mindblob

Artificial Dummies - From ideas to reality

ARTIFICIAL DUMMIES from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

As promised in my previous post... here is more about TODO interaction & media design, the Italian innovative company we talked about. Again coming with a very nice example of crowd fascination in front of a unique live experience. Talking about ways to give people out-of-the-ordinary experiences... here you go.

Now, maybe some of you have already seen visual things like that before and so might not find it new or innovative. But according to the "creatures" actually reacting to their environment, I see more than a simple light show behind this. That "little extra" is IMHO exactly what makes the difference and drives the live experience into an innovative and unique area. This is why I wanted to find out "how the system works?"... and guess what... TODO brings an answer to people wondering like me (check the video here under).

When the magic brought to the eyes of the public out there is obvious, the technology behind this is not. TODO did mix different theories, programs and technologies to make this happen in an unexpected context. This is what I find "innovative". That achievement (I bounced twice on them!) lead me to check their webpage out. Happy I did, it is full of brilliant ideas. I also found there a few words on the philosophy behind their way to... drive ideas into reality, that I'd like to share with you as well. Just LOVE it! Way to go guys ! And please... please, launch a blog... I'll subscribe!

 

• we ask questions

• we listen

• we research

• we take risk

• we make mistakes

• we like busted knees

• we solve problems

• we are happy

• we'll never retire

 

ARTIFICIAL DUMMIES, the process from todo.to.it on Vimeo.
   

Zygote - the interactive ball

NUday-ZYGOTE from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

 
Another focus on simple things that keep touching people. Well, this one is actually being "touched" by people. Or... how to energize and entertain a crowd, for example on a live concert, when waiting between two artists. Simply fabulous! This product is developed by Tangible Interaction Design.

Concept via TODO interaction & media design an Italian innovative company to follow. More on them coming soon in a next post. Okay... this thing is really too mindblobbing, I just can't resist sharing with you another Zygote film. People really seem to have punch a lot of fun out of it! Don't you feel like being in the crow, just under that ball now? : )

 

Zygote - interactive ball from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

 
   

PS : For those of you who remember the early seventies series (yup!), this is a FRIENDLY bubble, repeat... this is a FRIENDLY bubble. It won't try to stop you escape or swallow you!  ; )
  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gavin !

  
Today it's my friend Gavin Heaton's birthday. Please join me in wishing him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! For those of you who don't know him yet (there might be 1 or max. 2 on this planet)... just Google his name. You'll find about 29.700 results. This, because Gavin is "here" & everywhere and doesn't miss an occasion to comment on blogs, participate, support, engage conversation, all over the bloggosphere.

Originally uploaded by CK

  
Above all, Gavin is my friend. A friend all could wish to have because he is a genuine, sincere, generous, authentic person. A man with a heart, that I'm honored to know and was lucky to finally meet for the first time at Blogger Social '08. Now, the world is definitely smaller and I wish I'll meet him again soon.

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE, Mate!  

Originally uploaded by Zsaj
    

The Girl Effect

via No Man's Blog by asi

Or how can animated words and music carry a simple message and touch, fascinate and let's really hope... push to action. Besides a content that is by definition extremely important, I love when stories are told that way. Well, as far as I am concerned, the film... does have an effect.

  

"Adolescent girls are uniquely capable of raising the standard of living in the developing world. Girls are the most likely agents of change, but they are often invisible to their societies and to our media.

When everyone -girls, parents, teachers, executives, artists, hairdressers, forest rangers, rock stars, presidents, investors, advertisers, skateboarders, truckers, cowboys, organizations, chefs, teenagers- knows about The Girl Effect, then real change can happen. This site is just the beginning. The end is nothing less than ending poverty."

Check The Girl Effect site HERE.
  

The Belgian 3Gs... "Geee Geee Geee!"

Who could ignore it? The iPhone 3G is about to spread the world. Wired just pointed what could seem to be a little detail when seen from a global point of view. Nevertheless... it's not for Belgians who might want to buy an iPhone.

"BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Belgians finally get the chance to buy one of Apple Inc.'s coveted iPhones on Friday - at the highest prices in the world."

Check for the latest developments here, on "Belgium iPhone", a fantastic blog that popped out after the launch of the iPhone V1 with loads of precious information linked to the (ghost) Belgian market. In the meantime, I'd rather listen to that tune from The 3Gs... and agree that:  "... Belgian Cowboys... will find a way!"  ; )

 

 

Big Ideas (don't get any)

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

 
  

Here is a little gem I just discovered via threeminds and that illustrates how creativity and talent can transform a challenge into a master piece. This short film is the work of James Houston, a student of the Glasgow School of Art who decided, for his final project, to respond to the online challenge launched by the Radiohead. The band proposed on a dedicated site a contest to remix their latest single "Nude". Here is what James did out of it. Although he was too late to enter his work within the deadline, I think he deserves a big huge online wave of applause from all of us.

Here is how James describes his quest on Vimeo :

"I've just graduated from the Glasgow School of Art's graphic design course. This was my final project.

Radiohead held an online contest to remix "Nude" from their album - "In Rainbows" This was quite a difficult task for everybody that entered, as Nude is in 6/8 timing, and 63bpm. Most music that's played in clubs is around 120bpm and usually 4/4 timing. It's pretty difficult to seamlessly mix a waltz beat into a DJ set.

This resulted in lots of generic entries consisting of a typical 4/4 beat, but with arbitrary clips from "Nude" thrown in so that they qualified for the contest.

Thom Yorke joked at the ridiculousness of it in an interview for NPR radio, hinting that they set the competition to find out how people would approach such a challenging task. I decided to take the piss a bit, as the contest seemed to be in that spirit. Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there.

It doesn't sound great, as it's not supposed to.

I missed the contest deadline, so I'm offering it here for you to enjoy.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass GuitarHard
Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX"

PS : And I'm really wondering what my friend Tom (DirectorTom Thomas Clifford) will think about this film. ; )

  

UPDATE :

Check this film James did as he mentioned it to be his "...first ever project working with live action video". Wow! Definitely worth being pointed here as well. Read the comments on Vimeo and find out how he did it!

MTV from James Houston on Vimeo.

 

Quest for the Ultimate Break

Well... I must admit I've been "out of blogging" for quite a while (and I'm really sorry about that). After being extremely busy sorting loads of "offline issues", I finally reach a little "break" that leads me... well... -what a paradox- offline again. Not to mention, Blogger Social in NYC (Yeeehaaa! Woops, sorry... couldn't hide my enthusiasm!). So, yes... I'm afraid the number of posts on this blog will not come back to cruising speed right now, but I wanted to inform you that it will be soon (as soon as I'm back from Social).

In the meantime, and talking about having a break, you might want to check this special action on the French Kit Kat site.It is not really new, but worth checking out if you haven't yet. They call it "The Quest for the Ultimate Break" (this link will lead you to the teaser film only on YouTube, in case you can't reach it on the main site). Will some of us see this situation -I mean the beginning of the film, of course- as a familiar "under pressure work conditions" déjà vu? I don't know. Due to the last rush I've been through, I must admit I just had to smile when I discovered it (hint, hint!).

Anyway, I really like the end of the film and the "goal of the quest" itself. It is in french, so I'll translate the idea behind it. It is contest with lottery-like numbers you get in Kit Kat and other Nestle candy bars. And guess what... the great price you may win is... a TRIP INTO SPACE ! ! ! (yes, a real one!). There is also an input channel where people can post their video vision of an "Ultimate break".

I really like the concept, because the price is quite innovative and insightful. And for the records, the french agency is JWT Paris, the very same that launched the excellent Wilkinson "Fight for kisses" site that you may remember. Last but not least -the producer's point of view here- when I investigated about who did the 3D animation, I found out that it was AKAMA Studio, the same post-production company that worked on FFK. This time they produced this trailer in about 2 and a half months... and that my friends deserves a fantastic applause, because it is not much time to achieve such a qualitative result. Thumbs up guys!

Now if you would excuse me... I have a lift to catch.  ; )

Conversation calling !

Remember the Age of Conversation? Well, after the great success and insightful perspective of their first initiative, Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton are doing it again. Absolutely! A new book is ahead of us.

What will it all be about? At this stage nobody knows yet, but the call is here and it's all up to you. As one of the authors of the Age of Conversation all I can tell you is that being part of this project has been a rich human experience and still is, so I definitely encourage you to participate.

Check Drew's post and vote for the topic here. Feel free to give your perspective, comment or feedback... and decide whether you'd like to be one of the authors of the next book. Oh... and by the way, if you don't feel like writing, you may also just participate to the survey if you want... "readers welcome!".  ; )

   

United PEAS of Social Media

- Original picture from Addixon777 + home made transformation -

   

The amazing thing about "social media" is the power that these two words joined together took over the meaning of each word when standing alone.

"Social" is the grouping of individuals around common characteristics, interactions between groups of people, is taking consideration of other's behavior. Many more definitions apply to that word, but in a way the "united humans" side of the definition is probably the one we keep in mind. And here comes "media" basically related to communication and being the vehicle of messages towards as many people as possible, not to say "masses".

Now "social media" pushes us from being readers and spectators of news and information, to being actors and publishers of messages through a completely new vehicle. And we may see "the wisdom of the crowds" as the evolution of individual messages freely embraced by other individuals.

The very first time I understood the power of "social media" was after Noel Davis' terrible bicycle accident just before Christmas 2007. Noel is the father in law of Gavin Heaton, a blogger friend I had met on the net months before. At the time, I didn't know Noel but I was warned by another friend blogger CK that "something terrible" happened. Gavin communicated to friends and family on Noel's web page and a solidarity chain was raised by other bloggers relaying the information and collecting funds to help. Cam Beck created a special page to make donations, David Armano made a visual for the cause, many helped making posts to spread the information. Hopefully, Noel recovered from his accident and I'm quite sure many people still think about him today.

Then, another terrible event tore many of us apart when our friend CK was facing the toughest moment of her life. This difficult moment, brought to our eyes the important fact that there is a link between this virtual world, our emotions, values, good intentions and reality.

More recently, Susan Reynolds a blogger I don't know personally, discovered that she had breast cancer. As a matter of fact, Susan suffered so much from the multiple biopsies she went through that she placed a pack of frozen peas on her breast to relieve the pain. She decided to share her experience with others and launched a special blog : Boobs on Ice. When she posted a picture of her and the pack of peas in such an unexpected place, some of her friends were touched and reacted. In less time than it takes to actually say it many people took action (see the full story on Connie Reece's blog) and a solidarity wave rolled around the planet.

Then a special Frozen Pea Fund was launched to raise money with all benefits going to Making Strides, the breast cancer campaign of the American Cancer Society. Now what if we would all donate the price of a package of Peas to such a fund raising program? Hundreds of Twitter users changed their avatars on a Pea theme. When I see the specially created Frozen Pea Flickr group, I really beleive that there are PEAple out there ready to help change the world.

Today is the THIRD PEA FRIDAY... so if you have not done it yet, go to this link and donate the value of a few peas (or more), because this action is good and is helping an important cause we should all care about. I am sure Susan was happy to see that many were there to encourage her and try to help. Also, I'd like to honor people who lead others in the right direction, to help those in need. Connie, this one is for you -sorry it took me so long to make this post-. Even if we have not met yet, please know that it is a real honor to know you. I am amazed by the mountains you are moving.

I understand that social media is not done shaking positively my vision of this world. These incredible examples raise the definitions to another level. So, whoever still thinks "social media" is yet another trendy notion to debate on, might want to consider this : next time you are watching PEAple from a distance, watch closely and listen... maybe you'll find out that the voice behind each one of them is worth some of your attention. Above definitions, there are people behind all this, connected and sharing experiences. Internet is just a vehicle, let's keep in mind that human beings are on both sides with their hearts and values.

      

Blogger Social 2008... 90 days left!

   

So how do you like this cool looking photo-video edit Mark Goren just made to give you a visual idea of who will be coming -so far- to Blogger Social 2008?

Readers of this blog know that next April 4-6, 90 days from now, bloggers from around the world will meet in the first event so far exclusively dedicated to... GETTING SOCIAL. In other words, no seminar, no ppt presentation, no keynote, no protocol. A unique opportunity created, led and embraced by marketing and communication specialists bloggers who after meeting virtually, thought that it was about time to meet live.

Australia, Oman, Italy, England, Belgium, Canada, USA... many countries will be represented, making the event a rich and unique human experience. Here is the list of the people who registered so far and a very nice collage of the faces behind them (you may find a pdf version here - thanks to Mark Goren again).

 

 

Susan Bird - Tim Brunelle - Katie Chatfield - Terry Dagrosa - Matt Dickman - Luc Debaisieux - Gianandrea Facchini - Mark Goren - Gavin Heaton - Sean Howard - CK - Valeria Maltoni - Drew McLellan - Doug Meacham - Marilyn Pratt - Steve Roesler - Greg Verdino - CB Whittemore - Steve Woodruff - Paul McEnany - Ann Handley - David Reich - Tangerine Toad - Kristin Gorski - Mack Collier - David Armano - Ryan Barrett - Lori Magno - Tim McHale - Gene DeWitt - Mario Vellandi - Arun Rajagopal - Darryl Ohrt - Joseph Jaffe - Rohit Bhargava - Anna Farmery - Marianne Richmond - Thomas Clifford - Lewis Green - Geoff Livingston - Kris Hoet - Connie Reece - CeCe Lee - Jonathan Trenn - Toby Bloomberg - Seni Thomas    

   

So if you have not registered  yet, the great news is you still have some time to do so. Yes ! ! ! But beware, the limit is set : NO LATER than February 15. Shortly said : hurry up and just... BE THERE !

 

Image originally uploaded by dingdingwang