The Medici Effect...

I found out about this from a city magazine in Baltimore called The Urbanite. The magazine is doing something called The Urbanite Project, which is based on the book "The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures," by Frans Johansson.
An excerpt from the project reads:

Let me ask you a question. What is the connection between termites and architecture? Shoe designers and car engineers? Lollipops and sea urchins? Or butterflies and mobile phones?

The connections may not be too obvious at first, but each of those combinations represents a remarkable innovation, and an incredible idea. Those who find such unique connections (almost all of us) and dare to pursue them (a lot fewer of us than should be) are the ones who are breaking new ground. Those people who can step into an intersection of different fields or cultures are those who will change the world.

It may seem quite counterintuitive at first—but the fact is that you have the best chance of breaking new ground if you combine what you know today with ideas or concepts from other fields or cultures.

If you guys find this interesting, there's more about the Urbanite Project (involving the writer of HBO's The Wire) at: http://www.urbanitebaltimore.com/sub.cfm?sectionID=4&articleID=625&IssueID=46, and Frans Johansson's blog is: http://themedicieffect.typepad.com/.

Love Chart

Blades of Glory

Is anyone else excited about this movie? I saw a trailer for it over the weekend.


The Story:
"When rival figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (John Heder) go ballistic in an embarrassing, no-holds barred fight at the World Championships, they are stripped of their gold medals and banned from the sport for life. Now, three-and-a-half years on, they've found a loophole that will allow them to compete: if they can put aside their differences, they can skate together - in pairs' figure skating."

sweet.

have you ever gotten the theme to fraggle rock stuck in your head and can't get it out?

Uma (wonder if that's her real name?)

So they're filming some movie in our office today through the weekend called Accidental Husband, or something?

But sweet sweet Uma Thurman's gonna be coming in tomorrow, not sure if she's playing an ad person or something?

Anyway, i hear she has a thing for planners...

Got a case of the Mondays?

yea, me neither.

"milton....what's happening?"

ultimate emo map

for those of us who were in boyko's international branding class (the remedial kids), here's an ad that puts our maps to shame.

My teacher Lao Tzu

"Evolved individuals know that people who are not intuitivecan be dangerous to work with, since they are guided solely by the present appearance of things that are, in reality, changing. Evolved individuals seek out others who have intuition and vision -- a form of intelligence that comes from cultivating their own instinct, observing the direction of change, and apprehending changing ideas."

This said 2,500 years ago in the Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu.

Awesome!

classic Mike.

Mike [picks up phone]: ...hello?
Me [wondering why he hasn't visited Naked yet]: hey it's Johanna
Mike: Oh hey what's up!
Me: Where are you?
Mike: I gotta go, I'm actually going to miss a flight.

Also inspired by Mr. Goodbody... I don't know why

inspired by the mr. goodbody post

I went to see the Body Worlds exhibit over the weekend. It is bodies and body parts preserved through plastination (something to do with plastics). The exhibit isn't really gross because the bodies are in strange poses: soccer goalie making a save with one hand and holding all his internal organs in the other, a man riding a horse holding his brain out as an offering, a runner with his muscles peeling off behind him, and the Winged Man- his arm muscles were peeled back so they looked like wings- who was sporting a fedora.

It's a traveling exhibit and I know it was in New York recently. Look for exposed goodbodies in a city near you.

Sorry, Dana and Raqib...

Your idea is already in use. Just saw this on TV the other day and had to put it up:)
http://www.brainwash.com/index.swf

From CitySearch: Brain Wash Cafe and Laundromat Editorial Review – by Erika Stalder
In Short
"Calling this place a laundromat is like reducing Yerba Buena to a grassy knoll. No one frequents Brainwash simply to do laundry. The adjoining street-side cafe serves burgers, salads and beer while hosting hip-hop groups, comedy nights and salacious people-watching. The entertainment schedule rivals that of most DJ bars, without cover charge, bouncer attitude or inflated drink prices. During open-mic nights, patrons pack in for standing-room-only capacity."

Mr.Slim Goodbody

It's Official... sorta.

So I quit my job on Tuesday - I'd had it. That was it - couldn't do it anymore. I had nothing lined up, so it felt like the biggest risk ever, but very liberating. Within hours of my 2-week notice being given, I was on the phone with someone I'd interviewed with back in May, who was starting an agency a few blocks from my house. The guys running it have great experreince - Chiat, the local agency 'Eisner,' and a few other big agencies - one of the guys had even started a local agency "Underground" that was eventually bought out by Eisner. When I interviewed back in May, it was really premature to go there - they didn't need juniors, so the guy I interviewed with told me about the agency I'm at now, because they're winning a lot of business and his wife works there.
So after hating my job for six months, I quit. And started talking to my contact again. Between Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I had two interviews over 4 beers, and ended last night's interview with a job offer! (I accepted and now have case of permagrin.)
I am absolutely giddy! The most exciting thing is that the Agency themselves are in need of direction, so I can't wait to help mold things - instead of doing estimates and being yelled at all day:)

Thank you guys for all your support. You remind me that I can do it!!
http://www.exit10advertising.com
- alexis

Thursday

Wednesday.

And You Were Bitchin about Blue Ocean

On February 5 this came to me in an email from Daily Candy. It is nowhere near as sophisticated and interesting as what you all developed for Carmike, but nonetheless someone has taken the plunge!

Outer Space

You love hosting movie night. But when you have more guests than inches on your TV screen, you’re asking for serious suspension of disbelief.

Take two at The Entertaining Space — a home theater showroom-cum-party boite built to fulfill your wildest media fantasies. Super Bowl shindig with flat-screen-equipped bathrooms? Osetra and champers for the Oscars? John Hughes retrospective with an endless sushi spread? Dream no more.

An in-house event manager ensures everything runs smoothly from caterer to curtain call for groups of four to 40. The props? Sleek, uncluttered interiors; plush chenille sofas; and techie delights like Cinewide, DigiBeta, 135-inch anamorphic widescreen image, and reference quality audio. Pretty in Pink never looked so good.

And now, for the grand finale: No picking popcorn out of your couch cushions the morning after.

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Check it out at http://www.entertainingspaces.com/

This is the third thing that I have run across in the past few weeks that Adcenter planners created in our classes... you guys are so freakin good it is scary!!!

Could You Be Mine? Would You Be Mine?

This is a clip of Mr. Rogers in front of Committee in 1969, lobbying for money to keep the show (which he wrote, acted out, and produced by the way) going on PBS. It expresses a passion and clarity of vision that is inspiring and powerful.