A couple attempts lately to capture the spirit of a city as seen through the eyes of a non-native. First off, check the new trailer for Tokyo! via Scout Mag.

Tokyo! is a series of three short films from directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon Ho. Unlike with the recent Paris, J’taime and New York, I Love You projects, Tokyo! seems to promise something more fully realized than a few whimsical snapshots.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1qzGPOXjQk

And judging from the quick shot of Gondry’s contribution (a woman turning into a chair) and the fact that one of the films is a monster-movie-ish scenario and yet isn’t directed by Ho, the Korean director of monster-movie The Host, this project should have more than a few surprises up its sleeve.

In a similar vein, Tokyo’s CLASKA hotel reached out to designers from the U.K. last year to participate in a poster project in which each designer produced one design reflecting their perspective on the city. Wallpaper* Magazine recently put up a slideshow from the project, showing some behind-the-scenes images of the creative and production process that seem to say as much about the spirit of Tokyo as the posters themselves.

Wallpaper* reports that the ultimate goal behind the project, which is being turned into a book that will sell in both Tokyo and the U.K., is to introduce some of these U.K. design firms and individuals to the Tokyo populace at the same time as it will serve as guidebook for creatives coming through the city. In a way, this seems also to be the goal of a film project like Tokyo!. Taken together, these two projects move past Lost in Translation’s overwhelming feeling of alienation in the city to help outside eyes see and understand Tokyo not in terms of its restaurants, bars and shopping districts, but as an idea, a feeling, a chord.

Typographer Jonathan Yule‘s really got us this time. Typography + Robots?! Now, that’s the best of two worlds together.

The clean, friendly-looking white robot (named Helbotica) on the left is composed entirely of Helvetica characters. Just like how Gary Hustwit made the Objectified documentary, these font-bots are equally intriguing, if not more “objectified.”

Visit his website for other robots made with Futura and Akzidenz Grotesk, or buy the posters (like we did) from the store. If you like them so much like we did, you can also buy the T-Shirts directly from Chop Shop.

Lego frenzy won’t quit. This round they come courtesy of Christoph Niemann, whose work you may have seen gracing The New Yorker.

Here, Mr. Niemann puts his creative mind to work re-imagining everything from Metrocards to a waiter wielding a pepper mill — all the things that define his own personal New York City. This isn’t intricate Lego realism we’re talking about, so don’t judge it as such. Viewing it as a fun interpretation of the basic building blocks of his life, I’m on board.

And, seriously — what’s up with french fries, home fries but no hashbrowns around here? Can I get a break?

from the New York Times via Selectism

Programmable traffic signs have been around for a while, and although the locals in some areas (*cough* Cambridge, Mass *cough*) have gotten used to it, widespread instructions on programmable sign hacking have caused a veritable epidemic.

If we want to find the earliest incarnation of road sign hacking, we need look no further than MIT. While the rest of us might see giant sign hacking as a relatively new pastime, at MIT it’s considered an old favorite. The above sign was done as part of a recent string of MIT pranks. Clever, but I personally prefer those that warn of an impending zombie apocalypse or raptor attack.

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[Zombie Highway Signs] at Yahoo! News

[MIT Sign Hacks] at MIT.edu

[Inside Programmable Road Signs] at I-Hacked.com

With 2015 just around the corner, Hoverit Ltd has created something even Doc Brown’d find inspirational:  a hovering lounger.

Repelling Neodymium magnets keep your acrylic throne afloat as you drift and doze (or jump up and down).  Though, I’d imagine keeping cell phones and iPods away… which probably was the original intention anyway.

Images speak louder than words:

Video speak louder than images:

httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=h5v4SnrHQO8

Got the future?  Get in touch with Phil at GEDDEM dot com for your feature.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOT0QG5adhQ

Audi’s Super Bowl commercials are turning themselves into a culture, a kind that combines elements of filmmaking, luxury German cars, and action stars. So last year Audi debuted its R8 through this intelligent Super Bowl ad (see below) taking from a Godfather scene depicting a murder scene involving one man and his 2 cars. Apparently the new R8 had the audacity to place a dead luxury car head on its lover’s bed.

2009′s Super Bowl was no exception in Audi’s dramatic interpretation of automobile progress (see above). Cycling through iconic autos of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Pontiac’s Trans Am, from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90′s, all the way to 2009. Obviously Jason Statham from Transporter 3 behind the steering wheel of a supercharged A6 makes the car look even more aggressive.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_sshN-URJY

As the world blazes by on CNN, I find a calming solace in the morning, by having a fresh brew, and tuning in to The Daily Show with my spiritual mentor, guiding star, and homie-at-large, Jon Stewart.  Ahh.

What was pretty spiffy for today was an intriguing interview with P.W. Singer on his new book, Wired for War.  For starters, if Jon Stewart says it’s a meal, I’m buying it.  The book (as I await my Amazon order) appears to be a chase through robotics history moving through current day warfare (both on the battlefield and on the ethical / political / economical / human-itical front) with interviews of war Generals, rocket scientists, and 19-year old UAV pilots.  Cool.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of the interview for me was a reflective on the effects of culture and the acceptance to robotics.  Western civilization has the Terminator.  Asian civilization has Astro-boy.  You do see the brilliance of where this is going right?  Godzilla vs Barney coming Summer 2010.

Ready to fight?  Join the war with this.