In social media for company research, (BIR 28, 3) Scott Brown described how three key social media tools (LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube) can be used to locate key business information.

Scott is also a blogger for the SLA and in his latest blog post he presents a case study on searching for information about Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (Philips) using 'non-traditional sources such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Alterra, Beach Holiday Shipping Container home, Argentina.

A beautifully designed compact yet spacious light clean and airy example of what you can do with 2 x 20 feet shipping containers
http://www.alterrapinamar.com.ar

Self Contained Topanga, California,

Hawaii Single Container Housing
This is a combination office and apartment featuring office space, kitchen, bath and bedroom.  The addition 
of T-111 siding and a flat roof improves the durability of the unit and enhances its appearance.
From Container Storage Co, Honolulu Hawaii

For all of you who were interested in the recent articles BIR has run on Competitive Advantage and Competitive Intelligence I thought it might be helpful for you to be aware of a major International Conference on Competitive Intelligence which is coming up in March 2012. Being run by the Institute for Competitive Intelligence (ICI) it is the second time the conference is being held in English - the first time being in 2011. I attended the conference last year and there were some really thought provoking sessions across the two event packed days. Also plenty of time for networking. Held in the beautiful spa town of Bad Nauheim (just outside Frankfurt, Germany) the event promises to be good for both seasoned practitioners, academics and those new to the discipline. Full details on the conference website (www.conference2012.competitive-intelligence.com) including an upbeat video of the highlights of the 2011 conference.

Simba Information has published its latest report on the state of Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) publishing.

Global STM Publishing 2010-2011 includes

• Analysis of market size and structure
• Revenue and market share rankings of leading publishers
• Detailed profiles of 20 leading STM publishers worldwide
• Projections for market growth

Key trends identified in the report include:

• The demand for full-text resources
• The transition of e-publishing
• Library cost pressures
• The use of social networking in STM fields
• The outlook for pharmaceutical advertising
• Impact of new information technology initiatives in health care

Port Hole Bar, Lyttelton New Zealand, Shipping Container Bar
More creative ideas coming out of the Christchurch earthquake disaster, with a very cool bar made out of a 20ft shipping container.
called the Port Hole Bar, with little porthole windows set in the side of the container which is located in the town of Lyttelton.
Link for Popupcity