POST DIGITAL

ON: Phillip Bloom's Dubai Sky

Sky from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Philip Bloom created this stunning four-minute timelapse video was filmed in Dubai over five days and five nights, shot using a Canon 7D and a Panasonic GF1. It’s best viewed in full-screen.

“I mostly shot aperture priority mode to cope with the light change. Sometimes in manual. You don’t need expensive cameras to do this. The GF1 is a cheap camera and there are even cheaper ones out there like some of the powershot series with built in timelapse. It’s great fun, very boring to shoot but ultimately the most rewarding.”
Philip Bloom

The music is from The Fountain by Clint Mansell. More stills can be found on Bloom’s blog. Via creativeroots.

Thanks to David Airey for turning me on to this captivating piece of work.

ON: Chat Roulette

What are all the kids, hipsters and celebs doing on the net with video? chatroulette.com is the latest. [thanks @carlynkp for the tip]

chatroulette.com works just like a roulette wheel for webcam feeds and chat sessions.  Chat Roulette drops you into a face-to-face conversation, via your webcam, with one random stranger after another, at the click of a mouse. Once you get past the deviant material its really fun. 

Most Chat Roulette exchanges last only a fleeting few seconds: the time it takes the stranger to see you, decide on the evidence of your face or your wallpaper

that you're worth no more of their time, and click onto their next chat. I'm warned that approximately one in every 10 clicks will bring you up against penises in various states of tumescence. But approximately one in every 20 will produce an enriching exchange. One friend found himself in a conversation with a naval officer, who'd logged on from his base somewhere in the Middle East; another had a short play performed for her by two Spanish aspiring theatricals. Source: The Independent

Chat Roulette has seen its user numbers shoot up to more than 10,000 from less than 500 at the turn of the year.  This is like some one coupled skype with stumbleupon or even Omegle.com which randomly pairs users from all over the world. Chat Roulette's anonymous founders are the first to have introduced video to the experience. It's an astoundingly simple idea however as you can see the interface design leaves something to be desired.

Until somebody designs the interface – makes it a bit safer and more organized Chat Roulette will remain a mad concoction of people doing cool and/or weird stuff and lonely people looking for company. A bit like the rest of the internet.

Check it out at : http://www.chatroulette.com

UPDATE! The Mainstream Media Catches Up.
  

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tech-Talch - Chatroulette
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

ON: Google Buzz

On Feb 9th Google launched Buzz. After playing with it over the last 2 weeks it seems to begin to get closer to the Facebook message functionality. It also uses @ like twitter to make connecting easier.

Word on the street is that Facebook is architecting it's messaging section of their site from the ground up and turning it into a Web-mail app. This news puts Facebook into direct competition with the likes of Gmail and MSN.

Who will be more powerful?
Google who is extending into the social platform / software space. Facebook the social platform / software of choice for millions globally. Or can MSN extend their functional prowess to more of a social platform?

ON: Open-Source Architecture

Cameron Sinclair on open-source architecture.

ON: Boxee

Think of the copious amounts of videos that exist all across the vast World Wide Web today. This is where Boxee comes in and helps us maintain whatever sanity we will have while embarking on this impossible quest of entertainment.

Boxee gathers the videos from a plethora of websites like Hulu, Youtube, and even Cnn.com, and feeds it to you in a very aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use interface. You can even organize the videos, images, and music on your own computer with Boxee.

The best part of Boxee is the  community. Boxee suggests media to you mainly via your friends you form friend groups with other Boxee users and you can see what they, rewatching or even suggest your own videos to them.

Download it today at http://www.boxee.tv/

ON: TripIt

I have always found the act of traveling to be a hassle. You have to keep track of all your transportation, reservations and receipts. It's just a pain.  That's why I am in love with TripIt!

For those of you who travel for business or pleasure and want a hassle free way to keep track of all the details Tripit has applications that do all of that and more. Tripit collects all those pesky little details and puts it into an easy-to-use master itinerary.  Not only that, Tripit throws in maps, some local attraction suggestions, a few weather reports. You can access this itinerary online or from a mobile device, so keeping track of it couldn't be easier.

It also connects to your social networks to let people you are connected to thorough facebook, twitter and linkedin know that your traveling.  There is also a bit of a gaming side to this app as well pushed through a travel ranking system. One of my favorite features is when you plan a public trip to a city that you have friends in it sends them an alert and lets them plan a date with you.

Don't plan a trip again without Tripit.  http://www.tripit.com

ON: HBO's Refresh

This is quite simply one of the best redesigns I have seen in a while.  Simple navigation, social connectivity and a wealth of content.  As a matter of fact the content is the hero.

 

Not a bug in sight.  Video streams as seamlessly as the liquid interface fills your screen with breathe taking clarity.  Check it out at HBO.com

ON: Windows 7 Phone - #WP7

Barcelona, Spain: Mobile World Congress - Microsoft publicly previewed the Windows Phone 7 serise for the first time. The brand new, totally fresh operating system will appear on phones this coming holiday season.

The Windows Phone 7 Series is launched and appears to be filled with simple, beautiful animations. The Windows Phone 7 Series device claims to be more than the Microsoft smartphone. It attempts to be the mobile computing device we've been waiting for. "Everything's different now."



To make the interface more personal, Microsoft is counting on a checkerboard of customizable "live tiles" that can update automatically with information from the phone or the Internet. Some of the tiles will update automatically to show frequent contacts or local information, while others can be customized manually. The tiles will be grouped into themed "hubs," for example a page of contacts called "people" or a page of photos called "pictures".

Update:

The first version of Windows Phone 7 Series will not include Adobe Flash.Developers will have to wait until Microsoft's Mix conference in Las Vegas next month to learn whether Windows Phone 7 Series will support Microsoft's Silverlight in place of the missing Flash.

Microsoft expects the first phones running the software to be available by the end of the year, and says that network operators including Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Verizon and Vodafone, and vendors including Samsung, LG, Sony-Ericsson and long-time partner HTC have committed to offering devices running Windows Phone 7 Series.

- Source: PC World

ON: Your Creative Process

Do our clients pay for our process? Or do they pay for the best creative output for their brands?  I would be the first to say clients don't care how its made as long as what you make works for their brands.  They typically have hired us to build their brand and sell more products.  So do your self a favor in your next pitch or client meeting - get rid of that process slide! You know which one I am talking about.  The one with a 4 linear arrows - or my personal favorite is the circular arrows. It only serves to undermine all the hard work that goes into creativity.

The manner of an artist is essentially individual; The method of an artist is absolutely universal.  The first is personality which no one should copy; The second is perfection, which all should aim at. - Oscar Wilde

"Creative Process" is a bit of an oxymoron - like jumbo shrimp or black light.  It's like Jackson Pollock splattering by numbers.  However an oxymoron, it's not.  "Process" is the logical part of creativity.  For all Pollock's random gesturing he had a process. He worked on white canvass with four square corners.  He picked particular brushes and colors.  And most of all, though his splatters seem random when taken individually, together, his works coalesce into a definitive pattern and style.

Your creative process is your secret sauce, trump card and trade secret all rolled into one.  Teach your team how to care for it; you'll need help raising it.  But that's it.  Don't reveal your creative process to outsiders, especially clients.  If the method works, they'll see the results soon enough in their bottom line and in yours.

Don't sell the process, build the brand with your creativity.