Month: December 2015

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Flickr a Day 336: ‘Boat’

American-born actor turned Chinese movie star, Jonathan Kos-Read is our story of the day. “I play white guys in Chinese movies”, he says—and television shows, too. Going by Cao Cao on the mainland, the Los Angeles native relocated in the late 1990s to teach English. With a flare for acting and ability to convincingly speak Mandarin, Jonathan started an unlikely career in Asian cinema. Financial Times profiled Cao Cao in January of this year as did National Public Radio in February 2011.

Jonathan is a pretty good photographer, too. “I shoot actresses and actors on our sets”, he says. “Between films, to relax, I shoot friends, models, and street photography. I never shoot for money. Acting is an artistic job. I betray it for a paycheck. So I keep this part of my artistic life pure”. His LensCulture interview is an insightful look into his photographic lifestyle.

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Microsoft Makes ‘Peace’ with Apple

Advertising rarely gets as good this! Microsoft sets the mood for the season in a new spot where its New York store staffers serenade Apple specialists for “peace on Earth”. A children’s choir joins the caroling, creating a classic! This is award-winning advertising in the making. Filming at night adds terrific ambiance, topped off with Apple 5th Avenue Store employees embracing their Microsoft retail rivals.

If Microsoft is the British Empire, then Apple is the American era. Oftentimes, the mighty are arrogant and condensing about their dominance, and it’s rare that they sue rivals for peace—from a position of dominance. The humbled fallen must adopt new tactics in the New World order. For Microsoft, that means cooperation. If nothing else, the commercial is a metaphor for the new Microsoft.