sugarless cyborgs

2011-03-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

Twitter has killed the blog

2009-06-19T16:16:00.001-05:00

and small talk

The Spork Heard Around the World.

2009-01-14T17:40:00.001-05:00

Thanks for everyone that watched and passed Behind Closed Drawers around. It seems the video is getting some good press. Between the site, vimeo, and youtube we are looking at 6,498 hits in the last week.

It has also been featured on all these blogs:

http://www.monster-munch.com/behind-closed-drawers/

http://bitsandpieces.us/2009/01/12/behind-closed-drawers/

http://thatrealish.com/2009/01/behind-closed-drawers/

http://shapeandcolour.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/jason-rosenberg-jon-barth-behind-closed-drawers/

http://greateclectic.blogspot.com/2009/01/behind-closed-drawers.html

http://oblog.com.br/asttro/por-trs-das-gavetas-fechadas

http://designyoutrust.com/2009/01/08/behind-closed-drawers/

http://www.sinn-frei.com/behind-closed-drawers_9635.htm

If anyone actually reads this, keep passing it around.

Behind Closed Drawers

2009-01-08T00:00:00.005-05:00

Jon and I finally finished and published the animation we have been working so hard on. Just after we finished shooting it, he moved to Portland. So, it was fairy difficult working through email across the country with syncing up his music and doing the title scene. In away this has become our own little postal service project, with less postal service and more gmail. Gmail is really putting the United States Postal Service out of business.

We created a flash site that showcases the video. You can check out the site at Behind Closed Drawers.

You can also see it right here using youtube.
ENOY.

The most portable computer

2008-12-29T15:58:00.003-05:00

Doing it is one thing, but coming up with the idea is pretty impressive. I love how this guy literally transforms his sketchbook into his ideas.

Shapes + Colors

2008-12-13T15:56:00.005-05:00

I Came across David Pache. One of those designers that can just blow you away with the simplicity of shapes. I couldn't get past his logo section on his site. With over 50 logos for different companies he is pretty inspiring through his use of shape and color. I love how he designed his site. You click on a silhouette of the logo to bring up the real thing. It is a great lesson of the power of shapes. So simple, yet so powerful.

Introducing Cuppy

2008-11-25T14:22:00.003-05:00

I really hope this project turns out as good as we are hoping. It is only a photo album before I put it into final cut though.

Spork-a-licious

2008-11-21T02:55:00.005-05:00

My friend Jon and I are working on an animation about eating utensils. The project is looking like it might be more than we can handle, but as jobless as we are we have the time to put the effort into it.

Pay Attention

2008-11-20T20:28:00.005-05:00

A little bit ago I started this community blog called Pay Attention. I got the inspiration when I was walking around a state park before it got cold and stumbled onto a leaf hanging in mid air. It seemed it was connected to one fiber of a spider web. It literally appeared to be suspended in the air. A very surreal site. I started wonder how many people have missed this leaf. How many people miss all the moments around them that are unique and inspirational. Then I started to think about how I must pay attention to my surroundings so I don't miss something else like this leaf. That's where the idea came from. A place to collect all the moments you choose to pay attention to.

In the first month of the blog, it seems to be just me and a few others posting. If anyone wants to be part of that, just leave a comment and I'll add you. I think it could be an interesting community. I have an idea to make the banner art into t-shirts and grow this community if it takes off.

Where in the world is the spork?

2008-11-18T18:09:00.003-05:00

Today I went on a quest to find a Spork.
The only place that has one is Popeye's.
I do agree given the rarity of the spork,
it should only be found behind bullet-proof glass.

First Snow

2008-11-17T02:21:00.003-05:00

A week ago it was 60 degrees, and the week before that it reached records highs in Michigan with ten degrees higher than that. It is November 16, and this isn't even our first snow fall. The eve of my birthday on the 10th there was enough powder on the cars to make a well-formed snowball. It sure seems a little early to see the white stuff. I know this because I have a memory of driving home from my so-called Bar-Mitzvah party on November 23 when I was 13 years old, and it was snowing for the first time that year. It was a very mediocre average year, and before global warming meant more than just a large part of the Pacific Ocean was hotter than the rest, El Nino.

After two weeks of this cold and wet snow I'll be ready for summer.

2008-11-16T23:15:00.003-05:00

The word Infinity is rarely experienced, but the times you really understand it definitely seem surreal. Like pondering how big the universe is, or how small the smallest phenomenon is. The basis of String Theory, understanding the unity of everything in existence through an infinite measure. If you haven't pleased your mind with the headache theory of Strings, then I suggest you watch the PBS Nova special about it. It was made in 2003, and now I wonder what advances have been made. You can find all three parts here.

Today while I was in the bathroom at PRONTO!'s I had one of those surreal experiences we all had at one point, but might not have noticed. When you experience a mirror within a mirror you get to see what infinity looks like. I apologize for my shitty camera phone quality pictures.

Think Make Think

2008-11-16T22:52:00.003-05:00

John Maeda wrote some clever and inspiring words. The fact that it is a Haiku can be easily over looked. The Haiku is entitled Think-Make-Think. These are great words. When I first read it I was thinking it was a moment of dyslexia or even a Freudian slip. Something similar along the lines of the "I'm not think as you drunk I am." It only started to hit me when I realized there was a purpose behind it.

This picture is taken from a post on swissmiss.

Artful acting

2008-10-18T01:54:00.009-05:00

The guy who played this naive
bad-ass in No Country for old Men. . .

also mastered the demeanor
and mannerisms of this man.

Josh Brolin is an artful actor. You might doubt his resemblance as George W. Bush at the start of W., but after two hours of daddy issues you forget that it is Brolin and not W himself.

And think, it all started with this bad-ass here. . .

Does a nonfiction story actually exist?

2008-10-15T13:36:00.003-05:00

What stories can get altered through documentaries, reality television shows, or media coverage. When you put nonfictional story telling to use, where does editing cross the line. Just as Michael Moore might have taken liberties in editing while Bush sat reading to the children after getting the horrifying news of 911 in Fahrenheit 911, who else might have done the same?

I have always been fascinated by the ability to take one story and transform it completely after the fact. Trailer mash-ups really show you how easy and accessible a totally different story is peaking out from soundbites and mini clips. It makes you wonder how much you can trust an actual trailer as well. Then again, a trailer is movie marketing, with the basic purpose of getting your lazy ass into a movie theater.

This is interesting because it takes the same soundbites from The Dark Knight and mashes them with two well-known Disney flicks. The Toy Story one is pretty brilliant.

Toy Story 2

The Lion King

I got a fresh sole now

2008-08-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

Pun intended!

The Olympics and a pile of paint

2008-08-20T14:15:00.001-05:00

I blame everyone that didn't tell me

2008-08-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

At 7:15 yesterday evening I looked down at my side and saw the stub of the torn H&M tag and realized I have been wearing my shirt inside-out all day.

One man's foreclosure is another man's american dream

2008-07-29T23:54:00.016-05:00

A stain found in the middle of a living room in a house in Detroit that was ceased by the district after a possible foreclosure. What do you think it is?

This is house shopping in detroit. A 4 bedroom, 2 and half baths, garage, and finished basement goes for $44,000. Only after the owner bought it for 170,000 and got evicted.

MEMO TO GOD

2008-07-28T17:46:00.004-05:00

I placed the stapled cone-shaped piece of paper on my head and stepped up to a giant decaying wall. I looked to my right and left and saw people doing exactly what they were trained to do day after day. I saw people shed a tear for something more private than their deepest secrets of insecurities, but rather their faith. I ran my hands over the cracks that would appear to be drenched with notes you pass to your friend in the classroom, maybe these are where the confiscated notes end up.

I then repeated after a stranger words I once repeated the same way during my childhood. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a torn piece of paper from a journal I kept on my travels. I unfolded it and read it one last time, and then placed my only truly religious moment I have ever meant into the wall. It was not a validation of god's existence, but rather a moment of "What if..." A moment where I played the odds of faith, knowing it is impossible to ever know, it can't hurt to believe at this moment.

When Barack Obama placed his most pure thoughts and prayers into the wall, I doubt he was thinking it was just another political stunt to get a cheap vote. Now that we know what lies under a popular politician, what do we decipher from it? In the end, I think we all end up asking for the same thing, believer or not.

"Lord, protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

~Obama

Obama's Private Prayer Leaked

What does Bush and the 1960s BATMAN television series have in common?

2008-07-24T15:37:00.004-05:00

I've always wondered where Bush gets his inspiration for his freedom-fighting and patriot speeches. Finally, the mystery of who is Bush's speech writer has been answered. Rather, it might be the answer to "Who is Batman?"

Playing with fire

2008-07-22T23:47:00.005-05:00

The life of the unemployed offers much more
freedom than I could have ever imagined.

Mother Nature's Birthday Present to Erin

2008-07-08T00:01:00.013-05:00

Sunday was one of those days.

Laying out in the sun,

floating on rafts,

the smell of wet dog,

and a happy shutter finger.

Oh, and my sister's 27th birthday.

Check out the photos after the jump.

Slam! duuh duuh duuh, duuh duuh duuh let the boys be boys!

2008-07-02T01:15:00.005-05:00

The last time you might have played it was in 1994.

You might have been listening to Interstate Love Song off of the Purple album by Stone Temple Pilots at the time. You might have owned a pair of rollerblade brand rollerblades. You might have owned a skateboard, but only realized you weren't as good as those kids who could ollie knee-high at your school. You might still have your Pogs though, buried under your old Baseball cards and Ska CDs.

All of the above is true for me. I can't speak for everyone though. This is a tribute to those days. To my childhood, and possibly yours. Also to the boredom of the summer.

Pogs on Wikipedia

How to jump over a moving car.

2008-04-14T17:43:00.002-05:00

1. Wear nike shows.
2. Become Kobe.
3. Don't get killed.

[what would have happened if he didn't make?]

Lies in the editing room

2008-03-24T01:17:00.002-05:00

Take a trip down memory lane with your favorite new and old fake trailers.
These really show how important and influential editing can be.
Makes you think about how editing can form a story that was never there while shooting.
Now apply this to reality television.
Documentaries.
Bar-Mitzvah videos.
Wedding videos.
Fox's most amazing cop chases.
Titanic 2 (the surface).

NYC [part:2]

2008-03-16T23:08:00.006-05:00

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn

Cool guy Steve McQueen (part pit, part huskey)

The snow is an illusion

Drunken Debacle

NYC [part:1]

2008-03-16T22:29:00.009-05:00

New York is addicted to Smack

If I was living in NYC I would be so addicted to smack. I tried it over the week and I can say I am officially hooked. Well, maybe that is partially a lie. Okay, I didn't necessarily try smack, more like I tried s'mac. Rather it being an illegal drug, it is a restaurant that serves the best gourmet Mac 'n Cheese. In fact, that is all they serve, delicious Mac 'N Cheese with goat cheese, hamburger meat, figs, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, hot sauce, and cheese like Gruyere.

Washington Square Park gets a makeover

Other than that, NYC was a great time. I went by my favorite old stomping ground near washington square park. They completely ripped it apart for renovations. It is another perfect example of fixing something that wasn't broken. I spent many summer days laying near the fountain, but the city must of saw it necessary to rip it out and replace it with a more historical version of the original. It is interesting that making something like a fountain more authentic means a man-made historical interpretation, that is nothing but brand-spanking new. I am sure it is going to be amazing though. (no sarcasm)

Washington Square Park

My old summer apartment

The West Coast

Walking through the village, feeling like I took a detour to Europe. Ending up with s'mac left overs on the pier overlooking New Jersey. I'm glad I am not in New Jersey after taking the Jersey Turnpike. That's another depressing story of pollution and technology.

Lablogotheque

2008-03-16T22:10:00.004-05:00

Imagine you are going about your regular routine of the day. Walking through the city, on your way home from your 9 to 5 desk job at the local Bank of America. You turn the corner near the subway or bus stop and you hear Andrew Bird's professional style whistlings. The beauty of an impromptu concert. Your bad day turns into a day of pleasant surprises. Picture yourself there.

How did I not know about this. It combines an outlet for expanding your indie musical knowledge, and amazing imaginative live performances. LABLOGOTHEQUE is a collection of videos of top indie artists breaking out in an unplug concert in public areas.

COOKING WITH COOLIO?

2008-02-23T01:07:00.005-05:00

Do you remember this guy?

Where has Coolio been since 1995?
I was darn right shocked when I discovered the original gangsta is a regular foodie.
So, what do you get when you combine a washed-up rapper and his passion of cooking?

You get the next internet sensation
COOKING WITH COOLIO
(along with kidnapping, yo momma jokes, bling, hot cooking assistance, and your man Coolio)

THANK YOU! Al Gore for inventing the internet.

While you were sleeping

2008-02-20T01:09:00.001-05:00

Kicked in the nuts by photography

2008-02-19T23:06:00.005-05:00

emmanuel rouzic
Every portfolio site
should give you the feeling of a
ROCK STAR PHOTO SHOOT MONTAGE.

Cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

2008-02-17T17:03:00.004-05:00

***To put it in perspective: Jill Lin

Sunday morning at Shockoe Espresso

2008-02-17T16:32:00.004-05:00

playlist:

Wipe Out
Sugar Ray
Pretty Woman
I like to move it move it
Amy Winehouse
Chumbawamba

Old homeless hippie with infected ear:

"Is a computer as fast as a calculator."
"Don't play in traffic its unhealthy."

What are we all doing with our lives?

2008-02-14T17:48:00.002-05:00

I learned something a moment ago.
If you mix an acid trip with your pillow and the story of Jack and the bean stock you supposingly get a Zune commercial.

Mr and Mrs President?

2008-02-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

Carb Counting 3 dimensional inspiration

2008-02-06T01:18:00.000-05:00

Clay + Politics + Guitar Hero =

Carb Counting the effects of online downloading

2008-02-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER REASON THE WRITER STRIKE MUST END:

When the strike is over Ron Howard is going to start pre-production on the Arrested Development Movie.
You can say it is in pre-pre-production right now.

I must be honest.
Excitement and anticipation run through my mind right now, but I must point out the Movie curse when bringing TV shows back to life.

Simpsons
Family Guy
Sponge Bob

Carb Counting more republican votes or less Democratic votes

2008-02-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Only time will tell.

Carb counting the effect of 56 ball point pens on a 10 foot photograph

2008-02-01T16:57:00.000-05:00

carb counting inspiration for better marketing

2008-01-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

This has been a lot of talk about Cloverfield this week. So many people saw the movie and found it nothing more than a waste of time. They see it as a gimmicky short flick. If this was the case, if this movie JJ Abrams did was simply a 90 minute home video, I would agree with trashing the film. However, I think it is a mistake to not recognize Cloverfield for what it is. In a day of instant gratifying information at the tip of our fingers via the internet, this movie tapped into a new kind of marketing. If I was wearing a fedora I would tip it toward JJ Abrams. The movie was just a glimpse, maybe the climax of a story too big for one media. Not many people realize there was a story building up to the movie months before the release.

The movie only seemed selfish and confusing if you weren't aware of the story going on. Before the movie there were clues throughout the internet using fictitious companies, myspace profiles, viral videos, fake news casts, and made-up products.

Piece together the pieces for yourself:
1-18-08
Slusho
Tagruato
T.I.D.O
Jamie and Teddy

The movie itself has clues as well. Now that the story transcends a 90 minute movie, you might be more inclined to give it another chance.

SPOILER: MONSTERS + MARKETING

Carb counting my part in evoking the alumni

2008-01-16T20:05:00.000-05:00

The alumni have received the kit my group and I made. I was excited when I found an alumnus of the now deceased VCU AdCenter commenting on something I created. Thanks for finding it Jill.

blog link

Carb counting an 80s child

2008-01-14T21:18:00.000-05:00

Carb counting the death of game shows and the family board game associated with them (double dare)

2008-01-07T01:31:00.000-05:00

That was then

This is now

Tonight an old addiction has returned after 12 years. We all thought over playing it in syndication would kill it for good, but American Gladiators is back with a new look. Being a fan of the old show, watching it every day over the summer while I devoured my lunch my mother prepared for me in the morning, I was eagerly awaiting tonight. I wanted to look past the idea of Hulk Hogan hosting it. I would have much rather had a nobody make his or her face known through the show, like Mike Adamle.

I look at the premiere of the show tonight, and I think it is a metaphor for a lot of things in society. The original show was a game show. There was no tricky pyrotechnics, or suspect of steroids floating around the arena. The original was content, and not flash.

While I was watching the new version tonight, I realized the gameshow is completely dead. The camera angels were too flashy, quick, and deceiving. I found myself frustrated with the TV, I wanted to see the entire Joust in a wide-angle shot. I didn't care about the fast cuts that made me think I was watching a scripted storyboard shot in front of a live studio audience.

I suppose that is where the media is going. Better technology, more cameras, better thought out branding for each show. People want to see drama, people want to be put in the middle of a bone crushing tackle. The content isn't enough. People want Peter Jackson's King Kong, not the boring simple 1976 version. I suppose we should just forget every old version, and embrace all the new and improve ones. They are the blockbusters are today's America after all.

Is there even any truth to these shows? I keep hearing there is going to be more reality television shows now that the writers are on strike. Is it true you don't need writers for all these dramatic showcases of supposed real life? To me all these reality television shows seem just as scripted and story boarded as all the sitcoms they have replaced. That lovely cheering live studio audience isn't even what it seems to be. The most genuine part of the show, the people who bought tickets to be entertained in person while we watched it on our idiot boxes, well . . . those people are hired extras. No different than the hundreds of people you see running of the terrorist attacks on 24. This was a shocking discovery (if this happens to be true, but I believe it after witnessing the excessive amount of cheering the audience did that was prominently shown on the telly) when I found this video.

Just as the new American Gladiators is not a game show, but an infant cousin of the the WWE or WWF or whatever you call it today. I guess Hulk Hogan is the perfect host after all. Now get Laila Ali out of there. She represents something too real, boxing.

Carb counting a comedic genius

2008-01-05T01:03:00.000-05:00

You either love him or hate him. David Wain makes me roll on the ground every time. The State, Wet Hot American Summer, Stella, and the new movie The Ten...all are David Wain and his friends at his best. I came across 16 web episodes he did called "Wainy Days."

Not watching all of them is something to regret.

Carb counting the uniform of nonconformity

2008-01-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

Throughout life the act of nonconformity is always secretly conforming to a subculture.
Exactitudes shows the many different kinds of subcultures and uniforms associated with them. Call them stereotypes, but the art direction really does show the irony behind the quest of individuality.

Carb counting within a nice walk

2007-10-29T23:04:00.000-05:00

We are becoming a society without patience. As new technology surfaces we are continually held captive through instant gratification. Eventually wherever we reside will be similar to living in New York City, where anything you want is attainable anytime. While Internet speeds become faster, and social networking sites become more accessible from our cellular phones, we are moving faster and faster throughout our daily routine. We have become so impatient we skip voice mail messages because ten seconds wasted is ten seconds of annoyance. Yet, 15 years ago leaving a message meant recording your voice on a cassette answer machine. How fast will we be going in the next 15 years?

Today’s trend is instant self-gratification. How fast can I lose twenty pounds? How fast can I download the latest Brittany Spears album? How fast can I make a fortune? How fast can I locate the pizza delivery number? How fast can I look up the movie times on a Thursday night? It all comes back to technology, from benchmarking your jogging stats with Nike Plus, to getting directions to the airport on MapQuest, technology is taking away the search and effort out of our lives.

We seem to run more, especially now since we wear high performance running shoes. We seem to multitask more while watching Entourage on HBO, looking up information about the show on IMDB, and talking on the phone all simultaneously. There are numerous benefits of our technological advances as a global society. However, we are all becoming more of a conqueror and less of an explorer. We have declared war on obtaining our goals the fastest way possible, and forgotten about the struggle of self-identity and reflection.

Moving from one place to another has become strictly about transportation or exercise. Life passes us faster than even these days. What does it mean to slow down this sprint to the finish line? When we bring down the rapid tempo, we allow ourselves to capture the moment entirely. We allow ourselves to go in a state of mediation and reflect upon life. There is the old cliché, “stop and smell and the roses,” which is the thesis of slowing down life. This feat is our own personal therapy session.

Putting the brakes on living is as simple as going for a walk. Your mind cannot process clearly unless you give it the time to. Running is beneficial for your health, while it keeps your heart strong, strengthens your legs, and burns calories. Walking is beneficial for your mind. It clears your head, allows you to appreciate your environment through all five senses, and relaxes your psyche. Going for a walk is a gift to you, as everybody needs a timeout to reflect about his or her actions. Just as the timeout chair you feared so much in kindergarten you deserve a timeout today because patience is a virtue, and that virtue is under attack.

Carb counting the inevitable darkness

2007-10-08T23:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday around 7pm I started staring at a computer.
At 5am I stopped to take a brief slumber.
At 9am I started to gaze at the bright pixelated screen again.
At 6pm I stopped.
STARING AT THE SCREEN: 19 out of 24 hours

Repeat on average once a week.

MY DESTINY
Squinting while staring at the computer causes painfuly dry eye

While you squint you blink less frequently. The less you blink the dryer your eyes become, and over a period of time can lead to a painful eye problem called dryed eyes.

Staring at a Computer Monitor Too Long Can Ruin Your Vision

Glaucoma is an eye disease the generates slowly over time. It is prominent in those people who focus on the computer screen for excessive amounts of time. And there also appeared to be a significant link between these and heavy computer use among workers who were near-sighted.

Carb counting the nightmares of the record industry

2007-10-06T00:48:00.000-05:00

Lets face it. CDs are being phased out. There was a time when obtaining new music meant going to Harmony House or Best Buy and purchasing a CD for $11.99. A reasonable price, considering it usually averaged out to be a dollar a song. We are living in a post AOL, MIRC, Napster, Kazaa, Morpheus, Soulseek, Limewire, Poison, Aquisition, My Tunes, Our Tunes, Torrent...world. My point is obtaining new music is a daily felony for myself and millions of other Americans. Music is free, and when it isn't I'm only buying it for $2 on Allofmp3.com which is legal now. There are many loopholes when you open up the law to entail an international community.

The record industry just doesn't get the situation. They raise the prices while in a crude panic. They raise the prices and we turn to cyberspace. They shut down a torrent site and another one comes up. It has even evolved into the search for music being obsolete. Visit a blog like deb4ser and just download the latest hipster music trend all packaged into one convenient location.

But don't forget to log into the iTunes music store and buy an album or two after.

What's the next step? What formula of change will finally phase out the record industry one angry band at a time?

Radiohead reached a milestone in bringing music to the people. Their new album "In Rainbows" completely changes the music production scene. A popular, talented, innovative band like Radiohead decided to drop all record labels and produce their album on their own. They are asking their fans how much they are willing to pay for their new album. Then on release date it will be available to download. All they need is a domain name on the web and a dyer need for change.

Radiohead isn't the first to conquer the hold the record label has on them. Harvey Danger released their most recent album as a free Torrent download. Their Reason. After you’ve downloaded the album, you can choose to buy the CD online or make a contribution via PayPal or snail mail. Why wouldn't a band with the funds to produce their own album adopt this business model? By cutting out the label their earnings are theirs and not the suits that manage them. Are we witnessing the origin of a creative management revolution?

Here's the thing, with Radiohead's experiement, their fans are generously rewarding their actions by paying more than a record label would ask for.

THE RECORD LABEL'S DAYS ARE NUMBERED

Carb counting in the Blogsphere

2007-09-25T00:44:00.000-05:00

When I think of the original user blogspace I think of classic Livejournal. When it was you and a computer with a very primitive website interface. When it meant knowing the html code to change the font or post a picture. When it meant referring to the FAQ section of Livejournal to remember how to put an LJ cut in your post. It is interesting the first part of the blogsphere was positioned as nothing more than a personal journal. The origin of blogging simply started with a more organized medium than Doug Funny's midnight journaling. There was a time Doug Funnie made writing in a journal cool for little kids. It was no longer only your sister writing in her Diary.

That is what the blog has become. We are slowly making pen and paper obsolete. Think about how many people turn to their computer to vent, or communicate in their own webspace. Eight years ago their mood would have been decoded in their handwriting and not a smiley face next to the exact time they posted. We are impersonalizing our society. It only gets worse from here with iPhones and the iPod touch. It only gets worse when we don't make ads anymore and it becomes superficial branded conversations with a jaded public.

Is what BBH doing with the World's Dirtiest Film for Axe Body Gel promoting creativity or frat boy pornography? Is branded content going to become another impersonal venue for communication? Is social networking the next step after text messaging in making us even more socially awkward? It is true our parents did grow up in more simpler times?

None the less, the story of the blog is an interesting one. A culture that simply has a voice. 50 different random current voices on a page at a time. This is the greatest thing since live feeds on facebook.
The Latest 50 Images posted to Live Journal compliments of my friend Zach.

CHILDREN TELEVISION: rock on

2007-09-14T18:04:00.000-05:00

I was getting worried. I thought Steve Burns was a one album kind of guy. In case you don't remember him, Steve Burns is this the guy in the dorky sweater. That's right, he was the original host in the beloved Nick Jr show called Blues Clues. Rumor had it he died of a drug overdose and his cousin took over the show, but that is completely wrong.

The real story is Steve Burns left the glamorous life of being a childrens television star to hang out with the members from the flaming lips and rock out. His first album, Song's for Dust Mites, came out in August of 2003. It was focused around the idea of space lobsters coming down from outerspace. Now when you go to Steve's Web Page he has an extensive research report on children listening to his last album.

His wit and crazy sci-fi logic continues to astound me. His new topics of interest include:

Learn the awful truth about steve burns and the imminent attack by naked hot-headed arctic ice borers

Find out how to plan for the revenge of the mean-spirited monkeys

See how steve single-handedly replaces the president of the galactic confederacy with a log of thinking cheese

Learn about how television will be watched in pill form

This album is no doubt going to be imaginative, weird, and influenced greatly by the great Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips.
I already like what I hear: Steve Burns is back

It makes me wonder what the life inside the children show industry is like. No one imagined Blues Clues was connected to the Flaming Lips when it began. Now the Aquabats have left their traditional pop punk roots and landed a Nick Jr show that premiered this month called YO GABBA GABBA! I can only explain this new show as Sesame Street on organic hallucigenics created for the ex-punks and current hipsters embracing the strollers with their preschool children. This show must be the hottest topic in Park Slope right now.

Matt Prior, originally the singer from the Get Up Kids is now singing to children with his act, The Terrible Twos.
And They Might Be Giants did an album in the past to entertain children.

Basically these talented musicians start a family and when their children become their life they change their style so it is part of them.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WATCH ALL OF THESE ON YO GABBA GABBA: Elijah Woods, Tony Hawk, The Aqua Bats

behind the scenes

brilliant

2007-08-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts Exactly

2007-07-09T14:15:00.001-05:00

Politcal Commentary by the Decemberists

2007-07-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

Kwik-E-Mart

2007-07-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

I was starting to think The Simpsons movie was just going to come and go without a huge marketing campaign. After a decade of waiting, it seems the world is having Transformers shoved down its throat more than the Simpsons. They started to advertise for that movie way too early. It is very unlikely Transformers will live up to the hype.

The Simpsons movie found an interesting way to promote it. 10 7-11s in the US and one in Canada are being transformed into Kwik-E-Marts. BRILLIANT.

One of them is in NYC, does anyone know where that one is? I want to go.

Read about it

Whats next, a shower head that dries you off?

2007-06-28T16:58:00.000-05:00

A heated toilet seat that cleans your bottom and senses when you are there . . . controlled by a remote.

excuse me, what?

[cleanishappy.com]

What I did at work today

2007-06-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

AD: Jason Rosenberg
CW: Laura Holmes
CD: Adam Calvert

The day doesn't get more productive than this.

I so want a time bomb for my bedroom

2007-06-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon MARK REIGELMAN's website just now. He really understands good design follows a orginal idea. I know I want one of these time bombs.

While referring to Utilitarian design. Reigelman had a great idea to transform the stairs in your home into a functional shelf.

I can only say growing up the steps in my house were used as temporary storage for the things that needed to be moved upstairs. My mother would clean the steps, and quickly myself, my sister, and my father would use the steps to hold our junk. It was never long until all the cleaning was done in vain.

Example off Flickr

Reigelman's shelf stairs idea can be seen as an installation on the staircases of Brooklyn's Borough Hall. According to Josh Spear:

August 17th through 26th will see the installation of Mark Reigelman’s “Stair Squares” on the cascading staircases of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. A study in human interactions with public furniture made possible by a grant through the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, the installation will bring a fresh and welcome pop of color and modernity to a what’s considered a very classic piece of Brooklyn architecture. That’s not all Mark has to offer, though — his website is clean and slick and displays his highly creative and versatile portfolio brilliantly, and you can definitely expect to see more from this rising star very soon.

Advertiser-Consumer Break up

2007-06-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

Someone at the office sent me this.
I'd rather be the other guy the girl is dumping him for.
Like Apple instead of Microsoft.

I sure hope this isn't referring to User Generated Content.

Naughty New York

2007-06-19T19:09:00.001-05:00

The last 48 hours have taken a strange turn for the worse.
Several incidents have taken place that are important to share.
(Don't get me wrong, all events have been complimented with entertainment)

INCIDENT 1.0

My friend Robb and I were walking to the Weehawkin ferry from the subway. We were on our way to New Jersey to visit my friend Jean who was in town from Detroit. Our journey seemed pretty standard. Pick a destination, look at a subway map, then figure out how to get to said destination.

However, we found ourselves on the west side, in a sketchy area. We are talking about big ghetto guys sitting on the curb with bling around their necks and a forty in their hands. The moment of total sketch was when we passed some ghetto fabulous big black guys with hand guns sticking out of their pants.

Thats it. People with guns. Sorry, but when it has to do with walking by people with guns, things are not okay. These guys weren't cops, why do they have guns . . . self defense, male dominance, penis envy? Either way, it was the first time Robb and I actually saw someone with a gun. The whole time we were waiting to see if any of these guys were planning on mugging us. Thankfully it didn't cross their mind as it did ours.

INCIDENT 2.0

While in Jersey, we were hanging out on a high rise patio overlooking the entire Manhattan island. The view was incredible, and accompanied by the most powerful binoculars I have ever used. Below the patio was a road with a fairly large shoulder. We witnessed more ghetto fabulous moments, this time from a safe distance.

It was the standard ridiculous ghetto guy with his shirt off screaming at some girl. All I caught was a brief fist fight with two guys and another girl in a bikini screaming. Pictures were taken, and up to 11 cop cars came to the rescue. We stood there watching the entire ordeal until the cops were gone. The evening was looking eventful.

INCIDENT 3.0

Fast forward to the next day. It about 10:30pm and I just arrived back in my apartment. I turn on the light to my bedroom and a large COCKROACH startles me and I jump back. Given this is the first time I have ever seen a cockroach just laying on a floor, it scared me to death. Bigger than I thought they were, more gross than I thought they were . . . I was left at that moment with the task of getting rid of the little monster.

My first attempt was to smash it. Laura later told me that smashing them is a horrible idea. If it is a female and you smash it, the roach will leave her eggs on the floor and then you will have more roaches. Unaware of this, I still didn't want to smash the monster. Thinking about the results made my stomach churn.

I reached into my kitchen cabnet and found a nice big measuring glass with a wide-open mouth. I went back into my room, and couldn't find the roach. O great, I was thinking I would find it in my bed while sleeping. just what I wanted. I eventually found it as it started to dart toward my bare feet. In another startled manner I jumped out of the way and trapped it under the measuring glass. The glass though had a lip on the mouth I was not aware of, resulting in the roach escaping through it. Out of mere panic I took the glass and smashed the roach. The shell of the roach chipped, but it was still alive. Also, the glass was intact. I realized how dumb of an idea it was to smash the roach with a glass cup, but all was well.

I then darted into the kitchen to get another glass without a lip. By the time I got back to my bedroom, it was gone. I eventually found it under my bed and trapped it. I then tricked it to go into a Vitamin Water bottle and put the cap on. That sucker is still in there in the garbage.

I WIN
ROACH LOSES

INCIDENT 4.0

This one takes the prize of the most intense incident.
I was waiting for Jean and her friends to pick me up infront of downtown City Hall Park. I was sitting on one of those small pillars that stop cars from driving on the sidewalk. My feet were resting on a wooden police barricade laying on the ground. A short and fat black woman probably in her early 40s started to walk toward me. She had a red sack flung over her right shoulder, and the closer she came I could make out two scars on her face, one on each side of her mouth.

She came up very close to me, and then made a sudden turn to walk on the police barricade my feet were on. She walked on as if it was a balancing beam, and she bounced on it at the opposite end of me like an 8 year old little boy would. She had the same smile and everything. She seemed crazy and more times than not crazy people can be entertaining to talk to for a moment.

So, the conversation went as follows:
(mind that her voice was exactly like miss Cleo, if Miss Cleo didn't have that fake Jamaican accent)

Me: Having fun there, aren't you?

Devil: I despise cops. I kill cops. You aren't a cop are you?

Me: Nope, not me

Devil: Then what are you? (walking on the beam toward me)

Me: I am just a person living in New York for the summer working hard.

Devil: Ahhh, where you come from

Me: I go to school in Virginia

Devil: Well let me tell you son. This place is Hell. You are in Hell. Welcome to Hell. You are going to die here.

(people around us are just walking by eyeballing the situation. I am starting to laugh. This is too ridiculous for words and
her eyes are so intense as she is right infront of my face. Her eyes say she has no soul. And she is going to eat me.

Devil: Don't you laugh. You don't know who I am. You don't want to befriend the wrong people in hell. You better be
careful who you talk to here. Some people are bad. They will make sure you never leave hell.

(I am honestly freaking out now. What the hell is going on. I stop laughing and just look frightened.)

Me: O thankyou for that life lesson. Thankyou thankyou.

Devil: You remember that

(She gets out of my face and walks across the beam and continues on her way.)

Welcome to the jungle [concrete]

2007-06-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

I'm looking out my window in NYC.
I can't help but think about the 10 million people on this small island.
How many people are directly out my window.
How many people are watching a TV at this very moment.
How many people are awake restless, wishing they were sleeping.
How many people are on the toilet taking a shit.
How many people hate their job.
How many people don't have a home.
How many people are connected.

Through association wouldn't all 10 million people in NYC know eachother?
Thats a coalition bigger any nation's army.
China at 2.8 million people comes the closest in 1998.

With all that concrete jungle out there, there is nothing you can do to stand out.
The scariest thought is that this view is becomng common-place.
Meaning, all of this doesn't stand out as spectacular anymore.
Nothing excites someone who lived here all their life.
They think they have seen it all.