Friday’s Best of the Web

27/01/2012
Power of Positive Thinking: Beverage giant Schweppes has unveiled an app for Facebook that gives users a look into the next year of their lives. The "Unexpected Future" app pulls info from the user's Facebook Timeline and uses the findings to predict a magical future of love, wealth and ultimate happiness for the participant. Once installed and launched, the application breezes through a number of future Facebook updates announcing job promotions, travel holidays and other major life events, complete with comments by your actual Facebook friends. It's a fun little distraction and inspiring to boot; there's something about seeing the possibilities that makes you feel that maybe they are, well, possible. 
 
Viva Mexico: Last week, the National Art Museum in Mexico (MUNAL) held its first Mextagram (Instagram users in Mexico) gathering for a pow-wow on inspiring creative ideas. Led by Pepe Montalvo, Vice President of Creative at Ogilvy Mexico, the event helped promote a photography competition for the Mextagram community. Staged in real time using the hashtag #mextagram_munal, the competition involved six teams of participants that had three hours to get the best photos from within the museum. They then published the photos using the following hashtags: #munal_sentimientos (feelings), #munal_bestias (beasts) and 'munal_miradas (glances). The competition runs through January 29th, and everyone in the Mextagram community is invited to visit the museum and upload their pics.
 
Speed Racer: BMW recently launched its latest model in South Africa with an experiential event well-suited to car lovers world-wide. The launch event featured an interactive projection that displayed a car racing video game. Players simply connected their Facebook account to an iPad which transformed the tablet into a virtual steering wheel. Participants used the iPads to steer the cars around the projected track and prizes were given away for those with the fastest times. The scores were also published within Facebook so even those not at the event could get a feel for the action. 
 
I Can Be Your Hero, Baby: Los Angeles-based artist Alex Gross is breathing new life into vintage photographs by giving their subjects superhero powers. The artist uses the method known as "piggyback art," taking an existing work of art and adding to it. In his latest series, "Heroes, Villains, and Monsters," Gross paints over antique cabinet card photos and in the process transforms each subject into a modern-day superhero, villain or monster. The works go on display at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in Los Angeles on February 25th but can be viewed now http://www.alexgross.com">on his website.