Above, you see Olympus' "The PEN Story," a charming collection of some 9600 prints strung together in stop motion animation. From the video's YouTube description:

This is the PEN Story in stop motion. We shot 60.000 pictures, developed 9.600 prints and shot over 1.800 pictures again. No post production! Thanks to all the stop motion artists who inspired us. We hope you enjoy :-) Song & Lyrics by Johannes Stankowski
Produced and Arranged by Michael Kadelbach.

Thanks all around! Thanks for everyone! Now watch this, posted months before the E-P1 was even announced:


That's "Stop motion with wolf and pig," a video made by this Japanese fellow. The aesthetic similarities are obvious, but forgivable. The conceptual similarities? Not so much. Our tipster:

From the beginning with opening envelope, to the stairs, trains, swimming, the whole thing is a complete rip off. Kind of crosses the line between inspiration and theft. Unless they hired him to do it, which seems unlikely.

That Olympus didn't directly thank Mr. Wolf 'n Pig doesn't take away from the fact that their video is equally—if not more—technically impressive than the one that inspired it, but it couldn't hurt to at least acknowledge the poor kid's work a little more directly. [Thanks, Nick B! <— (see, that wasn't so bad!)]

It's important to bear in mind here what's really been accomplished here. Yes, two students have created a professional-level advertisement, which is artistically and conceptually impressive. But more importantly—and I say this as someone who, like millions of others, spends my his life just one spool error away from a blinding fit of rage—they've tamed one of our generation's greatest technological beasts, and made it dance for us. Good work, fellas. [Tom and Matt via Digg]

The billboard works by scanning its proximity with an eye-tracking camera, which triggers an image switch on the display panel when it senses someone looking at it. The change only occurs after a brief delay, so that observers understand what's going on, and get the message.

It's a fantastically effective concept, and a brilliant use of technology. Kind of sad, then, that it's probably award bait, and doomed to be a lone installation, according to Copyranter. [Copyranter via Dvice]

To be fair, it's a clever appropriation of the Will It Blend meme, and it does deliver a whole lot of blending, but it just feels like they may have missed the boat on this being timely by a good year or so.

And yes, we'll still ban you for making a "But will it blend?" comment, even on this post. You've been warned. [Gadget Lab]

DirecTV currently only sends out two feeds—one to the east coast, one to the west—which each broadcast uniform content and advertising across their various markets. For advertisers with limited reach, this is wasteful; likewise, for viewers, this can mean annoyingly irrelevant ads.

More often than not, though, it just means that local or regional advertisers don't even bother with DirecTV, which is bad for its business, and most importantly deprives its customers of the crucial information they need to choose the right repossessed furniture dealership. [WSJ]

DVD Jon's doubleTwist ad was a little jab at Apple—the product itself enables flexibility Apple doesn't like, and DVD Jon plopped the ad right next door to the San Francisco Apple store. But the ad is on BART property, legally paid for, and so it's interesting that BART would remove the ad for reasons that are, shall we say, a bit dubious. Apple, of course, is a major BART advertiser, plastering iPod ads all over the transit system.

Of course, it's totally possible that the ad just needs to be transparent or translucent to let light through, and any opaque color would be inappropriate. But it's a little suspicious, no? [Boing Boing Gadgets]

The ad: Crammed full of memes and hard on the eyes, it's a little obnoxious! That's sort of the point, though, and it does a good job of summing of what's useful in Bing—its Decision Engine—for people who haven't really been following the story.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.So, Mobile Bing! It's a typically stripped-down mobile search site, and behaves much like Google's basic mobile site. Sadly, some of Bing's most touted features are seemingly absent. Techcrunch notes that most curated results, like health and travel info, don't work, except for shopping recommendations, which can be a little over-aggressive. That said, in my short testing I found local searches, like weather and films, to be pretty good—even from the UK. [Neowin, BGR]

According to the Korean agency that created it, "we aimed for the expression that a new female can be met on a daily basis." Yes, Korean Agency, a new female who will conveniently ignore you—specially if you use Axe deodorant—can be met on a daily basis. [Direct Daily—Thanks Genevieve]

[AnimalNY]

The ad has a Lauren-type actress give her list of specifications, and of course, bunch by bunch, the drab-suited PCs are disqualified until she gets to "something that works," at which point all the remaining PCs leave. Since we've been seeing some flames for criticizing the Laptop Hunters series, let me be one of many to say that I hate this and all other "I'm a Mac" ads. Sure, Laptop Series was kind of fluffy and without either substance or style, but at least it wasn't condescending and smug. Now, what say you, commenters? [Apple]

At least, according to AdWhirl, a company that supplies advertising solutions for about 10% of the top 50 apps in the App Store. Of course, breaking into an iTunes "top" list is no small feat, the types of apps that can display advertising are limited, and such ads can alienate users. But with the right product, it looks like you might not even have to bother with Apple's pokey App Store payment scheme.

Depressingly, AdWhirl presents iFart Alert! as one of their great success stories. It makes over $2000 a day, from farting. [Techcrunch]

Jean Snow says the stylized QR code works like the standard, barcode-like graphics, while Dvice adds that its the first time Murakami's work has been interactive. Created by Japanese ad firm SET, the project is mostly just to promote other work the two companies have done together. But the creativity factor can't be denied. It's pretty neat. [Jean Snow via Dvice]

AdWeek says the three ad firms, McCann Erickson, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and JWT, are vying for the ad run. The first firm has worked with Microsoft before and the second is in charge of the I'm a PC and laptop hunter ads.

There's no target for when the ads will hit, but Microsoft will choose a winner by the end of May. [AdWeek via CNET]

The information that they manage to get across in the first ad is that the phone is waterproof resistant, has a 5.1-megapixel camera and will be carried by Verizon. It looks like a sort of photography-oriented G'zOne, which would actually make it an attractive phone for outdoorsy/extreme sport types.

The second ad is a 31-second gag about ejaculating on a lady's face. [Gearlog]

[Note: For anyone who isn't sure that this ad is real, consider that the phone—an Exilim C721—hasn't even been officially announced yet, much less released. It's not a professional ad by any means, but Casio almost had to have a hand in it.]

This bus stop is a real design coming out of Brazil, dubbed "AqurioMania." Due to the ridiculous expenses involved with setting up a working aquarium outside at a bus stop and hiring people to keep the fish fed and the tank clean, I doubt it'll ever actually be used. But you've got to wonder what kind of graffiti this would attract. [Cubeme via The Design Blog]

That's right, it's a not-Mac! I mean, it's an HP! It's hard to keep track, since the only complaint the commercial brings up is that Giampaolo (henceforth referred to as "John") wants to pay for the components, and not the brand. And that's a fairly reasonable point of view, according to our study of the infamous "Apple Tax." It's true, John simply cannot buy a new MacBook with, say, 4GB of memory for under $1,500. But as any Apple fanboy knows, with Apple, your premium pays for the software, and for Microsoft (primarily a software company!) to take the position that software has no impact on value is an odd choice.

Listen up, Microsoft. I'm typing this on an HP laptop running Windows 7, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I like Windows, and not just because I'm too cheap or not cool enough to own a Mac (both are true, but neither is relevant). So how about you find something to campaign on that doesn't double as an insult, like "PCs are cheap," eh? [YouTube]

[via Electric Pig]

Tracked down by TechFlash, "Lauren" (who is really Lauren De Long) says on her site "[she] booked what she thought was a "Market and Research" job regarding laptops. But that's not all she booked...actually Lauren found out they were shooting a national commercial! Tears, laughter and excitement greeted this new development."

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Microsoft test group had been assembled from "recruited prospective computer shoppers." Shoppers are distinctly different from people looking for jobs. Regardless-

Reading through De Long's resume, you find that her "special skills" include Cheerleading, Ear Prompter, Hula Hoop, and Stage Combat. So wait, she's an actress AND a cheerleader AND a stage combatant, but she's STILL not cool enough to use a Mac? No way. We just don't buy it.

We were unable to reach Lauren De Long, but we did leave her a message mentioning one of our readers' offers to give her a free 17-inch Apple PowerBook. When site TechFlash called, apparently De Long said she had signed an NDA restricting her from speaking about her experiences with the HP laptop.

UPDATE: Lauren De Long just returned our call. She said, "Thanks for tracking me down and everything...I'm humbled and honored by all the attention, but I'm trying to gracefully turn down any interviews." She then confirmed that an NDA sealed her from talking about anything pertaining to the commercial (which means that our own Mitch is out of luck—Lauren can't do any sort of Mac vs. HP value comparison). But we have good news, Mitch. A number of our readers wrote in letting us know that they'd be happy to take the laptop off your hands! [Lauren's Site and Lauren's Bio via TechFlash]

In this, the most directly anti-Apple ad of Microsoft's 'I'm a PC' campaign, Microsoft sets up an experiment: a focus group of prospective computer shoppers is given a set amount of money—in this case $999—to buy a computer. Any remaining cash the members have they can keep.

Predictably, our perky protagonist, desiring a 17-inch screen, went with a $700 PC from Best Buy. And why not? The 'equivalent' (read: 17-inch) Apple product could have cost her twice as much, and $999 would have left her stuck with a last-gen product anyway. Likewise, if she had listed in her requirements 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive, a built-in card reader, or anything at all that doesn't come stock in a 13-inch white MacBook, she would have had to buy a PC.

Microsoft told the WSJ that not a single focus group member chose a Mac, but even the most devout Apple fanboy could have predicted this outcome; the arbitrary terms of the ad had Apple competing in a market they don't even have a product for. The 'experiment', as it were, doesn't actually prove anything, nor does it need to; this, like any good ad campaign, is about crafting an image for you or your competitors—something it manages deftly in a time when money is on everyone's mind. [BoingBoing Gadgets]

[CollegeHumor]

Designed as a promotional tool for Tryvann Winter Park, a ski resort just 15 minutes outside of Oslo, these snowing billboards alert commuters that conditions are optimal for hitting the slopes. Whenever it begins snowing on the mountain, an SMS message is sent to the billboards instructing them to start their thing. A second message is sent when the snow stops. Needless to say, the temptation to ditch work would be unbearable. [Toxel]

It's blatantly a commercial (for Samsung LEDs), but hey - if that's what it takes to get those crazy next-level herding abilities displayed, I'm all for it. The sheep reenact a game of Pong, fireworks, and line up to form a pretty dead on representation of the Mona Lisa. [- Thanks Claudio!]

Watchers talking to the WSJ said Dan Hesse's commercials were pretty dull. Viewers thought one commercial, filmed in the back of a New York City taxi, was actually Hesse in a pricey limo, and CEOs enjoying their wealth is kind of frowned upon these days.

But given the choice, I'd get rid of that Verizon guy first. He doesn't talk much, but neither do many perverted sexual fetishists. Am I saying he's definitely a perverted sexual fetishist? Of course not. But I've never seen any proof that he's not, and I don't like the way he looks at me. [WSJ CNET]

I, for one, would be pretty pissed off if I didn't know about this thing and sat down to wait for the bus, only to notice people laughing at my weight. It's an attention grabbing ad, to be sure, but one that might just cross the line into ruining the bus stop rather than just advertising via it. But hey, if it's getting people to work out at Fitness First, it's effective. What say you? [DirectDaily via Animal New York]

[CollegeHumor]

Did it work? It's part of a massive new campaign to make them not the most loathed company ever, along with superfast DOCSIS 3.0 that they're rolling out to customers post-haste.

What would it take for you to not hate Comcast anymore? More unscripted porn? Less internet throttling? Free HDMI cables? (They'll actually do that.) [AdAge via DSL Reports]

Editor's note: This is the most goddamn annoying commercial ever. – JC

While the ViVid screen is technically an LCD device, it's not a full-fledged display, as its imagery is supplied by a separate projector. It's a flexible, cuttable film that changes from opaque to transparent when electricity is supplied. That, specifically, isn't a breakthrough tech—it's the versatility of the system that matters. The LCD layer is made up of a sponge-like polymer acrylic, meaning that the film can be bent, punctured or even cut into odd shapes without losing function.

The most obvious applications are for advertising: Tech-On imagines a storefront that could be transparent during the day, switching to interestingly-shaped video displays at night, or even just when the store is closed. The tech isn't on sale yet and prices haven't been set, but it'll be available in a wide variety of sizes. The 40-inch version is expected to run at about $1500, so, you know, be careful with those scissors. [Tech-On]

The Office/30 Rock hour is already an iFest—you can expect at least one App Store commercial to hit during each show almost without fail. Apple's obviously hitting a demographic sweetspot here, which lends a certain feel of suspicion to the serious iPhone placement in the last few episodes. Jack and Liz both are constantly showing photos to people on their iPhones, and even the Generalissimo gets to use one.

The kicker is that without fail, the tongue-in-cheek (but still for real money) product placements from the likes of Snapple, McDonalds or SoyJoy always get some kind of official mention in the credits, as you can see. But there's nary a mention of Apple. Some have spotted Apple shout-outs in episodes downloaded on iTunes, but there aren't any on the regular broadcast or on Hulu. This could be completely unrelated to the placement, since it's found on Apple's turf already.

So what do you guys think? An elaborate, somewhat covert and guerrilla marketing tactic? A sign that some of the smartest people on TV right now have similarly smart taste in phones? You tell us, and be on the lookout for an iPlacement tonight. [Shouts to our friends at Defamer for being on the same page]

Lanvin, a French clothing designer, has a new series of ads out that are right up my alley, involving crazy Lego guns, Pac-Man and Space Invaders setups. They get me excited until I realize the point of the ads is still to show off ludicrous, overpriced and downright-goofy clothes hung on a model with an eating disorder and a wacky makeup job. Get rid of that part, leave the Legos and video game stuff and I'm sold.

[My Modern Metropolis via NotCot]

In this spot, a bunch of easily-entertained commuters talk about how awesome it is to see models pretending to be mannequins holding Sony products in the middle of Grand Central. You see the models standing perfectly still, and then they show a fast-motion shot of the models in the middle of the hubbub. It's exactly like the Improv Everywhere video, just without any soul.

And this isn't the first time Sony has ripped off an artist for their advertisements. They ripped off LA-based kozyndan for their Bunnies Bravia ad, denying it later despite clear evidence of sleaziness. They apparently didn't learn their lesson, because this one is even worse. You suck, Sony. Come up with your own ideas.

Time for a mea culpa. Seriously, we're waiting. [Improv Everywhere and Creativity Online, Thanks, Zach Linder!]