Sharing secrets: Kinect hacking

The fascinating video featured with this story was just released in May, and it’s already aging. It ran with the Wired story “Six Months Later, Kinect Hacks Flourish” to coincide with a presentation by computer scientist Johnny Chung Lee at Wired’s Disruptive by Design business conference, and since then, the phenomenon has literally taken the tech and creative worlds by storm.

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Forces for good: TONIC and YOU

TONIC is a platform for brands (consumers, celebrities and causes) to educate, interact and engage consumers around positive actions. Started as a destination for good news content, TONIC now generates its own news via the worlds of Silicon Valley, Madison Avenue, Philanthropy and Hollywood. This week they shared 10 thoughtful tips on ways to do good and be awesome this summer.

As their social media marketing manager Alethia Austin writes, “Here at Tonic, we believe the things to do during summer that are the most fun are those that have a positive effect on you, the people around you and our beautiful planet. We’ve put together a few ideas for you to consider when you find yourself wondering what to do during these long, wonderful summer days.”

I’ve summarized their suggestions below, but encourage you to check out the full article linked above for further ideas and inspiration. Thank you very much for your interest, and for doing your part to make our world better for us and generations to come.

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Please help save our supplies!

The video featured above is an SOS. It was first sent by DOC2DOCK, a non-profit organization that saves usable medical supplies from being discarded in the U.S. and sends them to hospitals in the developing world. Now, you can send the SOS further, and join the cause. Spread this SOS. Save Our Supplies. www.facebook.com/DOC2DOCK The … Read morePlease help save our supplies!

TED’s 2011 Ads Worth Spreading

For supporting its 2011 Ads Worth Spreading project, TED thanks YouTube, AICP, NiceSpots, Art Directors Club, The One Club/One Show, 4A’s, IAA, IAB and Contagious Magazine.

Kevin McMahon: Thanks for the Documentary

At some point over the past several weeks, my eyes were opened to the global water crisis, but I see now that I’m only beginning to get the full picture. Last week, I posted an entry on Irena Salina’s “FLOW,” and last night, my wife and I had another chance to see that amazing film thanks to it being repeated on the Sundance Channel. This morning, we found it there again and watched more of it with our 8-year-old daughter. After these viewings, I realized that there was a second powerful film I had recently seen (thanks again to Sundance Channel) on this subject: filmmaker Kevin McMahon’s “WATERLIFE.”

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Irena Salina: Thanks for the Documentary

Filmmaker Irena Salina has created an amazingly powerful documentary film entitled “FLOW: For the Love of Water,” which debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and has since won the International Jury Prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival, as well as Best Documentary honors at both the Vail International Film Festival and the United Nations Association Film Festival. Within the past several weeks, I saw the film on the Sundance Channel, and I want to encourage as many people as possible to see it. If interested, you can order the film on DVD by visiting this link.

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Behind the lens with ATTIK’s Simon Needham

As the co-founder of global creative agency ATTIK, and the creative director for ATTIK U.S., Simon Needham has already made an impressive impact on the marketing industry. ATTIK recently published NoiseFive, the latest of its self-guided, experimental, collectible design publications, and with each passing day, Simon continues to innovate alongside the world’s premier marketers — and the extremely talented artisans and craftspeople working with or within ATTIK on its latest campaigns.

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Earth Island Institute asks tomorrow’s leaders, “What would Dave do?”

Earth Island Institute established the Brower Youth Awards in 2000 to honor their founder and legendary environmental activist, David R. Brower and to call forth a new generation of leaders. This award manifests the Earth Island Institute’s abiding commitment to growing environmental leadership. The annual Brower Youth Awards honor six young people for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy.

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Marketing Case Study: “Shrek 2”

by Roger Darnell ..Challenge.. In hindsight, it’s clear that few films in the history of motion pictures have been as successful as “Shrek 2” from DreamWorks Animation SKG. When development and production began on the film, closely following on the heels of its big green 2001 “Shrek” predecessor, a global marketing workforce was spurred into … Read moreMarketing Case Study: “Shrek 2”

Marketing Case Study: “The Blair Witch Project”


By Roger Darnell

..Challenge.. From all reports, the feature film (and marketing) phenomenon that is known as “The Blair Witch Project” began with a group of dedicated, talented and resourceful filmmakers who were intent on using every asset at their disposal to make a successful film under their banner of Haxan Films.

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