It’s as classically French as the Eiffel Tower or a black beret: the baguette is a daily staple of the delicious French diet. The countries ravenous appetite for the long loaves was previously supplied by over 30,000 bakeries all over the nation. Now with more of the population adopting the American/British habit of grabbing a quick lunchtime meal, along with cases of poor working conditions for bakers, many of those traditional bakeries are closing. [Read more...]
With the advent of LED lights, the world of illumination has been revolutionized with a tiny, low power alternative. As we showed you before with Project Aura, the technology is now being applied to the revolving wheels of bicycles. This new prototype by the Palo Alto California based Revolights continues a growing trend with a novel new take on the idea: by using a set of side mounted rims on each wheel the system is able to both call attention to your presence and cleverly illuminate the road both in front and behind your bicycle. For more information, peddle over to revolights.com, then swing by their Kickstarter campaign to get these made! [Read more...]
This film gets down to the nuts and bolts of many relationships: a story about love and not knowing how good it is until it’s gone. Screwed Up is a colorful stop-motion animation by Kris Hofmann that uses only hardware in a classic workshop to tell it’s story… and what a poignant job with such un-emotional objects. Hofmann says, “After a short honeymoon period monotony and arguments settle in. One deserts the other, but regrets that very decision soon after and embarks on a search for the missing other half.” Supported with pitch perfect sound and music by Alexander Zlamal, this is a film I could love for a long time. [Read more...]
California: legendary for it’s golden hills, Hollywood lifestyles and stunning natural beauty… it’s a place you can mention worldwide and get a smiling response. This crisp time-lapse video does well to capture the splendor of the southern end of the state, featuring the beaches, freeways and a certain famous amusement park. Created over a year and a half by Ryan and Sheri Killackey, the short film uses over 10,000 photos and a bit of well placed tilt-shift to make one inviting tribute to a wonderful place. [Read more...]
This incredibly revealing TED Talk by Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nation’s World Food Program, looks at the many factors around why, in a world with more than enough food for everyone, people still die of starvation. She details a number of relatively simple ways – beyond the normal emergency food relief aid – that we can put a stop to this problem, ending incredible global suffering and surprisingly even save money. [Read more...]
What do you get with 11,000 square feet of sand and a Nokia N8 smart phone? A world record breaking, largest stop motion set ever! ‘Gulp’ is a nautical tale, created by Sumo Science at Aardman Animation and filmed on Pendine Breach in South Wales, UK. Each frame of the behemoth piece was carefully combed into the wide, smooth beach with a cute little boat and a hardy (and patient) sailor acting out each scene. [Read more...]
In this captivating TED talk, biologist Mark Pagel expounds on his very intriguing theory of how and why the human species developed such a complex system of language, furthering and setting us apart from the other inhabitants of the planet. He then looks at the future of communication, asking why the worlds 7000-8000 languages came into existence and wonders at what will become of them in our ever more communicative and global world. [Read more...]
This will get your travel juices flowing: 3 creative guys, Rick Mereki, Tim White and Andrew Lees traveled to 11 countries and created 3 inspiringly beautiful short films. Each of the shorts follow a simple yet cleverly conveyed linear concept: movement, learning & food. What these pieces of art seem to convey the strongest though, is a deep appreciation and enjoyment of life lived fully. [Read more...]
World famous purveyor of plastic footwear, Melissa has recently put on a good show outside the front of their ‘Galeria Melissa’ in São Paulo Brazil. Photographed step by step and performed by 25 animators in five months, the U-shaped foyer to the building was covered with about 350 thousand Post-It Notes and filmed in stop motion as part of a launch for their ‘Power of Love’ campaign. As an additional bonus, on-street observers shared more than 30,000 spontaneous messages of love on the notes. [Read more...]
You don’t have to be that old to remember the days before Youtube, when streaming video was only 240 x 120 pixels and an exceptionally slow one frame a second. We’ve come a long way as this clip from a 1995 airing of MTV News shows. Featuring interviews from some still very relevant celebs like Sandra Bullock and Ozzy Osbourne, can you believe some people in 1995 still thought the internet was ‘just a fad’? [Read more...]
