Technabob » commercial http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Weird Science Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:15:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Sony PS3 Ad Thanks Michael, Features an All-star Cast http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/05/sony-ps3-michael-commercial/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/05/sony-ps3-michael-commercial/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:30:06 +0000 Conner Flynn http://technabob.com/blog/?p=69335 You have to admire Sony’s advertising department. They come up with sometimes bizarre and sometimes cool ads, but they are always innovative. This one is completely geek-tastic.

Sony PS3 Ad
In this video, an all-star cast of PS3 game characters get together for a few drinks (or maybe it’s just their weekly meetup), shoot the breeze and raise a toast to “Michael”, the kid who controls them all on their adventures.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

To Michael? What about me? I’ve played so many hours of PS3 games I’m pretty sure they have a plaque somewhere with my name on it, where they gather and laugh while counting their money. I’m pretty sure I bought Kevin Butler a new Yacht last year. F Michael!

Still though, this is an awesome ad. I’d like to see more like this. But seriously, F Michael. I’d kick his ass in CoD or Killzone.

[via Escapistmagazine]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/10/05/sony-ps3-michael-commercial/feed/ 13 TRONguy + Duct Tape + Lightcycles = Awesome http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/23/tronguy-duck-tape-lightcycles/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/23/tronguy-duck-tape-lightcycles/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:24:39 +0000 Shane McGlaun http://technabob.com/blog/?p=65059 We all know TRONguy. That geek that wears the custom made spandex TRON suit even though he has no business being in anything that tight. Well that dude has been drafted by the Duck Tape company that sells all sorts of tape products including duct tape for a new commercial. This may well be the best geek commercial ever.

duck tape tron

The commercial is embedded below if you want to see it and skip the boring description, but for those of you who’d rather read about it, the commercial starts out with three rolls of blue Duck Tape on one side and some orange rolls on the other. The tape takes off trailing the sticky stuff behind it like the lightcycle trails in the TRON flicks.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Just before the blue rolls are about to kill the orange, a hot blonde (too good looking to be TRONguy’s wife) breaks into the scene. She yells that she told the TRONguy to clean the garage and to stop playing. The camera then shows TRONguy sitting there playing with the tape. He hops up and tosses his disc (otherwise known as a Frisbee) at her and the commercial is over.

[via TheScifiCast]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/23/tronguy-duck-tape-lightcycles/feed/ 0 Sony S1 and S2 Tablets Get the Rube Goldberg Treatment http://technabob.com/blog/2011/07/05/sony-tablet-rube-goldberg-commercials/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/07/05/sony-tablet-rube-goldberg-commercials/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:16:44 +0000 Shane McGlaun http://technabob.com/blog/?p=60631 Sony is getting ready to dip its toes into the tablet market with a pair of Android-powered tablets called the S1 and S2. The tablets are likely to be overpriced as much Sony gear is, but they may be interesting to some. The tablets are still a bit of a mystery, but their advertisement on YouTube is some of the coolest video I have seen.

sony two will

The campaign is called Two Will and has a mechanical Rube Goldberg contraption powered by the kinetic motion of balls that types a message on the tablets as they roll. I will admit that the first time I saw this ad, I had no idea it was for Sony and I thought those were iPads. I bet Apple will think the design is too close to the iPad and a lawsuit will be coming.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Lawyers or not, the videos are so cool you have to see them. I love how the marbles bounce off the square into the bucket to send the tablets scooting down the path.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So far, we have just the first two “episodes” of the video series, and Sony plans on posting a total of five over on their YouTube page.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/07/05/sony-tablet-rube-goldberg-commercials/feed/ 0 Portal and Left 4 Dead: Classic Commercials http://technabob.com/blog/2010/09/02/portal-and-left-4-dead-classic-commercials/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/09/02/portal-and-left-4-dead-classic-commercials/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:30:26 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=38718 Portal and Left 4 Dead actually came out back in the 1980s? Yeah, me neither. But the guys at Gamervision claim to have dug up these “lost” 1986 commercials for the two 21st-century games. While I actually like the idea of Portal… as a text]]> So did you know that Portal and Left 4 Dead actually came out back in the 1980s? Yeah, me neither. But the guys at Gamervision claim to have dug up these “lost” 1986 commercials for the two 21st-century games.

portal left 4 dead classic commercials

While I actually like the idea of Portal as a text adventure, there’s something especially anachronistic about the Macintosh with a green screen and 5-1/4″ floppies.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

But still, you have to admit it’s amusing. Maybe the L4D commercial is a little more accurate…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yeah, the NES didn’t have graphics that looked exactly that, but I’m still glad I watched. Aren’t you? The whole “After these messages, we’ll be right back” bit was worth the price of admission for me.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/09/02/portal-and-left-4-dead-classic-commercials/feed/ 4 8-Bit Gary Costume is Pixexellent http://technabob.com/blog/2010/07/04/8-bit-gary-costume-by-kiel-johnson/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/07/04/8-bit-gary-costume-by-kiel-johnson/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:01:20 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=35740 I’m a sucker for pixel art, and this most-excellent 8-bit pixel costume could be by new favorite thing of the genre.

070410 8 bit gary costume 1

Created by Kiel Johnson and worn by Klai Brown of Hyperbole Studios, “8-Bit Gary” was made for an upcoming Toshiba commercial. Kiel created the costume from thousands of individually cut and painted foam blocks, painstakingly glued to a cardboard “suit” structure.
070410 8 bit gary costume 2 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 3 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 4 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 5 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 6 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 7 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 8 150x150 070410 8 bit gary costume 1 150x150

I don’t know about you guys, but I know who I’m calling this Halloween to make my costume.

[via Boing Boing]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/07/04/8-bit-gary-costume-by-kiel-johnson/feed/ 1 Energizer Bunny Auction: I Bet the Bidding Will Go on and on and on… http://technabob.com/blog/2010/04/06/energizer-bunny-on-auction/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/04/06/energizer-bunny-on-auction/#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:38:41 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=31017 AdAge ranks the Energizer Bunny as number 5 among the top advertising icons, right up there with the likes of Ronald McDonald and the Marlboro Man. We still see it on TV and online ads, but the modern Energizer Bunny is obviously digitally created. The original mechanical Energizer Bunny was created by special effects specialist Eric Allard and his company All Effects. Actually Allard et al made a total of six mechanical Bunnies, and now the third Bunny, Bunny C aka Clint, is being put up for auction.

energizer bunny 1

That’s Clint right there. Unlike his earlier incarnations – Bunnies A & B – which had wheels under their feet, Clint has tracks. It takes three people to operate Clint, which shared most of the commercial work with Bunny D.

energizer bunny 2 150x150 energizer bunny 3 150x150 energizer bunny 4 150x150 energizer bunny 1 150x150

The present owner acquired Clint directly from Allard and claims that the pink dynamo is still in perfect order. Clint will be auctioned off on April 10 by Heritage Auctions. It is expected that Clint will fetch $20,000 (USD). That’s a lot of batteries.

[via LA Weekly]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/04/06/energizer-bunny-on-auction/feed/ 0 Peace Between the Empire and the Rebels was Brought About by… Canned Tuna? http://technabob.com/blog/2010/02/04/star-wars-canned-tuna/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/02/04/star-wars-canned-tuna/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:54:07 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=27668 In a galaxy far, far away, tuna proved more powerful than any Force. It brought peace and joy to all.

star wars tuna

Enemies put down their lightsabers and sat down to enjoy a meal together. There was much dancing and posing and who the hell is that dude in the back supposed to be?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If only the Jedi council knew that all they needed was some Sea Chicken.

[via Neatorama]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/02/04/star-wars-canned-tuna/feed/ 2 Behind the Scenes of a Star Wars Psa Reveals C-3PO & R2-D2′S Secret http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/24/r2-d2-c-3po-revealed/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/24/r2-d2-c-3po-revealed/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:42:17 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=21928 A New Hope… came out. If your kid]]> I headed to the Star Wars blog after reading about the impressive Tauntaun wedding cake, but I became more interested at this old footage. It’s a clip showing a bit of behind-the-scenes of a Public Service Announcement released in 1977, shortly after A New Hope came out. If your kid is a Star Wars fan, think twice before showing this to him or her because this is quite an eye-opener. I guess it’s a bit like seeing proof that Santa Claus isn’t real (Or so they say):

Anthony Daniels as C 3PO and Kenny Baker as R2 D2

There are humans inside! YouTube user sowtime444 posted the video and said that the public service announcement was one of the several Star Wars ads that his grandfather produced (Grandpa sowtime is also in the video; he’s the chap with the red-orange vest). This is actually the first time that I saw Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker in what I call “cyborg mode”, i.e. in their C-3PO and R2-D2 suits respectively, but with their faces still showing.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Here’s the public service anouncement:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Maybe Kenny Baker was saying that he had whooping cough?

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/24/r2-d2-c-3po-revealed/feed/ 0 Gather the Gang, It’S Time for a Windows 7 Torrenting Party! http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/23/windows-7-torrenting-party-video/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/23/windows-7-torrenting-party-video/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:55:08 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=21887 Microsoft’s weird-ass marketing campaign telling people to hold Windows 7 parties was asking for a parody, and the folks at Funny or Die are happy to oblige.

windows 7 torrenting party

Here’s a party that millions of pirates will surely be having: a Windows 7 torrenting party! As if giving out tips on how to download illegal stuff wasn’t enough, there’s some (unnecessary) f-bombs at the end of the clip, so watch out mom & dad.

Seriously though, have you or anyone you know actually set up a Windows 7 party? Was the food any good?

[via TechCrunch]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/23/windows-7-torrenting-party-video/feed/ 0 Sony Soundville Ad Fills Icelandic Town With Speakers & Music, Serenades Citizens & Sheep http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/13/sony-soundville-iceland-commercial/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/13/sony-soundville-iceland-commercial/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:20:36 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=21407 Directed by Juan Cabral, Sony’s Soundville campaign turned Seydisfjordur village in Iceland into one large sound system for a week.

sony soundville ad

Some of the songs that the sometimes bewildered citizens heard were from Bob Dylan, Death in Vegas and the Guillemots. And some Mastodon in the morning. I’m kidding. I don’t think any of the music was heavy or aggressive, what with the sheep and snow.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Did you watch it? Which is more awesome – the concept of the ad or Seydisfjordur? I want to live there. Seems like a laidback, sleepy town.

[via swissmiss]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/10/13/sony-soundville-iceland-commercial/feed/ 0 Long-Ass PS3 Ad Measures Data by Sunflowers http://technabob.com/blog/2009/03/06/long-ass-ps3-ad-measures-data-by-sunflowers/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/03/06/long-ass-ps3-ad-measures-data-by-sunflowers/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:45:41 +0000 Lambert Varias http://technabob.com/blog/?p=10014 Gigabytes? Pssh. The Cell processor is the future. Of what exactly I don’t know, but it’s the future. The Cell is in each and every Playstation 3. Sony makes Playstation 3s. So if Sony says that 5GB of data equals 5 sunflowers then 5GB of data equals 5 sunflowers.

ps3 sunflower

This groundbreaking technological term was first used in this epic commercial for the Playstation 3, in which the narrator – who is either Optimus Prime or a long-time smoker – asks us mere mortals, “With so much space on a single Blu-ray disc, the only thing you’ll need more of is time.” Damn straight. More time to work to earn the money to buy a PS3. More time to whine about the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Remember also the narrator’s other wise words: “The Cell controls it all; not just one, but an entire fleet of enemies.” So if you’re having a hard time beating a game, go straight for the top of the chain. Destroy the Cell, and all your enemies will be gone. Do it! Before 50 sunflowers’ worth of enemy fleets attack you.

[via Newlaunches]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/03/06/long-ass-ps3-ad-measures-data-by-sunflowers/feed/ 3 Sony Style Ad: Chocolate Covered Electronics http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/02/sony-style-ad-chocolate-covered-electronics/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/02/sony-style-ad-chocolate-covered-electronics/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:10:59 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=7058 With all the insanity of the recent holidays, I somehow missed this tasty advertisement that Sony Style was running for the recent shopping season.

tronic sony chocolate

Created by the CGI mavens over at Tronic Studio, the ad envisions larger-than-life versions of Sony gear, poured from chocolate. The animation seamlessly melds the gigantic candy electronics with the cityscape of Manhattan.

sony chocolate

Tronic shot live action HD video from around NYC for the backgrounds, then composited in 3D modeled candy versions of headphones, a DSLR camera, a Handycam, and a solid chocolate laptop. And if milk chocolate isn’t your thing, there’s always a giant PSP made from candy cane-striped peppermint white chocolate. The key to pulling off the pouring chocolate illusion was RealFlow, a realistic fluid dynamics plug-in for 3ds Max.

sony peppermint psp

Check out the video clip below to see the complete commercial:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

That’s all I need now, to get melty chocolate all over my hands whenever I surf the web.

[Tronic Studio via Fubiz]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/01/02/sony-style-ad-chocolate-covered-electronics/feed/ 1 Takara Tomy Xiao Camera Poops Pictures http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/22/takara-tomy-xiao-camera-poops-pictures/ http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/22/takara-tomy-xiao-camera-poops-pictures/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:40:31 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=6550 Now I’ve seen some wacky commercials out of Japan, but this one is one of the more off-the-wall ad campaigns I’ve seen in a long while.

xiao camera poop

These promotional clips for Takara Tomy’s new Xiao digital camera / printer hybrid drives the point home that the pocket size camera can output its own tiny photo prints – apparently by pooping them out.

Please to enjoy the scatological habits of the Xiao…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

…complete with (in)appropriate straining and grunting sounds…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m sure the ad agency already thought of this (but just in case they haven’t already) perhaps the Xiao’s tagline should read something like “Takara Tomy Xiao: The Number Two Camera in All of Japan!”

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/22/takara-tomy-xiao-camera-poops-pictures/feed/ 0 The Real Reason the Xbox 360 Failed in Japan http://technabob.com/blog/2007/07/18/the-real-reason-the-xbox-360-failed-in-japan/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/07/18/the-real-reason-the-xbox-360-failed-in-japan/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:55:00 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2006/07/26/the-real-reason-the-xbox-360-failed-in-japan/ [Every once in a while, I'll dig through the archives here at Technabob and dust off an oldie, but goody for your enjoyment. With all of the E3 buzz surrounding the Xbox 360 last week, I figured I'd bring you this classic from about a year ago. Enjoy...]… Ok, I]]> [Every once in a while, I'll dig through the archives here at Technabob and dust off an oldie, but goody for your enjoyment. With all of the E3 buzz surrounding the Xbox 360 last week, I figured I'd bring you this classic from about a year ago. Enjoy...]

do do do

Ok, I know they don’t care for the same sort of games we do in the US and UK, but I think this commercial for the Xbox 360 really sums up everything that’s wrong about Microsoft’s presence in Japan. Or maybe it’s just weird enough to be right for the market – who knows?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now wasn’t that a knee-slapping good time?

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/07/18/the-real-reason-the-xbox-360-failed-in-japan/feed/ 26 250,000 Superballs Dropped for Sony Commercial http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/14/250000-superballs-dropped-for-sony-commercial/ http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/14/250000-superballs-dropped-for-sony-commercial/#comments Sat, 14 Oct 2006 23:41:36 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/14/250000-superballs-dropped-for-sony-commercial/ This may be old news, but since I never saw this commercial, I figured that some of you might not have either. The commercial is for Sony’s BRAVIA line of TVs and features a drop of over 250,000 multi-colored superballs down the streets of San Francisco.

And no, this wasn’t done with computer animation. Danish director Nicolai Fuglsig really did this all in real time, with real superballs. The clip was shot over 2 days back in July 2005. Special compressed air cannons were used to blast balls into the air, and industrial earth movers dumped thousands into the streets.

sony bravia superballs

The YouTube version really doesn’t do it justice. You can download the high quality version of the commercial here.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/14/250000-superballs-dropped-for-sony-commercial/feed/ 0 Xbox 360 HD-DVD Commercial Surfaces http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/11/xbox-360-hd-dvd-commercial-surfaces/ http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/11/xbox-360-hd-dvd-commercial-surfaces/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:14:45 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/11/xbox-360-hd-dvd-commercial-surfaces/ This amusing commercial for the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on has found its way to YouTube:

Now is it just me, or is the dancer who does the DVD dance better than the main HD-DVD dancer?

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2006/10/11/xbox-360-hd-dvd-commercial-surfaces/feed/ 0 Classic Snl Commercial: Old Glory Robot Insurance http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/28/classic-snl-commercial-old-glory-robot-insurance/ http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/28/classic-snl-commercial-old-glory-robot-insurance/#comments Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:38:43 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/28/classic-snl-commercial-old-glory-robot-insurance/ There hasn’t been a lot of interesting news in robotics in the last few weeks, so I don’t get to post as often as I’d like about robots. That said, I thought this little video clip might tide you over.

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