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The Duck Call Stylings of Cisco’s John Chambers (No, Really, Duck Calls)

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What hath the Flip digital video camera wrought?

Well, for one, getting to see a major Silicon Valley tech exec do duck calls online, that’s what.

Cisco (CSCO) PR guy John Earnhardt, who is obviously studying technique from BoomTown’s shaky-cam video style, caught company CEO and Chairman John Chambers quacking away in his office.

And, of course, he then proceeded to capture the moment on the popular digital video recorder, which was made by the small and innovative San Francisco-based Pure Digital that Cisco bought for $590 million in March.

Wrote Earnhardt on the company blog:

“I was sitting at my desk a few minutes ago when I heard a duck call echoing down the corridor. Then, that inimitable John Chambers laughter. With my trusty Flip Mino HD video camera in hand I strolled into Chambers office to capture the duck call for you, our loyal readers. His lesson was brief, but it is very clear that he is a man of many talents.”

Well, that’s the Cisco PR spin on it, at least! (My spin: Chambers is one wacky dude.)

Cisco is now calling for duck call competitors to challenge Chambers on its blog or at its PR YouTube channel.

The best duck call gets a free Flip Mino CD from Chambers.

Here’s the video of Chambers in Daffy Duck mode (and below it is the full video of the demo that Pure Digital did at this year’s seventh D: All Things Digital conference):

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  • MauroNewMedia has posted a new article on Pulse>UX titled: "Why Cisco flipped over the Flip Video Cam (and paid $590 million for a small dose of simplicity)". Ever wonder how much simplicity costs? This post digs into Cisco's acquisition of the Flip Video Cam (a paragon of simplicity) and why buying simplicity does not work for corporations with complex IT products. If you ever wondered if your company is actually capable of creating simple user experiences, check out our list of key factors that are correlated with creating simple products on a corporate-wide basis.

    Read the full article: http://www.mauronewmedia.com/blog/
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About Kara

Kara Swisher started covering digital issues for The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco bureau in 1997 and also wrote the BoomTown column about the sector. With Walt Mossberg, she co-produces and co-hosts D: All Things Digital, a major high-tech and media conference. Read more »

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