Is anybody else disgusted by the new Dow Chemical ads, "The Human Element"? They've been playing during the World Series.

As if I believed for one second that Dow Chemical Company is in awe of the beauty of nature -- the ingenuity of the human spirit, I'm sure they're in awe of that, since it's made them billions of dollars. Unfortunately, that same human ingenuity (i.e., development of complex polymers, use of heavy metals, manufacturing processes, etc) is also responsible for the insidious contamination of nature's fractal bounty.

Everything's connected, you say, Dow? I wonder how those halides got in the water we drink...


But speaking of sports-related TV, how about that new Monday Night Football opening sequence? The one where
everybody on the street is turning into players, officials, fans, while the city is converting into a stadium? Buildings roll over to become playing field, drawers pull out of skyscrapers to become field boxes, etc.

Intriguing, in that it nods to both the wanton disregard for responsible urbanism (the deleterious act of eminent domain land grabbing and publicly funded superstructures requiring acres of parking) and what could be one of the most innovative strategies to respond to the demand for immense urban sports facilities -- the convertible stadium.

It's actually not so far fetched. Check out Studio Gang's proposal for a convertible urban stadium that was exhibited at the Venice Biennale...

Favorite new ad campaign: Slim Jim's "Snapalope Season" -- cinematography is fantastic, good choices on flat film stock and low-gloss post processing. Good stuff.