Archive for January 2007

jacksonpollock.org allows you to create your own "abstract
impressionist piece of art" virtually.  The result in my case were
more 1st grader appropriate then $140 million, the auction price paid
last November for Pollocks "N0.5 1948".  But then again art is only in
the eye of the of the beholder.

By Amy Daroukakis

Last week we highlighted the work of designer Adrian Kim who has decorated washing machines and air-conditioning units with his ostentatious designs. This week Engaddet highlights designs from PQI that echo the glitz and glamor approach to the surfaces of everyday products. PQI are running a gold limited edition flash drive with red peony and red fortune pigs to symbolize prosperity, joy, happiness and sincerity.

PQI’s U510 flash card gets ritzy for Chinese New Year - Engadget

CScout posts about the emerging trend of Interactive Online Video:

YouTube-like video sharing sites that not only allow users to upload and share videos, but also lets them interact. Like tagging certain segments, hyperlinking different areas within the video, and better searching within videos.

Imagine being able to roll over and find out what brand of lipstick Lonelygirl15 is wearing. YouTube’s good enough, but is there an opportunity for a company to come in and do for videos what Flickr’s done for photos? "Do more with your videos?"

Related: Joost.com (Formerly known as the Venice Project)

The anti-advertising agency are at it again. They’re hosting a daylong workshop on Feb 10th, 2007 for Banksy wannabes, and other culture-jammers at Eyebeam HQ.

"Shopdropping (the opposite of shoplifting) is a tactic used by artists
and activists to clandestinely place objects in retail stores.’Dropped’ objects are usually versions of consumer products altered or
recreated to detourn the retail experience. Shopdropping is a fun and
easy form of culture jamming, gently subverting dominant cultural forms
to create new meanings."

See more event info on the anti-advertising agency site.

UPDATE: TUESDAY 6TH IT IS!

So we got close to a hundred responses registered in about a day in regards to the idea of a PSFK conference. If you’re interested in a half-day trends / half-day new marketing session early March, then register your interest here: psfk.eventbrite.com.

Meanwhile, we have to work out an agenda. We have a good idea on who to invite to speak (and we’re sure that we’ll all hear from folk) - but leave in the comments box here on PSFK.com any person/agency/brand that you’d love to have come and speak.

Also - any suggestions on great format, would be superb.

German artist Henning Wagenbreth turned those African Scam-Mails we all know from our inboxes into wonderful artworks depicting the fake spam stories. They can now be seen in his book "Cry Now" published by Gingko Press. It sure is a fascinating way on how to turn bugging "content" in something actually very appealing and interesting…

Henning Wagenbreth
Cry Now at Amazon

A while ago, we argued in a post called ‘Will We See A Dumbed Down Virtual World Beat Second Life?’ that a virtual world with less functionality and more gameplay like Grand Theft Auto could supersede SecondLife. With disappointment over accurate resident numbers in Second Life, commentators are shifting their focus from the virtual world to the hugely popular online video game World of Warcraft.

Clay Shirky argues that video games have a better chance of adoption than non-game worlds. Here are his three reasons:

Games have at least three advantages other virtual worlds don’t. First, many games, and most social games, involve an entrance into what theorists call the magic circle, a setting with simplified and knowable rules. The magic circle saves the game from having to live up to expectations carried over from the real world.

Second, games are intentionally difficult. If all you knew about golf was that you had to get this ball in that hole, your first thought would be to hop in your cart and drive it over there. But no, you have to knock the ball in, with special sticks. This is just about the stupidest possible way to complete the task, and also the only thing that makes golf interesting. Games create an environment conducive to the acceptance of artificial difficulties.

Finally, and most relevant to visual environments, our ability to ignore information from the visual field when in pursuit of an immediate goal is nothing short of astonishing (viz. the gorilla experiment.) The fact that we could clearly understand spatial layout even in early and poorly rendered 3D environments like Quake has much to do with our willingness to switch from an observational Architectural Digest mode of seeing (Why has this hallway been accessorized with lava?) to a task-oriented Guns and Ammo mode (Ogre! Quad rocket for you!)

SECOND LIFE: Put your money on World of Warcraft - Valleywag

Alexander McQueen is the latest name to design for Samsonite Black Label. Launched at Pitti, the menswear trade show in Florence earlier this month, the luggage created quite a buzz with buyers reportedly flocking around the stand and media clamouring for a glimpse of the fabulous, if not slightly perverse creations.

Fashionwiredaily have a great description of the collection-

"A canny mix of high-tech and gothic futurism, the standout piece was a
wheelie-weekend case that mimicked a rib cage, based on a mould from a
real man. Ergonomic, thoroughly new and even done in black crocodile,
these were statement pieces of luggage reflecting the designer’s edgy
aesthetic"

A video installation accompanying the show created by artist Felice Limosani and displayed at top  Florentine boutique Luisa Via Roma was, in typical McQueen humour, entitled Under my Skin.

Also- check out Fashionwiredaily’s review of the next McQueen Puma installment

Want one now: The ZINK is a pocket sized printer that you can hook up to your mobile devices and print 2- x 3-inch color photographs and, whoa, it won’t leak in your pocket because it doesn’t use ink. The unprocessed photo paper is an advanced composite material which holds uncolored crystals. When you take a pic, the Zink heats the crystals and they change color to print your photo. The stand alone will be $99, a camera-hybrid will retail at $199 and 100 photos cost $19.95.

ZINK is the only technology that makes “on-the-go” printing possible. Your world is mobile, why shouldn’t your printer be? Imagine being able to print on the soccer field, at a party, at a bar, or even while hiking. Fun times happen IN the moment, not when you get home to your printer.

ZINK