A bit of a creepy, sort of tongue in cheek, sort of not tongue in cheek, thought provoking video about how to start a mind control cult (feel free to substitute in any of a host of other words there) :
Via Ovablastic
Dec
16
2009
16
2009
One for the ages
People tend to be pretty fond of ripping on pictures of models that have been overly Photoshoped to make them look “beautiful” (big air quotes there, ie – like anorexic, heroine addicted 13 year old boys with boob jobs, who may also be of an alien species), and rightfully so. However, focusing just on photoshop also overlooks all the tricks that have been going on since long before digital retouching really hit its stride. Namely, it overlooks the huge effects of make up and lighting. This series of the same model with a variety of different make up and lighting is stunning. (via Kottke)
You don’t need Benjamin Button priced CGI to create effective false perceptions.
Nov
11
2009
11
2009
The power of advertising
A really good video demonstrating how advertising affects us. I’d like to see a little more of the set up for it, but the overall idea is definitely there. With that subtle of cues giving that strong of an effect- almost photographic duplication of something they didn’t even necessarily register seeing- just think of how much TV commercial breaks, billboards, and radio ads affect us all. How it affects us not just in what we buy, but also in how we act and what things we think up and think are our own.
And that’s to say nothing of the brands and logos that are embedded in our everyday lives. How far outside of the screen you’re looking at right now is the nearest logo/brand? How about the ones already on the screen (Windows logo, Firefox, Word, the icon for this site, etc)? Just think of all the logos all over all of the everyday products you use and never really look at. For example, I counted and my cell phone alone has 9 brands/logos on it. My watch has 6.
Via Ovablastic
Sep
25
2009
25
2009