Update: Check out Researching ThruYOU for downloads and information about Kutiman’s YouTube remix project

Yesterday, when I first set my eyes and ears on what Ophir Kutiel (aka Kutiman) did, my mind was immediately blown away by the freshness, the untamed talent and the attention to details. Did it really take him only two months to produce?!

The minimalist site, thru-you.com (which is down, again), designed by Bacon Oppenheim (who also did the amazing innovid site), gave the perfect feeling. The music and visuals sent shivers down my spine and gave me goose bumps (especially the final part of I’m New).

I found myself feeling the same feelings of astonishment when I first listened to DJ Shadow’s Brainfreeze, or during Coldcut’s live performance in Tel-Aviv. I immediately started downloading the MP3 tracks – I had to “own” a copy… Then I went over some of the original videos, which were used as samples in the tracks, and started having YouTube conversations with some of the surprised talents, who seemed extremely flattered (as they should!). Then I emailed Kutiman (and got a very warm response from his agent), and started sending every one I know to the site… which was already down. I’m still wondering why they chose to stream the video from their servers, instead of using YouTube’s most powerful feature – embed. Since I didn’t want people not to be able to experience it, I set up a very minimalist “unofficial mirror” site, containing the MP3 files and the YouTube videos downwithutube put online (great thinking, and kudos for including all the links to the originals!).

Kuti, if you’re listening, you are a genius, and I think you’ve just started a revolution (just an example: see what Kevin Rochowski wrote here. He immediately went to the iTunes store and purchased Kutiman’s debut album). I am new.

P.S. You can follow @kutiman and tell him how much you loved his project. Also, I wonder what Colbert is going to have say about it.

Update: I’ve just added the full list of credits/samples to the mirror site, thanks to progosk and Andy Baio.

Update #2: I’ve made the credits/samples list more usable, and I’ve officially changed the title to Researching ThruYOU. I am interested in collecting information about the featured musicians and how this project affects their lives. Please post a comment or edit this wikipedia page…

“What many people don’t know is that USSTRATCOM tracks and publishes a list of over 13,000 objects that they currently monitor. This data is meaningless to most people, but thanks to Analytical Graphics, it has now been made accessible free of charge to anyone with a copy of Google Earth. By grabbing the KMZ, you can not only view all objects tracked in real-time, but you can also click on them to get more information on the specific satellite, including viewing its orbit trajectory. It’s an excellent educational tool for the space-curious.” [Slashdot]

I had to wait for quite some time until I caught OFEQ over Iran though…

By the way, if you haven’t already, check out the 3D buildings in Tel-Aviv, created by Metroscape, and a new BBC series which makes use of satellite technology and data acquired from various other sources to create stunning images of Britain from Above.

Israeli Gayglers searching for “equal rights, justice, toleration… and a husband” :)

From the Official Google Blog:

This summer marked the first time Gayglers coordinated a presence at Pride parades globally. In San Francisco, New York, and Dublin, we had the largest (and perhaps rowdiest) presence of any corporation, and we went one further at Europride in Madrid where we were the only global company present among 45 floats. We had lot of fun at all of the marches, and it was a great way to bring Gayglers and their friends together in the communities we call home. We’re passionate about our diverse workplace, and we hope anyone who shares our commitment to equality will consider joining us.

» more photos from the parade