Directed by Niko Tziopanos, and azzparently starring a wholalotlot of Harry Potter’s Death Eater wannabes, this advertising for Central China Television has me completely mesmerised today. I just can’t have enough of that ink-in-water effect. [Likecool]
Lots of things are wigging me out about the burned up CCTV building. Are fireworks that dangerous? What will happen with all that debris? And WHY are they censoring news of it over here?
China cultural fun fact: People here love giving nicknames to buildings. With all the avante-garde architecture around, sometimes the nicknames are less than complimentary. The new CCTV building is now trying hard to not be known as “Hemorrhoids.”
The facade of China Central Television Headquarters is now complete, just in time to look pretty tomorrow, when the world turns its eyes on Beijing’s Olympic Games. The 6.45 million-square-feet complex looks as amazing as the original renderings, defying gravity with its two leaning towers connected by two massive sections floating in midair. Still, the process of how they got connected is even more impressive:
Intended as an artistic statement by William Lamson from his collection Intervention, we can’t help but to take note of the helium balloon as a clever, non-destructive way to defeat security cameras. Tethered at the right height and loaded with static electricity, a less honest man might use the technology to sneak into Nordstrom late at night to try on all the high heels. Wait, I meant, err, the gun store. To try out the guns. [William Lamson via MAKE]
Here’s some of the sweetest CCTV footage we’ve seen in a while: this guy was just sitting at a table by the window of a diner in North Carolina, minding his own business, when a car smashed through the wall, ramming him into the counter. His reaction? First things first, he put his hat back on. Damn. He escaped with only some minor cuts and bruises but didn’t get to finish his lunch.
A mugger who stole jewelry from a teenager on a tram has dropped himself right in it, after he clocked himself in the on-board security cameras. The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was travelling with two friends on a tram in Bromley, a South London suburb, when he was approached by another kid who, after admiring the necklace and bracelet, snatched them. Rather than fleeing immediately, the dumbass tea-leaf sauntered up to the CCTV camera on board the tram, and struck a pose with the stolen items. The mugger, who claimed he was carrying a knife when the victim asked for his gear back, was described by a British Transport policeman, as “not the brightest spark. He was there for a long time and either didn’t care or wasn’t aware he was being filmed.” [Daily Mail]
Though it’s not such a familiar phenomenon in the US, the UK is now awash with closed-circuit TV cameras, one for every 14 or so people— hell, even the Lollipop Lady crossing guards are getting them. You could choose to see this as good for public safety, or as an Orwellian invasion of privacy…or even an opportunity to get your music video filmed for free. Which is exactly what unsigned Manchester-based band The Get Out Clause did, by performing their single in public in 80 locations in front of CCTV cameras. How did they get the footage, though?
