Radical Friend

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.

Viral Videos: Diesel Presents Pete The Meat Puppet

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.

View more videos at Diesel.com


Pete The Meat Puppet - With handy karaoke lyrics


Dance Party - An Underground Endurance Dance Contest


Hair Bath - Will you send her in some of your hair?

Some stills from the videos.

Sixense True Motion Sensor Demo

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.

Educating Through Interaction Design To Save The Planet

(See video at end of post)

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.

Giant Pink Knitted Toy Rabbit Seen From Space

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

Diesel XXX Live TV

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.

Dirty Thirty - Limited Edition Diesel Jeans For €30

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.

Diesel Viral - Diesel XXX SFW Porn Video

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!


Diesel SFW XXX - Watch more free videos

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.

The Urban Survival Vehicle - Fiat 500 by Diesel

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.

Amazon Adopts New Business Strategy - Giving Away Films For Free!

The way people spend their free time is set to change yet again. The internet has rapidly been eating into into both the hours we don't send at work (as well as those that we do), taking more and more time away from the time we used to spend watching TV. Well, TV is just not quite ready to be cast aside so easily, and more than going down with a fight, it is seeing a rapid reincarnation. Most of my English friends spend their time online watching the BBC iPlayer, and now I am sure my friends in the US will have an equally time consuming distraction as the IMDB site launches its new free TV show and film service.

The IMDB (Internet Movie Database), is set to offer movies and TV programs for free. Amazon that owns the site has started to offer a range of movies as well as popular series such as Lost. New episodes from TV series that have not yet even been broadcast on TV, including the new Knight Rider series will be offered for free. Shows will include advertising, but should the film not be available, or should viewers want an ad-free experience an alternative film will be suggested that can be downloaded from Amazons video on demand digital rental site.

So, Amazon, a pioneering online success story and true company of the digital age has already shown that it is having to move to avoid it's business model coming under threat. Rather than deny the inevitable, and try to protect its online sales and rentals, by offering content for free, they will integrate an ad revenue model, which ultimately will lead to increase online sales from users that are willing to pay for enhanced and ad free content.

Amazon are clearly targeting being both 'the destination' online to buy content and to own the best sites about the content they are selling. They also recently launched SoundUnwound a new site that they want to become the 'Wikipedia' of music and bands.

X-Rated Erotic Horror Film Marks Relaunch of Agent Provocateur Lingerie Site

Agent Provocateur, has completely revamped their website. It is not the most difficult thing to draw attention to, when you have the opportunity to legitimately show your product on scantily clad young models, but gent Provocateur do it with class and attitude in every area. They are leaders when it comes to innovating with video online, and are no newbies to video on their site. This time however they have the luxury of the web catching up with their ideas. The new x-rated style site delivers an emersive video experience. The erotic and dark theme has a combined look and feel of vintage horror and cult erotic movies - See end of this post for video. Sexy full screen action which also features an equally kitsch soundtrack.

The interactive video invites visitors to create their own path through the erotic story, and eventually decide the fate of the stories ‘Young Virgin’ protagonist. The main print campaign image also contains a hidden secret mystery to be solved. After a well made and evocative brand building experience there is a stylish online store to capitalise on all the visitors the site will have provoked.

The leading luxury lingerie brand is clearly investing heavily in online, and the site reflects and increased focus on the web, aimed at capitalising on the huge success of online sales through their site.




This campaign image contains a hidden message. Solve it to win the competition.

New iPods Listen To Your Music

Apple today presented a revised line of iPods in a special press event in San Francisco. The iPod shuffle and classic iPod received only minor changes, while the iPod touch received a minor design upgrade making it thinner and with a curved iPhone like back.

The biggest changes announced were to the iPod Nano line that is the thinnest iPod Apple have ever made. It returns to a similar, vertical design of the earlier 2nd generation Nano, returning to a screen format that would allow it to share some applications available to the iPhone and iPod touch, with particular focus on games, in order to increase potential sales on the already successful Apps store. The Nano does not benefit from a touch screen, but does have a newly added accelerometer, to add more fun navigation of songs and albums. Simply shake the iPod and it will produce a different shuffle of songs.

All of the iPods are cheaper than their predecessors, and with larger capaicity storage, with Apple hoping to captitalise on the sale of content to the devices from the iTunes store. It was the store that also got an upgrade with support for High Definition TV shows, a new way of displaying albums, and a neat functionality that enables iTunes to build automatic playlists of similar music. The software can analyze the songs in your library and recommend other similar songs in your library or even recommend new songs from the iTunes store. This 'Genius' playlist is described like having the worlds best DJ in your iPod. In fact the iPod touch and Nano's actually come with the functionality built into them.

Always looking for more ways to increase the sale of songs, this new function is sure to prove fun and useful for users, as well as helping generate more sales. Though Apple still seem to be missing out on many other social media ideas that could really take iTunes to the next level.

OLPC To Be Sold By Amazon - Rare Opportunity To Get Your Hands On Future Design Classic

For all of you that missed out on last years opportunity to get your hands on one of the most important computers designed in recent history, AND do your bit for the developing world at the same time, there is a second chance! The laptop in question has been developed for the much talked about One Laptop Per Child initiative, with the aim of providing a sub $100 computer for each child in developing nations. In order to avoid the issues experienced when the OLPC programe ran the same initiative last year, Amazon has been chosen to run a programme to enable United States residents to buy one of the most innovative laptops invented (that can also be powered by a hand wound generator) and for every computer sold, a second laptop will be donated to a child in a developing country. The computer will be available from November until the end of the year. Despite the computer costing only slightly more than $100, this is a price point for mass orders and not the public. The combined cost of the two computers will be set at around $380. This is set to be a design classic, as some of the industries best have worked on the project and pioneered many innovations to reduce the cost to near the $100 benchmark cost. Don’t miss out this time round.

Visit the site of OLPC for more details.

Google Knol

So the much awaited Wikipedia killer 'Knol' from Google has finally arrived, but to little hype.

Write Great Google Knols is a pretty good blog for people interested to know more about Google Knol, that is full of articles, advice and news. Of particular interest is the fact that Google are now both content and an advertising distributor, and so to watch will be how their own content is favored within Google search results. It may be an interesting platform for driving traffic, but from what I have gleaned about the site is that it is more like the blogger platform, but for individual articles rather than peope that want to write multiple articles on a subject as they would normally do with a blog.

Giant Robotic Spider Roams Liverpool Streets

Probably the only time I thought I would say 'I wish I was in Liverpool rather than here in sunny Italy' is because this weekend sees what is set to be a spectacular street theatre performance that takes in the entire city. Starting with a giant 15m tall 36 tonne robotic spider that is set to come to life on Friday night, and will then roam the cities streets. There are bound to be other creature and players in the five day production if the previous show 'The Sultans Elephant' that took place two years ago in London is anything to go by. That show was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, albeit having only been seen online I am gutted to not be able to see this one in person. Check out the video of The Sultans Elephant in this previous post, and for more info on the performance in Liverpool check out the official site, La Machine. I shall post images and video of the event next week.