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Stumbled upon this wicked series that re-imagines 1977 as if the tech from today existed then. View the full set

Erika Iris Simmons uses analog things like vhs tapes, audio cassettes and 8mm film to create her art. “Ghosts in the Machine” is a series that creates 50 portraits using things that have become junk to many.

What starts off so simply builds in an interesting way. Still wondering how certain elements where done – I love when that happens.

(hat tip pitchfork)

YouTube turns 5. The following infographic provides an interesting look at some data around the vid sharing giant. In many ways it is difficult to wrap your head around the sheer volume of 1’s and 0’s that swirl around YouTube and its users.

Earlier today I laid out $25 bucks to support a decentralized approach to social networking called diaspora*. The timing for the project is perfect and within a matter of days a rag tag group of programmers from NYU have raised over 125k passing their initial fundraising goal of 10k by a staggering 1258%. Only time will tell if they’ll be able to do what they’ve laid out but I’m a huge supporter of creative entrepreneurship plus I’m a sucker for open data and free software projects.

Hats off to BBH New York and Google Creative Lab for crafting an excellent way to demonstrate the speed of chrome while at the same time providing visual candy.

Equipment used:
- Computer: MacBook Pro laptop with Windows installed
- Monitor – 24″ Asus: We had to replace the standard fluorescent backlight with very large tungsten fixtures to funnel in more light to capture the screen. In addition, we flipped the monitor 180 degrees to eliminate a shadow from the driver board and set the system preferences on the computer to rotate 180 degrees. No special software was used in this process.
- Camera: Phantom v640 High Speed Camera at 1920 x 1080, films up to 2700 fps

While going through some older files I found this case study for an ARG that I ran in 2007.

CINEMATIC GAMES: The first version of the cinema ARG started with a number of mashup screenings of my newest feature film HEAD TRAUMA. Version 1.0 was a collision of music, movies, gaming and tech. Here is a story that Current TV did about the release.

In the spring of 1971 the Rolling Stones departed the UK to take up residence in France as tax exiles. Keith Richards settled at a villa called Nellcôte in Villefranche-sur-Mer and this became the venue for the recording of much of the bands masterpiece Exile On Main Street. Stones In Exile tells the story in the bands own words and through extensive archive footage of their time away from England and the creation of this extraordinary double album, which many regard as the Rolling Stones finest achievement.

I recently wrote a piece for Filmmaker Magazine about designing mobile apps that extend storytelling and build audiences. Here’s a section from the story…

artwork Jordan Grey

Where Data Meets Storytelling
Mobile apps offer not only a direct channel to audiences but they carry your story to places where the audience will consume it. As stories travel they can harvest a variety of data such as: GPS coordinates, viewer preferences and/or contact info. This data can be filtered and used in a variety of ways to enhance a story. For instance, media (video, audio, photos) can be released to viewers when they reach a certain location, data can be used to connect audience members who share similar interests around a story, and characters can contact players directly via SMS, e-mail or even phone calls.

Alice in Wonderland meets the iPad. The other day I had a meeting at a major publisher to discuss this very thing. Not Alice in Wonderland but the way in which books can become more interactive, social and engaging across devices. Alice for the iPad just scratches the surface.

(Hat tip 401st Blow)

One More Production a French based special effects studio has created an awesome 8-bit throwback where pacman, frogger, donkey kong and company destroy NYC.

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. – Arts and animation videos.

Exclusive 5 min Extended Sneak Peek of Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop – Opens nation wide April 16th. http://www.banksyfilm.com

(hat tip filmmaker mag via Movie City Indie)

Ben Folds performs live to the various folks he encounters via Chatroulette.

A look at how users of various social services are consuming.

(hat tip mashable)

I’d missed out on seeing the short at Sundance but signed up to receive a ticket once it became available online. I received the following email tonight.

When I went to the site it mentioned that 3,785 tickets we’re available. Found myself wondering if limited viewing was due to tech limitations of the server or if it was a play on creating a demand based on scarcity. Either way it is an interesting way to release a short. It gave the feeling of something special in a connected world that’s become all about the “right now.” But at its core it was the story that carried the experience. Hats off to Jonez for making a heartfelt piece of branded content that took me some place and didn’t bother to shove a brand or a sale down my throat. I really hope that this type of branded content becomes the norm – subtle with art, craft and engaging storytelling.

Came across some of the “iamamiwhoami” vids at the end of last year and meant to follow up but have been too busy. The names of the vids look like coordinates and sure enough the folks at unfiction are on the case.

The marriage of ARGs and music is such a natural fit. NiN did an effective take on it with Year Zero a few years back. In fact many have thought these viral vids are the work of NiN and earlier tonight Trent Reznor tweeted

I often post about data viz. Here’s a nice animated vid that compares internet data across services, outlets and country.

234 million websites

126 million blogs

12.2 billion videos viewed monthly on youTube (US)

1.4 billion email users

1.73 billion internet users

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.

MIT’s Futures of Entertainment conference is held each fall. I had the privilege of speaking at the event in 2008. It’s an amazing mix of people from various sides of the industry. This past year the conference had a number of excellent transmedia focused panels. In the following panel the team behind Purefold give an inside look at the project.

I’ve been tracking thesixtyone for a bit. The first version of the site matched social gaming with music discovery. The newest incarnation has taken a slightly different approach one which is more discovery focused with a mix of simple challenges called quests that encourage you to listen to music and gain reputation points.

The part I love about the new design is the simplicity and richness of the interface.

Of course you could look at the picture on the box but this is a cool use of AR to demo the contents prior to purchase.

Meet “Yuki-taro, the friendly snowbot” – for a million yen you can have a Snow Removal Robot that clears snow while creating igloo bricks, is GPS enabled and uses twin cameras to see.

(hat tip inventorspot)

Very much looking forward to the release of Bioshock 2 which comes out this week. I’d love to get my hands on the game bible that I’ve heard rumors about – Bioshock is a rich game world while at the same time haunting, beautiful and bizzare.

The WorkBook Project joined forces with Filmmaker Magazine to produce a number of daily videos from Park City. SABI filmmakers Zak Forsman and Kevin K. Shah speak with Ted Hope, Jon Reiss, Mynette Louie (Children of Invention) and Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) to explore the solutions that are emerging for independent filmmakers – featuring some of the insights and actions that came from the 2010 Filmmaker Summit.

A visual snapshot of internet consumption – provides an interesting look at the state of the internet in 2009.

I received a mention in a New York Times article entitled Talking About a Revolution (for a Digital Age) The article also references William Castle and the experiences he created around his work. Castle was an inspiration for some of the Cinema ARG experiences I did around my last film Head Trauma. DIY and the concept of transmedia were popular topics at Sundance this year and both have been popping up more and more in the press. Here’s a trailer from 1955 where Castle – always the showman – is plugging the experience around his newest film The Tingler.

I spent the last few days at the Sundance Film Festival. When I’m at the fest I always make it a point to checkout the Frontier which is located in the basement of a mall. Its a sprawling space that brings together a nice mix of new media, tech and art. Here are a few pics.

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Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers – 27 track mashup – free stream and download

URDB is an awesome site that enables anyone to set world records. “The definitive site for human achievement.” We had the honor of working with Dan and Corey the co-founders of URDB for an episode of RADAR back during season One. If you have a world record in you itching to get out head over to URDB.org and join in the fun.

I’ve always wanted a remote controlled helicopter especially one with a camera! The Parrot AR.Drone turns your iPhone or iTouch into a helicopter remote control. And if that wasn’t cool enough the AR.Drone taps the AR capabilities of the iPhone or iTouch to provide a cool augmented gaming experience.