Diggnation: entertaining video blog

I can't recall exactly how I stumbled upon these guys. Hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose broadcast a silly, campy weekly video podcast from their west coast apartments called Diggnation. The forum is actually quite simple: they read and discuss their favorite topics on digg.com— a popular web-based community news site that bloggers flock to.

Each week you're bound to learn about a new rare beer, enjoy the antics and chemistry between the two long-time friends who play host and hear about interesting stories from all over the web. You can even subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, which makes getting your weekly dose of diggnation effortless.

SoundOrbit: Music Source

This crazy Canadian gal Alisa has got an online music formula that actually works, called SoundOrbit. What started as simply a grassroots effort to help local indie musicians, has turned into a really impressive, robust and smart-looking website (kudos to the lads at Quantum). Membership is free for a limited time, and gives you complete access to the music database, complete with indie genres spanning rock, pop and dance.

Since it's a fairly new site and run by a small team, they're still working out the kinks and populating content. But this showcase for independent artists is definitely worth keeping an eye on...

Ma', can I go to Amp Camp this summer?

Amp Camp: noun; an indispensable Online Resource of Indie-Rock.

From the same folks outta Brooklyn who brought you Neighborhoodies, Amp Camp is an incredible source of indie rock catalogs, reviews, streaming tunes and the Index-A-Tron 5000 -- a searchable database of records by "ideal audience"... a great way to find music by your taste, or that of a Bear with Sunglasses. There's some really smart young chaps running this site, evident in the quality of the music reviews and smart writing throughout.

It gets even better -- stop by each day for a free download at Amp Camp's "MP3 of the day", which gives you a daily dose of free tunes from some bands that are well-known and some that are... not so much. And if you skip a day, just download what you missed from the archives. Sweeeet.

1,300 classic, vintage, cereal boxes -- Oh my!

Click here to see what a collage of 1,300 cereal boxes looks like. Not only are the classic cereal boxes beautifully laid out by color, you can rollover each one to take a closer look! I think it's a brilliant fun way bring back memories of mornings at the breakfast table.

Hey everyone, Happy Valentines Day! And kudos to Mr. Suisman's MUG for the link.

BG's BOOK REVIEW: A New Brand World

Author Scott Bedbury has been a part of building some of the world's most recognizable brands. As part of the marketing team at Nike during the 80's, he tells the story of how the athletic shoe manufacturer broadened their scope of products while working with little-known ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and developed the iconic slogan "Just Do It". After moving on to a small chain of coffee shops in the 90's, Bedbury illustrates how he used his past experience with Nike to help expand Starbucks into the mega-brand we know of it today.

This book is chock-full of case studies from past and present, successes and failures, to illustrate many of Bedbury's points. A New Brand World is a great read for students breaking into the field of marketing/advertising as well as seasoned industry vets.

iRadio? "Rock with Me, Moto"

Going toe-to-toe with Satellite radio and iTunes is an awfully tall order. But Motorola plans on taking them to task with iRadio, where you can stream over 400+ uniquely programmed stations or press a key to purchase music and download your tracks right to the phone.

Are they doing this out of spite after their relationship with Apple flopped (remember the Rokr)? Is this the answer to satellite's challenge of broadcasting to handheld devices?

Reuters/Yahoo! tell the story in full, but I agree with my good friend Macfixer -- Motorola has failed to really innovate with a new product here, and limit themselves to a small market segment. They're likely to get trampled by those that appeal to the masses. But we'll just have to wait and see...

Online Holiday Shopping Guide

For my first annual "Online Holiday Shopping Guide", I would like to share with you some of my recommendations for buying holiday gifts online...

ELSEWARES
Where else? A great collection of unique and creative gifts by independent artists. The site is easy to navigate, is professionally assembled and has great photos of their unusual inventory with detailed product descriptions.

Wishingfish
Fast shipping, ease-of-use and fun specials sent by email are what have made me a loyal customer. Some unusual gifts can be found here for your co-workers and loved ones. Oh, and their new Holiday Gift Guide makes it really easy to shop!

MXYPLYZYK
Stop trying to pronounce it. This NYC shop has earned it's great reputation by stocking the most unusual goods, let alone their incredibly fun all-Flash website! Add items to your cart and the shopping bag below the perched bird in the tree will keep tally. Considering all of their cool goods, you better keep tabs on your spending!

CB2
This is Crate and Barrel's funky and hip Chicago-only spinoff launched with little hoopla not long ago. Although their site leaves plenty to be desired, check out their "$25 tops" section for unique and affordable gift ideas!

Harry and David
The (classic) perfect gift for a business associate. Their site allows you to easily send to multiple recipients, each with their own address and personalized message. Even for under $25 you can get an incredible small basket with their famous fruit and sweets. Harry and David create classic gifts that will never be out of season.

Cherry Moon Farms
A division of ProFlowers, their baskets of fresh fruit and candy are attractively priced, but their outrageous shipping fees + tax takes the appeal out of their specials. Additionally, in this case the ability to easily send to multiple recipients is not possible. Harry and David still have this category locked down.

Report from Ad:Tech New York

I spent most of my day yesterday at Ad:Tech NY, strolling past booth after booth of sales and marketing folks pitching their services to me. Every other word you heard from passerby was "SEARCH this..." and "SEARCH that...". With so many "me too" companies all touting essentially the same product or service, it's remarkable how each claim their product or service is unlike any other technology out there. Hmmm.

However, I was impressed by Eyeblaster's latest technology and new reporting, Oddcast's really cool animated voice charicatures, Atlas' ever-expanding suite of services and... Google's free G-O-O-G-L-E magnets!