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!  ; )
  

The Key to Reserva

   

If you like Martin Scorsese... it's a must see.
If you like Alfred Hitchcock... it's a must see.
If you like wine and champagne... it's a must see.
If you like out-of-the-ordinary-stories... it's a must see.

A movie definitely worth spending time with here.

   

JWT Barcelona, lead by Alex Martinez and his team, had a clever and innovative idea to promote FreiXenet, the Spanish sparkling wine (Cava is the Spanish sparkling wine "equivalent" to France's champagne). - More about the context story here.

As mentioned by Craig Davis (JWT's Worldwide's chief creative officer) on his blog, The Good Stuff :

"...the film features not the star in front of the camera but the stars behind - a striking shift from image to product, from how we look to what we make"

 

 

Now, what I like about this is that it drives your imagination out of the conventional story-telling patterns. Of course it is advertising... and of course, there is a link to a brand. But on a very personal point of view, I didn't feel betrayed by the apparition of the product (like it often happens in branded film content). I loved that they dared to distract our attention away from the product itself and push us back into the film. Smart and talented way to communicate. Last but not least, notice the "insightful link" that says : "GIVE US YOUR OPINION".

 

So... "if next year you had to do a short film, which director would YOU choose?"

    

UPDATE : Check "The Good Stuff" original post's comments... seems this story pushed Bob Jeffrey himself (JWT's Worldwide Chairman and CEO) to comment. I think it is a first time, but maybe I'm wrong.  : )

 

Idea saves planet

 

Our planet is in danger, we all know it. Even if we all agree about that "fact", what can we do as individuals to help or influence a positive change? The PICNIC Green Challenge is launching a contest to help fight climate change. They challenge creative thinkers and innovators, to come up with an original idea for a product or service that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

 

   

They also require from the participants that they present a concrete plan of action to launch their idea within 2 years. The price/help to market the idea is 500.000 Euros, coaching from business leaders and a list of potential clients. The president of the jury is fantastic-Richard Branson, entrepreneur incroyable, chairman of the Virgin Group and the Galactic space project. "This contest is going to help people to realize how much they are capable of,” he says. “Great things really do come out of simple ideas.”.

   

 

Richard Branson together with former vice President Al Gore are also behind a wider project -launched in February 2007- linked to the reduction of the greenhouse effect, the Virgin Earth Challenge. Contest will award $25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design which will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth’s climate. See them on the CBS "Eye-to-eye" TV show here, talking about the reason why of the project.

 

I take a moment here to point the axis we discussed in the previous post. It seems that more and more companies develop green policies to link their businesses to positive intentions for the planet. Well, if the intentions are shared, supported, and driven into reality, then some positive actions could (really) follow. But, at this stage thinking about this process, it appears to me to be more like a talent search/call, than a real collaborative work using the brain/linking power of the internet. Food for thoughts (yeah, again!) - (to be continued...)

 

   SHARED IDEA(S) - DRIVER-  POSITIVE ACTION

 

Do you have an idea that could help?

 

The Age of Conversation - GO !

The "Age of Conversation" the collaborative project of 100 authors, is now available on Lulu.com (ebook, paper and hardback). As a reminder, the editors of this project are Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton. Note that all proceeds will be donated to Variety, the Children's Charity, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world.

Drew McLellan's latest words on the ebook.

Gavin Heaton's latest post.

Arun Rajagopal's description of all the authors.

Matt Dickman's Google Map locating all the authors.

The Age of Conversation site.

Age of Conversation alphabetic list and info.

Some great posts from everywhere started to spread and so is the press coverage. I hope a lot of money will be raised to help children in need. This link between blogging and reality is what touches me the most. So, don't wait... click here and buy the ebook, a paper copy of a hardback one.

   

This is the dawn of The Age of Conversation.
My chapter is entitled : "The Dawn of Shared Consciousness".
Let this new era begin.

 

007 iphone

 

Well, now we know... Steve Jobs said it all at the Macworld Keynote this morning (makes me smile to say that, as it is –was- evening in Brussels by then). Many new stuff coming from Apple in 2007. Apple computers inc. is now Apple inc. (more than computers, right!). Then a quick reminder of the announced code-named iTV now launched under its definitive name: AppleTV.

But the main piece was, as expected for years now, the iphone. A mobile as it is, but a lot closer to a 007 gadget than it is to a phone. Full of fancy techno features and innovative patents, this one was worth the wait. It has naturally all the main features of the smart phones, like sms, internet, email, blutooth, 2.0 megapixel camera, and also WiFi.

But hey... more is less : not a single button, no slider, but a large multi-touch display, detecting your finger tips to enable you to browse the device. An “accelerometer” sensor automatically switches from portrait to landscape orientation, detecting when you rotate the phone. It has 4 or 8Gb of memory, runs under OSX, is an ipod, has access to Google maps, makes conference calls... and more.

Make sure you check it out on Apple site. And in case you want to view it, Steve Jobs’ full Keynote presentation is now available on this link.

So, are you ready to "Phone Different" ?

 

The Global Brain

Talking about trends is definitely the trend of the first month of the year. Trends are like rumors, they’re everywhere. Still some attract attention more than others, reason why I’d like to share these links with you… about trends for 2007 - (thanks to Viaspire for spotting them).

First is the “Radar for 2007” top 5 trends from trendwatching.com, an independent and opinionated consumer trends firm, relying on a global network of 8,000 spotters around 120 countries worldwide. They have a more detailed report, but the complete file is, of course, for sale. Now the 5 trends on focus :

1.    Status lifestyles
2.    Transparency tyranny
3.    Web N+1
4.    Trysumers
5.    Global Brain

I invite you to check the detail of these 5 bullet points as I believe they are worth the read. Nevertheless, I can’t resist to pick number 5 and relay its content here. Although this one might seem evident to most of you, the idea that talents and thinkers are getting connected and that there is something big underneath this idea, is tickling me from the beginning of this blogging experience.

"...We’ve spoken about THE GLOBAL BRAIN before: all of the world’s intelligence and experience, fully networked, incorporating not only the usual suspects like gurus, professors and scientists, but the experiences and skills of hundreds of millions of smart consumers as well. With the 'shortage of talent' that every brand on every continent seems to fear in 2007, tapping into THE GLOBAL BRAIN seems a, well, no-brainer. This year, expect many corporations, small and big, to aggressively court the 1% of most creative and experienced individuals roaming the globe."

Whether we’re talking about “Customer made” , “Generation C(ontent) or C(ash)”, or “Innovation Overload”… one trend is clearly established : compared to business and economic models of the past 10 years, we are facing a major (r)-evolution.

 

Revolution or Evolution? What's your take on this?

 

The unexpected invention

(Drawing by Jean-Pierre Petit)

When I was a kid... I wanted to be an inventor.

I kept linking eclectic objects together to make them live and take a new sense. As a child, I was never bored. Always building a new "thing", testing it, improving it. Trying to make new objects out of old objects, to make them pop out of the ordinary, to respond to needs I had found, or just... invented as well.

In the same direction, as a great source of inspiration, I've always been fascinated by ingenious minds. You know those "crazy people" nobody understands until they come up with the solution of an unsolved clue, mystery or problem. Well of course, you don't have to be crazy to be ingenious, nevertheless, I wonder how Albert Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci were considered by their contemporary friends?

This said, I just remembered today a link I saved right after 9/11 back in 2001. At the time, I was really shocked by the vision of people actually jumping out of the buildings. Besides the fact it symbolized the horrible and desperate situation people went through, I thought it was unconceivable in 2001 not to have a way to save them other than from inside the towers. I made a quick search and found a strange link to french astrophysicist Jean-Pierre Petit's web site.

Now, that is definitely someone who leaves me full of interrogations. Right after the World Trade Center disaster, he published an "Emergency tower evacuation" page (september 17th 2001) with an idea (not to say "invention") to help people escape from a high building on fire or with blocked elevators. I must confess that when I read this... I just couldn't believe it.

Besides being a scientist, J-P Petit is a phenomenon of his own, he writes songs (in french), is an artist, paints and draws, publishes on  astrophysics and cosmology, makes his site all by himself, informs, shares, jokes, communicates,  and sometimes is very critic, not to say "acid" to politics, scientific and academic world, etc. Most of the site is in french, but a few pages are translated in English and can somehow give you a perspective on his personality, scientific subsite and biography.

What do you think about this kind of "imagination"?
Is his "Emergency tower evacuation" system : crazy? or incredibly great?

Galactic (Space) Marketing

This message seems to come straight out of a science fiction film, an Arthur C. Clarke book (Mmmm, just between 2001 and 2010, right!) or a Star Trek film. But wait a minute, this is happening today, well tomorrow, actually.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, brings this dream into reality.  Although the Virgin Galactic site is not new, it was recently upgraded. Whoever has $200,000 to spend and wants to travel into space, can now order tickets online directly from the site.

Even if all this may seem to be a crazy eccentric challenge today, I wonder how people felt back  in 1919 when Henry Farman, proposed the first commercial flight between two cities with his F.60 Goliath. 11 passengers could experience the flight between Paris and London and back on a daily basis. History tells that comparable, and even more ambitious airlines spread within the next few years. From airline to spaceline, here we are now.

Besides that, while listening to Branson's promotional trailer on Virgin Galactic site, I was almost gone into dreaming of this extraordinary voyage, when suddenly one detail attracted my attention out of the blue. In the promotional film, I noticed Mike Melvill, test pilot of SpaceShipOne pointed something quite interesting out. While describing the experience passengers will go through, he mentioned one brand : "... I'm sure with everybody being loose in there, they'll be letting go M&M's ...".

Then the film shows a camera view of the pilot in flight, releasing M&M's out of his arm pocket. Was it prepared that way? Pure coincidence? It could have been Skittles or Jelly Beans... Or is it a sign that some brands are already interested in space advertising or space product placement linked to SpaceShipTwo? After a quick search I found that M&M's had already been in space in 1981 (thanks to Fresh Creation)

Anyway, if we look a little backwards (article of CNN.com/space), Pizza Hut did also think about it in 2001, with their logo on Russian Proton rocket. So did RadioShack with the first live advert in space station Alpha. This pushed me into thinking of the new advertising opportunities linked to space travel and its future evolution. I dreamed myself in such a flight, trying to check through the windows of SpaceShipTwo if I could see the first floating space billboards, while listening to a gentle cabin announcement : "Virgin Galactic wishes you a pleasant flight. Free snacks brought to you in space by M&M."

I wonder what brands will be next to think about space marketing? Many could... and probably should. From cameras, camcorders, to glue, sunglasses, even vacuum cleaners... (yep, to help you clean the M&M's mess!).

Well, the sky is the limit. Woops! Not anymore!
Thank you Mister Branson.

The Science of Sleep

Talented french director Michel Gondry, strikes again with his last movie "The Science of Sleep". I invite you to visit the dedicated micro-site of the film... it should give you an overview of what it is all about : a creative and innovative mind, lost between dreams and reality. Plus it is fun, fresh, crazy, poetic, and features the film soundtrack. In other words... worth the click.

The synopsis given by Warner Independent pictures is :

"The Science of Sleep, a playful romantic fantasy set inside the topsy-turvy brain of Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) an eccentric young man whose dreams constantly invade his waking life.

While slumbering, he is the charismatic host of "Stephane TV," expounding on "The Science of Sleep" in front of cardboard cameras. In "real life," he has a boring job at a Parisian calendar publisher and pines for Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the girl in the apartment across the hall. While Stephanie is initially charmed by Stephane, she is confused by his childishness and shaky connection to reality. Stephanes co-worker, Guy (Alain Chabat) a vulgar but practical man, offers advice on the opposite sex, but Stephane is too far in the clouds to listen. Unable to find the secret to Stephanies heart while awake, Stephane searches for the answer in his dreams."

Now this said, here is a little tribute to Michel Gondry. This is definitely not intended to be a complete biography (you can find a tons of information on Kevin Holy's very documented site or on Michel Gondry's official site, in french...). This is more like a little reminder, for those who think they don't know Gondry (come on, I'm sure you do!).

Gondry made his reputation as a video clip director. He met Björk in 1993 and this was the beginning of a long business relationship based on mutual understanding and respect for each other's work. He directed  quite a few of her videos. "Human Behaviour" won all the possible video awards the year it was out. Then "Army of me" (this one I loved for the crazy universe he created, and  "Isobel" (black & white poetic voyage), etc.

Besides Björk, Gondry directed many videos, for the most famous artists in the world... always coming with an unexpected point of view : Massive Attack "Protection" incredible sequence and camera movement, Rolling Stones "Like a rolling stone" using a unique photographic technique, Daft Punk "Around the world" stunning studio choreography with a funny dark pop style, Beck's "Deadweight" where he explored the dream vs reality cocktail (Mmmmh!). In 2003 he used Lego blocks for The White Stripes "Fell in Love with a Girl", etc. His last video (until now) is Cody ChesnuTT's "King of the Game", graphic fantasy he directed it in 2006.

Ok, ok, let's imagine you never saw any of these videos, then... you must know him as an advertising film director. His innovative, ultra-creative, surprising style must have been at least once screened by your eyes. Smirnoff "Smarienberg" in 1995,  Levi's "Drugstore" (Cannes Advertising Film Festival Gold Lion in 1996), Levi's "mermaids" in 1996, Air France "Le Passage" in 1999 and "Le nuage" in 2002 (seems he's been a cloud lover for quite a while), etc. His last ad is Nespresso "The Boutique" (which is not my favourite, after reviewing the above list).

Last but not least Gondry has directed feature films like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Minds" (2004), or "Dave Chapelle's Block Party"... the most known (although this is indeed quite subjective).

I do have a lot of respect for Michel Gondry and his work... He definitely "Thinks Different" and has one of those "crazy" minds always pushing the limits of creativity forward. Now, I have not seen "The Science of Sleep", but given all these elements... you bet I will. I wish I could fly to see it ! Time to go to sleep, or... am I already sleeping?