When soup manufacturers started putting ringpulls on the top of their cans so that no can opener was needed, I marvelled at how a simple packaging change could make life so much easier.

Here's another example.

Earlier this week, our own Scaramouch was kind enough to come give my company an actual tour of his virtual world. This was a general Second Life overview, a Q-and-A, and a cautionary tale for marketers. Miles beyond just rehashing bullet points from the recent business press. A few takeaways:

1. If you're looking to launch a corporate venture in Second Life, invest a few dollars and a few hours and bring him in.

2. Executing a marketing idea in SL isn't the same as dabbling in other online communities. Giving your brand a MySpace page might be ignored, but it's unlikely to piss anybody off. Your big splash into Second Life could upset the community or economy or balance of power without you even knowing why.

3. I now look at venturing into Second Life like expanding into a foreign market. You really need to understand the culture before hanging your virtual shingle. And most residents aren't anxiously awaiting your arrival. They can be a tad rabid.

4. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be exploring this world. Absolutely, get in the game (except it's not a game and you must not call it one). I just mean you shouldn't put out press releases heralding your arrival before your arrival warrants heralding.

5. All this glowing praise for brave marketer experiments will undoubtedly give way to a series of articles on marketer mis-steps.

Questions ranged from "What's the point?" to "Can you re-sell goods you've purchased?" to "Where's the sex stuff?" to "Can you maim someone?"

All in all, a good day at the office.

It's Crapapalooza and the Thing That Wouldn't Leave

Back in 1984, a young actor named Brian Atene made an audition tape for Stanley Kubrick. A couple of months ago, that video was posted on YouTube and was an instant internet hit because it was so over-the-top. Quickly afterward came the parodies, including the original remixed with music, the original recut with Mr. Kubrick’s response, and a “followup” from 2006 that a lot of people assumed was Brian Atene. There are lots of others you can find on YouTube. Now, the real Brian Atene has uploaded his explanation and response (in the video above), and is considering doing more comedy videos for the net. He has also taken the opportunity to publicize the Christopher Reeve Foundation for research into spinal cord injuries. And that, in a nutshell, is how you become an internet sensation in only 22 years!

Today on the veg...the fat kid from the Man Show

Regulars amongst you (including our writers) may have noticed that comments have been screwy lately. We've been battling massive spam attacks, and the way around it is to enable moderation of comments. Every time I think the spam bots have left us, and I allow comments again, we get hit.

For the forseeable future, comments will remain moderated, and I'll try and approve them in a timely fashion, but be aware that there will definitely be a lag, especially over the holidays.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting a cool marketing company to give them a talk about Second Life, during which I flew about helplessly and tried to fake being an expert. While their questions revolved mainly around how better to answer their client's questions about the platform, one girl seemed very intent on finding out just how to become a virtual stripper. I should have given her my email address for some private tuition.

One of the big questions we discussed:, of those who get into Second Life, how many run away screaming, never to return after their first attempt? According to Linden Labs, that number is 90%. Yep, 9 out of 10 try it and say "what's the point of this?". And today, the always entertaining Warren Ellis have his own view of exactly why this is, musing whether we're seeing the collapse of Second Life.

Meanwhile, are there enough SL users here to warrant setting up a YesButNoButYes group there? Let me know in the comments if you're interested - I'll give a free virtual YBNBY T shirt to anyone who joins.

Many of you may remember I'm a Chris Ware nut, and for the few of you who share my affliction, here's a link to some to some hi-resolution images of his work for this week's New Yorker cover.

See how prolific this make me look when I don't group all my links under a "Coffee time links" header?

...except it stars Stanley Tucci and it's called 3 Pounds.

(I'm guessing it was either that or CSI Cleveland)

Oh, my friend Clickety Clack, what did you start?

After a week's hiatus, I have a whole bunch of stories to post, which I'll be spreading out over the next few days. First up, as a coda to Jellio's fans post of yesterday, we have Yoshi, who is spending the week playing the Wii. Yep, that's it. Probably the same kind of life that a few of you have, but he's only sleeping four hours a day, and is blogging the whole thing over at A Week With Wii. I look forward to it getting more and more incoherent as the week goes on.

- Did you hear what Ohio's winning lottery numbers were after Ohio State's 42-39 win over Michigan?
- I'm not big on psychics, but Lisa Williams on Lifetime is freaky good. And she chats after the show.
- December 22nd is Global Orgasm Day. Personally, I plan to start buying tobacco stocks on the 21st.
- This seems to confirm what Scara previously told us all. Do we win anything for being A-List bloggers?
- And Bank of America is to U2 as Right Brothers are to Billy Joel. Check out an instant YouTube classic.