Michael Sirivianos is a ruddy-faced PhD student at Duke University with a particular interest in Network Security and Cooperative Content Distribution. Which is a fancy way of saying that he is a really smart kid.

Along with some other really smart people, Michael has developed a system called FaceTrust, which is basically an algorithm that is capable of assessing the credibility of online personas via social networks. (more…)

From The New York Time’s Abstract City blog comes a leaf project that celebrates nature and finds the meaning and humor in leaf forms of all sizes. (more…)

This unofficial music video for ‘Kettering,’ the heart-wrenching opener on The Antlers debut, is made up entirely of meticulously selected favorite photographs off random fan Dan Sully’s flickr photostream. (more…)

Mocha Club is a an online community of people giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month – or $7 – to fund relief and development projects in Africa. They work in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Child Mothers + Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and HIV/AIDS + Healthcare. (more…)

How I remember. from redpepper on Vimeo.

This video is a 10 minute rare glimpse into the designer mind of The Alan Knox. We’ve seen pieces of his process (like those indexed post-its covering his walls), and now he shares the complete methodology behind how he chooses to intentionally experience life.

If you want to be great, ever, you’re going to have to figure out how to remember what you decide to learn.

After all, only you are responsible for your inspiration and creativity.

You can download Alan’s full presentation here and see a bit of his work here.

We’ve been known to get pretty attached to our CreateAthon non-profits. Although the majority of our donated time is spent during the 24-hour blitz that happened in September, our Brand Strategist, Nathan Fleming, found a way to take this involvement to a whole other level.

We were lucky enough to work on some grass roots branding for the Street Theatre Company’s upcoming production, The Great American Trailer Park Musical. And as luck would have it, not all lead characters had been cast yet. So, shortly thereafter, Nate, who among his many talents has a passion for theatre, auditioned and joined the cast.

“Hailed as Desperate Housewives meets South Park, this is a show about agoraphobia, adultery, 80’s nostalgia, strippers, roadkill, and hysterical pregnancy…”

Needless to say, we can’t wait to see what this musical has in store. We’ll be there this Friday, lawn chair in hand so please join us!

Jason Stillman is a sculptor who is innovating his trade. He has many works on display already and now he has designed a kinetic steel-fabricated sculpture that was installed at the Performance Arts Center in downtown Colorado Springs as part of their yearlong 2009 11th Annual Art on the Streets Exhibition and Competition. (more…)

Cut & Paste 2009 – In A Flash from Stephen Fitzgerald on Vimeo.

This piece was created for the Cut & Paste Global Championships. The theme of the motion design competition was “Dear Life, Thanks For Everything, Sincerely Me.” (more…)

Models whose clothes come off when the stock market goes down, video that customizes itself using data pulled from Facebook, puzzles with solutions worth free Mac software, a killer painting of a Volvo drawn by a blind man, and a mobile home dealer who could care less if you buy from him or not… (more…)

It’s always fun to get out of the house and play with our friends. So last week some trailer folks, Neely and I, hooked up with the account team and our Kirkland’s client for some Texas fun. We traveled to the Lone Star State to capture content and chronicle our four winners to the mykirklands.com Décor for Four Giveaway.

Heading to the East Texas towns of Tyler, Kilgore, Longview and Gilmer, we flew into Dallas and trucked a three hour ride to meet up with our team saving ourselves from having to take a puddle jumper and capitalizing on the opportunity to soak up some local highway adventures. These types of trips never seem to go without good cuisine and funny happenings along the way, so we thought we’d share some with you.

Given that we’re ad guys, we are always in tune with the communications culture of our surroundings. Signage is our favorite and it did its job cause we pulled in to taste the attractions. BBQ in Texas is for real ya’ll, especially if you’re a religous person or a HUNTER. Don’t mess with Texas.

Texas BBQ that gets you to heaven, if you have $6.99 that is

What's a Whomper? A 1 lb burger the size of Texas. If you can eat 3 in 30 minutes you get your meal free.

Kinda creepy all these deer staring at us eat our BBQ. Wonder if this is beef we're eating???

This image is a little disturbing in a Native American kind of way, but it definitely is Texas pride we're dealing with.

Thanks to reedbrownphotography.com for an awesome job ridding shotgun to Neely’s crazy driving skills. I think the Texas Highway Patrol is still looking for a missing orange road cone.

Armadillos run scared when Neely's behind the wheel.

They say Texas is oil country and it’s no joke to some folks. The phrase, “I love the smell of oil in the morning”, comes to mind as I picture this homeowner walking out the front door to head to work.

Isn't this how Jed Clampett got his start?

Thanks for strolling down memory lane with the redpepper trailer gang. Ya’ll come back now ya hear!