Finally, finally we have a BlackBerry apps store in the UAE. For the very few of you who have followed my blog from the beginning you may recall I was saying BlackBerry is toast if they don’t sort out their apps. The perception that Apple have more and better apps may still kill BlackBerry but at least they are back in with a fighting chance of surviving/thriving especially if they design some funky phones for BBM loving teenagers (and launch Android apps on BlackBerry as has been hotly rumoured). My app tip of the week is WorldMate, it’s free and it’s a corker. http://www.worldmate.com/
Favourite ad of the month
My pick of the ads actually never saw the light of day due to a complaint by a sense of humourless M&S – killjoys.
The deal offered three items for £29 – a lingerie “main”, sex toy “side”, and flavoured lubrication “dessert”.
No sooner had I stopped chuckling than my attention was drawn to a real rib tickler. With the football season drawing to a close and Mourinho ranting about his players being sent off, The Guardian ran a story on most obscure sendings off. Hankies to the ready before you read on:
“On 30 April 2007, Kingsley Royal, mascot for Reading, was sent off by Mike Dean during a match against Newcastle Utd,” writes John O’Brien. “He was alleged to have strayed too close to the pitch and confused the officials, who apparently couldn’t easily distinguish between a professional footballer and a bloke in a lion costume. Despite the loss of such a key performer, Reading clung on to their 1-0 lead to take all three points.
During his next home match, Kingsley wore a T-shirt that proclaimed he was “INNOCENT” under his kit and revealed it during a pretend goal celebration.”
What do ad agencies do?
It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot. The only answer I’ve been able to give that people relate to is that ad agencies are a big bit of Gandalf the Wizard rounded off with a flick of Harry Potter. In essence people give us think-outside-the-box-never-been-done-before-briefs to solve yesterday. Fortunately some clever chaps on Dragon’s Den invented a wand in the last series and I’ve never looked back (including creating a magical campaign for Air Miles in one of our finest hours).
Last week I said it was pointless showing a picture of Bin Laden, well the Americans have finally relented. They briefed an ad agency and the agency worked it’s magic.
Bad news on the heaven front
In his latest musings Stephen Hawking has stated that there is no life after death. This is what he said:
“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.
I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark”.
As I digested this bad news, up popped another story that a test has been developed that will analyse your genes to predict exactly when you die (assuming of course that the bus doesn’t get you first).
Sad about Seve
While I sort of get where Stephen Hawking is coming from I just don’t believe Seve isn’t at this very moment showing off his miraculous powers of escape to the big guy in the sky. Seve was the genius who inspired most golfers of my generation to take up the game. Unbelievable to watch and over flowing with charisma. He should have lived to shoot a two under par 68 on his 100th birthday!
My top 5 golfers that I’ve seen play (in the flesh)
- Ernie Els
- Tiger Woods
- Seve Ballesteros
- Rory McIlroy
- My golfing mate Simon Harris!
Loved the M&S S&M – took me a while to work out, dare I say, the wrong way round, logo. Would the squeel deal conform to M&S’s standard exchange policy? not sure I would be comfortable with that – although could be quite funny watching customer service deal with: “well my nehpew bought me this and its the wrong size………..”