An ideal surfing camera, and why we love the Saab 9-4X more

My friend Gareth Rowson is now review editor for WideWorldMag.com (alongside his design practice). Here is his test of the waterproof Oregon Scientific ATC9K Action Camera, filmed while surfing at Vazon in Guernsey. I thought this was very nicely shot.    Less well shot, but significant, is the official video from Saab USA about its […]

Read More… from An ideal surfing camera, and why we love the Saab 9-4X more



Volvo Cars, a unit of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.

I haven’t missed the sale of Volvo to Geely, but it wasn’t as momentous as the rebirth of Saab. We knew the deal was coming and the rest were formalities.    The company has said there will be no Geelys badged as Volvos and vice versa. It recognizes the Volvo brand is too valuable to […]

Read More… from Volvo Cars, a unit of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.



Metro gives thumbs-up to Stefan Engeseth’s Unplugged Speeches

This is rather heartening to see, from the Metro freebie in Stockholm (the below is copied from the online edition):    What’s in: Stefan Engeseth’s Unplugged Speeches series at the Regina Stockholms Operamathus (where yours truly gave the first edition).    What’s out: the growing mounds of paper (rather appropriate in an eco-conscious nation).   […]

Read More… from Metro gives thumbs-up to Stefan Engeseth’s Unplugged Speeches



Trading identities in the personal branding space

The day the current mayor, Kerry Prendergast, announced her intention to stand for a fourth term, I was asked by a few media colleagues what I thought. The wittiest reply I gave to Salient, as it was an email interview, and I seem to be cheekier in writing than I am in speaking. I won’t […]

Read More… from Trading identities in the personal branding space



Saab promises new generation of cars will have original DNA

Rumour has it that the new Saab—a small car (finally)—will resemble the ur-Saab, the 92. In fact, inside Saab, it has the codename 92.    Where have I heard this one before? I know. Stefan Engeseth’s Detective Marketing, 2001 edition. And from what I understand, since in 1999 I could not read much Swedish, it […]

Read More… from Saab promises new generation of cars will have original DNA



When Swedes say it’s too cold, they mean –30°C

I thought it was cold enough in Stockholm when I hit town a month ago, and temperatures were in the –9°C to –15°C region most days (with a high of around –2°C). But, Stefan tells me, temperatures plummeted greatly over the past week, down into the –30°C region in some parts. Stockholm was in the […]

Read More… from When Swedes say it’s too cold, they mean –30°C



A belated thank-you to independent software creators

When I had to reinstall everything late last year, I didn’t thank the software developers for making it easy for me to get a new ID. I got personal replies from the programmers behind Barcode Maker 3 and SayNow, and found it relatively easy to sort out registration for FontLab and Gammadyne Mailer. The rest […]

Read More… from A belated thank-you to independent software creators



Wellington wants free wifi

While I’ve been a LinkedIn member for many years—my LinkedIn ID has six digits, which gives you an idea of how long ago—I have to confess that I did not browse the brilliant Wellington, New Zealand group till quite recently.    And free wifi is being talked up there, too, as something Wellingtonians genuinely want. […]

Read More… from Wellington wants free wifi



Taxis signal how a local car industry is going

When Fiat was in the poo, I remember heading in to Italy and the cabs were a mixture of German and French cars, with a few Italian ones. Generally, it was a reflection of the state of the local motor industry: cab drivers are, perhaps subconsciously, patriotic and quite traditional. If they reject the local […]

Read More… from Taxis signal how a local car industry is going