What, turn your prized paper-weight into something “useful”? How crazy is this mac culture? In one word, VERY. Here is a site to show you how to turn your old mac pumpkin, into a princess. Just beware when you’re trick-or-treating in Steve Jobs neighborhood, as it’s rumored that when he runs out of iPhones, he switches to these.

> learn how to build your own mac-o-lantern

Posted: October 31st, 2007 under Everyday Life.
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I love this band, if not for their music, but for their tenacious appetite to redefine “music”. The little band that could has done/is doing it again. Being forward thinking and at the front of the music world has never been a problem for Radiohead, and with their latest move it again underlines their importance in musical circles. Their latest album In Rainbows, was released last week without a record label, but not without fans, respect or ingenuity. After not being able to sell their album as a collective whole on iTunes, which requires artists to sell releases also as individual purchasable tracks, they decided go it alone, and creatively at that. A fan of Radiohead can now purchase their album in it’s entirety on a special website. The fans can also, and here’s the kicker, pay however much they want for it. They can decide what it’s worth to them, ten cents or ten bucks. The more avid fan and collector can purchase the yet to be released disc box which will be sent to them including the cd, 2 x 12″ vinyl and a cd of extra songs, digital photos and exquisite packaging for around $70 usd. I am curious what the RIAA has to say about this latest experiment in the music world. Oh and if you’re wondering about the music, this is as strong, if not stronger than their last record, which makes this all the more interesting.

Posted: October 15th, 2007 under Music, Advertising/Marketing.
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How could the witty writers for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” top the FedEx Pope? By taking a closer look at all of the things you can do with an iPhone.

Posted: October 11th, 2007 under Everyday Life.
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How does someone market a product that is as boring and common place in the American home as a blender, and make it stand out amongst the competition? Well, by showing it doing things people never thought of. In this example the product in fact is a blender, but you’ve never seen anything like this. The folks over at BlendTec are using using youtube.com as one of it’s marketing vehicles and showcasing their blender’s power by turning some of your favorite things into smoothies. Glow sticks, batteries, magnets, ipods and iphones, most things you wouldn’t think of putting in a blender. I don’t know if it’s the 12-year-old still trapped in my body, or watching too many Mr. Wizard episodes, but it is captivating watching this thing all wacky-go-jackie on an iphone. It’s fun for the whole family! Now I admit the price tag is a bit steep at $399.95, but if you can afford to put an iphone in it, this price won’t make you blink.
View the history of the blender (invented in Racine, Wisconsin).

Posted: October 11th, 2007 under Advertising/Marketing.
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Remember the last time you tried to draw a circle or your name on an Etch-A-Sketch? I remember being frustrated/bored with this toy after 10-15 minutes. Okay, I was probably 8 at the time but like the Rubik’s cube it seemed pretty impossible, and really what could you do with it? Well Jeff Gagliardi took this toy to new levels and has been doing so for the past 35 years. I guess some people just have more of a knack for it. He creates the unimaginable on this 1950’s toy, and pushes his art form to the boundaries using the two white twiddly knobs that frustrated many of us. Not only are the pictures he creates astounding by themselves, but the idea of the process makes it even more incredible. From the Mona Lisa, to the King of Hearts he draws these pieces using the one continuously connected line that an Etch-A-Sketch allows, and knowledge that if you make an error, you start over. There is no eraser; it’s all or nothing. (Well okay, one BIG eraser). Because Jeff has worked in this medium for sometime he has also figured a way to solidify the work when it’s complete. Because a few bad bumps to one of these creations and the art is history. (And not in a good way.) This is a cool way of taking something that everyone is familiar with, and doing something extraordinarily artsy with it.

> See more of Jeff’s creations

> Play with an etch-a-sketch cause you’re bored, and hey it’s kids stuff right?

Posted: October 7th, 2007 under Everyday Life.
Comments: 1

This is my first blog and I want to write about advertising, design and the culture that surrounds us. What does this mean really? For a while I’ve shared interesting things that I’ve experienced with friends and colleagues, and I’ve been the recipient of lots too. I thought, why not put this all in one place and expand this? So this blog will be a filter of things that are interesting, entertaining and useful/valuable to us as consumers and creators of culture. Advertising, music, film, great design and who knows Flavor of Love Charm School part 5? (The way VH1 is whoring themselves out on “reality” TV. we’ll be there before you know it.) So sit back, tune in, and we’ll see what happens.

gregory

Posted: October 1st, 2007 under General.
Comments: 1