There has been an incredible amount of creativity that has gone into (RED)™. Some really talented video artists have come together to support the Windows and Dell (PRODUCT) RED™ campaign to Get a More Powerful PC. Using a little stop-motion photography, some ingenious materials and a whole lot of imagination, their results are extraordinary. Check out this video, “Dominoes”:

        
Video: Dominoes

One of the artists behind “Dominoes,” Tim Fort, was kind enough to write about his experience creating the video. We’ve all played with dominoes as kids, lining them up and knocking them down, but Tim takes the game to a whole new level:

As an International Man of Kinetic Artistry, I find myself going to interesting spots around the globe: Belgium, New York Mills, Las Vegas, and the latest, Seattle. Earlier this month, I found myself in a studio space at Seattle Grip and Lighting, working on a project for Microsoft and their Windows (PRODUCT) RED. My assignment was to design, in dominoes, various motifs: a computer, (RED) logo, a pill, heart, Africa, and musical notes. These icons represent what happens when people buy something (RED): people buy a computer, which is (RED), which raises money for medication, a sign of solidarity and love, going to people in Africa. The music notes are for the street karaoke part of the event where everyone can raise their voice for awareness of this cause. As with most video shoots, there was a lot of effort and creativity crammed into two long shooting days. It's the kind of work, though, that I find stimulating--working with bright, artistic people in an energetic environment where one's own efforts have a large impact on the final video.
 
Since the world of domino tumbling and other kinetic art is still so far on the cutting edge of the art world, it's a learn-as-you-go situation in which one often encounters unforeseen pitfalls. On this shoot, I encountered a pitfall in the form of flaky white paint on the set which caused the dominoes to stand crookedly and fall unexpectedly. However, I learned over the years that production houses can fix things with astonishing speed, and in our case, salvation came in the form of four large plexiglass sheets delivered post haste to Seattle Grip and Lighting. Once that imbroglio was resolved, the domino tumbling proceeded at a rapid pace. On that first shooting day, we completed the (RED) mosaic, the computer, and the pill.

On the second day of shooting, I completed the large domino heart, followed by the musical notes.Then I tackled the largest and most challenging domino set-up: an outline of Earth with a filled-in Africa. It wasn't just an issue of creating a recognizable globe, but also getting the complex pattern of dominoes to fall in the correct sequence. Luckily, the Earth pattern of dominoes worked the first time.  While I had a few small mishaps due to Flying Elbow Syndrome, I was fortunate in that all of my domino set-ups worked correctly when the cameras were rolling. After we finished the main shooting, we got a few shots of one of my other kinetic-art techniques, a kinetic flip-book of sorts that I call a Muybridgeoscope, and got some excellent shots of animation sequences.
 
Thanks to the efforts of Jessica, Vince, Celene, Kristen, Michelle, and Sarah, we got terrific footage of 6,000 dominoes. I'm very curious to see the finished video and how it will be implemented in a video-wall display. Not only did I enjoy working with dominoes, but this project was rewarding in a deeper sense as my efforts will help the (RED) program to save lives in Africa.
 
Tim Fort, July 21st, 2008

 
What I took away from watching Tim’s work is that the power of (RED) is truly a chain-reaction. A finger enters a computer screen, and with one simple push of a domino, patterns result that symbolize how Windows and Dell (PRODUCT) RED helps to eliminate AIDS in Africa. The stream of falling red dominoes flow to create an image of a computer, which then turns into a (RED) banner. The sale of these (RED) Dell PCs help to fund life-preserving antiretroviral (ARV) medication for people living with AIDS in Africa – hence the next domino patterns of a pill, a heart, the Earth and Africa. Once we see the musical notes – a nod to our collective power when we come together and raise our voice – the patterns begin over again and the cycle continues. When you make the purchasing choice to buy a More Powerful PC, the resulting flow of funds to help eliminate AIDS in Africa is as effortless as the falling dominoes effortless – unlike Tim’s intricate work.

You can check out Tim’s video along with all of the other captivating videos in all of their full glory at the Raise (YOUR) Voice events throughout the country – just check out the schedule in the upper right hand corner of this blog.

Everest Team INSPI(RED) is happy to be sending you this dispatch from the safe confines of Base Camp! For the past two days, we have been working our way down from the South Col, after our successful summit of Mount Everest on the morning of May 22^nd. As previously reported, we left to begin our climb at about 10:30, the evening of the 21^st. The weather was really mild, meaning warm with no wind, but the biggest challenges came from the number of people attempting a summit. After much hard work and climbing, we were able to reach the summit successfully at about 8:00 in the morning, a few hours after the sun came up. The summit was crowded but fortunately the weather was really quite warm with calm winds, and a little snow and clouds. We were able to spend a little over an hour on top, sharing in the emotion of the experience and all that brought us here. After some summit photos, we began our descent back to the South Col. We are now happy to be back at base camp, having achieved a goal that we set out to accomplish months ago. We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support for our success and for the support of (PRODUCT) ^RED™ .

We have stood at the top of the world, but at the base of human need

And every step to get here, was taken with purpose over speed

Unity, strength and a vision of change brought us here

And the most important thing encouraging us was the absence of fear

We urge you to make a choice for humans, a choice for change

And be confident that the destinations that seem the furthest are within range

Melissa Arnot

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.

After much weather watching last night we decided to depart for our summit attempt at 10:30 PM.  We slowly made our way up, moving among about 70 or 80 other climbers.  The number of people as well as dry, rocky conditions made for slow walking - almost causing us to turn around at various points.  After all of that at 8:10 AM on May 22 Nepal date and time, Everest Team INSPI(RED) and 2 Sherpa Tsering Dorjee and Fura Kancha stood together on top of the world at 29,035 ft.  With a combination of perseverance and luck we are now safely back at Camp IV in the South Col.  We will check in from Base Camp in a few days and further describe our adventure with photos.  Thank you everyone for all of your support and good thoughts.  It's now time for us to get some much needed sleep. 

This one's for you - Bono, Bobby, Susan, Tamsin, Ron, Collin, Kate and the rest of the amazing (RED) Team!

Jeff Dossett, Melissa Arnot and David Morton

Everest Team INSPI(RED)

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch is brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.

This is Jeff, Dave and Melissa checking in from the South Col on Mount Everest at about 26,000 ft.  After a good night’s rest at Camp III we headed up to Camp IV early this morning and climbed with oxygen for our first day.  Everybody is feeling really well.  As soon as we got in we promptly made ourselves comfortable with soup and hot drinks in our tents.  We are just resting up and getting ready for what we have in store.  We will check in shortly.

Everest Team INSPI(RED)

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch is brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.

Today has been a busy day at Camp II. In addition to resting and eating in preparation for our summit bid, we have been organizing equipment and deciding what to bring up with us.  We will need to bring (or wear) our down summit suits as well as some warmer base layers for underneath.

Tomorrow morning we are heading to Camp III at about 4 o'clock am, which is a cold time of day above 21,000 feet, so we will likely be wearing most of our warm layers. Gloves are very important, and we will each be wearing a warm, insulated pair, as well as carrying extra gloves and down mittens. In addition to all the warm gloves, we will have chemical hand warmers, in case it gets really cold. As you can see in the photos, we all are wearing the warmest mountaineering boots that are available, which are basically two pairs of boots inside each other, with built in over boots, or gaiters. We will be wearing warm wool socks, with chemical toe warmers, or battery operated warming socks, to keep our toes warm if need be.

In addition to warm clothes, we will be carrying safety equipment; first aid kits and radios for communication with our base camp. We also have plenty of camera equipment and we will be carrying various banners from our supporters. All in all, the preparation has been going very well, as we pack and prepare for our early departure tomorrow. We are all getting very excited to be getting closer to our goal. There has been so much preparation to get to this point, we are now trying to stay focused and strong.

EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) was conceived to build awareness of (PRODUCT) RED and to inspire others to do what they can help in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. We thank you all for following along as we make our final push to the summit during the next week.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, reaching the summit of Mount Everest requires perseverance, dedication and a healthy dose of inspiration. We are blessed with plenty of inspiration including the kind words of support that we have received from many of you. Whenever I am in need of a little boost in motivation, I take a good long look at the incredible quilted banners hand-crafted by the volunteers at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust in South Africa. These banners remind me of why we are here and the amazingly proud and capable people living with HIV/AIDS that we are trying to help.

I thank you again for making the personal effort to learn more about (PRODUCT) RED and the many great products and services offered by the proud partners of (PRODUCT) RED. For more details see www.joinred.com.

I'd also like to share a short poem that I think of often during the more difficult moments here on the mountain:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away". (Anonymous)

Over the next few days, as we make our final push to the summit, there will no doubt be many moments that take our breath away (and not just a result of a lack of oxygen)!
You inspire us everyday!

BUY RED. SAVE LIVES. JOINRED.COM

Melissa Arnot and Jeff Dossett

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch is brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.

The time has come to leave the relative comforts of our base camp and head into extreme altitudes. Tomorrow morning at 3:30 we plan to here for our final push through the ice fall and on to CII. On Monday the 19^th we will take a rest day there at over 21,000 feet. On the 20^th we move to CIII and on the 21^st to CIV or the ‘South Col’. We’ll then have two opportunities to try for the summit. The first would come on the night of the 21^st putting us on the summit in the early hours of May 22. We will also have enough oxygen to spend over 24 hours on the South Col and make an attempt the night of the 22^nd putting us on the summit early on the 23^rd. That decision will be based on weather and the condition of the team once we are in place at CIV. Up here even the best laid plans are subject to quick changes and our flexibility will serve us well if conditions on the mountain present differently than expected.

The past week has been a wonderful one for Jeff, Melissa and I. We had the opportunity to drop down more than 5,000 feet from base camp and enjoy the incredible number of rhododendrons blooming. The grass in the meadows in Deboche was beginning to green and all around there was flowing streams. It was a delight. As you could see from the pictures in the last dispatch we truly relaxed. We also were able to visit the Tengboche Monastery, the largest in the Khumbu.

Base camp is beginning to take on the characteristic feel of a summit week. There’s a great deal of excitement and anxiousness coupled with a sense of things starting to wrap up. All of the climbers sense that the end of the quest could be near and it makes for a tense but exciting time. So far the season has been blessed with little in the way of accidents and tragedy. We intend to keep it that way as we ascend into what feels like the heavens and look down across the sweeping Tibetan plateau, the valleys of Nepal and the Indian sub-continent.

We’ll be in touch from above.

DAVID MORTON

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.

It is good to be back ‘home’ to base camp today, after a few days of resting in Debouche, although, the resting was pretty great. After lunch at base camp today, we pulled out our oxygen equipment and practiced using it, before the air gets too thin! This year, we will be using new technology masks (field tested on Everest in 2007). We practiced attaching the regulators to our masks and to the oxygen tanks. It is very exciting to be getting our final stages of preparation out of the way.

To rest and recover in preparation for our final summit push, we decided to hike all the way from base camp (about 17,600 feet) down valley to Debouche at about 12,500 feet. This “rest low and recover” technique was originally developed by Russian mountaineers in the 1970s and it is employed by most teams here at Everest. We hiked for about 13 miles from base camp to Debouche and were rewarded by green grass, trees and a lot more oxygen.

In Debouche we had a very busy time…sleeping in the grass and walking in the lush green forests that we have been missing. Okay, so maybe the life of climbers isn’t so hard, but we sure took advantage of the relaxation. There is a nearby village with the largest and most famous monastery in the Khumbu valley, Tengboche, where we went for lunch and tried to power our computers to send some photos, but the ‘cyber-café’ was closed for the season (I think a yak walked through the cables). At the lodge we were staying at, there was one power outlet, and the power came from a waterwheel, which was often diverted, which meant no power!

As you are looking at the photos that we are posting, I know you are wondering how David, Jeff and I are so stylish while climbing…okay, maybe that isn’t a question anyone is asking! Nonetheless, some people have offered enormous support to outfit us for this expedition. David and Jeff are graciously supported by Outdoor Research (www.outdoorresearch.com) for a significant part of their outerwear, and Melissa received tremendous support from Zappos.com and the amazing design team at Mountain Hardwear, particularly Dan Ramos with endless pairs of gloves and Chris Hillard for super awesome (and warm) sleeping bags. Remote Medical International has also been a great supporter, providing first aid supplies (and letting Melissa leave work for three months)! We are so lucky to have so many professional partners that believe in what we are doing, but like we have said before, it is the support of all of the individuals, and their support of (PRODUCT) ^RED™ that means the most to us.

As we get rested, and as we prepare to head back up the mountain for our summit push, we are all feeling very thankful. We are so appreciative of all of the support that people have been showing, not just for our climbing goals, but for (PRODUCT) ^RED™ and the amazing things that we can all do as consumers to make a positive difference in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa. Whenever we meet someone in a tea house, it is so encouraging to hear them say, with excitement, that when they get home they will learn more about (PRODUCT) ^RED™ or when they tell us about the (PRODUCT) ^RED™ products or services that they have purchased. These are the people that make the difference and drive the overwhelmingly positive change in the world health crisis of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Melissa Arnot

Today’s EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) expedition dispatch brought to you by Dell and Windows, proud partners of (PRODUCT) ^RED™.