Hasta La Creative!

As scientists move closer toward cloning human beings, artists and philosophers warn us that we may end up copying the worst part of ourselves. 

The copy, with annotation, follows.

“The most outstanding glass and steel hi-rise (rising penis, no doubt) in Printer’s Row is doable (get it, it’s a pun because the hot girl in the picture is doable too!). Close to the most popular nightlife (Lots of hot ho’s who love big wallets) and shops in the neighborhood (Screw shopping? Where the chicks at?), Burnham Pointe is Chicago’s ‘NOW’ building. (Now with more access to big tits and tight jeans) With amenities including resistance pool, hot tub, (How many times has a BP resident stuck his thing into a girl’s thing in here) fully equipped fitness center (sweaty residents! TONS of MILFs!) and sundeck (Can you say orgy!) all waiting to be customized to your taste. At these attractive prices, Burnham Pointe is within your reach. (around, reach around).”

Come on man. This is brutal.

**** Update : Thursday 6th December. As expected, the Federal Communications Minister has today ordered an investigation by ACMA into the sale of adult content ****

Australia’s #1 Telcommunications carrier, Telstra is this morning embroiled in a scandal involving it’s YouTube styled user generated content site WotNext, which was found to have a number of soft-porn clips.

WotNext is unique in that it has a revenue sharing model whereby contributors earn money each time a user of Telstra’s NextG mobile service downloads a clip. Each clip is charged at $1 and Telstra takes 50%, with the other 50% being credited to the user.

The key issue is that no age verfication takes place either on the site, or the mobile handset, therefore minors can access adult content.

News.com.au and the Sydney Morning Herald are both reporting the story, with News.com.au having captured and censored one of the clips for publication.

It will be interesting to see whether Telstra will undertake an audit of its userbase to ascertain whether any minors have indeed accessed adult content and whether Telstra is prepared to refund any money it earned through minors having access. No doubt the incoming Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, will be asking Telstra to ‘Please Explain’.

Furthermore, Telstra may have potentially committed a criminal act by selling porn to minors. The Australian Media and Communication Authority’s (ACMA) “Internet Content Guidelines” and “Adult Verification Scheme” has specific guidelines relating to the access of adult content online.

Earlier this year, the site was lauded for its effort by the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) when it won Best of Show at the 2007 Mobile Marketing Awards. The agencies credited include, George Patterson Y&R and Tiger Spike.

Unlike YouTube, Telstra claim the site is moderated. However this Google cache snapshot, clearly shows at least one of the controversial videos was posted back in July 2007, casting doubt over Telstra’s assertion that the site is moderated.

Beware the pitfalls of user generated content!

Kevin Rudd may have knocked off John Howard to become Australia’s Prime Minister, but now the hard part comes in trying to lead a country that has never had a sense of direction.

It’s December which means that all the universities and colleges will be hosting their graduating exhibition. In the hope that the students will get a good job somewhere.

You would expect this part of the course to be the most important. The entire 2-4 years of study is wasted unless you get a job. Theory, attendance, attitude are all meaningless it all comes down to how good your book it. Does your work stand out from the pack? But how do you stand out when ou’r work is shoved into a corner of a room somewhere.

With that in mind why don’t the uni’s make more of an effort to sell their students to prospective companies. Why isn’t there a special screening of students just for potential employers? Why doesn’t every uni have an online database of students with their work samples?

Hyperisland seem to do this well but no uni (well none that I have seen) even come close to having a way to access a list of students and their work online.

There’s talented people all around Australia but there’s no way I’m going to Canberra on the chance I can see someone. Let alone Perth, Adelaide or any of those states.

What this does create is a way for the determined students to get a leg up on other students, but sadly the most determined students aren’t always the best.

Does anyone else have the same experience? or am I expecting too much?

Holy jumping bass! I know I must be way, way late to the conversation about this campaign but, sweet baby peas, this made me jump right out of my chair.

I had heard tale of a campaign from the big, snowy that made Safe Happens look like an Archie comic, but  I just ran across it today. What say ye people? Horror film or effective ad? I’ll go first. Generally, I don’t go for the gore. But I have to admit these do change my thinking about safety. Or, at least, they really have made me think about safety. Somehow that gets me over the "taste’ hump.

The rise of the digital media gives advertisers unprecedented access to your personal life. With billions of dollars at stake, corporations are using this powerful medium to hone their ads precisely to your interests and unconsciously influence your ideas and values.

Awesome!

20th Century Fox wants you to Munk Yourself for Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Create your own chipmunk character and record a custom message (which gets chipmunkatized) and send it on to friends. It’s similar to Simpsons avatar or Simponize Me, except the emphasis is on recording your own message and the users voice rather than uploading your face.

Designed and built by Soap Creative using Oddcast technology.

Once the preserve almost exclusively of environmentalists and scientists, 2007 was the year when climate change went big business. But this corporate volte-face raises some serious problems about  whether we should accept this overture or steer clear of what still looks like industry greenwashing.