mika: the boy who knew too much

OK, so I’m a little behind on getting this one as it released last fall, but I’ve got it, love it, and wanted to share it with you.

This is MIKA’s sophomore album following his debut album “Life in Cartoon Motion” that released in January of 2009. You can purchase “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” on iTunes here.

(From Wikipedia:) Mika has described the album’s themes as dealing with his teenage years, and “in a sense is kind of part two” of his first album. In contrast to his first album which “contained innocent fairytales” Mika pitches the new album’s songs as “gothic Tim Burton-esque fantasies.”

Fans of Queen, Elton John and Marc Martel will love this one!

Oh, and be sure to check out MIKA’s new single, “Kick Ass (We Are Young)“

awesome gamer chair

So, it goes without saying that this is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while… and I’m not even a gamer. I would be if I had one of these… and that might be bad. Haha

I think every office should have one. Think of it as adult recess!

influence = power

Voting for inclusion on the TIME 100 list has now closed, with Mir-Hossein Mousavi having won the honor and I have to say… I’m not surprised with some of this year’s nominations. Are you?

It’s almost a given that Jeff Zucker (head of NBC Universal), Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi would make the list… they’re in positions of power and key decision makers; very influential.

But Lady Gaga, Sandra Bullock, the creators of LOST and Taylor Swift? You betcha! Anyone  associated with creating popular culture deserves to be on this list just as much as President Obama. I’m not going to say that their influence is greater than, say, Steve Jobs (that’s all relative and subjective)… but they are just as influential in creating moments and memories that impact entire generations.

All week long my roommates and I have been quoting lines from last week’s SNL hosted by Betty White (also a nominee, and surprisingly very vulgar). The jokes and one-liners never seem to get old and always make their way into our vernacular. That… is influence.

My question to the ones sitting in the writer’s room at 30 Rock and The Ellen Show is “Are you aware of the influence you have?” Influence equals power and “with great power comes great responsibility.” Some are using it for good: Bill and Melinda Gates for example, while others seems to be squandering their influence: Andy Samberg’s “I’m on a boat” for example. Really?!? C’mon Andy, really…really?

So how are YOU using your influence? You’re more powerful than you might imagine and in this era of social media someone is always watching you; noting what you say and what you do. How are you using your influence? Because you have some whether you know it or not.

Click “READ MORE” to see the 2010 nominees for TIME’s most influential people:

Read more…

“Sunday’s Coming” trailer

If you’ve grown up in church like I have, or worked at a suburban mega church like I have, then you’ll appreciate this. It’s a bit tongue-and-cheek but totally spot on. Even if you’ve never been to a service like this, I think you’ll still get something out of it… if only to see Christian service planners making fun of themselves.

“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

type hype: helvetica

It’s been said by more than one source that, “Helvetica is the most perfect font” and I have to admit that I kind of agree with them. All of them. Why? I’m not sure… it just works.

A friend of mine, fashion designer @signsealzip, was asking me the other day, “What’s the big deal about Helvetica… everyone’s saying it’s the perfect font.” My response was, “oh, but it is!”

There’s even a feature length movie about it!

What are your thoughts? Do you think Helvetica is the most perfect font? Is there something better? Gotham is making a big splash these days and has been hailed as “the next helvetica.” I’ll feature that next week. But really… why all the type-hype?

100% pure new zealand

Those of you that know me know I went to New Zealand last September. It was a trip that changed my life.

I had wanted to go for so long that when the opportunity came along, I took it. I can’t wait to go back again and maybe stay a little longer :) When you see this video you’ll understand why I fell in love and left part of my heart there.

the new dork

My, my how the tables have turned…

120 is the new 140

TWITTER TIP: If you want to be retweeted, then limit your messages to 120 characters so people don’t have to reconfigure your message and abbreviate when they want to ReTweet (RT) you. It’s as simple and easy as that. Leave room.

If you REALLY want someone to RT your message, then insert a “ReTweet” link at the end. You can learn how to do that here.

heineken social media case study

A look at one of the best executions of Social Media, Viral Marketing and the Social Experience (…did I just coin that?)

This is incredible. I would loved to have been a part of this one.

t-shirt wars

This video is CRAZY! I love stuff like this… so creative.

The T-Shirt War from Ibrahim Nergiz on Vimeo.