Watch this preview for the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” about the troubling Climate Crisis. I had the great opportunity to hear, listen to, and interact with Al Gore at the TED conference where he spoke passionately about this global issue. His personality during the conference was incredible. The content that he presented was mind-boggling. I can’t wait for this movie to reach a larger audience in hope for changes that must be made.
entertainment
It’s great how the usb stick has become a race to give them personality, style, and fun. There’s the slick metal ones, the sushi ones, the usb ring, the cute mimobots, and now some whimsical ones that hint at the storage capacity. When the function of an object is limited to changes, the creative juices kick in to give plain boring products some jazz and spunk! Pictured above is Michael Leungs ruler usb stick which depicts the capacity of a stick based on the length. On the right is a usb bag that acts like a stomach. The more stored in it, the larger it gets. I wonder if you can squeeze the belly to copy data out of it? fun fun fun!
One of my favorite commercials was the “Ugoff” series for BurgerKing in 2004. Recently some really great VW commercials came out which reminded me of them, and whala…it’s the same freakin firm! If you have not seen either series, your missing out! If your a designer, you’ll have a great appreciation for the “Ugoff” series. Anyhow, they rock!Crispin Porter+Bogusky
Ugoff commercials one, two, web (look into “ugoffliments”)
VW commercials one, two, three
Are ya looking for some cool interactive ambient light projects? If so, link yourself over to UnitedVisualArtists. They have a some great project using light and interactive sensors. Some are a bit trippy, but a few are breathtaking. Make sure to watch their project video clips. I’ll list a few of my favorites:Victoria and Albert Museum
Interactive Installation
Massive Attack
Fashion Show
“Audiopad is a composition and performance instrument for electronic music which tracks the positions of objects on a tabletop surface and converts their motion into music. One can pull sounds from a giant set of samples, juxtapose archived recordings against warm synthetic melodies, cut between drum loops to create new beats, and apply digital processing all at the same time on the same table. Audiopad not only allows for spontaneous reinterpretation of musical compositions, but also creates a visual and tactile dialogue between itself, the performer, and the audience.”James Patton AudioPad
Video
This is one freakin amazzzing wall clock! If you have a hard time seeing your clock display from across the room, go make yourself a 12 footer. The website has instructions on making this beast which includes a GPS receiver as well.
If your into inventing and a bit of entertainment, then check out abc’s new reality show “American Inventor”. The show is produced by the infamous judge Simon Cowell from American Idol, and takes on the same format as the Idol show. The winner wins 1 million dollars and a chance to market their invention to millions of people. The show airs Thursday nights on ABC. So far, there have been mixed reviews, but plenty of entertainment and some inspiration.
BuggyRollin is a suit of armor with a bunch of wheels! This suit keeps rollin, no matter how ya fall! Lay down, stand on two feet, sit on your side, roll on your knees…. no matter what, you seem to keep rolling. I’m not sure how safe this is but it seems crazy fun! Check out their site..they have some pictures, videos, and info on purchasing the suit.
Buggy Rollin (a bit hard to navigate..drag and drop the disks into the main box)
This video is mind-provoking!…. There are 6 people tossing around 2 basketballs. 3 people in white shirts, and 3 people in black shirts. They only toss the ball to like shirts. Can you count how many times the people in “white” shirts pass the ball to each other in less than a minute?? Here are the rules:
1. Watch the video once only! No cheating…
2. Count how many times the people with “white” shirts pass the basketball to each other.
3. Focus!Let me know if you figure out why this video is mind-provoking. It makes me think about ‘marketing’ in some sense once you figure it out. If your stumped still read this for the answer.
The Chindogu Society is a great collection of bizzare and quirky inventions. Pictured above is a baby suit mop!!!….yes, keep laughing, but take it as inspiration for why it’s so funny, wrong in some sense, and also why it’s such a great idea starter.
I love these books and anyone looking to get some creative juices flowing in a brainstorm meeting should buy these!!! Getting goofy brings the best out of creativity! Buh-Yeah!!
You think Google Earth is cool? Well, get ready to be blown away by Spore, a PC game by Will Wright, creator of The Sims and Sim City.
I’m not sure what kind of cpu power this game will require, but you pretty much create and affect every single element within a galaxy and let time happen through “procedural” content development.
The magnitude of this game is ridiculous and you feel like a god of a god! Check out the video of Will presenting Spore at the 2005 Game Developer’s Conference!Google Video of Spore
GameSpy Article
Yugo Nakamura creates some of the most facinating, inspiring, and amazzzzing interactive systems in digital and networked environments. His artwork spans from engaging interactive interfaces to breathtaking displays of pure creativity and ridiculous coding.
I’d keep typing, but his work speaks for itself.Yugop
Interactive Lines (use your cursor)