In early September I was lucky enough to visit the IPG Media Lab in LA and hear a talk by Chris Anderson (Editor-in-Chief of Wired) on the topic of his new book Free - all about ‘freemiums’ in a digital economy.

The Lab has a great write up about the event
(as well as links to download the book for… you guessed it – for free). What strikes me as the challenge that underpins this book is to work out what freemium model your business could develop (or invent) and how you leverage that to build stronger bonds with your customers. It seems that CRM and loyalty have been turned on their heads.

If you’d like to put the challenge to me about your business, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me and I will happily talk to you about it over a coffee (free of course).

TBG and BBDO NY have come up with another superb HBO project: a two part campaign involving a gigantic 4-sided outdoor film projection and an online interactive adaptation. The online part of the campaign uses a 3D environment tool that allows users to navigate through the 4-sided film, with each side telling a unique part of the story.

The failure of the music industry to keep up to date with fast evolving digital media has been damaging for profits. But I always wondered if it was damaging for music itself.

As music's distribution changes, so is the music being consumed. I find myself less inclined to take cues from radio stations as to what is new and available. Rather, I’m finding new artists on blogs, through youtube, myspace and last.fm. And what I’m beginning to find is that a lot of the music I like is independently produced. Not only does this independence make international distribution a cinch, it also means the music isn’t influenced by the need to sit well on radio charts, appeal to specific markets or meet copyright restrictions. Some examples include pogo, denkitribe and Kutiman’s wonderful ThruYou.

My feeling is that as the distribution of music changes, the influence of big record companies will diminish, and original music will flourish.

I was recently directed to visit TED.com, and was blown away. It’s inspiring. It's passionate.

The site spreads ideas. Riveting talks given by remarkable people are uploaded for free.

It’s a stage for free knowledge and engagement with the world’s most inspired thinkers, and a community for curious souls to engage ideas with each other. Musicians, philosophers, photographers and community organisers share their experiences and give a fascinating glimpse into new studies, new undertakings, and new behaviours.

In a world where we are bombarded by an abundance of information, it’s refreshing to focus on one single idea for more than 10 minutes. Take a look.

The Unfinished Swan is a very interesting take on a first-person painting game set in an entirely white world. Players can splatter paint to help them find their way through an unusual garden. The game is still in development and no release plans have been announced.

If you've used Google Earth before, you might have been a bit disappointed, finding the whole experience a bit static. So academics at the Georgia Institute of Technology created a “living” version, by overlaying real time video-stream on top of the existing maps. You can see the traffic in real time or watch a football game and 'rotate' around the action.

Even though the technology is still at an early stage, it could result in a new kind of digital marketing... or get us a step closer to Big Brother’s world.

Never before have scientific studies produced a product that with just "one drop" can produce so much satisfaction for the consumer.

Or so says the new site for K-Y Intense which showcases this scientific breakthrough, and guides visitors through the the K-Y Intense Satisfaction Lab.

Here you can induce a virtual orgasm on household items in the Reaction Room, and learn how scientists are putting the sexy back in scientific research in the Arousal Lab. This product looks a little dangerous!

The excruciatingly trendy Standard Hotel in NYC commissioned artist Marco Brambilla to create a digital art installation for their excruciatingly trendy elevators.

While you can’t get the full effect online it’s worth watching the mesmerising HD clip that travels from hell to heaven, with a bit of flesh along the way.