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creativity

Meet Plinky, an eclectic Q&A service

At the intersection of questions-and-answers services and social networking, Plinky is opening up to everyone Thursday. It offers up daily assignments called "prompts" for users to fill out, then share with others, be it on Plinky or on their existing social networks and blogs. Plinky isn't limiting the media type or format for responses, so users can submit photos, videos, and written responses, all of which goes into one big feed.

Some examples of the questions that have already been posed to users include "name three songs you'd put on a road trip mix tape&… Read more

Choreographer Alonzo King on the risks and rewards of collaboration

The new issue of our design mind magazine is out. The theme is "Motion," and it features a great interview with famed ballet choreographer Alonzo King, who discusses the risks and rewards of collaboration with San Francisco Chronicle dance columnist Rachel Howard:

"Collaboration is always risky. You don't have total control. Also, with choreography you have such a short amount of time to do it. If you're writing a book you've got years; a film, you can shop it around; Broadway, take it out six weeks for previews. With most choreographers, you've got … Read more

Paint your toast with Pop Art Toaster

I have never questioned the wisdom of encouraging the artistic side of a growing child (hint: I encourage it), but this toaster seems to me more than just a bit wacky. Sure, kids benefit from making mealtime engaging and fun, but if you think you had problems with them drawing their masterpieces on the wall, just wait until you train then to paint with their food!

Nevertheless, if you encourage your child's interest in art at every opportunity, this Pop Art Toaster Creativity Coloring Kit might be up your alley. It comes with six plates to burn predetermined designs … Read more

Should software face the flat-rate music future?

CD sales dropped 20 percent in 2008, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. But this isn't the whole story.

As Ars Technica points out, the music industry as a whole grew in 2008, with online sales accelerating. But this, too, doesn't tell the whole story.

The real story behind this creative destruction is called out by rising revenues for organizations like ASCAP, and underlined in the Media Futurist blog, where Gerd Leonhard points out that the real shift in the music industry is away from copy-based license business and toward flat-rate, attention-based business models. What is an … Read more

The Internet ate my business

Amazon.com has produced yet another record holiday season. But it's Paul Kedrosky who discerns the significance:

The right way to think about these figures is in Schumpeterian terms: With retail sales down across the board, whose businesses are being destroyed here, and what is the future of physical retail? Amazon is merely goosing this process along, of course, and may not even end up being a survivor.

Such is the nature of business: some people lose while others win. It's not exactly a zero-sum game, but it can sure feel that way at times.

While the Web … Read more

Shower your Creative Zen with gifts

The holidays are here again, meaning it's the perfect time to shower your MP3 player with gifts--accessories, to be exact. And while we're getting specific, let's focus on one particular family of players: the Creative Zen. The iPod gets plenty of love in the portable audio accessory space, but it's not the only device that has products made specifically with it in mind.

The Creative Zen Stone, the Mozaic, the X-Fi, and the plain ol' Zen all have a gaggle of gear fine-tuned to fit. But since I know you have enough on your plate without … Read more

Creative Vado HD vs. Mino HD: Too close to call

Several people have e-mailed me wondering when we'd have our review up of the Creative Vado HD mini camcorder. Well, now it's up, and the big question everyone is asking is whether it's better than the Flip Video Mino HD. The short answer is yes--and no.

Basically, the Vado HD's video quality isn't quite as good the Mino HD's. But its feature set is superior. So, it's a tough call.

Read the full review of the Creative Vado HD.

Creative readies the Vado HD: Is it better than the Flip Video Mino HD?

Things are heating up in the HD mini camcorder space as Creative gets set to release its new Vado HD next week. The camcorder retains many of the design traits of the original Vado but it doesn't share the exact same body. However, it does have something that neither the Kodak Zi6 nor the Flip Video Mino HD has: an HDMI connection (plus an included cable) for outputting 1080i video to your HDTV. And it comes with 8GB of built-in memory--all for around $200.

In our review of the Vado, we knocked it a bit for being pretty no … Read more