Come On Ladies, One Pound Fish!

So many people try to ‘go viral’ but sometimes it’s the mostly unlikely of candidates that have it thrust upon them – and that’s exactly what’s happened this week.

A market stall trader fromE13, London, has seen his popularity spread from the big city and beyond thanks to his alternative pitching style.

This local legend, the  ‘One Pound Fish Man’, woos his customers through the medium of song, emphasising that his product is both “very very good and very very cheap.”

But there’s only so much I can describe through the written word, so have a look for yourself:

And now a month after these YouTube videos began appearing, he’s really taking off.

Firstly, Mindless Behavior [sic] – a teen boyband sensation over in the States – came into the 1Xtra studios and recorded their very own version:

Which was kind of cool.

But now Mistajam has remixed a whole host of tracks (from POW! to 212) to feature this oddly catchy song and it’s amazing just how versatile it is!

I thoroughly recommend you check them out and you’ve got four days from the date of this post to do so on the iPlayer.

And don’t worry, I’ve done all the hard work for you. Just click the link here and it’ll take you to the exact point where he starts the mix.

Enjoy.

Tags: 1Xtra, E13, Mindless Behavior, Mistajam, One Pound Fish, Viral

Moonpig Launch Greeting Cards Into The 21st Century

The debate rages on as to whether augmented reality (AR) is a fad or fantastic, but here’s a development that should convert more to the latter.

Moonpig have joined forces with AR experts Zappar to revolutionise the way we look at the humble greeting card.

These new cards feature a personalised image from the sender on the front, but when the recipient scans the image with their smartphone, the picture comes to life as a video!

I think it’s a great development that combines the sentiment of receiving a real card through the post whilst utilising the technology available to bring the experience into the modern age.

It’s also a little reminiscent of the newspapers in Harry Potter – bar the fact you have to view it through your phone using the free Moonpig UK app.

If you still can’t quite picture it then check out the ad below for a full demonstration – and just in case you were wondering, these Video Cards cost £4.99 from the Moonpig website.

Tags: AR, Augmented Reality, Harry Potter, Moonpig, Video Cards, Zappar

Seeing is Belieiving

The Cure, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder; three distinctly different artists but all with one thing in common: they’re all still at it and ready to own stages across the country at this summer’s music festivals.

The cry of ‘never say die’ amongst musicians has rung out for a good few years now with bands like The Police and Pulp having rejoined the festival circuit a couple of years back too – and it’s a philosophy that aims to please. To have the opportunity to see these greats in 2012 is a dream come true to many and long may it continue.

However there are some artists which, tragically, will never grace the stage again…or so we thought?

At the world famous Coachella festival, arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time came onto the stage announcing:  “What the f*** is up Coachella?” before tearing the house down! And that man was Tupac Shakur:

This amazing spectacle was created by AV Concepts, who developed a very convincing hologram of the rap legend to ‘wow’ the sun-drenched Californian crowd – and it worked.

As you can imagine, this technology holds some amazing potential. Imagine seeing Jimi Hendrix shredding his guitar at Glastonbury, Freddie Mercury with the crowd in the palm of his hand again or James Brown getting his funk on one last time.

Only a few months ago this seemed like an impossible dream but now, especially since a whole holographic Mariah Carey concert has been already been created, perhaps it’s only a matter of time.

Tags: AV Concepts, Coachella, Freddie Mercury, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Mariah Carey, Tupac Shakur

A pint of Heineken, shaken not stirred

“A vodka Martini, shaken not stirred”

Whether you’ve read that with the subtle Scottish tones of Sean Connery, the ever-so British airs of Roger Moore or the urbane magnetism of Pierce Brosnan, it all evokes the image of one man: James Bond.

Leaning coolly on the bar – catching a glance of the most alluring woman in the room – Mr Bond will lean over and order this classy combination of liquor in every film; and despite the huge cliché that it is, we love it. The entire Bond filmography has arguably been trading on these moments, but that’s all set to change.

Heineken have now signed a deal with the film makers of the new flick: Skyfall – rumoured to be worth around $45million. Ultimately, what the deal means is that Bond is now a lager lad. No more will he be taking a smooth sip of a sophisticated cocktail as he effortlessly takes in his surroundings; now he will be gulping down his pint and pulling an aside to the camera to give a satisfied “aaahhh”, so we all feel like a  Heineken ourselves.

It’s not even like he can keep his famous line. “Shaken not stirred” is hardly appropriate, especially if he’ll be given a can. The smell of beer on 007′s suit will hardly attract the sort of ladies that he’s become accustomed to. Perhaps: “Draught not bottled” could replace it? Although I can only imagine this would evoke a disdainful look from the barman.

As you may be able to tell, I feel this venture is a non-starter. I just don’t see how the beer that sponsors the Champions League and a national rugby cup really fits in with the image of Bond. What would make sense is a revert to whisky, which thanks to the researchers at QI, we now know was by far his favourite tipple in his literary existence.

However, not only does this signal the end of Bond’s Martini drinking days, I fear it also heralds the final nail in the series’ coffin. Product placement reached embarrassing levels in Casino Royale, as illustrated in the video below:

Leaving Bond as nothing more than a brand bandwagon.

So as we bid the final farewell to Bond as we knew him, how about we take a minute to watch MI6′s finest at his best. Enjoying the calm before the storm, with his much-loved vodka Martini:

Tags: 007, Champions League, Heineken, Heineken rugby cup, James Bond, MI6, Piers Morgan, QI, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Shaken not stirred, Skyfall, Vodka Martini, whisky

Econducation

Despite the recession we’ve found ourselves in over the past four years, economics is still a difficult subject to grasp for the average person.

Buzzwords like “the money market”, “quantitative easing” and “fiscal stimulus” surround our daily news coverage; but what does it all amount to?

Well to get you started, the Financial Times have created a series of 3D infographics to help. They’re based around three topics:

- The Global Economy

- Money Talks (the growth of the mobile phone market)

- Recession and Recovery

And having been installed at Grand Central Station, it turns what could be a very dry set of analysis into an energising presentation that managed to stop New York commuters in their tracks.

Viewers were even invited to take part on the touch sensitive floor mat below; further encouraging public engagement and a nice interactive addition to the display.

So hats off to the FT for this one. Not only have they created an impressive installation that educates the public, but they’ve also managed to show off their prowess in global financial analysis – meaning the campaign hits home with key messaging.

Want to check it out? Just click play:

Tags: 3D, Financial Times, FT, Grand Central Station, Infographic, Installation

The Perfect Pair

It’s an age old stereotype that women love their shoes, an infatuation which Christian Louboutin apparantly sums up perfectly:

So with footwear being of such importance to women, you’d assume that they would pick shoes that perfectly match their personality.

A fan of this chain of thought is Malaysian shoe shop: Shoes Shoes Shoes, which have capitalised on it in a very unique way.

The idea is that men can come into the shop, pick a pair of shoes that they’d like their date to wear, then that sets the ball rolling. From there, when a women comes in and wants to buy those said shoes she can get a 10% discount (paid for by the man) if she agrees to go on a blind date with the object of this generosity.

I’ve got to say it’s a better set up to a blind date than the 90′s TV show with Cilla Black:

Although it’s quite a specialised process.

Personally I’m not too sure if I could pick just one pair of shoes and imagine who’d turn up in the evening. Also, I have no idea of the reaction from the woman’s point of view. Does the fact that a man appreciates your choice of shoe say enough about him for you to meet?

Either way it’s interesting and it’s different; so if you find yourself free and single in Malaysia, why not see if you pick the perfect pair?

Tags: Blind Date, Christian Louboutin, Shoes Shoes Shoes

One Step At A Time

Let’s be honest, climbing the stairs is dull. Given the choice of the stairs or a lift, you’ll only pick the stairs so you can give yourself a pat on the back for doing a bit of exercise that wasn’t forced upon you.

But what about climbing a mountain? That’s got a far better ring to it. And what if, instead of tackling one of mother nature’s most impressive forms in one go, you could do it a little bit at a time on the way back from work? Well, enter the City Peaks Challenge.

This nifty little project utilises your London passport (the oyster card) so you can check in and out at a flight of stairs, using a pad like so:

By using this tool, the distance you’ve climbed is measured and then visually represented on the City Peaks website. Here you can see just how close you are to climbing London’s very own mountains – its iconic landmarks – before moving onto the real mountains for a true challenge. You can also earn yourself bragging rights by comparing your progress with your friends and others as you ascend further towards the various summits.

I think this a great idea that energises an otherwise mundane activity, whilst tapping into two growing trends is society today: gamification and the quantified self.

Hopefully this concept will spread across the capital as we all seek to get ourselves into Olympic shape in time for this summer’s world event. In the meantime, keep one eye open for those check-in points and you could virtually join Romeo the fox on top of the Shard in no time!

Tags: City Peaks Challenge, Gamification, London, Olympics, Oyster Card, Quantified Self