November 9, 2009

Getting social

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Marlin ACD Chris Rock and The Alchemedia Project Creative Director Shawn Finger are in San Jose today and tomorrow, attending the Social Media World Forum. We’re hoping to pass along tidbits and commentary, some snarky some not, throughout the conference via our Twitter feeds (@marlinco and @jointheproject), which would be oh-so-social of us. You can also follow #SMWF.

October 30, 2009

The augmented reality king

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Crispin, Porter + Bogusky has created a tidy little augmented reality banner ad for Burger King’s Dollar Menu.

Instead of printing something out and holding it up to your computer (and feeling like an utter early-adopting dipwad for doing said), the King just asks you to hold up a buck. And just like that (ok, a little to the left, a little further away, ok THAT), the banner ad pops up dollar menu options. Nice expression of the concept.

Plus you get a fun little king face/head instead of your own. Double the fun if there’s a friend in the room (as proven by the following goofy ass, tiny video):

via Creativity

Best place to play with the ad itself seems to be here.

October 26, 2009

Falling

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The trees are afire here in Missouri. Pics courtesy of Marlin Creative Director Matt Rose, the Springfield National Cemetery, and Mom Nature.

More beauty after the jump.

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October 20, 2009

Finding time to roast some wieners

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Last week we were able to take time out of our (insanely) busy schedules to head out to Marlin President Michael Stelzer’s picturesque 150-acre ranch and roast some delicious wieners for our annual agency meeting. Needless to say, there was plenty of opportunity for work-inappropriate wiener jokes. And luckily, we weren’t officially at work. Yay, wiener jokes!

More pictures after the jump.

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October 14, 2009

Art & Copy & Moxie

Art and Copy

The Marlin Network was treated to a matinee showing of Art & Copy at Springfield’s Moxie Cinema on Tuesday. Those able to attend (because, frankly, we’re pretty freakin’ busy creating art and copy at the moment) said the show was fantastic.

According to deep CD Patrick McWhirt, worth it if only to see David Kennedy go “Ribbit. Ribbit.” And Marlin President Michael Stelzer had this to say: “Good reminders for all of us as to what we’re here to do.” Indeedily.

Thanks to deep peeps Patrick, Mara and Melody for instigating and deep designer Desirae for the above supercool poster (you knew there had to be a poster).

October 7, 2009

15th Ave Coffee and Tea

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While in Seattle a few weeks back, we were able to duck into 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, a cool little coffeehouse “inspired by Starbucks.” Which means brought to you by Starbucks but it isn’t really a Starbucks. Does that make sense?

Smack dab in Capital Hill, 15th Ave serves up all the fresh-roasted coffee, full leaf teas and yummy artisanal lunches and snacky concoctions you’d expect, plus beer and wine you might not. Inside was all reclaimed wood and a happily blended family of furniture. Honestly could’ve done without the Plato pages stapled to the wall. But maybe that’s just us.

We were a little sad we couldn’t have been there when some live music was happening (which apparently is often), but it was a perfect place to have a glass of wine and enjoy the end of the day in a gorgeous, sun-filled room.

Incidentally, every time we’ve been to Seattle, it’s been sunny. We’re beginning to think the whole “it rains all the time here really, it’s gray and awful and you wouldn’t want to live here” thing is a put on to keep us interior folk away.

Couple more pics after the jump.

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September 29, 2009

Realizing iPhone pictures don’t suck if you aim far enough away

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Marlin ACD Chris Rock had an odd idea last night. While gazing upon the moon and Jupiter from his backyard with his 8″ Dobsonian (yes, he’s a geek), he decided to point his junky 3G iPhone camera into the eyepiece (yes, he’s also THAT kind of geek). Surprisingly, it worked.

The very same lens that fails to capture scenes two feet away with anything approaching clarity was able to shoot the moon beautifully. Turns out, most objects are simply 238,000 miles too close.

Close-ups and Jupiter’s moons after the jump.

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September 28, 2009

A glorious dawn (billions and billions)

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Phenomenal remix of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, with just a dash of Stephen Hawking. What’s amazing is how much the tune perfectly encompasses Sagan’s groovy scientific idealism, vocoder and all.

Super geek out on it. (Woop woop)

September 25, 2009

Seen in the Ozarks

September 25, 2009

Launching our new design with Yngwie Malmsteen

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Really, what better way to inaugurate our new blog design than by featuring the album art from Yngwie Malmsteen’s groundbreaking 1986 classical-hair-metal opus, “Trilogy”? (Produced in honor of the murdered Swedish Prime Minister??)

The new design, courtesy of Marlin design intern Jared Tomlinson and designer Quentin Brown, provides plenty of room for stunning visuals like, say, a man shooting flames from his guitar at a three-headed dragon. Or even a painting of said.

The new NOTCH is also a little cleaner, at least design-wise, and a little closer to our official digital cousin marlinco.com, while still delivering all the wonder and joy you’ve come to expect from a blog named Notchweiner.

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