If you didn't check out the Google doodle today, it's a sweet interactive animated doodle that when all the buttons have been depressed, plays a little light show accompanied by an instrumental 'jingle bells' ditty.
Click on the glowing button beneath the G and it becomes a snowflake:
Click on the glowing button beneath the first O and it becomes Santa:
Click on the glowing button beneath the second O and it becomes a bell:
Click on the glowing button beneath the second G and it becomes a snowman:
Click on the glowing button beneath the L and it becomes a candle:
Click on the glowing button beneath the E and it becomes a present:
According to Nathan Naze, Software Engineer at Google "Working with our doodlers, we had the bright idea to string lights along the Google homepage (and, because we can, added some interactive features). Of course, instead of using nails and hopelessly tangled strings of lights, we used JavaScript, Closure, and HTML5 or Flash to play the music (depending on the browser)."
A new branded entertainment effort from The Brooklyn Brothers for Land Rover has you, the viewer, involved in determining the outcome of a movie, which, in turn, dictates the options on a new Range Rover Evoque.
The latest marketing effort is an interactive love-fantasy-comedy movie in which you determine what the main character, Henry, does. As you make choices for Henry, you are simultaneously personalizing your version of the new Range Rover Evoque. There are several routes you can take that feature everything from kidnapping to flirtations.
At the end of the film, whose outcome you have manipulated, you are matched with a particular version of the Evoque that was determined by the choices you made for Henry:
The short interactive film was directed by Somesuch & Co.'s Nick Gordon, and is all about choices, emphasizing the options you have when designing your own vehicle from Land Rover. It's a bit of reach, but entertaining, nonetheless.
The trailer for the interactive film:
Stills from the film:
You choose the direction in which Henry walks, changing the outcome:
The brand also has an online project called "The Pulse of the City" in which you can listen to various "city shapers" talk about their cities and can view their personalized Evoque. A profile accompanied by a photo and bio allows you to view that person's journey through different international cities like New York, Madrid and Istanbul, to name a few.
Other attempts to get people engaged with the brand include their GPS art created with an app to create a geo-location map and share it on Facebook if you wish as well as their "Presence Project"
Above: one of the subjects in Wolkenstein's photography study of facial asymmetry
Do you have a good side? Most people do. Rarely are faces symmetrical and more often than not, features are misaligned and various facial characteristics make one side of your face appear very different from the other.
I first introduced you to the work of Julian Wolkenstein three years ago. Echoism, a recent project of his, plays with the notion of your own identity as expressed through your features. What do you look like? What are the things that make you look like you? If you are made symmetrical, do you consider yourself more beautiful, less so, or is it just weird? Or is it you at all? Do you have a best side? What is to be said of left and right brain dominance?
The process is a face-to-camera portrait, after which the image is split into a left and a right section, then one side is horizontally flipped and placed against that same side to make up two separate portraits of the right side and left side of a human face.
In photographer Julian Wolkenstein's initial project, the subjects were specifically cast for their individual facial features. They were photographed front to camera and in the same position. They were asked not to express emotions or character.
Below are images from the study:
Echoism is now available for you to try via an online website or with an app you can buy in the itunes app store. If you've got a built in camera on your computer, you can visit the website, have your image immediately taken and upload it to the site.
If you have children, tonight they will undoubtedly be anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jolly Ol' Saint Nick. Chances are, they are not snuggled in their beds with visions of Sugar Plums dancing in their heads. Heck, they don't even know what Sugar plums are.
It's more likely that they are using every excuse in the book to stay up late (I'm thirsty, I have to pee, I wanna see Santa....) and try to catch a glimpse of the bearded gift courier, you can assure them that He's on his way with the NORAD Santa Tracker.
December 24, 2010: NORAD has confirmed that Santa and his fully-loaded, reindeer-powered sleigh took off from the North Pole and soared into the arctic sky at 6:00 a.m. EST (5:00 a.m. CST, 4:00 a.m. MST, 3:00 a.m. PST). NORAD radar is tracking Rudolph’s bright red nose, and satellite imagery is providing minute-by-minute coverage of Santa’s location. Regale your kids with wonderful updates and info, like how many gifts have been delivered, how many snacks Santa has consumed so far in real time and his latest stop.
above: Santa as he cruised over Cairo, Egypt as I wrote this post
How NORAD Tracks Santa
In case the kids wanna know exactly how Norad tracks Santa, here's the official answer: NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa – radar, satellites, Santa Cams and fighter jets. Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On Christmas Eve, NORAD monitors the radar systems continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole. The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat. Amazingly, Rudolph's bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allow our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa. US and Canada flags
The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network. We began using it in 1998, which is the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year on Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.
The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or the F-16 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph. And a video to share with the kiddles:
You can see him via satellite, or map or terrain... zoom in on some Santa Cams, use Google earth to follow him and more.
HOT UPDATES from the North Pole (changing each day of December)
• Santa's Village Kids can even check in and see what's happening in Santa's Village here:
• Santa Snacks You can even see how many snacks Santa has consumed so far in real time!
Santa takes breaks during his Christmas Eve trip around the world – especially for snacks left by children. Do you put a snack out for Santa? Kids all over the world do. Some even leave carrots for Santa's reindeer. (Carrots are their favorite food.) Check to see how many cookies Santa eats during his journey. No wonder he’s jolly and round! Leaving cookies for Santa is a tradition for many families. Imagine eating that many cookies in one night (burp)!
How many cookies has Santa eaten so far at the time of this post?: 54335Now see how many here!
•Naughty Or Nice List Mrs. Claus has informed NORAD that Santa’s “Naughty or Nice” list includes a record 1.9 billion children under the age of 15 this year. This list grows continually, as children are born at the rate of approximately 340,000 per day. Check the world’s current population here
•Weather Forecast Weather forecasters have predicted that the temperature at the North Pole on December 25 will be about -15 F (-26ºC). Brrrrrrr! Check current North Pole weather here
•You can send an email to NORAD to find out where Santa is located!
Today, NORTH Pole staff have advised NORAD that it is the final day to send Santa an email because Santa and the elves will begin loading the sleigh later today. You can send an email to noradtrackssanta@gmail.com A NORAD staff member will give you Santa’s last known location in a return email.
•See Santa on your mobile phone This Christmas eve, join NORAD to track Santa's flight from your phone. On December 24th, open Google Maps for mobile and do a search for "Santa" to see his latest location.
The other day, I came across an online manufacturer's site that was beautifully done.
Aster de Villatte is a manufacturer of tabletop and home accents that is carried in high end boutiques all over the world. Although you can't order direct from their site, you can browse their interactive catalog and locate many stores that carry their products.
But that's not the point of this post. The point is how much fun you'll have looking for those stores, and at their objects, because of the unique interactive presentation of their wares.
In their online catalog, not only is each page a new mystery (click around and find info) but each is photographed beautifully and the animation is pretty darn seamless.
When clicking on certain objects, you will see how they are showcased. Click on the plates above, for example, and you will get this:
Click again, and it becomes this:
even the search page is very cool:
And the way you choose the country to locate a store:
If I show you anymore, it'll give away the fun, so go check it out for yourself by clicking here.
Credit for this compellingly designed site belongs mainly to: Sophie Delaporte (photographer), William Simon (webmaster) and Ivan Pericoli (art director).
