June 13, 2010

World Cup 2010 Ads



While Nike isn't a World Cup sponsor, the ad follows soccer stars like Italy's Cannavaro, England's Wayne Rooney, Brazil's Ronaldinho, and Portugal's Ronaldo fighting it out on the field as alternate versions of their futures flash before their eyes with every brilliant move and misplaced kick. The ambitious spot spans continents, sports and even cartoons, featuring cameos by Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant and, yes, Homer Simpson. While grand in scope, this spot shows just how influential a given player's on-field World Cup performance can mean to the rest of his life: Stellar play could mean celebrations with dancing girls, while poor choices with the ball might portend a barren existence in a trailer park. Perhaps a little overblown, but not by much.







Taking a very different approach is Carlsberg's "Team Talk." This spot drives home the incredible weight-of-expectations that each player on a major team faces when they play in the World Cup. For some teams, simply qualifying for the tournament is an accomplishment. For others, like England, anything short of outright victory may be deemed a national tragedy. So, should Britain's World Cup coach Fabio Capello ever need inspiration to fire up his players, Carlberg's Team Talk should be high on his cheat sheet. The campaign's official and most-watched creative implores the British side: "It's time to prove how good you are. Make no mistake. It's you. Eleven men. Eleven English men. Against the rest of the world. A world that can't wait to dump you out and rub your noses in it." Intense stuff, but authentic. Cleverly, the campaign also includes over 1,200 other clips of English fans giving the pep talk of their lives to their national team. The videos are integrated into game and locker room footage, so it looks as if the fan is England's manager at halftime. The winner of the best team talk will get to give it live to England's players and perhaps the chance to "join the immortals."








Via

June 10, 2010

Modify Your Storage


Another idea to maximize the use of space and storage by using MagnaPod plastic storage...or you can DIY something similar.

If you have a steel framed medicine cabinet the MagnaPod plastic storage containers magnetically attach to the inside of the door. For wood or plastic medicine cabinets a thin steel sheet can be purchased to adhere to the interior cabinet door.

Doesn't have to be a medicine cabinet. It could be a fridge or a shelf.

Via

June 9, 2010

(Difficult) Simplicity


In a standard interior, most objects only serve one function, but Neffa wondered why. Using this question as motivation, Neffa has created a new concept that marries lighting with plants called Ivy Xposed.

The lamp features cut-away artwork that was inspired by raindrops and that is perfect for training the ivy. By deciding for yourself how far you let the ivy grow out, you can emphasize either the lamp or the plant. The hood’s interior symbolizes the sun and provides an unexpectedly colorful highlight. The light shining through the ivy creates a fun pattern that is constantly changing. The flexible, flame-retardant material is easy on the plants and you can use a regular watering can for your plant. The lamp is LED, too so it’s low-energy and environmentally friendly.



Fragments of Nature



David Clarke's Metal Work

Shanghai: 1990 VS 2010




Via

June 7, 2010

Carl Sagan's The Pale Blue Dot



I blogged this the first time over a year ago...Somehow I thought of his speech again this morning. One of the best speeches of all time. A great reminder.