This video by Jonathan Jarvis has been doing the rounds on the blogsphere, so you may have already seen it. But if you haven’t it’s definitely worth a look. A animations full of diagrams explaining the basics of the credit crisis. I know that I’ve always been a bit hazy around the topic – I’m not a home owner and I only have a debit card – and for the last three months have been um-ing and ah-ing through conversations about the GFC (Global Financial Crisis that is).

This also shows how much learning can be assisted by online distribution and animation…check it out here.

The ocean covers approximately 70% of the planet and is home to 80% of all life on earth, yet we have only explored 5% of it. We’ll google are taking the dive, having just released it’s ocean extension to Google Earth. Users can now virtually explore thousands of images of underwater landscapes . The software has also integrated video footage of exotic marine life and shiples and clicps form the BBC Blue Planet series.

You can download the extension here for the latest version of Google Earth.

GE launched their latest integrated campaign with it’s Super Bowl ‘Scarecrow’ ad, directing viewers to their ecoimagination site where they can generate 3D holograms through their webcams.

This is the first time I’ve seen this technology put to commercial use. I first discovered it in the Papervision augmented reality test. Users simply print out a base diagram for the Flash based 3D image to be modeled on, then place it in the sight line of you webcam and the character will animate on your screen. You can even interact with them to some degree.

The GE execution is to promote thier new smart grid initaitve using alternate engery generator like wind turbines and solar panels. The site projects a 3D hologram of both. Very cool, and very cool site as well. All sections present interactive offerings to demonstrate their measurable energy goals. Check out it.

This is the first world wide site where nothing happens – created by Kit Kat. There is nothing clickable on this site, not animations just the text “Have a Break” in the centre of the screen and the Kit Kat logo beneath it. A clever execution by Kit Kat rather than trying to create an complex flash site with interaction they’ve stayed true to their slogn. Check out the small print at the bottom too.

Jonathan Harris is an artist/ designer well know for his We Feel Fine project which searches through the blogosphere to archive and sentences that describe how people feel. In a recent talk at ‘Flash on the Beach‘, Harris caused a bit of controversy by saying that digital and online work lacked emotion, stating “there have been no masterpieces”, and that the digital work needs to do more to distill human experience from the technical noise.

I personally agree with Harris, lately while Flash sites continue to impress with great and innovated tech capabilities, there are few I have come across that have executed them in a way that could move you.

In a response to all the outrage caused by his talk Harris wrote that “For some of the best traits of the ‘Flash Community’ – enthusiasm, playfullness, experimentation and mutual support – [these] can also become its weakness.”

Online designers can easily get caught up in the medium and fork away from the idea. “Tools are not the idea. Tools are tools.”

In his addendum Harris believes we are “approaching a moment when the work we create may be taken as seriously as novels, movies, music, photographs, and plays. I believe our medium