively speaking, sometimes less produces more simply by necessity. By becoming your own artistic McGuyver, you usually produce something better than if you were well equipped for the task in the first place. Moullinex’s detailed creative process can be seen here.

A lot can be learned from getting into the mind of another artist. Seeing a final product is always fun, but understanding the thought process and motivation is much more useful. By getting into someone else’s head you can influence your own thoughts. Hopefully, if you’re stumped you can derail your continuous patterns of creative attack and bring about a new perspective.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Tim Roberts, Director of Project Management, Palio

It’s pretty amazing how a simple hobby or interest can have an impact on the way you feel throughout your day and can have such a tremendously positive effect on your life in general.

I’ve had many hobbies and interests in my life. Baseball, which I still love to watch and follow but I long ago stopped playing when the Red Sox didn’t return my phone calls about a contract. Golf, which requires a lot of time, planning and money. Tennis, which requires finding a partner with the same skill set. I know this is really hard to believe, but I was even into creative writing at one point. All very fun stuff, but none of these have made me feel as good and rewarded me more than running.

I am not a great runner, nor am I the kind of person who needs to fuel his ego by saying I ran a marathon or did a triathlon. I don’t care how many miles a week I run, as I stopped keeping a running log or diary a long time ago. You won’t ever see me discouraged when I arrive at the finish line of a race in mid pack. I simply like the activity and freedom of running and even more so the way I feel for hours after. I function way more efficiently after I run. I find my performance at work is much better on days I run. My mood is better. I am able to eat more (which is probably why my mood is better).

Running has been a big part of my life in dealing with personal tragedies and problems. I vividly remember the first run I had after my Dad died (in 2003) like it was last week. I do a lot of thinking when I run. This ranges from deep personal matters to working through solutions and ideas relating to work to which horse I like in this year’s Kentucky Derby. I often plan out the rest of my day while on my run. I also think about how I treat others and how I can be a better person.

The thing I probably like most about running is it’s the only thing in my life that is all me. I am in total control of how good my run is. There are seldom underlying factors that have an impact on my run. There is nobody telling me what to do or trying to sell me something. I often run during my lunch breaks at work, and it provides a great way to relieve stress from my fast paced workday. For 45 minutes, nobody can find me and ask me for something. I get away from everything and can focus solely on me.

I prefer running alone and listening to music while I run. Running is probably the rawest, most effective form of exercise you can find. And you don’t have to be rich to do it. In fact, running is about the cheapest hobby you will ever come across. All you really need is a nice pair of running sneakers and decent athletic apparel. I was never the guy who had the flashy outfits or the fancy winter gear, but I will spend money on good sneakers. If I don’t run at lunch time, I run early in the morning. I find running after work or in the afternoons on weekends to be my least productive runs. Yes, 5am is super early but once you are use to being up at that time, it becomes habitual and a very rewarding way to begin your day.

I know most people who run set goals. Mine are a little different. I don’t have a race I am training for, nor a Personal Record I am shooting for. My goals are simply to stay happy and be the best husband possible, and running plays a huge part in both of those.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

1. Frankencamera – in the lab
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37359/
Video:
http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=692&channel=computing

Categories: Hacking, Photography, DSLR

What it is: A prototype of a camera that will allow photographers to develop new photographic techniques

Why it matters: Taking cues from robotics and Microsoft’s Kinect, researchers at Stamford University are building a camera that will allow photographers and shooting hobbyists to hack the way the camera operates and to come up with new ways of photographing the world. What’s really exciting is that this points to a future where users will be able to build their own user experience in ways that could never be imagined.

 

2. TR10: Cloud Streaming – in beta
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37203/
Video:
http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=691

Categories: Mobile, Remote Processing, Software as Service, Data Compression, Online Collaboration

What it is: Bringing data intensive programs to mobile devices via cloud computing servers

Why it matters: Imagine being able to hand a physician a complex model of a devilishly complex protein that allows them to interact with it in real time. Complex models and visualizations will be available to tell our stories in richer ways than video or flash can handle. This will result in richer stories and deeper understanding that a mechanism of action video or illustration will never be able to capture. Richer stories will lead to deeper engagements.

3. Cascade – New York Times Data Labs R&D
http://nytlabs.com/projects/cascade.html

Categories: Data Visualization, Social Media, Message Propagation, Processing, Mongo DB What it is: A new way to see the complex way a message moves through the world of social media over time 

 

 

 

Why it matters: Humans are not great data processors but are great at recognizing patterns. Computers are not good at recognizing patterns but can handle extreme amounts of data in seconds. When you combine the strengths of computers and humans, recognition and cognition happens in new and exciting ways that allow a greater understanding of the impact of massive data sets. This is opening the doorway beyond standard Kaplan-Meier methodologies, bar graphs and pie charts, and is leading to a new way of making data understood much faster. Oh yeah, it looks really cool too.

4. Kodak Pulse Digital Frame 2.0 – now shipping (Mother’s Day hint)
http://mashable.com/2011/04/24/kodak-pulse/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29#13097Its-Thin

Categories: Device, Fluid Interface, Social Media, Photo Sharing

What it is: A simple to use photo frame targeted to senior citizens that integrates a simple, single push button response

Why it matters: Imagine sitting down with your grandmother and walking her through Facebook on her computer (if she has a computer) for the first time. My grandma would have a problem. This can be set up via a wireless network to receive images direct from preset social media accounts. You post a picture, she see’s it instantly (you did set your filters didn’t you?). She touches a built in response. No computer, no email no social media account. Imagine a simple, digital device to educate patients, train docs and nurses without having to worry about platforms, devices and or complex interfaces to navigate.

Note: Simplicity (don’t make me think) will be the key to adoption in future technologies that speak to docs and patients.

 

5. WVIL Camera Concept – prototype
http://www.toxel.com/tech/2011/04/24/wireless-lens-camera/

Categories: Devices, Photography, Wireless HD

What it is: Rethinking devices around user behavior, not physical limitations

Why it matters: Okay 3 photo-related articles in the same tech watch is coincidental. The difference here is that we all carry mobile devices, and the majority of images are now captured on cell phones.  This is a vision of separating the lens and sensor from the capture device. A mobile app controls the image capture, the lens device does the rest wirelessly. What you get: an incredibly high-quality video and still images while also being able to take calls and send email. It even functions remotely. Imagine what other extreme functionality can be added to medical devices that can be controlled by docs anywhere in the world-regardless of the device’s location.

Added Note: Humans are, by nature, visually driven. Devices that capitalize on this predisposition stand a much stronger chance of survivability in the future tech scape.

 

5 ways to liven up your Twitter stream
http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/5-quick-ways-to-liven-up-your-twitter-stream

Simple ways to improve your presence on Twitter

 

3D projection mapping – 10 Examples (Video)
http://mashable.com/2011/04/24/3d-projection-mapping/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

Immersive 3D experiences of note.

 

 

 

Happy exploring.

 

 

 

 

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Angela Williams, Editor, Palio

Did you know that when you translate a document from English into Spanish, the copy length typically increases by about 25%?

This small tidbit of information may seem unimportant, especially in the midst of a multilingual marketing campaign, but planning for translation hiccups up front will help ensure your communications are as clear, engaging, and culturally appropriate in another language as they are in English.

Writing or designing for a translated piece? Keep these 5 rules of thumb top of mind.

1. Err on the side of lean. Chances are that if your English copy is teetering on the verbose side, the foreign language translation will too. Use clear, concise language, shorter sentences, and simple, standard constructions. Translation vendors charge per word, so wordiness will cost you.

2. Steer clear of idioms, colloquialisms, and jargon. Expressions or terms with unconventional meanings (eg, the bottom line, quick and dirty) don’t always have suitable counterparts in other languages. If you’re not careful, their translations may inadvertently come across as inappropriate, offensive, or confusing.

3. Avoid excessive use of acronyms. If there isn’t already an established foreign language equivalent for an English acronym (eg, the translation of HIV is VIH in Spanish), its spelled-out translation will tack on length very quickly – at a rate of a few extra words per mention.

4. Don’t skimp on the white space. An airy layout with a good amount of white space might look slightly odd before your piece is translated, but when your manuscript comes back 25% longer, you’ll be thrilled you don’t have to crop images or sacrifice design elements to cram in that additional copy.

5. Tailor colors and graphics to your target. Before you start designing, do your research. Consider your audience’s nationality, religion, and level of conservatism when selecting imagery. And be aware of how your audience views certain colors, which may carry different connotations or meanings in other cultures.

Your translation vendor should be able to approximate how much your copy length will increase based on the language and/or dialect into which you’re translating. If you’re not certain, find out. And then make sure members of your creative team are privy, too.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Sean O’Donnell, Group Copy Supervisor, Palio

New York (AP) — A sudden interest in the power of tiger blood has gripped Americans across the country, and has caught the Federal Drug Association (FDA) off guard. Charlie Sheen, the recently fired actor and quote sensation machine, has credited tiger blood for making him impervious to the “haters” and “trolls” and maintaining his superstar stature despite being fired from the mind-numbing comedy “Two and a Half Men.”

Currently, the FDA has stated that no companies have approached the Agency with studies linking success with drinking tiger blood. Dr. Ian Demeritt, chief wildlife expert at the FDA says, “If a company goes through the clinical studies and can make a case for the benefits of tiger blood consumption, we could conceivably give an indication for its use to maintain ‘rock star from Mars’ status and the long-term ability for attracting ‘godesses.’”

Despite the obstacles and costs facing a company from getting the FDA approval of tiger blood, Michael Osterhout thinks there is a huge opportunity in the market for such a product. As a leading marketer of tiger-related products, like Tiger Beat magazine and a line of acrylic nails called Tiger Talons, Mr. Osterhout feels the public needs more tiger. “After the Tiger Woods debacle, the tiger market really bottomed out,” he says. “Now there is an opportunity for a business to seize the aura of tiger blood and develop an energy-boosting beverage.”

Julie Priddle, a student at Manchester Community College and energy drink fan, couldn’t agree more. “Yeah, I’d totally try a tiger blood drink. Of course I wouldn’t want it to taste like my face was melting off,” she explained, “but I think it’d really give me a boost before heading off to English class.”

No other Charlie Sheen-related products have been brought to the attention of the FDA. At least for now. “I think we would have to draw the line at bottling Adonis DNA for public consumption,” explains Dr. Demeritt, “That patent is held exclusively by Mr. Sheen.”

*If you believe a word of this, a box set from season 3 of “Two and a Half Men” is being shipped to you shortly.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Marty Hardin, SVP, Director of Emerging Media & Technology, Palio

1. Spiroscout GPS Asthma Attack Tracking – preproduction
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/14/spiroscout-inhaler-uses-gps-wifi-to-track-asthma-attacks/

Categories: Devices, GPS, Asthma

What it is: A device that allows doctors to track not only when, but where patients have asthma attacks

Why it matters: While tracking asthma isn’t a new concept, understanding where attacks occur and the frequency with which they occur can lead to smarter dosing with less medication. This could open the door to greater understanding of not only physical issues but environmental issues associated with many disease states. Smarter dosing, less medication and better treatment to suit patient lives.

 

2. Touchscreen Gaming for Cerebral Palsy – prototype testing
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2010/11/touchscreen_gaming_for_cerebral_palsy_rehab.html

Categories: Games for health, Microsoft Surface, Rehab, Devices

What it is: Therapy becomes fun for pediatric patients

Why it matters: Therapy can be a grueling process as eye hand coordination is developed. This takes technology to the place it excels-gaming. Therapist can program the games to help patients reach their goals in a fun an exciting way. With the advent of mobile devices, we can look for new ways to engage patients for both therapy and education without boring them to death. Less pharma, more fun.

3. Intubation Robot used in Surgery – patient testing
http://muhc.ca/newsroom/news/introducing-world%E2%80%99s-first-intubation-robot

Categories: Surgical Devices, Airway Management, Robotically Assisted Surgery

What it is: A system that may reduce the complications associated with airway management in surgery

Why it matters: The great thing about robotically controlled surgery is that the devices are so darn precise. No fatigue, no mental stress, they do their job quickly and more precisely than any human. Combine the robots precision with the experience of seasoned anesthesiologist, you have lower risk and fewer complications. We’ll start seeing more of the robotic procedures coming into doctor’s offices to handle mundane task. Finding ways to offer our these technologies to our clients will help them in both their doctor story and in their managed care sale.

4. Portable Brian Tumor Treatment System – Just approved by the FDA
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/portable-brain-tumor-treatment-system-kills-cancer-while-you-tak/

Categories: Cancer, Devices, Chemotherapy alternatives

What it is: A portable system that bombards glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors with low intensity electrical fields

Why it matters: Despite looking like a recycled Nintendo NES, this is an FDA approved system for treating tumors without chemotherapy. An alternative treatment that skips the usual side effects of nausea, fatigue and infection. More importantly, it signals that devices that can be automated to regulate treatment will allow patients to spend less time in hospitals, reduce bills and in some cases side step meds. We should all be watching this trend.

 

5. Decentralized Social Media – in various stages
Article: The Next Facebook is all of Us
http://blog.windsoc.co/2011/04/13/the-real-next-facebook-is-all-of-us/

Categories: Social Media

What it is: The concept that there will be no one social media.

Why it matters: Social media, in all its various forms is trying too hard to be all things to everyone. In the end, we use each media in different ways. What will be key isn’t making the “one killer social media tool”, but in allowing people to move between each of the media, share thoughts and images, all without skipping a beat. Below is a look at most mentioned in the linked article above that you should be aware of. Some are new, some are in beta, and one’s in alpha, but, regardless, it’s where social media is going. Chances are, one of these modular approaches will catch on:

Path: http://www.path.com/
Color: http://color.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/
LikeALittle: http://lal.com/home
Buddycloud: http://buddycloud.com/
Statusnet: http://status.net/
Diaspora: http://joindiaspora.com/
Appleseed: http://opensource.appleseedproject.org/

HAPPY EXPLORING!

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Allen Mercier, Senior Editor, Palio

Keeping the rules of capitalization straight can be challenging. In headlines, for example, how does one determine which words to capitalize? To complicate matters, different editorial styles (eg, Chicago, Associated Press, American Psychological Association, etc) sometimes contradict each other. Fortunately, the editors at Palio generally work within 1 style: American Medical Association (AMA) style. So, let’s take a look at what AMA has to say on the subject.

Titles and Subtitles

Capitalize the first letter of each major word in titles and subtitles. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions of 3 or fewer letters (of, for, in), coordinating conjunctions (and, or, for, nor, but), or the to infinitives. However, capitalize a coordinating conjunction, an article, or a preposition of 3 or fewer letters when it is the first or last word in a title or subtitle. Do capitalize 2-letter verbs (go, do, am, is, be).

Do not capitalize the second part of a hyphenated compound if either part is a hyphenated prefix or suffix (Self-referral, Anti-inflammatory, Intra-abdominal) or if both parts together constitute a single word (Long-term, Follow-up, Part-time). However, in the case of a temporary compound, in which each part of the hyphenated term carries equal weight, capitalize both words (Cost-Benefit Analysis, Low-Level Activity).

Proper and Common Nouns

Capitalize proper nouns, which are words used as names for unique individuals, events, objects, or places (Starbucks, United States, Atlantic Ocean). If a common noun (coffee shop, country, ocean) is capitalized in the singular, it is generally not capitalized in the plural (Atlantic and Pacific oceans).

Acronyms and Initialisms

Do not capitalize the words from which an acronym or initialism is derived (prostate-specific antigen [PSA]), unless the words are proper names (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH]).

Tables, Figures, and Computer Commands

When used as specific designations within a particular article, with or without numerals, capitalize Table and Figure (as seen in the Table, the middle third of the basilar artery [Figure 2]).

Axis labels in figures are akin to column headings in tables, so each word should be capitalized, except for minor words such as prepositions of less than 4 letters.

Use initial capitals with computer commands, functions, or features (Back button, History folder, click Go).

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Marty Hardin, SVP, Director of Emerging Media and Technology, Palio

1. Hacking Kinect for Teleconferencing – prototype
http://www.pcworld.com/article/224241/kinect_hacked_to_teleconference_is_now_cooler_than_skype.html

Categories: Social Media, Broadcast, Web Cam, Hacking, Twitter, Augmented Reality

What it is: A new way of conducting video conferences that shifts focus and tracks attendees

Why it matters: As we move further and further away from face-to-face interactions, this application helps create a sense of focus. It also allows participants to track who is in the room and where they are sitting.

Imagine: A doctor consults with a patient in a remote location. The doctor can maintain eye contact with the patient, while also having access to all of the patient’s medial information in real time. Imagine if vital statistics were also present. This could be a huge boon to rural areas where doctors are scarce, or in a crisis situation triggered by a natural disaster.

2. Store Data in Your Body – in the lab
http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sparsh/#CONTACTUS
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20325-store-data-in-your-body-without-cyborg-modification.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

Categories: Data Storage, Data Transfer, Fluid Interface, Perceptual Interface

What it is: It’s a way to transfer data that relies on our perception to make data transfer as simple as possible

Why it matters: As devices become further embedded in our daily lives, the human to machine interface will become less and less daunting. Instead of modifying our behavior around devices, the devices will be built to behave according to our expectations.

Imagine: A patient answering a patient questionnaire at home and simply going to the doctor’s office and transferring to his/her device. No printing, no emailing, no worries of HIPPA compliance issues.

3. Mouseless/Invisible Computer Mouse – prototype
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/03/man-steers-r-c-car-with-his-hands-not-to-mention-an-html5-based/

Categories: Technology, User Experience, Fluid Interface

What it is: A hands-free application that allows users to interact with a computer while using standard mouse “gestures” (click, double-click, right-click, etc.).

Why it matters: With non-contact driven gestural interfaces coming into their own (Kinect), this is another example of how we are starting to make computers “fade into the background.”

Imagine: A physician comes to a tradeshow booth. A representative from the pharma company strikes up a conversation, and, without being dependent on a device, is able to launce into a sales presentation anywhere in the booth area. No computer to carry or walk to. The device is secondary to the one on one conversation between the rep and the doc.

4. GOAB – prototype
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663591/goab-ipad-app-brings-tv-watching-into-the-internet-age

Categories: Web Television, Interactive Television

What it is: An interactive television experience that works via your television and a content-aware app on a mobile device. It also assists you in finding shows based on your mood or interest-not listings.

Why it matters: While most interactive television projects have tried to meld all of the interactions into one interface, this one allows two devices to work in tandem. So you can watch a movie or television show and respond to ads, browse stats during a game, or tweet with your friends during your favorite television show.

Imagine: Watching your favorite show, and an ad appears for a drug in a category that affects a friend of yours. You can call up the product’s information, share it and continue talking about the show you were watching. A seamless integration of entertainment, social media, and marketing.

5. Adobe Photoshop Touch SDK – pre-release
http://mashable.com/2011/04/11/adobe-ipad-photoshop/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Mashable+(Mashable)

Categories: Technology, Mobile, Fluid Interface

What it is: An app lets you extend your computer workspace on to your mobile device. Not just an extra screen, but a shared interface.

Why it matters: Up until now, due to lower processing power, mobile devices have had “Lite” version of apps. This app allows the mobile device to take on lighter processing tasks and share those with the more robust desktop version. For all you Photoshop users, think mobile plug-ins.

Stories worth noting:

Mood Mapping Twitter
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19200-twitter-mood-maps-reveal-emotional-states-of-america.html
By using positive/negative words in English, a computer scientist maps the emotional state of the nation on Twitter.

Placebook: Visualizing your Friend‘s by Geolocation
http://geographics.cz/socialMap/
Designed to give users a better idea of how their friends are distributed around the world.

Bot shows signs of conciousness
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028063.400-bot-shows-signs-of-consciousness.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech
A SOFTWARE bot inspired by a popular theory of human consciousness takes the same time as humans to complete simple awareness tasks.

HAPPY EXPLORING!

 

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Guy Mastrion, Chief Global Creative Officer, Palio

I don’t suspect that print is dead.

I think print is going to live on in newer forms with a different set of expectations.

In the future, to commit something to print will be an acknowledgment that this ink on paper represents something of greater value than what might be found in the digital atmosphere.

Magazines may no longer survive as weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly… but perhaps as quarterly or bi-annual publications that bring greater insight, depth and some finality to what may have originated as digital content. Or they may mark a certain stage of events, be it in fashion or healthcare.

Better yet, there will be features and benefits of print unavailable in the digital space. All of these aspects will bring value back to print. Additionally, there is the tactile and other sensory responses to the print medium that will remain imprinted in our consciousness for some time to come; hopefully forever, in my opinion.

We’re already witnessing some of this as it unfolds. The New York Times Sunday edition could very well end up being the only printed edition all week, with the daily content being purely digital.

I am imagining, too, that technology will give us digital paper at some point. Magazine-, book- and newspaper-sized digital papers that can be re-charged with new content as you finish the last. And this digital paper will look, feel and even smell like ink on paper but will have all the interactivity that the future technology innovations can muster.

For today, though, we have the QR code. This simple direct response device has re-energized print by linking it with digital. And for some very progressive publishers this has become a boom for their publications and their consumers alike. Wallpaper magazine, to name one, has developed deep interactive content that drives off these QR codes to create a tremendous user experience that enlivens each publication, connecting the reader with the creators and subject matter experts. I believe this publication and some of its advertisers have it right, and it is a model worth noting.

For marketers, this confluence of print and digital is a high-energy point that can be very effectively leveraged to create powerful user experiences that bring great value to their customers and give new meaning to print-based communications, in effect creating a 3D experience for the user. The end game, of course, for brands is to drive sales and increase customer loyalty. This integration, if handled properly, can help do just that, while at the same time create strong brand advocacy among its customers. And of course, it is all highly measureable and alive.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From  Steve Dubansky, MD, SVP, Medical Director, Palio

Below you’ll find a thought-provoking and informative editorial from the March 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The author is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics. He asks, but only begins to answer, the fundamental question above. Below are 2 quotes from the piece that should intrigue you enough to want to read on. At the editorial’s conclusion, you’ll find a hyperlink to a 1-minute-and-20-second excerpt from Dr. Avorn’s lecture on this topic at Harvard Business School.

“The evidence base available to clinicians to guide their therapeutic choices is still heavily shaped by industry-sponsored studies that often compare new products with placebo, measure their worth in terms of surrogate markers such as laboratory test results, or both.”

“They [package inserts] live on as tangled obfuscations filled with minimally usable data and liability-averting warnings.”

Perspective

Teaching Clinicians about Drugs — 50 Years Later, Whose Job Is It?

NEJM | March 30, 2011 | Topics: Drugs, Devices, and the FDA

Jerry Avorn, M.D.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kefauver hearings, the pivotal 1961 Senate debate that transformed prescription drug approval and use. When Senator Estes Kefauver (D-TN) introduced legislation to regulate the drug industry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still did not have legal authority to require pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate that their products actually worked. What physicians knew about prescription drugs was shaped predominantly by the claims their manufacturers made about them, and the evidence base underlying such claims was often rudimentary, or worse.

Closely related to the thinness of the science was the question of how information about a drug’s benefits and risks should be evaluated and communicated to physicians — and by whom. Then as now, pharmaceutical companies mounted aggressive promotional campaigns for their products. An unsigned 1961 Journal editorial titled “Ethical Drugs — Who Shall Educate the Physician?” noted with concern that “manufacturers spend about four times as much on the promotion of drugs as the total cost of running all the medical schools.” As a result, the editorial continued, “the majority of physicians get their first and often their only information about newly available drugs from these sources, which at best may be strongly prejudiced and at their worst are unreliable and misleading.”¹ No mechanism existed for robust, arm’s-length governmental determination of a drug’s efficacy and for the dissemination of such data — a solution that many clinicians did not favor in any case. As a result, practitioners were often left with little disinterested guidance about the usefulness or safety of new medications in comparison with their alternatives.

Among other things, the Kefauver legislation sought to have the federal government provide a more even-handed, public source of drug education for physicians: a leaflet that would accompany every prescription medication describing “all the information about the activity, uses, and untoward effects of the drug”; a compendium of such information for all products “in convenient and readable form” to be distributed widely; and an annual list of medications with high potential for serious side effects.

The American Medical Association (AMA), skeptical about any public-sector role in health care, argued that this was not a proper activity for government and that such communication should be the responsibility of the profession itself, along with industry. The AMA had been attempting to fill this function through its Council on Drugs, a group of researchers and clinicians that evaluated new medications and issued a “Seal of Acceptance” to those meeting its standards. Only drugs thus accepted could be advertised in the AMA’s journals.² However, NEJM‘s editorialist lamented in 1961 that the AMA had largely dismantled these programs, a decision that led to “encouraging the introduction of relatively inferior drugs . . . [and] the deterioration in the quality of advertising and promoting such drugs. These changes have done little to help but may have done much to confuse the physician in his efforts to practice good medicine.” The Journal noted that this failure undercut the AMA position that a governmental program was not needed.

The pharmaceutical industry and the AMA attacked Kefauver’s bill, and the idea that the government should play a central role in evaluating medications for efficacy and disseminating information about them seemed headed to legislative defeat. Then came the thalidomide disaster. That drug was being heavily promoted in Europe as a sedative and antinauseant, particularly for use during pregnancy, but a more cautious FDA approach had spared Americans the epidemic of fetal limb-reduction defects that plagued countries with more permissive drug regulatory systems. Empowered by this crisis, the Kefauver hearings resulted in a new law that gave the FDA the authority to require evidence of efficacy and safety before a drug could be marketed.³ The debates about disseminating drug information eventually led to the now-familiar “package inserts” that fit the law’s requirement for completeness, even if they have still not lived up to its larger goals of usability and readability.

Half a century later, the editorial’s question, “Who shall educate the physician?” is still hotly contested. Opposition to a role for government did not carry the day then but has dominated debate ever since; the letter of Kefauver’s legislation about drug information has been followed in one narrow sense, though its spirit has not fared as well. The evidence base available to clinicians to guide their therapeutic choices is still heavily shaped by industry-sponsored studies that often compare new products with placebo, measure their worth in terms of surrogate markers such as laboratory test results, or both.

The recent comparative effectiveness movement holds great promise for improving this evidence base, if it survives politically. Package inserts have been legally mandated, but until recently their content was determined primarily by the manufacturer, not the FDA. They live on as tangled obfuscations filled with minimally usable data and liability-averting warnings. Proposals for improving them are floated periodically, and 2007 legislation may give the agency more power to address this problem. But for the most part, the 1961 vision of an unbiased, user-friendly, practical summary of benefits and risks produced by the government for each prescription drug has not come to pass.

On the education front, recent reforms have only partially addressed concerns about the undue influence of drug companies on what physicians know (or think we know) about medications, mediated through aggressive promotion, less visible and more indirect public relations campaigns, and a manufacturer-dominated continuing medical education industry. The 1961 editorial’s reference to “ethical drugs” — an old term for prescription medications — seems oddly archaic in a time of scandals about deceptive marketing practices and heavily advertised, costly medications that turn out to have major unreported risks.

One positive response to the editorial’s question has been the outreach activities that have evolved to disseminate noncommercial drug information to clinicians. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has long tried to provide a public-sector source of evidence-based information on drugs and other interventions. It initially did its job so effectively that in the mid-1990s it was nearly defunded after pressure was exerted by advocates for treatments that were more lucrative than effective.⁴ A chastened AHRQ has remained engaged in this area but is reluctant to issue therapeutic guidelines that could again threaten its existence.

As the United States turns away from 1960s-era belief about government’s role in protecting the public health, and as concern grows about industry’s influence on federal policy positions, the answer to who shall educate the physician is increasingly unlikely to be “Uncle Sam.” Instead, an emerging answer may be public–nonprofit collaborations for which the government provides funding but profession-based nongovernmental entities with no ties to industry generate the scientific content. One illustration is the growth of support for “academic detailing” — educational outreach programs in which independent researchers and clinicians systematically review data for a given therapeutic area and develop noncommercial, evidence-based recommendations about treatment choices. Pharmacists, nurses, and physicians are then sent to visit practitioners in their offices to present these findings, drawing on the successful marketing strategies of industry but without its sales-oriented spin.⁵ Several states, insurers, and federal programs currently fund academic detailing programs based on content developed by nonprofit organizations free of industry ties. As concerns grow about the safety, complexity, and affordability of our expanding pharmacopoeia, demand for these programs increases.

Fifty years after the Journal grappled with these issues, they are even more relevant, and the need to provide reliable drug information to physicians is even more pressing. Enlightened by our tumultuous experience with medications and drug communications over the past half-century, we are still working on a sustainable answer to this question that lies at the heart of medical practice.

Source Information

From Harvard Medical School and the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital — both in Boston.

References

1. Ethical drugs — who shall educate the physician? N Engl J Med 1961;265:910-912

2. Greene JA, Podolsky SH. Keeping modern in medicine: pharmaceutical promotion and physician education in postwar America. Bull Hist Med 2009;83:331-377

3. Carpenter D. Reputation and power: organizational image and pharmaceutical regulation at the FDA. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010.

4. Gray BH, Gusmano MK, Collins SR. AHCPR and the changing politics of health services research. Health Aff (Millwood)2003;W3-283-W3-307

5. Avorn J. Devising an antidote. In: Avorn J. Powerful medicines: the benefits, risks, and costs of prescription drugs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005:313-38.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uONt4kumkIk

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.