version3.0

• Polar bear created from 20,000 zip ties. Yes.

  Created by Design Office Takebayashi Scroggin (D.O.T.S). (via designboom)

• In an effort to encourage the citizens Lucerne to make use of rubbish bins Clockworx came up with this fantastic idea turning it into a series of different games around the city.

  
  (via swissmiss)

• Japanese photographer AppuruPai has an incredible set of long exposure images from the new high speed train connecting Odaiba to Tokyo.

  
  (via today and tomorrow)

• Scottish dude Danny Macaskill does stuff on bikes that will blow your mind. You have probably seen some of his other films, and this fresh one is just as good. ‘Industrial Revolutions’ sees him take apart an old train yard, including an incredible display of tight rope riding.

  
  (via Pinkbike)

• Those clever folk at Deep Local have built a concept bike that lets you shift gears with your mind for Toyota Prius. While undeniably futuristic, it was built using readily accessible technology and components. Apparently with 10 minutes of training you can be smoothly shifting the gears of this beautiful Parlee Cycles one off design with nothing by the power of thought. Detailed coverage of the entire project is over on Prolly is not Probably.

  
  (via fastcodedesign)

• Berlin based generative design studio onformative has an impressive body of work. The solution they came up with for their most recent project for Actelion, a biopharmacuetical company, is elegant and impressive. They developed a custom Processing application that generates still and animated brand imagery for Actelion. What a fantastic approach to producing a cohesive brand identity.

  
  
  

  Actelion Imagery Wizard from onformative on Vimeo.

  (via CreativeApplications.Net)

Last week saw KFC’s legendary bunless belly builder, the Double Down, reach New Zealand shores. Media commentators are describing it as a triumph of marketing, variously attributing it to an excellent public relations campign, social media campaign, or even suggesting there may have been some dodgy paid promotional shill type activity.

What I think they have failed to realise is that ultimately this is a marketing triumph because KFC had the balls to do something that was worth talking about.

People were always going to talk about a fatty, calorific, and possibly extremely delicious (depending who you talk to) burger. Not just a burger though, a burger unlike any you can get from any other fast food outlet. KFC New Zealand knew that by bringing it they would polarise portions of the New Zealand population. On one side you would have people crying foul at them pedaling a “heart attack in a box”, and on the other legions of adoring fans defending their right to eat anything they deem delicious.

Whether you think that the Double Down is a artery-clogging abomination or the pinnacle of protein provision, you have to admit that what KFC did well was to create a product that was worth talking about. On national news, on facebook, and around the water cooler. It truly is a remarkable piece of food.

This is what your marketing department should be thinking about. Not just your catchy new slogan, clever TV ad, or discount promotion, but how you can make your product or service something that is worth talking about. If they can do that you don’t need to worry so much about your advertising budget.

(For the record, I have yet to try one.)

This is a bumper edition of the guide to the Interneat to celebrate version 3.0 being resuscitated. Enjoy!

• I am loving some of the gems that Letters of Note uncovers. The presidents address that would have been delivered by Richard Nixon in the event of the Apollo 11 mission being a disaster is fascinating (as is some of the discussion about the note itself).
• Wicked little spot for Smart from those clever clogs at Buck. Love the style of this one.
  
• The work of illustrator Ryan Snook is fantastic. I am particularly digging this ‘whale driver’.
  
• Scottish trials mega freak Danny MacAskill has a new short flick, Way Back Home, shot beautifully in his home country. Danny does stuff that almost no one else in the world can on a bike. Red Bull sure know how to do sponsorship and branded content right.
  
• Forget Avatar. The best use of 3D so far: 3DD - a book of three dimensional boobs. Probably not safe for work if your boss doesn’t like boobs. It’s art, ok.
• An exhibition of incredible wallpaper that is made up of three different patterns in red, yellow & blue from Carnovsky. You can view the patterns individually by viewing through a filter.
  
  
  (via designboom)
• Mattias Adolfsson has some of the most fantastic sketchbooks that I have ever seen. There is an incredible amount of detail & imagination in his sketches.
  
  (via bumbumbum)

• All round smart/creative/talented dude Evan Roth has created the Public Domain Donor system. Donate your ideas to the public domain on your death so that they may live on. Just print one out and stick it on your license.
  
• My favourite infographic designer Nicholas Feltron whipped up this awesome caffeine monitor dashboard for the Build Conference.
• The Underbelly project is an exhibition of street art from 103 artists that was 18 months in the making. Even more interestingly it was held in an abandoned part of the New York underground transport network. Would love to check it out for myself.
  
  (via designboom)
• Brush & Spoke is a sweet blog dedicated to cycle related art. It can be a bit hipster tattoo & fixie fixated, but some really beautiful stuff in there.
• I have a soft spot for stupid puns. The Narc-whal (from Iain Burke) hits that soft spot with a giant bat.
  
  (via Laughing Squid)
• Floating DJ desk made from Lego. I want one.
  
• Aussie sampling wiz kid Pogo has whipped up a couple of new tunes with accompanying videos. Crimson, which samples Dexter, is my favourite.
  
  (via the fox is black)
• I have a new favourite stupid thing on the Internet: CAPTCHArt. Terribly drawn comments incorporating the all pervasive CAPTCHA phrases that everyone knows & loves.
  
  (via Rhizome)