Renault Joins Forces with "Solo: A Star Wars Story" to Take Customers on the Alternative Road [Video Included]

Image from the Renault's "Star Wars" TV commercial [starring Chewbacca]

Are you ready to take the regular road with Renault?
Does Renault’s alternative road have you considering the regular road with Renault? From browsing articles about ‘How the 10 Worst Renault Trafic Sports Fails of All Time Could Have Been Prevented’ to checking out a lease on a new Renault KADJAR, if you’re inspired by Renault, it might be time to look into purchasing that new motor. You don’t have to invest in an entirely new vehicle either - you could consider lease or secondhand options to find a car you’d be happy to take on a new journey.

Renault is teaming up with "Solo: A Star Wars Story" to provide a thrilling experience for its customers ahead of the launch of the film, released in UK cinemas on 24 May 2018.

From April to July 2018, Renault is inviting everyone to 'take the alternative road' through a pan-European campaign - designed and produced in collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney and Publicis Conseil. For the French car manufacturer, this is an unprecedented collaboration which will be live in 25 countries throughout Europe.

When Renault joins forces with "Solo: A Star Wars Story", it's natural to expect adventure. In the all-new movie featuring the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy, we'll find out how taking the alternative road led Han Solo to meet his mighty future co-pilot, Chewbacca. Now, thanks to the features of Renault KADJAR - 4x4 transmission, emergency breaking system and blind-spot alerts - Renault is offering its customers their chance to 'take an alternative road' too.

Image from the Renault's "Star Wars" TV commercial [starring Chewbacca]

Live out your "Solo: A Star Wars Story" dream with Renault 

From 9 April 2018, Renault is giving everyone the opportunity to be a part of Han and Lando's adventure in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" in selected dealerships*: Visitors will be invited to watch an exclusive scene from the upcoming film, seven weeks before its release. To add even more excitement, the preview is brought to life through virtual reality (VR) technology.

*Available at dealerships in the following countries: UK; Ireland; Netherlands; Portugal; Switzerland; Austria; Poland; Czech Republic; Sweden; Denmark; Belgium

Image from the Renault's "Star Wars" TV commercial [starring Chewbacca]

Are you ready to take the alternative road? 

Renault has also partnered with Shazam to provide those on their commute a chance to taste the Renault and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" experience - at their bus stop. Taking part is simple: participants just have to use their Shazam app to scan the Renault and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" out of home advertising - then the adventure begins.

This activation launches a video where the user can explore the Renault KADJAR, observing each aspect of the vehicle as if it was just in front of their eyes via augmented reality. Users then click through to learn more about the features of the vehicle.

The augmented reality experience is just one part of the fully integrated campaign, which also includes a TV spot that stars Chewbacca. Renault also worked with leading visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, known for their work on the Star Wars films, to create the special effects in the TV spot.

In addition to the exclusive in-dealership and Shazam experiences, Renault is also running a national competition which will provide those who enter the chance to win a variety of goodies and "money can't buy" experiences. Consumers can enter the competition by visiting their nearest dealership.

Alongside the TV spot, press and out of home materials communicating to the general public, the majority of the assets developed will be published on digital platforms. The content has been developed with customer profiles at its heart, providing a tailored experience for each different audience.

Image from the Renault's "Star Wars" TV commercial [starring Chewbacca]

SOURCE:  Publicis Conseil and Renault

The Video:

Southend-on-Sea: Street Artist Pays Tribute To Carrie Fisher By Doing What He Does Best

Original Images via 'Your Southend' Facebook Page

I'm so glad I follow 'Your Southend' on Facebook... if not, I might have missed their post about this brilliant tribute to the late Carrie Fisher by a local street artist and I would definitely have kicked myself. 

Image via 'Your Southend' Facebook Page

This new piece of street art, from local artist John Bulley, is on the seafront and a 20-minute walking distance from where I live... I'll definitely go check it as soon as possible.

Image via 'Your Southend' Facebook Page

Anyway, I thought I would share this wonderful tribute (and masterpiece) with you guys.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

John Bulley - Image via 'Your Southend' Facebook Page

PS: Thanks (once again) to 'Your Southend' for the heads-up and John Bulley for his great work.

PPS: BTW, John Bulley has a website... Click here If you want to know more about this Southend based talented artist. Definitely worth a visit or two!

A Storm In A Twitter Cup... [The One About That Milo Unverified Account Thing]

With the #JeSuisMilo hashtag spamming Twitter these last days, you could easily make the mistake to think that someone called Milo got killed by some terrorists... 

I mean, after all, the anniversary of the dreadful events in Paris was only a few days ago and nobody would trivialise what happened then by using a hashtag a la #JeSuisCharlie for something silly, would they?

Oh, yes, they would... and they bloody did!

Click here to see tweet on Twitter

Will Donald Trump Get The Schlong? - Petition To Ban Him From Entering The UK Will Be Debated In Parliament!

The following is a quick update on how the petition asking the Government to ban Donald Trump from entering the UK is doing...

And, from what the email I received last night says, it's not doing too badly, somehow. As the petition has over 100,000 signatures., the Petitions Committee will not only consider it for a debate, but they can also "gather further evidence and press the government for action."

Sounds promising...

The full response from the Government can be found below as well as a little humoristic video of mine as a bonus. .

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

Donald Trump's Honorary Degree Has Been Revoked!

You probably have heard by now of the online petition asking the British government to ban Donald Trump from entry to the UK on hate speech grounds...

 click on this link to access the petition page

But there was another online petition regarding the US presidential candidate going as well that you might not have heard about... That one was asking Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) to "strip Donald Trump of the honorary degree it bestowed on him with immediate effect."

Santa Claus Now Officially Cleared For Entry Into The United States

Santa Claus was officially cleared for entry into the United States as federal agriculture officials waived stringent livestock checks on his nine reindeer.

The US Department of Agriculture announced in a light-hearted statement that a “Mr. S.Claus” of the North Pole was free to enter the United States with his reindeer from December 24 to December 25.

“During this season of giving, USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa,” said John R. Clifford, USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer.

“We agreed to waive the normal application fees and entry inspection/overtime costs, provided he winks his eye and wishes port personnel a Merry Christmas at the time of crossing.”

Authorities also waived the normal health checks for Santa’s reindeer — provided they met certain alternative conditions.

“As a condition of entry, the reindeer must be certified by Santa Claus as never having been fed anything other than hay, sugar plums and gingerbread,” the statement said.

“The reindeer must also be individually identified with microchips or official eartag identification, and must respond to the names ‘Dasher’, ‘Dancer’, ‘Prancer’, ‘Vixen’, ‘Comet’, ‘Cupid’, ‘Donner,’ ‘Blitzen’ and ‘Rudolph’ when interacting with port personnel.

No more than one reindeer in the group may be visibly affected by ‘Rednose Syndrome’, and upon entry, port personnel will visually inspect the reindeer to ensure they are healthy and fit for continued travel.”

The reindeer would also be required to be “pulling a wooden sleigh that has jingling bells attached and is filled with brightly-wrapped gifts.”

“Port personnel will clean and disinfect the runners and underside of the sleigh at the time of entry,” the statement said.

The USDA’s festive statement was in keeping with agencies who acknowledge the existence of Santa Claus, albeit with tongue firmly in cheek.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which polices the skies above Canada and the United States, regularly tracks the progress of Santa Claus and his reindeer in realtime on its NORAD Santa Tracker (www.noradsanta.org)

Related Videos:

Related Articles

• The Santa Claus Myth - Should You Tell The Kids The Truth?
• Santa Claus visits with pets in 'Santa Paws' event
• Santa Claus Black or White? Why it Matters

The One About Some Very Famous Geeks And The Year 1955

 

Vintage black typewriter (Photo by Pixabay)

Once again we are (kinda) traveling back in time... This time, we are re-visiting the year 1955 with a rather geeky-ish approach, thanks to Jennifer Robinson, our Guest Writer for the day. It looks like quite a few of the famous geeks of today were born during that year... as well as a not so obvious one. Cool!

• Oh and we have a treat for you guys as well... A video about Information Technology and how it was understood (or not) in its early years with no other than Olivia Munn starring in it!

The vid was salvaged from the ruins of the defunct 'Forward and Share' on our way back to.. err... now. The original post couldn't unfortunately be recovered in its entirety but, the clip by itself is definitely worth that extra trip through time, so everything is fine on the LoupDargent.info front and all that.

Enjoy!

Loup Dargent

PS: Do you know anyone you respect, admire, love, etc... who was born in 1955? If yes, feel free to tell us about them on here, okay? Thanks in advance.

Mr Bean

How Mr Bean Led the Computer Industry

1955 seemed like any other year to most people, but unbeknown to the world '55 was to prove the arrival of the geeks. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Tim Berners-Lee and Eric Schmidt were all born in 1955.

Brilliant author Malcolm Gladwell also noticed this occurrence of the rise of computer genius in his book "Outliers" stating "they were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and have the strength and presence of mind to seize the opportunities." Was it really as simple as that? I continued the search to find if there was something more significant and profound that occurred that year

Predictions for the future in 1955 included one from Henry Dreyfuss (a celebrity industrial designer) that future telephones would have miniature television tubes, perhaps predicting iPhone, but he also said Mail would be dispatched across the country by guided rockets - which is too much of a stretch to say he predicted email.

In Chinese Astrology it was the year of the WOOD SHEEP who's characteristics include Smart. Artistic, Kind, Happy, Reserved, Insecure, Dependent (hardly the description of these guys). McDonalds opened their first restaurant in 1955 a company that pioneered corporate globalization. Still I couldn't quite see these fellows devouring a happy meal.

None of these events seemed to prepare the world for the forthcoming invasion of the nerds so I looked to music. The best selling US single of the year was Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Prad. A reference to Apple there maybe ? But the evidence was thin.

I delved into literature "The Return Of The King" by Tolkien was published that year, could that be the catalyst for their success ? If so who was the King ? On Tv the top show was the $64,000 Question. Nothing seemed to fit maybe Gladwell was right again.

I turned to science 1955 was the year we said goodbye to two of finest minds of the 20th century Albert Einstein and Alexander Fleming. Did this hold any significance? In Computer science the ENIAC was shut down.

In Astronomy on the 20th of June 1955 there was a total eclipse . My mind raced was the eclipse the same day as the summer solstice, was this some Pagan, Sumerian, Mayan or Egyptian symbol preparing the world of the coming of the geeks. But no another dead end as the solstice is on the 21st of June.

Turning for answers as so many do to Religion, 1955 I found that Margaret Knight stunned Britain by suggesting morality without religion. The dead sea scrolls continued to be discovered in 1955 and both Messianic Rule scroll and the War Scroll were published. Again nothing quite seemed to click.

Maybe the answer comes from beyond this world, Dr. P. S. V. Setty said in January 1955 "reports have come from all over the world of strange objects being sighted in the sky which are generally known as Flying Saucers". Interesting but hardly Roswell, I concluded that the reality distortion field and parking in a disabled space did not prove extra-terrestrial involvement.

Finally having exhausted all possibilities I was ready to concede that Malcolm Gladwell was right. There was no sign that the geeks were coming or significance of the year. Then I sat down and switched on the television. An old episode of Mr Bean came on.....

Something sparked in my mind. That's it. I jumped up and searched wikipedia. 1955 was indeed the year of the geeks. Rowan Atkinson who plays the much loved Mr Bean was the key. Before Eric Schmidt, Before Bill Gates, Berners-Lee and Jobs came you guessed it......Mr Bean. Rowan Atkinson was the first born geek of 1955.

When Apple did a parody of Microsoft in a commercial who did they use - Mr Bean and what's more he danced to Mr Bombastic proving he is the king of the geeks. There was a sign of the rise of the geeks and that sign was Mr Bean. And if Tolkien had predicted the "Return of the King", he surely would be the first born geek - who was not Steve Jobs but Mr Bean. Take that Mr Gladwell. 

• January 6 1955: Rowan Atkinson - Mr Bean himself was born at the beginning of '55 heralding the start of a Geek Power and the spiritual leader and returning king...
• February 24 1955: Steve Jobs the co-founder of Apple, the guy who gave us Toy Story, PIXAR, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iTouch, iPad, iPhone...

Steve Jobs

• April 27 1955: Eric Schmidt the CEO of the worlds biggest media company and search engine Google and also a former board member of Apple, until Android sort of got in the way...
• June 8 1955: Tim Berners-Lee the founder of the world wide web. Whilst at CERN Berners-Lee presumably between creating a particle accelerator and talking to researchers for Dan Brown books found some time to create the www.
• October 28 1955: Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft that eventually got so bored of the computer industry he has now decided to rid the world of mosquitoes instead.

Mr Bean

Footnotes:

• Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems was born in 1954, co-wrote Java and has been bravely outspoken about the dangers of technology.
• The great Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of Britain in 1955 and was once quoted as saying "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it".

Space race in 1955

About Today's Contributor:

Jennifer Robinson writes for OnlineConnect.co.uk an office equipment and document management system provider that specialises in the sale and rental of photocopier machines.

The Video-Clip:

Extract from the original (now deleted) 'Forward-and-Share' post where I originally posted the video:

Have you ever wondered how those useful IT tools that we're now taking for granted (and we wouldn't even dream to do without) were perceived in the "good old days"?

Well, you won't need to anymore now (and you won't even need to borrow a TARDIS to find out) as, today, 'Forward-and-Share' is taking us all back in time...

Back to a time when people were laughing and snigering when hearing the words "floppy disk" - even so they didn't have a clue what a floppy disk was for.

Ah yes, those were the true dark ages...

"But, how do we travel in time and see that happening?"
That's easy, all you need to do is watch the video clip...

Olivia Munn's (abridged) Filmography:

Source: The Internet Movie Database

• The Slammin' Salmon (2008)
• Insanitarium (2008) (post-production)
• Big Stan (2007)
• Beyond the Break (9 episodes, 2006)
• Attack of the Show Co-host (2006-2012)

[ More details at IMDb ]

Football Fiesta - The Heineken Way

Girls, Rio Carnival costumes, beer and football. The perfect mix?

What happens when you bring together the beautiful game, amazing costumes from the ultimate football nation – we’re talking Brazil of course – and everyone’s favourite Dutch export? 

Whatever you’re imagining, it probably isn’t this…