Posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Reading Ian Bogost - Gamification is Bullshit (Excerpt)
Gamification is easy. It offers simple, repeatable approaches in which benefit, honor, and aesthetics are less important than facility. For the consultants and the startups, that means selling the same bullshit in book, workshop, platform, or API form over and over again, at limited incremental cost. It ticks a box. Social media strategy? Check. Games strategy? Check.
The title of this symposium shorthands these points for me: the slogan "For the Win," accompanied by a turgid budgetary arrow and a tumescent rocket, suggesting the inevitable priapism this powerful pill will bring about—a Viagra for engagement dysfunction, engorgement guaranteed for up to one fiscal quarter.
This rhetorical power derives from the "-ification" rather than from the "game". -ification involves simple, repeatable, proven techniques or devices: you can purify, beautify, falsify, terrify, and so forth. -ification is always easy and repeatable, and it's usually bullshit. Just add points.
via bogost.com
read the full post here:
Monday, February 27, 2012
Woot! Upcoming at SXSW: The Rise of Co-Created Storyworld Communities #sxswtransmedia
Scott Walker Pres Brain Candy LLCScott Walker likes playing with stories and exploring new models for collaborating with audiences. He primarily achieves this as President of Brain Candy, LLC, where he crafts participatory experiences that bridge audiences and creatives.
To better explore the relationship between participatory entertainment and transmedia storytelling, Scott co-founded Transmedia Los Angeles and launched Shared Story Worlds, a site devoted to collaborative entertainment properties with participatory elements.
Scott has been invited to speak at a variety of events/organizations, including Digital Book World, Disney’s Imagineering R&D, DIY Days L.A., and CTIA Enterprise and Applications. He is on his second year as a member of the Advisory Council for the StoryWorld Conference.
Fan Trailer For JOHN CARTER Gets Director's Approval; Promotes The Film Better Than Official Version
Grazie to Scott Walker for the heads-up on this one:
Excerpt from the comicbookmovie.com post:
"First of all, let me just say something. If you didn't know already, I'm huge fan of the Barsoom novels and its creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. These stories basically changed modern science fiction and there is no two ways around it. Without them, we wouldn't have Star Wars, the character of Superman, the highest grossing film ever called Avatar, and many, many other films, books and characters. Burroughs also created another widely known character, Tarzan, and did you actually know that John Carter was created before Tarzan? Burroughs' writing influenced some of the biggest authors like Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury. When it comes to John Carter, this a character created a 100 years ago, and there has been A LOT of attempts to bring the first novel, A Princess of Mars to the big screen. No one managed to do that. Until now. It's no secret that Disney's marketing for John Carter has been weird and random ever since the second trailer. The first teaser trailer released in July last year was brilliant. I thought we are in for a big and smart promotion of this century-old story, but instead we got the exact opposite. While the second trailer was pretty good, people who are not familiar with the character just thought it was "another" Attack of the Clones or Avatar, which is ironic considering those films exist just because of the story John Carter is based on. Still, studio should have introduce this film as a story that inspired all that I mentioned above, but not a single sign of that in the trailers or TV spots. That was a first big mistake. As a fan who knows what's going on in the spots, I loved almost every one. But, there are many people out there who have no idea what's going on in the footage. The second big mistake was not mentioning Andrew Stanton's name or his previous films, which are of course, two Academy Award-winning Pixar films called WALL•E and Finding Nemo.
All that was a result of the problem Disney had late last year with the president of worldwide marketing, and it seems everything went downhill after that. So, is it still possible for the film to be a box office success? Yes, it is. Disney already showed the film to the press, and allowed them to share their thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, which is definitely a good thing. Power of social media is growing, and many who saw the film said that it's really good, and positive word-of-mouth is already getting bigger. But, what about the trailers? Well, there is still another trailer we will get soon (Trailer #3), but before that, our friends over at The John Carter Files have created this fan trailer with the footage available, and it gets so many things right than any other official trailer. Director Andrew Stanton already approved this trailer a couple of days ago by saying, "Great fan trailer! They get it!" and after that almost every movie site posted it. With that, the trailer just passed over 100,000 views, and almost every single comment has been positive and supportive. Check it out:
read the full post here:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Wolvie09/news/?a=55337&t=Fan_Trailer_F...
The i-docs’ “evolution”, in just 10 points | from Sandra Gaudenzi & Arnau Gifreu via i-docs
The i-docs’ “evolution”, in just 10 points
While preparing for the forthcoming i-Docs conference, and thinking about what a great year 2011 has been for factual narratives, we started a discussion between Arnau Gifreu and myself to see if we agreed on the i-docs trends that are emerging just in front of our eyes.
Arnau proposed to come up with 10 points that could illustrate the trends and novelties that the years 2011-12 are bringing forward. I thought it was a brilliant idea. As i-docs are getting more established as a genre we are witnessing the emergence of more production companies, more tools and more dedicated conferences around the world. So…where is this leading us?
Here are the 10 points we came up with. Please do reply to this post and add your own ideas to it. Or maybe… do even better: come to i-Docs 2012 (it’s happening in just a month time, on the 22nd and 23rd of March, in Bristol!) and… engage in a lively discussion with all of us!
1. Tools and HTLM 5 as the next revolution for i-docs
New authoring tools have emerged in the last year. Those can use HTML 5 language with javascript frameworks (such popcorn.js), and other frameworks (as Zeega, Klynt and 3WDOC) will allow the incorporation and handling of different types of multimedia elements within linear audiovisual documentary. Now… those tools are not made for i-docs only, of course, but they greatly open up the possibilities for i-docs producers.
Figure 1. New authoring multimedia tools
This is particularly true for the tools that make use of HTML5 because effectively they allow live data to be linked to a specific video frame. So… why making such a fuss about HTML5? Well… effectively it turns video into a hyperlink. You can now link every frame of your movie to live data that is somewhere else in the web. This could be a news feed, a weather report, a community of people that blog about your precise topic… or anything else you can think of!
Both the very well-known projects One Millionth Tower and 18 Days in Egypt have used Popcorn this year… and we are ready to bet that there will be many more next year! By the way, Jigar Metha (18 days in Egypt) and Kat Cizek (Highrise/One Millionth Tower) will both speak at i-Docs 2012!
Figure 2. 18 days in Egypt Website
Figure 3. One Millionth Tower project
via i-docs.org
read the full very useful post here:
http://i-docs.org/2012/02/26/the-i-docs-evolution-in-just-10-points/
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Transmedia Toronto Meetup: Talk featuring Scott Walker of Brain Candy - Feb 27, 7:30 - See you there!
Hey Transmedia peoples:
It's been too many moons since our last meetup, so let's get active again. Our first scheduled meetup of the year will be Monday, Feb. 27 at Raindance Canada (at the Centre of Social Innovation Annex) same room as last time.
Our guest speaker will be Scott Walker of Brain Candy. Scott is also a founding organizer of Transmedia LA, the granddaddy of all the Transmedia meetup groups around the world. Scott design experiences that encourage audience participation and explore collaborative world building techniques. This talk/Q&A on Shared Storyworlds will be of special use to filmmakers, new media and digital media producers who are planning to apply for funding that must include an interactive digital component. You can check out more about Scott on his blog at http://metascott.com/. And hopefully after Scott's talk we can have further great discussions.
As previously mentioned at our last talk, we are asking for a 5$ donation/cover charge to contribute to the speaker fee, as we really want to honour the professionals who speak at our events as professionals. That is 5$ at the door in cash.
via meetup.com
The @Disneyland Marketing Method: cleanliness, distorted perspectives.. Disney's other rules...
Nice points made through this article - here's my have:
"Optical Illusion
After spending weeks of my life at Disneyland, I’ve come to understand certain “tricks” they play with your mind. Aggregated by talking to employees, family members who have worked at the park and research online.
One optical illusion they’ve designed for the customer’s benefit is the following:
Main Street is the road you walk on when first entering the park.
It’s designed to look longer when you enter and shorter when you leave. How do they do it? They slant the height of the buildings to grow shorter when you’re looking towards the castle (entering) and taller in the reverse direction.
This gives your mind an optical illusion of distorted distance.
And why do they do this?
Disneyland wants the park to look larger, grand and monstrous when you first enter the park. Early in the morning, you’re energized and ready to walk anyways. When you leave the park, late at night, you’re usually tired; and enjoy seeing the exit feeling like it’s closer..."
read the full post here
‘Amazing Spider-Man’ ARG paints the town red | Hero Complex via latimes.com
Excerpt:
"First some background: We told you earlier that this alternate reality game started with the delivery of a backpack containing the “personal effects” of Peter Parker, effects that led to a website, which in turn revealed six Twitter accounts that belonged to ARG operatives in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix and Seattle. That far-flung ARG team then tweeted five locations in each city — it was then up to the players to dash to be the first to arrive at one of those destinations..."
full post here:
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/02/24/amazing-spider-man-arg-paints-the-t...
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Kevin Kelly -- New Rules for the New Economy (A small excerpt of a read worth bookmarking)
We are connecting everything to everything.
When we permit any object to transmit a small amount of data and to receive input from its neighborhood, we change an inert object into an animated node.
Dumb parts, properly constituted into a swarm, yield smart results.
The surest way to smartness is through massive dumbness.
The aim of swarm power is superior performance in a turbulent environment.
Complete surrender to the bottom is not what embracing swarm power is about.
Without some element of governance from the top, bottom-up control will freeze when options are many. Without some element of leadership, the many at the bottom will be paralysed with choices.
At present there is far more to be gained by pushing the boundaries of what can be done by the bottom than by focusing on what can be done at the top.
The great benefits reaped by the new economy in the coming decades will be due in large part to exploring and exploiting the power of decentralised and autonomous networks.
via kk.org
Phenomenal: Kickstarter Expects to Provide More Funding Than the National Endowment for the Arts This Year - Rebecca J. Rosen - Technology - The Atlantic
via theatlantic.com
Excerpt from The Atlantic, Feb 24, 2012:
"It is probable Kickstarter will distribute more money this year than the NEA," said [Kickstarter co-founder Yancey] Stricker in an exclusive phone interview with TPM. "We view that number and our relationship to it in both a good and bad way."
As Strickler explained, the milestone is "good" in the sense that it means that Kickstarter may now reach a point where it will funnel as much money to the arts as the federal agency primarily responsible for supporting them, effectively doubling the amount of art that can get funded in the country.
"But maybe it shouldn't be that way," Strickler said, "Maybe there's a reason for the state to strongly support the arts."
The Web in 2020: Kevin Kelly’s Vision | Seamless Social by Jean-Marie Bonthous
At the Web 2.0 Expo & Conference in San Francisco, Kevin Kelly, co-founder and Editor-At-Large for Wired Magazine, delivered a brilliant keynote outlining his vision for the future of the web. I was impressed by his clarity and by how simply and succinctly he was able to simplify complex concepts to share his vision.
Kelly described six broad trends for what lies ahead at a 5 to 10 years horizon. What he envisions can be summarized in six words: screening, interacting, sharing, flowing, accessing, and generating. I’ll do my best to convey what he said.
6 Directions for the Future Web
Original Post by:
Jean-Marie Bonthous, PhD, is Principal of Seamless Social.
Grazie for capturing this talk for those not there!
The trend that interests me most.
"Generating
The web is the largest copy machine. Anyone can make copies of anything, which makes copies less valuable. What becomes more valuable, however, is what cannot be copied easily. What is hard to copy and easy to pay for is what has a future.
Trust and reputation cannot be copied easily. They have to be generated inside the context of each exchange with the customer. They are generatives. There are 6 generatives, or areas where it is not possible to copy and where value will be created: immediacy, personalization, authenticity, attention, and interpretation.
Attention is the ability to capture people’s attention. Whoever can get people’s attention can get paid for it. According to Om Malik from GigaOm, the economics of attention are much more unforgiving than the real economic underpinning of a product. You can find money for your company from an investor, but it wouldn’t really matter if you don’t have users’ attention. Attentionomics is a hard reality especially in highly competitive and somewhat subjective marketplaces like Hollywood movies, music and even fashion are markets where “attention” determines the outcome.
Immediacy is a reason to pay. If I can get a free copy of an article right now, without having to wait, I am ready to pay for it rather than wait one hour for it. I am not paying for the article but for the immediacy.
Personalization is another thing worth paying for. Maybe it will be a custom version of a symphony tuned specifically for the acoustics of your home. You will be glad to pay for this customization of a symphony otherwise available for free on the web.
Access to software may be free, but you will be ready to pay for authentication.
You will pay Amazon not for books but for recommendations, findability, and reviews. And if you want music, it will be free but you will be ready to pay for embodiment–to see the musicians in person.
In the upcoming web, we will also be ready to pay for interpretation. Maybe software will be free, but the manual explaining how to use it or how to customize it for your specific needs will be something you are ready to pay for. Accessibility will be where there is a frictionless charge, 24/7.
Where will the money flow?..."
Read the full post here:
http://seamlesssocial.com/material-type/articlesposts/the-web-in-2020-kevin-k...
Friday, February 24, 2012
Supercool! Double Fine Adventure by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions — Kickstarter
via kickstarter.com
Excerpt:
"WoooooooooOOOOoooOoOoooOOooo!
UPDATE: We did it! 100% funded in just over eight hours. You people are amazing! But it's not over yet. The number keeps going up and now the question is just how much news do we want to make with this? We're getting a lot of attention already and it seems like this little project could have an impact beyond itself.
All money raised will go to make the game and documentary better. Additional money means it can appear on more platforms, be translated into more languages, have more music and voice, and an original soundtrack for the documentary, and more! We're still working to figure out exactly what we can offer, but we'll post more information as soon as possible.
Your backing and comments have been truly inspiring to me and the team, so on behalf of Double Fine and 2 Player Productions I want to say THANK YOU!!!
I can't wait to see where this thing can go!
Welcome to the Adventure..."
Web TV's New Lineup - Excerpt from WSJ.com
Jeff Huang (photo illustration); Clockwise from top left: Getty Images; Bedrocket Media/Network A; Netflix; Scotch Films; Reuters; iStockphoto; Aaron Epstein/BlackBoxTV; Everett Collection; Associated Press"...Google, which owns YouTube, is paying an array of producers, from seasoned pros like Mr. Robbins to self-made Web stars, to create 100 new video "channels." Google is giving each channel up to $5 million in funding, according to people familiar with the deals. The first channels began launching last month, and more will continue rolling out through the summer.
Hulu this week premiered its first scripted series, "Battleground," about staffers backing an uphill Senate campaign in Wisconsin; it will be followed by an off-kilter travel show from "Dazed and Confused" director Richard Linklater. For the spring, Yahoo is developing "Electric City," an animated series about a dystopian society of the future, co-produced by Mr. Hanks, who will also voice a character. Yahoo is already rolling out about 20 original shows each month, mostly short-form reality shows...."
via online.wsj.com
read the full post here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204883304577223630028525366.htm...
Very Cool Stats on Machinima Viewing Worldwide- Search Engine Watch (#SEW)
Excerpt from a very detailed article on US Online Video Viewing
"...The company Machinima is a “next generation” video entertainment network for video gamers, providing a broad range of gaming-focused editorial and community programming for the hard-to-reach 18-34 year old male demographic. Worldwide, over 149 million unique gamers viewed in excess of 1.3 billion videos on Machinima January 2012, making it the top Entertainment Channel on YouTube. In addition to YouTube, Machinima properties are also found on other global distribution platforms including Facebook, Twitter, iOS and Android.
In addition to producing expansive editorial content, the company’s suite of applications, tools, and technologies motivates players to be highly engaged and active with their favorite games. Machinima builds enthusiastic communities around and in between game launches and DLC releases, distributing “official” videos and producing custom content.
Machinima’s channel on YouTube has more than 3 billion views and almost 4.2 million subscribers. The most popular video on the channel is “Avatar Trailer The Movie (New Extended HD Trailer) .”
But wait, there’s more!
Machinima has also launched other YouTube channels, including:
- Machinima Respawn, which has 767 million views and almost 1.8 million subscribers.
- Machinima Realm, which has almost 83 million views and close to 492,000 subscribers.
- Machinima Sports, which has almost 56 million views and over 344,000 subscribers.
- Machinima Trailer Vault, which has more than 35 million views, and close to 250,000 subscribers.
What Does This Mean to Marketers?
Read the full article here: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2155109/181-Million-Americans-Watched-40...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Very Cool: Beckinfield: haunted town where audience creates the story | By Nick DeMartino for Reuters
By Nick DeMartino Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:53am EST
Excerpt from a great detailed article: "...The Beckinfield story unfolds continuously -- a kind of never-ending soap opera for the YouTube set. Every audience member's experience of the story is individualized, since one's view depends upon which characters one chooses to follow and watch. A weekly edit -- "previously on Beckinfield" -- provides a summary of story highlights. The site's tagging and trending tools also help guide the user experience.
Suffice it to say: The Beckinfield user is an engaged user -- whether choosing to perform or just watch.
The performers, of course, are all unpaid. Some are aspiring actors; others are amateurs from all around the world. More than 4,000 of them have registered since Beckinfield's "soft" launch at the SXSW conference in March 201l. Ten persons are actively uploading content on a regular basis..."
via reuters.com
Full article here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/21/us-beckinfield-idUSTRE81K14Y20120221
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Storify Launches iPad App To Bring Storytelling To Your Fingertips - 10,000 Words
Storify Launches iPad App To Bring Storytelling To Your Fingertips
Storify, the popular drag-and-drop storytelling tool, is coming to an iPad near you in the form of a brand new, free app, the company announced today. The iPad application makes Storify available on mobile devices for the first time.
“Users have asked for it for a long time,” Jeff Elder, Storify’s marketing director, told me via email. “This is a storytelling app, letting you create content on the iPad as never before.”
Just like the Storify website, the app lets users curate content from Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites. There are two main differences: Users can tweet directly from the app and it is also touch-enabled, allowing content to be moved with just the touch of a finger.
“Whether you’re at a conference or at home, you can mix social streams to create simple, beautiful stories to share and remember the moments in life that matter,” Xavier Damman, Storify co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “You now have storytelling at your fingertips.”
via mediabistro.com
read the full post here:
http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/storify-launches-ipad-app-to-bring-stor...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
TV Ads' New Digital Role - by Shiv Singh - Excerpt from Harvard Business Review
11:45 AM Thursday November 10, 2011
"Television advertising has undergone significant changes in the last 30 years. However, it is arguably on the verge of its greatest changes ever. From where I sit as the Global Head of Digital at PepsiCo Beverages, charged with navigating our brand's foray into the digital world, I see three big changes:
--The value we put on an advertisement will change as we seek to account for engagement metrics in the pricing.
--The narrative arch will change as we think of the advertisement as a trailer versus the whole story.
--Location-aware technologies will force a greater degree of engagement on a format that had historically been passive, impersonal and certainly without any extensions.
When you look at the statistics, the reasons are obvious. According to a recent study, 60% of television viewers also look at their mobile phones while watching TV shows. 33% have their laptops open in front of them and most interestingly, iPad owners spend the most time in front of the TV with their tablet than any other activity. It makes sense for TV advertisements to be thought of as an element in a broader narrative arch for the brand - a narrative arch that allows the brand to tell a more complete and a more interactive story. But what are the implications for marketers today? I see six key changes.
1. In the future, no television advertisement will be just self-contained narratives designed to entertain, inform, educate or remind consumers about products. Their role isn't going to be about building brand recall, favorability and awareness in that moment alone. They will be trailers into deeper branded digital experiences. When TV ads become teasers for digital experiences, the ROI on the investment will improve significantly as the digital experience will stretch out the brand experiences beyond the 30 second clip. The ROI won't be measured by the impact that the TV ad has when it's aired but also by its residual influence on engagement in other mediums in the weeks that follow the airing. We saw a good example of this with the Pepsi Sound Off platform that was launched to fuel conversations around the X-Factor TV show...."
via blogs.hbr.org
read the full article here:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/11/the_new_role_of_television_adv.html
Why Hulu and Netflix Need Original Content #infdist
Excerpt:
"Will Silicon Valley kill Hollywood? Based on recent developments, it seems much more likely that the two will converge, as professional-quality original programming makes its way onto the Internet. Not only is it increasingly common for content producers to try their luck on platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, but this move is now actively encouraged by the main players in the online video sector, from Amazon to Google. This isn’t entirely a surprise. For platforms such as YouTube, it makes sense to ensure that high-quality videos will be posted to the site to attract even more eyeballs and ad dollars...
...From distribution to production
Even more interestingly, both Hulu and Netflix figure among the companies that have shown interest in producing content from A to Z. While Netflix recently launched ‘Lilyhammer’, a Norwegian-American comic drama that the BBC deemed good enough to license, Hulu is also commissioning documentary series, the latest being ‘Up to Speed’ from the indie director Richard Linklater.
Although budgets haven’t been disclosed, Netflix’s investment in original content seems sizeable, and likely higher than Hulu’s – as we previously reported, Netflix’s spokesman Steve Swasey said in an email to Bloomberg that original content accounts for about 5% of the company’s content budget.
Yet, Netflix’s trial and error approach is quite limited compared to Amazon’s strategy. From screenwriting to distribution, the company seems ready to take the bull by the horns and take full control of a new kind of production cycle...."
via thenextweb.com
Read the full post here:
http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/02/19/why-amazon-hulu-and-netflixs-move-to-o...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
I'm off to Montreal next week for JOURNÉES TRANSMÉDIA, Feb. 22-24 & I've got a Carte Blanche! Fun!
Transmedia days - Programme 2
CARTE BLANCHE Transmedia all forms NAVIGATION OF COPYRIGHT story (s) and skateboarding
Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 13:30, Cinémathèque québécoise - Salle Fernand-Seguin
There's a great line-up of speakers, Lance Weiler
is kicking it off, & you can see the schedule here:
http://www.rvcq.com/festival-30e/programmation/evenements?ajax=0&transmed...
Delve! Best Log Lines! OTAKU IRU TRANSMEDIA LLC
Otaku Iru Transmedia LLC
Allowing others to enter electronic worlds!
Massive Multiplayer Virtual Entertainment
Written!
via otakuiru.com
Friday, February 17, 2012
Love: Watch As 300,000 Norwegians Move Across The Globe Like Ballistic Missiles | Co.Design: business + innovation + design
by Mark Wilson
Excerpt:
"World governments are chock full of public data. At best, it’s a messy pile of non-synthesized numbers available to the public. At worst, that “public” data is actually not so simple to obtain, and the numbers rot within stagnant databases.
Inspired by the advanced, micro-level visualizations at CERN, Even Westvang works in C++ to visualize public data. “We need to build an argument for why it’s important to release data,” Westvang writes us. “As I think running code and short films often carry an argument better than long-winded paragraphs (like this one) the conclusion is that we need compelling examples of the use of public data....”
via fastcodesign.com
Mark Wilson's full post is here:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669052/watch-as-300000-norwegians-move-across-th...
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Minecraft official LEGO set ready for pre-order | VentureBeat
via venturebeat.com
Excerpt from a whole lotta fun:
by Heinrich Lenhardt
February 16, 2012 7:35 PM
"More than 5 million people have been playing with virtual building blocks in Minecraft. This summer, they’ll get the opportunity to manually assemble 480 physical pieces with LEGO Minecraft Micro World. The $34.99 toy set comes with four customizable vignettes of Minecraft-themed LEGO pieces and two adorable figures, game character Steve and a Creeper (this monster’s tendency to spontaneously explode remains limited to the computer game).
Danish toy company LEGO published new details and images of its collaboration with Swedish Minecraft developer Mojang. The project started in December 2011 with a pitch to LEGO CUUSOO, a community platform where fans submit ideas for new LEGO sets. Minecraft quickly gained the required 10,000 supporters and became the first CUUSOO submission to pass the review to become a LEGO product.
LEGO Minecraft Micro World can be pre-ordered at the Jinx online store. The idea owner of each realized LEGO CUUSOO project will receive 1% of the total net sales of the product. Mojang has already announced that it will donate its proceeds to charity.
Originally envisioned for the larger 2×2 LEGO brick scale, the final set will be using 1×1 plates with a tile on top for each Minecraft building block. The result is not a perfect cube like in the game, but “the best approximation at the chosen scale”, according to LEGO. Model designer Bjarne Panduro Tveskov added “[it] packs the most Minecraft DNA into the model per LEGO brick.”.."
read the full post here:
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/16/minecraft-official-lego-set-ready-for-pre-o...
Very Cool: Australian Film Set for US Debut via Facebook - Excerpt via thenextweb.com
by Jon Russell, 16 Feb, 2012
Tomorrow, When the War Began, an Australian smash hit title, is to become the first film to be released on the social network at the same time that it hits cinemas in the US.
The film will be available on Facebook when it debuts in the country on February 24 after Freestyle Digital Media was confirmed as its launch partner. The company has wasted no time in taking a unique step with its distribute plan.
Admittedly, the film has been out for some while in other parts of the world, having been released in its native Australia in September 2010 and the UK last April, but the move is a significant step nonetheless. As Milyoni, the Facebook broadcasting specialist that is handling its release, explained to The Next Web, it will become “the first movie to be made available on all distribution platforms on the same day”.
Milyoni has plans to make the screening a particular social one thanks to its Social Cinema Facebook broadcasting platform and its features, which it explains allow an interactive experience.
Friends can share the movie viewing experience with friends no matter where they are. Fans can chat, share their favorite clips and access exclusive content all within Facebook...."
via thenextweb.com
read the full post by Jon Russell here:
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2012/02/16/blockbuster-australian-film-will-be...
Woot! Nice Post! How Canada's NFB Became The World's Hippest Digital Content Hub | Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce
by Jeff Beer
"Quick: first thing that pops into your head when you hear “Canadian film." No, Uncle Buck doesn’t count. The few Canuck nerds among you may think Guy Maddin or Denys Arcand, but odds are the rest of the associations involve two hosers or maybe Porky’s.
But over the last few years, another entity has been attracting the attention of mainstream audiences inside and outside of Canada. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has gained a reputation among both film and tech fans for its interactive documentary projects and online screening room, collecting awards from around the world for pushing the boundaries of narrative storytelling on the web. In fact, even if you can’t name the Canadian prime minister (come on… no Googling) or locate Moose Jaw on a map, if you’re a fan of film, there’s a good chance you’ve seen some NFB-originated work in the last few years...."
Case in point, the Sundance splash made by Bear 71 in recent weeks. That project, which looks at issues of technology and surveillance by following the fate of a grizzly in Alberta’s Banff National Park, continues the NFB’s run of interactive innovation in film.
via fastcocreate.com
full article from fastcodesign here:
http://www.fastcocreate.com/1679850/how-canadas-nfb-became-one-of-the-worlds-...
Rimino, A Radical Concept For The Future Of Mobile Computing | Co.Design: business + innovation + design
In the smartphone space, Moradganjeh sees a trend toward increasingly complex devices. With Rimino, he seeks to challenge that trend, developing a user experience concept that would be "more integrated and more sensitive to the human experience."
via fastcodesign.com
full article here:
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669047/rimino-a-radical-concept-for-the-future-o...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Quote of the Day (via io9): Alan Moore sums up everything that's wrong with the entertainment industry
Alan Moore:
"There's been a growing dissatisfaction and distrust with the conventional publishing industry, in that you tend to have a lot of formerly reputable imprints now owned by big conglomerates. As a result, there's a growing number of professional writers now going to small presses, self-publishing, or trying other kinds of [distribution] strategies. The same is true of music and cinema. It seems that every movie is a remake of something that was better when it was first released in a foreign language, as a 1960s TV show, or even as a comic book. Now you've got theme park rides as the source material of movies. The only things left are breakfast cereal mascots. In our lifetime, we will see Johnny Depp playing Captain Crunch."
via io9.com
Path Releases Valentine's Day Metrics, Ends Up Reminding Users It Has Their Data
Some of the metrics:
"Path metrics for Valentine’s Day in the U.S. on February 14, 2012:
Comments with the word “love” on Path up 26%
Comments with the words “romantic” or “romance” up 153%
Comments using the words “marry,” “date” or “engage” up 54%
Negative comments about Valentine’s Day up 38%
Comments with the word “single,” up 53%
Percentages of moments tagged with other people up 33%
Love (hearts), 43.5%
Happy (smiley face), 25%
Laugh (laughing face), 18%
Surprise (surprised face), 8.6%
Sad (sad face), 4.9%
via mashable.com
full post on mashable:
http://mashable.com/2012/02/15/path-valentines-day-metrics/?utm_source=twitte...
Cool! Lego's social platform showcases fan creations | Article via rag an.com
By Matt Wilson | Posted: February 13, 2012
"People love Lego. Want proof? Take a look at Brickshelf, a fan-made Lego community with more than 4 million pictures of folks' creations made from its interlocking building blocks. Or take a look at LUGnet, a site that networks many of the world's Lego User Groups (LUGs).
So a few years ago, when the Danish company considered building a social network of its own, it had to consider the abundance of fan-created communities dedicated to the multicolored, plastic bricks.
"We can't just do anything," says Peter Espersen, online community lead for Lego. "We need to be respectful, and we need to mind what the other guys are doing."
What Lego ended up with is Rebrick, a social bookmarking site where users don't upload their own photos; rather, they bookmark photos on websites such as Flickr and Brickshelf to share with a wide audience. Think of it as a clearinghouse, Espersen says.
Lego's approach has attracted attention without alienating its global online fan presence, Espersen says. That's the goal..."
Planning the project...
via ragan.com
Full article here:
Woot for Scott Walker & Esther Lim! Announcement! – Speaking at SXSW on Co-Created Storyworlds
Posting from Scott Walker! Woot!"I can FINALLY share this publicly: Esther Lim and I will be speaking at SXSW as part of their Digital Domain track (3:30 on 3/11)!
Our panel is titled, “The Rise of Co-Created Storyworld Communities,” and we’ll be joined by an IP attorney, J. Craig Williams.
I’ll discuss what a shared story world is and how to build one; Esther will share how to attract and keep a community of collaborators; and Craig will provide an experienced voice about the legal landscape for shared story worlds.
Our goal is to keep things very practical, so we’re dispensing with a lot of the theoretical discussions. Expect lots of “how” v. “what” or “why.”
Please share the word about this, and for anyone heading to Austin next month, I hope you’ll have time to swing by our panel!
via metascott.com
The Importance Of Online Video In Transmedia Campaigns - Starlight Runner's Jeff Gomez
by Christopher Rick
Feb. 15 2012
"When I was at CES I was lucky enough to sit down with the crew from Starlight Runner who are doing great things in 'transmedia' campaigns to help brands achieve a wider reach for their products and projects. While we didn't chat much about work in Vegas it did lay some groundwork so that we could sit down and talk about how and why a brand should look at a transmedia approach to marketing and more importantly, the online video role in such a campaign.
[ReelSEO] What's the first thing you look at when taking a property that is only video and expanding it into other forms of media?
[Jeff Gomez] At Starlight Runner when we examine a property for its potential to be expanded across a variety of media platforms, we first have to establish with our client that we are not a company that repurposes content. What we do, that I think is in sync with what at least two generations of audience members are looking for, is to place the established video content into a greater context in terms of the vision and story being told. If your property or “story world” is rich and detailed enough — or if it lends itself to enrichment and depth — then it is a good candidate for multi-platform expansion. We’re the first to say that not all stories lend themselves to this kind of treatment...."
via reelseo.com
read the full interview here:
Why Apple Should Start Making a 3D Printer Right Now - Ross Andersen - Technology - The Atlantic
via theatlantic.com
Must read article by Ross Anderson, Jan 29, 2012:
"The progression that computers made from IBM to your laptop has patterned the expectations for all future technologies. First, big companies create and use a very expensive set of technologies. Then, garage tinkerers start to use slightly cheaper, smaller versions of the original technology. They create a culture that makes the technology easier to use and they give it more users, which drives down its costs. Finally, when it is sufficiently cheap and easy to use, mass market consumers start to buy it. This is a condensed, reductive history of consumer electronics, but it's the mental model Silicon Valley-types have.
The latest technology that seems to be working its way along this trajectory is 3D printing. For those not in the MAKE crowd, 3D Printers are machines that produce three-dimensional objects from digital data by printing in thin layers of physical material, similar to the way an inkjet prints in two dimensions. A 3D printer outputs not words on paper, but a thing. After a couple decades of research, development, and industrial deployment, the technology appears to be on the threshold of developing a mass market. Still, it's hard to imagine what to do with such a general purpose machine sitting in one's house.
And that's what makes Brendan Dawes such an interesting early adopter. For one, he's kept meticulous records of his productions since he bought his MakerBot Thing-O-Matic from Makerbot Industries, a company that sells stripped down do-it-yourself 3D printers directly to consumers, in December 2010. Over the past year he has posted his "printings" on a tumblr called everythingimakewithmymakerbot. The site reads like a diary or sketchbook; an intimate account of a creative person interacting with a new technology.
But more to the point: Dawes seems like a normal, creative person. He's not a hardcore geek with an industrial engineering degree. In the early nineties he was a minor figure in Manchester's rave scene. He cut several 12" singles, breakbeats mostly, and even scored a record deal. More recently, he has turned his attention to the graphic arts, and with considerable success: in 2009 several works of his were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
If a former-raver and artist could find fun and value in the $1,100 machine, maybe a lot of people might. And he did. "It took me a week to assemble my Makerbot, but remember that when Jobs and Wozniak and those guys first started out, you had to make your own computer," he said. "Now they're in your pocket. That's where I think this is headed." (Are you listening, Apple?)..."
Full article here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/why-apple-should-start-...
Google+ scores Digital Chocolate’s Gangs of Boomtown as an exclusive social game | Excerpt from VentureBeat
February 15, 2012 1:11 PM
Dean Takahashi
"Digital Chocolate is launching its new social game Gangs of Boomtown as an exclusive title for Google+. The title is the third that Digital Chocolate, the game company headed by Trip Hawkins, has made for Google’s social network. But it is the first that will be exclusive to Google+ for 30 days.
Google needs to get exclusives like this one to compete with Facebook, which has huge numbers of unique social games on its platform. To get more exclusives, Google is helping to promote exclusive games on its network. It is also charging a smaller commission — 5 percent vs. 30 percent — on virtual goods transactions on Google+ compared to Facebook.
Punit Soni, games lead for Google+, said, “Gangs of Boomtown marks the first exclusive game from Digital Chocolate to launch on Google+. We’re happy to see more of their engaging, high-quality games debuting on Google+. We think our users will really enjoy playing Boomtown.”
Google now has 38 games on Google+, including three exclusives (The Godfather: Five Families, Pirates: Tides of Fortune, and now Gangs of Boomtown). Facebook, by comparison, has thousands of games..."
via venturebeat.com
Full post here:
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/15/google-scores-digital-chocolates-gangs-of-b...
NOTE:Hunger Games online store to launch & will "sell both officially licensed film merchandise & fan-created designs." » Kidscreen
via Kidscreen
"E-commerce engine CafePress has partnered with Lionsgate to create an official online store for The Hunger Games which will launch on February 21 and sell both officially licensed film merchandise and fan-created designs.
The official merchandise will come in advance of all licensed products for the film (apparel, accessories, and novelty items).
The site’s fan merchandise portal will allow fans to purchase self-designed t-shirts, canvas bags, water bottles, and more than 250 other products.
A special Facebook promotion also began on February 14 and will continue throughout the lifetime of the store. The promotion gives fans a chance to create a free District ID Card through a new exclusive Hunger Games Facebook application that will be available within the CafePress shop..."
via kidscreen.com
full post here:
http://kidscreen.com/2012/02/15/hunger-games-online-store-to-launch/
Wow. Want: Onswipe Expands Into A Content Distribution Network
via thenextweb.com
Excerpt:
"Born out of TechStars, Onswipe makes it easy for any publisher, from a new blogger to the NY Times, to transform their content into an immersive experience on the iPad. It delivers a beautiful, app like experience on the web that’s completely built for the tablet.
Still fresh from the release of Onswipe 2.0, the startup has just launched a unifying content network and a brand-new UI. Originally, Onswipe had functioned as a tool, not a network. Today, it is exploding as a content distribution platform, bringing together publishers like Ziff Davis, Stylecaster, Refinery29, the BBC and more.
By tapping the Rocketship inside an article, readers can find more interesting content. According to Onswipe:
We’ve always believed that Onswipe is a network of sites—not a tools company that treats each publisher like a silo. If the tablet is the TV of this generation, then what we’re launching today is a lot like channel surfing...."
full post here:
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/02/15/onswipe-expands-into-a-massive-content-...
Modern Mythology: The Story of a Transmedia Revolution: (Part 1) To Arms...
Excerpt from:
The Story of a Transmedia Revolution: (Part 1) To Arms...
Posted by Peter Usagi
The Book Thump Heard Round The World
After more than thirty years of fits and starts, a storytelling revolution is finally about to begin. Naturally, the catalyst was a book; surprisingly, however, it was a high school text book...
Immersive and interactive digital books will
soon be jumping off screens everywhere...
(Image via Creative Commons)
Earlier this week, Apple announced the release of iBooks Author, a new content creation platform for their ubiquitous iPad. However, unlike most of Apple’s hardware or software announcements, this one has seemed to garner little public interest. This could be attributed to the fact that according to Apple’s keynote, the only things that were “unveiled” were a new kind of digital school textbook, and a software program to make them.
School, text books, and reading…ho-hum.
The average person is as likely to sit through a keynote presentation on those two topics, as work on their taxes for fun. And this new software isn’t even wrapped in shiny high-tech aluminum: a baby iPad to combat Amazon’s encroaching Kindle Fire. As I watched the footage of the keynote, and it become apparent there was going to be no iText, iTome, or iTablet reader—just a pair of “un-Jobs” like Apple executives walking the audience through the pages of a digital biology text book—I was sorely tempted to give up early on the hour long presentation..."
full post here:
http://www.modernmythology.net/2012/02/story-of-transmedia-revolution-part-1....
Monday, February 13, 2012
Excellent Post from Caspar Sonnen on Craft of Digital Documentaries
Excerpt from original post by Caspar Sonnen
"As we speak, the digital revolution is unfolding. It’s destroying age-old business models and ruthlessly blurring almost every existing boundary within society, media and the arts. The good news is that the need for great storytellers has become bigger than ever. And so have the opportunities for the ones who dare to explore and invent new forms of digital documentary storytelling. So, for what it’s worth, here are a few random tips for anyone considering to make a webdocumentary, based on my experiences as curator of IDFA DocLab and as someone who still thinks Pong is she best game ever invented. (By the way: Check out the project catalogue at www.doclab.org for more than 100 innovative digital non-fiction projects and profiles of digital pioneers.)
Caspar Sonnen is an expert on webdocs. He started working as a film programmer, journalist and festival organizer while studying film and new media at the University Utrecht. In 2005 he started working for IDFA, where he set up the New Media department and IDFA TV. In order to better present emerging documentary formats outside the realm of linear filmmaking, Sonnen started the festival program Doc Lab at IDFA in 2007. Caspar is co-founder and program director of Seize the Night, the annual Open Air Film Festival Amsterdam. Foto © Corinne de Korver
1. Create a cinematic interface, not a website with video
Many of the webdocs that were selected for IDFA DocLab succeeded because of their cinematic interface. Besides being aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly (which helps), a truly cinematic interface becomes the story. It awakens peoples’ curiosity to explore, pulls them into the narrative(s) and surprise them once immersed (similar how camerawork and editing function in traditional filmmaking). An innovative cinematic interface is why you’ll never forget projects like Thanatorama, We Feel Fine,Soul Patron, GazaSderot, Journey to the End of Coal, We Choose the Moon, Prison Valley, Welcome to Pine Point,The Wilderness Downtown or Highrise/ OutMyWindow.
2. Don’t focus on technology
The only technological asset you really need, is the ability to recognize a great website and a great interface when you see one. Taking a piece of paper and turning your webdoc idea into a wireframe sketch is a great way to develop this ability (and convey your idea to a web developer)...."
Read the full post on Caspar Sonnen's site:
http://peterkasza.com/2012/02/caspar-sonnen-storytelling-tips/
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February 26, 2012
Activism, Collaboration, Locative, Play, Taxonomies, Technology, Transmediality