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July 5, 2007 - Comments Off on Grazie! CssGlance adds theMechanism’s work to Showcase

Grazie! CssGlance adds theMechanism’s work to Showcase

theMechanism is proud to have Waggener Edstrom’s Consumer Group website featured on CssGlance.com as an example of a well designed and innovative CSS based website.

CssGlance.com is the first italian website focused on providing its audience with a database of well designed and innovative CSS based websites from all around the world. They want to show that good design and web standards are two sides of the same coin. CssGlance even has a pretty little button for our website:

CssGlance Showcase Gallery

CssGlance.com is yet another thing we love about Italy – alongside Garlic Bread and Meatballs, of course...

Published by: davefletcher in The Internal Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism, The Working Mechanism

June 29, 2007 - 2 comments

Exxon Hacks the Yes Men

One day after the Yes Men made a joke announcement that ExxonMobil plans to turn billions of climate-change victims into a brand-new fuel called Vivoleum, the Yes Men’s upstream internet service provider shut down Vivoleum.com, the Yes Men’s spoof website, and cut off the Yes Men’s email service, in reaction to a complaint whose source they will not identify. The provider, Broadview Networks, also made the Yes Men remove all mention of Exxon from TheYesMen.org before they'd restore the Yes Men’s email service.

The Yes Men assume the complainant was Exxon. “Since parody is protected under US law, Exxon must think that people seeing the site will think Vivoleum’s a real Exxon product, not just a parody,” said Yes Man Mike Bonanno. “Exxon’s policies do already contribute to 150,000 climate-change related deaths each year,” added Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum. “So maybe it really is credible. What a resource!”

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Published by: jeffreybarke in The Thinking Mechanism
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May 28, 2007 - 2 comments

Another Reason for the Rich to Relish a Longer Layover

Anyone who flies inside what I’ve come to refer to as “mechanically–challenged, winged space parrots” – even semi-regularly – knows that the entire process of getting from “Point A” to “Point B” usually includes several points in-between and continues to devolve into a painfully demanding & hebetudinous operation. Whether getting to the airport only to experience the blitzkrieg of hundreds of hostile travelers trying to reach their destinations before anyone else; to the poorly designed automatic check-in kiosks; to worrying whether or not your regulation size bag will be squeezable into an undersized compartment above your head or forced below the plane because there simply are too many knuckleheads and not enough room. Worrying about whether or not you can bring a dollop of soap in a baggy, for fear that you'll be forcefully held at gunpoint by security guards and trained attack wolves, makes the overall trip a consistently wearisome panic attack waiting to happen.

Thankfully, much like an Advil, cheerfully delivered by an enchanting Koala bear, Qantas Airlines is showing the obscenely wealthy that those headaches are over.

While on layover in Sydney or Melbourne, you me and the rest of the weariest travelers can merely dream of relaxing in luxury, nestled within the new Marc Newson-designed Qantas First Class Lounges. Designed like the futuristic lair of The Jetsons or James Bond, these fantastically designed chill-out spaces sport individual marble-lined shower suites, Payot cosmetics and Kevin Murphy hair products, as well as a library stocked with best selling books, magazines, newspapers and board games – all free for the price of a first class ticket. There's also an "˜entertainment zone' with plasma TVs and Sony play stations. A trip from Melbourne to Budapest will knock you back a little more than $14,000. Once again, great design becomes limited to only the people who can afford it.

But, for even that price, they are quite breathtaking, and give the “filthiest of the rich” an experience they are, I'm quite certain, already very used to: facials, internet, marble showers and plausibly, off-duty attack wolves that apply and lick perfectly posh and pedicured feet with all of the skin moisturizer and lotions airport security confiscated from my suitcase at the security check.

Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism

May 23, 2007 - Comments Off on Sue me, I win

Sue me, I win

According to this report from News of the World, Ann Summers (Google it...) has released a “naughty thing” for the iPod, called an iGasm. The interesting point here is that Apple isn't denouncing the device itself. They are threatening to sue over the ads. By the looks of the press, traffic (and most likely warm, hard cash) that Ann Summers is reaping from the immediate backlash, this iPod-toting Neanderthal wonders what type of message this sends to young designers for seeking originality in your final branding solutions.

Surely (if this becomes a successful product, which you know it will...), the debate goes on for stressing the power of originality in our fine profession vs. the incessant lust for controversy to create profitability in new product launches. If this sort of stress gets to you consider getting a natural stress relief supplement. Lawsuits are expensive, unpredictable and stressful. Unfortunately, sometimes they are unavoidable. Whether you were injured because of someone else's negligence, wrongfully terminated from your job, or need to enforce a contract, you may need to start a lawsuit to protect your rights.

Often the first clue you have that you're being sued is when you receive a summons. Many physicians describe their initial reaction as one of shock, disbelief or denial. Intense distress follows, including feelings of depression, anger and physical illness, and usually lasts about two weeks.

Sue me, I win? Perhaps, but definitely you might want to take in to consideration what you just learned.

Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism

April 4, 2007 - Comments Off on The MechCast: 107

The MechCast: 107

Dave, Josh, Jeff and Tony chatter about recent projects, 30 Days 'til I'm Famous and celebrity racism. theMechanism also talks about bad design, using cute characters in design, celeb designers and more about Anna Nicole Smith.

Go and get our 7th delicious Episode

Published by: davefletcher in The Mechcast

April 1, 2007 - Comments Off on Rescue Internet Radio

Rescue Internet Radio

from Free Press:

Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.

The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.

The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.

Rescue Internet Radio—Sign the Petition:
http://action.freepress.net/campaign/internetradio

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Published by: jeffreybarke in The Thinking Mechanism

March 8, 2007 - Comments Off on The MechCast: 106

The MechCast: 106

Dave, Josh, Jeff and Tony drone on endlessly about Jeffrey's first month, Anna Nicole Smith, the UK Space Program, NASA, adult diapers and the Grammys. theMechanism also tells The Police where to find us for their necessary new web design in our first podcast of 2007.

Go and get our 6th mighty Episode

Published by: davefletcher in The Mechcast

February 23, 2007 - 2 comments

Wolfgang Yuck

I am consistently left with my yapper agape by what our fellow professionals and creative types will do to earn some extra "green" at the cost of their hard-built identity. Brands take serious effort to build, and only through time (and with enough money to help get the name out there), will the client see the fruits of their labor pay off with recognition. Personally, I'm the sort of humanoid that is happy to present myself to the world through the best work possible, and would never stoop to the level of off-shooting a company called "theCheapanism" for example, that would hock pre-made web templates or visual solutions for modest prices.

However, such was the case with a Master Chef that I admired from afar named Wolfgang Puck, who apparently has the free time to create pre-wrapped lunchtime yummies for the masses at the Jacksonville International Airport. Now keep in mind that I'm not foolishly believing that the "Almighty Wolf" Himself prepared these sandwiches for me all by himself (I'm sure spends his free time hocking his knives and spices on The Shopping Network), but he's certainly not shy about plastering his most important asset -- his name and his brand -- on a chilled kiosk, and poorly saran-wrapped sandwiches by which his foul foodstuffs were being pedaled for 9 bucks a piece. While I realize that simply the name "Wolfgang Puck" itself should aurally emphasize the quality of the famous chef, I would expect that with one of the most powerful names in "Chef-Ville," the food would at least be magical if not euphoric in both presentation and flavor. I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that my pre-wrapped feast of a chicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce and focaccia bread tasted no better than a generic sandwich with the same ingredients sold for 4 bucks two kiosks past the airport CD peddler.

It begins to beg the question of what branding really means to someone like Puck and his marketing minions. When you combine tasteless presentation with equally tasteless food, does it defile the very essence of the brand it took years to build? Does it hurt the ambitions of future superstar-turned cash machines like Paris Hilton or Emeril? Or will it simply inspire folks like David Carson and Stefan Sagmeister to pedal pre-made graphic design work to an audience of new time-fearing and hungry clients? If Puck can do it with his reputation firmly etched in our psyche, why not?

In the end, I got a free bag of jalapeño-flavored chips for my 9 bucks wasted. Crunching the spicy treats actually helped eradicate the foul taste of the chicken crapwich from my taste buds. So, things could always be worse...

Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism
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