London is celebrating 100 years of the underground transport system, and they have set up various areas in the underground to host a series of 100 artworks by different artists to celebrate the 'underground' brand. To view the artwork, visit TFL's project page.
February 2009 Archives
Today, I found a little issue in Microsoft SQL Server handling the 'TOP' SQL statement when you pass it a number to 'SELECT TOP' by. The code worked in the previous version of MS SQL, before the upgrade.
The error received is "java.sql.SQLException: Incorrect syntax near '@P0'." 'P0' is parameter zero.
For example:
String sqlGetMyData =
"SELECT TOP ? * FROM TEMP_UPLOAD "
+ "WHERE TRANSACTION_TYPE = ? AND TRANSACTION_SUB_TYPE = ? AND TRANSFORMID > ? ORDER BY TRANSFORMID";
The number that 'TOP' uses must be in parenthesis, as detailed below.
String sqlGetMyData =
"SELECT TOP (?) * FROM TEMP_UPLOAD "
+ "WHERE TRANSACTION_TYPE = ? AND TRANSACTION_SUB_TYPE = ? AND TRANSFORMID > ? ORDER BY TRANSFORMID";
This book describes how and why brands are adopted and describes that consumers ultimately seek individuality as well as a sense of identity when they accept brands. (Even unknowingly, all people buy in to brands.) The author, Rob Walker, draws inspiration through several brands (including Red Bull, Converse, Hello Kitty, American Apparel, Timberland, Apple) and meeting with the individuals who created these brands.
Technology is helping to create 'ownership' and bringing people together to create and market brands through artistic similarities and word-of-mouth advertising. The word 'murketing' is coined to explain, essentially, the concept of anti-marketing. (An example of the term relates to the beginnings of Red Bull with a kiteboarding event held on Miami Beach; the marketing strategy was not clear, but the event drew a community which promoted the energy drink in extreme sporting events.) According to the author, this type of 'marketing' started in the 1980s with skateboarders and fashion. The book gives examples of other brands and their appeal while stating that we all adopt brands to show our individuality.
