Got Virus Ninjas? Call Norton!!!

Norton launched an antivirus campaign in Japan through a fictional character named Norton Fighter. For the campaign they created a bunch of videos of Norton Fighter using "martial arts" (and I use that term lightly) to fight off “virus ninjas”. But the best part is that the whole thing is done in the style of an old school 70’s Japanese monster movie.

Part 1 is where the viruses sneak in and Part 2 is where all the action takes place.

Organization or organism?

At a recent company meeting we heard an excellent speaker who had some very radical ideas on industry evolution and respecting the Web as a growing organism. Sounds strange, but then again considering the number of intelligent people who are contributing to the WWW every second kind of makes you wonder if they individually are reacting to trends, initiating them, or if it's a collective?

Everybody knows that those who react to a situation tend to use more energy and resources than someone who plans ahead for it. Sure, the company may be on top of a changing trend, but at what cost? Every year companies around the world loose billions of dollars in resources reacting to trends that may or may not pan out in the end. These companies are always trying to catch up to the latest, hottest, thing and many times wind up with frustrated users, employees, and half baked projects/products.

Planning ahead and not trying to force a low season to yield high productivity will save millions of dollars as well as help ensure the work environment remains stable, healthy, and productive. At present, many companies view their product as a moldable piece of clay and try to force it into different shapes as the industry trends change rather than treating it with respect like a growing organism. Conversely, knowing when the high season is and having a solid plan to capitalize on it not only make up for slow season revenues but also be even more profitable than expected. Not to mention that you'll be working with a dramatically improved product from development during the slow season. We see examples of this every day in nature such as bears stocking up on food for hibernation; squirrels storing nuts in the tree; camels filling up on water; and even human beings hunting during the peek seasons and storing their catch in the freezer for later.

Sure, the concept does sound a little strange. But shouldn't realizing, accepting, and planning with the lows instead of wasting resources trying to overcome them create an opportunity for development where everyone can focus on doing the job correctly the first time around?