Art, Interactive and Products Design, Technology Books & Films, Robots - A Jiggery bloggery scrapbook of ideas, links, inspiration, facts, thoughts and other things I find of interest.
Recently I got the chance to hook up with The Vanities on a music video which our team created for them. It is the first music video produced by Diesel:U:Music for our new artist promo programme, where the aim is to bring the most innovative new talents from the world of film and music together, to fuel exciting new collaborations, and create a series of videos that will explore the future format of the music promo.
Stay tuned. We have two more videos in production, to be released soon!
Probably one of the best projects I have ever had the fortune to work on. I still can't believe that we managed to find a man that was born without a body, but thanks to this film, he found a body and has fulfilled the dream of dancing. Enjoy.
A must read article that describes the growing threat of Facebook for Google, as people will in future first turn to their social network for advice, searching their own communities for information and recommendations. Google is currently shut out of the exponentially growing data generated by Facebook users on a daily basis.
Now this is an incredible story about the potential massive revolution that will be made possible by the extreme passion of a very few people. Exciting in the sheer magnitude of its ambition and fact that if it happens, it will genuinely be one of the greatest revolutions in modern time, and the man that is going to make it happen will surely be one of the most influential men of their time. Maybe you already know of Shai Agassi or Better Place, the company that he founded. If not, I sure hope that soon we all will. He has an idea that could just make electric cars a practical reality, not just in 20 years time, but within the next few years. The best thing about his business idea Better Place, is that it is actually becoming reality. Read the full AMAZING article on Wired.
It is a long article and to help all you time starved people I wrote a brief synopsis. Read it, and then you will be inspired to read the main article, and then keep on reading!!
Shai Agassi seems overcomes the major hurdles in making an electric car a reality. Car costs, limitations of battery technology, and investment in infrastructure. While many of the technologies and ideas are not new, he manages to put together solutions to complex problems and interestingly he proposes to apply to the motor and energy industry a similar business model to the mobile phone and telecoms industry, where technology is made accessible at low costs by being subsidised over the duration of a long term contract.
By demonstrating a high potential for profitability he has been able to get major investors on-board. Where easy money is to be made, even the seemingly impossible can happen. In just 2 short years he can count countries, major players in the car industry and even Israel’s largest oil importer is one of his biggest backers and has raised over $1 Billion in investment capital.
Here’s how they will make money. An electric car costs significantly less than a petrol car to power, and maintain. Lets say it costs €2000 to fuel a petrol car per year, yet it would only cost €800 to use electricity. Betterplace proposes to exploit this difference in energy costs by providing such a good refueling service that it would be able to resell electric energy to the consumer a premium, while remaining extremely appealing as it would still cost a lot less than running a normal car. Do I care that the electricity for my car cost more than for my TV, when I buy it packaged with access to a network of refueling stations, replacement batteries, useful software etc, when I am saving €1,000’s in the process?
He has the right partners on board, and created a win win situation for all the important players. Car manufacturers - are in crisis and need to invest in improving their future. He has Nissan/Renault onboard. They don’t want the hassle of selling battery technology they know nothing about. This could make them the biggest producers in a rapidly growing market. Oil barrons - they don’t care if they will make more money selling electricity than oil. He got the heavyweight players onboard. People that had the power to snuff out the idea. Countries - Many don’t want to be oil dependent, others need to reduce emissions significantly. Governments that get behind projects really help mak things happen!
So if people are making money, that is one important box ticker. But this is why it can happen…
Cars are cheaper - Possibly Free! He removes the battery from the car buying process. The battery is not owned by the car driver, but is leased as part of an innovative fueling service. The electric car without battery is significantly cheaper than a petrol car, and is much easier and cheaper to maintain. So it has an immediate appeal to a consumer, and car manufacturers are happy doing what they do best. The fueling becomes packaged as a fueling serivce that you subscribe to. The cost of the car in full or in part can be subsidised over the duration of a long term contract, meaning that some cars may even be offered for free, much as many mobile phones are offered free if you sign a two year traffic contract. Governmental support will also ensure tax breaks and incentives.
Cars can drive as far as a normal cars Electric cars do not have the same autonomy of normal cars, as the batteries only last 50 - 100km. So to resolve this issue they propose that owners can recharge at home, but if they need to travel further than the autonomy of the battery, then they simply pull into a ‘fueling station’, where the battery is automatically removed and replaced with a charged battery, without the driver needing to exist the car. So not dissimilar to refueling a petrol car, but a little less dirty. You will subscribe to an innovative and technology driven service. You tell your car where you want to go, and if there is not enough power in the battery, it will tell you where you need to stop to change the battery.
It is being rolled out at country wide levels in two countries. Massive trials are starting in Israel and Denmark. Israel has the desire (more than others) to not be dependent on surrounding oil producing countries. To reduce oil imports by just 50% would be a big finger up, and improve the economy. Denmark needs to radically reduce emissions and sees this as a simple way to do so. Both are small countries, in which people drive relatively short distances, and would be less reluctant to own an electric car.
It is ecological - and solves another problem As they can sell electricity at a premium price, it means that they can afford to buy expensive sustainable ‘green’ electricity. So giving a sustainable solution increase investment in alternative energy sources. ALSO most alternative energy sources do not produce energy consistently, i.e. Solar only produces during the day. So energy produced often has to be stored in massive and expensive batteries. An alternative storage method would be to trickle the energy into the parked cars connected to the grid, as it is produced. Then cars that remain connected could trickle the energy back to the grid as it is required.
If you are looking to put a big grin across your face, then download The 'Best of Diesel:U:Music' podcast. A FREE new monthly music podcast, featuring 10 blistering tracks from across genres and countries, plucked from the Diesel:U:Music online community.
Each month Diesel's in house creative team curate a mix of 10 epic, repeat - EPIC tracks (see track listings at end of post), from unsigned and new talents which you really should hear like, Marc Sunderland (UK), Molly Nilssen (Sweden), and the Dancing Pigeons (Germany), all the way through to equally mesmerizing acts like the truly incredible Congolese group, Staff Benda Bilili (see exclusive interview on dieselumusic.com), and play them alongside some of the most exciting breaking and respected artists of the moment like, Hot Chip, Kanye West, Santogold, Lykke Li and Damon Albarn. The major artist involvement helps and supports the newer acts by maximising exposure of the podcast for them too, and the podcast becomes another platform through which Diesel can support emerging musicians, in addition to the already established social music community site, the live radio station, world tour and music video contest.
The podcast includes special rare remixes, and demos of previously unreleased tracks. The result is an healthy dose of addictive, iPod ready, eclectic music. The monthly episodes will be complemented by special editions that will focus on individual artists or music genres. Available is an enhanced podcast, for those who have next generation MP3 players and iPods, each track is accompanied with its own artwork and a supporting text written by the artist that gives an interesting and exclusive insight into the background behind the track. To get featured on this “Best Of” podcast, artists can upload their tracks to Dieselumusic.com
If you want more than 1 hour of great music at a time, then tune into Diesel:U:Music radio live 24/7.
A second podcast, 'Best of Diesel:U:Music Radio' provides interviews, news, special reports and exclusive content from many of Diesel's live radio station DJ's including Lucy Pink, Neon Neon, Supper Furry Animals and more more more - Diesel:U:Music radio.
BEST OF DIESEL:U:MUSIC 001 PODCAST : TRACK LIST Track 1: We Have Band - Oh! Track 2: Gang Gang Dance – House Jam (Hot Chip Remix) Track 3: Marc Sunderland - Long way to go Track 4: Eugene McGuiness - Fonz Track 5: Ex Lovers – Just a Silhouette Track 6: Hjaltalin – Traffic Music Track 7: The Vanities – Dolly Track 8: Milke – Love Get Out Of My Way Track 9: Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader Track 10: Dead Cities – Dead Cities
BEST OF DIESEL:U:MUSIC 002 PODCAST : TRACK LIST Track 1: Plantlife – We Can Get High Track 2: Javelin – Oh! Centra Track 3: Staff Benda Bilili – Sala Mosela Track 4: HEARTSREVOLUTION – Dance Til Dawn Track 5: NASA (Feat. Kanye West, Santogold, Lykke Li) - Gifted Track 6: Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt – Snowday Track 7: U-CEF – The Stick (Feat. Damon Albarn) Track 8: Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision Track 9: Ra Ra Riot – A Manner To Act Track 10: Molly Nilssen – We’re Never Coming Home
Been away for a while. I hopefully will find time enough again to post.
Was sent a link to this really nice 'history of media consumption' by Thomas Baekdal that very simply shows the radical changes in media, and makes it's predictions for the next 20 years. Impressively presented too. Read it here
Check out Radical Friend. A bizarre and amusing site. Clicking on one of the twenty odd stones forming the letters RF, plays a 1 second clip of a person throwing a stone at the camera. But who are Radical Friend. I want to know more.
Diesel has just launched a new series of videos that are equally disturbing as they are funny. The series of unusual videos will make you cringe, wince and quite possibly wretch, as part of Diesel's latest twisted interactive entertainment experience. (Watch the videos at the end of this post).
Pete The Meat puppet probably relegates Chucky into second place as the most scary doll in the world. This hilarious music video plots the rise to success of a modern day Pinnochio made of meat, and his even more rapid spiraling decline into depravity. Be prepared to throw up as you see him chew on his own leg in a state of desperate hunger.
Each of the videos takes audience participation and community generated content to an entirely disturbing new territory.
Sailing even closer to the bone of good taste is Hair Bath. Like most people I am sure, I think there is something pretty disgusting about hair once it has been cut from your head. But to see someone quite literally bathing in a bath full of the stuff... and rubbing it all over their face! Weirder still than a naked girl bathing in hair, is that the girl claims the hair was sent in by visitors to the Diesel website.
Dance Party on the other hand is equally dark, but in less of a stomach turning way. Either its rye parody of reality talent shows, or the awkward semi-naked misfit dancers pulling some pretty odd dance moves, or maybe both, had me laughing out loud. There are more episodes being uploaded each week, so stay tuned to see who will win the contest.
So motion sensors as input devices have taken computing by storm, for the Nintendo Wii, to the Apple iPhone. This company has developed a highly accurate motion sensor that demonstrates the possibilities for the near future of this kind of interaction. The presentation was made at Nvision08. More videos and info are available from Sixense.
Reducing C02 emissions in the fight global warming is a battle to be fought on many fronts. The more varied efforts employed the better. Other than the design of energy efficient cars and research into alternative eco-friendly fuels there are additional ways to reduce our individual CO2 footprints. One of the easiest and most immediate is simply to drive better. Applying a few changes to the way we drive can bring about significant reductions in fuel consumption. However educating people to drive better seems a boring and thankless task.
However, designers at Ford have proposed an interesting solution to this issue. In addition to all the standard driving information we are used to, such as speed, revs and engine temperature, their new high definition digital dashboard screen also displays a plant to the right of the screen. The plants health depends on the quality of the driving. The more fuel efficient a driving style, the more leaves the plant will grow.
The use of a plant is an emotive visual metaphor. Drivers with a forest growing on their dashboard will sleep sounder in the knowledge that they are getting the most out of the fuel they burn and that they have at least had less impact on the environment due to their actions.
Perhaps even more effective is the way it adds a kind of gameplay to driving. With ever more of us likely to have been brought up on a diet of computer games, this kind of solution appeals to our more competitive nature, and may just motivate drivers with a small shoot lacking in leaves to see if they can grow a better plant. Eventually the idea could be developed into a real game, where families with multiple drivers compete against each other to grow the best plants, or even a networked community of cars competing with each other, offering prizes to the most efficient drivers.
The digital gauge tackles the problem directly at it's source, in the moment when people are actually driving, and able to make a difference, and will be far more effective than other means of educating drivers on fuel efficient driving. With the rise in fuel costs many people are probably eager to have such useful fuel saving advice in order to save some money as well as the planet. By taking the advice of the in car computer you could save $1,000's over the lifetime of the car.
Google Maps is fast turning into a gallery for pieces of giant sized art. This newly 'documented from space' project sees a giant pink knitted toy rabbit, that lies on the side of the Colletto Fava mountain in the north of Italy. Created by Gelitin, the Viennese art collective, who claim it was knitted by Grannies, and took five years to make.
Wolfgang Gantner, a member of the collective, says "It is supposed to make you feel small, like Gulliver".
The 70 metre artwork entitled 'Hase' (or Rabbit in English), appears to have either fallen from space, or perhaps have been carelessly left behind by an even bigger giant child, has unsurprisingly has become a very popular attraction. People do not just walk around it and take in its giant size, they also climb on top as it's belly makes a great place to relax and take in the spectacular view of the Piedmont mountain range. Made of soft, waterproof materials and stuffed with straw, the toy rabbit is hoped to remain in place until 2025. I can't see anyone being able to take it home with them, so unless the giant child returns for their rabbit, you are still in with a good chance that you can see the rabbit for a long time to come.
Experience the artwork from the comfort of your web connection, and view it in Google Maps here.
For the more active and adventurous that want to visit the artwork, the location of the rabbit is Bar La Baita above the Village of Artesina, Piemonte, Italy. Directions can be found here, and more information including photos taken by tourists to the attraction can be found here.
As seen from a plane. Visitors to the rabbit upload their images to the art collectives site. As seen from space
Tune in and watch The Diesel XXX Party - the biggest party of the year. In a totally unique and never before seen online experience, you can select and watch live from 17 different simultaneous parties happening around the world.
Here is the 'Main International' broadcast stream that is going to follow the 'best' moments live. Visit Diesel.com to follow the individual events and get the enhanced experience.
Expect queues outside Diesel stores on Friday 10th October if the rumor of €30 Diesel denim jeans turns out to be true. Recently several sites (Denim Blog,Set Your Style) have commented on the 'Dirty Thirty' rumor but until now there have been no images of the product (click image for hi-res version, more images below the fold).
Images posted to denim fan site Honest Forum show a new product that features a unique wash, custom details including 1978 leg stitching, and commemorative 'Dirty Thirty' patch, that would appear to be the jeans in question. According to SassyBella the denim is to be priced at €30, mirroring the brands 30 years (and making them finally affordable for me!). No official announcement from Diesel has been made, but an email and leaked URL on Diesel.com which has been circulating online among friends of people working for Diesel details the participating stores and draws reference to the 'special' price point, indicating that the rumor will prove to be true. Other than the absurdly cheap price, the product will apparently only be available for one day only (Friday 10th October), which would make this one 'limited edition' product that will be truly collectable.
I hope that they will also be for sale on the Diesel Online store as I don't live anywhere near any of the stores in question.
If this aspect of Diesel's birthday celebrations has not yet been officially announced, the fact that Diesel are having a worldwide party has certainly not gone unnoticed as their SFW viral video has already been seen 3 million times in less than a week. Tickets to the event are still available from Diesel.
Just in case you hadn't already heard about Diesel's biggest ever party, Diesel have just released a viral video to promote their 30th anniversary party. The Diesel viral video, entitled SFW (safe for work) themed video is pretty hardcore as it takes old porn videos, but in typical subversive style they have carefully placed animations over the top to transform the previously 'adult' scenes' into humorous and innocent alternatives. Check out the video here - BUT BE WARNED, WHILE BEING SAFE FOR WORK, IT IS NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED!
Anyone can get a ticket, but their availability is limited. Check out the Diesel XXX site for more information. The ambitious event is taking place in 17 countries on the same day and the eclectic line up includes N.E.R.D., Mark Ronson, Pedro Winter, Mr Oizo & M.I.A. who has come out of retirement to play. This adds to the already buzzing rumor that Diesel are releasing a special limited edition pair of jeans for €30.
Not only powered by a Diesel engine, but also by the Italian denim and fashion brand of the same name. The special edition Fiat 500 by Diesel has been created by Fiat and Diesel's respective design teams. Their Urban Survival Vehicle concept is designed to navigate the busy city with added personality and style.
Thanks to it’s rivets and chrome air-vent details on the rear, nose and door pillars the military chic styling gives the cult car an added toughness. While Diesel branding is subtle, the car included many exclusive design modifications that add attitude and distinct Diesel design and fashion attitude. Diesel’s famous Mohican ‘Only The Brave’ logo is found on the 16” inch alloy wheels and chrome gear shift. The driver and passenger are greeted with the ‘For Successful Living’ claim moulded into the door sill. The tachometer and dials have been redesigned to look similar to Diesel’s distinctive watches, and even the stitching of the leather and fabric interior recalls details from denim jeans. Proving that the Diesel 500 is an exercise in attention to detail and not merely a cross branded rebadging, as has become the trend.
The car will be made available initially only online before Christmas 2008, before reaching showrooms early next year. Availablein a range of fuel efficient engine configurations, (1.2 69 bhp, 1.3 Multijet 75 bhp with DPF and 1.4 16v 100 bhp) and bronze and black colour options the car will be priced from €15,000 - €17,000.
Swipe Wipe
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I keep trying (and failing) at cleaning out my photos on my camera roll.
Its a drag to do. But no more! Enter the Swipe Wipe app. It lets you swipe
left to...
See It. Say It. Ignore It.
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It’s old news that The Met are institutionally racist, sexist and
homophobic. This clever campaign from the Women’s Equality Party does a
wonderful job o...
Nerdcore 2009: Phasers and femme fatales
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[image: 20081111nerdcore09.jpg]
Sci-fi and sexy, the latest Nerdcore calendar has got everyone impatient
for 2009 to start. Fleshbot reports:
"*...those N...
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