popped up on the grid

The Horse Boy

2009-11-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing amazing things about "The Horse Boy" - a documentary that focuses on a family's love for their autistic son, and their extraordinary journey to Mongolia in search of a miracle.

It looks emotional and inspiring. You can catch a great interview on The Treatment with the father (and writer/ producer) Rupert Isaacson.

I gotta feeling

2009-10-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Who wouldn't want to go to the University of Quebec after seeing this. Compare this to the ad campaigns for many universities that all end up saying the same thing. This has something they don't have - energy, passion and creativity.

Watching a dog think

2009-07-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is amazing

Found via Cuteoverload

Worry

2009-07-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Brilliant insight and execution by Fallon for Traveler's Insurance.

Hat tip to If It's Hip, It's Here

Our Art Art Hour

2009-06-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ze Frank is awesome.

A small world (beyond imagine)

2009-06-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

I was doing a presentation the other day, and was talking about how modern technology and communication has made the world a much smaller place - and how basically this is a good thing. Not exactly a revolutionary thought, I know - but I'm constantly amazed by the inspiration that's all around us. And today, I stumbled across this remarkable video. By giving context to the numbers, it does a wonderful job of demonstrating just how truly tiny we are when compared to the universe. Humbling.

Thanks to Bad Astronomy for the link

Apollo 11 owner's manual

2009-06-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

This might have to be an early birthday request. It's apparently presented like a real owner's manual, so will go nicely with my 2004 Toyota Corolla booklet. Thanks to the always entertaining Bad Astronomy for posting.

The start of a beautiful friendship

2009-06-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I seem to be on a bit of an animal theme of late, but this is wonderful. I love the last image of the little critter following his new "dad". Thanks to @JulieMa for sharing.

Andy & Mearl: Best friends from Tim Brown on Vimeo.

Our laughing cousins

2009-06-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

This amazing study mapped the similarities of laughs across five species by tickling young gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. They found that not only do they all laugh, but they share acoustic similarities with humans, especially babies (check out the audio samples). And just like humans, gorillas and bonobos laugh only when exhaling - just another example of how much we have in common with our closest cousins.

All of this reminds me of how sad I feel whenever I see an image of a chimp or an ape behind bars. It's not only because of the mental pain we are inflicting by isolating such a social creature (just like we are). But I think it's also because I feel that if we can't feel empathy for these animals, what hope do the rest have.

Found via Boing Boing

I shot the serif

2009-06-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

How smart. Found on the always inspiring Swissmiss, via ffffound - by Tom Gabor.

We all just wanna be social

2009-06-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Image source

This video from the Sasquatch Music Festival just makes me smile. I find it fascinating watching the tipping point (at the 1.20 minute mark), when this guys spontaneity spreads and is embraced by an ever expanding group. The desire to want to be a part of something is ultimately irresistible.

A great opening

2009-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Watched a really interesting movie on the weekend - JCVD, starring Jean Claude Van Damme. I can't recall ever watching any of his movies. But this is a great performance. He plays himself, a 48 year-old washed up actor who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a real life robbery. It's a really raw, honest performance. He can really act.

This is the french trailer. What I also loved was the opening credit with the boy and the balloon. It's brilliant. It's just a little thing - but I always think it's a great sign of what's to follow if they've put time and effort into a creative opening.

The joy of sharing

2009-05-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

More great stuff from T-Mobile and Saatchi & Saatchi. Awesome what can come from bringing people together and giving them something to do.

First they send out an intriguing invite via YouTube. The result, 13,500+ people turn up at Trafalgar Square. They hand out 2,000 microphones so people can join in, and away they go - kicking it off with a rousing version of Hey Jude. The final video is wonderful. They clearly thought it through, numbering all the microphones so they could capture and isolate those individual "solo" performances.

Double Happiness

2009-05-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Beautiful images from the Cherry Blossom season in Tokyo (that opening image is something special). It just seems so wonderful that they have such a visual symbol of a passing moment in time - and even better that they stop, celebrate and appreciate it. Wish I was there.

Found over at Alexandre Gervais, via @Alexgervais

Sakura in Tokyo from James T. Kirk on Vimeo

Mountain voices

2009-04-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Wow - just discovered this group via Twitter (thanks @craftapalooza). They're called First Aid Kit. I love the little look they give each other at the end.

chalkboard inspiration

2009-04-29T04:19:00.001-07:00

School was never this inspiring. Beautiful music and amazing video for the song Autumn Story by Firekites.

Firekites - AUTUMN STORY - chalk animation from Lucinda Schreiber on Vimeo.

Back to being a shepherd

2009-03-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

Sad to see the end of season 2 for the Flight of the Conchords. But they went out in style - making music back on the farm in New Zealand. Love Murray on the tractor.

NASA TV rocks

2009-03-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

I spent a bit of the weekend watching NASA TV and the amazing coverage of STS-119 - the current space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. To be honest, I haven't really been paying much attention to any of the recent Space Shuttle launches. But after following @nasa on twitter, I found myself totally absorbed yesterday by stunning live images of the spacewalk (EVA). The two astronauts (Steve Swanson and Joseph Acaba) were out there for 6 1/2 hours. It's quite a thing to watch these two tiny figures clinging to the massive Space Station, with Earth as the backdrop - all happening in the moment.

While on the space theme, I was totally blown away by this footage of Jupiter slipping behind the sun - you can even see the moons orbiting Jupiter. Thanks to Bad Astronomy for posting this link (an awesome blog by the way)

This is an older link that I found on another great post over at Bad Astronomy. The moon, which to our eyes is so immense, looks so small in comparison to the mighty sun.

My Twitter mosaic

2009-03-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Just for a bit of fun, here's my list of friends on Twitter. It's nice to get the complete visual view. Try it out at Twitter Mosaic. It's easy - enter your user name, hit go, and copy the code.

Of course, for those who have thousands of friends, I guess it will just keep scrolling...and scrolling down the page.

Thanks to Servantofchaos for posting.

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Life begins at 80

2009-03-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

I think Go Grandriders is one movie I'm going to have to track down. It's looks like a wonderful documentary that tells the story of a group of riders all over the age of 80 who go on a 1100 km motorcycle journey around Taiwan.

The 13 day journey by the 17 Grandriders was an effort to change the stereotypical views of elderly people. As the groups leader, Lai Ching-yen said:

“Young people and the rest of society doesn’t think much of the elderly, believing that when people grow old they become useless. Therefore, we the elderly must be brave so that we can change the society’s opinions of us."

It's inspiring to know that they were able to complete the journey, despite having their own challenges - 2 of the members have cancer, four wear hearing aids, 5 suffer from high blood pressure and 8 take medication for heart disease.

And although I can't understand a word of the trailer, it's so compelling and emotional.

Thanks to www.summerbearbear.blogspot.com for posting

Big Man Japan

2009-03-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Just for some Sunday weirdness, thought I'd post. Not sure what to say - except those purple pants (I mean undies) are much bigger than the Hulk's.

Mind the gap

2009-02-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

This is pretty impressive. With the help of 5 assistants, Edgar Müller created this 3D masterpiece of pavement art in one day.

Thanks Natalie for the tip.

Jemaine sleeps with an Australian girl

2009-02-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying the 2nd season of the Flight of the Conchords. I'm loving that they are playing up the Aussie vs. New Zealand rivalry - although I'm not sure how it is playing to US audiences. In this excerpt, Jemaine wakes up and discovers to his horror that he has slept with an Aussie girl.

As Bret says to him in panic "You gotta get out of there. Just get out of there"

In this scene, Bret makes a poor attempt at breaking up the relationship.

15 of my favourite podcasts (updated)

2009-02-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post I'd listed some of my favourite podcasts. Here's an updated list of random stuff I'm enjoying right now, in no particular order

1 - This American Life
2 - Slate Political Gabfest
3 - Slate Cultural Gabfest. A wonderful summary of the week in culture.
4 - WNYC's Radio Lab
5 - Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
6 - PRI: The Sound of Young America. It's hard to beat the tagline on this one - "A public radio show about things that are awesome". Recent episodes featuring interviews with Neil Gaiman and the Letterman writers are well worth a listen.
7 - Big Ideas
8 - NPR: Fresh Air from WHYY. Consistently great and Terry Gross is one of the best hosts around. Her interview featuring Demetri Martin is hilarious.
9 - KCRW's The Treatment. Wonderfully insightful interviews by the host (Elvis Mitchell) with today's most influential and creative forces in popular art and entertainment
10 - CBC Radio: Q The podcast
11 - Democracy Now with Amy Goodman
12 - The Word. I just discovered this podcast. A bunch of blokes from the UK talking about culture, telly, music - whatever they want. Lots of fun
13 - Net@night. Featuring Amber MacArthur and Leo Laporte. If it's new on the net, it's here.
14 - The Nature Podcast. Wonderful storytelling from the natural world. Loved the recent episode on Darwin
15 - NPR Pop Culture Podcast. The name says it all.

What hidden gems out there are you enjoying? I'd love to hear about them.

Too much beauty

2009-02-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Urban cycling at its most gorgeous, hypnotic and tranquil. Nice to escape for a few minutes. Thanks to Cool Hunting for the tip

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

In a strange way, it reminds me of this famous scene from American Beauty, where even a flying plastic bag can seem beautiful (nice framing and music helps of course).

The most beautiful bookshop in the world?

2009-02-17T03:30:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend I was reading through the The Guardian newspaper, and stumbled across a review of the city of Porto in the travel section. In it they mentioned what sounded like an incredible bookstore called Livraria Lello. Apparently it's often on the list of the most beautiful bookshops in the world. It's easy to see why.

Image source

Image source

Image source

Right now, I can't imagine a day better spent than getting lost amongst the shelves at Lello, followed by a sunset dinner at Praia da Luz. Summer still seems a long way off.

Image source

Obama's elf

2009-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

A bit of inspired silliness on a drab Monday.

Thanks to Cartoon Brew for the post.

Coraline and the wonder of small

2009-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

We headed out last night to watch Coraline (in 3D). It's an utterly magical and beautiful world and it's just mind-blowing to think that everything in it was hand-made. It's truly an incredible combination of imagination, crafting and attention to detail, even down to the little sweaters and outfits that the characters wore. This short little video demonstrates the talent of just one of the people who worked on the movie. Using tiny knitting needles the dimensions of a hair, Althea Crome might just be the "smallest" knitter in the world.

Their marketing of the movie was just as creative. In an inspired "Willy Wonka Golden Ticket" type promo, they sent out 50 specially created boxes to 50 lucky bloggers. Here's Coraline box 21/50

lucky

2009-02-14T07:24:00.001-08:00

My of my favourite blogs is The Year In Pictures. It's a wonderful collection of inspiring and thought-provoking images and video's. This quote from British Vogue sums it up pretty well.

"If only all blogs were as life-affirming and tender-hearted as that of gallerist James Danziger. Whether his focus falls on the work of an individual artist or a particular theme, The Year in Pictures is compulsive reading."

I especially look forward to his regular Weekend Video posts. A while ago he posted this great song, covered by a cute duo out of their bathroom somewhere.

And yesterday he posted the official video by the actual singers, Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait.

It's a great song - but it's hard to beat the authentic fun and joy of that first video. What do you think?

The WTF blanket

2009-02-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

Just found this over at American Copywriter.

Awesome...

A year of optimism?

2009-02-08T05:35:00.001-08:00

When you see charts like this from the US, it's hard to be optimistic. Obviously there's a lot of pain and hardship behind these numbers.

But mixed in amongst these challenges are stories of creative thinking and ingenuity, and a focus from brands, marketers and agencies of all types on delivering even greater value to their customers. An initial gut reaction might be to tighten the belt, but as Steve talks about recently, brands do so at their own peril. He cites the example of Post Cereal during the depression of 1929. They were the leading cereal brand at the time. They cut back their marketing budget, Kelloggs did the opposite - and never looked back.

For a dose of optimism, I like to look to the story of Etsy - the online marketplace for handmade products who are experiencing continued and rapid growth through 2009, despite the overall global downturn.

In a recent interview, Etsy founder Robert Kalin talked about value, and what it means.

"When you don’t have as much money to spend, what is value to you? And I think to a lot of people, value isn’t how cheap something is, value’s how meaningful something is"

Or there's more creativity to be found at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. They needed to increase visitors, particularly amongst the younger set - quite a challenge when you consider that natural history is unlikely to be high on their bucket list.

So they re-invented the museum experience, and called it First Fridays - a truly magical idea that fuses t-rexes and triceratops, cool live music, great food and wine, and sexy lighting - pure awesomeness. Building on an experience that was all about discovery and knowledge, they mixed in some modern relevance resulting in a unique and memorable experience (lots more images over at Notcot). Surely we need more of this type of creativity and less of this?.

Image source

Image source

Mykonos

2009-02-06T18:51:00.001-08:00

So continuing on the Greek theme (kind of), I'm really enjoying this music video by Fleet Foxes (directed and animated by Sean Pecknold). It's a paper cut beauty. Thanks Cartoon Brew for posting

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

My family and other animals

2009-02-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

I just finished watching a wonderful film adaptation of the classic book by Gerald Durrell - My Family and other animals. It's based on his experiences as a young boy when his family escaped a cold and dull life in England and moved to beautiful Corfu.

I love how it really captures the characters and setting from the book, especially the snobbish yet endearing older brother (and famous novelist) Lawrence Durrell. Matthew Goode's performance as Larry is brilliant (and very funny).

It's inspiring to know that the childlike wonder and fascination the young Gerald had for the animal world continued throughout his life. He went on to become a famed naturalist, conservationist, author and television presenter.

If anyone's looking for an escape from the winter blues I highly recommend both the book and movie

If you hold my hand

2009-02-01T10:53:00.001-08:00

This isn't new, but it's so awesome & hypnotic, I thought I'd post. As someone commented, it has a real "Kill Bill" feel to it. It's by Sonny J

Here's the original, by Donna HighTower (from the 50's). Apparently she was discovered when she was doing two things she loved - cooking and singing in a diner in Chicago. A bit more about her here.

Art and Copy

2009-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

I'm really looking forward to Art and Copy, a new documentary on the advertising business premiering at Sundance. It's directed by Doug Pray, and features legends of the advertising world such as Dan Wieden and Hal Riney. Here's an interview with the Director and another legend of the ad world, George Lois (the creator of the slogan "I want my MTV").

And here's a recent review

Found over at Flavorwire, which has great updates on Sundance.

Life's for sharing

2009-01-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

This is great stuff from T-Mobile (and Saatchi and Saatchi)- such fun, and so contagious you can't help but smile. Starting with just a solitary dancer and quickly growing to over 300, rail commuters at London's Liverpool Street Station were treated to some "spontaneous" dancing on an otherwise drab Thursday morning.

No doubt inspired by flash mobs and the like, hidden cameras throughout the station captured the delighted reaction of the crowd - and the result was aired on channel 4 in the UK 48 hours later.

It's all part of their "Life's for Sharing" campaign. A great start to what seems like a very promising platform, with dance being a great example of the unexpected and spontaneous moments in life - the sort of experiences we all want to share. It's about doing things together.

They've also set up a YouTube channel to encourage participation. Check out the spot below (700,000 views and growing) - it's definitely worth watching in HD

Thanks to Richard over at Adliterate for sharing.

And this video captures the reaction of commuters afterwards - happiness all-round.

And the rehearsals...

Save the tiger

2009-01-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to John Grant over at Greennormal, I'm really enjoying this very clever campaign to save the Tiger in India.

With only 1400 Tigers left, they are emphasizing their plight by asking people to vote for a new national animal - perhaps the rat?

Turning trash into art

2009-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen some of this beautiful street art by Joshua Allen Harris. Such incredible creativity - and I love the way he harnesses the air from subway trains. His Lochness monster is awesome. Thanks Core77 for posting.

miniature worlds

2009-01-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

Just discovered this awesome tool that turns photos into fantastical little miniature worlds. Here's my first "poor" attempt using a image from our hotel balcony in Hayman Island (from our honeymoon a few years back). Found via eirikso.com

Guitar Boat

2009-01-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

A happy Sunday morning tune and something you don't see everyday - by Josh Pyke. The video was filmed around Rozelle Harbour. Years ago, I used to run around this bay - never saw a Guitar Boat though. Found over at The Inspiration Room.

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Four seasons

2009-01-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

One thing I really enjoy about living here in Canada is the change in seasons. It's quite a contrast from growing up in Sydney (Australia). Although not from Canada, this beautiful time-lapse video by Eirik Solheim does a great job of compressing this constant change - all in 40 seconds. Solheim edited together photos taken from his home in Oslo during 2008. He's inspired me to try something similar in 2009.

candle art

2008-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Love this TV spot by Electrabel - spotted over on ZeFrank. It's worth watching in HD.

Great "making of" video too.

A thing for me

2008-12-22T16:06:00.001-08:00

I'm really enjoying this super creative clip by Metronomy. Lots of fun - and love the scene at the 2.43 mark.

A Thing For Me from Metronomy on Vimeo.

Roam forever free

2008-12-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Since moving to the East Coast of Canada, I've always been intrigued by Sable Island - a crescent shaped patch of sand about 300km South-East of Halifax. Since 1583, there have been over 350 shipwrecks on this small sand bar hidden by storms and fog. It's hard to imagine a map with more stories to tell than the one below.

The island is also known for its incredible fragility - as well being home to about 300 wild horses who have called the island home since the 1700's. Their contact with humans is protected - only 5 people live on the island, and special permission is needed to visit. One approved visit was by fashion photographer Robert Dutesco. His evocative and emotional photos are currently on display in New York.

There's also a feature length documentary about his journey to Sable Island and his amazing passion for the horses. The film is truly magical - there is just something so pure, untouched and free about the animals and the setting. As he says during the film - "some places in this world are being left untouched - just like Sable Island. I hope the Sable Island Horses will roam forever free." We can only hope.

Chasing Wild Horses - Clip 2 of 4 from Roberto Dutesco on Vimeo.

Chasing Wild Horses - clip 4 of 4 from Roberto Dutesco on Vimeo.

A few of my favourite podcasts

2008-12-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

I love the randomness of podcasts. One day I can be learning about the genius and mad scientist that was Nicola Tesla, another day be inspired by Kid Logic, and another relive the panic that was caused by the original "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast 70 years ago.

In no particular order, here's a few of my favourites.

1 - This American Life
2 - Slate Political Gabfest
3 - WNYC's Radio Lab
4 - Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
5 - PRI: The Sound of Young America. It's hard to beat the tagline on this one - "A public radio show about things that are awesome"
6 - Big Ideas
7 - NPR: Fresh Air from WHYY. Consistently great
8 - KCRW's The Treatment. Wonderfully insightful interviews by the host (Elvis Mitchell) with today's most influential and creative forces in popular art and entertainment
9 - CBC Radio: Q The podcast
10 - Democracy Now with Amy Goodman

Any favourites you might share with me?

Lazy traveling on a Sunday afternoon

2008-12-14T10:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Fubiz, I've been enjoying some short films by Philip Bloom. I love his music choices too. The first is a tour of the Grand Canyon by helicopter (with music from "Signs" by James Newton Howard). The second is called "Alone in Tokyo", with music by Air.

Grand Canyon from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Alone in Tokyo HD from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

To all you coffee lovers...

2008-12-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Christoph Neimann over at the New York Times shares his passion for coffee - through a wonderful collection of words and images.

Gladwell on social change

2008-12-11T16:42:00.001-08:00

The very talented and popular Malcolm Gladwell has been in the news of late promoting his latest book Outliers.

However, in this recent debate with University of Toronto philosophy professor and author Mark Kingwell, he's discussing the challenge of social change, and how to achieve it. As always, Gladwell uses some interesting and surprising examples to demonstrate his point, providing much food for thought. He focuses in particular on the subject and value of awareness. I was especially intrigued by his description of the efforts to promote the wearing of seat belts in the US decades earlier, and what finally resulted in lasting change. Not that it matters, but I think he was the clear "winner" on the night.

Soon we'll be found

2008-12-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered a great Australian singer called Sia via one of my favourites blogs, The year in Pictures. A great song and an awesome voice (love her fun website too). I think she's been around for a while - so I guess that means I'm losing touch with Aussie music too.

ASICS and striving for perfection

2008-12-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

I've always been loyal to ASICS shoes - although I can't remember why. I guess it was the first brand I purchased when I started running, and I've just kind of stuck with them ever since. But after stumbling across this video over at The Inspiration Room, I think I'll stick with them a bit longer (and maybe start using them again)

Narrated by Kihachiro Onitsuka, it's beautifully produced and has a cute ending - and the use of Origami is not only stunning, but connects nicely to the precision of the ASICS brand.

Alex the Parrot

2008-12-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late to this story, but I was listening to the NPR Fresh podcast, and they told the wonderful story of Alex the Parrot. It wasn't his talking that made him special, but more the fact that his trainer could communicate with him, and that he could actually process information and think. He was able to demonstrate behaviour that was more complex than simply repeating words. His trainer (Dr. Irene Pepperberg) talked about how Alex helped to debunk the "birdbrain" theory. Personally I think it's another example of how animals are far smarter than we give them credit.

Sadly, Alex the Parrot died last year aged 31 (which apparently is not that old for a parrot). One of the more emotional anecdotes as told by Dr Pepperberg was the time she had to take him to an animal hospital when he was sick. As she was leaving him, he kept saying "I wanna go back". In this short video demonstrating his talents, you can hear Alex using that line.

Being free

2008-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

Just a gorgeous "happy" video by Goldfrapp for their single Caravan Girl. Makes me want to go out and get a skateboard

Firefly magic

2008-07-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

RadioLab replayed a wonderful podcast recently called Emergence. It's all about how nature can sometimes find order in the strangest places - and often without a leader. It kicks off with an awesome story about fireflies in Thailand, blinking in perfect unison. Something I'd love to see. (Image credit)

The power of imagination

2008-07-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is a great speech by JK Rowling at the Harvard Alumni Association. Entertaining, honest and memorable.

The girl effect

2008-07-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Simple and powerful idea - wonderfully executed.