Where on (Google) Earth is Waldo?

Melanie Coles, a young web designer and artist, has developed a modern day viral game of Where’s Waldo as her graduation project from the Emily Carr Institute.

Her project consists of creating and hiding a massive painting of Waldo on a rooftop somewhere in Vancouver in hopes that it will be captured by the Google Satellite and included in the Google Earth library.  At that point, people around the world can go on a web manhunt for our stripey friend. 

I’ll Drink to That!

This weekend is the 20th Annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Convention Center in NYC.  If you go (which you should), check out designer, Reiko Kaneko who will be launching a new line of English fine bone china with real gold detailing.  Sounds fancy, huh?  Well it is but it really isn’t… her take on this fussy stuff is very playful with her gold lipstick marks and tea drips.  Take a look at the detailing on the saucer.  I’m into it.

 

I AM SPAM – III

If it takes three things to make a trend, then I think we are on to something with my third installment of I AM SPAM…

Janet Nelson is turning penis enhancement SPAM into something for the whole family… good, clean, cartoon fun.

 

And for the academics, there is SPAM is Poetry dedicated to turning authentic spam into prose.  The About page says the site is “a collection of desperate cries for attention from the marketing gutter.” 

I guess, I don’t believe in the Ferber Method.  Do you?

Motivational Thought for the Day

This little animal is called the Naked Mole-Rat and is from Africa.

 So if you are having a bad day and feeling sorry for yourself, remember:

You could look like a dick with buck teeth.

 Via J-Rod… who is very clearly the next Tony Robbins.

Weebles Wobble But They Dont Fall Down

I do not condone defacing property… in fact, seeing it done brings the crazy, right-winged, (redundant, I know) personality-I-prefer-to-pretend-doesn’t-exist out of me.  However, when I find street art done WELL in an appropriate spot, I am not only impressed but I egg it on. 

Case in point:

And this wonky-eyed view is actually painted on a construction barricade in Paris.

Tag… You’re It

Last week, Noah Brier launched a super simple site called Brand Tags that collects single word or phrase responses from visitors when they are presented with a brand logo.  Basically, an electronic version of one of the G.A.T.E. entrance exams… “what is the first thing that comes to mind when I show you this…?”

Completely voluntary, it is an interesting insight into what people think about brands… I only wish there was an accurate way to get insight about what they feel towards them.

As of this morning, the site has already received over 160,000 ‘tags’ for the nearly 175 active brands on the site – all available for viewing by brand name and/or specific tag.  Although clearly not reliable, it just might be the kind of research your brand needs to inspire creative marketing…  Contact Noah to be included in this project.

FYI – Noah has also launched Celebtags… which clearly, the shallow part of me loves!

NYC Waterfalls

The $9-$10 million New York City Waterfalls project will bring 4 man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120 feet, to the East River and New York Harbor this summer. Presented by The Public Art Fund, the waterfalls are the creation of Danish–Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.

The falls will be located under the Brooklyn Bridge, between Brooklyn’s Piers 4 and 5, near Pier 35 in Manhattan, and off Governors Island. They’ll be visible from several points in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island, as well as from both The Circle Line Downtown and New York Water Taxi which is scheduled to offer several different guided tours for a close-up view.

The city projects tourism revenues to increase by $55 million during the waterfalls’ duration which is great… but honestly, the only waterfall that seems at all cool is the one under the Brooklyn Bridge (image at the top) as the other look like falling back down out of thin air (like below).  A concept that is more like a fountain sprouting out of the middle of the river than a waterfall.  How random is that?

Most Baffling Toys from Around the World

Need some entertainment?  Check out The Most Baffling Toys from Around the World list and dont forget to read the comments. 

Here are some of my favorites… a preview, if you will.

“We’re used to Japan’s superior electronics companies ensuring they get new televisions, video games and cell phones before the rest of us, but who knew they’d get the second coming of our Savior a full three years before the rest of the world. You have to love the fact that they’ve decided to use the box to point out ways your Jesus Robot can help you get chicks. As if you needed them to tell you.”

“On the left is a mysterious toy. On the right, a graphical representation of a virus. And, on the bottom is a picture of what can only be a child catching herpes.”

“Aside from the ubiquitous LEGO, there’s dozens of different building block systems marketed throughout the world. However, none of them are as sexually frustrating as Cock Bloc Super.”

 

 

Where Will Life Take You?

Louis Vuitton, the quintessential luxury house announced that it is launching its first ever on-screen corporate campaign with the launch of a 90-second spot for Louis Vuitton to appear on television and in movie theaters starting Feb. 15 in some 15 countries.

Shot in France, Spain, India and Japan, the travel-themed ad entitled, ‘Where will life take you?’ is artsy, even dreamlike with only fleeting glimpses of leather goods and a soundtrack of stirring guitar music. And unlike Louis Vuitton’s print ads that usually feature celebrities, the commercial shows misty and sun-dappled images of ordinary people in exotic locales as questions like ‘What is a journey?’ flash on the screen.

Although the majority of the movie theater I was in laughed once the commercial ended, I loved it!  As a LV owner and fan, I felt connected to the brand again in a way that Kanye West and Jessica Simpson just wouldn’t understand… thankfully. 

What do you think?

 

 

 

ATE – VIII

For my eighth installment of All Thing English…

It seems that punting is a quintessential past time for English University students and… tourists alike.  So how do you tell them apart aside from the cameras slung around their necks and slightly-louder-than-necessary voices?  Their punting skills, of course!

Cambridge University, worried its undergraduates have lost the knack, has come to the rescue with a how to guide to what has become a dying art of punting.  The Bluffer’s Guide to Punting, written by the Punt Society of St John’s College, explains how to start, lift the pole, and steer – and how to avoid an embarrassing plunge into the water.  The guide tells learners how to look like a professional in a series of illustrated cartoons.  It also warns novices against the biggest mistakes of all – looking like a tourist, or worst still an Oxford student.  Of course, it wouldn’t come from Cambridge without a few Oxford jabs…

Now I expect you to punt like a pro the next time you are England!