A MAN CHOOSES. A SLAVE OBEYS.

If you own an Xbox, there's no doubt you already own this game or at least heard of it. I've never seen a game implement so much art. There's so much detail in the game, and I'm not talking about textures. I'm talking about the art deco city of Rapture, the paintings hanging on the walls, articles in newspapers, the voice talent and the music.

The most impressive aspect of the game is the script. Here's a sample from the intro of the game.



They made good choices making this game. It's flawless.

THE DETAILS WE DON'T SEE.

It's the tiny details that make life exciting. All of these are shot with high speed cameras running at 10.000 frames per second.  You watch tv at 24 frames per second.

REAL IS BETTER.

Don't be afraid of small budgets. It gives you an excuse to do something artsy-fartsy, quirky and creative. There's something far more impressive about work without the special fx; I guess it's because you can feel the work put into it.

If the two videos below don't make your jaw drop or make you smile...  I don't know.

VINCENT.

A beautifully written animated short by Tim Burton. In fact, it's his very first film...

KAMKWAMBA. THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND.

At the age of 14, William Kamkwamba, born into poverty and famine in Malawi, built his family a windmill armed with nothing more than a book. He began collecting various materials such as plastic pipes, bicycle parts, from a scrapyard to build his wind machine. The town, including his mother, thought he was crazy. He now powers his entire village with electricity and supplies the people with water eliminating the drought problem that claimed the lives of so many.

Watch the videos below in sequence because it's incredible to see his progress over the years.

LUKE RANDALL'S REACH.

This blog, I think, is getting a bit too serious and it's really not about that. So I thought I'd shake things up with a touching animated short by Luke Randall.  I will say no more ;)  Enjoy.

THINGS COULD BE WORSE.

In case you have not heard of fuckmylife.com, I suggest you take some time and read some of the hilarious short stories they have posted on the site. Most are quite well written. Imagine telling a funny story in less than 3 sentences.

You'll find yourself reading pages and pages of this. It's quite addictive but it definitely lights up your day. However long you decide to spend on it, you'll understand one thing: Things could be worse...

Here's one story:

"Today, I was at the mall blasting music, I was wearing a nice shirt and had my ipod in my breast pocket when I noticed a cute girl smiling at me so I smiled back and she started to walk over while turning down my music while smiling. It looked like I was rubbing my nipple."

DANCE AND ILLUSION.

This is quite old but definitely worth talking about. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it today. David Bernal, aka David Elsewhere, is from Santa Ana California. He was discovered in YouTube after being filmed at a dance competition called Kollaboration in 2001. David classifies himself as an illusionary dancer.

You'll just have to watch the clip to understand what that really means.

EXPLORING INNER AND OUTER SPACE.

http://spacecollective.org - this is a site dedicated to bringing the brightest minds together to shape the future of everything. Here you have a collection of scientists, teachers, students, anyone with significant knowledge in field of technology but specifically, inner and outer space. There's something humbling about the data you'll find here.

Below, I'm embedding their introductory video which should be more than enough to convince you to pay this site a visit. I suggest you watch the other episodes embedded on it.

THE SINGING, RINGING TREE.

This is one of the coolest art installations I've ever seen. It looks like some alien technology that was left behind in the middle of nowhere! There's not much information on it but from here's what I've gathered so far: The Singing Ringing Tree is designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu. It's 3 meters tall made of steel pipes of varying lengths. The hollow steel pipes allow wind to pass through them creating this eerie but beautiful sound.

KINETIC SCULPTURES. WIND BEASTS.

Theo Jansen has been occupied trying to create new forms of life. Jansen has created skeletal systems that walk the earth, made from cheap plastic tubes and powered only by the wind. Over time, Jansen has evolved these beasts to adapt to harsh weather conditions. Eventually, Theo Jansen will free his sculptures in herds on beaches to live their own lives.

Beautiful.

3D GLASS PAINTINGS.

This is from Chinese painter, Xia Xiao Wan.  You can see some more of his work and, if you have the spare cash, buy some of his work here: http://www.artnet.com/artist/80470/xia-xiaowan.html

China's art scene seems to be exploding and I'll keep a close eye on some of these artists and upload their work here.

THE JAPANESE ARE BRILLIANT.

Brilliant.

MNU SPREADS LIES.

District 9 is...something genuinely new.  This is probably one of the best science fiction pieces I've seen in a long time.  While your typical extraterrestrial movies take you to more popular, expected places such as Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., with of course the intent to blow shit up, District 9 takes you through the gritty slums of Johannesburg.  With that in mind, Neil Blomkamp takes you on such a realistic ride.  Alien characters, weapons and technology for once feel credible.  Like most movies without a single multimillionaire celebrity, this illusion of realism isn't once compromised.

Even their viral marketing campaigns (http://www.mnuspreadslies.com/) are so well thought out.  The story is complete.  It's simple.  It's elegant.  And what's most exciting; it's new.

OFFICE SPACE.

What a privilege it was to work at such a fine agency working with the best of the best, honing in on your creative skills. What really helps is the creative atmosphere the agency invests in. It really suggests "work is play." Imagine going to work where you can wear shorts and flip flops, ride a scooter or a bicycle to your meeting, doodle all day long...ahhh.