Plane Stupid.

In spite of rising scepticism – specifically the exposure of the conspiracy behind the 'anthropogenic warming myth' – climate change propaganda is continuing to get stronger it seems with agencies like Mother London creating hard-hitting commercials for the anti-aviation expansion group Plane Stupid featuring dead polar bears falling from the sky.

And whether or not you buy into the stat that there are more bears now than in 19XX, if you think shorthaul flights are, er, a bare necessity then in my opinion you are plane stupid. Our earth needs looking after whether it's getting dangerously hot or not right now and filling the atmosphere with CO2 is never (ever) going to make the world a better place to live.

Directed by Rattling Stick's Danny Kleinman.

Via Brand Republic.

The unfairest of them all.

Having spent too much in the hands of Apple Care recently, I'm starting to feel like duped Snow White. Despite the fact that I put my Mac through daily processor-heavy full-HD FCP rendering it still doesn't really seem fair.

Nothing though would sway me to switch to the world of PC.

Stencil by Banksy.

Slee-py TV?

With either malfunctioning units in the case of the Sondhi assassination attempt or unverifiable footage in the case of the King Power airport scandal, the CCTV unit has come under some scrutiny in Thailand of late.

It's still surprising though that dreamy, suburban hi-so shopper oasis The Crystal has stuck its neck out be offering customers that little extra bit of personalised car park care in the shape of security guards strategically sat aloft in high-seat Baywatch beach chairs – as although the context switch (from beach or tennis court to car lot) is a deft and innovative design move, it remains strangely DIY for such a luxury mall.

As to its efficiency, only time will tell. The guards we saw appeared upright and hawk-like when we were there exposed by the midday sun – even though the car lot was empty – but what with their general reputation for a snooze, we just hope that when dusk arrives sleepiness won't kick in.

Photography by Asit Prueangwet.

A nice change.

It's easy to knock True as a brand for their unfocussed and frivolous product line extensions and general air of unwarranted hype – but for showcasing relevant, utile and engaging design such as this one has to tip one's hat.

Easily mistaken as an architectural leftover or structural orphan, Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag's Magic Mirror, housed on the third floor of True's Siam Square boutique store, is a cleverly understated piece of function-led design that ensures you never have leave the fitting room to show off what you're trying on. The electrical current that charges the crystaline film that renders the walls opaque (for while you're getting changed) is disengaged when the door is pulled ajar, allowing the glass to return to its transparent state when you're ready to parade whatever you've picked up from off the rail.

The really nice change though is the appearance of such a truly genuine triumph of design in a site of such popular appeal.

Photography by Asit Prueangwet.

Modeled by Kwan & Gift.

Sillapim.

With US regulators extending current laws to end blogger payola I thought as an act of defiance I'd celebrate the occasion with some rampant cronyistic promotion.

Cutely-dubbed Thai illustrator and designer Sillapim (real name = Pimduan Watcharapruk, sillapin = artist in Thai) produces spectacular hand-drawn pieces in ink with luscious lines and exquisite organic details.

Check out her blog here.

Sweet home.

Once a luxury (think 867 cable stations) and now the bane of many gadget geeks, choice or rather a desire to have it filtrated into a united form, has motivated 173 mostly frothy comments and 153 diggs, a response that has in turn egged on web programmers and platform providers Teehan + Lax to actualize a dream interface the pair were initially only speculating about in their blog.

The dream app is a live iPhone home screen featuring bespoke, scrollable lists of notifications tracking everything from missed calls, unread email and calendar events to Facebook, Twitter and Tripit updates. T+L describe it as: "A screen that doesn't require you to scan for red dots with numbers inside of them. Instead it displays information and notifications of things that are new and relevant to you."

Deadly simple and very sweet.

Follow T+L's progress on Twitter.

'Sor' point.

To manipulate the impact of the truth via a mass media smokescreen relying on the timely release of important news from one government department to distract public attention away from the error or evil of another is without question wicked; to attempt to achieve this effect through trumping one's own foul play with still greater controversy is pure insanity – though it seems such an improbable ploy may not be entirely without success.

It's by no mere coincidence that in a matter of days the Thai Ministry of Culture have unveiled their motion-picture industries ratings system and announced their plan to sponsor the historical epic Tamnan Somdej Phra Naresuan (Legend of King Naresuan) Parts III and IV. Neither moves have gone totally unnoticed, though as per usual it's the back pages and the web blogs where all the real reporting is going on – largely the result of course of self-censorship.

Bangkok Post columnist Kong Rithdee points out both banning and cutting of a film are still possible and that it remains uncertain if the board will demand scenes cut before issuing a rating or not. And while it’s this hidden seventh category – apparent by its omission or at least lack of icon – which has caused the most consternation (as it clearly poses the greatest threat to filmmakers) it's the ส่งเสริม (promote) category that is, in my view, potentially the most worrying – especially in light of the financial aid that seems to be given to particular films of a certain ilk.

(Khun Kong also makes a case for the unjustness of arguably Thailand’s most successful film director receiving funding for his latest project while hundreds of indie filmmakers are left translating their treatments so they can hunt for cash overseas.)

Not only will the existence of official endorsement allow (possibly even encourage) censors to act corruptly, pocketing bribes for an official stamp of approval, but with such an official PR blessing in place (unquestionably as part of a continued overall panic to force the populous to abide to a strict conservative moral code) the very fabric of the currently flagging Thai liberal culture will be put under threat – with anyone at least slightly susceptible to a fad being turned away from the avant-garde by being turned on to screenings of didactic, preachy poppycock and pointless, saccharine fluff.

Via one of my favourite Thai-based Twitterers – Wise Kwai.

Pretty vacant?

Numbers are everything. Looks are more.

Pretty or pretty vacant?

Spotted in Bangkok marble mall Mahboonkrong.

A cut above.

Business cards that allow brand ambassadors (= staff) to demonstrate brand talent to potential citizens/clients on the spot. What Stefan Sagmeister was going on about back at Adfest last year.

For the Glamour Institute of Hair & Design.

Via Swiss Miss.

Far from child's play.

Another campaign for the much-scammed Land Rover brand, but nothing complicated or tenuous, just super-efficient, clear-as-day dramatization of the thought – truly powerful as a piece of communication as the execution is so startlingly close to the insight.

All in all, deadly simple – but far from easy to pull off.

Animal farm.

I never give much time to the forwarded junk that enters my email inbox, but with all this talk of remodeling the financial architecture of the world the following models seemed relevant.

Socialism: You have two cows, and you give one to your neighbour.

Communism: You have two cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.

Fascism: You have two cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

Nazism: You have two cows. The State takes both and shoots you.

Bureaucratism: You have two cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, then throws the milk away.

Traditional Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

Surrealism: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

A Corporation: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

Via Nicky.

The good isn't always the enemy of the great.

Permanently secure in the annals of common trivia, the often-posited myth that The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be seen from space isn't the only falsehood surrounding the architectural feat. Ironically, the very legend itself cunningly reinforces a greater lie about The Wall: that the wall is in fact a wall.

It isn't. What it is is rather a series of (admittedly in some cases extremely lengthy) walls, though often with quite significant gaps in between.

From a cursory look at historical accounts, it seems that where hillocks and crests prevailed various dynasties largely (and lazily) got away with leaving chunks out, giving the impression (from a distance at least) of wall where in fact there was none – a technique that has lead to more than one long-term Beijing expat friend trying to put me off visiting the (tourist part of the) site, contending that it's a bit of a cheat, not that exciting and therefore ultimately only actually worthy of being called 'The Good Wall'.

Good here is though really truly great, with this illusion of defence deserving of going down in history as one of the most effective pieces of tactical communication ever – bar perhaps the Greeks' Trojan Horse. For a smaller than apparently necessary investment, the Chinese have done well. Even if The Great Wall hasn't always been entirely successful at keeping the Mongols out, the structure has kept enough tourists and Trivial Pursuits gamers in awe over the last century or so to be worthy of the title.

Thanks to heavyweight, Think Tank-winning blogger Tantramar for jogging my memory.

Free-lancing.

Working freelance or as part of a small creative collective or even boutique agency puts you at the mercy of larger corporations, with their in-demand demeanor, unflinching, hard-faced approach to negotiating, archaic, bureaucratic finance departments and sluggish payment processes.

Bullied exasperatingly so by bigger corporate fish, one is left wondering how ludicrous this vendor-client power play would seem if translated to other sectors – and that's just the thought that motivated this Scofield Editorial film.

And while this does leave you wondering how many of the production crew worked on the job for nothing, it is spot on, nonetheless, and therefore a great use of their free time – really.

Sharp thinking?

O&M Bangkok won Silver at Cannes this year for a campaign for Wusthof knives...

...after not winning at Cannes (but everywhere else) last year with the same ad for Black & Decker.

Pizza rebut.

Lack of authenticity has long been a personal grievance of mine, so often and so vast is the chasm between advertising claim and actuality, but in the case of Pizza Hut (Thailand) it is how the corporate giant pays for the promise that is preposterous.

As obvious and dull as it is as a USP, speed is mindlessly wheeled out again in this category, only of course in the capital, Bangkok, legendary traffic and tropical thunderstorms make delivery an impossible proposition to deliver on – though that doesn't stop Pizza Hut from offering (proudly and aggressively via print, web and call center) this deal: if your delivery's late, you get your total order for free. Which is fine if the company foots the bill, but they don't – they only pay half; the delivery guy or girl pays the rest.

And herein lies the trick. It's a corporate gamble, but the odds are heavily in favour of Pizza Hut, as in most cases their almost unanimously Buddhist, 100% superstitious consumer base will react to the fawning self-pity of the failed delivery guy or girl at the door with either sympathy, compassion or เกรงใจ.

Whatever one's response the late arrival of one's pizza leaves a tremendously nasty taste in the mouth – either in the knowledge that the delivery staff (who earn little more than the national daily Thai minimum wage of between 148 and 203 baht or between 4-6 USD) caught in traffic or rain will be docked up to two day's wages or because you the consumer are left eating cold, paid-for pizza and feeling cheated.

Either way it is a scam – a scam that has been going on since 2003.

And this is from a parent company awarded for personal staff development.

Brands that favour their consumer base at the expense of their underpaid staff or that cheat their consumer base with guilt need to be exposed.

Let this be the beginning of a boycott – until the company can pay for tardiness themselves.

Easily hooked.

It's easy to get hooked by good design.

Designed by Ransmeier & Floyd.

Via Droog.

Star Lores.

Under normal circumstances you realise I leave film criticism to the likes of Philip French, Xan Brooks, Jason Solomons, or even Adam and Matty at Filmspotting, but by boldly going where no captain of any Trek narrative has gone before, Abrams has forced me into comment.

By adopting the fairy tale functions of Russian formalist Valdimir Propp, Abrams slickly propels what would have been a trek into a skywalk. Having Roddenberry's science fiction cast reading from Lucas' fantasy script is genius and tantamount to having The Beatles playing The Stones, though it's his adherence to Vulcan logic that's clearly his masterstroke: featuring Nimoy in cameo and therefore dovetailing the film with the 60s series. The love triangle between Spock, Kirk and the now lovely Uhura adds romance where before there was only bromance and leaves the audience begging to know who will be star-dating who in the sequel.

No bull.

While over at The Musings of an Opinionated Sod a brand of bog roll really not to be, er, poo-pooed boldly presented itself.

Initially art (not novelty) and now a fully-fledged FMCG, Jed Ela's ShitBegone is really no bull. As the Poop Report so clearly states "ShitBegone is art masquarading as commerce, and is succeeding in both worlds", and as Jed Ela himself tidily explains in perfect marketspeak, the piece, essentially a by-product of Duchampian readymades and commodity-art, is now in full "commodity stream" – while fulfilling one of the key contemporary functions of modern art: operating as a "system for the production of knowledge."

Capping the occasion.

Seeing as I actually do have all my best ideas in the bathroom – something I've attributed to both the sudden physical shift from my working space to the smallest room in the house, and to the intense, fiery red walls of my own hong nam – I decided to celebrate the enlightenment (elevating the process to a contemporary creative custom) with a 'Brain' shower cap from Bangkok's quirky product design studio Propaganda.

That's as far as it goes though and so the purchase of a Dive Slate will just have to wait.

Delete.

We've seen the street fight back before in the shape of pockets of Brandalism, but now direct volunteer action has reached an unprecedented scale – with NYC collective New York Street Advertising Takeover (or NYSAT) whitewashing 126 unregistered (and unsightly) bill boards that were up until now being used illegally. And the good news too is that in most cases the replacement imagery is more pleasing to the eye than the typical corporate clutter that it's supplanted.

Via social media master Neil Perkin.