Airports Customs Control + new counter idea

I am finally back to Berlin from my 6 months stay India and Thailand. Herzlich Wilkommen. German customs officers at Berlin Airport are very diligent in following their orders to stop "smugglers" of duty-free goods ... so my persona apparently raised their professional suspicion (not unjustified!) and i was duly stopped.
They quickly uncovered that i had 10 packs of "illegal" cigarettes hidden in my rucksack.

Anyway, the reason I am writing all that is that those charming custom officers (in Tegel Airport they wear rubber gloves all the time even if they don't perform their anal searches!! oh yes, that makes them look even so scary!) inspired a new idea how to bring more duty-free goods through airport customs.... and legally:

Why not to set up a website where "smokers" for a fee can hire "non-smokers" (passengers of the same flight) to carry their "excess" of duty-free cigarettes safely through the customs?



For example, I know that I am going to fly on a certain date from A to B and I want to buy say 60 packs of duty-free cigarettes, I go to a special website, lets say called dutyfreeagentcentral.com, and find 5 passengers on this flight who might be willing to carry 10 packs (the legal amount) of my duty-free load through the airport customs.
Once we pass through the customs control I collect my duty-free ciggs from them and pay say 10€ each "agent" for the service. And everybody is happy (incl. the customs I hope!)

Let's say I know that I am not going to buy any duty-free alcohol, so I can volunteer to be someone's "duty-free agent" as well, carry their excess bottles through and get paid 10€ or smth afterward.
Or, if he/she is not a smoker and carries my ciggs and I carry his/her brandy - then it will be just an exchange of favours with no money involved.

Say there are 200 passengers on the plane with 50/50 ratio of smokers and non-smokers. Here's an opportunity for each non-smoker to earn extra 10€. I think that travelers can volunteer to be "duty-free agents" for any sort of goods sold at duty-free shops (make-up, perfumes, electronics, whatever.)

I also believe that "duty-free agents" website should be a free public service, perhaps sponsored by an alcohol or a tobacco brand?

Idea for catfood brand

Video: We see an overweight cat being hypnotized and professionally counseled by a pet psychiatrist. The aim of the shrink is to program the cat’s subconscious to eat less food while in a hypnotic trance.

Packshot: smaller tins of catfood (or less fat line)


here's a BBC docu on pet hypnosis as a reference:




Other visual examples:
a really fat cat springs on a ledge of a sofa and it catapults a slim woman who was sitting on the other end of the sofa in the air…or mice pissing on a fat lazy cat, etc.

Idea: The greediest consumers of the world experiment

or Pay-As-Much-As-You-Want International.

It would be interesting to conduct a social experiment that will illustrate levels of higher consumer consciousness in different countries: Who is most greedy and who’s most generous.

In order to do that we shall open a chain of special mini shops in major capitals of the world that will offer popular consumer goods not at fixed prices as usual, but letting the consumer decide how much they should pay for each product.

Each of these “free-pay shops” are given a one-time limited start-up capital, say 50.000€ for renting space and buying the first merchandise. A city with the most commercially successful shop (as a sustainable business) will have the highest percentage of “enlightened” consumers. And visa versa, a city where the shop gets immediately bankrupt – will be hailed as the greediest!

I see this project being transparent, interactive and educational.

Working hours of the shops will be publicly viewed online as daily video episodes, i.e. live footage from the hidden cameras installed in the shops. Online interactive tools will help visitors to discuss, form groups and interact with the shop’s stuff and among each other, i.e. for donations, sponsorship, access to the shop’s balance books, etc.

LONDON vs ATHENS vs MOSCOW vs NEW YORK vs PARIS vs BERLIN vs LIMA vs etc.

The experiment can last a week, a month or a year.

It would be also good to make an educational TV documentary out of it.

The experiment can last a week, a month or a year.

It would be also good to make an educational TV documentary out of it.

Idea: A message from The Economist

Copy: Lose money. Or lose fear.

Idea: Crowdsourced movie trailers

MyBestMovieBits.com is a place to watch free movies and to mark-in and out your favorite scenes from the movie while watching it. The total length of the clip with the best movie bits is limited to 3 min max, or a length of normal movie trailer.

We can also share our custom made “movie trailers” with friends on Facebook, etc using a special notification widget.

And we can upload our own (off site created) movie clips as well (guideline: only footage from one same film per one clip to be used!)

Note: Users can only proceed to watching the next movie online (for free!) when they published their “personal trailer” for the previously watched movie!

Alternatively , Cinemaxx could be a sponsor and use this idea as a platform to promote its own movies

Idea to promote a car brand

A reality TV/Web road adventure series which might be called “Lost in a city”. The idea is to drop members of the public in a random city of the world (part of the adventure is to find out where exactly you are!) with just a credit card, mobile phone, video camera and a car… for a limited period of time, say a couple of days or a couple of weeks. The participants would be instructed to arrive at a certain time to a special “pick up” place (which they would have to find out!) from where they would be taken back to their homes. A series of clues are given how to find out the time and place for the pick up, as well as an emergency contact number. Each participant is expected to keep a daily video diary which will be later used in the series.

Alternatively, the idea would work well for an international car rental company!

Here’s an example:

Frank and Lola wake up (after hypnosis or sedatives!?) in a car somewhere in a city of Cairo. There is an envelope with further instructions, mobile phone, credit card and a small video camera. They have 48 hours to find out where they are, a hotel where they would be given further instructions (several clues are to be found which would lead to information regarding the pick up place).

Alternatively, we can elaborate that and introduce more “drama” (for the next 48 hours) where the adventures would be more “scripted”, i.e. embedding actors and “problems” to overcome. Maybe later on participants will be able to choose a different “flavour” for their adventure, i.e. scary, romantic, lots of car chasing and action, mystery solving…etc.

Harekrishna's new record

Pool Skipping from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

previous videos with Harekrishna:

Cycle skipping with fire rope from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Wave cycling from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Advertising, Arts and Magick (Triad Sigil)

This is a sigil I have created recently to unite creative advertising, arts and magick in one harmonious triad. The symbol contains ancient mystic elements and numbers corresponding to the task.

Idea: Personal Maps, stats visualisation

Logris

The Logris is most easily conceived as an opening made to access the infinite field of variables, and thus the paths of probability themselves. It brings into play the four elements of classical alchemy (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) with the four known forces of quantum physics (gravity, magnetism, the weak force and the strong force), thus representing a closure of time and space.

Idea: Perfume "Blue Lilly"

Inspired by this ancient mystic flower so much reverred by priests and pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.

Anti-Crisis album cover

i will publish the remix mp3 link in may 2009... this is the first draft of the album cover

Idea: Absolute Packaging

Why not to sell premium vodka bottles frozen inside a block of ice?



an example of indoor design:

thailand & India 2008 - 2009

thailand 1 from xgeronimo on Vimeo.



thailand 3 from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Idea for a reality show

Reality show: Weekend Liar

You are not allowed to say a word of truth for a whole weekend. Your deliberate lying has a special purpose: to raise money to support your favorite charity.

The idea:

In order to be on the show members of the public have to sign a contract that forbids them to say a word of truth for a whole weekend. (The setting of the show is private life of the contestants and for safety reasons won’t interfere with their professional lives, which is the reason why we film them only on their weekends.)
The participants have to compete in lying their ways through the whole weekend without raising any suspicions from their friends and families (who won’t be aware about the contract until the end of the weekend).

For example:

John is 26 years old and lives with his girlfriend Anna. He is known as a hardworking and honest man. Nobody from John’s friends and family knows that John is under obligation of not telling truth. The filming is done with hidden camera.

The weekend of lying can spontaneously be set off something like this:

Anna: John, do we have some eggs for breakfast?
John (knows there are some!): No, none left.

(a bit later)

Anna (looking in the fridge): There are some here! Why are you lying to me; John?
John: I am not lying… (note: this is right answer because he is obviously lying that he is not lying!)

As the day develops so does the challenge to stick to the rules as more lies create even more lies as well more stress on the participant and more fun for the audience.

We always have an option to manipulate the events to make it more challenging, for example to let Anna find a secret love letter to John from Ann’s mother(!) So, when Anna confronts John with the letter, John cannot deny it (otherwise it would be like telling the truth and immediate disqualification), but to play along… in other words to invent lies to get out from the situation.

There will be lots of naturally created funny situations. Like, for example, John is going to the shop to buy some eggs. When asked what is he going to buy he has to say anything… but the eggs. Now John comes back with the eggs. “But John, you said you weren’t going to buy the eggs!”… etc. Everything will get even more confusing.


We can also create special events for John’s weekend to make it even more dramatic. For example we arrange that John and Anna visit Anna’s parents (for the first time). Prior to that we make Anna’s parents suspicious about John’s past (i.e. a friendly call)… just to make sure that John gets lot’s of questions when he meets them.

Motivation and rewards:

Audience (on and offline) has to vote who is the most skillful liar. The winner gets a prize, i.e. long nose made from gold and some cash that he would have to donate to a charity. (He gets to keep the golden nose though!). Lying for money takes a new perspective here.

“Lies For Good” could be an alternative title of the show.

Goodbye George Bush and thank you

Wassup 2008

this sequel to the famous Budweiser "Wassup" ad just cracked me up:



here's the original from 2000 to refresh your memory:

Idea: Where the hell is Matt 3

We all know these virals with dancing Matt :



now meet Daito Manabe who introduced a new dance trend - face dancing:



so here's an idea for Matt's next world tour - Matt's Face Dancing Around The World (with a nice portable set of electrodes, of course)

Shockvertising review from Trendhunter

more on trendhunter.com

How grass can inspire great ideas

Idea: HoloSelf 1.0

Here's an idea for a future product: HoloSelf 1.0 - an intelligent interactive personal hologram.
You may want to hit the "pause" button during your viewing because some text charts are a bit too quick.




HoloSelf 2.0 version will be multiplay (allowing real time interaction between different holoselves.)

George Lois on great and not-so-great creative ideas

Legendary magazine and advertising designer George Lois doesn't think much of Esquire's recent attempt to promote the battery-powered cover of its October issue as the start of a new age. He said as a former Esquire art director, he was "embarassed" by the "silly gimmick" that was not in keeping with the publication's stature.



and while i was on AdAge website this stupid ad was in front of my face... so i couldn't resist to comment on its lingo ...it's the word "own" that set me off ;))

Idea: International Vote of Sympathy (website)

I am not a US citizen, but if I had a chance (as an outsider) to cast my vote of sympathy - it would definately be the Doctor.

Then I thought, well... maybe it's not such a bad idea to set up a website that where people from all over the world could cast their VOTES OF SYMPATHY for the candidates of their choice. Obviously they won't be counted as "real" votes, but would provide a lot of insight into how people in different parts of the world feel/think about dofferent elections and their candidates..

Now, some critics of this idea may say that it's a private american issue, etc... BUT i wud say - not really. The US foreign policy of invading countries (under excuse of "preemptive strike") and muddling in foreign policies of other sovereign states in the last couple of decades made it a less private issue.

I also think that international community should cast their sympathy votes also during election times in France, Germany, Russia... etc. In short any country in the world where nataional / foreign policies have a significunt effect on the rest of the world.




---------

UPDATE:
RonPaul2008dotcomluv sent me email informing that such a website already exists: http://www.whowouldtheworldelect.com

thanx, RonPaul2008dotcomluv

New job for Wallstreet

seriously funny

Random video of interest # 2

Sound of Revolution

does is matter when others think u r not free when you think you r free?

Idea: Clip for wonderbox.fr

Message: Things will be gone. Experience is forever.

Election poop signs

Inspired by dog poop left behind on the sidewalk and the upcoming presidential election, Greg Beauchamp, cofounder of creative shop Granite Pass, created toothpick-sized flags with such inscriptions as "Healthcare Reform," "Campaign Tactics" and "Maverick Record" beneath "McCain."Beauchamp has planted the micro-signs in the piles not picked up by dog owners across Venice, Cali.





more on his flickr photostream here.

new itunes insp. music video feat lamb music

hypoworlds from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Random video of interest

Remote Viewing from the Inside pt 3/4

The Ladders Money Experiment

Fallon, Minneapolis and @radical.media's Derek Cianfrance have broken out a hidden camera stunt to anchor a thought-provoking direct mail campaign for recruiting site The Ladders.



Aimed at getting the client's foot in the door with recruiters at Fortune 1,000 companies, the agency sent out cases with $100,000 in fake money along with this video.



The stunt is a bit similar to the idea i had awhile ago: 100.000.000 $ Lucky Briefcase but with a different message.

The Village Petstore and Chargoal Grill

Eschewing his characteristic rat murals for the project, Banksy has created The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, a showcase of animatronic foodstuffs, packaged meat products, pet supplies and a monkey watching Discovery Channel primate porn surrounded by ravaged pizza, an empty pack of Marlboro Lights and a crushed can of Bud. The monkey breathes, scratches himself and follows the action onscreen with his eyes, with a discarded National Geographic in reach:



A pearls-wearing bunny applies make-up and wiggles its nose at a medium rodent-sized vanity:



witty socio critique...

My tribute to street fashion

a tribal hat from the north of thailand and ornate scarf from todas people in central india.

click on the pic to enlarge

I changed my mind / DJ Shadow

video rmx using footage from a russian soap Monte Kristo and playing the scenes backwards:


I changed my mind /DJ Shadow from xgeronimo on Vimeo.

Holy Ghost vs Work Safe Porn

idea: User generated interactive billboard

Consumers decide what ads (brands) should be displayed on a giant digital city billboard.

click on the pic below to see animated version how it can look in real time:



It can work like this:

Members of the public can choose brand(s) from a list on a special website. For example, the more clicks (or votes) you contribute to your favourite brand, the longer the name of the brand stays on the digital billboard.



The comulative sum of the clicks can be monetized and shared between the contributors,
i.e. 1000 clicks = 10 hrs of display = 100$ (approx)

Idea: Online public trash depository

Why not to offer a service that would allow computer users to upload deleted files from their desktop recycle bins for storing them in a global public recyclebin? Anyone is free to scavenge for salvageable material, download and reuse it.

Once the volume of submissins reaches, say, half a million uploads, the site will introduce a public contest to reward the best recycling ideas, for example re-use in digital arts, in sociological studies, etc.

Idea: Personal Maps, stats visualisation

Idea: Car wound plaster

wound plasters are placed over dents and scratches of cars to promote cheap car insurance, for example, or a garage.
click on the pic below to enlarge:


Text on the plaster: Cheap car insurance + weblink or a telephone number.

Idea: Online games for real life causes

Here's an idea that brings a new meaning to multiplayer war games:
To educate the players about real life political views of both conflicting sides and let them decide which cause they want to fight for.

The game emulates the real life conflict conditions in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. Military and diplomatic actions are played in real time by players from different countries in the world.



How it works:

1. The player joins the army after reading statestments from both warring sides of the conflict.
2. After joining the army the player can choose to participate as a "diplomat" (to work on diplomatic strategies and solutions) , as a "warrior" (to fight in battlefield) or as a "journalist" (to witness the events and to report about them on blogs and social networks).
3. Battles are set daily at fixed time.
4. The army that wins most battlefields gets the highest score.
5. The army's diplomats can use the scores as leverage in negotiations with the opposite army.

The ultimate goal of the game is to achive political status quo and bring peace to the region.

Military and political strategies can be discussed and decided by players on special forums and social networks.
War reports are sent around the clock via sms, adding reality. For example:

Palestinian army successfully liberated North of West Gaza.

Sergeant X was killed yesterday in Romalla.

X was graded up as a captain.

X was graded up as chief reporter.


A piramid scheme network:

The player can grade up in the army by recruiting friends as downline "warriors". The same grading principle applies for "diplomats" and "reporters".

Best strategies and tactics from the game will be analized and suggested for possible application in analog world.

All in all, it would be interesting to see if the crowd wisdom can beat real life politicians and generals.

this could be a cool project for private gaming companies like Kuma Games.

This idea was inspired by the following viral campaign for a snack brand. They created 2 armies devided by the taste preferences of two different flavours of the snack.
The armies fought eachother using mobile phones technology.

Idea: Praying species

Why not to produce viral videos (i.e. for animal rights campaign) featuring praying animals?
Below are some tests with a rat model i made the other day.
I know rats might not be the best candidates for human compassion, but i kinda like rats... so here it is:

Creative Commons vs Copyright

via ZeroInfluencer

Idea: 1.000.000 $ to touch for luck

here's a marketing idea for The Economist magazine:
At the next International Business Expo, The Economist rents a small space in the hall to display a briefcase with 1 million REAL dollars (or euros), a few security guards to protect it and a sign inviting visitors to touch the money for good luck.

Neen Art: web confession & swimming jesus

fuck you sideways you fuck you duck crazy shit man yeah!

http://www.jesusswimming.com/

more on neen art here

Goblin's Crime Story music video

.
e.jordan / xgeronimo rmx

Idea: Leech body jewelery

they get attached to the body via a small silicon suction cup or with a skin piercing hook.

Idea: TOY GUNS vs WAR

Here's a peaceful thought: Toys-R-Us supports "Troops Out of Iraq" campaign.

Chris Anderson on economy of sharing

Content is close to costing nothing to distribute and the costs of doing things being nearly zero...this will revolutionise our business models.

Idea: Rear view mirrors in public toilets

Rear view windows fitted on pissoirs in cinema toilets to increase public safety during the screening of Scary Movie 4! A holographic image appears on the mirror every time a person is using the pissoir....

Trash cans for old mobile phones

here's a cute little POS idea for a mobile shop. click on pic to enlarge.



behind the trashcan on the window pedestrians can see the shop's special offers.

Idea: Election posters near graveyards

i just thought that putting strategical (temporary) election posters in the vicinity of graveyards of US soldiers who were killed in Vietnam or Iraq, would create a stronger impact to vote for political change.

Vladimir Putin hails a cab

really like this viral video showing Putin getting a cab to Kremlin (and refusing to pay 300 dollars for the ride).

DMCA issue

yestarday youtube permanently disabled my account.
reason stated in email: violation of copyright (featuring snippets of some other film in my film). it was swift and without a warning! ... i can't loggin to check the video in question.

apparently those who flagged the video (MELA FILMS LLC) think that sharing some of their material (in a non-commercial use!) is not a good idea...

here's a great talk from Larry Lessig on how the law strangles creativity:

Idea: Russian Strip Doll

Special edition of stripping doll set. As a DM for new subscribers of Playboy? ;)

idea: Recycled Mercedes Ads

user recycled older mercedes ads:

Astral Alpha Brainlab rmx

.
footage: watsu session in auroville
music: alpha astral brainlab remix

Packaging idea for the last edition of Barbie Dolls

Wrinkled faces of the city

more photos here

Best feedback from non-smoker

Idea: News on the news

We all know that different news media push different political agendas. Why not to create a news channel that would make it even more obvious? Let's say a daily (or weekly) "news on the news" tv channel (or a web portal!) that would tell us how most popular news media covers the most important daily world news .
For example, if the news are about the conflict in the middle east, the presenter of News on News tells us what FOX, CNN or Aljazeera reported about it (i.e. what part of the story is emphasized, what are the political accents, what part of the story are not reported, if there are any other differences of the coverage, etc.)

The benefit for the general public: it will not only provide a more objective picture of the world news, but will also make news media manupulation more transparent for the viewer.

Below are some visual moods of the idea:






Related idea from my previous post: Good News vs Bad News

Spam marketing resistance.

Momo makes a point: