straight bad ass

Interesting sociological look into sub culture of Straight Edge X. They are actually forming gangs and becoming violent...fighting against others.

straight bad ass

is this what i think it is?

It is.

more info here --> puregraffiti

is this what i think it is?

Timely technology

Completely self serving to Toyota, but a cool concept nonetheless. Check out their Ideas for Good website.

Head injuries are a hot topic right now within professional, college and youth football. There are some really sad stories out there proving football is causing severe brain issues. Check out former college buddy of mine who recently passed.

It is great to see innovation and technology responding to some of society's major issues.

Timely technology

in nyc today? become the man

Via The Urban Speaker! This art installation allows anyone to broadcast their voice in public. The installation has a number where people can dial in and record up to 60 seconds. Also equipped with a QR code, users can access the mobile site via phone and utilize for quick dial. This culture-jamming execution is intentionally trying to push the boundaries of media and public space, especially who is allowed to distribute messages.
First scene at Wooster Collective

in nyc today? become the man

golf anyone?

As a 'traditional' golfer, i look forward to participating in the next Urban Golf Day.

From Good

golf anyone?

who you going to call?

Improv Everywhere made an epic 1984 move at the NY Public Library. Good work guys!




Check out their site here

who you going to call?

design + function = Sanyo

The new Sanyo bike is super rad as it charges itself throughout your ride so that when you have to tackle hills it will do most of the work. I have a feeling these types of innnovations will increase larger adoption of bicycle riders, especially within metropolitan areas. Well done.
Ripped from Wired

design + function = Sanyo

its something about lemons and making things

Looks like some cool stuff. Really looking forward to seeing this movie.

its something about lemons and making things

the battle begins

After a long wait and much anticipation it looks like LEGO Universe is going to be launching soon. As a strong LEGO advocate because of their constant innovation, strategic partnerships and creative brand communications strategy I am especially excited to see their evolution into virtual worlds. LEGO consistently builds meaningful brand interactions that are ahead of trends within media consumption behaviors. Their brand consistently stays relevant among changing digital platforms and interfaces.

LEGO Universe will rival other tween/teen virtual worlds such as Gaia and Habbo, but its game functionality will attract traditional gamers to virtual worlds. It will be interesting to watch the launch, adoption and use of Universe over the next year, especially how brands can extend their IP into new innovative forms of interaction.

the battle begins

sweet design dude

I was reading this PSFK post when I saw some inspiration from Behance X. I must say, I likey. Not sure how inspired I am, but it is great to know that we live in a city where we can appreciate companies like Brooklyn Fare. It's about appreciation for authentic experiences. It's not about going against the grain as much as providing people with an opportunity for something different, unique and fun.

sweet design dude

Definition: of or relating to the ultimate purpose or result of a process

is google finally starting to get it? i am not sure...they are missing so many opportunities its unbelievable, but here is some progress:



oh yea, you should grab a cold one and maybe a cheese steak hoggie...this puppy is long.

Definition: of or relating to the ultimate purpose or result of a process

reclaimed for art

Something monumental happened this weekend in NYC. A group of people demanded their public space back and they did it with remarkable artistic success. Pissed off and turned off by the force fed obtrusive nature of advertisements in the neighborhood, a group organized by Jordan Seiler took over 120 billboards. The program aptly named "New York Street Advertising Takeover" was 4 months of coordination. All the billboards were white washed by dozens of volunteers wearing orange vests on Saturday the 25th.


Followed by 40-80 artists (who will be named later...hard to tell who all was involved at this point) who transformed the once ad space into pieces of extraordinary art.




This guerrilla-style transformation was illegal per se, but was in retaliation of illegal activity by the actual advertisements themselves. You see, billboards have to be registered with the city. The owner of these billboards, NPA Outdoor, has over 500 street level billboards in the city, 132 which are illegal (or not registered with New York City). Although illegal, they are rarely prosecuted allowing them to dominate our public neighborhood and collect big time profits at the same time.

Obviously a well coordinated effort between Jordan, the volunteers and the artists. Most likely done in conjunction with or the knowledge of Municipal Landscape Control Committee of New York City because they were able to pinpoint exact billboards that were illegal. Many activists have been in contact with NYC Department of Buildings in regards to the invasion of advertisements by NPA Outdoor.


Many of the pieces I have seen thus far contained messages of pro art, self choice and anti-consumerism.


Stay tuned for actual artist participation and more pieces of work.

Pics taken from here and here and here.

reclaimed for art

ideas and art for the man

Psychogeography: is the "emotional effect" of the "geographic environment."


Detournement: involves “re-appropriating” art, media, even ideas; it repurposes and transforms cultural objects and messages.

as a strong proponent of street art, my thoughts are best emphasized by John Hargrave's comments in the movie: "During the day I have a respectable day job at a local ad agency and by night I am seeking to undermine the very system I am building during the day. I am fighting against the man at the same time I am the man."

to watch full movie click here.

ideas and art for the man

holla back

Just following up to a post higlighting an online orchestra way back in December. well it seemed for the most part to be an successful project/event. Check out the NY Times write up!
also, starting to NOW receive some buzz...

holla back

kicking apps and taking names

So word on the street is building apps for the various phones can be some tough, possibly complicated, time consuming and costly stuff. Building an iPhone app is great, but there is also the Blackberry and the Android. There's also the cost of building additional apps for the other devices. Then there's the argument of is it really worth the extra money for the smaller adoption and penetration?
Relax...simmer down now! There's this new company that has emerged, looking like a true hero, called PhoneGap. They have created an open source tool for HTML and JavaScript developers to create platform agnostic applications on the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. So in other words if your team is microscopic (don't have experts on Objective-C) or your funds are miniature (most clients right now) the doors of kicking ass still await you.
Golf clap for keeping it open web and open standards. Speaking of which they are already have a community flourishing...

For us advertisers & marketeers testing out this app hype (oh, BTW Blackberry launched their app store) we can develop our iPhone app while building out a Blackberry and Android app at the same cost. The most effective test would be a multi platform launch/approach wouldn't you say? I can see the client, he looks glorious.

Well done Nitobi people...you get two thumbs up from ARTiFACT.

you stay classy world wide web.

kicking apps and taking names

a lending hand

the fine people over at Interactive Insights Group provided a super duper list of social media case studies. a great way to spark some ideas for your initiatives.

also great because most clients still need case studies today when considering social media implementation so they can wrap their head around the concept (also helps if their direct competitor is already there)...i have had some issues in the past finding endemic or category specific studies...hopefully this will help!

thanks for lending a hand Robin and John

a lending hand

Best Buy's Social Technology

Great video on how Best Buy is leveraging the new digital landscape by engaging with consumers in all areas of the web. Their approach is mint and I am sure they will quickly evolve, optimize and gain mega knowledge on their consumers and their brand. Their YouTube page hosts a plethora of videos to check out. I am sure we are all familiar with how they collaborated with their employees on their benefits awareness initiative earlier in 2008. Interested to see how Best Buy evolves through 2009...

Best Buy's Social Technology

Collaborative Online Orchestra?

Yes, the title says it all. There is a new symphony popping up and it is far from traditional. What was once a very non-transparent process is now a collaborative online experience via YouTube. Most people do not even see or know orchestra members until they come on stage. This 2.0 approach embraces what modern digital web is all about by bringing together talents of all kinds in all locations around the world. It has created robust discussions among artists with the ability for them to showcase their talent. What's more exciting is members will be selected and invited to play together at Carnegie Hall in NYC for a live concert. Stay tuned...

Collaborative Online Orchestra?