The Gift Gamers Will Gobble Up: Chocolate Space Invaders.

Fruition is a small batch Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Workshop in the Catskill Mountains of New York and Shaloon is a design studio in Brooklyn, NY. Together they created the Chocolate Invader.




This collaborative effort between Fruition Chocolate and Shaloon brings us delicious small batch chocolate made in the shape of a classic video game character from Space Invaders, an arcade video game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado and released in 1978.



The Chocolate Invader, which weighs 50 grams, is created with with Single Origin 66% Dark Chocolate crafted from Costa Rica Cacao and Peruvian cocoa:


The beans are sorted by hand to remove any foreign materials or less than perfect quality beans. Each batch of chocolate invader is made from beans from one region. The genetics, climate, and post harvest processing effect the final flavor of cocoa beans from every region, yielding unique flavors from origin to origin.

The beans are then slowly roasted and then the shells are removed.:


The cocoa is mixed with evaporated cane juice and cocoa butter:


The cocoa is ground in a granite melangeur for 4 days. When complete, its texture is extremely smooth and the flavor is nuanced and in balance. The mill uses two 40 pound granite wheels to refine the particle size of cocoa until grittiness is no longer detected on your palate.

Once finished, the chocolate is tempered and molded into invaders. Tempering is the process by which chocolate is warmed and cooled to specific temperatures in order to induce the propagation of stable cocoa butter crystals. Proper tempering will allow the chocolate to set shiny and have its characteristic snap.



The design was produced on a CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine to create the mold. The metal plate was then used to thermoform plastic, creating the molds they used to shape the chocolate into an invader.


The Chocolate Invader was designed in 3D CAD. You can download the STL model for their chocolate invader here at Thingverse

The Three Bar Gift Set:


three 50 gram 66% dark chocolate bars
- invader mini-poster
- invader sticker
- invader postcard
- joy of eating 69 pixels
$20, buy it here

2-Bars + Laser Engraved Box:

- two 50 gram 66% dark chocolate bars
- limited edition engraved wood box
- invader mini-poster
- invader sticker
- invader postcard
- joy of eating 46 pixels
$18, buy it here


Fan of Space Invaders? 
Then you'll want to check these out:

The Space Invaders Watch:


The Space Invader's Couch:


The Space Invader's Rings:

Greatness Has Arrived In The Form Of The New PlayStation 4 Launch.

With the new highly anticipated arrival of Sony's PlayStation 4 (whose formal launch is less than 24 hours away), gamers everywhere are drooling as they await the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition new sleek console and slew of games.




Today's Event:
As part of the PS4 launch, the Standard High Line in NY has been taken over by PlayStation beginning this morning at 9am, where they lit up the hotel with PS4 game images and icons and are offering some for purchase, demos and more.






The Fabulous Launch Commercial:


A follow-up to the widely popular PlayStation 4 trailer from last June, this wonderful PS4 commercial by BBH New York coincides with the launch of Sony's "Greatness Awaits" website.

In this one minute ad, two young men role-play battle via scenes from the Elder Scrolls Online, Driveclub and Killzone: Shadow Fall, all to the tune of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day."



The song is a wonderful juxtaposition to the battle scenes, and serves as a nice tribute to the recently deceased music legend (full credits at the end of this post).

The Greatness Exchange:


The Greatness Exchange allows players a shot at winning items used in the latest PlayStation commercials amongst other thing:



First there was Bid For Greatness, rewarding the greatest gamers around. But what about everyone else? All you need is one gold trophy to take your shot. Winners randomly selected and verified. Trophies are not lost from your PSN profile.
Introducing Greatness Exchange.

To learn more about the new PlayStation 4, go here

Buy the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition

LAUNCH COMMERCIAL CREDITS:
Client: Sony PlayStation 4
Agency: BBH, New York
Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis
Executive Creative Director: Ari Weiss
Interactive Creative Director: Tim Nolan
Creative Directors: Gerard Caputo, Chris Maiorino
Lead Senior Producer: Jennifer Moore Bell
Senior Producer: Kate Morrison
Head of Integrated Production: Justin Booth-Clibborn
Head of Account Management: Armando Turco
Account Director: Melissa Hill
Account Executive: Jon Moll
Senior Broadcast Business Manager: Sean McGee
Copywriter: Ian Hart
Art Director: Dave Brown
Visual Designer: Rahim Masunu
User Experience Designer: Kelly Bignell
Lead Producer: Martin Mlekicki
Digital Producer: Victoria Fishel
Chief Strategy Officer: Sarah Watson
Strategist: Kendra Salvatore
Strategist: Angela Sun
Head of Comms Planning: Julian Cole
Comms Planner: Ben Zoll

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen
Director of Photography: Joost Van Gelder
Executive Producer: Scott Howard
Producer: Donald Taylor
Production Designer: Robin Brown

Production Partner: HAUS
Creative Director: Rasmus Blaesbjerg
Technology Lead: Dino Petrone
Senior Producer: Claudine Nichols
Digital Producer: Tracey McAvoy

Editing: Union Edit
Executive Producer: Caryn Maclean
Senior Producer: Sara Mills
Editor: Jono Griffith
Assistant Editor: Megan Swados

Visual Effects, Finishing: The Mill
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe
Senior Producers: Charlotte Arnold, Will Mok
Assistant Producer: Juan Handal
Color Producer: Heath Raymond
Shoot Supervisors: Gavin Wellsman, Joji Tsuruga
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Music: Lou Reed
Additional Music Arrangement: Human
Sound Design: Human
Mix: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Tom Jucarone

Buy the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition

Chipotle's "The Scarecrow" : The Film, The Game and A Look Behind The Scenes.

Following up on the success of their 2012 Cannes Grand Prix winner "Back To The Start" (shown below), Chipotle and CAA Marketing have released a new short film and an interactive game that take an ultra-critical look at Big Food in order to highlight its own sustainably-sourced ethos.

Back to The Start:


“The Scarecrow” is at once an addicting game, a poignant short film, and a project that reflects what the folks at Chipotle believe in. The city of Plenty is a glimpse at a future that may not be far off. Processed food, animal confinement, and the use of synthetic growth hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics, and toxic pesticides are rampant in our food supply. Educating people about alternatives is a journey for the Scarecrow, and it continues to be a journey for us.

The Short Film


In a dystopian fantasy world, all food production is controlled by fictional industrial giant Crow Foods. Scarecrows have been displaced from their traditional role of protecting food, and are now servants to the crows and their evil plans to dominate the food system. Dreaming of something better, a lone scarecrow sets out to provide an alternative to the unsustainable processed food from the factory.




Produced by Chipotle, the film was created by Academy Award®–winning Moonbot Studios and is set to a remake of the song “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Beautifully performed by Grammy Award®–winning artist Fiona Apple.

The Scarecrow:


Behind The Scenes:






The Game:


The video is accompanies by a game for your mobile devices.



The Scarecrow needs your help to foil the evil plans of Crow Foods and break the crows‘ monopoly on food production and supply in the city of Plenty. Tilt your device to navigate through each level, outsmart the Crowbots, unlock extras, and restore hope for animals, farms, and the environment, while providing the citizens of Plenty a healthy and delicious alternative.






Download the free app at www.scarecrowgame.com and join the quest for wholesome, sustainable food.

The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Chipotle Mexican Grill to continue and strengthen its philanthropic efforts.



Dedicated to creating a sustainable, healthful, and equitable food future, the foundation supports farmers, ranchers, educators, and programs that are working to develop sustainable practices and teaching younger generations about issues in the food chain.

Over the years, Chipotle has contributed more than $2 million to fund initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming, culinary education, and innovation that promotes better food.

Chipotle

Willow Dinnerware For Video Game Lovers by Olly Moss.

Olly Moss, a designer of whose work I am a giant fan, created these during some downtime. He re-imagined the classic China Willow pattern as dinnerware gamers would eat up.





Olly Moss

iPad Foosball. New Potato Tech Scores With This Fun Dock and App.

Classic foosball has been brought into the future with New Potato Tech's Classic Match Foosball for iPad accessory. Powered by the iPad, iPad 2 or iPad 3rd generation, you can work your pull, snake, bank and bread and butter shots, fake out your opponent and deliver the ball into the goal with a resounding "thunk", all on a table top foosball dock for your iPad. Just like real tournament tables, Classic Match Foosball brings the complete foosball experience to your iPad.



Complete with eight functional 2-axis control bars and real scoring markers at each end, this app enabled accessory immerses you in game play as good as a tournament grade table, allowing the most expert player to show off their well-oiled skills.

screen shots:






Gameplay features all the elements you can think of in a complete simulation, but unlike simple software-only foosball emulation apps, this accessory brings the real deal to your iPad with advanced peripheral-to-game dynamics for an incredible experience.



Just plug in your iPad, fire up the free Classic Match Foosball app, and start playing. All 8 of the 2-axis control bars will move your virtual players around the table, so up to four people can join in! And this ingenious dock even comes with little scoring markers at both ends.





The Lowdown
• Play classic foosball (table football) on your iPad
• 8 working 2-axis control bars with tactile elastomer handles
• Real scoring markers at each end of the table
• Removable legs for easy portability or storage
• 3D instant replay of every goal to recap the action
• Includes multiple Playfields and alternative foosman and layouts
• One, two, three, or four person play
• USB connector to charge and sync iPad while docked
• Classic Match Foosball application downloaded (FREE) from the iTunes App Store
• Powered by Apple 30 Pin Dock Connector

Gameplay Features
• Dazzlingly real foosball experience
• Classic foosball play fields and layouts
• Realistic game and crowd sounds
• Tournament Foosball rules
• Multiple layouts and play fields
• Customise your table and team colors and sponsors
• Unparalleled play and feel for iPad

Accessory Features
• Realistic foosball game table for your iPad
• Foos buttons on both sides to launch the ball into real play

System Requirements
• iPad, iPad 2nd Gen, iPad 3rd Gen running iOS 5.0 (or higher)



$99 USD, Buy Classic Match Foosball for the iPad here