Via WMMNA comes word of another anti-advergame(?) called, simply enough, “McDonald’s” (it must be officially endorsed, it uses the arches). From the Molleindustria website (Link):

Making money in a corporation like McDonald’s is not simple at all. Behind every sandwich there is a complex process you must learn to manage: from the creation of pastures to the slaught, from the restaurant management to the branding. You’ll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest company of the world.

I have to admit, this just looks like a grab for publicity – the free sex games hint at a potential business attempting to run in the background. So maybe what we really have is “anti-advergame as loss-leader advertising”.

In any event, no doubt the use of McDonald’s trademarked arches is going to get a reaction. However, from the description provided the game itself doesn’t appear to be all that critical; slaught(er)ing animals for food is what most people do. Big deal. Is that one of the “dirty secrets”? Hell, I’d be more interested if one of the dirty little secrets is that the Big Mac is actually Soylent Green.

{Update: It appears the more mainstream press is starting to cover these anti-advergame stories. Read C|Net’s piece – Link – and be on the lookout for more.}

{Image source: la Molleindustria}

Via Make: comes this interesting story over on Wired, “Roll Your Own Ringtone” (Link). I’ve not kept up with either music freeware or the latest in cell phone annoyances; enough to try to keep up with what I blog here on a daily basis. But this struck me because of how ringtones popped up on the musical radar seemingly out of nowhere, became a startingly large industry almost overnight, and is now on the verge of having the masses basically take control of the product. In my opinion, few products more fittingly represent the future then the humble ringtone. And now that eBay has started supporting digital-downloadable offerings, we might see a few success stories in the coming months.

I wonder how these breakbeat Beethovens are going to protect their creations and cash in on their work. Other than the first few MSM oddities and the rare hidden talent, I suspect most will go unnoticed; not like they can go out on tour with a supporting band and sell concert tickets and t-shirts. Lars is probably grinning from ear-to-ear at the thought of this. Just wait til all those Napster-loving kids have the tables turned on them. I bet most don’t make it through the first round.

{Update: Another article over on Wired about this: Link. Control just continues to slip away, doesn’t it?}

Okay, well, maybe I could. And after reading Google VP Marissa Ann Mayer’s article on BusinessWeek, me and the rest of the creative world are probably going to give it some thought. For those of you not yet smitten, go read her entry (Link) and join the growing crowd.

The name “Materialise” should ring a bell to anyone that’s visited this blog lately as I just recently posted an image of some of their work (Link). However, people should be aware that it’s a much bigger outfit than just some guys in a shop surrounded by SLA machines. The cool products we designers gawk at is usually the work of Materialise’s MGX division, but among their other divisions is Materialise Software. And from today’s press release, it’s apparent they’ve been busy.

The above image is a screen from the 4th generation of their Rapid Shell Modeling (RSM) software application, initially an exclusive software product. In December, Materialise announced (Link) that this software would be available for general sale. At that time they also announced that version 4.0 would most liketly ship in September 2006 – they’re way ahead of schedule. I have to wonder if that’s a hint of things to come. From today’s press release (Link):

With the new release Materialise is taking this innovative software for the automated design of hearing aid shells to the next level. This latest version takes in major enhancements to the user interface and introduces comprehensive binaural modeling. Materialise has updated and extended its functionality for In The Ear (ITE) modeling. The key innovation however is the possibility to design earmolds. Scheduled for release early April, RSM version 4 is expected to greatly advance its ease-of-use and to speed up the design process for hearing aid shells significantly.

For those of you familiar with some of the primary end-use applications for rapid-prototyping technology (aka rapid-manufacturing), the focus on hearing aids won’t be a surprise. For those of you who aren’t familiar, hearing aids are about as close to the perfect application for this emerging technology as one could hope to find:
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This cutting edge company, more than any other, appears to be leading the charge toward a wholesale shift in how products are manufactured. That’s no small thing. Neither is the speed at which it could occur.

via Core77

{Image Copyright © 2005 Materialise NV}