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Paul Ryan

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Paul Ryan joined Australian Anthill Magazine as a features writer in May 2004 and was appointed Editor soon after. He has written scores of feature articles for Anthill Magazine, on diverse issues including digital media, innovation, venture capital, export, intellectual property, technology commercialisation and online strategy. During this time he has interviewed scores of prominent people, including Andrew Denton, Don Watson, Sabeer Bhatia (founder of Hotmail) and Sir Martin Evans (father of stem cell research). Paul presides over the development of Anthill’s web presence. He also blogs at http://1000shards.com. Follow him on Twitter: @PaulDRyan.

The making of the best TV commercial in recent memory

Remember Sony's original Bravia LCD TV commercial from a few years ago that everyone loved? The one with thousands of multi-coloured balls bouncing down hills in San Francisco like something straight out of a child's daydream? Well here's how they made it.

A holographic presentation technology that gets in your face (literally)

When it comes to physical products, there's nothing like seeing the real thing. This poses a problem for product developers, who begin with just a concept that usually requires the support of backers and believers to turn it into reality. Enter portable holographic imaging, which is designed primarily for architects but could prove equally useful for industrial designers, product manufacturers -- even event co-ordinators.

More productivity. Less stress. Rework. [VIDEO]

It was with a great Hurrah! that we in the Anthill office greeted the news that Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson had just published a business book. Rework distils 37signals' philosophy and wisdom into 288 pages of advice for the business reader.

A serene pod office for your back yard

It might look like something out of Lord of the Rings, but the UK-designed Archipod contains all the modern comforts of a compact office, transplanted into the sanctuary of your back yard.

Create your own Jackson Pollock-like artwork by simply tracking your mouse movement over time

You don't have to be a fragile artist to produce a masterpiece like this. Simply install IOGraph and get on with your normal computer business. After a while, open the software and save your visual tracking abstraction for others to admire.

Gordon Gekko is back!

Gordon Gekko, the fictional character Michael Douglas portrayed as the epitome of 1980s corporate materialism, is back. Oliver Stone's sequel to his 1987 classic Wall Street begins with Gekko just emerging from prison with a lingering taste for 'the game'.

The iPad? Meh. The future of tech is touching yourself.

What comes after the iPad touch screen interface? Will we all soon be starring in our own private Minority Report? Enter "skinput": -- bio-acoustic sensing technology that allows the human body itself to be used as an input device. According to Carnegie Mellon University researcher Chris Harrison, different body locations give off "acoustically distinct" sound waves when touched, opening up a world of possibility for touching feely techies.

Piano Improv Guy puts ChatRoulette in a spin

ChatRoulette might not be your cup of tea, but this compilation video of Piano Chat Improv Guy is impressive, hilarious and does a better job of explaining what ChatRoulette is all about than any news article could. It's been viewed almost 2.4 million times on YouTube in just over a week. And you're about to see why.

Aussie Elias Bizannes shares his entrepreneurial passion on board The Startup Bus [VIDEO]

The Startup Bus participants have been posting videos taken on the bus, including everyone's introductory speeches. Here is primary organiser Elias Bizannes addressing the posse soon after departure. He makes some telling points about entrepreneurial networking and collaboration and the secret of success in Silicon Valley and other vibrant commercial hubs.

The Martin Jetpack: a personal rocket while you wait for those flying cars

They promised us flying cars, back in the day, and I don't know about you but mine hasn't been delivered yet. Never mind. For the time being I'll settle for one of these. The Martin Jetpack shows just how far jetpack technology has come since Rocketman ignited the imaginations of little (and big) boys with his demonstration at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles.

99designs launches template logo store offering customisation and 24-hour turn around for $99

Australian-based online crowdsourcing design service 99designs today launched a new logo store. The concept is pretty simple -- you chose a template from the gallery of 4,500+ templates and 99designs' designers swap in your organisation's name and deliver you a high resolution and web ready version within 24 hours, for $99.

This should hang on every entrepreneur’s wall

From the wonderfully verdant mind of entrepreneurial illustrator Hugh MacLeod, author of Ignore Everybody (listed among Amazon's Top 10 Editor's Picks for Best Business Books 2009), comes this print worthy of hanging on any entrepreneur's wall.

Nando’s taps into gossip fatigue with ‘Bingle-free zone’ promo

Chicken restaurant chain Nando's Australia is hoping to cash in on the Bingle-Clarke-breakup-saga zeitgeist with this latest promo declaring all Nando's outlets 'Bingle-free zones'.

Procrastination anyone?

I've been procrastinating today -- though, technically, trawling for interesting web videos is part of my job description. Nevertheless, what a stroke of luck to stumble on a video homage to procrastination while procrastinating.

Peepoo: Solving the developing world’s messy toilet problem

According to a report in the New York Times, Swedish entrepreneur Anders Wilhelmson has developed and tested a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world. The Peepoo can be buried after use, where a layer of urea crystals kills off pathogens that produce disease and converts the waste into fertilizer.

Thumbs-up for YouTube’s new (opt-in) redesign

In late February, YouTube unveiled more of what it describes as "one of the biggest redesigns in YouTube history". While most attention was directed to the reworked playlist and comments organisation, also notable was the thumbs-up/thumbs-down rating system, in place of the old five-star system.

Google spokesman lays cards on the table for Buzz critics [satirical video]

Come on, face it. Google controls your life. Oh, you don't like how they launched Buzz? Well here's the "official" Google response, courtesy of comedy.com. Step down.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s formula for minimising entrepreneurial regrets

One of the very best pieces of advice for anyone just starting is, "Life is too short for regrets." The reason: regret tends to attach itself to the things we don't do and later wish we had rather than to the things we do then wish we hadn't. This really boils down to one big life lesson: have a crack.

An embargo on PR embargoes (and all that)

This one will be unfamiliar to many readers, but sheesh it struck a chord with the Anthill editorial desk. PRs take note: the game has changed.

Microsoft’s Augmented Reality guru draws gasps from the TED2010 crowd

Aguera y Arcas didn't disappoint with this overview of how he and his team are incorporating augmented reality into Photosynth and Bing Maps. Check out the gasp he draws from the audience when he zooms from an aerial view of Seattle to photo-realistic street view.
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