ThingsAmongMany

Yup, most of us are fans on some level or another of Sofia Coppola’s 2003 hit Lost in Translation. Of course, as much as I enjoyed the movie (which I admittedly haven’t seen in a few years), I’m not sure that I could sit down and explain the plot too easily. I can, however, explain the plot of the new mashup by Charles Gallant (fellow POKEr and co-creator of RD4T) that he recently posted on Vimeo.

To demonstrate the reality of those “lost in translation” moments, Charles took the lyrics of NIN’s Closer and translated them from English to Japanese using Babelfish. He then retranslated the resulting Japanese rendition back into English (also via Babelfish) and set the newly interpreted translation in time to the original song.

The result is a humorous, intriguing look at why we don’t always understand one another, no matter how simply we believe we’re speaking. Give it a watch:

NIN & Babelfish from Charles Gallant on Vimeo.

Since the Apple TV came out - under much scrutiny to say the least - the idea of streaming media from a “computer” source to a TV has become much more mainstream (and let’s not discount the impact of iTunes in that process as well). Netflix has followed up with a variety of streaming services as well, including the recent launch of it’s beta program for streaming content to Macs (check this link if you’re interested in joining that program) and the relatively new Roku set-top box for Netflix.

Well, now that the public is starting to understand what these offerings can do for their entertainment purposes, some newcomers are cropping up in the field with products that cater to this type of viewing. Perfect example is the new Archos TV+. Combine a DVR with a media player for video and audio content and you’ve got the gist of it. But, in my mind, what sets the Archos player apart is the ability to browse the web (though it does require a “plug-in” that they charge for). Suddenly your living room entertainment center has the potential to replace a second computer for those emergency situations when you need to book an appointment at the genius bar but can’t…because your computer is broken.

I’ve dug through the info on the Archos site, but can’t seem to determine what the potential is for moving media around (for example, what if I purchase something from iTunes?). But it does allow access to the major video hosting sites. It would be killer if they built streaming Netflix capabilities into the box as well!

If anyone’s had face-time with one of these bad boys, give us the run-down!

Sure, you know all about graffiti. Spray painted forms illicitly painted on walls in the middle of the night with the hopes of avoiding capture in the process. But how about reverse graffiti? Not so familiar?

Invented by Paul “Moose” Curtis, a then kitchen-hand in Leeds, reverse graffiti is the process of creating artwork on a surface by cleaning it. Not quite clear? Have a look at Moose’s recent work in San Francisco’s Broadway tunnel, a grime-coated subterranean thoroughfare in the heart of downtown:

Beneficial to all, and completely legal, Moose’s variation on the standard “graffiti” artwork is a huge step beyond the “environmentally friendly” wheatpaste that most artists use when they’re concerned about environmental impacts. Moose’s tools are simply water and Green Works products, a brand of environmentally minded, plant-based cleaning products.

Interested in learning more or seeing more videos about the creative process for the San Francisco project? Stop by ReverseGraffitiProject.com for a full run-down.

It never ceases to amaze me what people can do these days with a little time and determination - and, of course, a whole lotta know-how. Case in point is the Cannes-recognized short ARK, directed by Grzegorz Jonkajtys. Inspired by the old catacombs found in Italy, ARK is the story of a fight for survival:

An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population. Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land. So begins the exodus, led by one man…

The short was created by shooting hand-made models and then inserting the characters and coloring on the computer. There’s a slideshow of the models and the shooting process here that’s well worth a look. It’s incredible that much of this story was shot on a standard Nikon D70!

You can watch ARK below, but for the full effect you should really take a few minutes to download the HD version here. Also have a look at the ARK website. Without further ado…

It’s not terribly unusual for us to get a look at early work from print artists or designers. Seeing where these minds have come from, how they’ve grown, and how they got started is relatively commonplace. Even the widely esteemed Michael Beirut has shared his student portfolio with the world (and its well-worth a perusal if you haven’t seen it yet!).

It’s a bit more rare, though, to have the opportunity to gain the same insight into the world of a cinematic director. Directors seem to pop up out of nowhere or squeeze out an indie hit that then propels them on to bigger things. The difficulties are ten-fold when we’re looking at someone who’s much more a video artist than a big-screen director. Someone like, say, Chris Cunningham. Most well-known for his work on Bjork’s All is Full of Love video (view here) and Aphex Twin’s Come to Daddy video, Cunningham is now one of the most widely recognized names in music video.

Given his notoriety, and the fact that I love his All is Full of Love video, I was really excited to stumble onto a reel of Cunningham’s early work. This is perportedly the reel that scored Chris his first directorial job. It’s a 7.5 minute look into one of the more creative minds out there right now!

We’ve been working on a “top secret” project here at work that has a little somethin’ to do with video. So the project has us digging into some sites like Vimeo that haven’t previously been part of our surfing repertoire (Flickr is generally more up our alley). During our travels, we came across the Beautiful Disorder group on Vimeo that features a collection of random-yet-interesting videos from a variety of inspiration sources.

I was particularly interested in Music is Math, a short video by Vimeo user glennmarshall. Created in processing and inspired by the Boards of Canada track featuring the same name, the video is a pretty slick look at what can be done with just some code and some time:

Have a look and let us know which are some of your faves from the world of user generated video.

Need I really say more? Normally I wouldn’t be in much of a rush to slap a movie trailer up here…but it’s Bond. And I dare say Casino Royale was the best Bond since Connery graced the screen in the role. While I’m not yet sold on the title, Quantum of Solace, I’m more than open to the prospect. Of course, I wasn’t entirely sold on Daniel Craig either, until I saw Layer Cake (which, if you haven’t seen, you absolutely must!). So, without further, ado, here’s the newly released trailer for Quantum of Solace (due out in November):

Try Upl8.tv.

Remember those days back before Tivo, on-demand, Netflix, and Hulu? Those days when the need for mindless channel flipping was satisfied purely by…mindless channel flipping. Those days are back. Your mindless channel flipping needs can now be solved thanks to YouTube (irony?) and the never-ending ingenuity - and occasional boredom - of the folks at POKE NY.

Tune in. Flip channels. Zone out.

Motionographer has a bit about this stop motion commercial for a logistics company called Luft, created by Foccaland. It combines stop motion, design theory, and a fun accent. What more could you possibly ask for?