an EVEning with Ray Bradbury

if it's work. stop it. do something else. it should be fun. loves should be multiple.

you're subconscious is telling you i don't like you anymore. i set out to have a hell of a lot of fun.

aRt.

via one of my favorite resources for street art, Wooster Collective, comes this beautifully subtle response to our slimy friends at BP by artist: aprovocateur.

col*LAB*orate II: Oxfam & Thao

Limiting collaboration to just one post is silly. The entire digital world is built on collaboration, sharing, connecting and more... so we're (er...I) will be blowing this thing out deeper, exploring more and adding, adding, adding.

I've got a list an arm's length long and I stumble across more everyday, but today I got notice from Oxfam America about an exclusive release of a video collaboration from Thao Nguyen (of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) and Dianna Argon from Glee. Check it:



The video is fun, but I really get excited about is the connection between Thao & Oxfam America. In an evolving age of consumerism and connection, brand experiences need to be thought of less as product/mission focused and more experiential communities. It's not new, but the power of a global community has made it easier and more important. We're all looking for opportunities to learn more, be clued in and plugged in. And why shouldn't that come from the brands that we know and trust? Expose me to the culture that makes your brand (and, logically, product, great and right for me).

In the case of Oxfam, chances are I'm not always going to be in the mood to hear about global calamity, but I love the organization and there's no reason why they shouldn't be exposing me to their culture and what inspires them. Zappos is a perfect example of this, check out their corporate culture page here.

I don't want to pretend that this isn't already happening. Brands like Scion, Mountain Dew, Red Bull...are all well versed in experience marketing through event sponsorships and the like. But that's not what we're looking for. We're looking for raw brand culture, community building and more collaboration between like-minded partners.

Crossroads of Quantity and Quality and Depth

The digital world has changed the way we read in so many ways, but perhaps the most profound is our instantaneous access to supportive services that augment the reading experience. Our entire life is footnoted and annotated, and the Web provides quick access to reams of data that have the potential to enrich our reading experience or distract the hell out of us. And with the introduction of multi-purpose reading devices like the iPad the boundary between data and the reading experience will become even thinner. So the challenge is this...in a society where information moves quicker than we can grasp how will we adapt to this thinner boundary between content and supportive information? For example, I am reading an old favorite The Count of Monte Christo in the traditional format. As publishers evolve the reading experience, my current footnotes on the various histories of France, which I can barely grasp or care to, will turn into multidimensional voyages, giving me an opportunity to become an expert on important things like Elba. So an item I once may have glossed over in the past now has the capability of consuming my interest.

We're at a crossroads. When technology first launched it was all about quantity, how much information can you absorb how many friends/fans do you have, how many blogs do you subscribe to etc. We are now approaching the point of enrichment. How do you make my experience better, how do I get more out of the information that you're giving me, who are the quality friends/fans. It's the murmuring of a retaliation against the information onslaught. The question is are we ready for more quality? Or are we satisfied with chewing the information cud like we have been?

Marine Week: Guns & Merry-Go-Rounds

Last week was Marine Week in Boston. What had the potential for a patriotic assembly in honor of the men and women serving their country, felt more like a fairground for weaponry; like field day but with guns, trucks and death machines.

The homepage for Marine Week says that visitors can “expect to see Marines volunteering with community groups, hosting physical fitness challenges and sports clinics in city parks and showcasing state-of-the-art Marine vehicles, aircraft and equipment.” The challenge is that when we talk about “state-of-the-art equipment” we're really talking about weapons; and weapons are designed for one thing – to kill (er...umm “defend”). So while the PR knife can cut this into a neat shape, what I walked into on the the Boston Common was a display of America's force, complete with hundreds of kids (and adults) running from one weapon to another to explore our “state-of-the-art”-ness/ability to kick some ass. Oh and there was a merry-go-round too.



It's unrealistic to think that we have evolved beyond the need for weapons and that diplomacy will reign supreme. However, displaying weapons in this forum, completely removed from the severity of their invention, has an odd effect. Weapons out of context (and by context I mean people shooting at each other and the ramifications of ending life) are cool, hence the popularity of combat video games. So when the Marines set up camp and show off their equipment it's simple to guess how kids are going to react: they were psyched, running around from gun to gun, playing war and imaging the glory of battle. In short, they were entertained. Which begs the question: are enrollment numbers so off that recruitment has devolved to entertainment and gadgetry as opposed to duty and honor? After a visit to Marine Week I was left with one impression: if you want to play with this stuff for real: Join us.

This begs a deeper exploration.



This post is riddled with disclaimers and it reflects an hour walk through the event and about an hour of observation. Truth Be Own is all about opinions and observation, so unbunch the panties and take it for what it's worth. Oh...and I more than willing support the folks who lay it on the line, but like most others I hope for a different answer.

R.O.C.K.E.R.S & the Magic of Ernie B

At 20 years old I had dreadlocks to the middle of my back, a radio show called The Electric Church, a healthy dose of self righteousness and a serious love of reggae. Sans dreadlocks and radio show, armed with touch of self righteousness and a crate of vinyl I'm wandering through the yester-years. And it made me want to share.

Before there was the endless swath of digitized music, finding the gems was a rare art that required utmost patience. I did not possess such patience, but I did have a healthy love for music and the catalog to Ernie B's reggae super store. Tonight, inspired by the sounds of the R.O.C.K.E.R.S. soundtrack I set out on the world wide web to see if Ernie made it across the digital divide. He has: http://www.ebreggae.com/. My life will never be the same.

Oh and if you haven't see R.O.C.K.E.R.S - good god - dig it:



Chalk up. Break out the headphones. Dive in.

Knock. Knock. Who's There? NPR!

I had a love-hate relationship with National Public Radio for years. I loved the idea of great news radio but I felt distanced by random high-brow-esque stories from random Cambridgites who felt the need to extol the virtues of tracing their lineage to the Mayflower. Between this and the sometimes esoteric stories about making butter in the region once known as Tibet, I felt NPR was anything but public radio, unless of course your idea of the public is stuffy white folk.

Now, I am in love. It took the beautifully shrill voice of Ira Glass on This American Life. Nerdy? Yes. Amazingly simple, down to earth and honest? Checks across the board. This American Life delivers stories in a truly accessible voice with the right amount of entertainment and weight to engage listeners of all types from all walks...you know, the public. The most amazing story ever told is The Giant Pool of Money. The most glorious way to learn how the capitalistic system nearly hung itself.

I just want to say thanks to Ira and the team. Especially the folks over at Planet Money . A team dedicated to kicking your ass into an economic powerhouse (or at least someone who understands what the hell is going on).

col*LAB*orate

Artists getting together. Getting together to make things. Giving things they make to the people. What more can you ask for?

I get all romantic and jealous when I think of Harlem jazz gods floating in and out of hole in the wall joints and blessing lucky bar goers with epic phonic journeys. And like all narrow minded soldiers of today I think...shit why couldn't I have been part of that. And that's bullshit. Yes those were great times, but today with the digital wonderweb connecting everyone we get glimpses into greatness. And I love it.

So with that set up. We direct you to Beck and his merry making rock n rollers. True there's oodles of amazing music and great collaborators and we'll talk more about them later, but right now it's Beck's Record Club project that has me hooked. Simple: friends hang out. pick records to cover. record it. we watch. I dare you to ask for more. Right now it's INXS. Dig on.

Record Club: INXS "New Sensation" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.