Monday, September 21, 2009

Some Serious Trash Tracking!

Saturday's Seattle Times featured a front page story on an MIT study to track the flow of our refuse and recyclables. Guess out of sight no longer means out of mind. Turns out Seattle volunteers are attaching tiny transmitters to their garbage and helping chart the journey and final resting places for their trash and unwanted items - which makes us wonder where the old Evil Knievel doll and plastic motorcycle we discarded in the 1970's might be today? Or the Hello Kitty pen from just a few years back? Sadly, they're still out there...somewhere...as is most everything else non-biodegradable that has ever passed through our fingers and our lives. We think it's a fascinating study that could lead to greater individual conservation, if we're willing to face the realities of consumption and our own denial that surrounds it. Heavy stuff, for sure. Kind of like that washing machine you dumped over the embankment down that side road in 1986. It's holding up quite nicely by the way.

Check out the Seattle Times article for yourself, as well as the Trash Tracking site, and a GOOD magazine article on the study.

Seattle Times

Senseable MIT Trashtrack
Good Magazine

A few good videos!

Many thanks to some friends of little films who have steered us toward some great video lately.


Jeff Arnim shared a terrific piece titled Man in Van, created by Sean Dunne, a superb, young NYC filmmaker - a fascinating portrait of a man living a life with few regrets...in a van in Manhattan. Very hip, and packs a social/emotional punch without being obvious or overbearing. And beautifully composed and shot by Ed David. We appreciate these guys (and Jeff) for sharing it.



Next up, Kelly Evans shared a trailer at lemonademovie.com - a piece that truly speaks to this moment in time. Facing the realities of unemployment and a possible career shift, a growing number of folks are choosing to see the glass half full, realizing that this may actually be the opportunity of a lifetime. Produced by former (future?) advertising professionals, the actual synopsis reads "More than 70,000 advertising professionals have lost their jobs in this “Great Recession.” Lemonade is about what happens when people who were once paid to be creative in advertising are forced to be creative with their own lives." Beautifully shot and edited, it's just a start - the team of Erik Proulx (writer) and Marc Colucci (director) continue to work on their full length piece.



And finally, we have to thank Lacey Lybecker for sharing an incredible video with us. Chances are you're one of the millions who've already seen it - which makes us feel way behind the curve since we hadn't! It's "Where the Hell is Matt?" - an amazing (and amazingly simple) piece that brings the world together, all while allowing the creator (Matt) the opportunity to create smiles and dance poorly across the entire globe. Turns out Matt's been doing this for some time and seems to be making a career out of it, even though he denies any desire to hold a job or work steadily. Makes no matter to us at little films - we salute Matt and would welcome the opportunity to not work steadily with him anytime!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

VillageReach Delivers!


It never fails to amaze us - there is good (and greatness) all around us. Just this morning we picked up the Seattle Times and were introduced to VillageReach, a non-profit located just down the road from us in Fremont. Call it entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropy, or even social capitalism (all are fitting), the point is these folks have figured out a way to truly deliver. In fact, delivering health care and related supplies to remote villages is exactly what VillageReach is all about. And they're finding innovative ways to do this, significantly improving access to health care in some of the most remote areas of the world. Thanks VillageReach! We would be honored to partner with you if we can ever be of service. In the meantime be sure to check out their site and the Seattle Times link!