Not only was he EOTY (employee of the year 2009) he’s also the only person from outside of the creative department to do his own white agency home page... Nice work MB.

a message from ‘dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity’ 

http://dorkbot.org

I want to invite you all to an exciting event taking place at the Powerhouse Museum at the end of this month. Over the weekend of Jan 29-31 forty game designers, developers and artists will volunteer to be locked away in the basement of the PHM and not allowed out until they have made a game! 

That’s right: its Game Jam Sydney, part of the Global Game Jam that is
taking place simultaneously in over 100 locations around the world. It’s 48 hours of intensive game development with an aim to produce innovative and exciting new games. It’s also part of the Powerhouse’s “80’s Gamer Weekend”so there will also be talks and presentations by some veterans of the Australian game industry, and some up-and-coming indy designers.

To find out more, visit http://www.gamejamsydney.com/

Spread the word!

 

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: We will need some tech-savvy people to volunteer as network administration for the event. Do you have familiarity with running a LAN of 40-50 computers? We’d like to hear from you. Even if you can’t make the whole 48 hours, having you to help with setting/packing up or being on call for some of the time would be really valuable.

Contact: dorkbotsyd-blabber@dorkbot.org

So what was that?

That was 2009, sunshine.

But it kinda went by so quickly I missed most of it…

Too late, anyway we’re steaming on with 2010, Krubrick style.

C’mon just a recap?

Nup… listen every man and his social media NOOB has done a yearly wrap up and most have already pumped out a 2010 trends/predictions/tea leaf futurism piece…

Please?

Psssssffffff… OK just a quick one then let’s you’ll have to let go, it’s over.

First.

Banner Ads.
Banner ads are still alive! Yes of course they are and here’s a great article about the constraints they’re breaking out of… Beyond the banner And probably the most simple banner and “yet” most engaging banner ads of the year this little cracker for Pringles…

Right here, right now and in 3D.
Location based services and Augmented Reality… how many times did we hear those buzz words last year (and the year before that)? Well we did because they’re starting to make (or have well made) the leap from gimmick town to useful utility city… and we’re holding it in our hands Layar (now 3.0) probably being the leader on this front and the platform seems to be expanding… (see also: wikitude & twitter-360). Need to find a Stellar quickly… you might need this…

Then there was the foursquare too much info weirdness, which will make more sense when you’ll start getting free beers…

Plenty of brands had a dabble in the webcam augmented reality space with very few producing anything of real value… there were some exceptions such as… this

The Cloud brought to you the Googles.Realtime Search, Chrome, the Wave… next up the the android explosion and the OS. When do we wave the white flag? Maybe when their interfaces get a little prettier. Seriously the Cloud is a great thing and products/services such as Google Wave (although slightly over-hyped and a little lonely at first) are/will get us working as collaboratively as a finely tuned beehive… it’s like all my wildest hopes for yammer coming true… remember yammer? er… no…

Memes
These things power the internet… last year we had Kayne and “I’mma let you finnish” but the winner had to be… Keyboard Cat. What will the memerverse throw up this year?

Semi-Translucent Aggregation
Everything from anywhere, anytime for anyone overload. First we had skittles.com which was basically an overlay interface (where have we seen that before) on top of various social sites, so if your tweet contained “skittles” it would basically end up on the skittles home page. Which is great when people are saying nice things… to their credit Skittles let go of the fear and the site is still up. The never media shy Crispin Porter + Bogusky took the concept a little further and turned their own agency site into an aggregation portal. So if you were talking about the agency it would end up on their homepage etc… the neat thing they did though was to have a filter where you could select individual clients and then get a live social media snapshot of the buzz around that brand (buzz that they’re generating apparently).

A couple of weeks before they launched theirs tho’ we squeezed our own aggregation baby out of the coding test tube… and introduced Whitegoods

Here you can follow the twitter, delicious, flickr and blog feeds from le white agency… sweet.

Decks of the year (or presos that were worth while sitting through).

Or Aaron Koblin’s amazement.

The best by far… by a long shot… by a country mile was this WHY I LOVE THE INTERNET… there’s no pictures tho’

Campaigns N’ Stuff

This was a great simple one Shocking Barack (electric motorbikes) I wrote some words about it here.

Nikes Chalkbot got talked about (almost rhymes).

+ (nice pun) Although it was done a little while ago Adweehnamed this as “Digital Campaign of the Decade”

Now does that look like an ad to you?

Mos Def released an album as a Tshirt

RA DIOHEA_D and google made a film clip with LAZERS!

Something Something Twitter.

The White Stuff

I wore a the same t-shirts a lot.

So did some other people.

@kukestar produced a stellar performance for our Christmas Card…

Our peeps in Melbourne moved into a new Crib.

We cut a tralier… a first!

We made a showreel! woot!

B&T rated our site numero uno of digital agency sites… not bad if that the sort of business your in

We got all data vizzy for our super swell friends at The Commonwealth Bank (+ commbank.com.au won yet another round of awards)

We went hybrid in the pursuit of perfection for Team Lexus (+ we gave their site a super tune up)

We gave parents a helping hand when it comes to talking to their kids about drinking.

We helped people to “choose pink” for a good cause

And did we mention Whitegoods?

So kinda there it is…

Done.

This year tho’ is going to be another whole level of awesome… grrrr.

Digital content…film content…artsy wonders…from aus and around the globe

DECODE – DIGITAL SENSATIONS EVENT

http://www.onedotzero.com/event.php?id=31225

decode digital sensations at the V&A

DIGITAL PANORAMIC FILM CONTENT COMPETITION IN MELBOURNE AND LINKS TO AWARD WINNING ENTRIES

http://horsebazaar.com.au/?page_id=8

AWARD-WINNING DIGITAL ARTIST/ VJ’S BLOG

Includes info on film-related apps for iphone.

http://www.skynoise.net/

 ART PROJECT AT MONA WITH SOME QUITE OFF THE PLANET IDEAS

http://www.mona.net.au/vote/ananatural_mona.pdf

Vote online for the ideas here:

http://www.mona.net.au/vote/vote.php

FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND ART (TASMANIA) – CURRENTLY ON

(if you feel like a little sojourn to Tassie…)

http://www.mofo.net.au/

Friday 8 January

Charlie Parr

Last year Vodafone enlisted the help of Charlie Parr – the self-depreciative country and blues musician from Minnesota – for their Australian and New Zealand phone promotions. Nothing like an ad to propel your music into the national psyche.  Described as “a confused and shy individual” this bearded folk singer has apparently “failed at most things in life”.  If you can’t make it to The Basement, Charlie is also doing a free in-store appearance at Mojo (32 York Street, Sydney) from 12.30-1.30pm on the same day.

(Excerpt from http://concreteplayground.com.au/)

Cost: $30

When: 8pm

Where: The Basement, 29 Reiby Place, Sydney

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/616/charlie-parr.htm

Saturday 9 January

Shoot the Player

This summer, for the first time, Shoot the Player’s inspired and independent music videos will be showcased as an installation in CarriageWorks’ vast and beautiful foyer. The installation will be an interactive showing of Shoot the Player’s unique one-take music videos that document the work of musicians from both Australia and overseas. Drawing on the 100+ films produced by Shoot the Player, the installation allows viewers to explore Sydney and music on film at a private listening pod, or experienced on the big screen.

(Excerpt from http://www.carriageworks.com.au/)

Where: CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh

When 9am – 1pm

More Info: http://www.shoottheplayer.com/

then

Sydney Festival First Night

Festival First Night returns on January 9 with an epic all embracing celebration of our Festival and our city. With the streets cleared of cars, the Festival explodes across the city with major international and local artists.  Put on your dancing shoes and catch some of the biggest names in the Festival for FREE.

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/)

Where: Sydney streets and parks

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Festival-First-Night/About/

Sunday 10 January

Days Like This 2010

Roots Manuva, The Cat Empire, Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues, Amp Fiddler, The Black Seeds, Pivot, Ugly Duckling, Mayer Hawthorne, LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad, Dilated Peoples, Quantic, The Bamboos, Joker, Marva Whitney, The Nextmen, Micachu & The Shapes, Thunderheist, We Have Band, Nickodemus, Cassette Kids and more.

Cost: $125.80

When: 12pm – 10pm

Where: Moore Park, Sydney

More Info: http://www.dayslikethis.com.au/

Monday 11 January

Puberty Blues (Special Screening)

Relax, have a drink, and enjoy a special screening of this classic Aussie film about teenage surfers in Sydney’s suburbs.

(Excerpt from http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/)

Cost: $30

Where: Ash St Cellar, 1 Ash St, Sydney

More Info: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/film/event/14101/ash-street-cellar-monday-night-movies-puberty-blues.aspx

Tuesday 12 January

Humungous (1982) (Film Screening)

A cabin cruiser carrying four teenagers on a party runs aground in a heavy fog. When the four friends disembark they find themselves on an island of terror and death.

Cost: $5 donation

When: 7:30pm

Where: Annandale Hotel, 17 Parramatta Rd, Annandale, NSW

More Info: http://www.mumeson.org/content/view/140/171/

Wednesday 13 January

Hope 2010: Crisis, Catharsis, Renewal

Signalling a compelling new direction for Sydney Festival, HOPE 2010 gathers a diverse, fascinating and inspirational group of artists, thinkers, public figures and ordinary citizens linked – like the audience – by their hopes, dreams and fears for the year ahead.

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/)

Cost: $30

Where: City Recital hall, 2-12 Angel Place, Sydney

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Talks/The-Scope-Hope-2010-Crisis-Catharsis-Renewal/

Thursday 14 January

One Small Step (Theatre)

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, One Small Step by David Hastings is an actionpacked, fast and funny, full-throttled trip to the moon.

‘Silly, stirring, inspiring stuff’ The Daily Telegraph (UK)

Cost: $30

When: 7pm

Where: Seymour Centre, Cnr of City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale

More Info: http://www.seymour.usyd.edu.au/season/onesmallstep.shtml

Ongoing Exhibition

Flickerfest

Renowned as Sydney¹s first beachside cinema, Flickerfest kicks off the summer cinema season outdoors under the stars at Bondi Beach, screening the best short films from Australia and the world in a unique and relaxed summer environment.

When: 8^th – 17^th January 2010

More Info: http://www.flickerfest.com.au/

Worth reading the Videonuze article below on the race between Google and Apple for supremacy in Mobile…gives some nice insights into how all this is poised to affect the future of Video:

Google and Apple both unveiled key mobile initiatives yesterday, underscoring the collision path the two companies are on, and how long-term, video is poised to benefit from their battle.

First, as you no doubt already know, Google introduced the Nexus One, an Android-powered smartphone that it is selling directly to consumers. It is Google’s first foray into consumer devices and many more products sure to follow. Meanwhile, Apple, in a rare significantly-sized deal, acquired Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company, for around $300 million. Quattro represents Apple’s first real push into advertising, an important shift from its traditional iTunes-driven paid media model.

With its own device, Google is primarily looking to compete against Apple’s iPhone, which has practically owned the U.S. smartphone market since its introduction 2 years ago. And Apple, with a toehold in the exploding mobile advertising market, is positioning itself to disrupt Google’s planned dominance of mobile advertising through its pending $750 million AdMob acquisition. If Apple were to make additional acquisitions, particularly in the online video advertising space, that would further strengthen its position.

Mobile video is poised to be a real winner in the Google vs. Apple face-off. At a minimum, the two companies’ considerable marketing spending (plus those of competitors Palm, RIM, Nokia and others) will mean smartphones in millions more consumers’ hands, dramatically expanding the video-ready universe. In addition, the experience of watching mobile video will just keep getting better. For example, the Nexus One’s screen resolution (480×800) surpasses the iPhone’s (320×480), which only means Apple will need to up the ante even further with its next generation. The range of video applications is sure to surge as more and more players stake out their ground.

Importantly, because there are no powerful incumbent distributors in mobile video – as there are in the living room, with cable/satellite/telco – I believe there is more flexibility in how premium video can be distributed to smartphones. Until recently mobile was an “on-deck” world where everything had to be approved and carried by the wireless carrier. But mobile is quickly evolving to take on open Internet-like characteristics, where applications and services are not gatekeeped by a distributor. In short, mobile looks to be more like online distribution than traditional video distribution. As power in mobile shifts to players like Apple and Google, it should also be a wake-up call to the FCC, whose planned wireless carrier-focused net neutrality paradigm already looks out of date.

While there have been recent rumbles about Apple doing something with subscription video for the living room, instead the company likely has more latitude in mobile to go well beyond the pay-per-use iTunes model, especially if it can also bring in advertising. Meanwhile, by having its own device and operating system, Google is optimizing the YouTube mobile experience. As this YouTube blog post points out, the Nexus One is an improved way to search, view and upload YouTube videos. With YouTube enjoying such benefits not just on Nexus One, but on all Android phones, YouTube becomes an even more valuable partner for premium content providers looking to generate mobile usage.

Google and Apple will be jousting for years to come in the mobile space. The opportunities for growth for both companies are sizable. I fully expect that video is a going to be an increasingly important part of the battle.

Check out the entry from white’s very own Siouxzi Mernagh.

Siouxzi’s top three released recommendations are:

1. Where The Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, USA)

2. Beautiful Kate (Rachel Ward, Australia)

3. Last Ride (Glendyn Ivin, Australia)

Read the blog post here http://www.mattriviera.net/

Monday 4 January

Moby (Concert) – Tickets still on sale!

Renowned for his explosive live performances, Moby leaves audiences begging for more time after time. Musical virtuosity combined with an impressive and extensive back catalogue result in only one thing: unforgettable performances.

(Excerpt from sydneyoperahouse.com)

Where: Sydney Opera House

When: 8pm

Cost: $99.35

More Info: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/moby_2010.aspx

Tuesday 5 January

Emiliana Torrini (Concert)

Renowned for her soothing, ethereal vocals, as evidenced via her performance of “Gollum’s Song” on the Lord of The Ring’s soundtrack, & sublime, intimate songwriting (she co-wrote the Kylie Minogue hit “Slow”), Iceland’s Emiliana Torrini has made a very strong connection with Australian audiences

“Sweet, charming, effervescent, funny and delightfully honest; these are just some of the qualities that make Emiliana Torrini a natural entertainer.” – Faster Louder

(Excerpt from enmoretheatre.com.au)

Where: Enmore Theatre

When: 7.30pm

Cost: $58.50

More Info: http://www.enmoretheatre.com.au/events/2010/01/05/emiliana-torrini

Wednesday 6 January

One Potato Two Potato 1964 (Film Screening)

Examines interracial marriage in the 1960s and the prejudices of the era.

Where: Annandale Hotel, 17 Parramatta Rd, Annandale, NSW

When: 7.30pm for an 8pm start

Cost: $10

More Info: http://www.mumeson.org/content/view/140/171/

Thursday 7 January

Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour

Have a night of laughs with one of Australia’s best loved comedians.

Where: Sydney Opera House

When: 7pm

Cost: $37.50

More Info: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=PETERHEL10&searchId=a2ef2c91-910b-4460-b092-f2cc45d92ec4