4 posts in Tech Talk

Tech Talk

The Curse Of Being Innovative

By Nic Hon No Comments
The Curse Of Being Innovative

Innovators are oftentimes glorified, and seen as visionaries that take humanity to the next level. Think Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg and all the things they have done to advance the human race – from changing the way we interact with people to the way we travel the world. But is innovation really as sexy as we perceive it to be?

We tend to be too engrossed with the glamorous side of innovation that we fail to see that it is a double-edged sword. We feel blessed to be living in a world filled with innovation but oftentimes forget the sacrifices required to obtain it.

So is innovation really a blessing? Or is it curse? You be the judge.

This article aims to assist individuals in understanding the demands of innovation and the mindset shifts required to become more innovative. Below you’ll find the 3 key sacrifices needed for innovation to blossom (along with some of my survival tips).
1. Divine discontentment. Be in constant pursuit.

The struggle is real. The biggest sacrifice of an innovator is the ability to truly be happy with the final product. Innovators are serial over-thinkers that go out of their way to prove why things don’t work. It is this exact mindset that allows them to find gaps in ideas and provide solutions that are sometimes unimaginable by others.

Innovation in itself is the act of constantly searching for better ways of doing things. It is an eternal pursuit of something unattainable: perfection. So how do we create a belief that it is okay to never be content? We focus on the thrill of the chase, the joy of the journey, and the security of knowing that we will never be able to achieve perfection.

2. Sacrifice mastery. Be the jack of all trades.

In order to innovate you’ve got to be non-discriminatory towards knowledge. What this means is trying your level best to keep yourself interested in various fields to see the unexpected connections that experts don’t. Contrary to popular belief, being too well-versed in a subject matter can actually limit your ability to innovate.

Fall in love with data. Develop a passion for knowledge and information, because that is the only passion you can have as an innovator. It will help you see the invisible connections between seemingly disparate pieces of information.

3. Kill routine. Embrace the unknown.

Innovation is a battle. It is a constant pursuit of something unheard of. There will be skeptics; people will doubt you and you might never achieve your vision. But people with innovative mindsets are okay with that, they relish living in the unknown and the uncomfortable. They know that nothing great ever happens when we do things within our comfort zones.

Embrace failure and shift your mindset to see failure as opportunities to learn and grown. Fear of failure is the number one reason why people don’t try new experiences. Remember that not trying is as good as failing. Opportunities come knocking all the time, maybe it could be as simple as saying yes more often?

In short, innovation is demanding. It asks its disciples to devote their time, happiness and well-being in its endless pursuit. Yes, innovation is great – it can change lives and impact the way we see and experience the world. It enables us to go places we never thought we could go to and achieve things that we’ve never achieved before, but it demands devotion and sacrifice.
It isn’t easy knowing that in the pursuit of innovation, you will be succumbing to the idea of never being content, comfortable or even certain. But the journey will leave you in awe of the things you can achieve when you’re willing to make those sacrifices. So is innovation a curse? Absolutely, but it’s a curse I embrace as I become a better version of myself in this eternal pursuit of perfection.
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By Nic Hon
DTF

Swipe Right For Love: How Technology Has Changed The Dating Game

By Daena Marissa No Comments
Swipe Right For Love: How Technology Has Changed The Dating Game

Back when there were no DMs to slide into and no friend requests to send, my father won my mom’s heart by giving her a hundred roses… At a red light… While she was in the car… On a date with another guy. Grand gestures aside, courtship back then was very different.

Technology has changed the way we connect and converse with each other but being connected comes with a price. As a result, dating is no exception.

Different Strokes For Different Folks.
There are tons of different apps in the market meant to cater to your different wants and needs. But just so we have an idea of what we are dealing with, here are my observations of the 3 most used dating apps on my phone:
1. Tinder
  • The gateway drug into the online dating world.
  • With over 3.8 million users worldwide and an unlimited number of swipes, this almost guarantees that you will match with some creeps out there.
  • Quality of matches can be subpar but more often than not entertaining.

Very classy.

2. Bumble
  • Females make the first move here – a good thing in my book as it takes the pressure off men of always having to say ‘hi’ first.
  • Matches expire in 24 hours so if you aren’t active on the app, you could potentially be missing out on a connection.
  • Lots of ang moh backpacker types looking to find themselves but slowly picking up in the local market too.
3. Coffee Meets Bagel
  • The UI/UX is the least impressive out of the 3 to me. (This is a good piece that explains why.)
  • Tries to enable better conversations with prompter questions.
  • Matches are usually pretty vanilla/boring until they try to awkwardly touch your face on the first date. #truestory
Navigating life as an adult is not as fun at MTV made it out to be. There are bills to pay, taxes to file, clients to deal with. Add dating to the list of things they should have taught you (but taught you how to make electrical circuits instead).
The main reason I dived into online dating apps was when I realised making friends as an adult is hard. Away from the comfort of your collegiate social bubble, the people you see most often are your colleagues. And if I was going to leave my romantic future in the hands of my connections at work, I’d say my options look… pretty bleak.
So, here are some lessons I’ve learnt along the way.

10 things I have learnt about online dating

1. “Meeting Someone” Before You Meet Them: Hands up if you’ve pretended you had no clue about something your date said but really you’ve gone through their tagged photos from 2014. Social media helps verify if a person exists or not but save some of that mystery for the actual conversations.

2. 6 Degrees of Separation: This is especially true in Klang Valley. You are bound to bump into matches at bars, meetings, clinics, maybe even work #alsotruestory. You will always wonder if you should acknowledge the fact that you both swiped right on each other. Just do it. We both know we saw each other. Let’s just get to it and move on.

3. Reading Between The Lines: It’s hard to read people’s intentions from behind a screen. Whether you are finding the father of your future child, just DTF or somewhere in between, it’s best to cut to the chase up front. If you do realise that you both don’t feel the same way, you are one ‘unmatch’ away from moving on.

4. Window Shopping (For People): Indecisiveness is built into the dating app culture. Swiping right or left on a seemingly endless pile of potential partners doesn’t get you one step closer to your knight in shining armour/warrior princess because they don’t exist. And if they sound too good to be true, just remember that catfishing is a real thing.

5. Ask Questions: Be inquisitive. Listen. To have a good conversation, you need to be interesting too. Tell me what you are passionate about, what gets your gears grinding, about a book that changed your life. Also, please ask me anything aside from what I do for work.

6. Give In To Wanderlust: One of the best things about these apps is that you don’t need a stamp in your passport to meet people from a different country. You get to learn about other cultures while playing tour guide in your own country and feel super cultured when you order ‘teh tarik kurang manis’ in Malay.

7. Safety First: Maybe because I’ve seen ‘Taken’ one too many times but be wary about how much information you reveal of yourself. Text a friend on your whereabouts or get them to call you to check up on you mid-date. Update your emergency contacts on your ‘Grab’ app.

8. Equal Opportunities: Being treated to drinks or a meal is nice. But make sure you aren’t expecting it just because of your gender. Boo social norms. You can buy a drink for your date too.

sorry I found you over-WHALE-ming

Sorry I found you over-WHALE-ming.

9. Ghosting: I am the worst at texting. My friends and family can all attest to this. This is very evident in my online dating life as well. To all the people I’ve matched and forgot to reply before – I’m sorry. And to those who remain persistent. You guys are the best. Just remember there is a REAL person behind the screen.

10. Take A Chance: It’s been a long day. Your bed seems way more inviting than the thought of sitting at a bar and trying to have a conversation with a stranger. But trust me – say yes (more often than not). Don’t take yourself or the date too seriously. Best case scenario, something great happens. Worst case scenario, you’d have an equally great story to tell.

The views expressed by the authors on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of C27, our CEO, the management, the fish in our fish tank, and/or all the awesome people within the agency. The content and opinions shared are the personal views of the author so please don’t sue us.

…or the author.

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By Daena Marissa
Tech Talk

How to Outsmart Advertising Tech

By Jonathan Lee No Comments
How to Outsmart Advertising Tech

Wake up people! Cyberdyne’s Skynet is real, sort of.

Advertisements are generally the bane of our existence, more so when you’re targeted by brands that do not resonate with you. (Yes, I’m aware I work in advertising.) With technology taking over every aspect of people’s lives, advertisers are getting smarter in ensuring that their ads reach the intended audience but also evoke an emotional connection that will hopefully garner consumer loyalty and the intent to purchase/consume said product/service. With the rapid advancement of drones, VR and virtual assistants that are taking over the world, marketers are finding new and exciting ways to promote their products so as consumers, you’re kinda caught in the crossfire of these new waves of advertising. So here are some tips on how to stick it to the big guys.


1. Speak Only When Spoken To

The concept of future living made possible by Intelligent Digital Assistants or Voice-enabled Digital Assistants have been all the rage in recent years with companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft dishing out their fair share of artificial intelligent (and possibly sentient) and smart devices to bring the convenience of a personal assistance into the comfort of everyone’s home.

How it works

Basically it’s clever software (artificial intelligence) coupled with specialised hardware devices such as a smart speaker, watch, or phone to provide functionalities that best replicate a human assistant by performing tasks like setting up calendar appointments or requesting for info. The A.I. gets to know you better the more you use it and eventually will be able to provide relevant suggestions based off your past activities. This is all done through complex machine learning.

How to outsmart it

Despite the useful nature of virtual assistants, it’s no surprise that our smart devices are constantly listening to us and feeding advertisers with keywords and our vocal queries so that it refines the kind of ads that reach us. Firstly, you can restrict certain apps from having access to your device’s microphone/camera, just check your mobile application’s permissions and you should be able to tell which apps are secretly playing double agent. Secondly, most home assistants have the mute function, whether it be software-based or a physical button, so you always have an option on when you want Google or Alexa to hear ya.


2. Your Second Life

Many brands are now exploring the possibility of feeding advertising through VR headsets, with Oculus Go TV being the latest in VR set-top streaming box that may have such a functionality from day one. Monetisation of VR is a tricky business as it usually requires a hefty investment by the consumer and is currently still a niche tech that only a handful of tech enthusiasts own.

How does it work?

Virtual Reality immerses the user in a virtual world that they can interact with. VR has the potential to stimulate the human senses, including the sense of sight, touch and possibly smell. The concept of VR is also closely tied to Telepresence technology that enables people to feel as if they are actually present in a different time or place. Successful VR marketing includes Virgin Travel, Volvo Reality and Cupcake flavoured Oreo cookies.

How to outsmart it


3. Shifting Realities

Augmented Reality has been around since its inception in the 1960s though successful implementation of the tech in games like Pokemon Go which gave AR a wider mass appeal. It has since become a viable advertising platform with M.I.A. X Versus Versace, Pepsi Max & Coca Cola X WWF pushing the envelope on how the technology can be utilised to compliment advertising campaigns.

How does it work?

AR works by projecting virtual images over real-world objects, essentially creating an illusion that allows users to engage in a virtual world. You can learn more about the history of Augmented Reality here if you’re into that kinda shiz.

How to outsmart it

AR software requires access to your phone’s cameras and doesn’t really require much outsmarting as the advertisements would normally need user input. E.g.: using your camera to interact with an AR code. So this is an easy one to dodge too.


4. Negasonic

If you’re not paranoid enough (you should be), the use of Ultrasonic cross-device tracking is another discrete tech advertisers use to gain valuable insights to our consumer behaviours. In a world where our technologies are “always-on” and listening for our voice commands, marketers have found a way to embed high-frequency tones that are practically inaudible to humans in our entertainment content, advertisements, websites and even on ground retail stores. These unseen waves can be tuned to better under

How does it work?

Ultrasonic beacons are used to emit audio sequences from speakers that are then picked up by our device’s microphones. Some apps can detect the signal transmitted and start to string together a profile of ads you’ve been exposed to (E.g: on your daily commute, while consuming content online), helping advertisers to form a profile of you.

How to outsmart it

The biggest worry about this form of consumer monitoring is that it requires giving an app (or a couple of apps) the ability to listen to everything around you. The best way to prevent ultrasonic interference is to check on your app permissions so that you’re aware of which app has access to your microphone and block/ or restrict further access. Duct tape works too if you want to take the Mark Zuckerberg approach.

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By Jonathan Lee
Tech Talk

Psych! and its effects on C27’s creatives

By Andrew Kasimir No Comments
Psych! and its effects on C27’s creatives

As I’m writing this, C27’s creative department is in shambles.

There’s a tinge of despair in the air and at each desk you’ll find the inconsolable, the scarred, and the broken. It’s funny to think that an app by Ellen Degeneres is responsible for all this.


The Beginning
c27blog1

It’s this water cooler moment that turned everyone’s world upside down. The addiction for some is so real that even with an important deadline looming, they’d give in and accept the invitation to play. (You know who you are…Abu.)

I myself admit to playing while doing number 1 in the toilet.

DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

You don’t want your phone to be drenched in urine.


How does it work?

It’s simple. It starts with the organiser picking a theme and sharing a secret code generated by the game. This allows specific people to join the game.


How it feels when the organiser gives you the code.

c27blog2


Just some of the available decks.


The secret codes are random af.


In general it’s all about deceiving your friends.

LIES! ALL LIES!

If your friend picks your answer instead of the right answer (which is hidden among all your friends’ answers) then you get a point. If your answer looks super legit, your friends will pick your answer and you’ll rake in all the points which are quite frankly for bragging rights.


When you’re losing so bad you start answering however the fuck you want.


What you have to deal with when you pick the wrong answer.


C27 In Ruins

Why do my colleagues enjoy lying to each other to win imaginary points? I can only hope that this is a phase, like that one time when all of us (including myself) were so into Frutips. If you you’re reading this and happen to be in Singapore anytime soon, please get a box or two of blackcurrant Frutips and send them to C-2-8 & C-2-9, TTDI Plaza, Jalan Wan Kadir 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.

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By Andrew Kasimir