I had the fortune of being able to spend several weeks with my grandparents this winter. In their late 70’s and mid 80’s they are still curious music lovers and avid readers. However age related challenges have begun to hinder their regular enjoyment of these things.

Sometimes it’s cultural and habit based. My grandfather only wants another reel to reel player to play his favorite reels. He doesn’t want to learn new technology because most of the pleasure of it comes from setting it up, playing with something loved and familiar.

Sometimes it’s physical and very personal. My grandmother was diagnosed with macular degeneration which is getting in the way of her ability to read as much as she would like. Plus they’re retired and sometimes a new toy might be a welcome distraction. They never managed to make the leap to the CD player that’s been collecting dust for the last 20 years and only a few months ago asked if there was a way to stop the song and come back to it later (to “pause” it). Then I realized how big the learning curve would be: the images or icons have no meaning for them and the jargon that we’ve associated so strongly with those icons also make no sense whatsoever.

I knew I wanted to put an ipod/system together for them to learn and play with and to get my grandmother used to audio books in a gentle manner but they had quietly gotten impatient and abandoned gifts before: digital cameras hidden in junk drawers and pretty much digital anything acting as strange modern Tchochkes.

When I did an internet search for various {seniors iPod diagram instructions tutorial} terms, I got nothing. If anything the actual .pdf of the product manual was classically UN-senior friendly. Small type, heavy walls of text that assume a large (youthful) familiarity with computers, the internet and digital music players in general. Plus iTunes. I knew that would only hurt the cause.

So I whipped up the slide show you see here. I have PDF and other printable files available if anyone wants to use it. Please respect the Creative Commons Attributions-Share Alike license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In other words, use it all you like, but don’t sell it or claim it as your own.

And if you think it’s really helped someone in your life, it’s always nice to be thanked.

Not to be a really strange trend whore, but I seem to find a way to travel to places just before or after something important. Left NYC for vacation for both the blackout & 9/11, Budapest right after the infamous “tank riot” in 2006, Seattle after grunge…

Anyhoo. So there I was having fallen totally in love with Iceland; people, environments, mentalities. And I had something of a love-hate with Hungary. Then the massive global economic meltdown happened and both countries were the first to crash most spectacularly before the world, but without a lot of media coverage showing what that might look like or the small creative movement and success stories happening as well.

Ever the inspired lass I came up with this one:
http://project-apocalypse.blogspot.com/2009/08/call-for-entries.html

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Brave New World: Hungarian and Icelandic Visions of the Future


ABOUT THE SHOW
In the global crisis 2 countries were the first to fall both financially and politically: Iceland and Hungary. Larger countries may have simply printed more money but ecological, financial, political and social problems remain. That’s where YOU come in. Calling all artists, engineers and optimists; if you’ve got an idea, prototype, design or other solution to one of these problems (however small!) submit it to BRAVE NEW WORLD, the art show the world has been waiting for.

THE ORGANIZERS
Nona Varnado, Media Director, Project: Apocalypse.
Project: Apocalypse (P:A), is the international new media marketing company dedicated to connecting great ideas to a global audience. Nona has organized water gun wars in San Francisco, autorickshaw tours of South India and some other technical stuff. Super awesome Hungarian and Icelandic friends and visionaries provide local support, translation and good times.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 2009

BRAVE NEW WORLD will be shown in NEW YORK CITY and SAN FRANCISCO with other European cities to be announced prior to the 2010 season. Show Dates: Spring 2010

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Any one wishing to submit to BRAVE NEW WORLD must be a legal resident of Iceland or Hungary. 2 entries per person. All entries are preferred in English but may also be submitted in Hungarian via email (project.apocalypse@gmail.com) or international post to the USA. If materials are submitted via post and should be returned, the applicant must enclose a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope). Do NOT submit originals as organizers are NOT responsible for materials.

HOW TO APPLY
Applicants must submit:
□ 1. Application form.
□ 2. Documentation. Via electronic format (.jpeg, .pdf, .psd, .eps .gif) or printed materials to be sent to:
Project: Apocalypse, Inc.
25 Ferney Street
Hicksville, New York, 11801, USA
□ 3. Application Fee; 15 USD, 3,000 HUF, 2,000 ISK or 10 EUR. Payable via paypal (project.apocalypse@gmail.com), money order, check or cash.
□ 4. Signed Artists Release (included in entry form).
□ 5. SASE if return of materials are required via international post.


ENTRY FORM
Part 1

1. Full Name (First, Last): ________________________________________
2. Email: ____________________________________________________
3. Telephone/Mobile: ___________________________________________
4. Skype/IM/Facebook: _________________________________________
5. Website: __________________________________________________
6. Residence Address: __________________________________________

Part 2
(Must be completed for each work submitted, maximum of 2)

Title: _______________________________________________
Description of work:





What problem does this piece solve or address: ___________________

Dimensions/instructions required for display: _____________________



ARTISTS’ RELEASE STATEMENT:

The Artist seeks to submit images for entry to the BRAVE NEW WORLD 2010 (also referred to as “The Show”) competition and exhibition. Project: Apocalypse, Inc. (hereafter “PA”) reserves the right to select any artwork/images entered in BRAVE NEW WORLD to be displayed online, reproduced through any media, anywhere in the known universe for the purpose of promoting the show or PA, without compensation to The Artist, heirs or collaborators. PA may edit images for reproduction without permission of The Artist. In submitting images to The Show, The Artist grants PA and its’ affiliates a Non-Exclusive, Royalty-Free, Non-Expiring usage license.

All copyrights, designs, intellectual and creative properties remain the full property of The Artist.

I, hereby grant PA, its’ affiliates and licenses the following irrevocable rights: to use, re-use, publish and re-publish the submitted images in whole or in part, individually or in composite form, in any medium. I hereby waive my right to inspect or approve any text or content used in connection with the images and release and discharge PA and its’ affiliates from any and all claims.


Name: ______________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________________

at 4:41 AM 0 comments 

No.. wait for it, this is where it’s funny:

http://project-apocalypse.blogspot.com/2009/08/szep-uj-vilag-jelentkezesi-hatarido.html

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Szép Új Világ: JELENTKEZÉSI HATÁRIDŐ: 2009. november 15.

Brave New World: Magyar és Izlandi Vízió a Jövőről

A BEMUTATÓRÓL:

A világválság két országot, Izlandot és Magyarországot súlytotta gazdaságilag és politikailag leginkább. A legnagyobb országok egyszerüen csak több pénzt nyomtattak, de a környezeti, gazdasági, politikai és szociális probémák továbbra is megmaradtak. Itt lépsz be TE a képbe. Hívunk minden művészt, mérnököt és optimistát. Ha van egy ötleted, prototípusod, terved, vagy más megoldásod ezen problémák egyikére (bármennyire apró is!) küld el a BRAVE NEW WORLD (Szép Új Világ)-nak, a művészeti bemutatónak amelyre az egész világ vár.

A SZERVEZŐK:

Nona Varnado, Media Director, Project: Apocalypse.

Project: Apocalypse (P:A), egy nemzetközi új média marketing vállalat melynek célja, hogy nagyszerű ötleteket juttasson el a nagyközönséghez. Nona már szervezett vizipisztoly háborút San Francisco-ban, autoriksa túrákat Dél-Indiában és más teknikai dolgokat. Nagyszerü magyar és izlandi barátok biztosítják a helyi támogatást, fordítást és a jó szórakozást.

JELENTKEZÉSI HATÁRIDŐ: 2009. november 15.

A BRAVE NEW WORLD NEW YORK CITY-ben, SAN FRENCISCO-ban és más europai városokban, melyeket 2010-es szezon elött jelentenek be. A bemutatók: 2010 tavasza

RÉSZVÉTELI FELTÉTELEK:

Bárki, aki részt kíván venni a BRAVE NEW WORLD-ön, magyar vagy izlandi állampolgársággal kell, hogy rendelkezzen. Maximum 2 nevezés per fő. A nevezéseket lehetőleg angolul kérjük, de elfogadjuk magyarul is a (project.apocalypse@gmail.com) email címen, vagy postázva az USA-ba. Ha a postán beadott anyagot visszavárod, kérünk, egy megcímzett válaszborítékot. Eredeti példányokat ne küldj, mert a szervezők NEM felelnek az anyagokért.

HOGY JELENTKEZZ:

A jelentkezőnek mellékelni kell:

1. Jelentkezési lapot

2. Dokumentaciót. Elektromos (.jpeg, .pdf, .psd, .eps .gif) vagy nyomtatott formában erre a címre:

Project: Apocalypse, Inc.

25 Ferney Street

Hicksville, New York, 11801, USA

3. Jelentkezési díj: 15 USD, 3,000 HUF, 2,000 ISK or 10 EUR. Fizethető PayPal-lel (project.apocalypse@gmail.com), átutalással, csekkel vagy készpénzel.

4. Signed Artists Release (mellékelve a jelentkezési lapon).

5. Válaszboríték ha visszavárod az anyagokat.

JELENTKEZÉSI LAP:

Első rész:

1. Kereszt és vezetéknév:
2. Email:
3. Telefon/Mobil:
4. Skype/IM:
5. Webcím:
6. Lakcím:

Második rész:

(Minden nevezéshez külön, maximum 2)

Cím:

Munka leírása:

Mivel foglalkozik a mű, vagy milyen problémát old meg:

Bemutatáshoz szükséges méretek/utasítások:

A MÜVÉSZ LEMONDÓ NYILATKOZATA:

A művész elfogadja a BRAVE NEW WORLD 2010 (továbbiakban “The Show”) verseny és kiállítás feltételeit. Project: Apocalypse, Inc. (továbbiakban “PA”) fentartja a jogokat, hogy válogasson a beküldött munkak közül bemutassa online terjessze bármilyen médán keresztül, bárhol a világon, abból a célból, hogy elősegítse a show-t vagy a PA-t, anélkül, hogy a müvésznek, örökösének vagy munkatársának kompenzációt fizetne. A PA szerkeztheti és reprodukálhatja a beadott képeket a müvész engedélye nélkül. A müvész engedélyezi PA-nak és tagszervezeteinek a kepek nemkizárólagos, jogdíjmentes, elnemévülő használatát.

Minden szerzői jog, terv, szellemi termék a művész teljes tulajdonában marad.

Ezennel PA-nak és tagszervezeteinek rendelkezésére bocsátom vísszavonhatatlanul a következő jogokat: A művek teljes vagy részleges fel és újrahasználasát, publikálását es újrapublikálását, egyénenként vagy kompozícióban, bármilyen médiumban. Ezennel lemondok arról a jogomról, hogy felügyeljem vagy jóváhagyjam a beküldött munkámmal kapcsolatban megjelenő bármilyen szöveget, és semmilyen igenyt nem támasztok a PA-val és tagszervezeteivel szemben.

Név:

Aláírás:

Dátum:

at 4:06 AM    Labels: budapest, magyar, mérnök, művészet, verseny, építész

If you forecast the future business model of marketing-ad-pr agencies, and there are no major accounts or investors, does it really matter?

Back in the Vegas hot-tub & pool complex, my best girlfriend (then the head of marketing for an international bags & accessories company) agreed to spend her few free hours as the co-founder of a new project: our very own marketing/PR/advertising firm.

We each lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. All of our friends were employed, to varying degrees in those fields, but no one had any real power in creative or management. The existing ad agency model was (to my eyes) finished. Digital or Die.

http://bit.ly/fEv5a

We’d all been screwed over by being freelance “Independent Contractors” without health insurance or benefits, but the hours were pleasingly relaxed. I figured, if we utilized our existing network of talent as such without actual employees… there would be something to that. It also meant that an office and other expenses could be delayed until major accounts were signed or that we could use any of the new temp/flexible “Freelance Office Space” rent a desk or two, or a conference room by the hour or month.

After the failure of the Teashop I thought I’d learned my lesson in the “going it alone” mentality. I made Bianca swear she was into it. And in Vegas, she totally was. We agreed we should look for clients in spaces we were already heavy in; namely anything to do with bicycles, the great outdoors and people who did or sold things that were generally benign. No pharma. No oil companies or private prison facilities. That sort of thing.

We immediately got to work fighting about branding, ie. a name. I wanted something that played off “Velo” somehow without being too cheesy. But when Project:Apocalypse came up she was totally convinced. We were competing with real names, doing potentially shocking new work in an emerging new advertising segment and she was convinced it was punk enough to endear ourselves to the right people. I created an obnoxious “project:_____” brand/typography convention and agreed.

Surprisingly, no one knocked down my digital door, even after we put up a website!

We were too busy trying to chase down little things to pay rent instead of selling ourselves to clients. Instead project:apocalypse became my DBA as I did work for various companies and pitched to those who did manage to find us. It was definitely a lesson in small business networking and exactly why I should never be on the sales side of any organization, particularly my own.

Some of the client proposals and conversations that never lead to anything were the most exciting and memorable. Tourism Board of Mexico? That was very close to almost awesome. Alas. Rep-ing sexy euro lingerie around high income areas on the west coast? Not bad, even if things get to the point of being paid in product.

Other than funding, connections and foundation… the real reason p:a became an incorporated scapegoat was that I had fallen in love with travel and worse, with someone in a foreign country. All the Victorian novels I’d read as a teenager encouraged me to think not of business but true love. Mistake.

Here’s our 2006 Services Menu for some real nostalgia:

Market analysis and strategy:
Evaluation of competitors; products, business strategy and marketing. project: apocalypse can deliver a comprehensive report of what they’re up to and how you can take the lead.

Strategic sponsorship selection and event creation
We get your logo on the athletes, banners and environments that have the strongest impact. For campaigns that demand a significant time-specific release unique events can be fully organized, publicized and supported.


Program evaluation and measurement

If you are already invest in marketing and sponsorship is it giving you the return that you expect? For a full professional evaluation project: apocalypse will get you closer to understanding the key variables in achieving your goals.

PR- stunts/traditional
It’s all too common: great companies and ideas have trouble getting attention in our modern over saturated environment. When passive marketing doesn’t deliver the message, promotional stunts in key markets and areas can be coordinated within a traditional PR effort to maximize coverage and personal impact.

For companies that want to break into traditional and new media, we specialize in exciting and unusual placements that do well in both. A great story or video clip can blow up online through viral marketing getting even the smallest company major exposure.

We’re tricky too: the advertising world knows people are spending time and money in new places online and that there’s a pattern of success using social networking sites, blogs, RSS feeds, free video and other entertainment sites to reach engaged audiences. project: apocalypse has the technological savvy and youthful creativity to develop and pioneer marketing efforts in these areas.


Media kit development
Marketing materials:
Targeted to reaching your goals project: apocalypse specializes in original and engaging marketing plans, materials and traditional folios.


Guerilla Media:
If you want the word to be on the street, bus, subway, billboard or bathroom wall you’ve come to the right place.


Web and e-commerce development
We’re unique because our clients are. In today’s market every venture needs a website and we’re here to integrate new technologies into successful marketing plans. We have fantastic designers and programmers who create gorgeous and bulletproof websites.

It’s a good crew but we haven’t forgotten why we’re here: to get the word out. When your web and technology needs are particularly complex we’ve got great relationships with local NYC web developers who can seamlessly pick up the requirements and deliver. When utilizing outside resources project: apocalypse provides project management and art direction where desired as well as contract negotiation.


Product and Martini Testing
Still paying attention? Awesome. Then you’re ready to contact us. Besides, Bianca’s more of a beer drinker anyway