"No War", Nerd Style

Though designers might get this, I dont think government officials will. Points for creativity though!

"Innovate Or Die" Winner

Specialized and Google's "Innovate Or Die" contest is over. They've announced the winner.

The challenge was to harness a bike's humble pedaling mechanism to achieve great things for humanity. If this sounds tough, witness the incredible simplicity, usefulness and thoughtfulness of the winning design: the Aqueduct bike.

Obama vs. Hilary

The Obama and Clinton headquarters in Rochester, New Hampshire are just two doors away from each other. Not certain these really represent how things are going for the two campaigns but there's a pretty clear contrast.

Clinton's campaign headquarters: organized but not the liveliest joint.

Obama's headquarters are bustling and a little chaotic...

...with an incredible snack table.

Obama '08 Gets Campaign Logo Design Right

Speak Up's terrific analysis of the Barack Obama campaign's skillful use of their campaign '08 logo.

"For each segment of people, the logo changes accordingly, tip-toeing a fine line between cliché and clever, and never crossing to the former's dark side. The iterations are quickly identifiable and feel genuinely concerned with connecting to the people they are talking to, without pandering. The executions are rather flawless and work perfectly on screen with the detailed gradients and subtle background illustrations. Even the typography is lovingly handled, with each segment changing ever so slightly and unified by the use of Gotham in most of the applications, and using other typefaces as fitting — even the "kids" typography looks finessed, despite the looming pitfalls of faux child-drawn typography. This kind of playful flexibility is typically reserved for the likes of MTV, VH1 or Nickelodeon and the breadth of this kind of brand architecture for global corporations with endless divisions."

World Wildlife Foundation Guerilla Marketing

The World Wildlife Foundation uses an interesting ambient marketing campaign to warn of the issues of deforestation. A cutout in the shape of South America gets less and less green as more paper gets used, symbolizing the loss of forests. "Save the paper, save the planet."

Agency: Saatchi&Saatchi, Denmark

Greenpeace Enlists Spencer Tunick

Yesterday Spencer Tunick gathered over 300 volunteers for his latest "living sculpture".

The setting:

The top of Switzerland’s shrinking Aletsch glacier.

The photo was sponsored by Greenpeace to raise awareness about climate change.

Greenpeace predicts that most of the Swiss glaciers will totally disappear by they year 2080 if global warming continues at its current rate

Japan's Sewer System

These photos are amazing. To see all of them, click here

Harry Potter Impersonators

With the highly anticipated 7th Harry Potter being released, there has been a lot of press surrounding the book. One article I ran across in the New York Times gave me a few chuckles. If you are a Harry Potter Fan, you'll love the names Chinese Publishing Houses have come up with to knock of the genuine J.K. Rowling novels.

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As in some other countries, there are the unauthorized translations of real Harry Potter books, as well as books published under the imprint of major Chinese publishing houses, about which the publishers themselves say they have no knowledge. And there are the novels by budding Chinese writers hoping to piggyback on the success of the series — sometimes only to have their fake Potters copied by underground publishers who, naturally, pay them no royalties.

No one can say with any certainty what the full tally is, but there are easily a dozen unauthorized Harry Potter titles on the market here already, and that is counting only bound versions that are sold on street corners and can even be found in school libraries. Still more versions exist online.

These include “Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Relative Prince,” a creation whose name in Chinese closely resembles the title of the genuine sixth book by Ms. Rowling, as well as pure inventions that include “Harry Potter and the Hiking Dragon,” “Harry Potter and the Chinese Empire,” “Harry Potter and the Young Heroes,” “Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon,” and “Harry Potter and the Big Funnel.”

Some borrow little more than the names of Ms. Rowling’s characters, lifting plots from other well-known authors, like J. R. R. Tolkien, or placing the famously British protagonist in plots lifted from well-known kung-fu epics and introducing new characters from Chinese literary classics like “Journey to the West.”

Here, the global Harry Potter publishing phenomenon has mutated into something altogether Chinese: a combination of remarkable imagination and startling industriousness, all placed in the service of counterfeiting, literary fraud and copyright violation.

Wang Lili, editor of the China Braille Publishing House, which published “Harry Potter and the Chinese Porcelain Doll” in 2002, one of the Chinese knockoffs, said: “We published the book out of a very common incentive. Harry Potter was so popular that we wanted to enjoy the fruits of its widely accepted publicity in China.”

Bono: A Brief History

GOOD Magazine came out with a great video on the rocker turned global advocate. Enjoy!

FKBK

aka "For Kids, By Kids".

A funny parody by The Onion bringing awareness to the issue of Foreign Child Labor by such companies as Gap.

Everything in Perspective

If you think you are having a bad day...
click here.

Images That Changed The World

I came across PinGuy's Website where presently he is featuring (in)famous images that have had great impact on the world. It has to be one of the most emotionally provoking webpages I have scrolled through. Please take a moment and visit his website, it is immensely powerful. Please be aware, the images are extremely graphic, but the issues are definitely vital to be aware of and remembered.

In his own words, "Some people might be offended or upset by these images but this isn't my intention. I just want it to be thought provoking and enlightening, and for people to talk about the past and to never forget, because we need to learn from past events other wise we will keep repeating history."

To see the images, click here.

Time.com Photo Essays

I've become obsessed with Time.com's photo essays. They are highly educational, extremely intriguing and well photographed and researched. I've spent the entire morning going from one to the next. Showcasing present day and historical topics, I find it a good way to gain knowledge on issues you wouldn't usually think about.

If you find yourself with some time, take a moment and
click here.

Swarm Theory

How do the simple actions of individuals add up to the complex behavior of a group? For example, whereas one ant is incapable of complex thought, a colony of thousands (or hundreds of thousands) can solve some fairly elaborate problems.

I ran across an article on nationalgeographic.com talking about the swarm theory and how it can provide insights that can help humans manage complex systems, from truck routing to military robots. Though I'm not entirely interested in truck routing or military robots, it did raise some interesting questions that made me stop and...think.

If you are in a mood to reflect, take a moment and...click here

Inside China's Vast Factories

Lunch time in the cafeteria of Youngor Textiles, the largest suit maker in China, lasts around 20 minutes.



A few hours drive outside of Shanghai, this giant textile factory has imported top-of-the-line machines from Belgium. At the time of this photo, the company was about to expand by about 200 machines to a total of 500. The floor of the workroom shakes from the operation of the machines.



Bird Mobile
Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, 2005

The largest mobile-phone manufacturer in China when this photo was shot, Bird Mobile has since been overtaken. Here, workers complete a manual-assembly portion of the phone-production process.

BUY (LESS) CRAP

Strolling through Times Square last year, Ben Davis was struck by the endless ads for (RED)—the Bono-fronted campaign that sends proceeds from the sale of red-colored, (RED)-branded products to the Global Fund, an organization devoted to fighting AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. He was bothered by the strange mix of charity and consumerism: “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to give money directly to the charity?’” That option, however, isn’t available at participating stores like Gap and Apple, nor can it be found on (RED)’s website. So he launched the Buy (Less) campaign, a tongue-in-cheek send-up of (RED)’s ads, with posters calling the program “meaning(less)” and a petition beseeching (RED) to allow giving to the Global Fund directly rather than merely as an afterthought when buying an iPod.

SUCH A GREAT IDEA!

For more information, PLEASE, click here

Video: UN Millennium Declaration

Millennium Promise wants to eradicate extreme world poverty by 2025. The following video, which premiered at last night's joint benefit for Millennium Promise and Malaria No More in New York City, outlines the 8 goals of the original Millennium Declaration, providing a visual companion to the inspirational words of Kofi Annan's 2000 Millennium Summit address to the UN.

Beautifully done, you dont even need your volume on to get what they are saying.


To find out how you can get involved, click here

Dubai

I have been hearing about Dubai for awhile now and seeing pictures of new development here and there, but after my last post I thought I 'd really check in to whats going on over there and if it was worth all the big stir. A building boom in the emirate has led to a whole host of chart breakers, in categories including highest apartment, biggest mall, and one of the world's most unique resorts.. It's amazing what man, and money, can do. Here are a FEW highlights of new developments that are going on.

THE WORLD
The World will consist of between 250 to 300 smaller private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. The islands, which range from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet, can be bought by individual developers or private owners -- starting at $6.85 million.

The only way to get between each island is by boat...or yacht, given the clientele. A notable engineering feat: The project incorporates two protective breakwaters to protect the islands from waves, consisting of one submerged reef (the outer breakwater) and an above-water structure (the inner breakwater)


THE PALM
The two Dubai islands, The Palm Jumeirah and The Palm Jebel Ali, will be built in the shape of date palm trees and consist of a trunk; a crown with 17 fronds; and a surrounding crescent island - the back of which forms the breakwater. Collectively, the island will support more than 60 luxury hotels, 4,000 exclusive residential villas (sale), 1,000 unique water homes (sale), 5,000 shoreline apartments (sale), marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various dive sites.


HYDROPOLIS
This hotel, the world's first underwater luxury resort, brings new meaning to the "ocean-view room." Situated 66 feet below the surface of the Persian Gulf, Hydropolis will feature 220 guest suites. Reinforced by concrete and steel, its Plexiglas walls and bubble-shaped dome ceilings offer sights of fish and other sea creatures. It's scheduled to open in late 2007.



DUBAILAND
A standout section of the sprawling, 3-billion-square-foot theme-park-like development known as Dubailand, Sports City will offer visitors a staggering variety of athletic venues, from elegant, gigantic stadia to state-of-the-art participatory parks for skateboarding, indoor rock climbing, and other activities. Not to mention facilities for polo, car racing, golf, and extreme sports.


DUBAI MALL
Thirty-five million people are expected to visit the Dubai Mall, developed by Emaar Properties, during 2006, its inaugural year. There's plenty to do, since, at more than 5 million square feet, it's the biggest mall in the world. It will house 15 sub-malls, a skating rink, an aquarium, and the planet's biggest gold souk (market). DP Architects


BURJ DUBAI
The Burj Dubai will be the world's tallest building when it opens in 2009. Its shape is inspired by the indigenous desert flowers that often appear as decorative patterns in Islamic architecture, but it also has an engineering purpose: The swirl shape ensures that the mass of the structure lessens as it reaches the top, making the structure steadier. A mixed-use building developed by Dubai's Emaar Properties, the Burj Dubai will house shops, offices, residences, and entertainment venues. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill


BUSINESS BAY (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)


DANCING TOWERS (PROPOSED)


TRUMP TOWER (PROPOSED)

Arab Money

Ski Dubai in Dubai Emirates Mall started in December 2005 is the worlds third largest indoor ski slope, measuring 400 meters and using 6000 tons of snow. Take a look.

Internet Porn

The Lucrative Business of Online Sex

Whether you love it or hate it, the fact still stands, online pornography is alive and thriving. GOOD Magazine investigates the ins and outs of online porn traffic, and just how much cash those sweaty-palmed clicks are bringing in. Very intriguing and ultimately quite sad.