Every Jack has a Jilll (Screening – French Film Festival)

Each year the French Film Festival arrives in Sydney brimming with cinematic gems and a splash of Parisian chic. This year is no different, with the programme featuring a glittering array of films and quite a few big names.

In Every Jack has a Jill, first-time writer-director Jennifer Devoldère’s uses the romantic comedy genre to poke fun at Parisian clichés in the city of love.

More Info:  http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org/sessions/sydney.aspx

Saturday 13 March

Taste of Sydney

Taste of Sydney, the foodie event of the summer, is returning to Sydney this March 11-14, 2010 even bigger and better than last year. Sydney’s top chefs, the finest artisan producers and discerning gourmands will be mingling in the beautiful surrounds of Centennial Parklands.

When: 12 – 4pm or 5.30 – 9.30pm

Where: Centennial Park, Sydney

More Info:  http://www.tastefestivals.com.au/australia/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=49

Sunday 14 March

Boost Mobile Surf Sho @ Bondi Beach + The Beautiful Girls (Concert)

Featuring world-class surfers Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow and Owen Wright, this is the first international surfing competition to take place on Bondi Beach in over 20 years.  The three-day event will see the most exciting aerial surfers from across the globe competing for a $30,000 prize on Bondi’s famous waves.

When: Finals 2.15 – 2.45pm, Concert 3pm – 6pm

Where: Bondi Beach

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

Monday 15 March

Massive Attack (Concert)

This Bristol-based pair started out as producers and went on to influence artists from Mos Def to Madlib to Madonna (?), not to mention defining an entire genre.  Now, the legendary trip hop duo is coming to Australia for the first time since 2003.

(Excerpt from http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1244/massive-attack.htm)

When: 7pm

Where: Sydney Opera House

More Info:  http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1244/massive-attack.htm

Tuesday 16 March

Eat at Almond Bar

Stepping through the dark timber facade of this unassuming Darlinghurst eatery feels like setting foot in an Arabian fairytale. The Syrian specific menu contains all manner of toothsome treats like muhamarra (a dip of red capsicum, chilli, walnut and pomegranate) and samki harra (roasted barramundi fillet with coriander, tahini, lemon and garlic).

Owned and operated by sisters Carol and Sharon Salloum, Almond Bar is an altogether family affair and one that charts the evolution of generational traditions through the most simple and satisfying of indulgences – eating and drinking.

(Exerpt from http://www.twothousand.com.au/eat-drink/almond-bar/)

When: From 5pm

Where: 379 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst

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

Wednesday 17 March

‘The Battle of the Big Thinking’ – Account Planning Group

Fifteen speakers packed into one afternoon of inspirational thinking, new ideas and entertainment.

Speakers preparing to do battle include:

Tim Gartrell | Chief Executive Officer | Auspoll
Nic Mackay | Managing Director | The Human Race
Abigail Thomas | Head, Strategic Development | ABC Innovation
Richard Slatter | General Manager | We Are Hunted & Wot News
Jon Wilkins | Global Founder & Partner | Naked Communications
Antony Loewenstein | Author of best seller My Israel Question
Tim Noonan | Director | Visionary Communications
Peter Williams | CEO | Deloitte Digital
Richard Sauerman | Brand Strategist | Brand Alchemy

When: 1.30 – 8pm

Cost: $260

Where: Redfern, Sydney

More Info:  http://www.communicationscouncil.org.au/public/content/ViewCategory.aspx?id=885

Thursday 18 March

Jankdek (Concert)

Jandek is a musician, presumably from Houston, Texas. Since 1978, he has self-released 61 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek’s music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.

(Exerpt from http://www.last.fm/music/Jandek)

Cost: $39.30

When: 8pm

Where: The Gaelic, 64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills

More Info:  http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/2220/jandek.htm

A neat little digital crossover activity monitoring device that rewards you for… activity. Aimed at the kids, Switch2health makes these little coloured bands with a small insertable device/pedometer that generates a unique code which you then punch back into the site to redeem your points/rewards. Great! It will also give you a smiley or a frowny based on your current activity. Russell writes a great little thing about it here… where I may or may not have pinched the pics from…

According to “Alice in Wonderland,” “the only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”

Read the review here: http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/film/alice-in-wonderland/2010/03/03/1267291899452.html

Friday 5 March

Dario Argento Film Festival (Screening)

Scare yourself silly and watch two horror classics in a row: Tenebrae (1982), directed by Dario Argento and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), directed by Tobe Hooper

When: 8.30pm

Cost: $12

Where: Chauvel Cinema, Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/806/dario-argento-film-festival.htm

Saturday 6 March

The Mess Hall (Concert)

The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in “raw, edgy bluesy rock.”

When plugged in and turned up, the duo produce enough energy to power a house full of floodlights” – The Sydney Morning Herald

(Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mess_Hall)

When: 8pm

Cost: $25

Where: Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Manning Rd, Camperdown

More Info: http://www.themesshall.com.au/tours/ and http://www.myspace.com/themesshall

Sunday 7 March

Big Fashion Sale

For 21 hours only, BJB Studios will transform into fashion wonderland, offering a whole host of sweet clobber from some of Australia’s leading designers. There are over 30 labels confirmed including Shakuhachi, TV, Nathan Smith, Rittenhouse and Marnie Skillings. Get ready to rummage.

When: 10am – 5pm

Where: BJB Studios, 259 Riley St, Surry Hills

More Info: http://www.bigfashionsale.com.au/about/

Monday 8 March

After Copenhagen: Looking for Real Solutions w/ James Hansen, Climatologist (Lecture)

James Hansen is the director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Trained in physics and astronomy in Dr James Van Allen’s space science program at the University of Iowa, Hansen is best known for his Congressional testimony on climate change in the 1980s that helped raise broad awareness of global warming. Time Magazine designated Dr. Hansen as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2006, a tribute to his continuing efforts to serve the public through his scientific work.

(Excerpt from http://www.usyd.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2010/professor_james_hansen.shtml)

When: 6.30pm

Cost: $20

Where: Seymour Theatre Center, cnr of City Rd and Cleveland St, University of Sydney, Darlington

More Info: http://www.usyd.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2010/professor_james_hansen.shtml

Tuesday 9 March

2010 National Art School MFA Graduates (Exhibition)

This survey exhibition brings together work by the first twenty graduates of the Master of Fine Art program at the National Art School.  The exhibition conveys the breadth of contemporary practice and includes media from ceramics to moving image-recognising the calibre of this group of highly talented National Art School alumni.

When: 6-8pm

Where: National Art School, Forbes St, Darlinghurst

More Info: http://www.designfederation.net/events-exhibitions/2010-national-art-school-mfa-graduates-2005-2009/

Wednesday 10 March

Dirty Projectors (Concert)

Dirty Projectors are a Brooklyn-based experimental rock band.  Hear their music here http://www.myspace.com/dirtyprojectors

When: 8pm

Cost: $49

Where: Metro Theatre, 624 George Street, Sydney

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/476/dirty-projectors.htm

Thursday 11 March

Irvine Welsh (Talk w/ Supporting Music)

A musical and literary mash-up that will have you partying hard with the awesome, and legendary, author Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting, Filth, Acid House).

Meet the author who introduced Scottish drug culture through his cult classics such as Trainspotting, Ecstasy and Reheated Cabbage. With supporting bands Jack Ladder and The Disbelievers and The Chaser’s Dominic Knight as MC.

When: 7pm

Cost: $17.85

Where: Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst

More Info: http://www.moshtix.com.au/Event.aspx?id=34538&pLock=&vip=&skin=&ref=

Ongoing Exhibition: Almanac: The gift of Ann Lewis AO

Mapping changes in ideas and styles, taste and influence, the exhibition includes examples of important movements such as Sydney-based abstract art and the establishment and rise of remote indigenous painting as an essential part of contemporary Australian culture.

Where: The Museum of Contemporary Art

When: 8 December – 18 April

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.

Great little film/video/moving pictures bit about the weirdo phenom that is chat roulette. Just wonder if the advertising potential of CH has been fully realised?

Via: RubbishCorp

PS: Cat Roulette?

PBS.

Awesome! The wonderfully low-fi app previously know as MousePath has been relaunched as OIGraphica with brand new features… not really… just the same great simple functionality. It just follows your mouse around all day and generates these beautiful visuals. TRY IT now!
+ If you’re into art based apps try this site for size…Creative Applications, it’s a winner.

The Melbourne Office fit out is now well under way. As you can see from the photo, the feature wall is coming along nicely, as are Cerns’ posing skills. The office is expected to be completed end of March. Not long to go now! Exciting times!

Stay tuned for more pics as the fit out continues…

Mastering the Craft of Screenwriting

In the launch of season III, world screenwriter John Collee (Happy Feet, Master and Commander) divulges how to gain a command of the “method” of screenwriting, as well as sharing his ideas about the development process and a 7-step approach from idea to treatment to script.

(Excerpt from http://www.aftrs.edu.au/whats-on/friday-on-my-mind.aspx)

When: 5-6pm

Where: 130 Bent St, the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park

More Info:  http://www.aftrs.edu.au/whats-on/friday-on-my-mind.aspx

Saturday 20 February

Mind Games: Photography, Identity and Play (Photography Exhibition)

Bringing together work from four diverse cultures, Mind Games explores the psychology of play and the construction of identity from the perspectives of a variety of international and local photographers.

More Info: http://tmp.acp.org.au/current/

Sunday 21 February

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Concert)

Get a dose of indie pop rock for a feel good start to your week.

Cost: $35

More Info: http://www.concreteplayground.com.au/event/960/the-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart.htm

Monday 22 February

Faith No More (Free Concert)

FNM is just coming off an 11 year hiatus and apparently “decided to sit down together and talk about it”. Well talk they did, and they decided to do what they do best -tour like mad men all over the globe and shred like monsters.

Cost: FREE!

Where: Hordern Pavillion, 1 Driver Avenue, Moore Park

Watch one of their more mellow clips here: http://www.youtube.com/user/fnmdotcom#p/c/4187211DE2E39EE7/14/Shdj5muS8Z4

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1234/faith-no-more.htm

Tuesday 23 February

William Yang’s My Generation (Performance/Art/Photography)

My Generation is William Yang’s story of Sydney’s artistic community from the mid 1970s to 1980s.  William documented this era with a camera in one hand, a glass of champagne in the other, and a smile.

(Excerpt from http://www.carriageworks.com.au/whats_on.php?event=yangmygeneration)

When: 8pm

More Info:  http://performancespace.com.au/?p=130

Wednesday 24 February

Australian Film Festival Opening Night (Mad Max Screening)

Mad Max is a powerhouse from start to go, and we intend on creating an opening night event to reflect the passion and excitement that this film has given to millions.

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

Cost: $30

Where: Ritz Cinema, Randwick

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

Thursday 25 February

Somewhere Near Tapachula (World Premiere Screening)

Something big went down not long ago, somewhere near Tapachula. A group of 50 Mexican kids, raised in impoverished conditions and commonly abused, learned to surf. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that, “in the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows”, and this is exactly what filmmakers Stefan Hunt and Jonno Durrant have captured.

(Excerpt from http://www.concreteplayground.com.au/event/1433/somewhere-near-tapachula-world-premiere.htm)

Cost: $15 – $50

Where: Dendy Opera Quays

More Info:  http://www.concreteplayground.com.au/event/1433/somewhere-near-tapachula-world-premiere.htm

Something you might like to register for (next week):

The future of viral and work of mouth marketing (AIMIA Event)

When: Friday 26^th February, 9.30am – 12pm

Cost: $75 AIMIA members, 135 non-members

Where: 10 Shelley St, Sydney

More Info: http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=6883

My Disco (Concert)

My Disco and Mistletone have announced details of an ultra limited edition 12″ vinyl release of a cosmic new My Disco jam entitled YOUNG. YOUNG is a volatile, mindboggling excursion into the outer realms of My Disco’s dalliance with German minimalism.

(Excerpt from http://www.moshtix.com.au/Event.aspx?id=33108&pLock=&vip=&skin=&ref)

When: 8pm

Where: Oxford Art Factory

Cost: $18

More Info:  http://www.mydisco.com.au/?page_id=20

Saturday 13 February

Reclaim the Lanes

Reclaiming the Lanes is an effort to stop the clock and remind everyone that the world was a wonderful place before the Model T. Communities condense when their reach falls into walking distance, and this is exactly what will happen to Newtown on Saturday 13th. Expect mobile music factories, roving minstrels, dancing neighbours, lots of smiles and NO CARS.

(Excerpt from http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1366/reclaiming-the-lanes.htm)

When: 2pm

Where: The Hub, Newtown

More Info:  http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1366/reclaiming-the-lanes.htm

Sunday 14 February

It’s Valentine Day!

Gilbert and George at the Art Gallery of NSW

Gilbert & George are like ‘old masters’ of contemporary art, celebrated around the world for their instantly recognisable photo-montage works in vivid colour and enormous scale.

Schedule

10:30am–1pm
Film program, Domain Theatre

1:30–2:30pm
Gilbert & George sign limited edition Valentine’s Day cards, Entrance Court

2:30pm–3:15pm
Gilb When: 2pm

Where: Art Gallery of NSW

More Info:  http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/events/cal/gilbert_and_george

Monday 15 February

The evils of social networking sites – Para(noide) Politics in the Archives

The legal fine print and ownership of your personal information, the contradictory nature of the cyberspace RSVP, the unmentioned law enforcement and intelligence service’s use of these sites and our obsession with reporting the mundane routine of our lives has become a great distraction to the creative process and what is really important.

(Excerpt from http://www.mumeson.org/)

Where: Mu-Meson Archives at Cnr Parramatta Rd & Trafalgar St, Annandale

Cost: $10

When: 7.30pm for an 8pm start

More Info:  http://www.mumeson.org/

Tuesday 16 February

Mardi Ha

We’re putting the Ha back into Mardi Gras this year as The Comedy Store brings you the best gay comedians in the country for two weeks of Mardi Gras madness! Book now as this show will be a huge hit for gay and straight alike! There’s gonna be bags of gags for straights, hags, and fags in this celebration of gay comedy.

(Excerpt from http://www.comedystore.com.au/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=details&id=31)

Where: 207/122 Lang Rd, Moore Park

Cost: $15

More Info:  http://www.comedystore.com.au/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=details&id=31

Wednesday 17 February

Reading: The Slow Sword

On February 17 at 7pm in Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company will present a free rehearsed reading of The Slow Sword by Russian playwright Yuri Klavdiyev, translated by Noah Birksted-Breen.

After the reading we will be joined by translator and Artistic Director of London’s Sputnik Theatre Company Noah Birksted-Breen, for a discussion about contemporary Russian playwriting and the art of translating from Russian to English. N

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/back-stage/the-slow-sword)

Where: Wharf 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay (Sydney Theatre Company)

Cost: FREE but you must book at the url below

More Info:  http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/back-stage/the-slow-sword

Thursday 18 February

The Long Italian Lunch (Cooking Class)

Simply the best Italian cooking course in Sydney.

Join the charming and passionate Luciana Sampogna in her heritage listed Italian villa for an authentic Italian cooking class, followed by an intimate family-style dinner with fellow students, served with matching wines.

(Excerpt from http://www.adrenalin.com.au/italian-cooking-class-sydney/nsw-sydney/gourmet/13830)

Where: Annandale, Sydney

Cost: $120

More Info:  http://www.adrenalin.com.au/italian-cooking-class-sydney/nsw-sydney/gourmet/13830

SMH Review http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/film-reviews/the-road/2010/01/26/1264267991051.html

Watch the trailer here http://www.theroad-movie.com/

Friday 5 February

Crooked Fiddle Band

The Crooked Fiddle Band delivers gypsy punk mashed with bluegrass, swamp and near-metal in a dark, frenetic hoedown. To balance things out Emma Davis is supporting, whose creamy voice and dreamy tunes are so sweet she’s like a cloud with sunshine teeth.

(Excerpt from http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/crooked-fiddle-band/)

When: 8pm

Where: Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville

Cost: $12-$15

More Info: http://www.myspace.com/bracketsband

Saturday 6 February

Spring Awakening Preview (Musical Theatre)

Based on Frank Wedekind’s controversial play of 1891, this bold new musical tells the tale of a group of teenagers embarking on the thrilling, turbulent transition from youth to adulthood. A surprise smash-hit on Broadway, Spring Awakening won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and has since become a music theatre phenomenon throughout the world, garnering a cult following wherever it has travelled.

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2010/spring-awakening)

When: 7.30pm

More Info: http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2010/spring-awakening

Sunday 7 February

A Man Called Love (Exhibition)

Tamar Guimarães’s fascinating and poetic slide-work, A Man Called Love (2007), tells the true story of Francisco Candido Xavier (1910–2002), a Brazilian psychic medium who dedicated his life to writing down the words spoken to him by the dead. The most prolific psychographer of all time, he wrote over 400 books. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was a celebrity in Brazil, drawing large crowds whenever he appeared in public.

A Man Called Love makes use of archival images of Xavier, of spirit materialisations produced in the 1930 and 1940s in Brazil, of Rio and Sao Paulo, and of protests against the military regime in the late 1960s.

(Excerpt from http://www.artspace.org.au/gallery/gallery_exhibition.php?e=121)

When: 11 – 5pm

Where: 43 – 51 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo

More Info:  http://www.artspace.org.au/gallery/gallery_exhibition.php?e=121

Monday 8 February

Leaves out of the Book of Satan (Film Screening)

Just like Mozart had Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Van Gogh had Sunflowers and Brittany had her shaved head, filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer had Leaves Out Of The Book Of Satan. A multistoried film presenting the power of evil through the ages, that took a humble local-talent to an internationally recognised director. Dreyer’s visual scenes are both addictive and intolerable, but completely necessary considering the films silent nature.

(Excerpt from http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/leaves-out-of-satans-book/)

When: 6.30pm

Where: Chauvel Cinema, Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington

More Info:  http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/leaves-out-of-satans-book/

Tuesday 9 February

Covers by Cybele Malinowski and Daniel Boud (Photography Exhibition)

Between them, this couple have probably snapped every musician to arrive on our shores, and if you’ve ever picked up a copy of Drum, Brag, 3D World, JMag or Time Out, you have in all likelihood seen what a bang up job they do of it.

Drop by and you’ll find a careful selection of their favourite covers displayed as they actually appeared on magazine racks, only much bigger. They’re for sale too, with all profits going to the Oasis foundation a Surry Hills charity that organises housing, education and drug and alcohol programs for homeless and disadvantaged kids.

(Excerpt from http://www.twothousand.com.au/look/covers-by-cybele-malinowski-and-daniel-boud/)

When: 12 – 5pm

Where: 156 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

More Info:  http://martgallery.tumblr.com/

Wednesday 10 February

Account Planning Group Idea Exchange

MD of Goodby Silverstein, Derek Robson, kicks off the Ideas Exchange program for 2010 with his thoughts on ‘Agency Change – The Role That Planning Should Play’.

Derek spent 13 years at Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) moving from Planner to Deputy Planning Director and finally, Managing Director. Under his leadership the Agency twice won Campaign Magazine’s Agency of the year award and the Agency grew its income by 30%.

Off the back of this success, Derek was recruited to join Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in 2005, with a specific remit; to reposition the agency for the future. His strategic vision has been credited for transforming the agency from traditional creative shop (think ‘Got Milk’ campaign) to multiplatform creative agency.

(Excerpt from http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=238325498537&ref=mf)

More Info:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=238325498537&ref=mf

Thursday 11 February

Giant digital origami tigers! (Chinese New Year Display)

Two giant digital origami tigers will be erected on the forecourt of Customs House today.  The tigers will fuse ancient lantern making methods with cutting edge design and fabrication technology.

More Info:  http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/article/detail/1680/crouching-digital-tigers-celebrate-chinese-new-year–sydney

Chinatown Night Market

Delight your sense and taste buds at the 50+ market stalls that come to life in Chinatown every Friday night.

When: 4pm to 11pm

Where: Dixon Street, Sydney

More Info:  http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn/html/custom/2234-event-details.asp?EventID=75253

Saturday 30 January

Happy as Larry (Dance Theatre)

Nine remarkable performers with nine very distinctive personalities explore the elusive nature of human happiness in Shaun Parker’s latest dance theatre work, accompanied by a vibrant electro-acoustic score from Nick Wales and Bree van Reyk. The cast of characters is developed from the Enneagram, a psychological system that maps nine personality types: the Perfectionist, the Seducer, the Performer, the Tragic Romantic, the Observer, the Devil’s Advocate, the Optimist, the Boss and the Mediator.

(Excerpt from sydneyfestival.org.au)

When: 2pm

Cost: $30

More Info:  http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Dance/Happy-as-Larry-Inner-West/

Sunday 31 January

Martin Sharp (Exhibition)

Artist Martin Sharp presents a unique and personal account of Sydney, featuring material from his own collection and family archive. Iconic images of Luna Park, his ‘Eternity’ series, cartoons and posters all provide an instantly recognisable Sydney, its people and places.

(Excerpt from hht.net.au)

When: 9:30am – 5pm

Cost: $10

Checkout the drawing wall from the exhibition here http://www.flickr.com/groups/martinsharpdrawingwall

More Info:  http://www.hht.net.au/whats_on/highlights/exhibitions/martin_sharp_sydney_artist

Monday 1 February

Mirror Mirror (Exhibition)

In the 1960s, mirrors began to be used by artists across a spectrum of international movements from pop, kinetic, minimal and conceptual art. Mirror Mirror presents classic mirror pieces from the 1960s and early 1970s by such major artists as Shusaku Arakawa, Art & Language, Ian Burn, Richard Hamilton, Joan Jonas, Yoko Ono, Meret Oppenheim, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Smithson.

(Excerpt from usyd.edu.au)

When: 10am – 4.30pm

More Info:  http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/1346/mirror-mirror-then-&-now.htm

Tuesday 2 February

People doing strange things with electricity (Presentations)

Dorkbot Sydney presents their first event of 2010.  Presentations will revolve around interactive poems, guitar pedal circuit-bending, exercise bike computer games and a fire visualiser.

When: 7pm for a 7:30pm start

Cost: FREE

More Info:  http://dorkbotsyd.boztek.net/

Wednesday 3 February

Philippine Abstractions

An exhibition of the work of the first abstract painter in the Philippines –  H. R. Ocampo.

Ocampo wrote of his abstractions, “In my pictures I am more interested in how hues, values textures and lines interact on one another in spaces than a photographic semblance of nature. I am preoccupied with the creation of new realities in terms of strain and stress rather than the portrayal of such conventional emotions as hate, love, anger, jealousy.”

(Excerpt from slot.net.au)

More Info:  http://www.slot.net.au/current.htm

Thursday 4 February

Daniel Johnston (Concert)

In between his Laneway Festival Performances, Daniel Johnston will play a one night headline show in Sydney.  His live set consists of a stunningly fragile solo set, acoustic numbers and a full rocking band performance.

Daniel’s beautiful but broken songs about girls, movie monsters and teen superheroes have enthralled the likes of Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore and Matt Groening since the 80’s when he recorded and hand delivered cassette copies of albums to his fans, one-by-one. In a live capacity Daniel Johnston’s power to connect at the rawest of levels is almost spooky.

(Excerpt from metrotheatre.com.au)

When: 8pm

Cost: $49.10

More Info:  http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=DANIELJO10&searchId=d7a1fc21-f8de-439b-9116-ab6cd946c93c

Late at the Garden w Hermitude

Continuing the party well into the night, Sydney Festival’s Late at the Garden plays host to some of the most creative, innovative and explosive underground and independent bands around, all right at home in the lush surrounds of The Famous Spiegeltent.

The act tonight is Hermitude – combining Cuban-influenced rhythms and dark melodies with jungle drums and formal jazz training, Hermitude deliver an engaging and innovative live show full of progressive hip-hop sounds.

When: From 11.30pm

Cost: FREE

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Free/Late-at-the-Garden/

Saturday 23 January

500 Days of Summer (Bondi OpenAir Cinema) + Music

Tom, a greeting-card writer who dreams of finding his true love. He meets Summer (day 1) a vintage-looking beauty whose ideas about love are entirely modern. This film has a healthy mix of cynicism and romance – perfect for seeing under the stars whether you’re in blissful coupledom or footloose and fancy free.

I am Apollo play from 7pm at the Nova Sunset Stage pre-film.

Where: Promenade, Bondi Beach

More Info: http://www.bondiopenair.com.au/film.aspx?film=78

Sunday 24 January

The Now Now

The Now Now is a one-of-a-kind experimental, impulsive and improvised music and film festival.  A busy schedule of more that 50 musicians over 3 days, including an act called the S.I.M.S Project who incorporates SMS into their compositions.

When: 8pm

Cost: $15 – $50

More Info:  http://thenownow.net/2010-festival/

Monday 25 January

Girl Talk Australian Summer Tour (Concert)

If you are predisposed to crazy dancing, mega pop hits, golden oldies and banging electro remixes, then going to a Girl Talk (producer/DJ Gregg Gillis) show is probably the most fun you will ever have. There will be nudity, there will be classic hits (Elton John) mixed with crazy new jams (Lil Wayne), there will be sweat flying, and there will be girls. Loads of girls. Gillies also understands that music lovers sometimes don’t have much cash to spare, and so allows free downloads of all of his records from online record label Illegal Art. Nice guy!

(Excerpt from www.concreteplayground.com.au)

When: 7pm

Cost: FREE

More Info:  http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=GIRLTALK10&v=NMO&searchId=2ebdc1b6-7c2c-400b-8386-4dd79b7c1b37

Tuesday 26 January

Australia Day at The Rocks

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority presents a truly home-grown Australia Day as more than 70 Australian singers and songwriters belt out 10 hours of free live entertainment in The Rocks.  Party on the lawn to blues and reggae, rock by the harbour, soak up classics on the cobblestones, chill out with waterfront acoustic and folk, bring the kids to their own special sing-a-long and even catch choirs singing in the lanes.

(Excerpt from www.therocks.com)

When: 11am – 9pm

Cost: FREE

More Info:  http://www.therocks.com/sydney-Things_To_Do-The_Rocks_Australia_Day.htm

Wednesday 27 January

Six Characters in Search of an Author

When Luigi Pirandello’s Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore premiered in Rome in 1921, the play introduced the idea that fictional characters could exist beyond their creator, lost out in the world as orphans craving attention. Rupert Goold, artistic director of the British company, Headlong, has re-imagined Pirandello’s tragicomedy for a world besotted with the media.

(Excerpt from www.concreteplayground.com.au)

Where: Seymour Centre, Cleveland St & City Rd, Chippendale

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/472/six-characters-in-search-of-an-author.htm

Thursday 28 January

The 7^th Future of Digital Advertising

Hosted by AIMIA and IAB Australia, this event will explore the future of digital for 2010 and into the future.  Speakers include Paul Fisher of the IAB, Pippa Leary from Fairfax Digital, Mark Shaw from Media Smart Sensis, Mac Walker from Hyro, Claudia Sagripanti from GroupM, Clifford Rosenberg from LinkedIn and our very own Creative Director at white, Darwin Tomlinson.

When: 8am – 12pm

Where: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo

More Info: http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=6540

Ongoing Exhibition

Artefact H10515

A contemporary sculpture, an interactive installation, an artificial life form and a museum artefact.  “I’m interested in how people respond to it and interact with it,” says Craig Walsh, the resident artist. “Museums usually display static objects and provide a full explanation of it. I am denying information and encouraging interpretation.”

Where: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo

More Info: http://artefact.powerhousemuseum.com/

Two incredibly inspiring street artists, Blu and David Ellis recently joined forces in a collision of largely improvised motion painting and public installation to create this piece (link below) on the streets of Italy:

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop)

They battled rain, mosquitoes and bored assistants over the gruelling week it took them to create it. It was created as part of the Fame Festival, Italy, and dubbed a materpiece by festival organisers.

An inspiration for thinking big and creating above and beyond contextual confines…

Beck’s Festival Bar w/ Music

Malian guitarist/singer/songwriter Vieux Farka Toure is the son of African music legend, the late Ali Farka Toure.  Drawing on Malian traditions and incorporating his father’s signature desert blues style, Vieux’s ear for the future also sees his music traversing reggae, funk, rock and RnB.

Playing no-frills blues rock, Sydney duo The Mess Hall are renowned for their raw, explosive live performances.

With a sound that is equal parts blues, soul and country, Dan Sultan’s songs showcase his knack for storytelling. DJ Russ Dewbury mixes up the heaviest Afro-soul sounds.

When: 8pm

Cost: $38

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Music/Vieux-Farka-Toure-The-Mess-Hall-Dan-Sultan/

Saturday 16 January

Circa 1979: Signal to Noise (A day of free talks)

From 1979 to 1985, parish halls, abandoned warehouses and run down apartments rumbled and screeched with new sounds during one of the most creative periods in Australia’s music history.  Avant garde, post-punk, new wave and early electronic styles of music cultivated a thriving underground scene, heard on Sydney-based labels M Squared and Volition. Circa 1979: Signal to Noise is a celebration of this unique and influential period.

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

Cost: FREE

Where: The Seymour Centre, Cnr City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Talks/Circa-1979-Signal-to-Noise/

Sunday 17 January

Lynette Wallworth (Sensory Exhibition)

A little too real to be dream-like and a little too dream-like to be familiar, Wallworth’s environments are an exercise in unexpected concentration and unusual exploration, often involving wordless narratives that attempt to emotively fertilize a sense of intimacy and empathy between the moving image and the participants moving body. And although the Wallworth experience is usually no roller coaster ride, it may offer a moment of sensory gratification and some time for healthy reflection.

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

Where: CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/483/lynette-wallworth.htm

Monday 18 January

Joanna Newsom @ Sydney Opera House (Concert)

“This extraordinary harpist has a glorious, untamed voice and a sheaf of tricky song-poems…conjuring one startlingly vivid image after another.” – The New York Times

After beguiling audiences with her performance with the Sydney Symphony last year , California-based harp virtuoso Joanna Newsom makes a much anticipated return to Sydney Opera House for one Sydney show only.

Cost: $49-75

Where: Sydney Opera House

More Info: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/joanna_newsom_2010.aspx

Tuesday 19 January

Tot Mom

Steven Soderbergh has created Tot Mom – a compelling look into how a crime can come to grip an entire nation through intense media and public attention. Tot Mom seeks to hold up a mirror to our society, raising ethical questions about the way in which such a case is dealt with in the public domain.

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

Cost: FREE

Where: The Seymour Centre, Cnr City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Talks/Circa-1979-Signal-to-Noise/

Wednesday 20 January

Where the Wild Things Are @ Moonlight Cinema
as recommended by our very own Siouxzi Mernagh

The highly anticipated adaptation by director Spike Jonze (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION) of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s story. When Max, a young boy acting out, is sent to bed without his supper, he creates his own world – a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

(Excerpt from www.moonlight.com.au)

Where: Belvedere Amphitheatre, Centennial Park

More Info: http://www.moonlight.com.au/main.php?location=Sydney

Thursday 21 January

Dark Matters (Dance)

Dark Matters is a haunting portrait of the unknown, a performance that pulls itself apart in an attempt to discover what it’s made of.

When: 8pm

Where: Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay

Cost: $55-$70

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Dance/Dark-Matters/

Ongoing Exhibition

Seen and Heard (Film Festival)

A free film festival that battles the celluloid ceiling, celebrating the diverse and extraordinary work of women filmmakers and their not-to-be-underestimated diverse and extraordinary audiences. Seen and Heard in 2010, its second year, will follow on from a showcase of questions on class, race, ability/disability, gender and sexuality.

(Excerpt from http://seenandheardfilms.com/)

When: 14 – 17 January

Where: Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville

More Info: http://seenandheardfilms.com/

A testament to how effective this interactive piece is from Intel is whether you feel like touching your computer screen when you’re watching it…

http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/2010/01/intel_1.php

Direct You Tube link:

Intel InfoScape Double HD Touchscreen Internet Experience

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

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/

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/

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.

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/

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

Merry Christmas from everyone at White! http://www.thewhiteagency.com.au/wakeupasanta/

Boxing Day Saturday 26 December

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race (Picnic Cruise)

Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour is an iconic Sydney event. Feel the ocean breeze and experience the excitement as the 2009 Rolex Fleet line up for the gun. Follow the strart of the race as the yachts set sail out to Sydney Heads.

(Excerpt from captaincook.com.au)

Cost: $79 per adult

More Info: http://www.captaincook.com.au/home.asp?pageid=1661F5DD27C61DDC&cruiseid=E1DBC6CCA689A52A

Sunday 27 December

Fiona Foley: Forbidden (Exhibition)

A unique political art exhibition that will get you thinking using painting, printmaking, photograph and installation works.

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art

More Info: http://www.mca.com.au/default.asp?page_id=10&content_id=4814

Monday 28 December

Nowhere Boy (Film)

The words, “The Beatles” are never uttered in Sam Taylor-Wood’s debut feature film Nowhere Boy, and, for the most part, neither are the screaming girls that the phrasing conjures. That’s because the film focusses intensely on John Lennon’s life aged fifteen-eighteen, an intimate portrait of a specific time period rather than the usual longwinded biopic.

(Excerpt from concreteplayground.com.au)

More Info: http://www.concreteplayground.com.au/event/525/nowhere-boy.htm

Tuesday 29 December

That Was The Year That Was: The Gala Comedy Event of the Year

Having knocked 2008 into comedic shape, That Was The Year That Was returns to the magnificent Sydney Opera House for a second year, bringing with it an all-star line up of Australia’s best and brightest comic talent to tackle the news, views and issues of the many-headed beast that was 2009.

The line-up includes Mikey Robins, Wendy Harmer, Wil Anderson, Eddie Perfect, Celia Pacquola, Flacco & The Sandman, Felicity Ward and Scared Weird Little Guys.

When: 8pm

Cost: $85-$110

Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House

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

Wednesday 30 December

Tot Mom (Theatre)

Steven Soderbergh has created Tot Mom – a compelling look into how a crime can come to grip an entire nation through intense media and public attention. Tot Mom seeks to hold up a mirror to our society, raising ethical questions about the way in which such a case is dealt with in the public domain. How does justice operate in an environment where such a case has become a media phenomenon?

(Excerpt from sydneytheatre.com.au)

Where: Wharf 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

More Info: http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2009/tot-mom

New Years Eve Thursday 31 December

Peats Ridge 2009 Arts and Music Festival

On NYE the festival reaches its peak.  At dusk artists, musicians and festival-goers gather and masquerade through the festival site making music and building the mood for the rest of the night.  All ten stages are in action all night with the festival’s best performers including playing into the night.  Catch performances by the likes of Blue King Brown, Jeff Martin, Sarah Blasko, Lost Valentinos, The Panics, Lamb and more.

Where: Glenworth Valley

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

New Years Day Friday 1 January

Field Day 2010

As a new year dawns, few things are certain – except of course that Fuzzy’s legendary Field Day is the most life-affirmingly fun way to launch into 2010. Under the shimmer of the iconic Sydney skyline and bathed in the green of more grass, beautiful trees and wide open spaces than any other Sydney festival, the Domain provides the ultimate location for what is a truly unique event.

(Excerpt from fuzzy.com.au)

Performances by: 2manydjs live, The Presets, Major Lazer Soundsystem feat. Diplo, James Murphy and Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), Architecture in Helsinki and more.

Where: The Domain, Sydney

When: 11am – 11pm

Cost: $137

More Info: http://www.fuzzy.com.au/coming-up/212/info Tickets are still on sale!

Saturday 2 January

Skream + Benga (Dubstep Gig)

I’m told that when you’re in a room and can feel the bass [of dubstep] rattling your bones, you start to involuntarily dance like a giant fondu set. And, as the music speeds up you’ll lift your arms and ‘just go crazy’. …Give dubstep a shot with Skream and Benga, they’re the leaders of their genre and rarely disappoint. Plus the gig goes ’til 5am. Epic!
– Hayley Morgan (via http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/skream-and-benga/)

Where: Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire St, Surry Hills

When: 10pm-5am

More Info: http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/skream-and-benga/

Sunday 3 January

Stranger than Fiction

A collection of strange objects that have arrived in boxes of corporate records, family papers, literary manuscripts, pictures, photographs and books that have accumulated in the Mitchell Library over the last 100 years.

Where: State Library of New South Wales, Macquarie Street, Sydney

More Info: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2009/stranger_than_fiction/index.html

According to Rotten Tomatoes – “Straddling existential drama and surrealist comedy, Sophie Barthes debut feature is beautifully shot and full of inventive quandaries.”

Sundance Review: http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/18/sundance-review-cold-souls/

More Info: http://coldsoulsthemovie.com/

Friday 18 December

The Final Countdown

Instead of heading to your regular after-work drinks this Friday, visit the City Hotel and enjoy a top 40 countdown of the most popular hits selected from a year in the 80s or 90s.  This retro themed twist is sure to be a fun start to your weekend.

Where: City Hotel, 347 Kent St, Sydney

More Info: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/clubs/event/14156/the-final-countdown.aspx

Saturday 19 December

Carols in the Domain

Share the spirit of Christmas under the stars.  The event will commence at midday with the main concert (which will be televised across Australia) beginning at 8.30pm.  Your hosts for the night will be Kate Ritchie and Grant Denyer, with performances by the cast of Wicked the Musical, Kasey Chambers, Leo Sayer, Ronan Keating, Adam Brand, Kate Cebrano, The McClymonts and even The Wiggles!

Where: Domain, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

When: Event starts at midday, main concert starts at 8.30pm

More Info: http://www.carolsinthedomain.com/index.php

Sunday 20 December

End of Year Exhibition and Christmas Drinks

Bill&George is a studio space in William St run and used by some amazing people. Join them for a lazy Sunday filled with drinks, tunes by Monkfly and works by past, present and future Bill&George studio residents.

Where: 11-15 William St, Redfern

Cost: FREE

More Info: http://www.twothousand.com.au/out/out-with-a-bang-end-of-year-exhibition-and-christmas-drinks/

Monday 21 December

Penguin Plays Rough Turns One (Networking/Club)

Penguin Plays Rough is a monthly night for young Sydney writers to share their love of literature.  It usually happens every 3^rd Monday of the month on King St, Newtown.  For their first birthday, Penguin Plays Rough invites you to come celebrate with them and enjoy stories by Nick Coyle, Rosie Dennis, Luke Carman, Francessa Ciantar and Pip Smith.

Your own short stories are welcome and cupcakes are provided.

Where: 1/475 King St, Newtown

Cost: $5 donation at the door

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/58/penguin-plays-rough-turns-one.htm

Tuesday 22 December

Dobry Den Closing Sale

Get yourself a bargain.  This is not a drill.

Where: 326 Crown St, Surry Hills

More Info: http://twitter.com/itsdobryden

Wednesday 23 December

6 Photographers (Exhibition)

In 1955 six Australian photographers (Gordon Andrews, Max Dupain, Kerry Dundas, Hal Missingham, Axel Poignant and David Potts) presented an exhibition in Sydney that represented a shift from the traditions of the past to the recording of contemporary life. This exhibition presents five photographs by each, stressing their ambition to make ‘unstaged, spontaneous and personal records’.

Where: Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, Sydney

Cost: FREE

More Info: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/current/6_photographers

Thursday 24 December

Christmas Eve!

Enjoy Christmas Eve at Darling Harbour with carols by the tree and an epic fireworks display over Cockle Bay.

Where: Convention Centre Forecourt, Darling Harbour

When: 7-9pm

More Info: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/current/6_photographers

Ongoing Exhibition

Eliasson – Take you time (Exhibition)

Olafur Eliasson is among the most influential and widely acclaimed artists of his generation. From light-filled environments to walk-in kaleidoscopes, Olafur Eliasson’s unique participatory works offer alluring spaces that harness optical cognition and meteorological elements, examine the intersection of nature and science, and explore the boundary between the organic and the artificial.

Take your time: Olafur Eliasson gathers works from major public and private collections worldwide and spans Eliasson’s diverse range of artistic production from 1993 to the present, including installations, large-scale environments, sculpture, and photography.

[Excerpt from http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/7448]

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art

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

A few weeks back, white’s content division spent some time learning a thing or two about French kissing…with the result of scoring the #1 video on Fairfax’s THE VINE when it was posted on November 24.

Youtube views have been running pretty hotski.

It’s probably about now that we should mention the reason for all this French kissing business…white cut a kick-ass new trailer for Palace Films’ latest ‘The French Kissers’, the hit cult comedy at this year’s Cannes.

http://www.thefrenchkissers.com/trailer

You can catch ‘The French Kissers’ at Palace Verona and Palace Norton Street.

Lips are sealed on any further upcoming films white plans to get its sweaty hands on…..

A notable directorial debut for comic book writer Riad Sattouf, this French teen sex comedy possesses a nice blend of humour and intelligence that places it somewhere between American Pie and Wild Reeds. Titled Les Beaux Gosses (literally The Hot Guys) in France but renamed The French Kissers for international release, it is a well-observed portrait of a teenage boy’s sexual awkwardness which also has strong international value.

If you haven’t seen it yet, see it now at an advance screening – this Friday, Saturday or Sunday in Paddington or Leichhardt.

(Excerpt from http://www.screendaily.com/5002265.article )

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

Friday 11 December

Good God Small Club

Good God Small Club is a new late night drinking spot and danceteria.  It is hidden at the back of La Campana Spanish restaurant in the CBD and it’s open till 4am!

Where: 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney

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

Saturday 12 December

The 80s Are Back (Exhibition) – Opening Night Party

Dust off your ra-ra skirts, leggings and skinny ties for a night of 80s fun!

Australia’s foremost proponents of synthesiser pop Pseudo Echo will be joined by iconic pop rock band GANGgajang, 80s drag divas Cindy Pastel, Miss 3D and friends, and renowned DJ Stephen Ferris. Pseudo Echo and GANGgajang will each perform half-hour sets, between DJ sets by Stephen Ferris.

Tickets include food, entertainment and entry to The 80s are back exhibition. Alcoholic drinks are available for purchase at the bar.

Where: Carriage Works, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

When: 7pm – 10pm

Cost: $54 – $60

More Info: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/the80sareback/index.php/events/opening-night-party/

Sunday 13 December

Vintage and Retro Fashion Sale

In keeping with the retro theme from Saturday night…shoes, accessories, books, CDs, bric-a-brac and LOADS of hand-picked women’s and men’s vintage and retro clothes, some for as little as $2. Can you say bargain?

Where: Level 6, 342 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

When: 10am – 4pm

More Info: http://www.owlandthegrapes.com/2009/09/vintage-retro-sale-at-hibernian-house.html

Monday 14 December

Barry Humphries and the ACO

By special request Barry Humphries will appear on stage at the Opera House with his favourite orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and old friend Richard Tognetti.  There may even be a sing-a-long with Dame Edna.

With Barry Humphries in charge of the Orchestra, anything could happen.

Where: Sydney Opera House

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

Tuesday 15 December

Christmas Light Projections

Images evoking the Australian 12 Days of Christmas will be projected onto Sydney Town Hall and historic buildings along Macquarie St.  The projections will use green power and will be on rotation each night.  Have dinner in the city then head along to get yourself in the Christmas spirit.

Where: Sydney Town Hall, George St

When: 8:30pm onward

More Info: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/christmas/MajorEvents/Projections.asp

Wednesday 16 December

Sydney Film School Festival

Join more than 500 film lovers in enjoying a selection of over 60 short films, including documentary, drama and thesis films.   Find out what is current by exploring the work of a new generation of talented filmmakers.

Where: Palace Academy Twin Cinema, 3A Oxford St, Paddington

More Info & Program: http://www.sydneyfilmschool.com.au/films/sfs-film-festival/11th-sfs-festival-december-2009.aspx

Thursday 17 December

Climate Camp Fundraiser at The Red Rattler

The Red Rattler is a not-for-profit community art factory.  Run by artists and activists, it is a new creative playground for performers, musicians, artists, designers, multi-media makers, experimentalists, film-makers, theorists, activists, collective organizers and local punters.  It has a full PA stage, LED lighting rig, project and screen, licensed bar, two artist studios and a rooftop garden.

Enjoy films, talks and music and help raise money and awareness for Climate Camp http://www.climatecamp.org.au/).

Where: The Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville

When: 8pm

Cost: $10

More Info: http://redrattler.org/

Ongoing Exhibition

The White Rabbit Collection

One of several new private foundations that are opening up across the country, the purpose-built site houses the extensive and evolving collection of contemporary Chinese art belonging to billionaire Judith Neilson. With digital media, hyperrealism, miniature worlds made of dust, strobe lighting, photo documentation of menstruation, and an abundance of bright, high-gloss finishes on oversized sculptural works of bronze, fibreglass and porcelain, the collective mood is one of irreverence and exuberance.

It was only relatively recently that the world started to take notice of this new generation of Chinese artists who had grown up with comparative peace and prosperity, as well as urban landscapes saturated with commodities and advertising. It has now become cliché to speak of ‘China’s New Cultural Revolution’, but it is clear that art thrives in times of change, and these artists are capturing the energy and ambivalence of their rapidly transforming society.

(Excerpt from http://concreteplayground.com.au/events/event/MTcy)

Where: The White Rabbit, 30 Balfour St, Chippendale

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/events/event/MTcy

“A tart, brilliantly acted fable of life’s little cosmic difficulties, a Coen brothers comedy with a darker philosophical outlook than “No Country for Old Men” but with a script rich in verbal wit.”

Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

More Info

Friday 4 December

Ferrero Rocher Light Installation

Ferrero Rocher is launching its annual festive season push with an artistic light installation at Sydney’s Customs house.  The display uses cutting edge Australian-firt technology and is choreographed to music by JAM music.

Where: Customs House, Alfred Street, Circular Quay

When: 8pm-11pm, Wednesday to Friday this week and next

More Info

Saturday 5 December

The Finders Keepers Markets

Revel in the simple joy of discovery and explore the best in new contemporary art and design at The Finders Keepers markets, a bi-annual event that showcases the work of emerging designers and artists from Sydney and around Australia.

Where: Carriage Works, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

When: 10am-8pm

More Info

Sunday 6 December

The Sensualists: Montalbetti and Campbell (Photography)

Multi-award-winning masters of the studio and of postproduction, Montalbetti and Campbell harness the full potential of digital technology to create images with a nonetheless timeless quality.

Where: Australian Centre for Photography, 257 Oxford Street, Paddington

When: 10am-6pm

More Info

Monday 7 December

Fleetwood Mac Unleashed Tour

Following on the heels of their hugely successful 55-city sold out North American tour, legendary super group Fleetwood Mac brings their “Unleashed” tour to Australia. The tour, their first in five years, is a two-hour plus celebration of all the greatest hits from undoubtedly one of the most enduring, celebrated and influential rock groups of all time.

Where: Acer Arena, Sydney

When: 7:30pm

More Info

Tuesday 8 December

The Future of Digital: Forecasts & Predictions for 2010

AIMIA presents the second annual ‘The Future of Digital-Forecasts and Predictions for 2010’ to give an insight into what the new year will bring and what opportunities and challenges our industry will face. Knowledge is power, so register today to hear what industry experts predict for 2010 and beyond!

Where: 10 Shelley Street, Sydney

When: 9:30am – 12am

More Info

then…

The Edge of the Possible (Film Screening)

The Edge of the Possible is a documentary film about Jørn Utzon and the Sydney Opera House and winner of the Gold Plaque Best Documentary HUGO Award. This fine film charts the dramatic course of the creation of the iconic Sydney Opera House.  After the screening, the film’s director and producer will take questions.

Where: Customs House Library, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay

When: 5:30-8pm

More Info

Wednesday 9 December

Billy Blue Graduate Exhibition

Design, advertising and multimedia graduates showcase their final work.

Where: Global Gallery, 5 Comber St, Paddington

When: 5pm

RSVP: rsvp@billyblue.com.au

More Info

Thursday 10 December

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis

According to Concrete Playground, “their sound is so vintage, so reminiscent of ‘50s rock’n'roll, blues and country music, that it’s almost as if this three-piece band from London were plucked straight out of mid-century America. On stage they perform tracks like Honolulu Rock n Roll and Mean Son of a Gun with a rainbow of instruments including guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel guitar, harmonica, double bass, ukulele, drums, trombone, xylophone and accordion”.  We think they might be worth a listen.

Where: Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Manning Road, Camperdown

When: 8pm

Cost: $40

A Little Preview on YouTube

More Info

Ongoing Exhibition

By George! Hidden Networks

A series of temporary urban art interventions in laneways throughout Sydney.

Where: Everywhere! Probably best to check out the website.

More Info

Credits: Everybody @ White + Andrew M for the name

It even has that new office smell.

This pop culture phenomenon should not be missed.  Even if vampires are not your bag, you should get along and try to understand ‘the other humans’.  Discover why this film is the success it is and what you can learn from it.

Ad Age article – Who Can Explain the ‘Billion Dollar’ Twilight Economy? This Guy. http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=140692

Events by date:

Friday 27 November

Advergaming 2010

A briefing on the state of advergaming in Australia as we move into 2010.  This question and answer session will look at why games are still top online content, what makes a successful advergame, why advertisers should stop creating campaigns and start building content, as well as considering the impacts of social media and international digital trends on the advergaming industry.

Where: 65 Walker Street, North Sydney

When: 9.30-10.45am, registration at 9.15am

More Info: http://www.3rdsense.com/advergames/

Write a little love story then visit Even Books #11

Love is as definable as a car parked in a clearway at peak hour. Scottish-based author Dan Rhodes knew this, and so bravely gave 101 stories about very different loves to the world in his 2000 book, Anthropology: 101 true love stories.  The challenge has been set for all attendants to pen their own 101-word tale of juices, tears and blushing for the night, which will be quoted and shared over oceans of free beer, siroccos of music and the other devastating explosions of hyperbole that usually accompany the talk of love.

Where: Bill & George, 1/10-16 William St Redfern

When: 7pm

Cost: $5

More Info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207765633011&index=1

Saturday 28 November

Bondi Short Film Festival

Bringing cinema to the beach for the ninth year running, the Bondi Short Film Festival has well and truly established itself as a cult cinematic event. In fact the matinee session has already sold out, even before the fourteen finalists have been announced!  There are still tickets left but you will need to hurry.

Where: Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach

When: One night only from 6pm

Cost: $36.40

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

Sunday 29 November

Sam Simmon – Problems (Stand Up Comedy)

The Aussie maestro of suburban absurdism is coming to the Sydney Opera House. Problems was a bona fide hit at this year’s Edinburgh Festival and Sam’s shows have sold out at the Melbourne Comedy Festival every year since 2006.

“The most absurdly crazy world orbiting the Fringe, featuring some of the most original comic concepts and laugh out loud moments of any Edinburgh show in the past 20 years” The Herald

Where: The Studio, Sydney Opera House

When: 8pm

Cost: $25-$32.50

More Info: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/comedy/event/13722/sam-simmons—problems.aspx

Monday 30 November

Come in Spinner (Networking Event)

Seminar’s for Arts Professional (SAMAG) presents “Come in Spinner” – a chance for you to kick-start the silly season, say farewell to 2009 and catch-up with industry colleagues. Featuring a mixed-up mash of your favourite game shows and board games, a chocolate wheel, choose your own category advantage, and peppered with opportunity to win some superb prizes.

Where: 480 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

When: 6-8.30pm

Cost: Free for members, $15 for non-members

More Info: http://www.samag.org/

RSVP: To Janelle Prescott info@samag.org

Tuesday 1 December

The Fourth Estate Domain (Networking Event)

Your chance to interview Mike Walsh. Mike is a leading authority on consumer innovation and the digital future. He is the author of Futuretainment and CEO of the innovation research agency Tomorrow.

Where: The CBD Hotel, Level 3, Cnr York and King St, Sydney

When: 6-10.30pm

Cost: Free

More Info: Contact bec@lavolta.com.au

Wednesday 2 December

Account Planning Group – Planning Idol Awards Night

Join us as we celebrate this years’ APG Planning Idol over a Christmas drink or two.

Where: The Elk, 23 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross

When: 6pm drink, 7pm awards

More Info: http://tinyurl.com/ya4ylad

RSVP to: genevieve@afa.org.au

Thursday 3 December

Go to The Pub

The Local Taphouse just won Best New Bar in the Time Out Sydney Bar Awards 2009.  It is a two-level bar specialising in beer has a very industrial 20s/30s feel – like a mix between a munitions factory, an intimate gentleman’s club and a Victorian railway waiting room. There are 20 beers on tap at any one time and they’re constantly changing. Order a tasting paddle and try five different beers for $13. This is a bar you’ll want to drink at all the time, “we’re not interested in getting in the social pages, we’re just interested in being a good bar,” says owner Guy Greenstone.

Where: 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst

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

Ongoing Event

The Mysteries: Genesis

In the spirit of the mediaeval Mystery plays, a team of Australian writers and directors present the stories from the big dawn; the Creation, the Fall, the Expulsion from Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark.

Creation out of chaos, chaos out of paradise, grace within chaos, pride, confusion, and a simple offering of hope. Not the full cycle of Mystery plays; just a beginning…

When: Until 19 December

Cost: $30 – $70

More Info: http://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/2009/themysteriesgenesis

Last weeks White Games… remote control sumos! With an Xbox on offer things got a little serious. The final was an enthralling stalemate between Phillip “Errol” Andrews and Henry “Dastardly” Hall… and the winner…

The American Dream stretches far beyond its country’s borders. Amreeka is the sotry of Palestinian Muna (Nisreen Faour) looking to trade in the Israeli wall for an Illinois white-picket fence, with her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem). Writer/director Cherien Dabis’ debut feature Amreeka illuminates the modern immigrant experience to heartwarming, pointed effect.

Find out more at http://concreteplayground.com.au/events/event/NDAw

Events by date:

Friday 20 November

Vintage Sci-Fi TV

This special screening will present archival footage from some of the lost and more obscure series that graced the airwaves in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

Where: Mu-Meson Archives

When: Doors open at 7.30pm for a 9pm start

Cost: $10 with supper

More Info: http://www.mumeson.org/

Saturday 21 November

Anode Art Party

Anode is a season of art events connecting independent, local and experimental artists in unique spaces. Taking the focus off the idea of curator-as-dictator, Anode looks at the array of art, film, music, installation, design and performance happening right under our noses and celebrates the idea that everyone is a creator.

Where: Grand Ballroom at Paddington Town Hall

When: Screening of Beautiful Losers at 6pm, party with art from 8.30pm till midnight

Cost: $21.50 – $32.50

More Info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176202841959&ref=mf

Sunday 22 November

Jazz in the Garden

The picturesque gardens of Vaucluse House Estate are the perfect setting to enjoy performances by a selection of Australia’s most gifted jazz performers. Join jazz legend Vince Jones, multi-talented multi-genre songstress Katie Noonan and newcomers Zoe and The Buttercups, for a unique concert set against the backdrop of a treasured Gothic Revival villa.

Bring a rug, pack a picnic or take advantage of the selection of food and wine on sale. This very special night is not to be missed.

Where: Vaucluse House, Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse, NSW

When: 6-9pm

Cost: $25-$35

More Info: http://www.hht.net.au/whats_on/event/music/jazz_in_the_garden

Monday 23 November

Learn about wine and health

A little bit random!  Join a bunch of medical students and Dr Phil Norrie for a talk about the health aspects of wine, how it has been used as a medicine for the past 5,000 years and about the doctors who helped develop Australia’s wine industry.

Where: RACP Level 8 52 Phillip St Sydney, Level 8, 52 Philllip St, Sydney

When: 6-8.30pm

Cost: $10 with refreshments (including wine) to follow

More Info: http://www.racp.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=8138421A-C9DC-9D66-63BAAC39991651E1 or email Liz.Rouse@racp.edu.au to make a booking

Tuesday 24 November

Innovation Forum by Uncluttered White Spaces

Drawing from business, marketing, design, strategy and innovation, INNOVATION FORUM connects likeminded people with a focus on lateral thinking, a desire to share their knowledge, with a goal of forging new networks.

Where: Danks Street Depot, ½ Danks Street, Waterloo

When: 6.30 to 9.30pm

More Info: http://innovationforums.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

Wednesday 25 November

Mercury by Kenneth Kvarnstrom (Sydney Dance Company)

Making his Australian debut, one of Europe’s most revered choreographers, Kenneth Kvarnstrom, will apply the sensibilities of his beyond-cutting-edge choreography to the creation of a full length work for the Sydney Dance Company.

“With its precise integration of space and all the intensity of excellent dance, Kvarnstrom’s choreography carries you away again and again.” – Ballet International Magazine, Berlin

“Unstoppable momentum!” – Jill Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald

Where: Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay

When: 8pm

Cost: $20 – $70

More Info: http://www.sydneydancecompany.com/work/current/mercury/

Thursday 26 November

King’s Vault Pop-Up Wine Bar

Pop-up bars, huh? Always taking an interesting little space and making you drink in it. No wonder everyone likes them. King’s Vault will showcase wines from Victoria’s King Valley region and surrounds, with an emphasis on Italian varietals.  While you are there, sample the well considered Italian menu on offer.

Where: 20 McLachlan Ave, Darlinghurst

When: 6.30 – 11pm

Cost: $20 – $70

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

Ongoing Exhibition

Rupert Bunny – Artist in Paris

Rupert Bunny (1864–1947) is an exotic in the history of Australian art. A creator of grand, sumptuous paintings of Parisian life in the late 19th century, Bunny became one of the most successful artists of his generation.

Where: Lower Level 1, Art Gallery NSW (Art Gallery Rd, The Domain)

When: 21 November – 21 February, Open 10am-5pm daily and till 9pm Wednesdays

Cost: $15

More Info: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/coming/bunny

Friday 13 November

Nicholas Vadot (Political Cartoonist and Graphic Novelist) Talks

Born in England in 1971 Nicolas Vadot spent his childhood in France, before moving to Brussels at the age of 17. He moved to Canberra in 2005, where he currently lives. He’s the editorial cartoonist for two major Belgian newspapers and is the author of several French graphic novels. He has also published a compilation of his cartoons on the Bush presidency, called “The George W. Bush Years”.

Where: Main Lecture Theatre, College of Fine Arts (UNSW), Crn Oxford St & Greens Rd, Paddington

When: 5.30pm for drinks, talk starts at 6pm

Cost: Free

More Info: http://www.nicolasvadot.com/ AND http://www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/newsevents/events/event_0340.html

Saturday 14 November

Battles without Honour or Humanity (Special Screening)

This 1973 piece of amazingness is all about Yakuza in post-war Hiroshima, plus it was voted Best Japanese Film of All Time by critics, and that’s all we’re giving away.

Where: Chauvel Cinema, Paddington Town Hall (Cnr of Oxford St & Oatley Rd)

When: 8.30pm

Cost: $13.50 to $17

More Info and Bookings: http://tinyurl.com/yhcoq6e

Sunday 15 November

Twin Sisters (Special Screening)

Made in 1933, Twin Sisters tells the story of twin girls that were separated at birth. The twins are reunited when one of the sisters, who has been raised in poverty, becomes a servant in the household of her sister who is now the pampered wife of a warlord general.

Where: Level 2 Theatre, White Rabbit Gallery

When: 2pm

More Info: http://www.whiterabbitcollection.org/modules/whatson/

Places are limited so please contact The White Rabbit Team if you plan on attending (email info@whiterabbitcollection.org or phone 8399-2867).

Monday 16 November

Enterprise 2.0 Social Media & Business Collaboration World Conference

Where: Dockside, Sydney

When: 16^th & 17^th of November

Cost: $1400 for both days, for registration information email nadia@acevents.com.au

More Info: http://www.acevents.com.au/socialmedia09/programme.html

Tuesday 17 November

Best Practice in Online Customer Experience (Forum)

Industry leading experts will cover a range of topics that benefit your digital business, including:

• Optimising online businesses or services
• Enhancing service delivery (the rise of self-service and web-assisted customer service)
• Maximising the effectiveness of online advertising
• Driving innovation by involving your customers in the design process
• The connection between customer experience and the growth in e-commerce

Where: Telstra Experience Centre, Lvl 4, 400 George St, Sydney

When: 8.30am till 12pm

Cost: $75 (members), $135 (non members)

More Info and Bookings: http://www.aimia.com.au/i-cms?page=6413

Wednesday 18 November

Inside Film Awards 2009

The Kodak Inside Film Awards celebrates and champions Australian film and creative talent. We facilitate a unique dialogue between Australian filmmakers and their audience, support and promote Australian cinema and invigorate the national screen culture.  All tickets include entry to the pre-drinks, the broadcast event, and to the official after-party – all food, drinks and entertainment are included in the ticket price

Where: Luna Park, Sydney

More Info: http://www.ifawards.com/News/09-11-08/IF_Tickets_selling_fast.aspx

Win Free Tickets: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/competitions/win-tickets-to-inside-film-awards-2009.aspx

Thursday 19 November

Will Anderson @ The Comedy Store

Fresh from success abroad, join Wil for this special super intimate performance of some of his best material from his new DVD Wilosophy. ‘A higher laugh-per-minute rate than anyone I have seen before… Anderson is a comic gem’ Three Weeks, Edinburgh, UK

Where: Sydney Comedy Store, Bent St, Moore Park

When: 8.30pm

Cost: $10 – $30

More Info: http://www.yourgigs.com.au/event/?64843243

Ongoing Exhibition

Dancing on My Bed (Photo Exhibition)

Dancing on My Bed is a collection of images exploring both the intimacy and the anonymity of the live music experience, from enormous multi-band festivals to private, smaller gigs and quiet backstage areas. Photographer, Cara Stricker emphasises that this isn’t an exhibition of concert photography. “It’s more about closing your eyes and dancing around the room – that moment when you’re just removed from everything.”

Where: The Sugar Mill, Kings Cross

When: 5 November – 11 December

More Info: http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/arts/dancing-on-my-bed.aspx

It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes).

More Info: http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/film/film-reviews/it-might-get-loud/2009/10/29/1256405464153.html

Events by date:

Friday 6 November
Short Cuts – A filmmaker’s guide to festival strategy

With over 400 short film festivals in Australia, our panel of industry experts will help navigate the most effective route for your film and career.

Special guests include:

-         Bronwyn Kidd (Festival Director, Flickerfest)

-         Ian Gardiner (CEO of Viocorp & creator of Nice Shorts)

-         Craig Boreham (award winning writer/director)

-         Angie Fielder (award winning producer).

Where: 130 Bent St, Inside the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park.

When: 5pm

Cost: FREE

More Info: http://www.aftrs.edu.au/aboutus/newsevents/news/fridayonmymind-everyfridayat5pm.aspx?type=news&archiveYear=

Saturday 7 November
Open Australia – Hackfest – Mashup Edition

The OpenAustralia Foundation and Google invite you to this free all-weekend hacking extravaganza for anyone interested in creating a mashup for the MashupAustralia competition or hacking on the OpenAustralia website.

Where: Google Sydney, Pyrmont (see website for details)

When: Doors open 10:30am till 8pm, 7 & 8 November

Cost: Free

More Info: http://hackfest.openaustralia.org/announcements/openaustraliahackfest-mashupaustraliaeditionagendaspeakers

Sunday 8 November
Sculpture by the Sea

The world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition.

See the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk transformed into a giant sculpture park of over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.

Where: Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk

When: All day and night until November 15

Cost: FREE

More Info: http://sculpturebythesea.com/bondi2009/index.html

Monday 9 November
The Wharf Review – Pennies from Kevin (Sydney Theatre Company)

Farewell Not-so Great Depression! Put your troubles behind you, cross to the funny side of the street and dance down the road to recovery with a stimulus package of song and satire from the ever-popular Wharf Revue.

Where: Casula Powerhouse, Sydney

When: 8pm

Cost: $22-$40

More Info: http://www.casulapowerhouse.com/theatre/the-wharf-revue.aspx

Tuesday 10 November
Building and Managing Online Audiences

MC Hammer on Twitter

- International rap star, number 14 most influential Social Media Twitter person in the world according to WeFollow, with more than 1.5 million Twitter followers.

Drew Parkes on the Xbox Live community

- Digital Marketing Manager Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division

Where: University of Technology Sydney – University Hall

When: 6.30pm (sponsored drinks and refreshments) for 7.15pm start

Cost: $30

More Info and Bookings: http://smcsyd6.eventbrite.com/

Wednesday 11 November
Does Inter-Agency Collaboration Work (Panel Discussion)

Can a common vision for a brand be as binding a force as a contract? Can agencies put aside their creative egos and take an idea from one shop and execute it in another? Can partners move from polite rhetoric to pointed action?

Where: Hilton Sydney, Level 4, Rooms 1 & 2, 488 George St, Sydney

When: 7.45am registration, 8.30am – 9.30am

Cost: $66-$99

More Info and Bookings: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=31622&ref=moshtix

Thursday 12 November
Sydney Bicycle Film Festival – Joyride: Will French Visual Art Exhibition & After Party

The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle through art, film, music and performance.

Where: Monster Children Gallery, 20 Burton St, Darlinghurst

When: Exhibition 6-9pm, After Party, 9pm till late

Cost: From $12

More Info and Bookings: http://www.facebook.com/sydneybff?v=info#/sydneybff?v=wall

Ongoing Exhibitions

The 2009 Nikon-Walkley Press Photo Exhibition

Every year more than 1000 photographs are judged for selection in the Nikon-Walkley Photographic Awards. The exhibition showcases a shortlist of more than 100 works by Australia’s best photojournalists.

Tragedy and triumph, elation and devastation: this exhibition shows the big moments of the year in news.

Where: Australian Centre for Photography

When:
Tuesday 13 October – Saturday 21 November
Tue – Fri: 12.00 – 7.00pm, Sat & Sun 10.00am – 6.00pm

More Info: http://tmp.acp.org.au/current/index.php#walkley

Tuesday 3 November

November GreenUps – Sydney’s green drinks: green drinking to inspire green thinking
Where: The Victoria Room

When: 6-9pm
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162651180964

Wednesday 4 November

Matthew Hopkins | The Droning Room
The Droning Room explores notions of waste, B-Grade horror, comical existentialism, violence and the difficulty of daily life.

Where: Serial Space

When: 6pm
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125765966212#/event.php?eid=175982261784&ref=mf

Finishes…Wed 4 November

Monster Children Gallery presents Trial
Sydney based illustrators WEBUYYOURKIDS present ‘Trials’, an exhibition that explores the duo’s fascination with witchcraft, bad luck, ill health, black cats and cheaply printed posters, flyers and magazines.

Where: Monster Children Gallery

When: 12-6pm
http://www.monsterchildren.com/trials-webuyyourkids/

Thursday 5 November
Access All Areas
Photographers working across a range of disciplines discuss the complexities of getting access, from legal issues to cultural sensitivities and other tricks to open doors.
http://www.acp.org.au/events/

Thursday, 5 November

Intranet Innovation Awards events (Sydney, Melbourne)
Intranet Innovation Awards are global awards that discover and share vital intranet ideas. They are unique in recognising individual improvements to intranets, not sites as a whole. Winners show how new approaches to designing and delivering intranets can help staff and deliver real value to organisations.
When: Sydney <http://www.steptwo.com.au/seminars/iia-sydney> : 5 November

Melbourne <http://www.steptwo.com.au/seminars/iia-melbourne> : 10 November

Friday 6 November
AFTRS FRIDAY ON MY MIND Short Cuts – A filmmaker’s guide to festival strategy
How big is the short film festival audience? How can they best serve a filmmaker’s career? Which ones should you enter and in what order? With over 400 short film festivals in Australia, our panel of industry experts will help navigate the most effective route for your film and career.
Special guests:

Bronwyn Kidd – Festival Director, Flickerfest

Ian Gardiner – CEO of Viocorp, creator of Australia’s first dedicated online short film website Nice Shorts

Craig Boreham – award winning writer/director (Transient, Love Bite, Stray)

http://www.aftrs.edu.au/aboutus/newsevents/news/fridayonmymind-everyfridayat5pm.aspx?type=news

Hope.

Flight.

Fail.

Events by date:

Friday 23 October
AFTRS – Hop Skp and Jump – Springboard to International Success
Armed with $1m in new Enterprise funding and business developments from Hopscotch DVD to Hopscotch Features and joint venture with Three Drunk Monkeys, Hopscotch MD Troy Lum talks about how his company is maximising the current local playing field.

22 – 25 October 2009
The Weekend Australian Art Sydney 2009
Offering something for everyone from contemporary to traditional and emerging to investment art. Art Sydney also offers educational art walks, art activities for children and entertainment. 80+ galleries and many of the artists on site.

http://www.artsydney09.com.au/as09/
Where: Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park

Sunday 25 October
Sydney Opera House Open Day

Discover what really goes on under the white sails. Walk in the footsteps of the famous, see behind the scenes and discover how the House creates over 2,500 performances and events each year.
FREE EVENT

Sunday 25 October 2009

Danks Street Festival
Live entertainment, fabulous food, exhibitions, markets.

Making its first appearance at the Festival this year is the Live Green Kitchen hosted by Lyndey Milan, with leading local chefs including Jared Ingersoll, Kylie Kwong, Alex Herbert, Dave Campbell and Ashley Hughes demonstrating cooking techniques that focus on sustainable food.
Also new for 2009 is a “Handmade Market” selling all the things you love about your local fete

When: 11am – 4pm
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn/html/custom/2234-event-details.asp?EventID=75335

Tuesday 27 October
People doing strange things with electricity
Event where new media artists Jon Tonkin and Harriet Birks present their work, “Nervous System” and “Snow Crash”

‘Nervous system’ is made up of twenty light and sound emitting poles that respond to their surroundings and each other.
‘Snow Crash’ is a virtual landscape that recalls early flight simulators and low-fi computer graphics.
Where: Serial Space <http://www.serialspace.org/> , 33 Wellington St Chippendale.
When: Tuesday 27th of October, 19:00 for 19:30 speak-off.
Cost: FREE!

AIMIA
3 part webinar series, Austrade and AIMIA TradeStart present opportunities in the US online, entertainment media, and advertising and mobile sectors. US Digital Media expert,

When and What:
Part 2: Entertainment Media (27/10/09)
Part 3: Advertising and Mobile (24/11/09)
http://bit.ly/3JvdhZ

Thursday 29 October 2009
The Business of Sponsorship: A Meeting of the Minds
Professional development and networking event for the Australasian sponsorship industry. Over one-day, the event will showcase best practice and key learnings through a series of case studies, panel discussions and forums.
Where: Luna Park, Sydney
Ongoing Exhibitions and must sees
Discover new and unexpected worlds as you wander the hidden network of inter-connected laneways in Sydney’s CBD. Eight exciting projects not only enliven these urban spaces, they also challenge the public to think about the future.
http://www.lanewaysbygeorge.com.au/

Events by date:

Wednesday 21st October
Mumbrella Question Time breakfast
http://bit.ly/2l2vaV

Thursday 22nd October
VIC Youngbloods – Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase Screening

When: 6.30pm for a 7pm screening
Where: Palace George, 135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda
Book: Members – $25
http://bit.ly/30cyd8

Rolling Exhibitions:
Beta_Space
The Powerhouse Museum and Creativity and Cognition Studios (CCS), University of Technology, Sydney collaborate to create Beta_space, an experimental environment where the public can engage with the latest research in art and technology.

These works are at different stages, from early prototype to end product.

Beta_space provides visitors to the Powerhouse Museum the chance to experience collaboration between art and technology, while information displays contextualise the role of CCS and Beta_space in this international field.
http://bit.ly/7qhzF

She Went that Way – Artspace
She went that way is the first major exhibition to profile the work of Raquel Ormella. As astutely as Ormella engages social questions, her work is characterised by its aesthetic refinement, its critical self-awareness and its persistent consideration of the ethical roles and responsibilities of the artist.
When: 16 October – 14 November 2009
http://bit.ly/4pD9a

“SOUTH: WAR and the NIKON-WALKLEY Exhibitions”
Where: Australian Centre for Photography
When: Until Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 7:00pm
http://bit.ly/2meDQM

Save the date:
AIMIA
In this highly-focused three-part webinar series, Austrade and AIMIA TradeStart present a fresh perspective on the enormous opportunities in the online, entertainment media, and advertising and mobile sectors in the US. US Digital Media expert, Levi Shapiro, will emcee the webinars and invite specially selected guests to discuss the opportunities for Australian digital companies seeking to break into the US market, and the keys to succeeding in this highly competitive and dynamic market.
When and What:

Part 2: Entertainment Media (27/10/09)
Part 3: Advertising and Mobile (24/11/09)

http://bit.ly/3JvdhZ

You may have seen a lot of the 87 things in this presentation… but it’s great to see them all in one place.

Look who popped up in B&Ts recent poll on the Top Ten Digital CDs in the country.

Old what’s his name?

Well done mate.

As Jennings would say.

Public Hero.

Sir Ken Robinson is one of the leading thinkers on the the topic of education (and how it relates to creativity amongst other things) and how we may have got it wrong. An inspirational public speaker and author, Sir Kens new book is out now, called The Element – on How finding your passion changes everything. Here he is on PSFK talking about elements from The Element..

PLUS: Reddit & TedBlog crowd sourced a whole bunch of questions to ask Sir Ken… and he answered them… what a lovely chap

Sir Ken: The basis of my argument is: creativity isn’t a specific activity; it’s a quality of things we do. You can be creative in anything — in math, science, engineering, philosophy — as much as you can in music or in painting or in dance. And you can certainly be involved in the arts in ways that are especially creative. And so it’s important to emphasize that it’s not about creating some small space in schools where people can be creative, and particularly not if that means just tacking on some art programs on a Friday afternoon. It’s about the way we do things.

PLUS PLUS: If you haven’t seen his original TED talk YOU MUST. Best. Ted. Talk. Ever.

Maybe not breaking news anymore but we came out on top in a B&T review of Australian digital agency websites.

So then another digital mob from Newcastle (didn’t quite make the B&T review unfortunately) ran their ANLYZR tool over the same candidates and we ranked a paltry 10^th based on the more reportable stuff like SEO and search scores.

Now I know which one I care about more but it raises an interesting question: Do Marketing Directors of switched on brands really google ‘digital agency’? The findablilty v experience is an old debate but for an agency site, surely it’s more about conveying your personality and your work, no?

San Diego.

Yeah! We’ve just helped launch The Commonwealth Banks new YouTube Channel… As Mathew McBertie McBertros says in his own words… Special mentions to Rachael M who delivered a wonderful watertight strategy and to the man of science for his platybank sketches, creative vision, and getting the word awesome into a final live design multiple times… T_E_A_M  youtube.com/commbank

As mentioned previously… here is our little aggregation experiment… ladies and gentlemen… whitegoods.

Oh boy, we can’t wait to show you the wonderful little site we’ve just built!

It’s called Whitegoods.

Whitegoods is a real time collection of all the valuable insights, fascinating bookmarks and polarising inside jokes shared by the staff here at the white agency, and while it’s still top secret for a few more days, the below image is an approximate photographic simulation of the interface:

Hmm… yeah hopefully it will make more sense when you see the real thing next week. Stay tuned.

EDIT — It’s now live!

We should get this plate for our Agency / Blog car (because a blog really needs a car). If 6F’s was a car though it would definitely be a Lexus RX 450h – smart, progressive and far less CO2 emissions than any other agency blog.

So you thought search had all but been wrapped up by the folks @ 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California. Right? Well think again. The thinkers @ One Microsoft Way, Redmond thought they might reinvent the “I’m trying to find something on the internet” wheel. Those crazy Microsoft tinkerers felt that the internet has well… evolved (overloaded). So why shouldn’t search? The result is badda boom, badda bing. Mmmm many have tried so let’s wait and see on this one… anyone remember cuil?

And in other search news (not really in the same space… and released a little while ago) is the nerdtastic Wolfram Alpha. As they say “Wolfram|Alpha is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone” Go on give it a tickle.

A search engine with a sense of humour… what?

PS: More Easter Eggs here…

PSS: Wonder if Google has anything up their long sleeves?

It’s a turbulent time in the world of global economics. As tempting as it is to retreat to a cave in the hills and hibernate until it all blows over, it’s always best to face a crisis head-on, which is why we’ve been working on an exciting new project with the Commonwealth Bank. The Bank is reaching out to Gen Ys to find how they feel about the current financial uncertainty and the effect it’s having on their lives. The central focus of this initiative is a forum to be held at the Mint in Sydney, on Wednesday 27th May 2009, kicking off at 5pm.

The forum will give Gen Ys a chance to share their thoughts and also pick up practical tips and information for managing their money day-to-day. It builds on the success of a similar event held in 2006 but now includes support from various social media channels and digital PR.

For more info you can check out the site www.ymoneymatters.com.au or follow the twitter account @ymoneymatters

For those who can’t attend the event, there will be a live webcast on the night with on-demand video and additional research released afterwards.

Sure it was announced a couple days ago… but good news is good news. Yes as mentioned a couple posts ago Australia.com was in the running for a People’s Voice (Tourism category) @ the digitally prestigious  Webby Awards. And guess what? It won. As the marvellous mUmBRELLA reported much closer to the announcement…

“The australia.com site – designed by The White Agency – was the People’s Voice Winner in the Tourism category of The Webbys, which were announced earlier today, Australian time.

The Webby Awards have run for more than a decade. One of their unique points is that when winners make acceptance speeches they are limited to just five words. In 2005, failed presidential candidate Al Gore’s was “Please don’t recount this vote.”

Tonight White Agency boss Miles Joyce said: “Had a taste? Come walkabout.”

Well done to all involved on this very high profile project that deserves the accolades. Go Team!

Twitchhiker is a blog set up by a guy named Paul, who attempted to travel as far around the world as possible in 30 days, relying only on the goodwill of people using Twitter.

He managed to get all the way from the U.K. to New Zealand. Pretty impressive – but he’s probably wondering:

1. What do I do with my 11,566 twitter followers now?

2. Do I really have to go back to the U.K.?

Very happy to announce that that our design for Tourism Australia’s consumer travel site, www.australia.com, has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Tourism category!

This also means that australia.com is eligible to win a Webby People’s Voice Award, which is relies on votes from the world wide community. Please feel free to jump over and vote any time up till April 30th at http://pv.webbyawards.com. Go on, get in there. You know you want to.

You can check it out, along with the other nominees here: http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=13

While investigating dull coding standards, guidelines and best practices on building mobile websites, I came across a great article titled “Effective design for mobile screen sizes”.

There are many guides and “expert tips” out there, however this one is particularly useful as it uses the new BBC Mobile site as a case study, whilst providing facts/stats on mobile screen sizes that exist in today’s market. A must read for designers/developers and those interested in understanding the methodologies put in place when designing a website for a mobile phone.

Read more here

Taking it to the streets is so 2008. Want to effect change 2009 style? Social media should be your first port of call confirming that the pen (or keyboard) is indeed mightier than the sword.

Nick Galvin, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, says, “TWITTERERS, bloggers, podcasters and Facebook users are getting behind Earth Hour in unprecedented numbers as event organisers embrace the explosion of interest in online social networking.”

With almost 700,000 online friends in 80 countries, Earth Hour’s John Johnston says almost anything goes to send the Earth Hour message viral and reach the target of one billion participants.

Galvin continues, “The latest effort to push the Earth Hour message is through a new social networking service called 12 Seconds. The 12 Seconds service, likened to a video version of Twitter, allows users to post 12-second videos about any subject that catches their attention. Earth Hour organisers are asking supporters to make 12-second promotional videos and put them online.”

Social revolution is just a click away.

Read the full article here.

A top post from Mr Iain Tate (9 reasons japanese interactive work is awesome) who after Judging the One Show Interactive Awards recently became a little bit of a Digital Nipponophile (that sounds much ruder than it really is). I don’t agree with everything in this post, but its good to take a step back and look at digital on this scale sometimes. I rate the politeness and craft as the two most distinguishing features – they just don’t throw stuff in your face as much, and they always seems to have incredible polish on their stuff.

Speaking of things from the land of the rising sun, these guys are one my top 5 digital agencies in the world… informationarchitects (iA) The digital trends maps they out are amazing, next one due out soon, but latest one here.

(From Adnews March 13th 2009)

How is 2009 shaping up for digital agencies?

Bring it on!

More and more companies are now realising the power of digital as a key business driver. In this environment, can companies afford to choose a generalist over an expert?

Our promise to clients – Better, Faster, Cheaper, Flexible – has never been more on the money than right now.

What’s more, our ability to deliver against these pillars is in stark contrast to some of our larger integrated agency competitors.

We have seen from the fully integrated agencies’ claim after claim, restructure after restructure and senior hire after senior hire, that, if you scratch the surface, they are the same old mainstream agency with digital tacked on…..animating print ads, TVCs online.

Unless every ounce of your agency’s DNA is digital, you are behind the curve and subsequently your clients are chasing not leading.

Technology is no longer just that guy in the corner playing Dungeons and Dragons, it is the gateway between business, marketing, customers and prospects. Your agency must live and breathe technology, developing the best solutions, aware of all innovations and, equally, the limitations. This is the pedigree of digital agencies, minimising risk, saving time and money, creating innovative solutions and improving speed to market.

Digital creates rivers of data, and you can sink or swim in this data. It comes in real time, wave after wave of information. Digital agencies are accustomed to this immediacy of information, turning on the taps, filtering and optimising the work. Data sits across all departments. It is no longer about post analysis – it provides insight, it informs and it enlightens.

Interaction is so much more than just a click or a person voting on their favourite viral piece. Interaction is a way of thinking beyond the traditional; broadcast/reaction, cause/effect – it is about capture and engagement. Digital agencies grab the interaction possibilities; taking a great idea and making it live and breathe online.

As digital finally lives up to the promises extolled for years, clients should expect more than just window dressing. 2009 could well prove the year that truly steels the future of digital agencies, the year that sets the direction for years to come.

As I said at the outset, 2009 bring it on!!

For more information contact:
Craig Galvin – Executive Director, Partner, the white agency

Man twitters about home invasion before calling the Police. True or False? He is a part of the digg /diggnation crew so who knows? It’s a bit like the guy in the airplane crash whos first action is to tweet his survival. It’s all getting a bit tweet’n McCrazy, tweet first think later. (tip from Mat / pic from SMH)

Google launches Google Voice. One number to rule them all? (tip from Matt – note the second T / Full story @ Techcrunch)

Getty Images is now licensing images from Flickr. They might be a little pricey, but it’s a step forward. Everyone knows Flickr has the most “authentic” photographs on the digital planet. (Pablo Via: Creative Review Blog)

Urban Word of the Day. Social Notworking.

Ok. Agugmented reality twitter updates on a T-shirt. Now people can read your latest updates of your shirt, really what’s the point verbal communication anymore? For an alternative viewpoint on this twitter “fad” you can try… The Ad Contrarian (Via: PSFK)

Phew.

A great online tool and comp with greater offline integration.

In the US, Allstate launched an online contest to spread the Olympic spirit and the passion for sport through the Web and in particular within the Chicagoland-area. Six to twelve years old children are invited to design their dream playground and earn the chance to win cash awards and prices.

Yourplayground.com has the final goal to get inspired by kids in the design of the next playground Allstate is going to build in the Chicago area. In this sense I very much like the idea of using the Web to connect with the kids, the end users of the park Allstate wants to launch.

My bad, this post got lost in pending purgatory (that’s what pitch madness will do to a blog). About a month old but it still is NEWS.

“the White Agency, has appointed Mat Medcalf into the position of General Manager in its Melbourne office.

Medcalf’s role will be focused on further building the business and consolidating its strong position within the digital arena in Melbourne.

Medcalf joins White from Spin Communications where he was most recently Commercial Director and Head of its Melbourne office. Here he worked with clients such as BigPond, Disney, Nintendo and Kia Motors. Prior to this, Medcalf was Head of Innovation at Naked Communications during which time he was in charge of developing new ways to communicate a brand message working with leading brands including Coke, eBay, Nokia and ninemsn.

Medcalf said he was really excited about working with one of the premier digital agencies in Australia and was looking forward to making inroads into the Melbourne market where he feels there is a big opportunity for digital specialists.

“In this climate, clients are increasingly looking for powerful yet cost effective ways to gain market share and customer engagement and I feel this offers an amazing amount of opportunities for digital to leverage,” he said.

White’s CEO, Miles Joyce said Medcalf will bring extensive experience in delivering successful, innovative and result-driven solutions to clients. This, coupled with his strong management and business development skills, make him a great addition to White and further strengthens the highly talented team we already have in Melbourne.”

“Melbourne is a very important market for us so this appointment is crucial to ensure we continue to deliver our high standard of work while growing the business and the Melbourne digital marketplace overall.

The White Agency is part of STW Communications Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.”

End serious bit.

]]> http://ffffff.com.au/2009/03/13/hola-mat-new-gm-appointed-white-mexico-melbourne/feed/ 0 http://ffffff.com.au/2009/03/12/389/ http://ffffff.com.au/2009/03/12/389/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:28:50 +0000 Rachael Maughan http://ffffff.com.au/?p=389 Social Media Monitoring Tools Evaluation

It’s a really nice example of a quick to produce/cost effective solution that leverages different social media sites, all linked together through a really simple primary navigation/promo space box that floats in the top left corner of each section/site you navigate to.

Their ‘homepage’ and ‘products’ pages are actually their www.wikipedia.org page, their ‘chatter’ section of the site is the brand’s twitter page, the ‘friends’ section of the site links through to their Facebook fan-page, and their ‘media’ section links through to their YouTube & Flickr pages.

This is a fantastic approach that intelligently leverages existing consumer and brand generated content, bringing together communities of brand advocates.

_

It’s another great example of brands needing to be increasingly brave and letting go of some control, as true brand ownership shifts to sit with consumers. Skittles recognises that they can only participate in these conversations.

It’s a huge step for a brand – nice one Team Skittles!

The Times on line have recently reported that based on visitor numbers, Sydney is the 11th most popular city on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/glossary:

1. TWEETUP – a physical gathering of tweeters
2. TWEEPLE – Twitter people, users, etc.
3. DWEET – a drunken tweet
4. OH – short for “overheard”, aka “hearsay”. Used at beginning of a tweet, followed by a colon, then what was overheard.
5. RETWEET – the Twitter equivalent of “forwarding”, abbreviated “RT”
6. TWIT – the act of sending a tweet, as in “twit this”
7. @REPLY – a public message that is directed to someone in particular, usually in reply to one of their tweets
8. DIRECT MESSAGE – a private message sent to someone’s “inbox” on Twitter
9. FOLLOW – to subscribe to someone’s stream of tweets
10. TWEET – a short 140 character message sent on http://twitter.com
11. TWITTER – an awesome microblogging site found at http://Twitter.com that allows short messages called “tweets” using 140 char each

Aaron Koblin at PICNIC08: The Sheep Market from PICNICCrossmediaweek on Vimeo.

The 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund

Do you Poken? Now this might seem a little bit cutsey and there might be an easier way to do this… but still. Little RFID chips in these toys swap social networking information (or any contact details) when you Hi-Five them, you then plug them into your computer device thing and manage the level of engagement you want to have with that person. You could do it other ways sure, but the interaction seems nice. Grown up applications to come. Via: Springwise

Weekends, holidays, late nights… Pitches do funny things to people (mainly Cerns it seems).

Also makes you proud to work with such hard working talented peeps.

Woot.

One of my favourite philosophers on our times, believe it or not, is ill Doctrine: a hip-hop video blog hosted by Jay Smooth, creator of the hip hop music blog and founder of New York’s longest running hip-hop radio show, WBAI’s Underground Railroad.

He tells a wonderful story of how he used to buy his vinyl, how his anticipation and enjoyment was built around the event of going into the store, taking the train home pouring over the artwork and playing it in his room. And how it changed how:

the music industry no longer controls those moments in our lives when music becomes an event.

You can see Oasis having fun with this idea in this video.

I’ll leave the final piece of advice to Jay:

Figure it out: where the party is at nowdays, and set yourself up to be the one who’s over there hosting the party. And in the years to come if you don’t figure how to do that, you’re gonna find yourself in a big ol’ empty house with a bunch of album label heads looking around wondering where everybody else is at, and what are you gonna do with all these kegs of beer?

See videos here:

• Why Albums Used To Matter
  • What studying Radiohead (and licking pieces of vinyl) can teach us about the future of the music business.
• Free Radiohead Revolution
  • Radio personality/video blogger Jay Smooth, of illdoctrine.com, explains to us why Radiohead flipped the game when they released their last album to the internet for free.

]]> http://ffffff.com.au/2009/01/20/wheres-the-party-at/feed/ 0 http://ffffff.com.au/2009/01/14/a-short-history-of-marketing/ http://ffffff.com.au/2009/01/14/a-short-history-of-marketing/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:56:42 +0000 katiec http://ffffff.com.au/?p=313
A short history of marketing from Michael Reissinger on Vimeo.

Found on Adverblog.

Hungry? How hungry? Would you sacrifice 10 of your Facebook friends for a Whopper?
If this neat little campaign was running here in Australia I would have a smaller number of friends…
without hesitation. Most likely the work of those damn CP+B’ers.

Via: Where’s my Jetpack?

• “Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology – it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful.” – David Armano
• “You may not always start the year as a leader, but you can certainly finish it that way.” – Rohit Bhargava
• “Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation.” – Pete Blackshaw
• “Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn’t come the way people thought it would.” – Chris Brogan
• “The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media.” – Todd Defren
• “There’s a lot of fixing that needs to be done.” – Jason Falls
• “Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball.” – Ann Handley
• “We’re going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate ‘commitment’.” – Joseph Jaffe
• “The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis.” – Charlene Li
• “After a pre-qualifying wrestling match…” – Ben McConnell
• “These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them.” – Scott Monty
• “The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies.” – Jeremiah Owyang
• “Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return.” – Andy Sernovitz
• “Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your mom will seem less ridiculous than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter.” – Greg Verdino

Everyone’s thoughts have been assembled in this PDF. You can also read the document in-line below.

Social Media 2009

Full of inspiration and food for thought of what is and what will be, it is definitely worth a watch

But, if you don’t have a spare hour up your sleeve, we have prepared the 60 sec snapshot for you

Virtual Identity

You are no longer really in control of your digital destiny. Aggregating tools and the move from search to findability, your digital identity is not only made up of what you have created for people to see (active collaborations) but also what you have done (passive collaborations). Something you may want to remember when you next consider time you look for yourself on Hot or Not.

For the voyuerists amongst us, there is My First Tweet which looks at people’s first week of using Twitter and gives us a window into how people start using new digital channels - who tests the waters & who dives in head first.

And for the digital show ponies amongst us – lifestreaming. Check out Storytlr – a tool which aggregates all your social media activities

The analog & digital worlds

Once considered warring parties where ultimately in a battle for supremacy, digital would come up trumps, we are now seeing them coming together and beautiful things are happening.

Take the Wii or Guitarhero – these let us to interact with the digital world in an analog way – it makes sense to our engrained behaviors and as creatures of comfort, it was always destined for love at first swing / strum.

Mobile internet

The mobile web is finally taking off and it is succeeding by pulling the web apart, apps let us find exactly what we need, when we need it – whether that is a recommendation for the best pizza with 100m and how to get there or something cool to watch while we are waiting for the bus.

Social Media Today has compiled this list of the current Top 25 free ebooks on Social Media:

1. Belonging Networks Corporate Social Networking
2. Social Web Basics
3. The 2009-2014 World Outlook for Advertising for Social Media Web Sites
4. Social Media and Customer Service
5. Center For Social Media – Youth As E-Citizens
6. How Blogs and Social Media are Changing Public Relations
7. Social media and the banking industry
8. Social Media: 40 Places to Find Web 2.0 for Your Web Site
9. Social Media Marketing Strategies Guide
10. Nielsen – Pharma & Social Media
11. The Need for Speed – Using Social Media to Speed Innovation
12. What is Social Media?
13. ComplexDiscovery – User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising
14. Social Media Guide Release
15. Social Media & Marketing – Online Networking & Advertising February 2008
16. ebook: The Art and Science of Social Media and Community Relations
17. What is Social Media? – Book 2
18. Social Media Maps
19. Social Media Manifesto by Brian Solis
20. New Media Case Studies 2008
21. The Impact of Social Media on Innovation – Josh Bernoff
22. The Secret Underground Guide to Social Media for Organisations
23. Customer Service: The Art of Listening and Engagement Through Social Media
24. The Social Web Analytics eBook 2008
25. The Essential Guide to Social Media

British Social Media Case Studies from the IAB:

BBC Learning G.I. Jonny (334k)
British Heart Foundations ‘Food 4 Thought’ (754k)
P&G Being Girl website (754k)
Brands in social media (734k)
Burnout series, Burnout Dominator (782k)
BBC, Doctor Who (248k)
Nickelodeon, H2O (767k)
Hotel Chocolat (556k)
Sony BRAVIA Paint (750k)

Peter Kim’s fabulous list of companies using social media. Last count (November 23) was 324.

Forrester’s Jeremiah Owyang and David Armano:

Video clips at Ustream

Yep, we got one last night @award for the Sprite Truth Hunters Campaign. Nice work team. Head hurtz now.

That would be Australia.com… for Tourism Australia. As in the site people all around the world go to when thinking about popping down under for a little poke around or that massive transforming voyage of self discovery to experience the vast majestic beauty that is Terra Australis, New Holland… Oz

Or you may have come across it searching for some little movie that may have just come out starring that little red headed girl from BMX bandits and that Wolverine dude. Anyway…

Continuing our theme of undertaking some of the biggest site launches in the country this year (trumpet blown) we have another high profile project that should leave everyone involved with it, walking a little taller this week. And if that wasn’t enough how about throwing in the design and build of Tourism Australia’s media site as well. Are these people robots?

No they’re not, just a swell bunch of talented, hard working clever people.

Hat Tip to: Fiona, Heath, Daniel, Duncan Pete V, Cearns, Mr David Carson esq and Mike Barry*

The photo below sums up the whole “vibe” of the project.

* I’m sure more peeps were on this… tell me…

A little while ago we completed a small project called “CBA Webolution Phase 1″which meant we did a quick refresh of the personal banking section of a new up and coming bank who you may of heard of before, The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, anyone? No? Didn’t think so. Anyway they seemed to like the pixel polishing we did for them so they asked us to work on another project called “CBA Webolution Phase 2″ No problems, easy, should knock that one off on a Monday morning before lunchtime. Right?

(Puts joke aside)

Seriously now. Wow. 12 months later and several lifetimes of work have been lovingly poured into the redevelopment of CBA’s Business and Corporate banking sections. And it shows. Top, top work from all those in the agency who touched this project with extra hat tips to Matt, Kathleen, Ellie, Mike, Fabulous, Luke, Jamie, Penn… and (thank god for blogs as I will have to update this list several times). I hope everyone involved feels all warm and tingly, because it really is a massive achievement. Well done guys!

With all the weird and wonderful information out on the web, its a wonder how we get anything done.
As Mitchell Kapor writes:

Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.

Giants like Google and Yahoo have spent a lot of time helping us find what we’re after,
and services like Tumblr and Delicious can help us find similar content. But what happens
to your own little nuggets that you want to track?

Storing and indexing your own content is, for me at least, the next great frontier on the web.
Steppping into the ring with an excellent service is Evernote.

You can clip content in the traditional way with broswer add-ins, run a desktop application with drag and drop functionailty, and even take voice and image notes with the iPhone application. It’s got the standard features like tagging and grouping content for later but you can then retrieve the information from any of the three platforms.

One of the coolest features, beyond its portability, is the text recognition. Written a page of notes and don’t have the time to type them up? Snap a quick shot and they’re permanently saved. It’ll even pick up text within documents, including handwriting.

Solves so many issues for me with notepads, clippings and ramblings all over the place.

Whilst we’re on the indexing trip, a recent article on Marketin Pilgrim talks about recent advancements in video searching. New services are not only searching out tags and external data attached to the clips, but digging into the video to pull out dialouge and even characters within the clip.

So it’s not only the way we access information that’s changing, but they way its stored and shared. Makes it such an exciting time, can you think of where we will be in another 12 months time?

Let me google that for you.

Great quote from a Paul Buchheit presentation.

Gmail now with themes, like this wonderfully retro “terminal”. Eyes hurt now.

And a great little “digital in the wild” observation from Iain.

A neat site for Sprint’s mobile broadband product… this is now.

Gizmodo has been doing a great weekly wrap up of the latest and greatest iPhone apps released that week.
Like Bryan Enos Bloom or the trippy RJDJ, or how could you go past the instant rimshot/cricket soundbite generator. Seriously, people are buying this stuff. Except maybe the last one… it’s free.

Boom-tish.

Now this is something remarkable, MTV is getting back into (gasp) MUSIC, by posting every music video in its archive. Looks like the “Hulu halo” is finally making its way into the music video business.

The good part for all web/blog-o-philes? They are embeddable too! So now, when you blog and you make a David Bowie music video reference, you can embedd it… In High Quality!

See it all go down here: http://www.mtvmusic.com/

Now the only thing that I missed is the possibility to create a playlist… How can we party without one?

Tin Eye, an interesting “visual” search engine. As in you upload an image and it’ll will return searches of similar images. It has some interesting uses, such as say you have an image of a cityscape somewhere in the world but have no idea where it is. You could then upload it to Tin Eye and it will either find that same image with details or a similar one. Or… if you were an image creator you could upload your work and see if anyone has ripped it off. The company who makes it ideeinc have a whole bunch of other “visual” search engines as well. Neat.

The Age of Conversation II: Why don’t they get it? will be the second collaborative book project on social media by a huge list of international authors (including White’s Head of Digital Strategy). To kick it off,  the guys who started it all, Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan have produced a podcast:

How did this idea of a collaborative book start? What does this mean? What’s different from the first edition in The Age of Conversation II? Drew & Gavin answer all these questions and more in this premiere episode.

Download the episode here: Premiere Episode of Age of Conversation

Is that our Fab “Head of Production’s” head on the latest cover of Australian Creative?

Erm, no. Almost.

Online Divas – Online Business Networking Group

At last, somewhere where entrepreneurial women can come together, and share a common vision – running an online business.

I have just watched a local TV news report on this site, and was pleased to discover that The White Agency’s Kate Chatfield is already there making her mark as one of the Diva’s. What a great way of sharing online knowledge with like minded women eager to succeed in the digital world.

So many times we tell ourselves, if only I had done that. It seems with the Diva’s help your idea could be creating the next ground breaking, money making sites.

Buckle up, get your stilettos on and get ready for digital dance floor.

Where: onlinedivas.com.au

Sometimes I send messages I shouldn’t send. Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together. Gmail can’t always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we’re launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.

When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you’re really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you’re in the right state of mind?

By default, Mail Goggles is only active late night on the weekend as that is the time you’re most likely to need it. Once enabled, you can adjust when it’s active in the General settings.

Hopefully Mail Goggles will prevent many of you out there from sending messages you wish you hadn’t. Like that late night memo — I mean mission statement — to the entire firm.

The iTunes App store where you can download/buy new apps for your iPhone has turned into a boonaza for small time developers who armed with good idea now have platform that can propel them in supedevstardom . And along with the fame comes the money, small time success stories are talking about profits of $250, 000 in two months. The full story from Wired.

Mark Pesce’s keynote at WebDirections South

If a picture paints a thousand words, you’ve just absorbed a million, the equivalent of one-and-a-half Bibles. That’s the way it is, these days. Nothing is small, nothing discrete, nothing bite-sized. Instead, we get the fire hose, 24 x 7, a world in which connection and community have become so colonized by intensity and amplification that nearly nothing feels average anymore.

His key points:

• what happens when we break free from Dunbar’s Number
• the most useful tool any of us could have, moving forward into this future, is a social contextualizer
• the rise of Anarcho-syndicalism, a system with no hierarchy, no bosses, no secrets, no politics
• we behave like crowds when we really ought to be organizing like a community.

Mark’s been kind enough to share the transcript.

For the entourage fans. You know the show Jonny Drama is famous for ‘Viking quest’? Well here’s Viking Quest the game. Keep in mind this show does not and has never existed, but all done in the interest of engaging more fans in the story. There’s even a link to buy the non-existent 6-disc dvd set.

PS: Check out the warning copy @ the bottom of the page