Are you Bot or Not? Sveda Vodka's creepy new create-your-own robot site.

Stumbled across this new viral site today for Sveda vodka, which had been previously promoting it's Vodka with a highly-sexualized female robot...now, you can make yourself one!

http://www.areyoubotornot.com

Well, you can make a male version...but I went with the sexy female version in the french maid costume. I think black leather with some ruffles looks good on me, right?

These types of sites have become very popular over the years, from R/GA's extensive but short-lived Verizon Action Hero site, to the amazingly popular "Elf yourself" that pops up every holiday season.

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Storyboard #2 - Robot-Free Vacation Resort

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Story Board #1 for Future Counselors.

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Digital Design Powerpoint

My latest powerpoint file for Digital Design.

Digital Design Powerpoint

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Top Baffling Commercial Lies

Well, it's not the most hard-hitting news piece to come across the internet, but I found this rather amusing and quite truthful.  We are bombarded by commercials and advertisements every day, and many times, we take what we see and hear with a truthfulness that we wouldn't apply anywhere else. But we really, REALLY should be questioning our commercials more.

A recent post on Cracked.com takes the top 6 "accepted truths from commercials" and breaks them down in quite a humorous way...here's the 6 with my little thoughts:

6. Only Women Eat Yogurt
No men were available for these commercials? Or does yogurt really not effect us?

5. One Car on the Road Per Night:
Is there really only one, amazing high-end car driving around at night, showing off it's sleek aerodynamic styling and anti-lock brakes?

4. Dog and Cat Food Is Delicious:
After watching many commercials, I have a hard time not being tempted to grab some Fancy Feast and a tall drink, and dig into that tasty cat food!

3. Cosmetics and Candy Are the Same:
Both look good enough to eat, right?

2. Your Feet Are Haunted
How many commercials do we need with feet that catch on fire, smoke, look green, or just evoke general disgust from the rest of society?

1. Your Body Is Filled With Windshield Wiper Fluid:
From diapers to tampons, why is the "liquid" always light blue?

Read the article at Cracked.com

Dangerous Flash-mobs...the ugly side of connectivity.

A fascinating, and scary, article on the current state of flash mobs.  This term once stood for harmless, instantly-formed groups, notified by text messages and email blasts, that showed up a specified spots and danced, had playful snow ball battles, and confused and amused everyone else.

But now, these Flashmobs have turned violent, with a major focal point being Philadelphia.  Four incidents of 100+ youths forming spontaneously, running through shopping malls and the city, and attacking each, pedestrians, and vandalizing property.  Also of note is that many of the teens participating in it are of African-American descent, with many of the areas of the city hit being primarily white.

In my opinion, this is alarming.  There is always power in large groups, and many times, large numbers of youth will become emboldened beyond their normal parameters.  I can easily see how this would be a wild and exciting proposition when I was a teenager...just to take part in something, especially if all of your other friends are going to as well.  It's purely with the invention of text messaging, social-networks, and instant communication between large groups of people that this is possible.  It will also take an innovative solution to bring it under control again.

Read the New York Times link...

Image courtesy of Laurence Kesterson/The Philadephia Inquirer

My convoluted thoughts on violence in video games

My classmate Jooh recently posed this question to us on his blog:

"We have been watched super-realistic virtual worlds through various medias, such as movie, TV, youtube, and etc. and it deems that there is no limitation in virtual world. People can fly, can become an animal.  I recently watched a demo play of "God of War 3." It was filled with blood and cruelty. However, is it appropriate? Even though there is no limitation of expression in Virtual Reality, why do we need this?  I want to hear from you.  Please share your thought about the cruelty that seems across the line of freedom of expression."

I decided to weigh in...and below is my convoluted thought patten.  I struggle to find a place to stand on this issue, but I thought I'd share.  My response:

This is a very complex issue to discuss...and as a US citizen, I find myself quite confused about where exactly I stand on this.  On one hand, my country is a violent place, with relaxed gun laws, domestic abuse, violent criminal behavior, and nightly news reports filled with fear and danger.  On the other hand, the United States seems to have a love affair with violence, so much so that many of our most famous heroes in games, film, and television, are ultra-violent types.  Kratos in God of War.  Scarface in the movies.  Jack Bauer on 24.

Amazingly enough, the US, in contrast to, say, Europe, has a much bigger hang up with nudity, sexuality, and any expression of sex in media .  Violence is accepted and showcased far more than anything related to sex, in my opinion.

So, what am I saying here?  I'm saying that violence sells in this country, and because of that, violence is showcased across all of our media.  Games such as Mortal Kombat, God of War, and Modern Warfare tap into a primal need in many people to see and feel the exhilarating rush that comes from watching violence, and that need is stoked by the fact that violence is glorified in so many ways here.   Why are so many video games about killing other people, or killing aliens, or fighting people?  There is something there, something that humans have a primal urge to see, and possibly experience themselves.  But I have to believe it also is caused by the society and culture we live in.

On the other hand, I grew up with semi-violent videogames, albeit in the Nintendo 8-bit era...where the violence was much more "pixelly" and less realistic.  And I was able to understand that it wasn't real...but nowadays, as the lines blur and graphics like God of War get more disturbing and realistic, will kids be able to understand it?  And video games offer much more than a television show or a film, because in a video game, you are able to actually produce the violent act...to take a life...or to shoot "someone" dead without a real thought as to the consequences.

(thanks to gamesradar.com for the image)