Pure Thinking

Facebook Idiocracy

Need I say more? - Todd

Babymaker3000

 
The campaign for VW's version of the minivan, the Routan, cuts right to the heart of the reason those things are on our streets in the first place: Babies. However, it also uncovers a new (imaginary) population control problem, and sticks Brooke Shields in the role of concerned spokesmodel.

Anyway, even though the campaign is far-fetched, it's still fun to to figure out what our genetics look like all smooshed up with the people we stalk using the Babymaker3000. That's me and Russell Brand's first child, and wow, he's really a darling. And he watches where I move my mouse. Happy freakin' Halloween.

Get on it (before you get on it) here.

Nike Evolve

Really exceptional, visually arresting spot for Nike Evolve & France's Foot Locker here. The corresponding website is a looker too...

It's Harry Potter-y!

A tiny circuit board and six cell batteries inside this months issue of Esquire are putting the mag(ic) back in magazine. And yeah, we know it has more to do with wires than wands, but we're going to pretend there's a little gnome inside the front cover making this all happen. Watch him in action here.

It's official...

Well, they've finally done it.  The people behind Facebook received news that the social networking site has just been crowned the number one site of its kind, globally.  Does that mean we officially have to trade all forms of face-to-face interpersonal communication for wall posts, friend requests and SuperPokes?

Trendy or not?

Whether it's the latest  gossip in Hollywood or the biggest headline to hit CNN, these days it seems like the secret to success is being inline, hooked up and in touch with the world around you.  Luckily, Google can help that happen with a little tool called Google Trends. 

Unbeknownst to me, Google Trends has been keeping people up-to-date for the past two years, so if you've heard of it or if you use it, you're way ahead of me. 

For those of you who don't know, though, Google Trends lets you type any word you want into a search box and then it charts how frequently that word is searched around the world, giving you an international perspective of what's "in" and what's "out."  Hot Trends, a one-year-old addition to the Google tool, will keep you even more informed with its hourly-updated list of the 100 most searched queries of the moment.

So, if you've got a social engagement to attend, if you're looking for new small-talk material or if you're just trying to reconnect with the generation beneath you, try logging on to Google Trends to see what everyone's buzzing about.

Fuchat Phone Concept

This concept phone monitors your voice, and warns you when it thinks you're starting to lose it. It's supposed to make you more emotionally aware-- and if it does it's job well, it will probably be one of the most thrown-across-the-room objects in the history of mankind. Holy mother, would I love to do the ads for this baby...

via Fubiz

VEAUX

Yep, that's pretty much what it is. Aside from that, it also happens to be good looking and easy to navigate. Aside from that, it was just born from beta yesterday, and its pages are already tossing out some great talent.

Play around with it here, and if you are unfamiliar to this breed of social network, spend some time getting to know behance- probably the most developed, most successful of them yet- and Humble Voice, a site that functions much like behance but has a younger vibe overall. All of these sites are perfect for keeping an eye on what's happening in all areas of the world and in all genres of creativity, so read up (and if it's relevant to you, join up).

Via NOTCOT

 

Twitter: Worth Bajillions?

Nate Westheimer may have it right when he states that social networking site Twitter may be a prime location for a mobile-based payments platform. In an article he wrote for Silicon Alley Insider, Nate gently breaks down what it is that have made more recent attempts at using cell phones for payments fail, and presented a good argument for why Twitter has what it takes to succeed.

The most compelling element to the writer's reasoning was his take on the type of people that use Twitter, and why it is these people that make Twitter such a prime platform for a P2P mobile payments launch. As it currently stands, Twitter users are generally "Machine Language speakers," meaning that the idea of testing out new mediums (like texting your current activity to a short code for a real-time internet update - one of Twitter's main perks) is not only un-intimidating, it's actually worth getting excited about (read: talking about, generally in a viral manner). Nate argues that using Twitter can use their early-adopting fans to help the concept of paying via phone catch on in the same way that Pay-Pay utilized their tech-savvy crowd to popularize paying via the internet... and we all know how that payed off.

Read the full article here - and if you have no idea what I mean by "Twitter," then for the love of sweet God, go here.

Battin Design

Philip Dam Roadley-Battin is a designer from Denmark that kicks a lot of tail. Not only has he done a nice amount of diverse work for clients like Red Bull, Copenhagen Fashion Week, and ‘Projekt Gasværk’(pictured), he has also approached each project with an eye that is pleasantly averted from design trends. I like it when young, talented designers do this, because it generally just results in them  setting them - not a bad gig for a 21 year-old.

Via It's Nice That