Remember when creativity use to be about originality?
Or maybe imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?
Message sent to my Last.fm account
17 year old: Hi there, is there any chance at all you could send me the We Cut Corners
album? I'd really appreciate it! Let me know if you can.
Me: Buy it...
17 year old: i'm 50c off it (used a giftcard) after buying Carl Barat's EP and the Fight Like Apes album unfortunately.
Me: can't man - they need the sales!
17 year old: Just bought it there off iTunes, gonna put it up on a few sites for free.
There has been a frantic rush to analyse social media. Part of my role at Mindshare is to do just this, but often like any data analysis, context is key. Text analysis - understanding the human meaning behind what is left on forums, twitter, or blogs - can provide far greater insight into consumers than the volume of data alone. For me, this article was fascinating. If Obama’s text analysis consultant can achieve what is outlined, they will have powerful insights to inform their strategy.
You’ve watched The Wire, right? You know your hustlin’ from your Five O. You may have even read the insightful book, Gang Leader for a Day, but to fully understand youth crime in the US - watch The Interrupters.
There is no glamour involved in this raw documentary, despite many of the characters having backgrounds dating back to the 1970s American Gangster scene. This is about the spread of violence, the viral disease that is gang murders and revenge.
It ruins lives but the inspiration within this film are the mediators - the group of Violence Interrupters - who use their backgrounds to dramatically change social norms. This is a lesson in changing human behaviour and will shock and inspire you.
Watch The Interrupters on Netflix now (free for your first month)
Thanks to @eimearofarrell for dicovering this brilliant piece of data mapping. Dublin by flickr uploads (orange) and tweets (blue).
The coast and parks are clearly popular for picturesque scenes while colleges, city streets and the airport are lit up with tweets.
This was created by Eric Fischer so thanks for producing this.
Every 3 months, I produce life through a lens - a collection of photos I take with an iPhone or Canon camera.
I’ve looked back on the very lucky 2011 I had and created a annual look at the year that was for many difficult, but life is more about banks, debt and austerity.
Thanks to everyone who made each of these images possible.
Music by the amazing James Vincent McMorrow, who I saw a number of times and listened to 111 times in 2011. Please buy his music and even better go to see him live.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Get into Christmas with We Cut Corners
Last night was a Christmas installment of Ruby Sessions down at Doyle’s Pub across from Trinity College. As well as great performances from Little Green Cars and Gypsies on the Autobahn, there was a special treat from We Cut Corners. Returning from Dingle, not only showcasing their debut album, they also got in the Christmas spirit by covering Jona Lewie’s Stop the Calvary.
