The Other Side by Tiny Tim

The ice caps are melting, this Tiny Tim guy is acting like a fish and little girls are singing a chorus including the words "the tide is rising to wash away the sins". Sheer lunacy. It's beautiful. Your day will be better for watching this and singing along.

The Very Special Report

It seems every cool web curator I've bumped into in the last week is on Tumblr. Here is one of my favourites with a few select images to whet your appetite. Very Special Report.

Take Time Off

Stefan Sagmeister is an interesting, independent thinker. In this TEDtalk he explains his 1 sabbatical year in every 7 working years theory. When he breaks out the math, it all makes so much sense you just want to follow him. It's something that I've thought about for a long time and may now be old enough to appreciate. I'll have to figure out the logistics and make it happen but which other life am I going to do it in? Especially when he makes it sound so calmly possible.

[ted id=649]

It's In The Eyes

I'm always amazed and thankful for the collections the web spits out. I found this disturbing image at Retrospace Zeta, a treasure trove of the odd and the forgotten. Blogs (like this one) tend to be editors and aggregators, not creators or uploaders of analog data. I think we should all spare a thought for the collectors who find, scan and share. My experience would be the poorer without them.

Green Washing

It's Where You Take Things To

CR Blog had a post that raised a traditional issue in advertising and design. Namely the "stealing" of ideas and techniques.

YouTube provides a steady stream of inspiration to advertising creatives, but it also leaves young directors vulnerable to having ideas stolen and agencies open to accusations of plagiarism. How can both directors and agencies protect themselves?

That started a fun discussion. I argued that nothing (advertising, design, art, music) is original. Everything you do is based on the work of someone else. You don't necessarily have to proclaim from the roof who you borrowed from, but don't be shy when someone points out that you are not a true original. I like Jim Jarmusch's quote, "Don't bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it." Just remember that you borrowed and will be borrowed from in turn (if you're any good). Just try make it better and stop feeling so damn guilty. Love your history.

How about this: Love Your Influences As You Would Be Loved. Okay, now where's that D&AD annual...

Little Boots Has Caught Me

Yes, it's another Little Boots crush. However, it's her charming acoustic web videos that have stolen my heart. She's on her way to becoming rather bloody famous but still finds the time to do a cover of her own single in her bedroom. Her covers of Hot Chip, Cyndi Lauper and Sugarbabes among others are simple and wonderful. She's not afraid of raw, unfinished fun. There's a place for production and there's a place for immediate performance. Can you imagine Bono or the Stones being this unfiltered? This is definitely a sign of another type of audience relationship.

Little Boots plays Jools Holland.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJmpQptN6vU]

Here is her new single "New in Town".
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QotFwZs_2F4]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6tLRCDqJ2c]
Hot Chip

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAAPXleIQMk]
MGMT - Time to Pretend

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWBgm_-Ggs]
Lil Boots plays with her strange little light square toy thingy

Roel Wouters - Running with the Beast

This music video by the graphic designer Roel Wouters is stirring up some controversy. Despite all protestations that No Animal Was Hurt in the making of this video for zZz, bleeding hearts are crying fowl. No animal was hurt. It is the nature of these animals to have at each other. You could argue that these poor, dumb animals had no choice in the matter, unlike like us humans who only have complete control over our fates. Is watching this for our entertainment morally questionable? Like watching Ultimate Fighting, girls beating each other up and glorified gambling. Where is your moral centre? This video makes people pick fights. Which is exactly what I find myself doing in this post. Genius. At least the birds had referees to stop any pecking below the belt.

It's a polarising, graphic and artful video. And unafraid.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybFojKxfWvk]

Here's the Making Of.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olIQh9cIobk]

The Density of DJ Technology

DJ, Richie Hawton, has offered up a video tutorial on his technique involving a piece of software named Traktor. He runs 4 decks simultaneously with multiple loop and sampling potential on top of that. He explains how the computer takes care of all the timing so he can experiment, and collaborate with at least 4 other DJs. It's dense layering, but I think it's interesting how technology has helped him explore his art more thoroughly. On the other hand, the tools can have the habit of playing the operator, which can kill the joy of the mistake and create the cult of same. That's just something I've noticed with design and the proliferation of Adobe CS. Same tools, similar outcomes, unless you fight with everything you have. The best DJs will avoid that bullet is my guess.

Viva Originals. Watch the video here (Vimeo is still not supported by WordPress. Tut tut.)

via PSFK

What To Do With All That Extra Time On Your Hands

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkPh3I5o7Do]

I think this is interesting. A Camera, AfterEffects and Time equals one home made Fleet Week film. Just another example of the ridiculous production abilities that are now democratic. (Obama is a 3D animated puppet by the way, you can tell if you look closely at the hair rendering.)

See the hirez copy over at current.tv