(via Hakuchi and @muzzatola)

“Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.” – Douglas Adams, 2002

Smart man, Douglas Adams. And this observation is as true of being a creative as being a human being. 

These days, ad grads and juniors are often called ‘Digital Natives’ – purely because they’re starting out in a world where social networking and apps and iPads are the norm. They know this stuff.

For middle-to-senior teams – ‘Digital Immigrants’ don'tcha know – these things are new and exciting and revolutionary and they're augmenting their careers with them. 

Then there are those senior, senior people. The old school loveable luddites, who view all this new fangled stuff with utter incomprehension and Against the Natural Order of Things. 

But give it a decade or two, and the Natives of today will be the Luddites of tomorrow. Complaining on their outmoded social platforms of choice that “it wasn’t like that in my day”, or “when did it get so complicated?” Yes, the future looks bleak for all of us. 

Unless we’re Born Again. 

The Born Again Creative embraces the new with an unhealthy excitement. Like a child with the latest toy. Exploring it thoroughly and discovering its many uses.... the best even make up a few of their own. 

But we can’t stop there. New social movements, new techniques, new mediums, are created every day. Just round the corner are things we can’t possibly dream of, let alone prepare for. 

We need to make every new thing feel "normal and ordinary and just a natural part of the way the world works".

We need to be Born Again, again and again and again and again...

This morning in Trafalgar Square...

No, not the music scene - we're talking about the near future of the tube...

First up, here's the news that TfL is on track to deliver WiFi services to at least 120 tube stations in time for the London Olympics - that covers platforms, ticket offices, and escalators, but not the trains themselves (boo). So look forward to bumping into even more confused-looking tourists staring blankly at their mobile phones.

Actually, it's not such a bad thing - after all, you'll be able to read this amazing blog while waiting for your train. No decision as yet on which company will be providing the coverage, but it would be nice for us two if it was O2.

More exciting is this concept for next-generation digital signage on the tube, by 'media geek' Dan Taylor.

This is his mock up of a digital cross-track display "which would not only show you exactly where incoming trains were on the line (and update their progress in real time), but also which carriages were more or less crowded (achieved by sensing passenger body heat or possibly carriage weight, to account for all those suitcases). That way, you could increase your chances of boarding and the platform announcers wouldn't have to keep telling new arrivals to move along the platform."

Smart cookie. And it's ideas like this that will really help ease congestion on the tube in 2012. Be nice to see TfL and CBS Outdoor put his into action.

Thanks to the always brilliant Going Underground blog for the heads-up on both of these stories. If you don't already follow it, you should. It's great. If you like tubes and stuff.

No idea what it's all about, but we love it. Chewbacca dog is getting a lot of love on twitter. But the Ewok dog steals it for us. 

For those of you who don't know it, the Creative Circle is Europe's oldest advertising education and awards body (and the World's second oldest, after the Art Director's Club of New York).

But by the late 70s, it was accused - with some justification - of living on the dazzling achievements of its early career. Not uncommon for any 35 year old in our industry really.

In 1979, Len Sugarman took over the Presidency and recognised that the industry had changed. No longer run by account men, creatives were now king (thanks in no small part to the Circle itself). The velvet dinner jackets and pompous livery halls were out. Casual banter was in. And the Creative Circle was completely reshaped. 

Oddly, the precedent set by President Sugarman became the norm. And over the next 30 years, subsequent presidents changed things again and again - giving the Circle a slightly anarchic, schizophrenic character. Rightly or wrongly, this became one of the Creative Circle's defining characteristics - this quirky personality sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the pompous self-importance of ad-land's global awards calendar… this willingness to be the naughty one. 

This year, Ed Morris took over the Presidency and took the Creative Circle by the scruff. And asked us to help him rebrand and reposition the awards properly. To stop the schizophrenia and make something lasting.

Out with the old. In with the new.

It’s a phrase that says much. The rebirth of the Creative Circle. A commitment to stepping up – to growing up. A challenge to the brand and the entrants. It’s pragmatic too – only the best new stuff gets to be ‘in’ the circle. To be part of the ‘in’ crowd.

To kick things off, we made a film. A film about an old creative called Jeffrey. Yes, he's a dog. No, he can't learn the new tricks of advertising. Yes, it's a terrible cliche. But when you get the pub scene, do you really care? And isn't the voice a total rhymes-with-punt.

Did you notice the new logo designed by the unbelievably talented Dave Towers (Head of Design here at Rapier). 

It's a flexible, moving thing that you can read more about on the Creative Circle blog. Oh yeah, we also set up the Creative Circle's first ever blog. And a Facebook page. And a twitter.

We also updated the Creative Circle website - with the legendary Stewdio - for the first time in over 10 years. 

The site is the central point of the Creative Circle. It’s the shopfront, where everyone can look inside. Each of the tiny dots orbiting the central logo (a working clock, might we add), represents an entry. As judging happens, you’ll be able to watch these entries move towards the centre of the circle, live. With the winner of the Platinum Award finally taking the centre spot in the middle of the logo. 

Of course, you won’t be able to see the winning entries until the 2012 honours night - which will take place this year at the Roundhouse.

As a space it’s incredible (and apt, being circular). But as an organisation, the Roundhouse is an even better fit—with a dedication to helping young people explore their creativity through their creative education programme Creative Projects. And for the first time this year, we're inviting students to watch the awards from the gallery. A chance for the up and coming talent to mingle, coerce and downright flirt with the best of the UK industry. Should be a good night.

There's more to come, but that's your lot for now...

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