Twitterville Book Party
Originally uploaded by Tony "Frosty" Welch
Robert Scoble (@scobleizer), Steve Rubel (@steverubel) and myself (@frostola) and Shel Israel's #tbash party for his new book "Twitterville"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Beyond the Hype: The Roadmap for Social Media
Pic by Howard Friedenberg.
On Wednesday, August 19th I had the honor to host and moderate an amazing panel of social media luminaries. The panel was comprised of:
- Steve Rubel (@steverubel : www.steverubel.com/) is SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, a division of Edelman
- Richard Brewer-Hay (@ebayinkblog : http://ebayinkblog.com) is Senior Manager, Social Media Strategy & Chief Blogger for eBay Inc.
- Michael Brito (@britopian : www.britopian.com) is a Social Media Strategist at Intel.
- Angela LoSasso (@AngelaAtHp) manages the U.S. Social Media | Social Networking program for HP's Imaging and Printing Group.
We used the hashtag #hpsmr for Twitter.
Articles and pics from event:
- "Listen to the Doers" from @steverubel
- "Beyond the Hype: Roadmap for Social Media’s Future . . . and Ours" by @sharisax
- "Beyond the Hype: The Roadmap for Social Media" by @bremmel
- Liveblogging from @bremmel
- YouTube video from @sharisax
- Flickr set from @britopian
- Pic from @bremmel
- Pic from @secretsushi
- Pics from @frostola
- Pic from @jest1
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Interview with Shel Israel, author of “Twitterville”
Shel Israel, author of “Twitterville“, graciously agreed to come to HP’s Cupertino campus and talk during our internal bi-weekly Social Media call. Shel is more than just an author - he’s a veteran of Silicon Valley and a wonderful storyteller.
Shel didn't want to do the usual and flip through a presentation. Instead he just wanted to sit down and have a natural conversation. I think it turned out quite well, and we managed to cover a wide array of interesting topics in little less than an hour.
I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Social Media Quote of the Day
from "Six million Australians are selling their lives to Facebook"
“Social networking continues to grow in popularity both across Australia and throughout the world,” said Will Hodgman, comScore executive vice president for the Asia-Pacific region. “Social networking is now an essential part of peoples’ daily online routine, providing a level of engagement and reach that far exceeds most other content categories. Understanding how to leverage this audience successfully is both a challenge and significant opportunity for most digital marketers today.”
via @Andrew303 on Twitter.Thursday, August 13, 2009
What about the "In" of Social Media?
Most diagrams you see included in Social Media presentations mostly focus outward. It's probably a spoke and hub model, with the arrows originating from the center then heading outward into the internetosphere. I know because I've drawn a few. "This is how we get our message out." Looks great on the whiteboard, doesn't it?
People are spending a lot of their energy on figuring out how to get out there and make their presence felt in the Social Web. How do we take part in the conversation? Which is really not a bad thing. It means they're past "why do we want to do this" and now at "OK how do we do this?" Progress!
But I'm looking further down the road, and I see some issues. It is a conversation after all, and what happens when customers start talking back? You got their attention, and you know what, they got a few things on their mind. What do you do with that feedback?
The organizations that are adapting Social Media (marketing, advertising, PR) are generally outward focused. But now that they are engaging, they need to be prepared to accept feedback, complaints, etc. Not only do they need to adapt, they need to be able to track and measure the feedback in meaningful and actionable ways. Most likely they will partner with the "in" organizations like support - but they still need to close the loop and be aware of the outcomes.
It will come down to Change Management, and the ability of a corporation to continually encourage adaptability as well as offering education and support. It will require a company to constantly reevaluate processes, and not be afraid to make changes. That being said, it's critical that the company ensure that everyone understands the purpose and benefits of those changes.
For a company who's culture doesn't naturally support these notions, it will be a much tougher road. Their Social Media efforts will be fragmented and disconnected, and will suffer constant setbacks. They will be frustrated and constantly question themselves and their efforts. "What are we doing wrong?"
Only those companies that can demonstrate that they are not only able to talk and listen but able to react to and integrate incoming feedback will be able to build a thriving, successful community (Zappos anyone?). They will know what their customers like, hate and want, and from that alone they will have a distinctive competitive edge.
Social Media is not only about reaching out, it's also about holding the door open and inviting people to come in. Listen, learn, embrace.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Twitter for Business: Lessons Learned
Michael, LaSandra, Tony, Sumaya and Shel
Originally uploaded by Britopian
http://www.meetup.com/CIO-IT-Executives/calendar/10715295/
I was fortunate enough to speak on a panel with LaSandra Brill (Manager, Web & Social Media Marketing at Cisco), Michael Brito (Social Media Strategist at Intel) and Sumaya Kazi (Senior Social Media Manager, Global Communications Division at Sun.)
It was a great atmosphere (Being able to drink wine on stage was big plus) and the audience was definitely engaged. And as an added bonus, I met the amazing Shel Israel. Shel was kind enough to blog about the event.
Thanks to Tatyana Kanzaveli for hosting!
You can view pictures from the event here and over there.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Who Killed Social Media?
[picture from the Who Killed Social Media - 6/4/2009 collection by ahockley]
I was fortunate enough to be on a panel titled "Who Killed Social Media?" which took place in Portland on Thursday, June 4th. Portland is one of my favorite cities (Hotel Lucia FTW!) and I'm always looking for an excuse to visit. The panel was put together by Nemo Design and Group Y. I'd especially like to thank Dave Allen (@pampelmoose) for inviting me and getting me involved.
The event was sold out, and the crowd was a good mix of marketing, action sports, and social media folks. The atmosphere was energetic and there were good vibes - I'm sure the free beer and wine played a small part.
The panel was composed of:
- Dave Allen (@Pampelmoose : pampelmoose.com) – Director of Insights and Digital Media at Nemo Design
- James Todd (@jwtodd : twine.com) - Software Engineer at Radar Networks, for Twine Matt Savarino (@Ridertech : ridertech.com) - Lead Information Architect at K2 Sports and creator of Ridertech.
- Lee Crane (@leecrane : leecrane.com) – action sports online veteran
and myself. The panel was moderated by Marshall Kirkpatrick (@marshallk), who is Vice President of Content Development and Lead Writer at ReadWriteWeb. Marshall did a fabulous job of moderating. He researched our backgrounds, and from there generated one easy question and one hard question to get the conversation going. Asking questions that were relevant to me made me feel comfortable and relaxed, and also started the thoughts firing rapidly in my brain.
So, there was one statement I made (at the 48:33 mark in Ustream.TV feed) that has generated some interest and the genesis for this blog post:
"SEO or SEM, in my opinion, will be dead as you know it within 6 months"
I'm disappointed that this one comment dominated the online discussion, because in my opinion the points made by my fellow panel members were far more brilliant and insightful.
I didn't make this statement for a wow or shock factor, but because it's something I believe. Also I don't believe its a new revelation. If you keep up with Steve Rubel (@steverubel : Micro Persuasion), Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang : Web Strategy) and others, you can see where the social web is heading, and what impact it is going to have. Especially on search. And if you're not following them, you really should. They get paid to talk to all the folks who are creating the future, and you get to benefit from their knowledge and insights for free.
The key part of that comment is "as you know it" which was left off the majority of tweets and quotes. I'm glad to see that Kim Toomey (@KimToomey) from Social Search Marketer highlighted that part. I recommend you read her article "Social Media Kills SEO." I don't totally agree with all her points but she understands the gist of what I was saying. Google may have short term memory (for now) - but people don't. Ask Advil, Domino's, and now eMusic. Also my point about the students achieving the #1 rank for the term "social media" in 48 hours proves that the algorithms have changed, and foreshadow what is to come. SEO makes sense and is a basic step everyone should take, but Reputation Management is now critical and necessary. As is your brand's "Experiential Awareness" (quoted from Dave Allen.) Sure your company's website might continue to secure the #1 spot - but what happens when the #2 result is a negative video on YouTube that has 500,000 page views? The question I have is, what do the SEO folks tell their clients when that happens? Tough luck, and don't be stupid?
You may ask yourself why Google has decided to add more weight to the social web. The answer in my opinion is that they realize that when a viral event is happening, people aren't using Google to find out about it. Instead they turn to the searches on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube. Now that Twitter has enabled real time search, it is a force to be reckoned with (please see Steve Rubel's Visits to Twitter Search Soar, Indicating Social Search Has Arrived.)
I don't have an agenda as far As far as search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) is concerned - meaning I don't have any financial interest or connection. I've been building websites for awhile now (13+ years) and SEO is a mainstay on the checklist. I make that disclosure because someone commented "I'll gladly continue to take your clients" on Twitter - which elicited a shoulder shrug from me. I can understand how my comment would upset those who are in the SEO and SEM business. But I also expect those same people to dig a little further (like Kim Toomey), examine the context of my comment and research how search is changing. I also hope that they are educating their customers.
Now I mentioned that SEO will still make sense, but I'm not so sure about SEM. In order for SEM to survive, its going to need to be more context sensitive, and its going to need to understand social relationships. Google's AdSense seems to be having issues. Also, Google and others need to institute a emergency on/off switch for SEM, because I'm sure people are not going to be happy paying money to be associated with a negative social event. For my money, I will pick SEO over SEM any day. And come to think of it, wouldn't I rather pay a bunch of students to get the #1 result in 48 hours, rather than on an ad that people most likely won't click on? Granted that is an extreme, but probably not for long. For other ideas like social ads I would read Jeremiah Owyang's Breakdown: Digg Allows Community To Choose Advertisements.
The standard corporate strategy for the web up until now has been build a slick and well designed website, and then pour money into SEO, SEM, banner and print ads, etc. to drive traffic to that website you just spent all that money building. Who cares what kind of traffic it is, as long as the traffic numbers continue to go up. I know, since I'm guilty of this. The corporate website is where you use to hold court on your brand. But the social web has come along and changed this. (Please see Ford Case Study: Control is an Illusion in the Social Media Age) Companies no longer control their brand. It doesn't matter what companies are saying about their brand. Your brand is being defined by what your customers are saying on their blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter streams, YouTube videos and Yelp reviews. You need to set some of that money aside, and take out that insurance policy in the form of a Community Manager (quoted from Dave Allen.) You need at least to start listening, and discover where the conversations are taking place. Because they are happening. Now.
Before I forget, I mentioned a tool that measured sentiment on Twitter. That tool is Twendz. Type in a search term and sit back watch it go. It takes a little while but its fun to watch. Tac Anderson turned me onto it.
At the end of the day, the web has taught us that you must adapt and evolve, or you will be obsolete and forgotten in a few months. Look at print newspapers (pretty much dead), the corporate music industry (dying) and soon TV (has a nasty cough.) Hopefully one of these days it will get around to War, Bigotry, Hunger ...
Think of a search engine that doesn't care about what your content is or what you say is on your page, but only takes into account what the consensus and sentiment of the social web is pertaining that page. And then think about a search engine that allows the community to vote down (or up) your corporate website in the results. Are you thinking?
Finally, reading through all of the #whokilledSM stream on Twitter reminded me of why I love the social web. People from all over coming together on common platform to discuss, share their passion, engage and criticize.
Thanks again to Nemo Design and Group Y, and thank all of you for your comments and feedback. You can catch me on Twitter or you can view my social web presence at www.frostyland.com.
Oh and I love the ending part of Amber Case's summary:
"The panel ended on a high note, with Dave Allen saying something really awesome ..."
- Recordings, streams and pictures:
- #whokilledSM stream on Twitter
- Who Killed Social Media? on ustream.tv
- Who Killed Social Media - 6/4/2009 from ahockley on Flickr
- 2009_06_04_Group Y Who Killed Social Media from trevoratnemo on Flickr.
- Who killed social media? from turoczy on Flickr.
- Related blog posts:
- Semantics Killed Social Media from AdPulp
- Who Killed Social Media? Reputation, Community Management, and the Future of Branding from Hazelnut Tech Talk
- Social Media Kills SEO from Social Search Marketer
- Who Killed Social Media? from lee crane.
- Cited blogs and reports:
- How 10 people can create a buzz in 48 hours that changed Google search results from the Mindshare Report
- Mindshare Report: An Enterprise Social Media Status Report (Executive Summary) (pdf)
- Domino's: How One YouTube Video Can Ruin a Brand from ReadWriteWeb
- Visits to Twitter Search Soar, Indicating Social Search Has Arrived from Micro Persuasion.
- Major Problems with Google Adsense - Drastic Drop in Adsense Clicks & Earnings from Pro Media Blog
- Breakdown: Digg Allows Community To Choose Advertisements from Web Strategy
- Ford Case Study: Control is an Illusion in the Social Media Age from Social Computing Journal
- eMusic and Sony - The Fiasco - Where Is Their Community Manager? from Pampelmoose
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Big Ideas for Social Influence Marketing
"Innovate or Die" has been on my mind a lot. In fact I'm writing a speech for Toastmasters based on that idea. So coming across this presentation is wonderful timing.
Monday, May 25, 2009
How Do You Use the Social Web?
So how do you use the Social Web? Or maybe the better question is - do you really care? Meaning you don't worry about the details, you just use it.
There are lot of articles out there that are intent on telling us how to use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. But to me the beauty of all this is, that we can use these platforms in any way we choose. Sure there are the intended purposes, but to me the purpose is like a recipe, and I never follow a recipe exactly. I love experimenting.
Here's the breakdown of sites I use and how I use them:
- Facebook - Real life friends only.
- LinkedIn - Work and friends.
- Twitter - I follow anyone that has something interesting (in my opinion) to say.
- Flickr - All photos.
- deviantART - Select photography and artwork.
- Posterous - Whims, those things that I want to capture quickly.
- FriendFeed - Overall aggregator.
So the great thing about the Social Web is that you have plenty of choices. The bad thing is that its tough to keep track and difficult to weave them all together in a usable, meaningful experience. But hopefully that will be coming soon.
The greatest thing about the Social Web is that these tools allow you to express yourself however you want. From the silly to the serious, from the passionate to the trivial. Don't worry about doing it "right", or about anyone's approval or about being popular. Just show the world what's on your mind and in your heart.
Evolution means Change Again
Continuing exploration of the social web means evolution. Constant changes. I have a presence over at Posterous, where I've been capturing whims. I've decided to use this presence for my musings and writings - anything that will take longer than 5 minutes. It will be cool if I could find a good place to do revive my "Song of the Day" ...
We'll see how it goes.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Honda Insight - Let It Shine
via vimeo.com
Now this is what happens when you let your imagination take control. The experience is amazing and subtle and really sneaks up on you.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
2004: Black Ink and Pencil on Paper (Amazing Detail!)
Ink, pencil and charcoal were my favorite techniques in high school and college and I still favor them today. What amazes me about this piece is the attention to detail, and knowing how much patience and care was needed to create this.
Bass Clef
via duffbone.com
I love the website's tagline "playing notes so low, you can't even hear them."
From Wikipedia: When the F-clef is placed on the fourth line, it is called the "bass clef". This is the only F-clef used today, so that the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as synonymous.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Photos: World Sand Sculpture Festival 2009
via pinktentacle.com
Not only do they have the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, it turns out they have World Sand Sculpture Festival as well. Awesome.
I'm guessing they don't need to worry about the tide coming in and wrecking everything.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Cool Lamp or Trebuchet Prime for Laying Seige to a Castle?
via i.gizmodo.com
"The Brave New World Lamp, as it has been dubbed, stands at nearly 6-feet tall using a combination of oak and cast iron balancing weights."
I love the design and intricacy of siege machines, so of course I think that this is freakin' cool. Now to figure out how to somehow convince my wife to feel the same way ...
Thanks to @jwegis
Marathon of the Sands: Grueling six-day foot race across the Moroccan Sahara
via sacbee.com
"The 24th Marathon des Sables or Marathon of the Sands took place recently. The grueling six-day foot race across the Moroccan Sahara is one of the toughest in the world. The race covers 151 miles but was shortened this year because of bad weather. Many participants give up before reaching the finish line because of the rugged terrain that ranges from sandy to rocky. The daily average temperatures during the race are 86 degrees. Competitors run as far as 50 miles a day and are required to carry their own water and food. Water is rationed and handed out at checkpoints."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Composite NYC Street Scenes
via v1gallery.com
Photographer Peter Funch spends weeks taking photos on Manhattan street corners and then pastes them together into single photographs.
via kottke.org and @edwario
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
“The Great Wave off Kanagawa" in Plastic llustrates Ocean Garbage
via inhabitat.com
"Photographic artist Chris Jordan never ceases to amaze us with his clever pieces that allow people to “see” concepts that are often difficult to visualize. We submit for your viewing pleasure, his latest work, Gyre. Look familiar? The 8′ x 11′ triptych is based on the famous Japanese painting, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai. Instead of paint, the colors are composed of 2.4 million pieces of plastic - the estimated number of pounds of plastic that enter the world’s ocean’s every hour! Gyre is the first image in a mini-series that Jordan is creating about the Pacific Garbage Patch, and is named after the Pacific Gyre, a thousand miles wide ocean current which turns clockwise like a giant slow-motion whirlpool and concentrates tons of the world’s trash."
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Amazing Philips Carousel Commercial: Cops and Clowns
via youtube.com
This is truly amazing - I would love to see the techniques behind this. And I'm totally having nightmares about Clowns tonight. They are freakin' scary.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Sweet Balance of Vinyl
by `ssilence on deviantART. You should definitely check out the rest of his gallery - it's filled with absolutely amazing photos.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Photo Journal : Pictures of the Day
via blogs.wsj.com
"Sayanthiny, a 12-year-old girl of Sri Lanka origin living in France, walked in a field of tulips in the Keukenhof flower garden, near Lisse, Netherlands, Monday. The Dutch Bureau for Tourism and Congresses estimates about 100,000 people visited the site Easter Weekend." (Peter Dejong/Associated Press)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
2001: Meet Dave
via vimeo.com
"This is an editing experiment, trying to turn an abstract, serious film into its complete opposite: a comedy. I edited footage of '2001: a Space Odyssey' onto the audio from the trailer of 'Meet Dave' and this is the result."
Very funny, considering how somber and intense 2001 was.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Drove Through Ghosts by 65daysofstatic
via youtube.com
Here's a great comment:
"The planet is reduced to a desert of powerlines, the only thing we care for because it feeds our lifestyle. We are the robot. Nature is the seed, alien yet alluring, yet we will never be able to grasp and manipulate it; it will do what it is meant to do. We will be murdered by our own powerlines, as evidenced by the robot's cracked eye at the end. Though I'm not sure why..."
This my first encounter with 65daysofstatic, and it won't be my last.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
I'd like to say beautiful things
via flickr.com
The words and the image mix very well. Someone shows a tough exterior, but secretly inside wears butterfly wings.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
20 Beautiful Typographic Designs from deviantART
via colorfreak.com
I'm a nut about Typography, and these are awesome examples of what you do with letters and some imagination. Oh and artistic skill doesn't hurt either. I'm also a supporter of deviantART which is a wonderful online community for artists.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Beautiful Board Game Designs
These are real board games with lovely rich detailed artwork.
via Enrique Flouret (@Development01) on Twitter
Monday, March 30, 2009
Greek Islands
via flickr.com
This photo set from flickr is one that makes you wish you were off to Greece tomorrow. I've been to Santorini, and yes its that stunning and beautiful.
Earth Hour 2009 - The Big Picture
via boston.com
Awesome before and after photos of landmarks and cities from around the world. The Las Vegas one blew me away.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Molten Iron Throwing
via youtube.com
"Fortunately they are protected by a sheepskin coat. And a hat."
And here I thought fire breathing or fire walking was badass.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Diego Stocco - Music From Sand
via vimeo.com
"The entire track is created only out of tuned sand tones. No additional sounds or waveforms.
I emphasized the inner notes of the sand grains and mapped them on a sampler as a series of instruments. The grooves are all played live with various techniques, including taping two piezo films to my fingers."
Very cool and interesting experimentation with sand and its sounds factors. Wait a little bit, the tune picks up and is quite fun and light hearted.
How to Create Advanced Isometric Illustrations Using the SSR Method
I love isometric illustrations! They can be wonderfully complex and keep drawing your attention to all the beautiful details.
Cody Walker has created a series of tutorials on how to create isometric illustrations in Adobe Illustrator. Be sure to check out his illustrations on his blog - http://vanishingpointstudio.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 23, 2009
Boat Made of 16,000 Plastic Bottles to Sail from Cali to Australia : Planetsave
via planetsave.com
"British environmentalist David de Rothschild, author of Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, met with the San Francisco Conservation Corps on Wednesday to talk about “Plastiki,” a 60-foot catamaran made from recycled plastic (except for the masts), which he’ll use to sail from San Francisco to Australia: an 11,000 mile voyage!"
Also check out Wired's article "Swept Away: Tracing the Origins of Debris"
50 Stunning Examples Of Architecture Photography
via smashingapps.com
I love architecture. These photographs highlight the grace and beauty of concrete and steel.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Mardi Gras: Tilt-Shift Lens Time Lapse by Keith Loutit
via vimeo.com
From Wikipedia:
"Tilt-shift photography refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium format cameras; it usually requires the use of special lenses.
"Tilt-shift" actually encompasses two different types of movements: rotation of the lens relative to the image plane, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF), and hence the part of an image that appears sharp; it makes use of the Scheimpflug principle. Shift is used to change the line of sight while avoiding the convergence of parallel lines, as when photographing tall buildings.
In many cases, "tilt-shift photography" refers to the use of tilt and a large aperture to achieve a very shallow depth of field."
If you like this you should check out Keith's other videos. Bathtub IV is very cool as well.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Misa-log: Neo Digi Ukiyoe "Hanafuda" Theme
Misa Tsutsui offers this theme based on Hanafuda, a Japanese card game that has a long history.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
This morning I woke up laughing
This morning I woke up laughing. I also had a huge headache. But since I was in a good mood, I decided to ignore that little fact.
My kids love Dragon Tales. We watch it every morning at 7:00am. Quetzal, pictured left, is a teacher and bilingual. He has a gravelly voice with a heavy spanish accent. He tends to say the same Spanish phrases in every episode. So I decided to talk like Quetzal all morning. "Holas niños!" I shouted with enthusiasm. "Bésame mucho ahora!" and "te amo mucho mi hijas!" were also thrown out.
The end result was I had my daughters giggling, and I even got my wife to laugh. And the morning routine was much smoother then usual. Mission accomplished.
I even got rid of my headache. Have a great day! Adiós!
Left 4 Dead Birthday Cake
Another one for you gamers. It's very cool, but I'm not sure I would ever eat this.
"So they aren't stalking you, this cake is a game?" hahahahahaha!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Quote of the Day
I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.
- Franklin P. Adams
This pretty much describes how I find out stuff on the internet. Lost in the world of tangent links ...
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Ed Ulbrich shows how Benjamin Button got his face
via ted.com
Ed Ulbrich, the digital-effects guru from Digital Domain, explains the Oscar-winning technology that allowed his team to digitally create the older versions of Brad Pitt's face for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Wee Planets: 3D polar panoramic photographs of Paris by Alexandre Duret-Lutz
via telegraph.co.uk
Alexandre Duret-Lutz, a French photographer, specializes in creating what he calls "Wee Planets"
Monday, March 02, 2009
Clark Little Photography
Amazing pictures of waves caught in mid motion, imagery full of the Aloha spirit. The explosion of colors as the sunlight is filtered and warped leads to the interpretation of sculpture and liquid blossoms.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Tricycle: Huge Ramp and Back Flip
via youtube.com
Sheer awesomeness. This appeals hugely to the child inside - I can't stop replaying and grinning madly!
via the folks at Nemo! @JoshPope, @rodgerb and @trevoratnemo
Steampunk USB Memory
via technabob.com
A USB drive meticulously crafted from hand-polished brass and copper by an enterprising modder over in Russia. Very cool, and immediately goes on the WANT list.
WORDCOUNT / Tracking the Way We Use Language /
via wordcount.org
You could write poetry searching for random words. Or you could be entirely unimpressed and move along.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
White Wedding: Literal Video Version
via funnyordie.com
Ok this is pretty freakin' funny. Especially since I'm a child of the 80s and MTV. I loved the music, but I was always puzzled by the videos. WTH ???
First Solar Eclipse Recorded From Moon
via jaxa.jp
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) successfully took moving images of the precise Earth rise moment when the Earth looked like a diamond ring using the onboard high definition camera (HDTV) of the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE) on February 10, 2009 (Japan Standard Time, all the following dates and times are Japan Standard Time.) The moment came when a penumbral lunar eclipse occurred and sunlight was covered by the Earth. During that time, since the view of the Sun from the KAGUYA was mostly covered by the Earth, the KAGUYA observed that the Earth looked like a diamond ring. This is the first time that this phenomenon was shot from the Moon.
Check out the video - you'll have to wait a little bit before seeing anything.
via Slashdot.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
"Multiverse" - a light sculpture created by artist Leo Villareal
Villareal "Multiverse" National Gallery of Art, Washington DC from Walter Patrick Smith on Vimeo
Multiverse, light sculpture created by artist Leo Villareal, may be seen and experienced by visitors as they pass through the Concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings of the National Gallery of Art. Commissioned by the Gallery and on view until November 2009, the work features approximately 41,000 computer-programmed LED (light-emitting diode) nodes that run through channels along the entire 200-foot-long space.
I am reminded of the 2001: A Space Odyssey sequence. Very cool.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
feminist. by ~yammiedoo on deviantART
Feminist? Not really. I have two daughters, and I want the best for them. The challenge is pouring all of my confidence and daring into their heart and soul. My oldest is constantly asking me "Can girls do that too?" It pains me to no end.
Quote of the Day from Robert Heinlein
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
via en.wikiquote.org
Discovered at http://www.caterina.net/
I've got a long way to go before I'm human.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Imagine (Lennon cover with iPhone)
via youtube.com
A cover of Imagine by John Lennon using the keyboard app on the iPhone.
I love the lighting, and even though the iPhone is called out, its his voice that takes center stage. I've been learning this song on the keyboard, so I appreciate this just that much more.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Naming the beams for Dana Farber patients
via boston.com
"It has become a beloved ritual at Dana-Farber: Every day, children who come to the clinic write their names on sheets of paper and tape them to the windows of the walkway for ironworkers to see. And, every day, the ironworkers paint the names onto I-beams and hoist them into place as they add floors to the new 14-story Yawkey Center for Cancer Care." Amazing. Heart warming. We work this concrete, iron and steel with our flesh and blood. Amazing. Heart warming.
We work this concrete, iron and steel with our flesh and blood. With our hands we will meld this cold metal with our hopes and wishes. We work this dream together.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Five Things from Sweden That Aren’t as Good as They Might Seem | Indecision | Comedy Central
It appears President Obama is looking towards Sweden's model of government-assisted banking to help America's troubled financial sector. Many believe Sweden recovered from its recession twenty years ago as a result of the government's support and active oversight. While the Swedish model seems enticing, President Obama would do well to remember other Swedish influences, that while initially promising, proved to be less than desirable.
Just because my old boss is Swedish. In fact he's there right now. And it's not like he'll ever read this. Right?
The Crevasse - Making of 3D Street Art
via youtube.com
In Dun Laoghaire the "Festival of World Culture" took place from 21. to 24. of August 2008. Edgar Müller has followed the invitation and continued his series of large-sized 3D Street Art there. For this year's Festival of World Cultures renowned German artist Edgar Müller transformed a huge slice of the East Pier into a dramatic ice age scene. This project was supported by the Goethe Institution Germany.
Friday, February 20, 2009
ArcAttack performs the Dr. Who Theme on Twin Tesla Coils
via youtube.com
I mean, come on, how cool is that ?!?! And hey buddy, can you tilt the camera a little to the right? Please?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Blue Dream aka Tranquility (Ship and Sky)
via menaker.com
I had blogged about this picture nearly 5 years ago. I was sad too see that the link was broken. But I found the image again via the Internet Wayback Machine. This is from Igor Menaker Fine Art Photography.
It's an Enigma, Wrapped in a Pie Crust
A story about deep dish pizza (which is dear to my heart) and its history. I've been lucky enough to have dined at Pizzeria Uno and Due in Chicago.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sometimes ...
via s.wsj.net
... it really doesn't matter what the explanation is. Your mind has leapt to its own conclusion, which is probably far more entertaining.
Taken from the Wall Street Journal's Pictures of the Day.
Rick Reilly: Meet the luckiest fan in America
The amazing story of Lionel Rodia, and how he found himself in the clubhouse celebrating with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
I Heart The Sky. Happy Valentine's Day!
via flickr.com
"Ooooooh bubbles ...."
Now I'm reminded that I never sent @thinguy the larger version ...
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