October 2008 archives
Say cheese!
Karen // October 24, 2008
Since it's Friday, I thought I'd indulge you with a just-for-fun application we came across: Poladroid. It's a genius, yet simple idea created by a French developer -- a desktop Polaroid camera that you drag any jpg to, and watch it "develop" into a digital version of a late 70s Polaroid, complete with color imperfections and textured border. You can even "shake it" with your mouse to make it develop faster, just like the real thing.
I love it when leading-edge technology and outdated antique technology intersects. Like when someone prints out a website and faxes it to us. So bizarre, yet inexplicably fascinating.
Past Lives
Karen // October 17, 2008
As some of you might remember, both Andrew and I, prior to founding Element in 2003, worked at a celebrity brand management firm. One of my jobs there was to write copy for Britneyspears.com. It was a project I really enjoyed working on, because of the immediate-gratification level of interaction that comes with the territory of having 14 million hits / month.
Say what you will about Britney, and many have, but you can't dispute the fact that she is one of the most recognizable people on earth. Or that she's a pop culture icon on whom nearly everyone has some opinion, from "Love her!" to "Hate her!" to "Terrible mother!" to "Tragic victim of America's appalling bloodlust for celebrity gossip!" Even if you feel indifference about her, chances are you feel strong indifference.
Today I checked out the new Britneyspears.com, which was built using Movable Type, an open source platform we often use to build tools to help our clients update the text, imagery, and rich media content on their websites. We didn't develop this site, nor did I write the copy. But I passed a pleasant twenty minutes reading about Brit's upcoming Rolling Stones cover story, her record-breaking #1 chart-topper, and the legions of fans from across the globe who still, after all the ups and downs, unconditionally adore her.
Sometimes "fifteen minutes" lasts a decade. You go, Brit!
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