Steve Hooker's Radio Weblog: A Welsh boy stuck in the wrong country, struggling to get home

Content a Tough Sell in Europe - "Analysts at Jupiter Media Metrix, the Internet research company behind this latest study, said that in 2001 Europeans spent €590 million on content for their cell phones, almost twice the €252 million spent on desktops. The analysts estimate that by 2006, European consumers will spend €3.3 billion on cell-phone content, compared to €1.7 billion on home computers."

Here we go with those billion figures again. Personally, I don't do much commuting, I'm not a teenager, I hate predictive text. But I can blog from my phone -- though why, I don't know. But when the screen gets to be as good as my laptop (they can do millions of pixels per inch rather than the usual 72dpi of CRT screens), when they sort out the keyboard, when I can get a T1 connection both ways -- then I'll be interested. And all that is coming. Hell, most of it is already in Japan, right now.

New Scientist: Mobile Phones: Write here, write now:" The kids are going to love this. You walk up to the teacher's desk with a little practical joke in mind. Your mobile phone suddenly bleeps, and you hear a soft whisper in your ear: "MAJOR bad mood today-don't try anything." You think better of the prank and decide to avoid certain detention. All thanks to an invisible SMS message placed in the air above the teacher's desk."

Invisable Post-It notes in the air, or even graffitti? They've got my attention!

HBS Publishing: Turn Customer Input into Innovation - "What usually happens is this: Companies ask their customers what they want. Customers offer solutions in the form of products or services. Companies then deliver these tangibles, and customers just don't buy. The reason is simple -- customers aren't expert or informed enough to come up with solutions. That's what your R&D team is for. Rather, customers should be asked only for outcomes -- what they want a new product or service to do for them. The form the solutions take should be up to you, and you alone."
Another good book for me to read... Warning! Information overload. Warning! Information overload.

European Business Skills Training Defies Slowdown to Reach $13 Billion by 2006 - "Despite the temporary economic slowdown, the European business skills training market is rising at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9% and will reach $13 billion in revenue in 2006, according to IDC research. By 2005, IDC estimates that over 27% of business skills training content will be provided via elearning, representing a CAGR of 108.2% over a five-year period."

I do love these grandiose billion figures. But for sure, the e-learning business is going to boom. You usually get, not just web pages but instant messaging tutors 'talking' you through things, so it more than interactive, it's immersive. One other good thing about it, the teacher can't throw the blackboard duster at you as my old Welsh Language teacher used to do to me.

Hi all,

As lead partners within the Regional Innovation Networks proposal I will keep you all posted with regard to any feedback I receive from Advantage West Midlands relating to the project.

I intend to discuss all the proposals informally with the Agency prior to submission, this should address any immediate issues which may require attention. I will then furnish you with a copy of your final proposal in order to check you are happy with the content before full submission to AWM.

In the mean time please feel free to contact me direct if you have any queries,

Kind Regards,

Tim

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I promised someone I'd put a link here about where he could get news about computer security.

How to Upsell Business Services Clients with an Email Newsletter:
"Number 4. A seminar offer -- once a month Matrix Group holds a luncheon seminar in their conference room on a different topic, such as "How to create an email newsletter." Pineda chooses topics based both on client suggestions, and on ways she can grow and hold on to their accounts. For example, early this fall she offered a seminar entitled, "Planning your next-year's Web budget." "
"Again, although the seminars were developed as a sales tool, the detailed descriptions in the newsletter make it clear seminars are chock-full of useful content -- not sales pitches. Notably the seminars are not free. Attendees pay a token fee $15-25. This means attendees take the seminar a bit more seriously and RSVPs are more likely to actually show. "
Interesting. I'm going to start some seminars. Low cost content management, anyone?