Defeating writer’s block

Anyone who writes for a living will, at some time or other, be afflicted by the curse of writer’s block. Here’s some excellent advice from Shear Creativity about what to do when it strikes…read more here 

Writer’s block. It strikes at the worst possible time making what would be a simple, fun exercise an exhausting one. It is exacerbated by stress, and often, leads to endless hours of frustration and hundreds of pages of useless copy, discarded for eternity. At least we don’t use typewriters any more, right? Copywriters back in the day must have been the leading cause of deforestation and global warming (as if advertisers needed any more blemishes on their reputation).

So what’s a wordless wordsmith to do? Here are some ways to cure the linguistically challenged.

1. Misdirection. Try thinking of topics completely irrelevant to the task at hand. If you’re supposed to be writing about the social consequences of performance monkeys (what more can you say?), start from a different angle. Maybe it’s sandwich making, Disney princesses or firefighters. Sometimes the most random approach results in the most interesting, creative outcome.

2. Move and Shake. Get up. Go do something. Anything that will distract you from ruminating over those darn performance monkeys! Clean your office, go for a jog or call your grandma – she misses you! Once you allow yourself to relax and step away from the computer, the creative juices will start flowing once again.

3. Ask someone else. A different set of eyes, ears and brain cells can make a world of difference, and having a conversation can provide a fresh perspective to the problem. Experts tend to be TOO involved and often lose sight of what they have to offer – give someone else a chance to think for a change.

4. Research. What are other people saying about performance monkeys? Maybe you can build off someone else’s idea or maybe their opinion will spark a thesis of your own. Gathering as much information as possible will allow you to view the problem holistically and give you a more knowledgeable outlook going forward.

5. Wait until tomorrow. If you have the option, nothing beats getting your beauty rest. Who knows? Those performance monkeys may come to you in your dreams with just the right story… or maybe when you wake up, rested and refreshed, you’ll have the energy to tackle that writing once and for all.

6. Write exactly what you know. Right now, you think nothing more can be said about the social consequences of performance monkeys. So say that. Tell us what led you to believe that, and speak honestly and openly. A candid piece will come naturally, and even if it’s not your final draft, it will get your writing gears running smoothly.

7. Or, you can just write about writer’s block. That’s what we did!

Shear Creativity: 7 ways to chip off the old [writer’s] block

InAVate – DLP cubes go interactive

DLP cubes have been given an interactive facelift with a new laser based multi-touch system from Mitsubishi. The groundbreaking technology is set to make an appearance at ISE 2010 following a successful debut in Sweden at signage show, Sign Scandinavia 2009. Video content shows a demonstration of the technology that, according to Mitsubishi, offers huge advancements in terms of speed and accuracy when compared to traditional IR based touch technology. See a video of the system in action here

Daniel Quitzau, manager of large display and play-out solutions at Mitsubishi Electric Europe, explained the new system is based on sensing technology rather than a touch overlay. “As far as I’m aware,” he continued, “it is the only multi-touch system that uses laser sensors and not IR. Because you are using lasers there are no problems with interference from other light sources, for example sunlight.”
Despite having obvious advantages for use in applications such as shop windows, Quitzau said the technology really comes into its own when used in DLP cubes. “The projector in the DLP cube actually creates IR itself. This means there is a lot of calibration required to create a good system and, even then, it’s not really good enough.”
The system generated keen interest when demonstrated at Sign Scandinavia in Stockholm. Quitzau said Mitsubishi received leads from sectors ranging from industrial to retail.
Currently, the products that are ready for market use back projection screens but Quitzau thinks the interactive DLP cubes will be ready at the beginning of next year. He revealed the company was looking at a possible launch at ISE 2010 when the “final tweaks” had been made. However, whether ISE is used as the launch pad or not, Quitzau did confirm that the technology will definitely be on display at the Amsterdam show.

InAVate – DLP cubes go interactive

Japan Machine Orders Rise More Than Expected; Recovery May Last

From Bloomberg.com

By Jason Clenfield and Tatsuo Ito

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) — Orders for Japanese machinery rose more than twice the pace economists estimated in September, signalling that a recovery in the world’s second-largest economy may be sustained.

Orders, an indicator of business investment in three to six months, climbed 10.5 percent from a month earlier, the Cabinet Office said today in Tokyo. The median estimate of 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 4.1 percent increase.

The yen gained and stocks rose, led by machinery makers Fanuc Ltd. and Kubota Corp., after the report showed businesses are becoming more willing to invest in equipment as profits recover. Companies from Toshiba Corp. to Elpida Memory Inc. have announced plans to build factories or increase capacity in the past month after beating their own earnings estimates.

“The bottom is probably behind us for capital spending,” said Masamichi Adachi, a senior economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Tokyo. “The retrenchment phase is over and the corporate sector as a whole should gradually pick up in a self- sustained way.”

The yen climbed to 89.61 per dollar at 12 p.m. in Tokyo from 89.76 before the report was published, building on the currency’s 7 percent advance in the past three months. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average added 0.2 percent. The Topix Machinery Index of 124 companies advanced to the highest this month.

Second Expansion

Figures due Nov. 16 may show Japan’s economy grew at a 2.9 percent annualized pace last quarter, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. It would be the second consecutive expansion since the economy emerged from its worst postwar recession and the first since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s government took power in September.

Reports today showed the recovery in China, Japan’s largest market, is gathering steam. Industrial production rose 16.1 percent in October from a year earlier, the most since March 2008, the statistics bureau said in Beijing. Retail sales gained an annual 16.2 percent, and urban fixed-asset investment climbed 33.1 percent in the first 10 months of this year.

Japan’s business spending may add to growth for the first time since the first three months of 2008, analysts predict. The Cabinet Office today forecast orders will increase 1 percent in the three months ending Dec. 31, which would be the first advance in seven quarters. It also raised its assessment of the indicator, saying that it is showing signs of bottoming.

Level Still Low

“The level of capital spending is still very low even though it started to pick up,” said Rei Tsuruta, economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. in Tokyo. “Today’s report showed signs that spending is starting to bottom.”

A rebound in capital spending, which accounted for about a third of the economy’s growth during the six-year expansion that ended in 2007, would lend stability to a recovery that has depended on temporary factors including government stimulus and a rebound in production spurred by run down inventories.

Improved earnings have provided companies with money to invest, while economic growth in Japan’s overseas markets has rekindled demand. Exports grew 10.4 percent last quarter from the previous period, according to Cabinet Office trade figures measured by volume.

Pretax profit at the more than 900 Japanese companies that had announced earnings as of Nov. 10 doubled in the quarter ended Sept. 30 from the previous three months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. Even after the gain, profit was still 40 percent below the same period last year.

Toshiba’s Factory

Better earnings are already encouraging companies to spend. Toshiba, Japan’s biggest maker of semiconductors, said last month it will spend 25 billion yen ($277 million) to build a lithium-ion battery plant in Niigata, northern Japan. Cost cuts last quarter helped the company narrow its loss to 200 million yen from 27 billion yen during the same period last year.

Elpida Memory, Japan’s largest computer memory-chip maker, last week raised its estimate for capital spending in the fiscal year by 50 percent to 60 billion yen, citing increased orders for gear to make more advanced semiconductors. Shares of machinery makers have risen this year, with Fanuc up 21 percent and Advantest Corp. climbing 41 percent.

“Executives feel that we’ve escaped the crisis and now we have to think about a more normal situation,” said JPMorgan’s Adachi. “It’s less benign than in the five years through 2007, but there’s still going to be positive growth and you have to compete with competitors in Asia.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Jason Clenfield in Tokyo at jclenfield@bloomberg.net; Tatsuo Ito in Tokyo at tito@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 10, 2009 22:04 EST

UK trade magazine adopts Social Media interaction as editorial policy – is this the future?

A major b2b title in the UK has become the first to employ Social Media directly in the production of its print-edition editorial. Control Engineering magazine under the editorial direction of David Greenfield has only been an active participant in the business networking site LinkedIn since May 2009, but has already built a strong following of around 3,500 users. LinkedIn allows users to organise themselves into groups based on interests or professions. Each group offers its members an interactive discussion board facility that allows them to debate the various themes and topics they are interested in. By following and participating in these discussions on its LinkedIn and Facebook pages, Control Engineering’s editor has been able to tap into a rich seam of lively debate and informed comment from which to create highly-topical editorial. You can read the first article developed in this way here.

In a publishing world that has for so long simply regurgitated print editorial in online form, this is a very interesting development. Closing the loop between traditional and modern media makes a lot of sense from an editorial point of view; comment is easily obtained, it’s dynamic, fresh and completely democratic. Anyone has a chance to have their voice heard, not just those with big PR budgets and advertising spends.

For PR companies, it provides the clearest signpost yet that the role is changing. Clearly, it is no longer enough just to be writing and sending out press releases when editorial policy is being built in such a dynamic way; PR companies now have to take an active role in monitoring and engaging in forums such as Linked In and Facebook or risk having their messages left behind. It’s like the editors are stepping down from their ivory towers into a vibrant, thronging marketplace filled with colour and distraction. The challenge for PR people is to ensure they maintain an influential position in this melee; if you like, a guiding hand to lead an editor gently but firmly to their client’s stall. We can only do that by being there and staying connected.

Honesty is the best policy

“Photoshopping” – the deliberate manipulation of photographic images to enhance, conceal or mislead – is in the news a lot lately,  mainly as a result of the media’s growing unease about the use of implausibly-skinny models to promote ladies fashion. But as far away as it may seem from the glamour of haute couture, the world of B-2-B PR is not immune to Photoshop controversy, particularly when it comes to the portrayal of professional display equipment such as LED screens and videowalls.

The problem is – like stroppy catwalk models – such devices are notoriously difficult to photograph well, particularly with digital cameras. There are problems of exposure, viewing angles, unpredictable moiré effects and screen refresh artefacts. Little wonder, then, that some manufacturers resort to the “artist’s impression” approach to creating imagery for their products.

Personally, I don’t like it. Trying to promote a visual product by using a picture that has been faked is questionable practice at best. Particularly so when the subterfuge has been badly executed, as in the example above. In this recent image from a well-known European manufacturer, the fake image has been badly aligned, resulting in a picture that seems to float a good centimetre outside the physical dimensions of the screen. Not good. The same image also features fake mullion lines superimposed over what is quite clearly a stock library image. To my mind, not only does this seriously undermine the quality proposition of the product concerned, but it also raises questions of ethics –  a deliberate attempt to mislead a potential customer surely is not a good start to the relationship. If a manufacturer is willing to “lie” about how its screen actually looks, what else are they willing to lie about?

We do, from time to time, manipulate images of our client’s products to enhance their appearance or correct some of the technical problems that often occur when photographing screens. However there is one big difference: We NEVER use library shots to fake a screen image because it is vital to maintain integrity. We would never for a second consider putting an untruth into a press release – why would we do so with an image?

When we go on a shoot we always take lots of shots at various timings and exposures, and then use these collections of real images to create a composite or an HDR composite of a real, genuine product image.

If you or your client are a display manufacturer – please think twice about using fake pictures. With just a little more effort and skill, you can achieve great results without cheating. As they say – honesty is the best policy.

Ian Pickering wins top photography award

We just heard this afternoon that our favourite photographer has been awarded the title of UK Commercial Photographer of the year 2009 by the Master Photographers Association, at its Annual Awards Presentation on Sunday evening in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. These awards are the professional photographer’s equivalent of “The Oscars” – contested by the very best of the UK’s photographers. And as if that wasn’t enough, Ian also scooped first AND second place in the Midlands area Best Wedding Photograph before capping the evening with a Special Silver Award for his outstanding achievements. Quite an evening!

We’ve worked with Ian on many occasions and as our clients will testify, Ian is not only a gifted and visionary photographer but the consummate professional. Ian could be briefed to photograph a black cat in a coal cellar at midnight and still come away with a picture good enough for a magazine front cover. And not only that, he’s one of the friendliest and easy-to-work-with people we’ve known.

Well done, Ian – your awards are richly deserved.

www.ianpickering.com

Dallas Cowboys’ Diamond Vision screen confirmed as world record

From www.diamond-vision.tv 

The world’s first four-sided, centre-hung, stadium video display consists of four Diamond Vision LED video screens, with the two main high-definition sideline displays measuring 22m high by 49m wide, and two Diamond Vision end-zone displays measuring 9m high by 15.5m wide. Weighing 544 tons, the screens are suspended 27.5m feet directly over the centre of the playing surface and stretch from nearly one 20-yard line to the other.

With a total viewing area of over 1,058 square-metres, the Diamond Vision display is equal to around 3,268 52-inch televisions, and is comprised of 10,584,064 individual LEDs.

“This was probably the most exciting project we’ve ever been involved with,” said Mark Foster, general manager of Mitsubishi Electric’s Diamond Vision Systems. “The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most innovative teams in the NFL, and their new stadium reflects that. These scoreboards and displays are the realisation of the Cowboys’ commitment to their fans and the sport. We are very proud that the Cowboys organization turned to Mitsubishi Electric to deliver their vision as part of this incredible project.”

"We’re extremely proud of our world-class Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision screen,” said Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. “We have designed everything about Cowboys Stadium to provide an unequalled experience for our fans, and this screen is the centrepiece of what we have created for them.”

Mitsubishi Electric has now been recognised by Guinness World Records five times for its accomplishments, and the Cowboys’ board is the fourth Diamond Vision screen to be honoured by Guinness. The first came in August, 2003, for the World’s Longest Video Display at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. In March 2005, GWR recognized the Diamond Vision LED display at Turner Field in Atlanta as the World’s Largest High-Definition Television Screen, and in September 2005 the Mitsubishi Electric video board at the Japan Racing Association Tokyo Racecourse was certified as the World’s Largest Television Display. In 1993, Mitsubishi Electric was recognised for designing and installing the world’s fastest elevator — capable of travelling at 750 meters per minute — at the Landmark Tower in Yokohama, Japan.

Mitsubishi Electric, the Official Large Outdoor Video Display Provider of the PGA TOUR, was the first company to introduce large-scale video display boards for the 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star game at Dodger Stadium. Since then, Mitsubishi Electric has been recognised as the leader in visually stunning displays for sports facilities, advertising, entertainment and communications. Other installations include the first-of-its-kind high-definition display at Yankee Stadium the first 32:9 ratio HD scoreboard at AT&T Park in San Francisco Times Square’s first HD display at MTV studios traffic-stopping marquees at Bally’s and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a massive 11-screen display at Times Square in New York City and the largest indoor HD screen in North America, the 10m x 33.5m screen at the Colosseum in Las Vegas.

Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision News

Touchable holography becomes a reality

Japanese researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a touchable holographic display that allows users to interact with a floating 3-dimensional image. Using a combination of Wii gesture recognition sensors and a ultrasound transmitter, the researchers were able to not only control a holographic object floating in space, but to give the user tactile feedback when they “touch” it.

Semiconductors Challenge OLEDs

September 16, 2009

A recent Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum article reveals that organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology may not be the successor to liquid crystal display technology (LCD) after all. New research funded by the Ford Motor Corporation demonstrates the creation, assembly, and connection of inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a flexible substrate, opening up the possibility for the miniaturization of the technology. Given that inorganic LEDs surpass OLEDs in brightness, energy efficiency, durability, and moisture resistance, printed compound semiconductors may soon be the replacement technology of choice for small, pixel-dense displays.

From the Globalspec Newsletter

Birmingham-based Industry Forum’s ‘learn from the best’ visit to Japan

 Sep 7 2009 by John Cranage, Birmingham Post

Industrialists and engineers from all over the UK are being invited to take advantage of a chance to learn the secrets of Japanese manufacturing first hand in a “learn from the best” initiative run by the Birmingham-based Industry Forum.

The visit to Japan from November 21 to December 5 will be the ninth in a programme of Best Practice visits. Delegates – industry executives from a wide range of sectors – will visit some of Japan’s top manufacturing companies.

In the five years that visits have been running delegates from the automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, food processing, white goods and other sectors have been given unprecedented access to manufacturing processes which are the envy of the world and rarely duplicated outside Japan with total effectiveness.

The ground-breaking visit has been made possible by contacts made by Industry Forum director Arthur David, who formerly worked for Nissan and General Motors, and Industry Forum executive co-ordinator Koji Wanaka, who was a senior official at Honda.

The visit will include detailed briefings by senior management at Nissan, Honda and Toyota and their major suppliers, as well as non-automotive companies.

Delegates will also attend detailed lectures from world-renowned Japanese experts on quality and total productive maintenance, as well as a presentation and reception at the British Embassy in Tokyo. Delegates on last year’s visit said it was a real eye-opener. Chris Taylor, lean change manager at Siemens, said: “This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see world-class production really taking place.”

Peter Jones, specialist manufacturing adviser at the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service, said: “Seeing and touching has put all the theory into real perspective and is the greatest motivational experience possible.”

The cost of the programme is £7,800 plus VAT which includes accommodation at a Tokyo hotel, flights, internal transport, all visits, interpreters and support from Industry Forum staff.

Mr David said previous visits had a “life-changing effect” on some delegates.

“The Japanese never stay still in business and all of the latest thinking in terms of lean manufacturing, quality, waste elimination, cost, efficiency and delivery originates in Japan,” he said. “There’s no better way than learning first hand from the best in the world.

“It is often claimed in the UK and western Europe that we can’t compete with Far Eastern countries because our labour costs are high.

“But Japan has some of the highest labour costs in the world and still leads the way in manufacturing efficiency.

“Japanese industry has spent decades refining their approach to manufacturing process control and people productivity and has deservedly gained worldwide recognition.

“This programme allows delegates to experience first hand what Japanese companies are doing and how they are maintaining their international reputation. In the past the Japanese have been protective of their secrets so opportunities like this are very rare indeed.”

The Industry Forum – based at Birmingham Business Park – was set up in 1996 by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to improve competitiveness in the UK-based vehicle and components industry. Its practical programmes have led to major improvements by automotive suppliers across the UK and are being used in other industry sectors including aerospace, food processing and the construction equipment industry.

For further details of the Japanese visit call Arthur David at the SMMT Industry Forum on 0121 717 6613.

Birmingham Post – Business – Business News – Automotive Business – Birmingham-based Industry Forum’s ‘learn from the best’ visit to Japan