Matt Law

The weird sketchbooks of Jim Woodring

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Via boing boing

Transamerica cyclists 128 and 129 of 2009, Greg Siple's pics

I don't know if I mentioned it, but this summer Sarah and I cycled coast to coast across the USA. I did? Oh, sorry to be a bore, but we just received some photos in the post from Greg Siple, one of the founders of the Adventure Cycling Association in the USA.

The route passes by their offices in Missoula Montana, and the map noted that you are welcome to come in for an ice cream. Despite the fact that it was raining that day, we thought the offer was too good to turn down, so in we went. Once we got there we were introduced to a few people who were welcoming to a turn, Greg was one of them. He explained that since year dot (in this case dot being 1976) he had been photographing the people who came by and cataloguing them. There were some very cool pictures up on the wall - along with some historic bicycles.

So here we are, the 128th and 129th people to pass through their offices in 2009. I think we got there in early-mid July. The pictures are so grainy because they were scanned in from film, printed out on normal 80gsm paper, then scanned in again at our flat. I quite like the effect actually, it feels kind of historic. Like old time pioneer pictures or something.

 

Election marketing in Chile

There is an election brewing in Chile. I am not 100% on when it is going to be, probably in the next couple of weeks, but if my review of election advertising is anything to go by, a bloke called Pinera is going to romp home into the presidency.

This is even despite the fact one of his ever present posters fell off a lamp post and brained some poor passing girl. The Carabinieri were taking notes and looking good in their shades as we passed by and the girl held a hanky to her bleeding head. The way the communications are handled out there is completely at odds with how we would do it at home so it has been really interesting to tour the country while this is going on.

There are five main candidates as far as I can tell

1. Arrate – at least 80 and looks every day of it. Possibly a communist.
2. Frei – he's got a good logo. Looks a bit evil. Kisses babies. Expect he will come second
3. Pinera – just like the Samurai who can tell the arrow will hit before the bow string leaves his hand, Pinera has won and he knows it.
4. An early middle age guy who is trying to grow a beard. I think I may have actually walked past him in Santiago. He had a minder and was wearing shades. 5% of the vote max.
5. Some young bloke just out of school by the looks of things (only saw him on the last day), maybe going for the tween vote. Lustrous hair just like a boyband.

The whole thing seems almost entirely personality based. Every single ad is a variation on a head and shoulders shot of the candidate, their logo and possibly also their campaign slogan, which is invariably something terribly general like “together a better society” or "national renewal". However for the most part they don't even bother with that, and I'm sure it's not because they have a particularly moody art director on the project.

So there are posters of people's faces up everywhere and names painted up on the walls all over the town and countryside. I suspect it is something to do with building familiarity as without a clear two party system, I imagine elections are based around lots of different people you have never heard of. If you can be the name most familiar to people as the enter the polling booth you are likely to get an 'x'.

I couldn't quite work out if there were a lot of celebrity endorsements going on, at least they looked like they could be celebrities. One of them, who seemed to be everywhere it turned out was the reigning president, who is legally barred from standing again, as 4 years is now the maximum term. She seemed to be supporting everyone who was standing as deputy.

Very strange. Also, there must be a really confusing mix of party affiliations, Pinera in particular has got his mug up with all sorts of different candidates. I wonder if it is the political version of Intel advertising where he pays for part of the ads as long as his face can go up there. Pinera clearly spending a fortune which more than anything else suggests to me that he's going to win. I guess with politics more than anything you end up in a virtuous or vicious circle: people think you're going to win, so you get more funding, so you run more ads and do more promotions, so people think you're going to win...

I just checked, the election is on the 13^th December. I will post an update with the final results...

Calamar Gigantico - giant squid for sale in Santiago

One for @floheiss, in the Mercado Central in Santiago you can buy slabs of giant squid to cook super-Calamari. The knife is to make sure it is dead.

Axa 'personal claims handler' ads

Two things about this ad, which I saw on the tube today.

1) in the big advertising references game, I call this as wordle

2) the idea of a personal claims handler for water, while timely is a bit rubbish isn't it? It's a bit like saying if your car is hit by any kind of Peugeot the insurance company will send someone over to stroke your hair in hospital.

However, the human mind is quite bad at evaluating risks and I think there is some research to suggest that the more specific you are about a risk, the more likely people perceive it as happening. So if you ask someone what the chances are of there being a major earthquake in the world sometime this month, they will give you one estimate, but if you ask them what the chances are of a major earthquake in Los Angeles this month they will give you an estimate suggesting it is more likely - even though the set of places in Los Angeles is inside the set of places in the world. This is covered in the excellent book 'Made to Stick' by Chip and Dan Heath.

I guess since insurance companies want you to fear specific, concrete things and perceive them as likely to happen this is a good approach, given they probably assign personal claim handlers for all expensive cases like flooding - since it's probably good at keeping the costs down.

Fallon 0, Dare 1

 

Match report from Capt. Green - www.daredigital.com

Substitute Phil Wright sneaked a memorable victory over rival agency fallon last night during a blustery friendly at Maida Vale.

Captain Green gambled when he replaced Rohit Mistry with Phil Wright at half-time with the scoreline locked at 0-0, yet it was this ploy that paid off in spectacular style as Wright scored with only 10 minutes remaining, putting away a brave header past a stranded fallon goalkeeper.



1st half

The game had started competitively with fallon showing decent composure on the ball from the kick off. Dare occasionally regained possession but it soon became obvious that the game was to be won or lost physically as fallon constantly stifled our early attempts at possession.

Despite what was a period of dominance for fallon dare were just able to contain the best of their opportunities mainly thanks to some absolutely crucial tackles from both Kassam and Charlton, with Nadeem intervening.

A cruel wind would also cause havoc throughout the evening with the direction of the ball becoming increasingly unpredictable when launched over the top of both defences.

The half-time break came, the team re-grouped swiftly and calm was restored as the squad shared their concerns and advice with each other. Two changes were made with Suman making a straight swap for Dip upfront and the same with Rohit swapping for Phil Wright on the left-wing.


2nd half

The game became more even in the second half with dare beginning to show signs of adjustment to the high standard fallon had set. Confidence and belief grew stronger yet chances were few and far between as the game gradually became a crunching midfield battle. Both teams still maintained some decent chances but none looking realistic to convert.

Then would come the decisive moment in the fallon defence where the goalkeeper struggled to claim a high ball. Phil Wright had risen bravely to challenge for the high ball and with Wright intimidating the stranded keeper, the ball connecting and bounced successfully into the net securing Phil’s first 11-a-side goal in dare colours.

Fallon's spirit was far from broken after the goal, with their forwards missing three decent chances late on from close range with 5 minutes remaining. Eventually the game came to an end after some desperate clearances in the dying moments.

Overall, a defear for Fallon was harsh after they played some great football. However, their efforts were not enough to defeat the spirit of the dare squad who quite literary wanted the game more and eventually forced the goal that made all the difference:

You are fallon. We are dare.


(old picture from the Glue testimonial game unfortunately)

Team rating

8 - Nadeem Daniel
Despite struggling with his goal kicks Nadeem made a great return to the 11-a-side scene for dare and played what was his best game to date. Made a crucial low save in the 2nd half and helped the defence vocally throughout with their positioning and marking. A clean-sheet also being a dare first (I think?).

7 - James Filmer
Struggled to settle in what was an unfamiliar position in the 1st half. Had a much better 2nd half wining some crucial headers and combined well with Lathwell and Wright to contain fallon’s attacks down the left.

9 – Lee Charlton
Rarely put a foot wrong with only the occasional clearance going wide. Constantly won crucial headers and performed some marvellous lat-ditch tackles to prevent fallon all-night. Also did very to channel his aggression from what was a very relaxed referee.

7 – Captain Green
After battling the wind (and Roy>) in the 1st half the captain had a comfortable night at the back mainly thanks to Charlton's and Lexi’s timely interventions.  Struggled a little physically on this occasion with the forwards and should of been a little more committed in the tackle. Clearances were also a little too wild for my preference. However, was proud to help lead a very positive dare team to a memorable victory.

8 – James Kassam
With the wind against him more than most Kassam took some time to settle down in the 1st half with some wild clearances at times. However, he produced a stunning tackle to stop fallon from what was a simple close range finish and rescue dare during a crucial period. A strong performance 2nd half when faced against both a decent winger/full-back combination.

8 – Gary Lathwell
A good return to the scene from Lathwell. Help bring some calm to the centre of midfield and his physical presence was vital duing tough times in the midfield. Helped well all night down the left and combined successfully with Lexi on several occasions.

9 – Lexi Cherniavsky
‘The engine’ - finally returned to dare fc after weeks of excuses and absences. Lexi was crucial - upping his game to cope with the onslaught fallon were causing in the middle. In the later stages Cherniavsky absorbed a lot of the pressure from the opposition and still managed to contribute well when dare pushed forward. A match winning performance only lacking a goal to top it off.

6 – Rohit Mistry < Phil Wright
Unfortunately Rohit only had limited time to make a mark in this game and he struggled to get much service in the first period making it difficult to judge his performance. Overall, Rohit has yet to bring his fantastic 5-a-side form to the 11-a-side game. Although he has the potential to be a great asset if he can work on his appetite for the tackle.

7 – Ian Fooks
An experimental role for Fooks he seamed well suited for an opportunity on the wing after recent 5-a-side performances. However, Fooks struggled to get comfortable in the wide-role and looked a little behind the pace compared to his last outing against Glue in the middle. Had one good effort on goal and interchanged well at times, but has and can play a lot better.

8 – Roy Nayee
Provided a great range of passing and composure to the midfield, and covered very well in desperate times during the 1st half. Lost his discipline a little in the opening period but returned in the 2nd fully composed. Had a few efforts on goal but never really had a decent opportunity to finish comfortably.

Roy’s experience helped calm a busy midfield and assured an organised unit when times were tough.

6 – Kit Suman < Dip Mistry
Despite his obvious motivation for the game Suman struggled to get into his lone role against a tough defence. Service was limited and it soon became obvious he would need added support upfront to get his game going. Like Rohit, Suman excels in the close-range intimacy of the 5-a-side game but lacked the presence needed yesterday to trouble the fallon back line.

8 – Phil Wright > Rohit Mistry
Brave ‘Pip’ scored a massive goal and made a great difference in the 2nd half with his covering on the left-side. A greatly committed performance deservedly capped with a goal to finish.

8 – Dip Mistry > Kit Suman
Dip’s ability to hold and use the ball helped rescue the 2nd period for dare. From an early point he added a new dimension to our attempts at pushing fallon forward. A crucial injection of calm and composure.

Date, cranberry and banana loaf

Apparatus

250g of self raising flour
10 large dates
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of sultanas
125ml water
1 very ripe banana (more recommended)
250ml milk
100ml olive oil
Splash of vanilla essence

Method

The dates and cranberries were liquidised in 125ml of water until thick and smooth. The date mixture was added to the flour along with the rice milk, oil and bananas. The sultanas and a splash of vanilla essence were chucked in and mixed. The entire contents of the bowl were poured into a loaf tin and baked at 190C/380F for about 40 mins.

The loaf was then cooled for 20 minutes before being sliced and eaten.

Results

Conclusions
Surprisingly moist for a cake with no eggs, and quite sweet, despite there being no sugar. However, quite dense for a cake of this kind. Would require additional bananas to truly excel.

Chinese Supermarket

Google Olympic flame relay gadget

Sorenta Shakedown - Sony Ericsson / Vodafone campaign

This is the final result of the little trip to Rome at the end of October. The site is live in across all the markets now, and the ads are live. The celebratory bottle of Limoncello will be breached shortly...

Some nice flash actionscripting of the shake function on the phone - I think it's called SenseMe. Get the old boy's hang-dog expression. I love it.

We used a tobacco filter on this shot. At least that's what they told me while I was busy carrying the bags, drinking coffee and scoffing Italian cakes.

Very pleased with the end result - especially amazing was the shoestring budget managed to stretch to about 15 crew on set, plus all the cast, a grade in the Framestore and subtitling in eight languages!

However, the project is unlikely to be contributing in any meaningful way into Mark Collier's holiday fund.