Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-whopperface

I really liked Whopper Sacrifice and now I like this latest BK project: Whopperface. (The title of this post is a bad attempt at referencing a certain Lady Gaga song). The video explains it all really, but in case you don't have the time to watch it the setup is easy: A hidden camera takes a shot of you as you order your Whopper, a printer prints your face on a wrapper, your Whopper is wrapped up in the wrapper, you get handed your Whopper with your face on the wrapper. (Lots of W's just there).

It's interestingly lo-fi and kind of creepy. I like it.

Facebook Doppelganger

I found this Coke Zero interactive campaign this evening on The Inspiration Room. It's part of Coke Zero's larger campaign that asks the question: If Coke can clone their own unique taste, then why can't scientists clone humans. Quite a logical leap but this Face Profiler Facebook application is kind of cool.

Through some back end wizardry and Facebook connect, it scans your Facebook photos and finds your Facebook doppelganger. (That's a lot of "Facebooks" in one sentence). It didn't work that well for me. Mainly because the only image I have of myself is really bad. That's not my real hair by the way.

Direct Video Manipulation

I found this very interesting piece of technology this morning on Dom O'Briens blog. The video above explains it all and the Wrangler site is a nice example of this nifty technology in use. Through some clever use of the C# language, the technology lets user drag elements of the video. It feels like you're directly manipulating the video. Very cool and well worth a watch.

Google Goggles

Google goggles is a visual search engine for Android phones. I can take a photo of something, google goggles recognises the image and searches for it. It's not perfect... yet. Ideas are forming.

The Hand From Above

The brilliant work of Chris O'Shea, including the Hand From Above project. Making use of augemented reality software (I think) the giant hand interacts live with passers-by and they'll "be tickled, stretched, flicked or removed entirely in real-time by a giant deity."

I haven't found out what exactly it is that Teenageengineering do. I know they did Absolut Machines which is excellent so I'm guessing the rest of their work is as good. I'm going to explore now and see.

Google Trike View

This brilliant poster speaks for itself. By Roland Reiner Tiangco.

And finally... a really nice and inventive use of Twitter. Illustrator Joanna Basford has asked people to follow her on Twitter and suggest things to be drawn. I missed out due to my lack of internet collection grrr. A great idea though.

Second in the series of just plain robbing stuff from CR... I bring you the hand from above. In real-time a hand interacts with people as they pass by the screen. Using motion tracking and other very clever stuff the people are erased, scaled up and down, and moved around. Created by Chris O'Shea and commissioned by FACT. Tis very cool and interesting.

I found this on CR this morning. A really new and interesting way of promoting an album. And the first entry into my new "Technological Inspiration" tab. I'm to lazy to write up what it is myself so thanks to copy and paste here it is in CR's words:
This is how it works: a cleverly hacked version of Google Street View allows users to preview tracks from the album in the areas of London that inspired them. As well as being able to move around as you would in the normal Google Street View, there are red arrows to find in nine different London locations (one for each track of the album) that each point to a location off the road - click it to find custom panoramic photographs of the band, shot at night by photographer James Royall.

I've noticed a big increase in the amount of augmented reality products appearing on the web these days. It's amazing what people are beginning to do with this very cool piece of technology. As with most technologies it will be interesting to see how long it will take for these developments to appear within advertising and when they do which brand will use it effectively and not just as a gimmick. Here are some interesting links that go into some of the very exciting developments out there at the moment.

An interactive music player made for a Wrigleys campaign in France. I'm unsure how this is relevant to the brand, but it is the first example of fully interactive augmented reality I've seen.

Due to my lack of knowledge on the subject a confusing yet really interesting way of creating your own interactive augmented reality camera using the PS3 webcam.

And finally this amazing app for the iPhone. It uses the iPhone 3G's new video function and the phones GPS to deliver realtime, realworld augmented reality.