mArk rOBeR's aNiMated t-SHiRts

this has to be my first cool geek post ever. i realise that majority of my readers never celebrate Halloween, but i couldn't help this post. For one i appreciate the creative thinking behind Mark Rober's halloween tshirt designs. TF! is Mark Rober?? you ask well, apparently he is a NASA engineer, one of the people responsible for managing the rover on the Mars exploration project. He developed this idea of duct taping iphones and ipads to the back of tshirts to animate images designs on them. Check out this video.

kELEchi aMadi oBi oN nDani

spectacular photographer and co-founder of Mania Magazine shares his passion for the arts in this interview.

Electronics Manufacturer & Retail Giant Dajcom Limited set to celebrate 10th Anniversary in Grand style.

With one of the largest retail networks in the West African sub region and modern manufacturing technology at its disposal, there is no doubt that the Electronics giant Dajcom Limited has clearly carved its niche in the electronics and home appliances sector. Dajcom which launched the first Flat Panel TV Assembly Line in West Africa in 2010 is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The event which is scheduled to hold in September 2012 is an EXCLUSIVE invite only gala which is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on attendees.

Established in 2002, Dajcom Limited specializes in the manufacturing and trading of various consumer electronics and home appliances. The company also has strategic partnerships with various international brands which include Chigo Air Conditioners, SAMSUNG Electronics, Moulinex and Tefal Small Domestic Appliances and Rowenta Personal Care products.In the words of its chief Executive: “We are driven by a genuine desire to make a substantial impact in the growth and development of the local economy. Our goal is to become synonymous with quality products and service and to maintain our leadership in the country’s electronics sector”.

Dajcom in its 10 year existence in Nigeria may have surpassed its mission to be the dominant player in the West African electronics industry but continues to deliver the newest and best quality products available as well as offering the best After Sales services.

As a build up to the 10th anniversary celebration, Dajcom will engage in extensive giveaways of its finest products through its social interactive platforms on Twitter- @dajcom and Facebook pages-facebook.com/Dajcom and in the media precisely in the week leading to its 10th Anniversary gala event. Further information can be found about Dajcom’s product range at the company website www.dajcom.com and all its social media platforms.

dArE-siSi eKo viDEo..

this video has been in circulation for a couple of weeks, well i just saw it 'LASTMAN things' i am particularly impressed though with the creative blend of african prints and colors. i think its about time we got out of the business of chroma shoots.

dONjAzzY's eNigMa- nDani

QuiCk fiX mUsiC

a few weeks ago a middle aged man i had the privilege to sit with mentioned something that kinda pricked my conscience. He said and i quote: "for some reason Tuface Idibia is the only saving grace and hope the Nigerian music has internationally" In my 'mind's eye', it looked like he obviously must have been ignorant of all the international record deals signed by some other Nigerian acts like Dbanj, wizkid among others... so this morning i attempted a mental check of the average Nigerian songs that would truly stand the test of time and remain ever green, initially i drew i drew blanks until i was able to come up with a few songs from about 4 or 5 artistes then the real meaning of that statement hit me, it was never really about how much money the commercial artistes made these days but the messages inherent in their music. How did we get this far? how did it become a crime to produce good music with a message in it? when did our priorities shift to boobby and baka sizes??

we dont make ever green music anymore, its not news anyways but some how we still find contemporary Nigerians artistes who make hits from remixes of much older Nigerian songs. My question now is this, 20-30yrs from now what songs will our grand children have to remake?  is it the kasapreko and bobby themed songs that always manage to escape NBC bans?

i realise most of our artistes figured a way milk the cow that is the music industry, but like always the cow can only live for so long, what happens when it dies? Nigerians have a common trait no matter what part of the world they find themselves  and that is our general ability to adapt to situations and places. At the end of the day we are all short term traders always only thinking about the now so i wouldnt blame nobody for not caring about posterity.

bAskEtbALL- D' tiGeR's oLympiC sPirit

Tony Skinn, the Nigerian point guard who went to George Mason University, wound up in a hospital, having surgery for a torn quadriceps Monday. 

 

LONDON — The buzzer sounded the end of the fairy tale, and the Nigerian team limped off the court in slow motion, unwilling, unable to let go. As they filed into the tunnel, the crowd stood in unison and cheered the team they call D’Tigers.

D’Tigers lost against on Monday, this time to France, standing ovation notwithstanding. To their list of firsts — first Olympics appearance, first Olympics victory — they had added something less historic: their first Olympic exit.

The run ended with the point guard in the hospital, with Sunday’s leading scorer nursing a broken toe, with only eight players healthy enough to practice. It ended with another comeback against a France team stocked with N.B.A. players. It ended with another round of questions about what it meant, a basketball team from Nigeria here in the Olympics. 

Afterward, not even the D’Tigers could make sense of the events of the past six weeks. On one hand, with a roster cobbled together at the last minute, they toppled established international teams — Lithuania, Greece and the Dominican Republic — just to qualify. It was not hyperbole to say they inspired a nation. 

On the other, they finished Olympic group play with a 1-4 record, lost to the United States by a whopping 83 points and endured racist chants and a rash of injuries. Disappointment mixed with pride.

“People think that was the goal for us, to get here,” forward Derrick Obasohan said. “It wasn’t. Coach said we were the first African team to win an Olympic game. We earned respect, but. ...” 

His voice trailed off. The man Obasohan called Coach, Ayodele Bakare, sat nearby. He looked tired, his eyes bloodshot, his shoulders slumped. He spent the morning at a hospital with Tony Skinn, the guard who led George Mason on that magical N.C.A.A. tournament run in 2006.

Skinn had surgery for a torn quadriceps on Monday, his teammates said. It surprised no one that Bakare went to see him.

For weeks, he and his staff performed so many jobs they forgot where one ended and another one began.

Bakare, the coach of the Ebun Comets in Nigeria’s professional league, constructed the roster on the fly. He built the team around Ike Diogu, a former Arizona State star, and Al-Farouq Aminu, a forward for the New Orleans Hornets. Bakare managed to find 10 players with college basketball experience to fill the roster out. 

He later traded his general manager cap for his coach’s one, and after less than a month of practices, Bakare took that makeshift team to Venezuela, where, Diogu said, “we were just supposed to come in and get blown out.” Only D’Tigers stunned three opponents.

Diogu said the local crowd embraced the Nigerians, and although Diogu heard from his brother about celebrations in Nigeria, reality awaited, so many tasks and not a single person with experience to perform them.

Bakare had to arrange travel plans for his team. He even booked the flights. He found gyms for practices. He helped those without insurance to obtain it. He did so in a country fraught with political infighting, even for its sports teams. He and his players alluded to the politics Monday but declined to go into specifics. 

“I don’t think a lot of people realize all the stuff that we really had to go through,” Diogu said. “If people really knew the true story, it would be an accomplishment in itself, just us making it here.”

Only Nigeria did not simply show up for its first contest and ask for autographs from its opposition. In the first game, D’Tigers defeated Tunisia, jumping ahead early and holding on late.

A country in turmoil rallied around the team that had been introduced six weeks earlier. Bakare’s voice mail filled.

Hiccups followed. A fan from Lithuania was fined for making Nazi gestures and yelling monkey chants during a Lithuanian victory. The United States scored 156 points against D’Tigers, the most ever in an Olympic game.

Yet Nigeria refused to yield. It stormed back against France on Monday, behind 35 points from Chamberlain Oguchi, he of the broken toe. Bakare said that as D’Tigers tied the game late in the fourth quarter, he wanted to yell, in reference to the United States coach, Mike Krzyzewski: “Bring on Coach K! We want a rematch! Tonight!”

Afterward, unbroken, Bakare and his players dared to dream. This summer, the run, allowed them that.

They noted the injuries that plagued them, the way the roster thinned. They talked about the limited time they spent together, how, come the African championships next summer, much more could be accomplished. Bakare guaranteed Nigeria would improve more than any Olympic team over the next four years.

“You haven’t seen the last of Team Nigeria,” Obasohan said.

Players and coaches decided Monday to leave the cosmic questions, the what it meant, for later. Most planned to visit Skinn at the hospital, then scatter back across the world.

Bakare called the reaction in Nigeria uplifting, but said he received negative phone calls, too. Diogu hoped his play over the past six weeks had earned him another shot at the N.B.A. Obasohan wanted to return to his 3-month-old son, Darren, before he returned to Spain in one week for another season.

The three of them sat in a circle, in the near empty news conference room, as if competing to look most tired. The experience that inspired others had drained the men involved. Bakare even said he would consider stepping down as the coach, perhaps in 30 days.

“Nigeria basketball has come of age,” he said. “Nigeria basketball doesn’t need me anymore.”

His players quickly dismissed that notion. Bakare, their coach, general manager, insurance agent and travel secretary, embodied what D’Tigers became over the past six weeks. Not simply a basketball team. A historic one.

courtesy of the New York Times

eAt LOiuS VuittoN toAst...

how crazy does the love  for fashion get. what we have 'raichere' is a bread toaster that brands your toast with the LV insignia.

diSciPLiNe

Apparently this sight is not new to me, I once personally witnessed gov. Fashola stick it to an elderly airforce officer who was driving against traffic just before the ikate round about in lekki. I see the gov. Around traffic alot I like the fact that he never uses sirens and that he deals with indiscipline himself.

tUFaCE sPeaks oN nDani-

Beat FM OAP toolz interviews Tuface about his personal life, career and his relationship with his fans. Enjoy- courtesy Ndani.

aLL hAiL jAcoB tHE jEweLeR

The name 'Jacob Arabo' ring any bells? I guess not! but if  i used the phrase 'Jacob the Jeweler' you might have heard of him yeah he's that guy that most of the A-List hollywood celebrities go to for all the bling you see in music videos.... I think he's a fantastic jewelry designer. Watch him talk about his passion for bling and what inspires him.

uNwRappiNg tHe gAy packaGe...

Anderson Cooper

First Anderson Cooper ( CNN TV Personality, Author, and host of AC360), now Frank Ocean, i must say that the last one week has been alot to take in. It is no longer news that the 2 individuals mentioned above recently 'came outta the closet about their sexual orientation' I have to admit people around me would tell you to a good extent i am quite homophobic, but the last 6months has if not anything taught  to be more tolerant and refrain from judging people. 

As much as i choose to stay true to my faith (CHRISTIANITY), and ideally shouldn't have a part whatsoever in condoning such sexual ideologies as spoken against in  Lev 20:13. We are indeed in the dispensation of Grace so i cannot sanction the latter part of that scripture and at the end of the day the eternal race is an individual one. As of now as i stay true to my faith i also remember that the gay community comprises of humans first before anything. They deserve no less than the love every human deserves. 

while the rumor mills say Anderson though gay, chose this period to come out to boost ratings of his TV show, and Frank Ocean came out to generate a buzz for his 'Channel Orange' album dropping soon whatever the reasons it doesnt change the facts about their choices. I realise this ideology has become less foreign even in our nation with politicians, celebrities, fashionistas, and average citizens of all shapes and sizes in our country openly gay. In concluding my only prayer is God will give us the grace of tolerance, and unconditional love towards people generally.

~gd

pOwER fAcAdEs!

Being quite familiar with Public Relations antics i totally see what this picture is about. The Prez heads on to DICON in Kaduna to commission a locally built armored personnel vehicle. Notice the Prez in full military combat uniform---yeah he is the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, but then again who are we kidding??

scREw yOuR aNcHoRs!

you ever get in those awkward positions where people try to make you feel bad 'cos finally you got your shit together and moved on positively with your life? Maybe you finally found God and your old friends you used to drink and smoke pot with get on your case 'cos you were once birds of a feather; or you get a fantastic job opportunity and then your psycho girl friend/Boy Friend does all she/He can to discourage you cos the job requires you to leave town?

Truth is the whole concept of progress in life entails overcoming some form of hindrance (inertia, friction) I understand that sometimes the history we share with people make it really hard to move on from them. One simple and very obvious fact at the end of  the day is this: 'no one ever achieved any worth while feat by being toooooo considerate to everyone around them well at least not to themselves.' If you were too careful about hurting your fingers how would you become a good farmer. The best feats are attained through some level of compromise to self.

So in conclusion i will say this: some people are anchors and you have to learn to cut them off when you have to. Screw Your Anchors!

~g.d

$380,000 raised for bullied 68yr old

Meet Karen klien the 68yr old bus monitor in Greece, N.Y. I can understand that whenever the term bully is used it evokes images of a timid kid being pushed around by his/her peers, well not in this case.
The victim whose picture appears in this post was recorded being bullied by 4 seventh graders. The video which ended up on YouTube has already clocked over 2million views and has seen the boys receive numerous death threats. Concerned individuals who set out to raise $50,000 to send the woman on vacation as of yesterday had raised a whooping $380,000 for Karen. Who says disappointments can't be a blessing?

rE-iNveNtiNg tHE gLAssEs...

Built from a single strand of stylish wire and curled multiple times, this hinge-less frames have to be the coolest i have seen yet. Designed by Ron Arad and totally adjustable the simplicity of this concept just blows my mind.

microsoft's super sleek ipad killer

All hail the ipad killer! 

i may not consider meself  a bonafide member of the geek squad, heck im pretty sure they would even consider me an outcast despite my IT Background which i believe technically qualifies me to discuss gadgets like the microsoft surface tablet/pc/or whatever the MS surface eventually gets called. I appreciate the practically of this pretty gadget but i think its a really steep climb for Microsoft who over the last 2 decades have focused solely of software development. FOr some reason they have choosen to refine their business model and evolve to stay competitive with the likes of Apple.  for more info head on to the official site http://www.surface.com 

Adidas gets the boot for shackle design sneakers!

what do you get when you over simplify and leave you R&D department too much creative freedom?  a social scandal! something that started as a simple play design of sneakers for adidas has been met with so much criticism even earning a spot on CNN. Adidas came under intense fire for the shackle design on the new sneakers with comparisons even being made citing how offended the jews would be if a  swastika insignia was stamped on a brand of sneakers. Adidas has since apologised for this and from all iindication might not go commercial with the range.

Rossi's Luxury Motor Home

ok so i couldn't  resist the urge to post this for obvious reasons. i wonder if the name 'Valentino Rossi' rings any bell??? well doesn't matter, as it turns out the super biker owns this 2-bed motor home worth about 650,000 pounds yeah eaxctly what you just read, a luxury motor home that costs more than some service apartments in expensive cities complete with a mini scooter garage, several 46' flat screens and loads more, you gotta love what money can buy...lol

duets: not just another...

so last night i finally settled to see 2 episodes of 'duets'. The over hyped music tv show from ABC networks starring John Legend, Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Nettles as Judges/contestants is a huge modification to the popular reality shows like idols, x-factor among others. 

At a time when TV is over saturated with reality tv this different format is quite breath taking. 8 amateurs singers handpicked (2 each) by each of the professional artistes mentioned earlier perform duets all through the competition. at the end of every performance, the 3 judges that didn't just perform score the amateurs on their branded duet ipads which are then collated digitally and the amateurs ranked on the leaderboard displayed on the large screens. 

The show which has experienced one of john legend's duet partner (johnny gray) drop out of the competition due to unforeseen circumstances as announced by the host Quddus (which as far as i'm concerned is under suspiciously scandalous circumstances) is totally mind blowing, from the quality of production to the seamless application of technology. The winner of this competition gets a multi million dollar recording contract with Hollywood records. This show is definately worth watching. The best part for me about the show is how 48hrs before a contestant could be idle, jobless, or on a different job and then 48hrs later on stage singing with their favorite artiste infront of the world. Totally Awesome!

man on the ledge!

He didn't steal the diamonds?? seriously! ok no more spoilers, if you havent seen 'MAN ON THE LEDGE' you should cop the DVD and watch that movie.This breath taking action movie i had the privilege of watching recently 'LASTMAN things'every second of the movie was worth it, the best poart was that you couldnt predict what would happen next...

Man on the Ledge which stars Sam Worthington (avatar) and Ed Harris and directer by Asger Leth is an action movie about Nick played by Sam Worthington who is sent to jail after being accused of stealing a $40million diamond. He sets out to prove his innocence by attempting to jump off the ledge of a highrise building only there is alot more going on. This movie get 4 G-stamps from me.
*worth watching.

mis-'spaced' priorities!

using space technology to boost the economy??? that has to be the most ridiculous thing i have heard since i was hooked to a placenta. Our misplaced priorities as a nation is an ever present source of amazement. A few days ago i did say while discussing with some friends that from govt. to govt. in the last 10 years, there has been very little care for the people. Incase you have no idea what i am on about, The Nigerian government recently announced it will send astronauts to space by the year 2015, that's in 3 years. Isnt there a reason the American government recently put an end to its space program?

Riddle me this, is it the same nation that lost a communication satellite in space over night with out the slightest idea where the said satellite drifted to that now wants to endanger the lives of some  'wanna be Nigerian astronauts'. There a  pressing issues we have to contend with which in all fairness even the US govt.has challenges coping with, so far i have yet to see or read about any creative solution or positive move towards reducing this. I know for a fact that the SSS and DMI are working hard to fix this but as i always say: 'any organization/entity is a reflection of its leadership'. Until we begin to place value on human life and the welling being of the people misplaced priorities would be a norm.

we are our worst enemy!

You are your worst enemy! as i have always maintained: we are what we make of Grace, time and Circumstance. As far as certain aspects of our lives are concerned God has blessed us with an unimaginable amount of control and choices. Nothing ever happens by accident ever, and sometimes the best things in our lives come into existence as a spinoff of the worst times of our lives. 

Its been quite a while since my last post. over the years i have tried to train myself to be alert to the good (lesson/benefits) of every situation i find myself no matter how unsettling (*easier said than done right*)....

Let me put my ramblings into perspective:

In October 2002, a young music producer from a middle class background while working late with some world class artistes like the black eyed peas, left the studio at 3:00am to head home. While in his rented vehicle he was cut off at an intersection by another driver and was involved in a near fatal accident which left his jaw fractured into several pieces. while in recovery at the hospital he composed several singles from his first album which formed the basis for the next phase of his life. Fast forward 18 Grammy's and several other awards later he is without a doubt one of the most successful artistes in the history of music. His  is Kanye Omari West.

No matter the rumors you may have heard concerning Kanye you gotta admit he had to make certain choices on his recovery bed that set the stage for all he has amounted to today. Its all up to YOU! God has blessed us all with abilities in accordance with his perception of the big picture you are a cure to a certain pain, a plug to a certain leak.. What you do about it is all up to YOU!

~gd

The Journey- very shitty *

The sour taste in my mouth as I write my first post of the year is definitely not as a result of the cherry fruit (agbalumo) I didn’t suck on. It is with all certainty the bouts of bad or almost terrible movies I have subjected myself to within the last 2 weeks. ‘Common don’t take life too seriously its just a freaking movie’- I hear you say- hell NO! it is more than a freaking movie to me…

It is about the only semblance of a social life I have these days. Its never about the money but the principle…lol (#wash). Someone please explain to me why I should be forcefully subjected to 94-120 mins of paid  torture at the cinema when I could easily sit in my house hit download and endure a terrible movie at my own convenience. I really love movies, I am also a collector of good ones. But as it turns out it may seem like 2012 is setting itself up to be a shitty year in movies. Case in point: ‘The Journey 2’.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, and a bunch of terrible actors, the movie is about the story of a young boy who goes on an adventure with his step dad to find his long lost grandfather who went  missing while in search of a mysterious island years ago after receiving a weak satellite transmission from him. Everything about this movie sucked, from the crappy sound effects (probably the cinema’s fault in all fairness), to the lame CGI effects, the costumes (precisely the weird pants worn by Vanessa Hudgens), the shallow details (like jelly fish that refused to sting or the peaceful great white sharks) and stupid dialogue. This movie has to be the shittiest movie I have seen in a long while. Some movies are not worth watching at the cinemas and the journey 2 directed by Brad Peyton should have been a straight to DVD release.

I will give this movie a miserable 1-G stamp. I must mention also that ‘the Descendants’ though generally a good movie isn’t also worth watching at the cinemas seemed to me more like a film for the family living room.