Nobody’s Watching

Everybody already knows what happens when you mix Mentos with Diet Coke.

This video, “Nobody’s Watching Diet Coke & Mentos”, is a funny spoof of that video:

The gem, however, is that the two guys in the video above are not actually just any other two amateur cam-whores. They are, in fact, part of a Warner Brother’s mockumentary show (a produced show pretending to be a reality/documentary in nature).

The show centers around two friends from Ohio named Derrick (Taran Killam) and Will (Paul Campbell), who send in a home video of themselves to every network claiming that they can produce a better sitcom than the ones currently being broadcasted by the networks. In the show, The WB takes them up on this offer, and offers them both an opportunity to create their own sitcom.

So basically, WB hired people to pretend that they’re amateurs who contacted WB and got an agreement to produce a reality show. In other words, it’s a staged show pretending to be a reality-ish show in which the two participant produces a sitcom (called Nobody’s Watching). Wikipedia explains it here. Haha, if you’re confused, you’re not alone. Test audiences were simliarly confused, and that’s why Warner Brothers didn’t air it.

The clips, however, found their way into Youtube, and were met with positive responses, and so now they’re considering putting it onto TV. If you’re all confused, well, just sit tight and watch these videos (3-parts of the test Pilot Episode). They’re really good and funny!


Honda Creatives

After seeing the Hanging Cars post, a friend reminded me of a Honda advertisement (indeed, one of the greatest ever produced!). The components that made up a Honda lined up in an interesting array of domino effects – and apparently there were no visual tricks (like CG). The director was adamant that the whole thing be real, and they actually did the thing over and over again so that every part is perfect.

 

Another great, but perhaps a little less well-known Honda Ad, is the Choral Honda Ad for the launch of Honda Civic in the UK. The idea was to find out how driving a Honda sounds like – from the moment the engine is ignited, to how the windshield viper rubs against the glass; drops of rain hitting the car roof; autumn leaves crumpling as the wheel rolls over…etc. And then, to emulate this with the human voice through choir. Simply fascinating if you ask me.

The Honda Civic UK Choral Ad:

Rube Goldberg Machines | Pitagora Suichi


I assume many of you would have been forwarded clips like the one above – where elaborate and yet delightfully simple motions and mechanisms are activated as a ball (or something else) rolls along etc. This clip, however, is the grandma of all – a compilation of the best mechanisms, and it’s deliciously 12:54 long!

It was only recently, however, that I learned that these machines are known as “Rube Goldberg Machines“.

A Rube Goldberg machine or device is any exceedingly complex apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very indirect and convoluted way. Rube devised such pataphysical devices. A Rube Goldberg machine usually has at least ten steps. The best examples of his machines have an anticipation factor: the fact that something so wacky is happening can only be topped by it happening in a suspenseful manner.

While the namesake goes to an American, I’d venture that the masters of these crafts are the Japanese. The classic Honda ad (where the car parts form a Rube Goldberg sequence) was a popular example, as it wow-ed and charmed many.

But for me, the “ピタゴラスイッ” (Pitagora Suitchi, Pythagorean Device) series from Japan beats Honda hands down in the variety and imagination in the mechanisms involved. Pitagora Suichi is actually a Japanese educational TV program aimed at kids. In between segments, a small clip of an Rube Goldberg device is shown (Heh, these clips are the best parts of the show! A typical show is like this.)

What a great way to keep the child’s attention, while expanding their imagination! I’m sure I’d be sitting through the whole program just to make sure I catch all the fantastic sequences.

Zen – Pebble Sofa

zen-pebble-sofa

Carefully aligned, smooth pebbles are virtually synonymous to Zen interiors. A professor once told me that the pebbles are actually a form of abstraction of water. As one can’t afford to bring a stream into the living, the Zen-enlightened masters extracted the symbolism of pebbles in the stream.

This line of Livingstones products mimics these pebbles – but instead of stone, it is cleverly made of fabric and are soft. So you get the cool Zen feel while still being able to laze and lounge around these things.

Call Blocker

callblocker

While I’d stop short of calling it a disgrace to logic and design, this device purports to shield you from evil salesmen and telemarketers by announcing this message to all incoming calls:

“You have reached CallBlocker™ and not an answering machine. All commercial sales calls and fund raising requests are not accepted, place this number on your do not call list. Personal and invited callers press 5 on your touch phone to proceed.”

Right. That REALLY makes sense huh?

Inner Life of the Cell

inner-life-of-a-cell

An amazing video, “The Inner Life of the Cell“, was produced for Harvard University’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, that “takes undergrads beyond textbooks and vividly illustrates the mechanisms that allow a white blood cell to sense its surroundings and respond to an external stimulus”. In a dream-like, fantasy setting, this video really does make one marvel at beauty – not only of the beautifully-rendered video, but of the ingenuity of our very own biological system.

The press release.