Red Pill

What if a "PC" really was a person?

I'm not sure if you've seen the new Microsoft "I'm a PC" viral ads on the web which are part of Crispin Porter + Bogusky's 300 million dollar counter campaign to Apple's highly successful Mac guy vs. PC guy ads. The idea is to us "PC guy" against Apple and other competitors by showing that PC users are much more diverse than a single nerdy stereotype. The problem is that the "PC guy" is a metaphor for the hardware and Windows OS, not the individual users. Since the "PC guy" is a somewhat likable nerd to which we all have a soft spot, it was easy for Crispin Porter + Bogusky to hijack this idea and throw it back in Apple's face. If it were up to me I would have used a little less restraint when depicting the PC as a person...

Now this is more like it!

A New York 72 room dream house for $102,000?

New York Magazine wrote a showcase article on 190 Bowery, New York City. The abandoned Germania Bank building purchased in 1966 by photographer Jay Maisel for $102,000, and serves as his gallery and home for his family of 3. Here are a few photos.

The old Germania Bank, as it stands today.

This is the 3rd floor gallery space.

A view of the kitchen.

This is the original safe, where the photographer stores his work.

Check out the article for the full story and more photos.

This is a great way to get the undecided voters to listen, use a fictitious TV President to make your point

Read the article here

It’s time to Drink Wrong

Friends,

After a few months on the wagon we are at it once again face down in the dirt.

This month we are "Drinking Wrong" in honor of our good friend and mentor John Bielenberg. This month's poster was influenced by John’s past and present contributions to the world of design. Hopefully we can get him to join us virtually for a VP Cocktail™ and a yet to be determined appetizer.

Hope you can make it!

Download the printable poster here.

And don’t miss John’s pimpin’ mustache in this video...

Will anyone ever reach artist superstardom like Salvador Dali again?

I know what your thinking, what about Shepard Ferry (Obey)? Bigfoot? Pop Surrealism (Lowbrow) movement? Those guys are painting cartoons on skateboard decks and soda cans, Dali was doing Alka Seltzer commercials, movies, he even had a line of cologne! And all of it was extremely creative, some would even say frightening.

Judge for yourself..

Is the end near for the hipster?

The backlash against hipsters seems to be gaining full steam, though I can't say I'm disappointed. Living so close to Valencia St. in the Mission district of San Francisco, somedays it seems like an endless sea of white framed sunglasses glasses, modified fixies, Parliament smoke, and of course Irony.
I'm not saying I'm against the whole hipster thing, I have even been accused of being one myself once or twice. It's just an inevitable part of the the life cycle of the "trend" The post peak backlash. Once a trend reaches a level of absurdity, when participants have out done one another trying to stand out while staying within the strict guidelines of the trend. All trends eventually die otherwise it wouldn't be called a trend, though the hipster seems to be sticking around much longer than past trends. The key to the longevity of the hipster I believe is it's ability to morph, last year was trucker hats and skateboards, this year it's fixes and a keffiyeh.
You can be sure of one thing though, once the mainstream embraces a trend it's only a matter of time till it's dead. The end is definitely near for the hipster, If you don't believe me check out these deck links:

Hipster Hunter
the Hipster Handbook
This months Adbusters - Hipster the dead end of western civilization

This is Genius!

Erase Public Eye Sores

Joshua Callaghan has figured out how to make public eye sores disappear. By taking a photo of what lies on the other side and mounting the photo on the viewers side, the effect is eerie. I can imagine many people accidently injuring themselves, this can only lead to bright orange objects littering the landscape.

Public art project

Production ready Volt revealed, can it save GM?

GM today unveiled the production model of it's much hyped Volt. It looks nothing like the sexy two seater prototype GM has been plastering on everything green lately. As much as I love the sporty concept though I think this is the smartest move GM has made in a while. They built buzz around the concept which has everyones attention, while we're all looking they hit us with a less dramatic yet much more practical car, very similar to the Prius. I doubt the media would pay as much attention to a car like this. If GM can follow through with solid handeling and a fun-to-drive vehicle combined with what many consider a superior drive technology, they should have a grand slam success. You can get 40+miles with pure electric and another 350 miles with the 1 liter gasoline engine that charges the lithium ion battery. What I find amazing is the Volt will be built in a brand new facility in Flint MI! That's right, imagine if the rest of Detroit suddenly decided to innovate again, imagine all the new american jobs, clean air, and stability with less reliance on foreign oil. It's about time one of the big three challenged the Prius!

Matchmaking

So we’ve done a little matchmaking lately, and it feels pretty good.

We recently paired up two of our clients in a collaboration and they are getting along famously. Vestalife is new on the block as an innovator in the audio market. Their Ladybug iPod speaker dock is their first product to hit the public, and it is getting a lot of attention. Future Sounds has appeared on our blog a few times. They are currently known mostly for their monthly CD of unsigned bands that are hot and up and coming, and their RUMBLE party in San Francisco and L.A. This month as part of the collaboration they gave away Vestalife's Ladybugs at both RUMBLE’s and it was a smashing hit.

More promotions and other exciting things are coming soon. We’ll be sure to keep you all informed.

For more photos from the RUMBLE: LA get over to http://shadowscene.com/album491.htm

To check out the Ladybug go to http://www.vesta-life.com/products.php