Another choice!?
Posted on August 23, 2008 - Filed Under User-Generated Content, Mashups, Internet, Brian
This is a great example of a clever, easy and timely viral video campaign!
Vote for me!
Mashin’ on Mashade.com
Posted on August 7, 2008 - Filed Under User-Generated Content, Mashups, Mashade, Animation
We continue to add content to Mashade.com, including Lego Batman, Mass Effect and others. The site is really starting to take shape now. Press release to announce official launch coming soon! Check it out, make a mash-up, and email it to me!
Google launches LIVELY virtual world
Posted on July 8, 2008 - Filed Under Comic Books, Google, Virtual Worlds, Internet, Websites, Second Life
Today is a big day for us virtual world geeks, as Google just launched Lively.com. Unfortunately, I am on a Mac, so I am unable to explore in depth right now. Reports say an OSX client is a priority though. Let’s go guys!
Here are the highlights… No new software to download, runs in web browser… you can create an avatar, decorate your own virtual room, invite friends to your room and partake in fun activities. Rooms will live on personal web pages as well as social networks such as Facebook. The idea being you create your world and it goes where you go. Your friends, wherever they might dwell on the web, can easily access your world (if they have a PC that is). The idea of course is to simply make socializing on the web much more fun!
I read that Jeff Matsuda is behind creative efforts here. Very cool.. a comic book guy goes interactive in a big way! The look certainly works… sort of an anime meets Disney thing. Second Life did a lot to bring Virtual World to reality for the masses. It looks like Google has a good chance of taking things all the way home to the finish line.
It will be fun to see how quickly this spreads. If you are on a PC, you can jump right in. I look forward to meeting up with you “virtually” once they get around to us Mac guys.
Michael Turner
Posted on June 29, 2008 - Filed Under Top Cow, Comic Books, Friends, Heroes
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My friend Michael Turner passed away Friday night (6/27/08) after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 37 years young.
Michael was a world class comic book artist best known for his work on books like Witchblade and Fathom. He had created numerous covers for both DC and Marvel as well. He was a truly gifted artists, and extremely popular with fans around the world.
I worked with Michael at Top Cow when he was first getting started back in ‘95. We became good friends, and over the years I had the great fortune to share many memorable adventures with him. We took trips together, spent New Years together, and more. I always admired his dedication to being the best at his craft, and his constant positive outlook on life. Michael was truly a rare individual who radiated with life and a postive energy. Even during his 8 year battle with cancer, he never showed signs of suffering. He was always smiling, and never gave up… right to the very end.
I will forever remember Michael. He was a rare individual who made a strong impact on my life, and on many others.
I will miss you my friend. I would say “rest in peace” but I know resting was never your style. You are more likley to be riding some “cosmic wave” like the Silver Surfer right about now; free from years of pain, and spreading your positive spirit even further throughout the heavens.
Mashade.com launches
Posted on June 25, 2008 - Filed Under Mashups, User-Generated Content, Mashade, Blockade, Internet, Websites
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I get to add another website to my ever-growing list of creations now. This one is particularly fun and a reflection of current trends in online entertainment… User-Generated Content.
Mashade.com allows users to editing video game trailers and in-game footage. You can watch all the latest video game trailers and then “mash them up” to make them your very own. We have added in all sorts of fun audio clips, music and graphics which you can add into your video to truly personalize it.
Blockade partnered up with GorillaSpot on this site, and we think it will grow to become quite popular amoung gamers and those who just want to make fun viral videos with some really compelling content.
Check it out, make your own mashup, and let me know what you think – mashade.com
My mEgo
Posted on March 18, 2008 - Filed Under Social Networking, Superdudes, Internet, Websites, Brian
I discovered this new site called mEgo.com the other day, and it has a very interesting avatar creator, which can easily be tied to your activity on social networks and other popular sites you use. I found the experience to be very much like the “Supernator” we created for Superdudes,net back in 2003… but a much more robust web 2.0 version. Easy to create, lots of fun assets to choose from, etc. I particularly like all the animated loop backgrounds… trippy!
mEgo.com has created a very fun and useful application, allowing you to create a single avatar or persona of yourself and associate it quickly and easily to all of your various profile and social network content on the web. You can easily add your YouTube videos, Flickr pictures, MySpace profile, etc.. As you engage on the web, creating further content, updating your profiles, etc., your mEgo also gets populated with these updates.
By clicking on the mEgo’s “heart” you get essentials like photo and profile, by clicking on “ears” you get music preferences, on “eyes” you get visuals to video, etc.
I think this approach to avatar creation allows the user to become more attached to their avatar, the way they are attached to their Facebook or Flickr account. Having all these elements attached in this manner personalizes things much more.
mEgo will certainly be one to watch.
The Story of Stuff
Posted on March 9, 2008 - Filed Under Sustainability, Animation, Activism, Websites
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My cousin Alana sent me a link to the Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard today. It is a 20-minute Flash animated presentation about our world of consumption. The straight-talk and simple illustrations in the film cleverly depict the sad reality of our consumption habit, and how it is destroying the planet.
The site is not all doom and gloom though, and does not come off as preachy. There is a playful humor in the animation and thankfully no “10 simple steps” list provided for such a complex problem. This is an awareness piece, which lets you decide how best to make a difference. The good news is that there are great people and organizations working hard to reverse these patterns destroying our planet. Is it too little too late though? Hopefully not!
If you like the idea of having a sustainable world, something to leave behind for future generations… I highly recommend a viewing! It just might change the way you look at things a bit, and perhaps motivate you to do whatever you can to contribute less to the problem.
Also kudos to the design house behind this site, Free Range Studios. They did a really nice job integrating interactive features into the presentation.
Happy 2008! The year of creative energy!
Posted on January 1, 2008 - Filed Under Creative, Brian
Have you ever compared your current New Year resolutions with those of the past and found them to be the same? I have… on too many occasions! Mine typically revolve around things like exercise, eating right, advancing my career, spending more time with friends and family, etc.
This year my New Year resolution has a slightly different spin… to fill myself with creative energy; stay focused on what I want in life, and have the unswerving intention of doing it! This year I am appreciating where I have been and applying lessons learned to the adventure ahead. I have numerous exciting projects and goals to accomplish this year, and I can’t wait to get started.
I wish all my friends, family and colleagues a very happy New Year! May your creative energy flow strong, making 2008 the best year yet!
Grandma Dora
Posted on December 8, 2007 - Filed Under Family, Activism, Heroes
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My Grandma Dora passed away last night. She was an amazing woman and I will miss her deeply. A Holocaust survivor, mother of three daughters, and grandmother to five grandchildren, she had strength of character, with lots of energy and zest, and only love for her family.
Like over 5 million Americans, my Grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, a disease which destroys the brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Over the past 2 years, she started to tune out from reality, and in her final weeks she stopped eating and drinking altogether. Today, Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. To help in the fight against Alzehimer’s disease, make a donation or join the National Alzheimer Advocate Network and urge lawmakers to fund Alzheimer research and support programs.
I will always remember my Grandmother as somebody who loved to dance, cook, sew and most of all be with her daughters and grandchildren. Being with the family meant everything to her. She was a survivor, and I am here because of that.
Evel Knievel - daredevil superhero dies
Posted on November 30, 2007 - Filed Under Heroes
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I let out an audible sigh of sadness when learning today that legendary daredevil “Evel Knievel” has died at the age of 69. He was a true American icon to millions, and to me a real-life superhero.
I was one of the millions of kids who was glued to the television set in 1974 when Evel attempted to cross the Snake River Canyon in Idaho on a rocket-powered bike. While his parachute opened prematurely and he fell into the river, the tension and buildup was something I will always remember.
I, like many kids my age, had the “Evel Knievel Toy Stunt Cycle“, which I would wind up and release to watch leap over my child-made obstacles — toy cars, trucks, whatever.
Like any true american hero, he would most often be seen in his red, white and blue superhero-like outfit, which sometimes even included a flowing cape to maximize the effect of his stunts. He would risk death, flying through the air like nobody else on earth. When he landed safely on the other side, the crowds would go wild! Even when he failed, which seemed to be often, he would go on and do it again another time…. nothing stopped him. By the time he retired in 1980 Knievel had broken nearly 40 bones.
I had the privelage of taking a picture with Evel at the E3 convention in 2005. It was thrilling and also a bit sad to see my idol as a youth looking so frail and old. He was very kind and seemed genuinely happy to meet yet another kid who grew up watching him on TV.
“They started out watching me bust my ass, and I became part of their lives,” Knievel once said.
Evel will always hold a special place in my heart. He allowed me to dream of the impossible as a kid. He taught me a lesson about taking action despite any fears. We will all likely take some spills, but the key to success is getting back up to try it again.
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