Zablotny’s Great Insight on the Latest iPhone Spot
Building on Jeffrey Zablotny’s astute analysis of Apple’s “photos every day” iPhone commercial. The choice of using a quiet soundtrack reinforces the story being told on the screen. The iPhone is naturally a part of your life, not an obnoxious interloper.
Google wants that same organic symbiosis with its Glass users. Which it very well may have by making the technology wearable. But, Glass turns its wearer into an alien. There will always be a subtle suspicion that a Google Glass user is not fully engaged with the people in front of them. No commercial will ever change that perception.
I do have one disagreement with Zablotny about the iPhone commercial. I like the VO at the end, it ties all the scenes together.
Nothing But Lando
JJ Abrams gets some awesome suggestions for the next Star Wars movie from audience members on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
The Illustrated Shadows
You must read Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains” before you cook your brain into oblivion with your obsessive internet behavior. Easily one of the most important books of our modern internet times.
To whet your intellectual curiosity have a look at the fabulous video that the fine people at Epipheo did to illustrate the premise of Carr’s book. It will definitely be an eye opener for your Monday morning.
“This is Water” from David Foster Wallace
The Glossary is a video production company that has made an exceptional piece to illustrate a speech by David Foster Wallace.
In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn’t become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.
Trust me when I say that this will alter your perception of the world around you forever. Give yourself the space to watch the video without interruption, preferably accompanied by an evening beverage of your choosing.
(This post dedicated to a Monk.)
Blinkbid on The Verge
Twas an epic day to see my application, Blinkbid, that aides photographers to navigate the business side of being creative, mentioned by an iconic photographer who is featured on an epic technology blog.
Peter Balanger uses Blinkbid. He was kind enough to say so in the the feature about him on The Verge this week.
Hold on to Your Letters Boys and Girls
One of the most taken-for-granted visual elements of our every day existence is typography. This short film about font makers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobais Frere-Jones will give you an enlightened appreciation for the art of the letter.
If that whets your typography appetite then you might enjoy Helvetica, a documentary about a ubiquitous font. It’s not for everyone. I brought it to my father’s house. By the time the end credits rolled, he looked about as excited as a medicated bureaucrat on a Monday morning.
Steven Soderbergh’s Excellent Speech
Steven Soderbergh on the current state of the movie industry. An exceptional speech given at the San Francisco Film Festival by one of my favorite directors.
Now we finally arrive at the subject of this rant, which is the state of cinema. First of all, is there a difference between cinema and movies? Yeah. If I were on Team America, I’d say Fuck yeah! The simplest way that I can describe it is that a movie is something you see, and cinema is something that’s made.
If you haven’t seen Side Effects yet, I can highly recommend it.
NBA center Jason Collins is Gay
I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.
Well said.
Your Weekend Long Read: The Man Who Pierced the Sky
The Man Who Pierced the Sky is an excellent piece by William Langewiesche about Felix Baumgartner the stunt man who broke the human free fall record by jumping from 128,000 feet last October. Baumgartner also broke the sound barrier on his way back to the earth traveling in excess of Mach 1 during his descent.
The story leading up to the jump is a fascinating one that starts in 2007. From the special technology that had to be employed to accommodate the extreme conditions of the extraordinarily high altitude, to the psychological hurdles that had to be overcome to make the jump a reality, the entire article is gripping.
Behind the Scenes of The Empire Strikes Back
A great collection of behind the scenes photos of one the best SciFi films of all time.
Retro Spring Fashion
Since I’m on a spring fashion bent today, and I feel like embarrassing myself. I give you an image that I shot in spring of 1985, the first year of my fashion photography career.
My nose twitches when I think about eighties.
I’ll send one of my books that I shot in France to the first person who can tell me on twitter @loulesko how I lit this photo. Think simple. It’s three words.
La Vie En Rose
A fabulous set of March/April fashion covers from all the foreign fashion rags.
Now it feels like spring.