Going Green: Extracts from Getty's MAP Report 2.

Image by Tommy Stockel 

_Extract 1 PDF

_Extract 2 PDF

Just released, the above links will take you to these quick downloadable PDF's of Getty's MAP Report into environmental awareness and its impact on marketing now and in the future. You have to pay big bags of money for the full report but the extracts are interesting in themselves - for both up to date information and some quality graphics.

Holy Fuck!

Drop everything, forget everything and watch Zeitgeist The Movie!

Conscious Evolution.

Like a subtle fluid, space-time, having drowned our bodies, penetrates our soul. It fills it and impregnates it. It mingles with its powers, until the soul soon no longer knows how to distinguish space-time from its own thoughts. Nothing can escape this flux any longer, for those who know how to see....The human discovers that, in the striking words of Julian Huxley, we are nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself....Not only do we read the secret of its movement in our slightest acts, but to a fundamental extent we hold it in our own hands: responsible for its past and its future.

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Philosopher and author of The Human Phenomenon

Busting Ads.

A year ago, I saw my first Adbusters Magazine and I really had no idea what it was all about. I consider myself pretty socially aware but for some reason, Adbusters confused me and it actually bored me. I wonder whether I had been so indoctrinated by media advertising that to pick up a magazine that opposes it and has no advertising in it whatsoever was somehow so completely foreign that it actually shook me out of my indoctrinated state and into a new but strange state of awareness? Or maybe the guys at Adbusters have simply managed to sharpen up their message and make things clearer now? Anyway, I'm just reading the latest addition now and it all makes perfect sense. I recommend this magazine to anyone interested in beating down socially irresponsible and environmentally polluting advertising. And as a designer, I'm trying to become more aware of how I can have a positive impact through design and not put myself in a position where I'm part of the destructive force of the media either. Interestingly, the Adbusters crew are also starting their own Blackspot Coffee Shop, set to rival Starbucks but rooted in authentic, local culture. 

 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

OVVLvverk.

Here's a great website, ad free and all about imagery as it pertains to the owl, one of my favourite birds. Visit OVVLvverk and you can also get a FREE AD FREE BLOG Picci like the one above to show your commitment to add free blogging.

Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters.

The first message one could consider email was sent more than 30 years ago, and that's probably when people began associating angst and uncertainty with the words "Inbox" and "unread messages." The tools available to read and send emails have advanced considerably since then, but what you actually do with all that chatter, without eating up entire days of work time, is up to you. More>>

The human brain appears hard-wired for hierarchy.

Human imaging studies have for the first time identified brain circuitry associated with social status, according to researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. They found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order – or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. Circuitry activated by important events responded to a potential change in hierarchical status as much as it did to winning money. More>>

Life explained.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Amnesty International.

Do these prevent or encourage?

I'm a little concerned these would entice pedophiles rather than prevent them. Aren't you? I just hope someone with a twisted sense of communication was fired over this campaign.

Tunnel Vision.

Sometimes my mind is like this.
Sourced via ffffound

Sleeping Beauties.

Don't you agree....?

Stop the Spread on Global Birdalism.

A personal realisation: With every respect to birds, I think I've had it with these types of vector based  bird and flower motifs. It's time to move forward design people of the world. 

The Aamby Valley Experience.

A couple weeks back there was a story on the ABC about Aamby Valley - about two hours outside of Mumbai in India. Having traveled there, I'd never heard of it so it piqued my interest. When one thinks of India, first thoughts generally hover on images of dirt, squalor, poverty, industry. But not so in Aamby Valley. In fact, you can buy yourself out of the reality of India - at a price. The roads to Aamby Valley are some of the cleanest, well maintained in India and lead toward the HUGE Megalopolis that is Aamby Valley City. Definitely for the privileged, you can reside in this 10'000 acre estate (not a typo) among "misty hilltops and scented flowerbeds" in your choice of a chic and cozy timber chalet or perhaps a fabulously modern and customized villa.

With high fences and 24 horse-mounted security roaming its perimeter you're sure to feel secure from the scurge of India's lower class, as you tee off on the 18th or maybe take in a game of hockey on ice. Heck - you don't even have to leave the compound (at all), given Aamby Valley also comes stocked with shopping malls, a first class hospital, an international school and much much more.

Experience Aamby for yourself>>

Danger, World in Crisis.

The above image is a nice illustration of populations by exploded graph. Available on flickr>>

And here's a world clock you must go see. It continues to count not only the number of births and deaths happening right now, but such morbid things like the rate of injuries, hectares of forest lost, divorces, drownings etc. etc. - all happening right in front of your eyes. Go see>>

New York Man Hole Covers.

Made in India. Barefoot.

Via ffffound

Creativity and Education.

Carolyne sent me this. It's great. This is taken from the TED site and reveals footage of a talk given by Sir Ken Robinson on fostering Creativity in Education. Roughly 20 minutes but well worth it.  

Petition for Tibet.

Please sign this urgent petition urging Aussie PM Kevin Rudd to stand up to the Chinese on his upcoming visit to China. It takes less than a minute. Visit GetUp! I have lived among Tibetan refugees so I don't take this issue lightly. For more information visit the Australia Tibet Council.  

Image via Time Magazine. Tibetan Buddhist monks lead protesters carrying the Tibetan national flag in China's Gansu Province, home to many ethnic Tibetans, as protests erupted in Lhasa on March 14.