Top 40 Products and Services

Posted by Shaun Abrahamson on Thursday, 19 June 2008

I remember growing up with the top 40 count down in South Africa. Each weekend, “the worlds best music” would be counted down from 40 to 1.

I was happy to re-encounter the idea in “The Word of Mouth Manual: Vol.II“. And so I thought is would be interesting to see what products and services are on my Top 40.

The order isnt important, because the process is a little lumpy. I seem to get stuck on themes and then recall related stuff. I am sure some cognitive, neural science folks know why this is. So the point is, I removed the numbers.

I left out media – news, books, music, games, etc. Just made the list cleaner. Of course, the book that inspired the post, is implicitly on the list. Clever. I filtered out clients and investments…we can discuss another time, why.

Right.

So here goes:

• Apple TV – I dont have cable anymore (Berlin Schooler’s reading this will roll their eyes. ok). Everyone at home can use it, including Max. I discovered video podcasts on the big screen from people like TED and NYTimes and Monocle (ok, no more media).
• Time Warner – happily not paying for cable anymore. But thanks for pretty reliable internet.
• WordPress - I talked about why I moved TO WordPress.
• Typepad - …and away from Typepad.
• Lego - I have liked these little blocks since I recall liking stuff (and now other little plastic pieces and computers and electronics).
• iPhone - for mixed reasons. I was excited and as things begin to fail (like parts of the screen are unresponsive to touch), I am giving Blackberry or Samsung a look again.
• Dell - still one of the best PCs and just never been convinced that Macs are any better, particularly since now I seem to do most work in a browser with the exception of Excel.
• Bruder - not sure who likes these toy trucks more – me or Max.
• Twitter - I dont know why. I guess I like what I call the “Cosmo Kramer Effect” – i.e. someone just flinging open the door and saying something dumb, funny, timely etc.
• Basecamp - its just useful and simple and better than anything else I have used, until Google comes up with an alternative or buys it or rips it off.
• Nikon D40 – shutter speed
• Wii - all sorts of things, but mainly inclusive, so I dont have to feel anti-social. Even non-gamers can have a go.
• ZipCar - the joys of non-ownership and having a Mini or a Element or a convertible or you-get-the-idea.
• Woodstock, NY – cant put my finger on it, but always enjoy going
• Google - Apps, Reader, Search, Trends, Maps, its just open all day long being used in new and interesting ways.
• Karyodong Bakery – the home of perfect bread
• Coffee Shop – breakfast central on Union Square
• Wikipedia - feels like part of Google, but I recognize it is its own thing
• Lotus Exige – I cant say this as well as Top Gear and this is the only car missing from the ZipCar line-up I might be willing to buy.
• Burton - have my board and an assortment of jackets and love the idea of a banker being let go and coming back to start an awesome company. I guess Bloomberg has a similar story.
• Nike Plus - I dont use it, because I dont run. But I still want it.
• Denuo - they are doing interesting work at the intersection of advertising, new media, etc. And as I meet more people there, I like them even more.
• Sequoia Capital – they may not want to work with me, yet , but I still think that are the best of the best.
• Microsoft - still hopeful, but slowly shedding their wares. Down to Excel as my only must have.
• Berlin School of Creative Leadership – a brave new forray into executive education and I am really enjoying being back at school.
• Alternative Energy – can I include Nuclear (I dont think its evil)? These just make more sense that current energy options, even if I rely on others to do the math.
• Jeff Jarvis – Jeff deserves special mention because I keep mentioning him and his ideas.
• Bazaarvoice - a little obsessed with reviews, as I have mentioned and so keep wanting to include these folks in my projects.
• Springwise - constant list of good, new stuff. Special mention to PSFK, too, but sometimes overwhelmed by their twittering.
• MIT - still the home of some of the smartest people I know, who also happen to give a damn about humanity.
• Obama - hopeful in all ways.
• Brazil - the country of the future and hopefully we are nearing the future soon. We’ll have to live there for a bit at some point.
• Amazon - Prime and Proud.
• Ikea - I almost forgot! Whether its hacking from pieces of furniture or just using it as it was designed.
• New York City – still the center of the world.
• Seamlessweb - do people actually call to order food, still?
• Fresh Direct – cant live without. Almost literally.
• Newegg - still my first stop to find out what is best in all of electronics land. Blogs, etc are second to the user reviews. Thanks everyone.
• Havaianas – would wear them all the time if Andrea let me.

I am sort of amazed, ashamed, proud and confused but the brands that are top of mind for me at the moment. Its not scientific, but interesting nonetheless.

What’s on your list?

Update: I need to add Skype somewhere and BitTorrent. See – the themes again. Also, Method should be here, but for some reason, i always feel wierd about talking about clearning products. If this was Andrea’s list, it would have made the cut.

Posted in: Word of Mouse | Tagged: Amazon, apple tv, basecamp, brazil, bruder, burton, dell, google, havaianas, Ikea, iphone, lego, MIT, nike, nikon, twitter, typepad, wii, Word of Mouse, wordpress, zipcar | No Comments