Chaotic Neutrality

A few weeks ago, the Spore creature creation software and sharing platform (by Electronic Arts) became all the rage. It allowed anyone to download the application, customize their monster, and upload and share the creation with the world.

Creative users came up with lots of funky little Pixar-esque creatures. Some were cute. Some were scary. And then… some were obscene.

The following two blog / article posts details some of the humorous side of the dirty Spore creatures:

1. NSFW: A Beginners Guide To Sporn at Rock, Paper, Shotgun
2. NSFW: Horny Gamers Upload ‘Sporn’ To YouTube at Wired

While incredibly amusing, things like this are definitely a concern when you release a campaign or program of this nature into the wild. User generated content can create some spectacular discussions and collections of knowledge, but it can also go places that were never anticipated.

As user generated content initiatives continue to grow, it will be interesting to see how much moderation and policing needs to continue to happen in order to foster the creator’s intended atmosphere… and what this type of UGC censorship leaves in its wake (whether it makes these UGC worlds better or stifles them).

Whatever happens… Spore porn is pretty funny.

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Google, always one to have a great sense of humor, unveiled their plans to take over another planet (Mars) in our solar system via the Google Virgle project.

It’s a pretty good read with a few “laugh out loud” lines included. I’d suggest taking the Virgle Pioneer Test to see if you’re cut out to handle the rigors of a Martian lifestyle.

If you are a worthy candidate, you can submit a 30 second YouTube video with your application so you can “Explain why you want to live on Mars and you could win a coveted slot on the earliest, most uncomfortable and dangerously untested manned space flights to the new New World - or a fabulous prize!”

I’m sure the viral / humor side of this project will be worth a few minutes of everyone’s viewing time!

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Man. I can’t believe I missed out on the Will It Blend? video series for so long. I feel shame for having been in the dark about one of the most fun viral campaigns that I have seen.

BlendTec, an industrial strength blender manufacturer, decided to have a short video segment where they demonstrate the power and efficiency of their blenders. The CEO of the company pops on the screen, has some corny comentary, and then commences the flat out annhilation of whatever item is on the agenda for the day.

Hockey Pucks? Sure. Bag of Glass Marbles? No problem. Brand new iPhone? Boom. Splat.

The results are pretty impressive and highly entertaining. Plus, the company claims to have had a substantial lift since beginning the campaign.

The company has even started branding Will It Blend merchandise — t shirts and dvd videos — for the fans to purchase.

Simple, Interesting, Fun, and… Profitable! That’s the way to do it!

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