Junkyard Jumbotron

Professional brains Rick Borovoy and Brian Knep at MIT have come up with the Junkyard Jumbotron; a web tool which allows you to stretch a single image over multiple screens or in Borovoy's words "We've built a way to stitch together a bunch of random displays into one large virtual display."


Not hugely useful but it looks like fun. Check out the video below and head over to Wired for the science bit.*




*Speaking of Jennifer Anniston - see her new meme-tastic spot for Smart Water; it squeezes in Double Rainbow Guy, dogs on skateboards, that creepy bespectacled lip-synching kid, dancing babies, sex tapes and 'The Rachel' haircut. It's sharply done but the spoofing is maybe a little too knowing for me, not that that matters - it's already well on its way to 8m hits. Link

Mullets or Nutters? How do things go viral

This is a great presentation on why things go viral. We particularly like the insight that a lot of content passing is by bored workers, and the targetting of maniacs. Give it a read.

Jonah Peretti Viral Meetup Talk

Microsoft all the way

Its been a while since our last post but holidays are over and we are back to it. First off we have been noticing a lot of niche web cultures leaking into the mainstream. Alongside a slew of recent articles digging into the online message board 4chan, we noticed this recent video from Microsoft, featuring Yosemitebear of Double-Rainbow fame. Although there's a risk that a big brand involving itself will be viewed with cynicism, so far the response seems to have been good. Microsoft have certainly come a long way since their last unintentional viral hit.

Stop saying 'Viral'

Faris Yakob posted this great slideshare (created by Eva Hasson) on viral video, and the need for a new metaphor. It is worth spending some time reading, and having a look at Faris' response, but what stood out for me was:

- When we say something is viral we focus too much on the content, ignoring the needs of the people sharing it.
- More important than views is integration into culture, through remixing
- "People don't engage with each other to exchange viruses. People exchange viruses as an excuse to engage each other"- Douglas Rushkoff