At a pivotal point in our creative career, of course starting out in the professional realm wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds; in general, everyone has to go through the same procedures when accepting a job offer. Those essential ingredients are: a crafted portfolio, a resume, and an interview to accommodate our talents.

I was browsing through Core77 channel and thought this seminar would be beneficial for students or recent grads to check out. It may not apply to what you do, but I think these people do give out a lot of good insights and tips to what the creative industry is expecting from a person.

Looking from left to right: Chelsea Vandiver (Ziba Design), Nick Oakley (Intel), Beth Sasseen (Nike), and Kirk James (Cinco Design); moderated by Carl Alviani (Coroflot.com).

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.1

Coroflot Creative Confab Panel Discussion P.2

Thought these ads tickle my senses in terms of their creativity and execution. I have never seen any commercials that’d be close to the level of quirkiness like these Old Spice ad campaigns. I love the fact that they’re so random, leaving us clueless of what’s going on, but still comprehending the ideas attached behind it. I’m sold with the overall branding direction; this is how a product should be advertised on television.

The following spot is called “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” It has been viewed 6.9 million times on YouTube. Ad agency Wieden + Kennedy should be proud for what they have accomplished. The spot is viral and direct.  It can be a bit too much for some people, hopefully not to women.

Old Spice | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Old Spice | Did You Know

Old Spice | Questions

Take a look at these following spots as well; they are pretty damn hilarious.
All of Old Spice ad campaigns are great in my opinion.

Old Spice | Karate

I didn’t expect that coming! Just watch, it’ll be a good surprise!

Old Spice | Blocker

Terry Crews is on crack! I’m speechless and stomach hurts!

Old Spice | Flex

Old Spice | Punch

Old Spice | Zoom

If Tetris is the greatest puzzle game of all time, then I really don’t know how to describe “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”. This game was originally created by two guys Yuan-Hsi Chiang and Yuan-Hao Chiang as a collaborative project, which later turned into a huge development for the GP2X console. The release of the game will be devoted entirely for the Sega Dreamcast console, however there might be a PC version coming out in future. The reason why the game is for the Dreamcast partly because the system best supports true 240p RGB which delivers the overall 2D arcade experience.

From a puzzle game viewpoint, I don’t think it’s too complex that everyone wouldn’t be able to play. The entire game is color coded which makes it simple enough to jump straight into the puzzle. It is somewhat similar to the classic Super Nintendo “Tetris Attack” except with an advance system. I like the fact how the creators treated their game like it was a project they did for fun and how they are proud to share what they have accomplished. I love puzzle games and I wouldn’t mind giving this a try anytime soon. Check it out!

For more in-depth of “Wind and Water Puzzle Battles”, please read the interview and check out their product by the following websites below:

Interview with Yuan-Hsi Chiang
Wind and Water Puzzle Battles
Yuan Works Development Blog

Apparently, Bruce Lee been quite busy shooting a commercial on the side. This limited edition Nokia N96 model was released in China not too long ago. In addition to the phone it comes with a small miniature Bruce Lee toy, a sexy package design, and a black cover protection case with his autograph printed on it. Some ad agency created these two promo videos based on the actual footage that was captured from the Nokia N96o. Bruce Lee is fast and fearless, but the Nokia N960 has no problem of recording the action.

The first video is demonstrating Bruce Lee battling ping pong with his Nunchaku. No this is not fake nor special effects, everything is in real time. The Bruce Lee in this video is the only thing that’s fake, he’s just a look alike martial artist whose skills are inhuman.

The second video is demonstrating how Bruce Lee could also light a match with his fearsome Nunchaku. Try not to blink because this guy cannot miss anything when he hits it.

Ping Pong Furry

Speed of the Dragon

When it comes to performance art, it’s hard to believe how Japan has taken the concept further to create something that is incredibly entertaining on television. Kasou Taishou (Kinchan and Katori Shingo’s All Japan Costume Grand Prix) is a Japanese game show which encompasses a variety of solo artists and amateur groups to perform short skits live on stage. The show usually revolves around the idea of creating an illustion or faking cinematic special effects. It’s fun to view these performances; where at some points it leaves you without any clues how they could possibly put it together by using real people.

Based from Wikipedia, the technique is called stagehands (Kuroko) which serves the purpose as “running crew” and is often use in a traditional Kabuki theatre. They dress in black and move props, sets, or aiding in scene changes on stage.

Here are a few clips from the show that i have gathered. Please check them out and enjoy the show.

Matrix Ping Pong

Matrix Karate

Shaolin Soccer

Samurai Shodown

Food Fight

Battle Sequence

Music Video

Reflection

All Messed Up

Chair Massage

Melody

Many of us have seen a ton of commercials on TV. They can be funny, they can be stupid, and they can be well… a waste of TV air time. I ran into these commercial spots on Youtube a few days ago and I believe they came from Thailand.

Ad agencies over there seem to have this odd way of selling products on television. I thought a few of these spots turned out quite amusing, but they definitely got the message across the room. They are not terrible from my opinion; at least they have a different approach when it comes to advertisement. Haha!

If you have nothing else to do and is looking forward to killing a few minutes of your time, have a wonderful ride with these spots. They cracked me up!

The image of the banner above came from an ad on the city bus in Bangkok Thailand.

Instant Noodle

M Shop Baby

Icy Mint Candy

Low Fat Sealect Tuna

Shera Flexy Board

How much longer do I have to wait for this? I want this game for my Wii console right now. By the look of the overall gameplay, I am speechless. Everything is hand drawn and developed by the team Vanillaware in Japan. It’s an RPG adventure where it will take the player back to its roots during the feudal age Japan to experience the Genroku era at the time of shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. There are two playable characters: Kisuke, an amnesia male ninja and Momohime, who’s a female ninja. The Wii release supposed to be due in June 2009 for North America.

I am a big fan of all of the classical side scroller games; pretty much anything you can think of like Contra, Castlevania, Metroid, Super Mario, Metal Slug, Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and so on. This game is a moving painting, slam-dunked with vibrant colors, and the unforgettable scroller game style that ought to bring us back to some good memories. I hope this title will deliver our expectations as to what the gameplay is presented to us.

I do a bit of gaming on the Wii every once in a while, but only whenever I have the free time to play it. The Wii is a fun game console to have its even more kickass when you have a couple friends over for a late night “Super Smash Bros Brawl” tournament.

Here are a few screen shots and be sure to check out the trailer.

STORY:
Kisuke, who has lost his memories, is a fugitive being chased for a crime he no longer remembers. His only desire is to find a certain katana. Meanwhile, Momohime, after being possessed by an evil spirit, must flee her castle. – Wikipedia

LINKS:
The Official Site
Gamespot Review
More Screenshots

This would be my second concert throughout the year so far. My first concert was to go see Common & N.E.R.D live at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene Oregon; it was a great hip-hop concert that I have never experienced before. At a jazz concert, there’s hardly any pushing and shoving, but it is more of a friendly environment where you’ll see upper class people sipping wines and dressed up in their nice attires.

For Kurt Elling to have a gig here in Portland is a rare occasion. I’ve only known Kurt’s work on CDs and video clips on Youtube. When my little brother spotted an ad on the Portland Jazz Festival’s website, we couldn’t really deny this golden opportunity. We invited our friend Matt to join the night.

We came to the Crystal Ball Room about half an hour early where the concert was held. Parking wasn’t bad. The waiting line was long when we arrived which I’m not too surprised. There was a fancy restaurant right next to us, perhaps a bar? I liked the interior setting, maybe this would be a great eating place to stop by next time. The door opened at 8:00pm, we were escorted to main floor somewhere on the upper third floor. One of the securities asked for our IDs, however we only bought the “all ages” tickets since my little brother is under 21 (No alcohol for kids! haha!) therefore we had to go up another floor where it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. The seats were decent enough to see everything from above, but we could have gotten a better spot on the main floor. The concert started roughly around 8:15pm, one of the Portland Blazers team members introduced the show.

Kurt Elling walked up on stage with the sassy smile on his face and immediately dived into the first song of the show. After a few songs, Kurt pulled off his own version “They Say It’s Wonderful” by Irving Berlin. Drummer Ulysses Owens and pianist Laurence Hobgood were both electrifying. Toward the end of the show, Kurt did a tribute to John Coltrane’s master piece “Resolution” alongside with the legendary saxophonist Ernie Watts. Kurt Elling is so good at what he does. He could take any original songs and give new sounds to it. His soulful voice definitely makes him a great jazz singer. Good job Kurt! I had a great time.

Here’s a version of Nature Boy by Kurt Elling:

An interview he did on BloombergTV:

Idee Inc. is a company who develops a new visual search technology called Piximilar which allows users to analyze, index and search quickly and efficiently through vast image and video collections based on visual similarity.

This is an effective way to gather for inspirations or getting references for a creative project. Unfortunately the usage of Flickr is still in further development where it’s only dedicated to Alamy Stock Photography database at the moment. Maybe they will branch out in the future, but this is still an amazing invention. Come to think of this search technology synchronizes with Flickr somewhat, I am completely overwhelmed and would highly encourage all of you to give Multicolor Image Search a try.

Multicolor Image Search:

Multicolor Image Search Lab allows you to search up to 10 different colors from a palette with 120 different shades provided. Once a color is picked, it will then extracted the colors from 10 million of the most “interesting” Creative Commons images on Flickr or Alamy Stock Photography.

Visual Search Lab:

Visual Search Lab allows you to search with the use of keywords. Let say you’ll write in the word “red” it will then look up for images according to that particular word. When you click onto an image, another set of images similar to the one you have clicked on show up.

BYO Image Search Lab:

BYO (Bring Your Own) Image Search Lab allows you to upload an image or enter the image web address. Once the search process is completed, it will find similar images according to the algorithm of colour, shape, texture, luminosity, complexity, objects and regions.

jibjab.com is probably one of my favorite sites to stop by for their comical Flash animations. It was actually founded in September 1999 by two brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis. Ever since they released the 2004 US presidential election video of George W. Bush and John Kerry, it became a huge hit to the online community and had featured on numerous of printed media and television shows.

It’s just great how they can take economic issues in our society and translates them into fun and entertaining animations. Watching their work is just unbelievably hard to not stop giggling. Check out some of these videos below and beware of what you about to see. “Time for Some Campaignin” is their up to date work. Obama and McCain scene will have you rolling on the floor.

Time for Some Campaignin’

This Land

In 2007

Nutkin’ Futs 2006

Thought I should do a post in regarding to our upcoming presidential election. My vote is definitely for Obama. I hope our years will be better and brighter than before. No more bullshits! I am ready for a new change!