Since I work in advertising - more specifically the sort that uses video and aims to be shared online - I normally count myself among the most cynic viewers of such material… let’s just say sharing among friends is rare!
However sometimes you come across something that is so great that it doesn’t matter that it is advertising. In fact I wish all advertising would just be like this - how my live would be better for it (and for the 300 billboards and 20 TV commercials less).
It is of course Spike Jonze, and the inspirational bit is his new short film/branded entertainment; “I’m here” - a robot love story set in something that resembles contemporary LA. No more words, just watch…
For over 40 years, artist Art Garfunkel have been a vivid book reader, and on his website he has published a list of all the books he’s been reading over the years.
Despite the obvious self-expressionist motive of publishing a such list - it actually makes it possible for the curious to see the development of a character over a prolonged period of time - with favourites added to a separate list along the way. Almost everyone will find inspiration for their next Amazon visit here…
Adam Curtis’ acclaimed 4 part documentary examines the rise of the all-consuming self in the 20th century against the backdrop of Sigmund Freud’s pioneering work on the subconsious.
To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self seems like the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has finally moved to the people. The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society - how did the all-consuming self appear, who played a part, and in whose interests?
Rory Sutherland, one of UK advertising’s grand old men (no offence Rory) talks in a recent TED talk about how it is often the small things that meet us in our life, that makes the greatest impact. Both in terms of branding and marketing, but also for driving more profound behavioral change in society.
The house of cards built on easy credit has finally come tumbling down, triggered by the failure of one of the most flimsy of the cards, subprime mortgages. We’ll look at the causes—it’s important to understand causes if one has any reasonable chance of analyzing the present and assessing the outlook—and weigh the likely outcome of our government’s actions.
Not to keep you in suspense any longer, we believe the bailout and associated actions, adding yet more credit to an economy already over-ripe with easy credit, far from solving the problem (i.e., getting banks to lend again), will make matters ultimately worse, by postponing the necessary adjustments, building up inflation, and destroying the dollar and its purchasing power, devastating savers and undermining the foundations of the economy.
Not my own work, but something I feel is very relevant in today’s current political climate. January saw a wave of demonstrations against the brutal attacks on Gaza, and equally large demonstrations are planned for the NATO meeting in Strasbourg 1-5th April. Another world IS possible! Enjoy.
Homo Ludens, or “Man the Playful,” is a book written in 1938 by Dutch historian, cultural theorist and Professor Johan Huizinga. Huizinga wanted to discuss the importance of a play element in our culture and society and suggests that the playful state is a key driver for human motivation and a necessary condition for the generation of human culture.
Play is a voluntary activity…having its aim in itself and accompanied by a feeling of
tension, joy and the consciousness that it is `different´ than `ordinary life´
Narcissism is said to be the Hysteria of the 20th century. Among other related social illnesses more and more people claim disturbance of self-esteem and a feeling of great emptiness. The “modern” narcissism however, seems not to be originated in the early childhood as once described by Freud, but to be enforced and constructed by society. Economical and technological changes, as well as changes in social values are all contributing factors to increased narcissism in post modernity.
“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
Unless you write yourself, you can’t know how wonderful it is; I always used to bemoan the fact that I couldn’t draw, but now I’m overjoyed that at least I can write. And if I don’t have the talent to write books or newspaper articles, I can always write for myself.
