The Fall

I finally got around to watching The Fall last week, and I have to say it’s perhaps one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve ever seen. The landscapes and the colors are just so unreal, it’s hard to believe that nothing is computer enhanced. I’ve probably watched it three times since I rented it, and then both commentaries, just because I wanted to see how they set everything up. It completely works as a fantasy/storybook version of India.

(For a slightly more realistic, gritty, but still cinematographically great version of India, Slumdog Millionaire is also gorgeous. I think I’m going to have to add both of these to my very small dvd collection.)

More of my favorite stills below, as well as the opening title sequence, which is graphically brilliant.

Title Sequence:

That was epic

You know, sometimes it’s the simplest things that make you go, “Damn, I wish I had thought of that.”

That was epic takes youtube comments out of context and presents them in a simple, and far more elegant than they deserve, format. Voila, poetry! This is one of those cases where idea and execution just work together perfectly. And any time you can turn something as vapid as most youtube comments into some sort of societal study it’s a win for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’ve been incredibly remiss in posting lately. I will have to remedy that soon.

Poladroids!

This has been posted a few times around the interwebs, but I’m having such fun with it that I had to give it some love here. Poladroid is a free application that you “Download…Drag and drop your pictures…then Wait… wait…. wait again… or shake the picture,” and you end up with your own high-res digital polaroids.

While I’ve seen photoshop actions that will turn you pictures into polaroids, the fun of this is the is the simple UI: just drag and drop, then wait for your photos to develop. Like a real polaroid, the fun is in your lack of control.

(A screenshot. A side note, that is my awesome Mad Men inspired desktop background, which you can find here.)

New versions are in the works, with more options, and the ability to do more than 10 poladroids at a time, as well as a PC version. Check it out! (At your own risk…I lost productivity pretty much all of yesterday because of this.)

Desert Inspiration

I just got back from a week spent visiting my sister in Arizona. It was refreshing to get away from the computer for a while…and out of the midwest into some different scenery. While from what I could tell, Phoenix is just one giant strip mall (all the really interesting stuff seems to be in northern Arizona) it was nice to be immersed in a completely different color palette. And, as I’m trying to remember what I used to know about photography, it was really fun to try and capture it. I’ve posted the results on my flickr. My goal is to build a stockpile of color palettes and imagery I can pull from later. And hopefully build my photography skills along the way.

Google’s Project 10 to the 100th

Google’s put out a call for ideas to change the world, and they’ve introduced it with this adorable little video. They’re pledging $10 million to fund up to five of the best ideas, though the winners get nothing but warm fuzzies and good karma (and it might look good on a resume, but that’s not why you should do it!) Find out more here and submit your ideas here. You can also create a 30 sec. youtube video to illustrate your idea. Any attempt to change the world for the better gets a thumbs up from me.

Perspctv: Political Infographics

I’m fascinated by infographic design. Perspctv is a constantly updating site that charts news, blog, and twitter mentions of McCain and Obama as we approach the election.

This project presents different perspectives in our world, including that of Mainstream media and user-generated content on the Internet. Explore the similarities and the disparities, hear the many voices that have emerged and choose which view, if any, makes the most sense to you. What we think vs. what they say we think — All the chatter on the Internet, all the traditional news media coverage, and all the pollsters — Perspctv brings it all together in a simple and elegant manner — and gives a unique “dashboard” picture of the elections at any one given moment in time, totally un-biased.

It’s an elegant site, and definitely an interesting look, regardless of your politics.

Bell Canoe Works

I’m in love with these ads for Bell Canoe Works. I could seriously look at them forever. From the heavy, printmaking paper to the watercolor/collage inspired illustration to the handwritten taglines… I want to hang these in my house. And hey, they got me to link to their website. Check out more below. (I can’t decide which is my favorite.)

Found via Graphic-Exchange (of course).

Welcome to the new facebook…

Much has been said about the facebook redesign. Judging by the amount of “Bring Back the Old Facebook” groups I’ve been invited to, it’s probably safe to say it’s not all that popular. Personally, I don’t mind it. Some of it works better, some of it worse, but whatever. For what I use it for, the new design works fine. (I don’t really have any need to have a “My Favorite Drinks ‘n Booze” box front and center on my profile.) Here’s the one thing I find most annoying about the new design:

Why do we need a “Home” link right next to the Facebook logo/Home link? Did people not get that clicking the logo takes you “home”? Isn’t that a fairly common internet standard? They even help you out by having a little house appear on the rollover. Now we have two links in a row that do the exact same thing.

I’ve notice the new design still seems to be undergoing modification. I hope this is one of the things that is still under construction, for my own nitpicky sanity.

Perfect color vision!

X-rite’s online 100 hue test. I’m glad I passed, I felt like my credibility was on the line a bit if I didn’t ace it. (Kidding…sort of. It is good to know.) So if you happen to be here via my portfolio, rest assured that I’ve got my colors down.