Behold This Day

Gnarled bark upon twisted branches

"Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is every where."
-- Black Elk

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff."
-- Carl Sagan

Rather than spend today focusing on fear and phobias, I figured that we would take a moment to look at the beauty around us, to cherish our world and our opportunity to live in it. Most importantly, let's rejoice in the company of those we love, present and past and future.

There are so many wonderful things that we may experience and learn. Let's take a day to live it.

Spring flowers, pink and bright

And another quote:

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them."
-- Marcus Aurelius

Killer Robots of the Arena

Verizon's ad "Arena" features a cool action sequence with KILLER ROBOT!!!!!


Normally, I hate ads that pass themselves off as some type of action movie. They usually are cheap flash and pointless mayhem that fail as a "teaser" and fail to get the product message to the consumer. Moreover, there is a sense of overcompensation that I get from such ads. It is as if the design team would rather be working in "real" movies and are using the commercial to show that they've got the talent to deliver on "Hollywood" material.

But the biggest complaint I have is just the pure stupidity of the concept. Most "action" ads have no narrative connection to the product that they are promoting. At best, the product makes a cameo somewhere along the way, like a car that is driven away at the end. And, unless you're constantly reminding the viewer like Erin Esurance's "Quote, Buy, Print," they'll just remember the commercial as a series of high adrenalin hijinks.

But Verizon's "Arena" ad that promotes the Droid Bionic does the job right. The protagonist is in a gladiatorial conflict with a series of killer robots from which she creates the product. Moreover, the robot theme goes perfectly with the product name. It's easy to remember this commercial because of the dramatic action and it's easy to remember the product that it is promoting.

Mini Radiocon is ready for its turn in the Arena

If there's a flaw in this commercial, it is that it doesn't really make a sell as to why the consumer would want the Droid Bionic. It's working purely off of the cool factor. Who wouldn't want a smartphone built from the remains of killer robots? ;-)