I for one have been really worried by the prospect of getting swine flu. Thankfully some scientist boffin types somewhere have come up with a tool that tells you quickly and easily whether you have contracted it or not.

Do I have swine flu?

We’ve been having fun with a cool little tool that converts JPEG images into ASCII code. When we crop and size this image to 60×50 this tool churns out a remarkably similar representation of the image. The further away you stand, the clearer it becomes. Here are some we made earlier of some friends.

Me, Frog

Zoe Piper of Piggynap.com

Dominic Hodgeson of TheHodge.co.uk

Simon Barker of Zath.co.uk

Dave Naylor of Davenaylor.co.uk

The legend that is Boris Johnson.

New comers

Adrian Thomson of Adrianthompson.net/blog/

If you want one of your own, leave a comment below with your email.

Here is the first SprintCam v3 showreel, made for NAB 2009 exhibition. Mostly 1000FPS shots, made during a recent rugby competition in the Stade de France, Paris. Absolutely amazing imagery

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

…but red jelly is actually 2500fps!!

Beckham heads the table with a wealth of £125m

Now football players are supposed to be a bit thick, but from where I’m standing they’re actually very bright business people. Where else can you go to work everyday, kick a ball around, fall over and get paid £100,000 a week for the privledge?

The FourFourTwo magazine recently published the following Rich Lists for both players and club owners. The results are fascinating, though a little unsurprising.

Football players

Football clubs

Now if only I didn’t have two left feet…

I once saw this ad a few years back. My boss took me into the office to ask me what the car was in the advert. I suggest you get close to the screen with the sound on as the car is quite difficult to see…

Do you build websites? Do you offer your clients a content management system to provide them a method of updating their website? If so, what CMS do you use?

The 2nd Google Android handset, the HTC Magic, is out on 5th May exclusive to Vodafone so say the Telegraph.

I was in a store at the weekend and they said 16th May, but either way it’s coming soon.

A couple of guys at work have the G1. I have been tempted but decided that I would wait for its successor to see what creases they had ironed out, seems like I may not have to wait much longer.

Why do consumers buy into niche brands? Is it because they can’t get the product anywhere else? Is it the cost – usually higher than the high street – that makes it feel exclusive? Or is it the personal touch? It’s the middle of the credit crunch and according to the news, consumers are tightening their belts. So why the increased interest in handmade, artisanal, personal products despite the expense involved?

Etsy

Etsy is probably the greatest internet success story when it comes to the power of personal. Launched in 2005, hundreds of thousands of products are bought through the store each month. Handmade goods coupled with a fun shopping interface are a marriage made in heaven – it’s no wonder it’s been called the most ‘feel-good way to shop’.

The devil is in the detail, and the detail keeps consumers coming back. Etsy sellers enthuse about their products; they write their own descriptions and take their own pictures; they package their creations in tissue paper and shiny boxes; they write little thank you notes for you to read; they make each customer feel like a friend. Etsy is a fantastic platform, but it’s the interaction with sellers that makes each purchase special – that feeling is something you can’t get on the high street.

Abel & Cole

It’s not just the world of handicrafts where personal gives you an edge – niche brands have made inroads into food shopping too. Abel & Cole sell organic vegetable boxes and other organic goods – they’re not cheap and you can get organic food anywhere, so why are they successful? Is it because they know people work and hide the box in your garden, or because they include a recipe sheet each week, or because they tell you about the farmers? The whole buying experience is personal and that’s what gives it a feel-good factor.

Graze

Over the last few weeks discount codes for Graze boxes have appeared on Twitter – just like Abel & Cole this product is organic and expensive, yet it seems to have really taken off. You can choose which foods go into your box and create your own product, but that’s not the really personal bit. By marketing through Twitter Graze have utilised people you know – an endorsement from a trusted friend makes a product more personal than an endorsement from a shiny celebrity. The handmade look, the pictures of fields, the Twitter friends saying they love it – it doesn’t get much more personal than that.

What can the high street learn?

The high street can always compete on price but for many consumers that’s not the deciding factor. A handmade, special product and a personal, friendly shopping experience make those extra few pounds worthwhile. It’s funny to think that 50 years ago a personal service was the only service – we should take a leaf out of history’s book and try to recapture that connection. Whether it’s a human on the end of the phone, a way to customise your product or an endorsement from a friend, the power of personal is here to stay.

Finally I unearthed this advertising poster that I saw over a year ago then completely forgot it’s location. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s very clever, very minimal and very memorable. A good example of “Less is more”.

At this moment, your bum is completely exposed. If it were in a sexy pair of Jeans, it would attract attention all the time!