Newsletter April 2002, Issue 54
Published by Sonaris Consulting, Felix Bopp, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- The Virtual Museum of Canada
- Extra-Audionary: 3D Music
- Predicting the Future of US Economic Trends by Discretionary Corporate Advertising Expenditures
- Streaming Solutions: JetStream, Polycom WebOffice
- Worth reading: Heavenly Music
- Conferences & Events
"Engaging audiences of all ages in Canada's diverse heritage through a dynamic Internet service freely available to the public in French and English." A collaboration between hundreds of Canadian museums and Canadian Heritage agencies, it is an attractive and thought-provoking site, packed with solid content. An example: EGGS - A Virtual Exhibition by The Provincial Museum of Alberta: "Welcome to the wonderful world of EGGS! At the Provincial Museum of Alberta we house one of the most extensive collections of bird eggs in North America and the World. Our Virtual Egg Exhibit features eggs of all colours, sizes, shapes and textures. We provide an on-line field guide to the eggs of Alberta and many eggs of the world, complete with photographs of eggs and adult birds. We present information on a variety of egg-related topics, from the eggs that we eat to the nesting behaviours of adults to egg humour."
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca
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Extra-Audionary:
3D Music
3D Music
3D Music is an innovative interactive
computer generated performance environment in which visitors can explore
specially created music in a unique virtual space. 3D Music is two main
contrasting environments offering exhilarating sounds and sights on the
themes of illusion and playfulness. Exploring the 3D space is simultaneously
exploring the structure and the detail of the music. Visitors will form
unique musical journeys by choosing their own path through the environments,
experiencing a range of music from solo instruments in a brick tower to
cavernous sound textures. Visitors will not only see and hear different
characteristics of each environment, but will navigate and travel in new
and different ways. A third interconnecting environment is for visitors
to collect and play with objects from the two main spaces - sliding, throwing,
building, chasing and immersing! There is a chance to explore extracts
from the work in progress at the London Sinfonietta¹s State of the Nation
weekend. 3D Music will be presented on the Ballroom Floor at the Royal
Festival Hall in London UK between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 28 April 2002.
The world premiere of 3D Music will take place on ntl broadband network
in June 2002, and will be served via broadband for a minimum period of
six months.
http://www.braunarts.com
Predicting the Future
of US Economic Trends by Discretionary Corporate Advertising Expenditures
By Mark F. Zeller, Parispress@aol.com
Current US economic statistics and leading economic indicators are indecisive as to the future direction of the American economy. Even Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is uncertain in his projections.
Whether you are a gambler, investor, advisor, or in any way tied to the American market, you would certainly like to know the future. If you could accurately predict the future, you would become rich, and to become rich, you must accurately predict the future.
A recent survey of the ASI show in Las Vegas, held March 11-14, predicts this: The US economy will go into marked expansion in the second quarter with growth continuing into the third quarter. Growth in the 3rd quarter will be more robust, with the 4th quarter remaining stable at the least. You can count on two full quarters of expansion, with most likely a third to follow... barring any unforeseen catastrophes.
The ASI Show, which caters to the advertising specialty industry, is almost akin to a magical crystal ball for the American economy. Advertising specialty products are, for the most part, 'giveaway' items- pens, clips, cleaners, holders, keychains, caps, sunvisors, etc. These widgets with logos encompass all the things companies give away to promote themselves and reward the chosen favorites. These are among the first items to be cut when corporate belt-tightening squeezes expenditures. They are also the first items to be ordered when companies expect or plan for future distributions. Since these items require months of lead-time, the overall measure of increased or decrease orders indicate what corporate planners are predicting. Their individual micro-economic decisions indicate what macro-economic trends will be.
A survey of various ASI Show exhibitors revealed the following: Orders in 2001 dropped precipitously, with most companies seeing a fall-off of between 8 to 30 percent. Orders that came in shifted from premium or medium priced items to lower priced items, with total dollar expenditures falling overall and the lower priced, lower margin goods squeezing ASI companies further. Some reported layoffs of up to one-third of their work force. September 11 was especially devastating to the industry, with orders evaporating entirely for the 4th quarter of 2001. However, there was a steady increase in orders beginning in the new year and that trend continued to grow through out the first quarter of 2002. ASI companies have begun re-hiring staff, although not returning to 2000 staffing levels as of yet. Corporate accounts for 2002 are up, both in dollar size and quality of items ordered. Hard hit companies, for example the manufacturers of computer mouse pads who have endured not only recessions but the dot-com bubble burst, are reporting 1st quarter 2002 orders equal to the same 2001 period. Most ASI companies, however, are seeing orders exceeding the same 2001 period by substantial margins. A concrete move to larger quantities and premium goods clearly indicates US corporations are planning more trade shows, more promotions, and substantial sales growth through the second to fourth quarters of the year. Make no mistake, the herd is bullishly pushing up the sales horns. Bet on 2002 to be a full year of American economic expansion.