Posted via web from Rob Noble
About Me
- Robert Noble
- A Creative Digital Thinker and Partner at great fridays. A digital agency based in Manchester, UK. A Board Director to the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), a non-profit digital industry advocacy group. Founded in March 2008 and sponsored by Adobe. SoDA boasts members from the world's best digital agencies. SoDA www.sodaspeaks.com BACKGROUND Rob studied the convergence of Internet and Media Technology from 1996 to 2000 at Universities in the UK and Canada. Joined Lightmaker in May 2000 and by 2002 was appointed to the Board as Sales Director of Lightmaker Group. During the next 6 years Rob took on different roles including Managing Director at locations in the UK and USA, and Group CEO. Rob exited Lightmaker in October 2008. EXPERIENCE Clients include JK Rowling www.jkrowling.com, Manchester United www.manutd.com, Adobe www.adobe.com and Electronic Arts www.ea.com ACCOLADES Rob's teams and projects have garnered top industry awards including Webbys, FWAs, BAFTA nominations and MAX Awards.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!
via ted.com
Another brilliant speech from Sir Ken Robinson at TED in February.
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Friday, May 21, 2010
Mark II Space Shuttle timelapse footage
An amazing piece of footage showing the build up and launch of the space shuttle.
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Google Font Directory
The Google Font Directory lets you browse all the fonts available via the Google Font API. All fonts in the directory are available for use on your website under an open source license and served by Google servers.
View font details to get the code needed to embed the font on your web site. Please also visit our quick start guide and FAQ page. For more help and suggestions, use our moderator page
via code.google.com
Google continues its efforts to make the web a more beautiful place with free web fonts. Thanks to The FWA for the tip off!
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Airspace Rebooted
via vimeo.com
This is courtesy of mr mullany and is amazing
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Emma & Fashion | Emma Watson official
via emmawatson.com
great fridays latest digital offering is a website for the actress and fashion icon Emma Watson. More to come shortly. Stay tuned.
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bryan Christie Design
Failed Missions to Mars
Client: IEEE Spectrum
Category: Explanatory
Absolutely love this infographic which I first saw on John Caswell's blog. Designed by the brilliant Bryan Christie
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Apple v Adobe: this time it's executable | Technology | guardian.co.uk
Adobe labs touts cross-compilation for the iPhone
Apple introduced some new terms to its developers contract on Thursday. Buried away in the 21,000-odd words of the agreement is this interesting clause:
3.3.1 Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++ or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++ and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).
It's that last bit which is the real kicker. The stuff about private APIs - basically, calls to programming hooks that Apple reserves for its own applications on the iPhone and iPod Touch (the iPad uses a slightly different version of the OS) - isn't new.
But that last bit is a shot not just across the bows of Adobe - it's a broadside aimed right into its new Creative Suite. Because CS5, which is being readied on the slipway right now and is due to be introduced next week (I was to have had a prebriefing on it yesterday but - ah, cruel fate - had to put that to write about the Digital Economy bill, now Act) - allows you to write apps in Flash but then to cross-compile them to run on devices like, ooh, iPhones or iPod Touches.
See, it's even been touting it on its blogs:
"Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 will include a Packager for iPhone that will let you publish ActionScript 3 projects to run as native applications for iPhone. These applications can be delivered to iPhone users through the Apple App Store.*"
Oh yeah, the asterisk in that sentence? You scroll wayyyy down and you get to the caveat: "* Delivery through the App Store requires participation in the iPhone Developer Program and approval of the application by Apple."
And now Apple is saying: no way. You write it in something that's one of our favoured languages - particularly Cocoa Touch - or you don't get it on our device. Perhaps the asterisk ought to have a BLINK marquee around it and a giant pulsing arrow.
We've already seen that Apple wants to keep Flash off the iPhone OS devices (which covers iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads). Its reasoning: that Flash programs suck up CPU and cause more crashes than it wants (basically, that they spoil the user experience). The absence of Flash on the iPad is really quite annoying, not just for users but also for news organisations and publishers which want to be able to serve video and ads: Apple's refusal, tied to the fact that it's selling a lot of these devices, and that they're a growing proportion of the mobile access of news websites, means that it would be easier all around if Apple would just let them serve Flash.
OK, so Apple won't. But what's the reason for this change to the developer agreement? After all, what is there to complain about in a process that lets developers produce programs that run in Flash but then cross-compile to run on the iPhone OS devices without Flash?
Adobe seems discomfited. In a statement to the New York Times, it said: "We are aware of Apple's new SDK language and are looking into it. We continue to develop our Packager for iPhone OS technology, which we plan to debut in Flash CS5." (And: "Apple did not respond to a request for comment." Did you guess that would happen?)
John Gruber, who first pointed out the changed clause, interpreted that statement thusly. And he's been analysing why Apple would have made the change:
"what Apple does not want is for some other company to establish a de facto standard software platform on top of Cocoa Touch. Not Adobe's Flash. Not .NET (through MonoTouch). If that were to happen, there's no lock-in advantage. If, say, a mobile Flash software platform — which encompassed multiple lower-level platforms, running on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry — were established, that app market would not give people a reason to prefer the iPhone.
"And, obviously, such a meta-platform would be out of Apple's control."
Yes, control. It's all about control. Gruber again:
"I'm not saying you have to like this. I'm not arguing that it's anything other than ruthless competitiveness. I'm not arguing (up to this point) that it benefits anyone other than Apple itself. I'm just arguing that it makes sense from Apple's perspective — and it was Apple's decision to make."
And what do developers think? There's a lot of jaws dropped. Here's one from Dominique Jodoin, president and CEO of Bluestreak Technology, which describes itself as "the second largest provider of embedded Flash solutions in the world (after Adobe)":
"with Apple leaving Flash off the iPad and iPhone, [plus] Microsoft's announcement of no Flash support in the new Windows Phone, and the emergence of HTML5 as a new standard to compete with Flash this situation presents a serious challenge for Adobe going forward."
He goes on to point out some facts we probably already knew:
"Steve Jobs and some frenzied analysts may enjoy positioning Flash as a dying technology [actually, nobody says it's dying; Jobs and his engineers just dislike the crashes and the CPU use - CA] but let's just look at the facts as they stand today:
"1.2 Billion mobile phones are Flash-capable; 70% of online gaming sites run Flash; 98% percent of internet-enabled desktops use it; 85% of top 100 websites use Flash; it's the #1 platform for video on the Web – 75% of all videos use Flash (including Hulu, Disney and YouTube); 2-3 million person Flash developers community; 90% of creative professionals have Adobe software on their desktops.
"With numbers and penetration rates like that, the better question is why wouldn't I choose to support this technology? None of the facts indicate that Adobe Flash is disappearing anytime soon."
The trouble with this analysis is that it doesn't tell us much about the future. It may be that 85% of the top 100 websites use Flash, but is that because they're using it to run ads or video (as the Guardian, where you should be right now, does)? And the bit about 1.2bn Flash-capable phones is interesting, but doesn't tell you if those phones are actually using it. I mean, my phone is email-capable - but there's not a chance in hell of my trying to set it up, because its interface is horrendous.
Certainly, Flash isn't going to vanish. Well, not overnight. (It might be superseded by something - also from Adobe.)
The real question is, what sort of meeting did Apple staff have where they determined that it was a good idea - and a necessary idea - to block cross-compilation? "Hey, Adobe's doing a cross-compiler that will generate iPhone OS programs. Do we like that?" In code terms, they should be indistinguishable from a native app (although they might look a bit horrendous: Gruber points to the Kindle app, cross-compiled using Qt, as an example).
It's just possible that Apple is trying to enforce some sort of user interface guidelines here, having seen the horrors of the Kindle app and yelped; on the Mac, programs created with RealBasic and Java have a similar ability to look like something lovingly built with a knife and fork.
The timing, though, speaks of a snub - although at least those developers will be happy that Apple did it now rather than after CS5 was released. Power games? You bet. And Apple is again demonstrating that if you control the hardware and control the gates, you control the whole of the experience. The odd thing is, people - as in users - seem to like it, judging by Apple's financial results.
via guardian.co.uk
Really concise point of view on the Apple v Adobe battle after the change to the developer agreement.
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Moving Windmills: The William Kamkwamba Story | Moving Windmills Project
An old story I know but still a great one!
Posted via web from Rob Noble
Sunday, November 1, 2009
From Russia With Love - SoDA at Russian Internet Week - Society of Digital Agencies
Impressions from Moscow at Russian Internet Week: First let’s talk about Moscow, and ditch the stereotypes, at least some of them. No mafia, at least visible; a mighty city, full of modern design, wonderful classic architecture, world class shopping and hordes of Mercedes, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. Tall, elegant Russian women dressed to the hilt in wild, thousand dollar platform boots. Contrasts everywhere; from slick, expensive restaurants, bars and clubs that would be hot in New York or London, to monstrously amazing soviet government buildings and old ladies in babushkas. A strangely spotless metropolis, with many of the classic buildings fully renovated to their former glory and unbelievable traffic jams.From the first moment I landed in Russia it felt different and a little dangerous, although I figured out most of the danger was in my imagination. I was surprised at how many Russians are very tall and good looking, with the classic tough, unsmiling faces of cold war movies and mafia stereotypes, so it was a little while before I realized I wasn’t going to get kidnapped. My invitation to Moscow was to make a presentation of SoDA’s creative work and trends in digital marketing to agencies and clients at Russian Internet Week, the most important annual event for everything internet from digital marketing to infrastructure.
The conference was held in a convention center in the shadow of Moscow City, a huge new development in the heart of Moscow made up of a cluster of extraordinary skyscrapers still under construction. While the conference hall was bustling and busy from day one, it was a small show by U.S. standards, although what it lacked in size it made up for in enthusiasm.
My host, Andrey Anischenko, CEO of Grape, our new member in Moscow, picked me up from my hotel, a short walk from Red Square and the Kremlin, and took me to register. He also asked me if I would say a few words at the conference opening ceremony.
I agreed and proceeded to focus on the novelty of seeing my name in Cyrillic on my badge, which was about the only thing I could translate in the exclusively Russian affair.
I was introduced to Constantine, my interpreter and seated in front of the central stage in the hall.
Quickly a surprisingly large number of people, press and TV gathered around and the official opening was underway, kicked off by the Deputy Minister of Communications. This was clearly a bigger deal than I thought it was going to be, and as the minister read a lengthy prepared speech, I sat in the front row wondering how to wing it. A number of other dignitaries followed the minister and my interpreter pointed out that prime time TV news was covering the event. With the future of U.S./Russian relations on my mind, I mounted the podium.
I introduced SoDA and explained that like the internet, our organization of digital pioneers knew no boundaries, which was why I was there. I explained that our work was not only helping brands navigate challenging digital waters, but redefining the basics concepts of advertising and marketing. I also threw in that it was changing the way commerce based cultures worked. I watched the minister when I said it, he didn’t smile.
Then came the press conference and now I had no idea what to expect.
With a microphone thrust in my hand I talked more about trends in the U.S and then took questions from the fifteen or so press people in the room. All was going well with questions about digital spending trends and the agency business, until I got a question, from a character with a long beard, who looked a lot like Rasputin. He wanted to know why America had conspired to create the “crisis” and why it was a conspiracy linked to the bible and….…I lost him after that. I started to come up with an answer, but he shouted me down and I gratefully passed the mike to my interpreter.
The rest of the day was spent visiting with Andrey and his team at Grape.
They shared with me how they attempt to educate clients and the challenges they face in endeavoring to change attitudes. What came across loud and clear is that they are dealing with many of the same problems other SoDA agencies are facing today, plus those that many of us dealt with two years ago.
The next day I met with the CEOs of a number of top Russian digital agencies.
Attending were Anna Sverdlov, Managing director of ACTIS, Vitaly Bykov, CEO of RedKeds, Alexey Persianov, CEO of ADV, Andrey Vynograd, CEO of TribalDDB Moscow, and Natalya Logutova, Business Development director for Articul.
I told them about SoDA, its members and its mission. They told me about their agencies and the challenges they face. Like Grape they are very focused on educating the client community and showing them that they need to take a fresh look at how they go to market in the light of the rise of digital. They explained how small shops, with a couple of guys in a garage, are undercutting their pricing and how clients are enabling this because they don’t yet understand how to do digital correctly. They talked about the huge pool of motivated, highly educated talent they have just waiting for work and the corruption they face from mid-level managers in companies who demand kick-backs. They explained that they need standards that their clients can use for success metrics, process and legal and how they are tired of giving away strategy and creative in order to get production dollars. They were an articulate, smart group that understands our industry and is struggling with a slow moving client community. They were also very enthusiastic about SoDA and how we can help them accelerate change and awareness.
On Saturday afternoon the SoDA session was the last session of the conference and I was surprised to see not only see an overflowing room of over two hundred, but even to hear that two to three hundred additional people, who couldn’t get into the room were watching the session remotely.
Their interest in the work and ideas of SoDA agencies couldn’t have been greater. After a few nerve racking moments when I was informed at the last minute that they would not be able to accommodate my Macbook, all was well, and with a little ice breaking in Russian, courtesy of my interpreter, we were off and running.
My presentation outlined what SoDA was all about, discussed trends in the US. and ended up with a series of fantastic video case-studies from SoDA agencies Agencynet, Big Spaceship, Firstborn, Odopod, Schematic and Obscura. A big thank you to these members for putting them together.
Overall the reaction was terrific and there was especially enthusiastic applause for the case-study videos.
Now sitting on the plane, as this whirlwind adventure comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the energy and intelligence I saw in the Russian digital community. Clearly this is a culture where a lot is happening and where capitalism is on a fast track in all its guises, including digital. The people I met were very informed, bright, worldly, bi-lingual and hungry for knowledge. It seems Russia is digitally where the US was maybe 3-4 few years ago and can learn from our mistakes and experience. This was a wonderful opportunity to live the values of SoDA to the fullest and share knowledge and know-how with members and potential members of our worldwide community of digital agencies. Many thanks to Russian Internet Week, and to Grape, and especially to Andrey and his wife Katie for their wonderful, warm Russian hospitality.
Entering Red Square
Who's this guy?
A million cars & shops
Not scary anymore
My kind of Social Security
The power of the Soviet
Andrey from Grape with his wife Katie and my wife LouAnn
Kudos to Tony
Posted via web from Rob Noble
From Russia With Love - SoDA at Russian Internet Week - Society of Digital Agencies
Impressions from Moscow at Russian Internet Week: First let’s talk about Moscow, and ditch the stereotypes, at least some of them. No mafia, at least visible; a mighty city, full of modern design, wonderful classic architecture, world class shopping and hordes of Mercedes, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. Tall, elegant Russian women dressed to the hilt in wild, thousand dollar platform boots. Contrasts everywhere; from slick, expensive restaurants, bars and clubs that would be hot in New York or London, to monstrously amazing soviet government buildings and old ladies in babushkas. A strangely spotless metropolis, with many of the classic buildings fully renovated to their former glory and unbelievable traffic jams.From the first moment I landed in Russia it felt different and a little dangerous, although I figured out most of the danger was in my imagination. I was surprised at how many Russians are very tall and good looking, with the classic tough, unsmiling faces of cold war movies and mafia stereotypes, so it was a little while before I realized I wasn’t going to get kidnapped. My invitation to Moscow was to make a presentation of SoDA’s creative work and trends in digital marketing to agencies and clients at Russian Internet Week, the most important annual event for everything internet from digital marketing to infrastructure.
The conference was held in a convention center in the shadow of Moscow City, a huge new development in the heart of Moscow made up of a cluster of extraordinary skyscrapers still under construction. While the conference hall was bustling and busy from day one, it was a small show by U.S. standards, although what it lacked in size it made up for in enthusiasm.
My host, Andrey Anischenko, CEO of Grape, our new member in Moscow, picked me up from my hotel, a short walk from Red Square and the Kremlin, and took me to register. He also asked me if I would say a few words at the conference opening ceremony.
I agreed and proceeded to focus on the novelty of seeing my name in Cyrillic on my badge, which was about the only thing I could translate in the exclusively Russian affair.
I was introduced to Constantine, my interpreter and seated in front of the central stage in the hall.
Quickly a surprisingly large number of people, press and TV gathered around and the official opening was underway, kicked off by the Deputy Minister of Communications. This was clearly a bigger deal than I thought it was going to be, and as the minister read a lengthy prepared speech, I sat in the front row wondering how to wing it. A number of other dignitaries followed the minister and my interpreter pointed out that prime time TV news was covering the event. With the future of U.S./Russian relations on my mind, I mounted the podium.
I introduced SoDA and explained that like the internet, our organization of digital pioneers knew no boundaries, which was why I was there. I explained that our work was not only helping brands navigate challenging digital waters, but redefining the basics concepts of advertising and marketing. I also threw in that it was changing the way commerce based cultures worked. I watched the minister when I said it, he didn’t smile.
Then came the press conference and now I had no idea what to expect.
With a microphone thrust in my hand I talked more about trends in the U.S and then took questions from the fifteen or so press people in the room. All was going well with questions about digital spending trends and the agency business, until I got a question, from a character with a long beard, who looked a lot like Rasputin. He wanted to know why America had conspired to create the “crisis” and why it was a conspiracy linked to the bible and….…I lost him after that. I started to come up with an answer, but he shouted me down and I gratefully passed the mike to my interpreter.
The rest of the day was spent visiting with Andrey and his team at Grape.
They shared with me how they attempt to educate clients and the challenges they face in endeavoring to change attitudes. What came across loud and clear is that they are dealing with many of the same problems other SoDA agencies are facing today, plus those that many of us dealt with two years ago.
The next day I met with the CEOs of a number of top Russian digital agencies.
Attending were Anna Sverdlov, Managing director of ACTIS, Vitaly Bykov, CEO of RedKeds, Alexey Persianov, CEO of ADV, Andrey Vynograd, CEO of TribalDDB Moscow, and Natalya Logutova, Business Development director for Articul.
I told them about SoDA, its members and its mission. They told me about their agencies and the challenges they face. Like Grape they are very focused on educating the client community and showing them that they need to take a fresh look at how they go to market in the light of the rise of digital. They explained how small shops, with a couple of guys in a garage, are undercutting their pricing and how clients are enabling this because they don’t yet understand how to do digital correctly. They talked about the huge pool of motivated, highly educated talent they have just waiting for work and the corruption they face from mid-level managers in companies who demand kick-backs. They explained that they need standards that their clients can use for success metrics, process and legal and how they are tired of giving away strategy and creative in order to get production dollars. They were an articulate, smart group that understands our industry and is struggling with a slow moving client community. They were also very enthusiastic about SoDA and how we can help them accelerate change and awareness.
On Saturday afternoon the SoDA session was the last session of the conference and I was surprised to see not only see an overflowing room of over two hundred, but even to hear that two to three hundred additional people, who couldn’t get into the room were watching the session remotely.
Their interest in the work and ideas of SoDA agencies couldn’t have been greater. After a few nerve racking moments when I was informed at the last minute that they would not be able to accommodate my Macbook, all was well, and with a little ice breaking in Russian, courtesy of my interpreter, we were off and running.
My presentation outlined what SoDA was all about, discussed trends in the US. and ended up with a series of fantastic video case-studies from SoDA agencies Agencynet, Big Spaceship, Firstborn, Odopod, Schematic and Obscura. A big thank you to these members for putting them together.
Overall the reaction was terrific and there was especially enthusiastic applause for the case-study videos.
Now sitting on the plane, as this whirlwind adventure comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the energy and intelligence I saw in the Russian digital community. Clearly this is a culture where a lot is happening and where capitalism is on a fast track in all its guises, including digital. The people I met were very informed, bright, worldly, bi-lingual and hungry for knowledge. It seems Russia is digitally where the US was maybe 3-4 few years ago and can learn from our mistakes and experience. This was a wonderful opportunity to live the values of SoDA to the fullest and share knowledge and know-how with members and potential members of our worldwide community of digital agencies. Many thanks to Russian Internet Week, and to Grape, and especially to Andrey and his wife Katie for their wonderful, warm Russian hospitality.
Entering Red Square
Who's this guy?
A million cars & shops
Not scary anymore
My kind of Social Security
The power of the Soviet
Andrey from Grape with his wife Katie and my wife LouAnn
Kudos to Tony
Posted via web from Rob Noble
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