Building art on the playa can be a real challenge at Burning Man.  I was lucky to have so many friends’ help in creating this art installation in Black Rock City,  This video was taken by Tom O – his unique perspective and the time lapse photography work together to capture what happened there over three days of assembly … and then there are selected images running through to the burn!  (Music selected by Tom, btw.)  Dozens of people are running in and out of the screen at any given moment of the build-stage, and you can see all the action on the video. Thanks to Gordy for recruiting such an awesome team, and to Camp Titicaca for all their love and support.  Enjoy! Love, skeeter #TheLifeCube #artery #Burningman #thelifecubeartprojectatburningman #burningartatburningman #artatburningman #bm2012 #skeeter #blackrockcity #TLCV2 #burningman2012 #lifecube #BurningMan

#art #ENVISIONTheLifeCube #blackrockcity #artprojectatburningman #artburningman #artatburningman

Frito-Lay turns to Netizens for ad creation Snack maker–one of several major companies pushing the envelope for user-generated ads–is tapping the Internet to develop TV spots. By Elinor Mills Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: March 20, 2007, 10:04 AM PDT HOLLYWOOD, Calif.–Frito-Lay is letting Web surfers chip in on its commercials. The snack maker–one of several major companies pushing the envelope for user-generated advertising–ran a contest to find the best consumer-created TV spot for its cheese-flavored Dorito brand that would run during the 2007 Super Bowl. Instead of airing just the ad that received the most online votes, Frito-Lay ran a second ad that was hugely popular and funny, Doritos Marketing Director Jason McDonell said in a keynote on Monday at the Online Media, Marketing and Advertising (OMMA) conference here. Those two submissions, and three other top finalists, each won $10,000 and their ads aired on Comedy Central and MTV. Frito-Lay received more than 1,000 submissions, its online gallery of submissions received 600 million views during Super Bowl week, and the contest was covered in numerous news reports, including TV news shows in which anchors munched on Doritos on the air. The campaign was so successful Frito-Lay plans to do more Web-based consumer-involved projects, including putting two new flavors on the market and letting people vote online for which should become the newest Dorito chip, according to McDonell. "We really tried to build buzz and get people excited about the brand," he said. "We are ecstatic about the campaign. It says that embracing consumers and what they love about the brand and giving them the opportunity to express that" can pay off. The winning commercial, "Live the Flavor," was produced for $2.79, shot two days before the deadline and submitted 30 minutes before the contest deadline, according to McDonell. The other ad shown during the Super Bowl, "Check Out Girl," received 850,000 views on YouTube the day after the game, McDonell said. That second commercial quickly made minor celebrities of the two actors and is generating job offers for the director/writer. "We felt like we had been on American Idol" after the commercial ran, said Kristin Dehnert, who worked as a freelance film location scout before she wrote and directed the Doritos commercial. "For me as an aspiring director it has opened a ton of doors." Dehnert and actors George Reddick, who buys the Doritos in the TV spot, and Stephanie Lesh-Farrell, who plays the expressive and indulgent cashier, were the stars at the OMMA conference, too, as they were barraged with requests for interviews and business cards after the session. "I’ve had a flurry of auditions," said Reddick, whose day job is an assistant film director. Lesh-Farrell, an improvisational comic, said she now gets much more attention in casting calls. "Now, (casting agents) actually look at me," she said in an interview. Added Dehnert, "Doritos took a risk. With all this viral stuff I think the message is going to get muddled. But Doritos did what you should do, they went big and they took a risk. And they were hands off. They didn’t touch an ounce of the creative." Frito-Lay isn’t the only company allowing consumers to "interact with the brand" on the Web. Among others, General Motors created a MyCadillac.com Web site where people can share stories about their cars, Todd Riley, vice president and digital director for GM Planworks, said during a panel discussion. And Chrysler launched a site last week devoted to its Jeep Patriot that will allow people to determine the story line of a film involving the vehicle, said Chuck Sullivan, group director at Organic, which is working on the site. Jeep Patriot buyers "are younger, more online consumers (for whom) we didn’t have a product in the Jeep portfolio they could afford," Sullivan said.

LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARRIVING SAFELY IN A PRETTY AND WELL PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN BROADSIDE, THOROUGHLY USED UP, TOTALLY WORN OUT, AND LOUDLY PROCLAIMING: WOW….WHAT A RIDE !!!" – Unknown Success: "To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."-Ralph Waldo Emerson The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy – Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it – Dwight D. Eisenhower Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs- Henry Ford Don’t say what you don’t know – Ian Nemser Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning- Bill Gates Habit rules the unreflecting herd. – William Wordsworth All men know how to die, not all men know how to live- Mel Gibson from the movie: Braveheart Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans- A.J. Marshall A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life. – Charles Darwin Kick ass – Eric Cartman The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved- Victor Hugo Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves- William Hazlitt We first make our habits, and then our habits make us- John Dryden The greatest remedy for anger is delay- Lucius Anneaus Seneca The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important- John Dewey We cannot live better than in seeking to become better- Socrates Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. – William Ellery Channing Get your bitch ass in the kitchen and make me some pie – Eric Cartman Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling- Margaret Lee Runbeck If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm – Bruce Barton 80% of success is showing up- Woody Allen Isn’t fun the best thing to have – Dudley Moore in Arthur. "Great Spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds!" -A. Einstein There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself." Johann Sebastian Bach It is far better to know our own weaknesses and failings than to point out those of others. – Jawaharlal Nehru Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them- Ann Landers Readers are plentiful, thinkers are rare. – Harriet Martineau They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel- Carl Buehner The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances – Martha Washington Parents can tell but never teach, unless they practice what they preach. – Arnold Glasow Chose rather to punish your appetites than to be punished by them- Tyrius Maximus I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of his own creation. – Albert Einstein We aim above the mark to hit the mark- Ralph Waldo Emerson The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is- Clive Staples Lewis Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind- Samuel Johnson I would rather run and fall than never run at all – J Wisdom The more we do, the more we can do- William Hazlitt He who foresees calamities, suffers them twice over- Beilby Porteus I find that the harder I work the more luck I seem to have. -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right. -Henry Ford (1863-1947) Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’. – Yoda (‘The Empire Strikes Back’) Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. – Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. -Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. – Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. – Jimi Hendrix A witty saying proves nothing. -Voltaire (1694-1778) I have often regretted my speech, never my silence. – Xenocrates (396-314 B.C.) Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. – Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. – Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying. – Woody Allen (1935- ) Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting. -Karl Wallenda Well done is better than well said. – Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) 640K ought to be enough for anybody. – Bill Gates (1955-), in 1981 The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C’, the idea must be feasible. " -A Yale University management professor in response to student Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.) I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. – Confucius I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – Donald Trump To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Every man I meet is in some way my superior. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Just Do It! – Nike We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. – Epictetus He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. – Chinese proverb Poor man wanna be rich, Rich man wanna be king and a King ain’t satisfied til he rules everything – Bruuuuuuuce. The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work or his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his version of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. – Zen Buddhist text Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men of talent. Genius will not… the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent; the slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. — Calvin Coolidge

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Promoting a Thirst for Sprite in Teenage Cellphone Users By LOUISE STORY, New York Times (NYT) Published: June 7, 2007 The Coca-Cola Company is hoping its new mobile site for social networking, Sprite Yard, will become the MySpace of the cellphone world. But some marketing executives say the plan could instead become the BudTV of the soda world — a failed effort to build a community around a brand. Sprite Yard, to be introduced in the United States this month, will look a lot like the social networking sites that have become popular on the Internet. Consumers will be able to set up personal profiles, share photos and chat online with friends, all using cellphones rather than computer screens. People will type in codes from Sprite bottle caps to redeem original content, like ring tones and short video clips called mobisodes. Recently, one of the most redeemed prizes from Coca-Cola promotions has been virtual clothing and furniture to use in virtual online worlds, said Mark J. Greatrex, senior vice president for marketing communications and insights at Coca-Cola. Sprite Yard was introduced in China last week, and Coca-Cola plans to extend it globally and perhaps to other soda brands over the next few years. For the time being, Sprite Yard will function only on cellphones — the medium that Sprite’s marketing team said was the most popular with teenagers. “Being with them on their mobile phones is absolutely essential,” said Mr. Greatrex at a news conference yesterday. Sprite, he said, is “trying to establish an omnipresent, on-the-go, everywhere relationship with teens.” As more consumers send text messages and surf the Internet from portable devices, media companies and advertisers are starting to create content specifically for mobile viewing. Most consumer brand companies have tested the waters with cellphone advertising that centers on text messaging; in those campaigns, advertisers typically encourage cellphone users to send a text message to a specific number to receive free content or enter a sweepstakes. Sprite Yard will take cellphone marketing a step further, establishing a permanent mobile site with a variety of features rather than a short campaign, advertising analysts said. “It is a comprehensive commitment as opposed to the toe-dipping we’ve seen up to date from other marketers,” said Christine Overby, an analyst at Forrester Research. “This is a significant commitment from a mainstream brand to use mobile in their marketing mix.” Sprite marketers say their soda is particularly popular with teenagers, but it follows six other soft drinks in terms of sales across the general population, according to Beverage Digest. As more consumers drink water, teas and energy drinks instead of soda, Coca-Cola has been looking for innovative ways to generate loyalty, said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. But Coke could see trouble if teenagers run up high data charges on their phones using Sprite Yard, said Jonathan Sackett, chief digital officer at Arnold Worldwide, an agency that is part of Havas. Another challenge will be for Sprite Yard to become a media destination in its own right. Advertisers generally leave it to media companies to create content, because capturing an audience is not easy. BudTV, a Web site with original content that the Anheuser-Busch Companies introduced in February, is viewed as a cautionary example, with lagging Web traffic. Advertising executives said that Coca-Cola could have a hard time creating a popular site even in the new mobile world. Facebook, for example, will be a competitor with a mobile version of its site. “Nobody wants to go hang out with Sprite,” said Chad Stoller, executive director of emerging platforms for Organic, a digital advertising agency in the Omnicom Group. “It takes a lot for a brand to ask that of a customer. You really have to be getting something compelling in return.”

My good friend Steve who is in the music and entertainment biz told me about a site called Wolfgang’s Vault – http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/ – This site has live concerts from performers like The Allman Brothers, The Band, Cream, The Doors, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Grateful Dead, Guns N’ Roses, Jimi Hendrix,Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Bob Marley, Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Van Halen, The Who, Neil Young, Frank Zappa and many many more!  They have posters, pics, and other cool memorabilia, but for me, the collection of live concerts is super special. What are you waiting for… this is fantastic! From the Web site: Wolfgang’s Vault, the owner of this website, is the copyright owner of the BG (Bill Graham), FME (Fillmore East), BGP (Bill Graham Presents), F (New Fillmore), BGSE (Bill Graham Special Events) and FDN (Fillmore Denver) poster series and thousands of additional Bill Graham Commemorative posters. We also own copyrights to tens of thousands of photos including the Gene Anthony Summer of Love archive, the Joe Sia archive and the Bill Graham Concert Photography archive. In addition, Wolfgang’s Vault owns the master recordings to more than 5,000 live Audio and Video performances from concerts that Bill Graham Presents promoted from the ’60s through the ’90s. * * * * * Billboard Magazine, Feburary 18, 2006 Bill Graham’s Vault Late Promoter’s Audio/Video Archives Stream Online; CD, DVD Releases Planned Some of rock’s most intriguing content is now in cyberspace via Wolfgang’s Vault, a memorabilia seller that offers treasures from the stash of late promoter Bill Graham. A 75-song play list culled from between 7,000 and 8,000 vintage audio and video concert recordings made between 1966 and 1999 began streaming on the Wolfgang’s Vault Website Feb. 8 (billboard.biz, Feb 7). And the owner of the Graham archive is optimistic that some of the seminal performances will make it to retailer’s shelves as CDs and DVDs by year’s end. San Francisco-based Wolfgang’s Vault sells authentic Graham concert memorabilia from such acts as Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, the Rolling Stones, U2, Tom Petty, Jimi Hendrix and the Who. The cache was obtained for more than $5 million in 2003 by entrepreneur Bill Sagan who dubbed it in honor of Graham, born Wolfgang Grajonca. Graham died in a 1991 helicopter crash. In 1996, SFX purchased Bill Graham Presents for $65 million. Clear Channel acquired SFX in 2000, creating Clear Channel Entertainer, which sold the Graham material to Sagan. He considered the archive an entry into the world of music intellectual property. "I knew generally what was in [in the archive], though there were close to a thousand boxes that we didn’t open during due diligence," Sagan says. "I spent very little time listening to the audio archive or looking at the video archive, so a lot of surprises happened after we completed the transaction." The video footage, much of it expertly shot with multiple cameras, includes the legendary 1973 San Francisco show by the Who at the Cow Palace when Kith Moon fell into his drum kit; the Sex Pistols final concert; and a four-camera shoot from the Tanglewood (Mass.) concerts of 1970. "The quality is unbelievable," Sagan says. "I give the BGP people a lot of credit, they kept [the tapes] cold and they kept it at low humidity." Gregg Perloff, a former exec at BGP hired by Graham in 1977, says that, contrary to some recent press reports, most BGP employees were knowledgeable about the archive. "All of this stuff had been archived and inventoried," says Perloff, now president of Another Planet Entertainment. "We were well aware of what we had." The four asset groups, as described by Sagan, included posters, handbills, tickets and the copyrights associated with them; photos from virtually every performance from Graham’s 30,000 shows; the audio/video masters; and miscellaneous items from Graham’s life and career. Wolfgang’s Vault has been selling the memorabilia since 2004. Sagan says he is "damn close" to making back his initial investment. And that is before making a dime from what may prove to be the archive’s most valuable asset, the music. Sagan and his team spent more than a year transferring the recordings to high-end digital format, then mastering virtually every song. Sagan says they have mastered about 80% of what they intend to use. There is no cost to stream the music at 128k at the Wolfgang’s Vault site. Sagan says he hopes the feature will draw more fans to the site and sell more merch. Meanwhile, Sagan is navigating the murky publishing and licensing waters, hopeful that CDs and DVDs of Graham’s shows could be on the market by the end of the year. Sagan says he is in talks with record labels. "The chances of having physical audio product by mid-summer are very high," Sagan says, adding that DVDs could be available by the fall. "I had imagined it would be a quagmire and now I don’t think it will be," Sagan says of obtaining the rights to release this content, which was recorded legally. "Graham, especially with some of those early performers contracts, got some rights that other [promoters] might not have. He was a visionary in how he structured some of these agreements." For most parts, Perloff is happy that some of these concerts will see the light of day. "It’s fantastic what they’re doing, in the sense that [the music] will get out into the marketplace and people will get a piece of that period," Perloff says. "People are going to go nuts over this stuff." By Ray Waddell

Spoke with Alex Calic from Clearspring Technologies, if you see a video preview below — this is a good demo of their technology http://widgets.clearspring.com/p/SC1nDWoMYwEwW2Bba1thDzVbfgxmW2AOYwBkC2ELN15gDmAVZw0wC2ZaY1xgDGIKNw8yXg

My good friend Michael Says that the Rick Steves Travel Guide is a must to find the hidden local places.  I need to check them out.

We’re all still in the clouds and delighted with the friendship, support, and success of The Life Cube, 2012. I want to make sure to share pics from the TLC art installation at Burning Man as they come in.  The reception to this project exceeded beyond all expectations, and I am eternally grateful to all who helped, offered encouragement, and made my dream a reality.  There is no way I can really express my happiness and gratitude. With love and appreciation, skeeter #TheLifeCube #Burningman #happy #artatburningman #bm2012 #skeeter #blackrockcity #TLCV2 #BurningMan

Dear friends & supporters: I can not begin to describe how phenomenal the experience as an artist at Burning Man was this year.  Over 100 people, and so many more friends and family donated time, money, and equipment to make this dream a reality. The Life Cube was everything I envisioned a year ago.  We spent much of the past year working on design, planning, recruiting volunteers, getting the word out to artists about the Tapestry Wall, fund-raising, logistics, identifying vendors, and obtaining materials, supplies, tools, and equipment.  We spent the summer months in Reno on the pre-playa build and a lighting plan.  We had a truck driver with a 53 foot flat bed, 2 panel trucks, and assorted vehicles bring everything to the Black Rock Desert a week before the event.  The playa construction and assembly involved over 25 people. We completed construction on Sunday night. When the gates opened, 1000s of people came and interacted with the Cube.  They climbed, wrote their goals, dreams, aspirations, and wishes on wish-stick postcards.  They drew on the write-boards.  We had over 100 artists from around the world submit 2×2 foot panels that taken together created an enormous tapestry wall.  We had on site muralists devote days to adding more fantastic art to the Cube and a gallery of photos of Burning Man over past years by nine major photographers that offered an historical perspective of the festival.  A friend introduced sacred geometry into the art. And at the end of the week we burned it, in a fiery ceremony attended by many thousands of people who returned to say goodbye to the Cube.  This was not a life-changing event, but it was most definitely one of the most amazing weeks of my life.  Huge thanks and gratitude to all of you who helped in the design, funding, build, burn and clean-up efforts.  Your friendship and support was invaluable. I will post as many pictures as possible.  And if you took photos or video, or see pics of the Cube, please email a link or share them.  There were so many photographers and so much video taken — as it comes my way we will post them.  If you are on facebook, you can see more at www.facebook.com/thelifecube Thank you all! skeeter Artist, The Life Cube #lifecubeburningmanthelifecubeburningmanartburningartskeeterblackrockcitybrccargocultlifecubewishcubebm2013brc13indiegogo #lifecubeproject #lifecubeproject #lifecube #lifecube

The Life Cube V2 Possible Design #TheLifeCube #burningmanburningman #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #burningman2012 #lifecube #artatburningman #bm2011 #burningman2011