Justice Mitchell - Social Media Marketing Blog Professional

Friday

Jul302010

Melts In Your Mind, Not On The Web

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 4:15PM |

Enjoy this minimalist morsel. Thirty-five films in two minutes. Enjoy!

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

Design,

Film,

Storytelling |

Friday

Jul302010

Augmented Reality, Spook Country & A Future Canvas For Fine Art

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:32AM |

As many of you know, I'm the product of two amazing artists: Morris Mitchell and Fran Schroeder. You could say that I was bred to be in the creative world. Both parents went to Ringling School (now College) of Art & Design as students, and subsequently taught as professors there. My father retired after forty-two years. So to say that I've seen an art show or two would be nothing short of an understatement. Most of that time was spent viewing (or as a kid, complaining about viewing) fine art. Having been taken to some of the worlds finest gallery's, countless retrospective and endless local openings. This is the stuff that many see, few internalize and fewer still can afford. With that being said, I've found a kinship with fine art. So much so that my wife still likes to tease me about the first time I walked into the Metropolitan's permanent collection of Van Gogh I began to cry – pussy.

Some of the things that I'm drawn to know are styles of fine art that are digitally motivated, kinetically motivated or environmentally motivated -- such as installation work. While it can be said for most of John Q. public, "I don't know art, but I know what I like," artists just need to except that people will adopt, motivate and ideally embrace work as they see fit. So it should come as no surprise that most fine artwork is typically never seen. Well, this may very well be the future of some digital art.

You hear me talk about books I'm reading and you think of me in a smoking jacket (and nothing more), maybe an ascot, a faithful hound, pipe, orange felt slippery bought off the coast of some small fishing village and a wall of contemporary prose. While I agree that is a fine thought, the fact is I'm mildly insane and can't keep focused for more than, say, five pages in a traditional book before I've drifted off into a sea of unrelated thoughts. However, I've found great success with audio books, of which I've read (listened to – whatever semantics! they still cost too much) countless times. With that being said, my most recent obsession has been that of William Gibson and his uncanny ability to prognosticate not just the possible future, but the alternative interpretation of the present day. With that being said, "Spook Country" has in it's pages the message of augmented reality as a canvas for artists to interpret. This marvelous vision has inspired me to think that not only is this a fantastic and realistic idea, but it's only a matter of time.

As an artist, I'm obsessively looking at this medium as the final frontier. Here, I can make the world around me look, feel and be anything I want it to be. But the devil on my shoulder is that of the professional advertiser that can see the same value in all that untapped canvas, prime for branding.

Realistically, all of this conversation is a few years away, but not like decades. Technology and, more importantly, adoption and usage of new technology is growing faster than at any point in the past. This is good and bad as only a half a dozen years ago, if you found a sound technology, you were more apt to keep and use it religiously. Not now, not ever. Technology from here on out is as disposable as trends. We'll begin to see technology as trendy. "OMG, can you believe he still uses "MySpace?" So with knowing that we're going to be a nation of the BBD (bigger, better, deal), augmented reality allows the playing field to be vastly different. True space does not care how you look at it, or with what app/visual-browser. Trend gone. The context will be how the space is used. Below, you will find an amazing TED presentation regarding replacing advertising with art within the augmented reality space. The same can be said be said for ideas like physical storytelling and artwork --actually allowing your environment to be interpreted within the vision of artists, advertisers, storytellers and simulations. And this is not falling on the shoulders of oversized helmets and wire-strung glasses that will need to be warn constantly. This will be mobile, casual and interpretive from one user to another.

When I use the word infancy, I do so saying that this platform has endless growth possibilities and has not even scratched the surface of its potential.

Currently available dominant augmented reality browsers for your primary smart-phones:
• Acrossair
• Layar
• Wikitude

Augmented Reality Gaming:
• Sekai Camera
• GraffitiGeo

Collection of related links on Augmented Reality as it pertains to its use by artists:

http://www.laboralcentrodearte.org/ (See English version within the navigation)
Clara Boj and Diego Diaz (Murcia, 1975) combine their artistic activity in solitaire with projects in collaboration since year 2000. Its work is mainly centered in the observation of the public space and the diverse transformations (architectonic, technological, functional, social, …) resultants of the incorporation of the new technologies to the space of the routine character, from which they generate facilities that combine physical and virtual qualities to try to generate bows of continuity between the old ones and the new forms of social relation, between old and the new spaces of communication.
The Artvertiser is an urban, hand-held Augmented Reality Improved Reality project that re-purposes street advertisements as a surface for exhibiting art.

Julian Oliver - TEDxRotterdam 2010 from TEDxRotterdam on Vimeo.

Continued:

Article: Artists experiment with augmented reality
Article: 2010: The Year of Augmented Reality?
Article: Augmented Reality, RFID and Dead Media
James Alliban - AR Blogger
Advanced Interactive Media
Augmented.Org
AR Education/Games
Some of my Delicious links

Art,

Storytelling,

Technology,

Tools,

Trends |

Friday

Jul302010

Papa... Tell Me The Future

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 8:10AM |

New Business Development,

"do you have any sites that just sit around and collect cash for you? i got an amazon aStore, but it basically just sits... doesn't do a damn thing... curious what sort of other things i can have out there that generate any sort of revenue..."

So you asking me, if I'm reading you correctly, if I have the key to the golden castle and can you have it? Trust me brother if I had sites that sit around and "collect cash for me" would I be working/driving to Celebration, FL... ever again.

Right now your best bets are (this is no particular order and is subject to change as soon as this is posted):
• Mobile Porn
• iPad/Tablet applications
• Interactive eBooks, niche magazines, and manuals
• Proximity based applications (e.i. Foursquare, Loopt & Gowalla) - but after Facebook launches there's everything but Foursquare will implode.
• Accessory products supporting phones, ipad/tablets, etc.
• Something I've coined as "Tech-Rec" (back off! don't steal my shit) - this would be products that allow better ability to take hardware with them outside and within their recreational habitat.
• Augmented Reality: products, applications, services and support - look at Layar.com and related apps.

There, go make a million and I want 51%.

Business,

Technology |

Thursday

Jul292010

Rethinking: Allowing A Lot With A Little

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 4:19PM |

I've been meaning to post this amazing clip of Chinese architect Gary Chang create 24 unique rooms and personal environments with nothing more than 330 square feet! This incredibly eco-friendly space combines a unique sliding room panels and minimalist interior design. Chang also bathes the room in a golden yellow light from his windows given it an upbeat cozy feel year around. It's thinking like this that's not only environmentally smart but (more than likely) the future of densely populated areas.

Design,

Technology,

Trends |

Thursday

Jul292010

What's In My iPhone -- Part Four: Tools, Search & News

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 9:30AM |

Here's a new (to me) must-have news reader:

App: Pulse News
Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This is an awesome visual feed aggregator for all your favorite RSS subscriptions.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: Well worth price. Watch this be the model for future data push. Great interface.

In my "Search" folder:

App: Google
Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: A Google search tool.
Cost: Free
Comments: The best part of the application hands down is the speech-to-search ability. Look for the tiny microphone on the top right, click it, speak it and wah-lah.

App: Wolfram
Rating: ✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: They call it a "computational knowledge engine." I call it wild as hell.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: It's like search on steriods and if your educationally, or research driven this is MUST HAVE tool. Here try it for free online first and you'll see what I mean.

App: Bing
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: Is the Microsoft version of the Google search tool.
Cost: Free
Comments: BING is making a lot of strategic alliances and they're mapping system is really maturing well.

In my "Tools" folder:

System Default Apps:
• Calculator
• Notes

App: Carpenter
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: It's a carpenters level and several other helpful tools.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: This is a great app but there's something catawampus with my phone so the apps don't work properly. I would assume it's been the few times my daughter as been told she can no longer watch Caillou on YouTube.

App: Wikipanion
Rating: ✩✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: A search results against wikipedia's site data.
Cost: Free
Comments: Just what you'd think it is, with that said a nice tool to have.

App: Flashlight
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: It makes your screen fill with one of many colors that you can choose.
Cost: Free
Comments: It's what you would expect but it does indeed work. I also like using the red setting so I can feel as though I'm on a secret black op's mission when I'm trying to make my way across the bedroom without having a plastic toy gouge my foot face.

App: Big Words
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This fun lil' app just make what you type on it REALLY BIG on your screen.
Cost: Free
Comments: I used this app to get Mardi Gras parade floats to see me over people – it worked like a champ.

App: Battery Doctor
Rating: ✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This app is supposed to work by optimizing settings on your phone to reduce battery drain.
Cost: $.99
Comments: I've seen no measurable results other than the $1.00 I paid for it.

App: Trapster
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: This goofy little app' gives potential location of police speed traps based on user notification.
Cost: Free
Comments: Fun, app but gets annoying after a while as it will notify you of a lot of speed traps.

In my "News" folder:

System Default Apps:
• Stocks

App: CNN
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: Nice, visually robust feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: $1.99
Comments: I like the integration of 'LIVE' and 'iReport' content to this application. "My CNN" is an internal favorites filter and the addition of 'following' thread ability makes this application worth purchase.

App: NY Times
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: A solid mobile extension of the printed edition. Admittedly they're not exploiting the ad potential that they could within the application. I know, I'm a whore.

App: Huffington Post
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: You would figure that an online newspaper would have an great mobile site, and they do.

App: AP Mobile
Rating: ✩✩✩ (out of 5)
What is it?: News feed aggregator with links to more detailed articles.
Cost: Free
Comments: I was really surprised upon startup it sought my location for more geographically topical articles – well done. Great app, well worth your time, in fact I'd even pay for it.

Interactive,

Mobile,

Technology |