Yesterday I gave my last class of the first edition Pos-Graduation/Executive Plan “Brand Management” at IPAM (thank you Ana Paula Cruz for the opportunity). As I published before my module was “Branding, Web and Multimedia” with the main objective: to know and promote a consistent relationship between communication, branding and new technologies on multiple aspects of the information society. In the end the students:

· Will have knowledge and practice on new technologies for communication and brand: from institutional sites to campaign sites, the messenger, to the blog, or microblogging, by phone the digital entertainment…

· Will know how to brief and evaluate proposals for sites institutional and consumption in light of the objectives of continuity or off with its technology partners;

· Will know the means and devices available to current and future of branding;

· Will be able to identify and assess new opportunities in the digital world;

· Will be able to design and evaluate a strategy of branding, knowing the means to match goals with foundation in branding online sustained;

· Will be able to advertise online;

In my point of view it all be accomplished by a set of brilliant students:

Alexandra Figueira, Alexandra Mariz, Cláudia Oliveira, Anabela Pires, Ana Almeida, Diana Barradas, Márcia Moreira, Paulo Guedes, Cátia Moura, Sara Nogueira, Isabel Amorim, Zélia Oliveira and Zaida Miranda.

It was a true pleasure to give them classes! In the end we build a cohesive team that party and taught one witch others. The boost for this was a very cool and informal way to be on a classing room. I tell them “this is not a class, it’s a talk” and everyone has to participate with their knowledge and experiences.

Yesterday, I bought a couple of pizzas; they arrange a different (even more informal class room), brought drinks and appetizers. The class contents were given by them and everyone talk about it. Some of them skip the extra class.

Here are some pictures:

I’ll be missing you guys!!! Thanks for a great time… I hope to see you around. Bye, bye…

Anyway, today I’m writing this post because I couldn’t let behind the great ad that the brand SuperBock did. Great music, great visual impact and great message… In my point of view one huge ad! I can say that I was very happy and in most times SuperBock was there.

I let you with the ad:

With the music of Brandi Carlile-The Story:

And the lyric:

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true…I was made for you
I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
You do
I was made for you
You see the smile that’s on my mouth
It’s hiding the words that don’t come out
And all of my friends who think that I’m blessed
They don’t know my head is a mess
No, they don’t know who I really am
And they don’t know what
I’ve been through like you do
And I was made for you…
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true…I was made for you

How big are your dreams? Does the size matters? I think so… The dreams are fuel of life and the more powerful they, the further you might go.

I feel like Alvaro Campos did when he wrote the poem “The tabaco shop”.

I’m nothing,

I’ll always be nothing,

I can’t want to be something,

Besides that, I have in me all the dreams of the world.

Have good dreams for an extraordinary life…

Some time I hear that Microsoft doesn’t do anything good or even that they are the devil on de IT world. Maybe that’s true if you see with the wrong eyes! Here in Portugal we used to say that “the worst blind is the one that doesn’t want to see”… I can speak about HPC for breast cancer, info exclusion, Microsoft internships, social responsibility, Bill Gates Foundation, etc…

Anyway, this was not the issue that brings me here to write! Microsoft Research (MRS) recently produced a video about what they do in MRS as well as MRS identity, purpose, directions and culture.

If you pay attention to the video you will see what’s coming out and some prototypes that are being developed. I’m very exciting about all!!!

So, let’s see the video:

Microsoft Photosynth is not a brand new technology, but still an amazing technology. When I saw it for the first time I was stoned by concept and the hard software that’s behind it. This occurred a year ago when Ricardo Calejo sent me the project link and I said to him “uuuuaaaauuuu”…

Now it’s time to share the knowledge of this technology that recognize patterns in the photos and build the environment retreated.

I let you the link of the project and two videos of the responsible architect Blaise Aguera y Arcas, that gives an overview how Photosynth works.

Link: http://labs.live.com/photosynth

I saw in Susana blog that she was 27% geek!!! I was curious about my geekship and made the quiz too!

As you see, I’m not just a workaholic, I’m pretty must a geek. I need a doctor, PLEASE!!!!

74% Geek

These are my answers:

Start by choosing your gender: GUY

Which of these number do you like best?

- 1.61803399

How many books do you read a month?

- 1 or 2

What operating system do you use?

- A bunch of different ones

Which web browser do you primarily use?

- Microsoft Internet Explorer

How many windows do you usually have open?

- 5 - 8

Who shot first?

- Han

To “Grok” something is to: 

- Intuitively understand it

Who created this: /(bb|[^b]{2})/

- William Shakespeare

How is your handwriting?

- Chicken Scratch

What was the spacecraft’s name in the TV show “Firefly?”

- Serenity

Have you ever taken something apart with the intention of fixing it or re-building it to make it better, stronger, faster? (This could be anything: your lawnmower, some source code, laptop, etc.)

- Yes,and it’s working much better now!

What is Slashdot’s slogan?

- News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters

Have you ever corrected a salesman on a technical issue about a gadget you’re considering purchasing?

- Yes

When did you start playing video games?

- I don’t really play video games

How do you primarily communicate with friends and family who aren’t within earshot?

- AIM, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Etc.

What was the name of the dragon in “The Hobbit - There and Back Again?”

- I have no idea

Do you get anxious when you haven’t checked your email in a few hours?

- Yes

What Star Trek race has exceptional hearing?

- I have no idea

Have you ever solved a complex computer problem while in the shower?

- Yes

Did you read comic books after age 15?

- No

Have you ever won an academic competition, such as a spelling bee or math bee?

- No

Have you ever stayed up until sunrise while playing on your computer?

- Yes

When I’m developing a application I’m always saying to my team that: “this shit will be so good that will take coffee ” (in PT: Esta merda até vai tirar café) (sorry for the bad word).

I use this expression to motivate the team to make more and better than it expected.

However, Nelson Correia, a colleague MSP, toke this words literally and developed a web application that connect to a remote computer and opens a drive witch press on the coffee machine button and take an express coffee.

He made this application to Sapo Codebits and it was the project that created the most empathy on the public. It was a brilliant idea that define the huge talent that he has.

I let you with the video but it’s in PT.