Nylon Films has recently produced a new video trailer for a graphic novel “The Concrete Jungle Book”.

Using a variety of techniques, london based Nylon Films has created a video that brings to life the strange, compelling reality of the new graphic novel, The Concrete Jungle Book.

Original artwork from the book was animated and blended with newly shot video and stills of urban landscapes and scrapbook making. Live animal archive was rotoscoped, then transformed with the software program ToonIt before being added to the video mix and choreographed to a hard-driving, original music track.

It’s made us look twice as we drive past billboards and office towers — is that a leopard leaping out at us…or a bear on its hind legs. As the video says, the city is, after all “just the jungle in disguise.”

Nylon films helps clients tell their unique stories through film, video, stills photography and other multimedia formats. Whether it’s corporate films or documentary films, training videos or music videos, viral ads or internet ads – we think the end product should always make for compelling viewing.

View the Nylon Films website

After spotting a few 25 year anniversay DVDs for great films I suddenly realised that not only am I getting old but also the greatest three years for movies ever was 1984, 1985 and 1986. I don’t think it’s just a case of misty eyed, childhood memories either. There’s a few films from that time that I didn’t get to see until much later.

I suppose a list of films to prove my point is needed:

1984

• Ghostbusters
• The Terminator
• This Is Spinal Tap

1985

• Back To The Future
• The Goonies
• Brazil

1986

• Aliens
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• Crocodile Dundee

These are just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t think there’s been a greater contribution to modern movie pop culture that the films released in those three years. 25 years later we’re still seeing adverts based on the Ghostbusters theme, t-shirts with Save Ferris on and everyone still wants a DeLorean.

So, what else made those years so great? It was the high point for the ex-Saturday Night Live team of Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd and Chevy Chase. Arguably the greatest films starring these comedians were released in those three years:

• Ghostbusters
• Spies Like Us
• ¡Three Amigos!
• Fletch
• National Lampoon’s European Vacation

These three years brought the world the Police Academy movies, which is a good thing! And also the first installment of the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy – without which Eddie Murphy might only be remembered for The Golden Child (also released in 1986).

In 1984 the world got the first big glimpse of Tom Hanks in Splash, if only Big had been made two years earlier it would have been added to this list as the best Hanks movie to date. The Karate Kid was released in 1984 – can the new version compete? Also in this year we got to see Romancing The Stone, Gremlins and The Killing Fields.

1985 is the big year for epic movies: The Color Purple and Out Of Africa were both released this year. But what strikes me most is all the films that people still love today:

• The Breakfast Club
• The Sure Thing
• Teen Wolf
• Weird Science

To be honest, things drop off a bit by 1986 but there are still some unexpected classics popping up: The Fly, The Name Of The Rose, Platoon, Top Gun. Not forgetting possibly the most important film release of the year (to my 10 yr old self) Tranformers: The Movie, starring Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, and Orson Welles!

So, I might have missed out a few of the more “important” movies of the time: The Muppets Take Manhattan, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Flight of the Navigator, Short Circuit etc. But I think I’ve proved that there’s never been a better three years of movies.

Pressitt the Social Media News Release service is searching for a talented web developer to learn the Pressitt system and help develop the platform further.

If the first project goes well there is plenty more updates/concepts/user feedback to be integrated into the current platform.

The Role: freelance/short term

To develop and improve Pressitt.com on a freelance basis or short term contract, as and when required.

Working closely with our lead developer and front end coder, you’ll be responsible for coding various parts of the site, including bespoke and custom newsrooms from basic php functions within Code Igniter down to in-depth classes.

Built on Codeigniter, Pressitt is a fully featured site with combined client-side and server-side technologies allowing users to create rich and detailed news releases.

Required Skills

• Object Orientated Programming
• Model View Controller/Frameworks
• Linux Systems Administration
• Content Management Systems
• Social Networking (Web)
• Internet usability
• Accessibility (Web)
• Front end coding and javascript

Required Products

• Codeigniter
• PHP
• MySQL
• jQuery
• XHTML/HTML
• CSS
• LAMP
• Wordpress (not essential)
• Zend Eclipse (not essential)

So, if you can deliver on the above, live preferably near London/the South East, are hard working and able to work to strict schedules, please get in touch via email at andy@pressitt.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

When you think of social networks there’s one that often gets overlooked: Linkedin is a business network that allows users to set up profiles, add pictures, talk to each other, link to like minded and similar business people and then network with them. So is Linkedin a social network like Facebook or MySpace? Yes, sort of. The main difference is the demographics and the fact that looking at Linkedin at work may be considered good but playing with Facebook isn’t something you want your boss to see!

At a very simple level you can think of Linkedin as “six degrees of seperation” for business people.

With over 50m users worldwide Linkedin isn’t as big as Facebook yet but the demographics of its users makes for quite interesting reading:

Average Age: 41
Household Income: $109,703
Male: 64%
Household Income $100k+ 53.5%
Own Smartphone/PDA: 34%
College Grad/Post Grad: 80.1%
Business Decision Maker: 49%
EVP/SVP/VP: 6.5%
24% Have a Portfolio Value of $250k+
Job Titles:

• C-Level Executives 7.8%
• EVP/SVP 6.5%
• Senior Management 16%
• Middle Management 18%

50% Are Business Decision Makers in Their Companies

Why should you be on Linkedin?

There are a lot of companies and business executives on Linkedin, it’s a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry and you can join groups to talk about your business interests and what might be affecting your current and future work plans.

If you’re a freelancer or contractor you can use Linkedin to promote your services. Spend a little time talking to people in your area of expertise they might want to hire you.

By using your profile and contacts wisely you can use Linkedin to find a new job and talk to prospective clients – wherever they are in the world. You can also find out about companies and talk to existing employees to check out what your next job might be like…

LinkedIn allows you to:

• Get online recommendations for your professional abilities and your character
• Get introductions to potential employers or colleagues in your field
• Search available job postings placed on the LinkedIn website by members. While you can also search the web for jobs through LinkedIn, the big benefit is that many job posts are exclusive to LinkedIn: They aren’t advertised elsewhere. Those postings often have a requirement that you have one or more LinkedIn recommendations. Additionally, there is a chance that someone within your LinkedIn network already works there or knows someone who does, giving you a big foot in the door for an interview.
• Join various groups that align with your interests and participate in discussions. Having a group in common with another LinkedIn user is one way you can invite others into your network. Each group discussion contains its own job listings.
• Create an online resume that can work for you all the time. LinkedIn allows hiring companies and recruiters to search for professionals who might fit their criteria.

We have a company profile on Linkedin: Best Served Cold on Linkedin

I love finding these odd little sites, it makes me remember that the internet is all about creativity and freedom of expression – not just business and shopping…

Dear blank, please blank

Two of my favourites:

Dear Twilight Fans,
Thank you for making us look sane and well-adjusted.
Sincerely, Trekkies

Dear Great Tasting Foods,
Please stop being so fattening!
Sincerely, Everyone

On tonight’s IT Crowd, Moss uses a word in countdown:

Tnetennba

Used in context:

“Good morning, that’s a nice Tnetennba”

After some research, it appears that it’s not actually a word at all!  Been looking all week and can’t find a real reference to it other than what people have made up.

According to one source, it could mean:

Tnetennba – [tuh.net.un.bar]
- noun

A word whose function is purely to attract traffic to a website; a gratuitously used keyword whose presence is aimed at attracting the search engines attention and improving the website’s placement in search results.

But we’re not convinced…

It’s certainly nowhere to be found in the dictionary, but there is a facebook page already in place to try to get it there!  I think if it’s officially printed a whole bunch of times then it can officially become a word so there’s hope yet!

If anyone has any more info, post some comments and we can find the true meaning of Tnetennba!

Click here to view the clip on Channel 4

Now that we’ve all got used to Facebook and Twitter and businesses are starting to realise the potential of social networking and talking to new customers directly there’s a new social revolution just about to hit the mainstream: Geo-location social networking.

This new form of networking has been made possible with the increase in GPS enabled smart phones and faster mobile connection speeds. We can now pin point our position on earth to within a few metres with our phones and we can use that technology to find interesting events, shops, restaurants and places of interest nearby. The geo-location social networks aim to take that a stage further by connecting people who are in the same area and allowing friends to connect to each other via maps.

So, imagine you’re on a night out in London, you’re meeting a few friends but don’t really know the best places to go – simply log into your phone and check the map. You’ll see where you are, recommended restaurants and pubs and even how far away your friends are. If one of the local bars has a special offer on you’ll get an update so you can get a few cheap drinks… while you’re at the bar a message pops up that a restaurant round the corner is offering free starters if you get there in the next 30 minutes. All of this can be worked through your phone and local businesses can connect directly to potential customers.

There are four main location based networks vying to get users and businesses signed up at the moment: Foursquare, Brightkite, Gowalla and Loopt. They have all had a lot of funding and offer similar features but each one has a slightly different focus. And don’t forget that with this much potential revenue and traffic the big guns are also going to be competing in this arena soon enough – Facebook, Google and Twitter all have location based services starting, in the pipeline or already working.

Foursquare

“Foursquare is a mobile application that is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide, and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. Foursquare lets you “check in” to a place when you’re there, tell friends where you are, and track the history of where you’ve been–and who you’ve been there with. Foursquare challenges you to explore your city in new and fun ways by earning points, winning mayorships, and unlocking badges and specials for trying new places and revisiting old favorites.”

foursquare

Gowalla

“Gowalla.com is a web site and, more importantly, an iPhone application that allows you to check in with your social network from where ever you are. When you use your phone, Gowalla locates you through GPS, then allows you to check in at the location, share a message about where you are and why you’re there and pick up virtual items.”

Gowalla

brightkite

“Brightkite is the simple way to keep up with friends and places. It lets you see where all your friends are, so you can spend more time with them. You can also discover places in your neighborhood and meet other locals along the way.”

brightkite

Loopt

“Loopt is a mobile social-mapping service that lets you use the location of your phone to discover the world around you.”

Loopt

If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can use social networking and geo-location social networks for your business please contact us.

Creating a fan page on Facebook sounds like a quick and easy way to generate traffic to your site and gain new customers for your business. With the explosion in social networking traffic over the last few years there’s a buzz around Facebook almost like the buzz surrounding the internet in 1999! But creating a successful fan page and making social media work for your business takes more than just throwing up a page and expecting new visitors to flood in.

I’m sure most people reading this will already have a profile page on Facebook – there are over 400 million users on Facebook now, it’s the largest social network in the world and one of the most used websites. Most users check their profiles at least once a week with a large number checking several times a day.

Most marketing people have a profile on Facebook and try to use that to promote their businesses and network with likeminded individuals around the world but to keep your private life a bit separate from work we’d usually suggest setting up a Fan Page for your company. It works just like a profile but allows you to provide a public page for your business without getting your personal profile mixed up.

From Facebook:

A Facebook Page is a public Profile that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users.

When your fans interact with your Facebook Page, stories linking to your Page can go to their friends via News Feed. As these friends interact with your Page, News Feed keeps driving word-of-mouth to a wider circle of friends.

View our Best Served Cold Fan Page

Recently we’ve been involved with setting up a couple of Facebook fan pages with bespoke applications for high profile campaigns – please contact us for more information.

To get the most out of your fan page you need to remember that Facebook works best as a two-way conversation. As with all social networks the idea is that you can talk directly to your customers but they can also talk directly to you – don’t ignore them. Make sure you respond, join in and give your visitors a reason to recommend you to their friends. By giving something back you can increase your fan page visitor numbers and in turn increase your customer base.

If you’d like to know more about how Facebook and other social network sites can help improve your business please contact us. We’re always happy to talk through ideas and discuss potential benefits of social media with all types of business.

Over the last 3 months we’ve been working with the East and North Herts NHS Trust to re-design and update their website. We kept to their brief for a clean, simple and easy to use website that would allow visitors from across Hertfordshire to easily find out more about the local NHS Trust.

View the new East and North Herts NHS Trust website

From start to finish we worked closely with the content team at the trust to ensure that the information needed by most visitors was easy to find and navigate to. Using a very accessible layout and strict xHTML and CSS standards of code we believe the new site to be one of the most up to date NHS Trust websites.

Over the next few months we will continue to work with the web team to make sure that the site continues to be updated and managed to the highest standard and ensure that we keep the site running smoothly.

HTML and CSS are the basic building blocks of any website, the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the code and content of a site and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used for setting the layout and making it look nice. Over the years these languages have evolved and changed with new versions of web browsers and new demands by web developers and designers.

The next version of HTML is currently being finalised and gradually implemented into new web browsers and it’s causing a bit of a fuss among web developers. So, what is HTML5 and will it affect average web users?

Most web users don’t know how a website is put together – and that’s probably a good thing, it shows that the internet has moved on from it’s hand-made, amateur days to a point where sites are becoming integral parts of everyday life and run seamlessly on multiple platforms and browsers. One of the resons for this is the separation of content and design – the HTML and CSS – that allows developers to use the same content but show it in different ways on different platforms eg. mobile phones, televisions, laptops.

From W3 Schools:

HTML 5 improves interoperability and reduces development costs by making precise rules on how to handle all HTML elements, and how to recover from errors.

Some of the new features in HTML 5 are functions for embedding audio, video, graphics, client-side data storage, and interactive documents. HTML 5 also contains new elements like <nav>, <header>, <footer>, and <figure>.

The HTML 5 working group includes AOL, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nokia, Opera, and many hundreds of other vendors.

Once HTML5 becomes more widespread and can be used as a foundation for all websites we will start to see web development move into an even more professional realm. Currently it’s still possible to design and code a fairly good looking website from home using basic tools. Obviously an amateur wouldn’t be able to produce a Faceboook or Twitter but a simple 4 or 5 page site is still possible. With HTML5 that is still the case but there’s more to learn and understand and much more is possible.

As more sites begin to use HTML5 in their code we’ll hopefully begin to see a reduction in the number of users browsing on old, outdated web browsers. Using an old web browser such as Internet Explorer 6 can really affect how you view the internet, most websites don’t support this 10 yr old browser any more and you’ll find that you’re often seeing reduced versions of websites – cutting down your usability and options. The other problem with older browsers is safety and security. It’s much easier for a hacker to break into your computer via the internet if you’re browsing with IE6 rather IE8, Firefox or Opera.

HTML5 can already be used and their are lots of websites starting to make use of the new standard. Often it’s combined with a new CSS standard CSS3 – which allows web designers much more freedom and expression in internet design. We’ve recently set up a website that showcases HTML5 sites: 101 Best HTML5 Sites – we’ve written the site in HTML5 and used some CSS3 to help us learn and understand the new language and start to show what’s possible.

Some other resources:

HTML5 -A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML
HTML5 from Wikipedia
HTML5 reference from W3 Schools