While in Israel for the Rosh Pina Festival I attended a dinner with local Microsoftees and some agency folk.

The only item in the good-bye goody bag was the Microsoft Arc Mouse!

Very often a corporate give-away might consist of a few bits and pieces but as you can see this little gem needed no help padding out the bag, much to the delight of the merry delegates as they made their way back to their hotel rooms.

   The Microsoft Arc comes with batteries and a little pouch. 

The USB stick is about the size of a 20p piece and doesn’t get in the way when plugged in.

The Arc Mouse folds up unobtrusively into a tiny ball. The USB stick is attached inside by a powerful magnet so it doesn’t get lost!

It just looks so cool! Also it’s very ergonomic to the touch and is extremely responsive to the slightest movement. The clicking action is silent but accurate and the scroller is very well conditioned.

I’m writing this in Tel Aviv Airport lounge and resting it on the side of a chair and it’s working like a dream!

This one’s set to have gadget-geeks hearts all of a flutter this Christmas!

They’re selling them on Amazon for about £32 so pick one up and I promise you, you’ll never put it down!

Landed early this morning in Tel Aviv, had a 2 hour cab ride to the Rosh Pina Festival, have met the local team and now am putting the finishing touches to my presentation! 5.30am Over Tel Aviv

Local office from the road 

Big Microsoft presence at the festival

Incredible views from the hotel!

Flying to Israel tonight to speak at the Rosh Pina Festival:

“Held in the picturesque Galilee in the northern part of Israel, Rosh Pina Festival, convening this year for the 9th consecutive year, is the most important annual media conference in Israel. In addition to the traditional renowned TV festival, this year the festival is going global and digital by launching an independent digital track.”

I’ll be speaking about digital marketing trends in Europe and showing a few fabulous demos.

Never been to Israel so am really looking forward to it, especially as I’m staying here: http://www.mizpe-hayamim.com – just in case you want to get hold of me!

Back on Saturday and then off to PubCon on Sunday!

See you there?

Ciaran Norris just demoed the above video at SMX London - it’s the follow up to the Transport For London basketball vid which I got first time!

This one is a LOT harder believe me!

Shame he’s not put it up on MSN Video!

I often get asked what my first name is short for…………Melvin?…………Melanie?

Truth is my real first name is Matthew and Mel is short for my middle name – Melville!

Melville was my mother’s maiden name and she was so rightly proud of it she decided to continue the tradition beyond her generation by sticking it smack bang in the middle of mine.

The reason she was proud was because many years ago my great great uncle William Melville had quite a job as head of Special Branch.

“Melville of the Yard” as he was known was born in Ireland in 1850 and moved to England to join the Metropolitan Police in 1872.

Within 7 years he was a detective sergeant in the CID and joined the Irish Special Branch in 1883.

For the next few years he was involved with the surveillance of Irish-American bombers, foiling plots to blow up Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations, chasing Jack The Ripper and tackling French anarchists on Victoria Station.

In 1893 he was promoted to head of Special Branch and became much more visible as bodyguard to Queen Victoria and other heads of state as they visited, counting Harry Houdini as one of his friends.

Then it really started to get interesting!

From the Kerry Museum:

“In 1903 the War Office set up a Directorate of Military Operations, which needed a field operative to deal with intelligence gathering. Melville was headhunted for the job, and his role was to act as a general controller for War Office agents abroad as well as to undertake a number of secret missions of his own at home and abroad. Melville would report to Captain Francis Davies under the alias of ‘M’. On 1st December 1903 Melville began his new career as an espionage agent under the name of William Morgan, General Agent. His office was in Victoria St, adjacent to Scotland Yard.” 

He died in 1917 still teaching at his “Spy School” and working as hard as ever to safeguard the British people from terrorist threats.

So when you trot along to cinema to see the latest James Bond epic, just remember there was a real guy doing all that stuff over a hundred years ago…………………………and he’s why I’m called Mel!