What is Black Helix?

Alternate Reality games (ARG), otherwise known as Transmedia games cross multiple platforms to fully involve the player with real world elements such a parcels in the post, phone calls and co-ordinates for meetings. They are fully immersive games in which players interact with the characters as well as each other. Each ARG has a trailhead which starts the game and helps you to find the next place to go.

The Dark Knight used ARG to good effect to promote the release of the film, the success of the 'Why so Serious?' campaign was phenomenal with 10 million participants online:



Black Helix is a new ARG that is running throughout March 2011 and looks to take Transmedia gaming a step further. Over a period of four weeks players are engaged into an interactive game that will include live events, phone calls, parcels in the post, real world tasks and a final role playing event.

Unlike most ARGs (and this is where it gets really interesting) players of Black Helix will become part of an unwritten story - the game is responding to the players and the alias names, information, research and sub plots that develop over the period of the game will all be integrated into the final story to create a unique ebook.

What's more, players can join the game at any point via the Black Helix website where all of the videos, photos and clues so far are presented. There is also a Black Helix Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The plot revolves around the kidnapping and players must hunt both online and off to discover the victim’s whereabouts. Here's the first video:


I've been playing the game and it's been really good, although I've not got as involved as other players who have received packages in the post.



The game is set to step up a notch tonight at 9:30pm GMT with a live interrogation on Tolerate Nothing with players able to ask questions to help them in their hunt to solve the case.

Booth at the end

The Booth at the End is a web series for Fox Entertainment that seems to have been made for the age of internet and short attention spans. The entire series is broken down into 62 short episodes with one episode released each day.

Xander Berkley (24, CSI, Terminator 2) stars as a mysterious man who sits at the booth at the end of a diner. People come to him with things they want: a parent with a sick child, a woman who wants to be prettier, a nun who wants to hear god again. The man can make these things happen. For a price. In exchange for what they want, these individuals must sacrifice their morals and do deeds normally inconceivable to them. Set off a bomb. Rob a bank. Kill a child. They must return to the man and describe every step in detail. As the characters' tasks begin to overlap, complications ensue. But the man never forces anyone to do anything.



I really want to visit the location where they filmed this





What's more, they're promoting the series with the Can you kill? game to test the morals of the player - would you kill for the thing you want?



if only:

Lee Washington Design blog

The design side of my blog has now been moved and will continue at design blog

The marketing side will continue here for the foreseeable future

New series of Top Gear

Sony NEX5 launches Facebook comp

Sweet camera that combines the best of both worlds of SLR and compact. Now there's a chance to win one in a very simple competition that taps into that part of Facebook that we all like to make sure really reflects who we are - the profile picture.

The SONY NEX5 Profile Hero competition has five categories (I definitely have friends that fit into these):

Family Funster - If you love your family more than life itself then you've found your category. We want to see your proudest moments captured here.

Night Owl - Night Owls come alive after sunset. They know how to have a good time and are the life of the party. If this sounds familiar then this is the category for you.

Portrait Poser - Portrait Posers don't shy away from the camera and they look great close-up. If this sounds like you then this is your category.

Sports Star - Fancy yourself as a bit of a Becks or R-Fed? If so then we want to see your most dynamic action shots.

Worldly wanderer - If you like to go wherever the wind takes you then this is the category for you. We want to see your most breathtaking panoramic travel shots.


The competition runs for four weeks with a chance to enter new profile pics into each of the categories each week. Enter yours here

Pizza Express Living Lab

Pizza Express has created the Living Lab concept restaurant at their Richmond location in London where they are experimenting with just about everything, from design and acoustics to service and food with a concept restaurant put together by a creative team including architect Ab Rogers, fashion designer Matthew Miller, artist Enzo Apicella and graphic designers GTF

The striking parabolic booths have been installed that act as mini recording studios, reflecting background noise whilst bouncing back the sounds of the conversation at the table to create an intimate acoustic chamber. In addition, the booths feature an ipod doc to allow the diners to choose the soundtrack to their meal.

Top Gear Stig Farm

Twenty5 Ethiopia

Twenty years after the great famine in Ethiopia, two young filmmakers, Nic Yeeles and Ehsan Bhatti, were given the opportunity to explore how Ethiopia has changed as a result of our generous donations 25 years ago.

The task was to create something unique, that goes against everything we're used to seeing in a charity video. They wanted an honest insight to what they saw and I believe that they have achieved that in this inspiration and uplifting short film:




Get involved and show your support at www.twenty5ethiopia.org

Tiger Beer Know the not Known

‘Know The Not Known’ has just been launched by Tiger Beer and features up and coming contemporary talents from the four fields of art, music, design and film and will provide access to the best parties in London.

Through their Facebook page your curiosity is rewarded by access to underground, invite only, Vice magazine and Tiger supported events.

The first of the NotKnown events will be kicking the series off with a real bang. Held in East London’s The London Fields, the event will be part Secret Cinema, part Halloween party this weekend.

Russell Hobbs starts global hunt for K1 kettle

In 1955 the K1 kettle was released by Russell Hobbs, it was revolutionary, being the first kettle in the world to automatically turn itself off once boiled - up until this point the kettle needed to be watched so that it did not boil dry, the K1 solved this problem with a valve switch that turned off the kettle with the steam from the boiling water. It was genius.

Now, over 50 years later there doesn't appear to be a working K1 in known existence. So they have started a search, using the power of social media and the web to find a K1 kettle that may be hidden away in someone's garage or attic.

There are prizes up for grabs for those that still have a working K1. Here's a photo of it:



Spread the word and let's get this kettle found! You can send photos in via their Facebook page, tweet it to @RussellHobbsUK or add it to their Flickr page.