The Cans Festival in two minutes

I’d been stoked with everything I was seeing from the Cans festival, but wasn’t quite sure how to properly encapsulate it all into something easily consumable. Then I stumbled across this video that pretty much sums it up:

The Image Fulgurator. Art + technology + mischief = cool

Does much need to be said after the above image? well, probably. Check out the “Image Fulgurator.” A device created by Berlin-based artist Julius von Bismarck that literally manipulates the photos of others. Essentially a frankenstein of a slr body, a slr-flash, and a light sensor. While seemingly complex, it’s really a pretty simple concept with interesting results. I think I found my next weekend project.

The advertising mind in my wonders what kind of possibilities this has, but the artist side of me is just in awe. For more (including diagrams) check out the translated verison of Bismarck’s site here.

What happens when you stuff helium down your pants?

Cool. Not because it’s an unbranded Levis viral (which there’ve been a few of lately) but because it’s well-filmed and well-planned. The soundtrack is spot on. And the use of an International Scout and a triple-white VW Beetle seems to say they know their target pretty well. I’m impressed – not by the viral aspect, but by the idea as a while.

Visualizing time: the Lexon Around Clock

Every now and then, there’s something I see that really catches my eye and changes how I look at things. This time around (pun intended) it’s the Lexon Around Clock. It works beautifully simply, with a numbered can-like cylinder that rotates beneath a red wire that tells the time. Beautiful and simple. If you have to have one (or want to buy me one), you can purchase it at Singulier.

[via acquire]

Another cool McDonalds billboard

It bugs me that McDonalds has done something like this. It’s not exactly new… grass/plants and living billboards aren’t an entirely new concept, but this one is truly done pretty well. I just wanted to see it from someone other than McDs. but I guess that’s life. (or rather, that’s advertising).

It’s pretty similar to the other awesome McDonalds outdoor billboard from a while back.

I wonder what a 40-person-swordfight look like?

Every few days, there’s a headline that makes me wonder if we are indeed headed toward an apocalyptic event. This morning was one of those days.

The story itself wasn’t really all that much to write home about, but the headline pretty much sums up some of what I love about the Pacific Northwest.

Fatboy Slim + David Byrne + Dizzee Rascal

So what happens when you get Norman Cook (aka fatboy slim), David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal get together?

Apparently, this (assuming YouTube doesn’t have it removed again):

This is the newest project from Fatboy Slim’s the Brighton Port Authority (BPA)  And there’s something about David Byrne that makes anything he touches pretty amazing. Throw Dizzee into the mix and it’s just bizarrely awesome.

McDoanlds meets Linerider

Why? I don’t have a good answer. Other than Linerider is (was?) popular. McDonalds likes popular. Therefore, McDonalds likes Linerider? It seems like an odd choice to me. But I’m not a big fan of McDonalds, and I’m not really in awe of Linerider anymore. Maybe it’ll be effective for a few that fall into both of those categories.

Why I don’t race bicycles anymore

I saw this photo and was blown away, both as a photographer and a cyclist. There’s not really much to say, except for the fact that while it yielded a bizarre photo, the event itself was tragic. That, and be careful during bike races in Mexico.

[via CNN]

Tiji: capturing the imagination

I’ve watched this spot for Tiji a few times now, and every time I see it, it leaves me with a bizarre warm and fuzzy feeling. And my eyes are clued to the screen for the entire two minutes – relatively long for a spot. The combination of the animation, the soundtrack, and the pacing is purely captivating. It’s a simple idea with a simple plot that could be summarized in ten seconds, but instead, DDB France takes a beautiful two minutes to tell the tale.