✍ fieldnotes of an inglorious internet surfer.

Photo

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:35:10 -0400

Ads with a New Purpose by Ogilvy & Mather for IBM a nice...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:51:03 -0400

Ads with a New Purpose by Ogilvy & Mather for IBM

a nice balance of form and function that fits perfectly with the message.

“there are a thousand no’s for every...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:34:00 -0400

“there are a thousand no’s for every yes.”

Incredibly well articulated. You really get a sense of how much the brand sticks to and believes in its values. There are very few brands (if any) that nail the ‘feel-good’ factor as consistently as Apple.

I worry that the closer the world gets to our fingertips, the...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:48:00 -0400

I worry that the closer the world gets to our fingertips, the further it gets from our hearts.

Thought-provoking piece in the New York TImes by Jonathan Safran Foer.

It seems like people should be more self-aware and reflect on the fascinating relationship between technology and empathy, considering the long-term implications on society and the way we think.

bisouslescopains:

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:00:03 -0400

bisouslescopains:

dvdp: 130520

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:50:31 -0400

dvdp:

130520

#airmax iD “blues.” designed with Nike PHOTOiD:...

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:14:00 -0400

#airmax iD “blues.” designed with Nike PHOTOiD: https://photoid.nike.com/shoe-detail/140842.htm

A fun, creative way of using @instagram photos to design and personalise your sneakers. Stays true to the medium.

life: A scene from Cannes during the International Film...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:18:54 -0400

life:

A scene from Cannes during the International Film Festival, 1962. See more photos here.

(Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Really curious as to how much revenue Daft Punk will make from...

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:19:00 -0400

Really curious as to how much revenue Daft Punk will make from Spotify plays.

Glad MGMT is back. It’s nice when they sing about aliens. Or...

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:39:00 -0400

Glad MGMT is back. It’s nice when they sing about aliens. Or anything, really.

thekhooll: The Queen By Anton Marrast

Sun, 19 May 2013 06:04:08 -0400

thekhooll:

The Queen

By Anton Marrast

zablotny: ‘photos every day’ this is a spot by tbwa/chiat/day...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:38:43 -0400

zablotny:

‘photos every day’

this is a spot by tbwa/chiat/day for apple, called ‘photos every day’. the craft is fantastic, and there’s some subtle, unusual attention to detail in it.

let’s take a look at the sound mix. here’s a waveform of the spot:

and now here’s the waveform of a conventionally mixed spot — this is that ‘old spice’ commercial everyone flipped out for a couple years ago. it might as well be any ad you see on tv today.

huge difference. there’s incredible restraint in the amount of compression applied to the music in ‘photos every day’. (from wikipedia, compression “reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds by narrowing or “compressing” an audio signal’s dynamic range”.) my point here is that if you caught this on tv, it would be substantially ‘quieter’ sounding than other ads around it.

the other interesting thing about the mix is that the iPhone shutter click sound is substantially undermixed. it comes across as incidental, and unobtrusive. the ambiences are the real star here, and the sound editor wasn’t even afraid to drop them out entirely for effect (see snowy skyscraper, 0:23).

other observations:

• there’s a real nice match-cut at 0:06 of the guy jumping off his skateboard into the shot of the jogger running.
• 0:25, the iPhone bobs up and down at a concert, and halfway through, the shot itself starts bobbing with the phone, keeping the screen stationary in the frame.
• overall, there’s a very careful variety of perspective, scale, and involvement. are we peering over someone’s shoulder? watching from across the street? ostensibly taking the picture, ourselves?
• i could have done without the voiceover at the end.

nice analysis of the craft involved, articulating what most people feel on a subconsious level as they watch it. details matter.

How this morning kicked off...

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 -0400

“Would you like to be served naked?”
Sure, why not.

“Is this getting a little weird?”
Nope, standard.

“SIX croissants for breakfast?! Jesus.”
I’m a growing man.

“Would you like a coffee on the house?”
Yes.

*high-five*

Now that’s customer service.

‘VCR’ by the xx is my new jam.

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:53:15 -0400

‘VCR’ by the xx is my new jam.

crfashionbook: PUNK’D Before unveiling a new album Random...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:19:55 -0400

crfashionbook:

PUNK’D

Before unveiling a new album Random Access Memories, their first in eight years, on May 21, Daft Punk sits down for an interview with Sky Ferreira

Read More

“This album is about technology going towards humanity, in a world where humanity is going towards technology.”

When the ‘back’ looks better than the ‘front’. #lightshow (at...

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:07:58 -0400

When the ‘back’ looks better than the ‘front’. #lightshow (at Hayward Gallery)

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400

sigur rós have scored part of an upcoming episode of the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 11:07:00 -0400

sigur rós have scored part of an upcoming episode of the simpsons. the episode, which will feature new, original music by sigur rós, as well as their take on the simpsons’ theme song, will air on may 19th.

says simpsons creator matt groening, “i’m a longtime fan of sigur rós, and we’re honored to bring their icelandic, ambient moods to our goofy cartoon show.”

Love weird collaborations like this, should be amazing. Almost sounds like a headline from The Onion.

Colors Magazine creates an artistic and timely commentary on how...

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:02:23 -0400

Colors Magazine creates an artistic and timely commentary on how news spreads in the modern age. It highlights how news-related tweets have a focus on speed, but often at the expense of accuracy, verifiability and accountability.

Here’s how it works: you tweet @colorsmachine, your message then gets interpreted and filtered through various old-school mediums (microphone, tape recorder, radio broadcast, printer), and the outbound message ends up being quite different than the original. One of those ideas I wish I’d thought of first.

"We live each moment in linear chunks of time so society works, but as emotional beings we..."

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:10:29 -0400

“We live each moment in linear chunks of time so society works, but as emotional beings we subconsciously distort our memories based on sentimental value.”