31.10.08

Go get Picasa!

For my 100th post, I would recommend going and downloading Picasa 3, which just officially came out of beta. It's about freaking awesome, and adds a lot of functionality over Picasa 2, including an AWESOME image quick viewer that can replace Windows' Preview...
Get it here. (PS, the site still says beta, but the installer is the final.)

30.10.08

This week in Design!

Okay, so there's been some crazy cool displays of art circulating around the past few days. Check some out.
An interesting way to illustrate:


Politically charged, maybe, but these George W. Bush ads have some cool designs, especially the ones based off of typography.

All of you who don't know what Pantone means...well, you probably don't design. But never fear, you can still buy one of these for your design friends! (Actually, it's a concept, so, you can't really buy it...)

And lastly, coupling innovative game idea and M.C. Escher AWESOME design, we have Echochrome, a pretty sweet game.

For those In The Middle

Undecided?

The Heart

Cool.
Artificial Heart Developed, Beats Almost Exactly Like Real Thing

Public Service Announcement

I really appreciate it when busy/famous people take time out to do good things for the world. Angelina Jolie as a refugee Goodwill Ambassador for the UN, Bill Gates devoting almost 100% of his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization in the world, and now, of course, Leo DiCaprio following up his environment awareness campaign by bringing some of the world's most recognizable faces together with the 5 Friends PSAs.
Here's the latest:

Now do it!
[the other PSAs can be found here at YouTube]

It be pumpkin time.

Yay, we carved pumpkins!

Sleepover tonight for anyone who wants to come, we'll have projectors (well, probably just one) playing all the best Halloween movies, sleep (maybe...but probably, since I have school in the morning), and then the party continues Halloween night. If you can't come sleep over, you should definitely come to the Halloween party. I think we might make/edit/and show our own scary movie. And bring food. Woot! (Yes, I woot'd. I woot come if I were you. Ho! Look at that...)

28.10.08

Weekend, er, Tuesday Update

How about that new Pepsi logo, eh?
Well, I just thought I'd give a quick update to what's been on my mind the last few hours before I head to bed. So, let's give it a go.
A lot of people forget the impact of our own agricultural system when it comes to energy (hint: more greenhouse gases are emitted due to agriculture than transportation here), but at least one presidential candidate is thinking about it. Of course, that's when both candidates aren't having a dance-off:

More importantly, and seriously, though, is the use of language in this election. Anil Dash recently wrote an essay about Ms. Palin's use of language and how "it becomes clear that Sarah Palin's assertions are designed not to prove that Obama is unqualified for the office of the Presidency of the United States. Rather, she appears to be attempting to convince a substantial portion of her supporters that Obama supports terrorism against the United States and thus should be, at the very least, incarcerated as an enemy combatant?" All those "Gotchas" and "Betchas" from this tempestuous rogue are really being understood by at least one group of people.
Speaking of white supremacy, this little mini game is more a piece of art than a game, but it's still quite cool:

The Unfinished Swan - Tech Demo 9/2008 from Ian Dallas on Vimeo.

The idea being that you find your way around the maze by shooting blobs of blackness all around.
For those that care, Windows 7's pre-beta was given to some developers today, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. I personally don't think Vista is bad at all, in fact, I much prefer it over XP, but 7's features do look to be quite appealing, especially the Media Center. Watching and recording TV on your computer looks to be even more stylish and streamlined.
If you ever wonder what a cough would look like if you could see the disruption in the air around you, look no further! Researchers are trying to figure out exactly how germs are spread, and the technology they are using is producing interesting, beautiful, but definitely yuck-inspiring pictures.
Lastly, MTV has released every music video EVER MADE on their website, so just in case you wanted to see the classic "Whip It" video, you'll know where to find it: and the quality should be better than hi-def youTube.


Now, since I'm not sure really what time it is, or what time is, for that matter, I think tis time to hit the hay. Night.
[thanks to Kottke.org, Gizmodo, BoingBoing]
Oh yeah, and Go UTES!

Haha, So Sorry BYU

An alert reader (okay, it was Lance...) sent me this link and just for the principle I decided to post the song.
Here it is.
So sorry, BYU. This is our fate, not yours.

7 and Counting

With less than seven days to go until the election, I still am a bit surprised (especially with debates 2 and 3 aging beyond weeks) at the number of people who are undecided. I suppose I shouldn't be, but with all those campaign problems (advisors calling Palin "rogue," several top Republicans backing Obama, and McCain's personality/leadership issues), sometimes it's hard for those who have made up their mind to be patient. Please don't blame me, patience is truly a virtue!
However, I still believe that people should vote for the best candidate--in their mind. Everyone, including me, will try to convince you to vote a certain way, but in the end, it's your vote, don't let anyone (including yourself) tell you different.
However, it's interesting: we have so many rights (such as that to vote), but nobody really teaches you how to vote! Think about it. Everyone will tell you how important your vote is, but rarely does someone think about teaching good ways to determine who gets your vote. Well, you say, they taught be example and by practice. Really? High school elections are supposed to be exemplary of a political election? Well, I suppose they kinda are, however, if you are still undecided as of today, go on over to Scott Berkun's blog. There, he has written an essay describing the most effective methods on voting. I'll summarize my favorites here:

- "how can it make sense for everyone to vote solely on what suits themselves best? It’s not a United States of Me." [It's interesting to me how many people vote always only for their good.]
- "Many people make their list of positions on issues and try to find a candidate that best matches those positions. This is the idealists approach to decision making: so what if candidate A matches all your positions if they do no possess the skills required to deliver on supporting any of those issues while in office?" [This is what it seems almost everybody who is pro-McCain is doing. They like his values (or don't understand Obama's) and therefore, their vote is completely based on moral judgment, regardless of the person's capability to lead, which, in fact is job #1 of president)]
- "Fred I. Greenstein, Professor of Politics Emeritus at Princeton University, calls out 6 attributes most related to success in office, a veritable scorecard for our use:

1. Effectiveness as a public communicator
2. Organizational capacity
3. Political skill (well duh, but he explains specific traits)
4. Vision
5. Cognitive Style
6. Emotional Intelligence"

Now, we also shouldn't be completely concerned only with the presidential election...how many people who live here in Utah realize that we have a gubernatorial race as well?

27.10.08

Surfing in China

So, everybody should have heard by now how China censors their internet in a huge, giant processing center before it reaches anybody in China. What people may not know, is that there are ways to get around it (just in case anybody is going to China soon).
But what I've just discovered today, though, is that now we can get a first hand experience of "China-browsing" before we make our freedom-from-being-censored-loving criticisms of the practice. Check out the China Channel firefox plugin to find out the seriousness of China's censor program. (Just doing it gains you 50 Diversity points.)

26.10.08

What You Didn't Know, You Actually Did

Whoa. Crazy, eh?
So the real question you should be asking, instead of why don't my titles ever make sense, is how did I know that you'd read this post. Read on.
One thing I absolutely love, is to have deep philosophical arguments with myself. It's very enlightening, and quite fun, if not nerve-racking, to think about. Like, for example...the concept of time. I explained to my dad the other day:
When is being on time, on time? If a meeting is supposed to start at 10 o'clock, then if it starts at 10 o'clock and 30 seconds, is it still on time? How then, can you say, if it starts at 10:01, that it's late? For you just said that 10:00 is equal to 10:00 and 30 seconds, and if that's the case, 30 seconds = 0 seconds, which can be extended to show that twice of thirty seconds is also zero seconds. At which point you could begin proving that 10:02 isn't late, but then, neither is 10:04. Pretty soon, your meeting is starting at 11:04, but you're still on time (my kind of thinking, haha). Or...does time even exist at ALL!???
My favorite to tell people who aren't into math is this:
What is 1/9 times 9? Well, it's 1, of course. Okay, what is the fractional representation of 1/9? It's .1111 repeating endlessly. Perfect. Well, then what is .1111 (continuing forever) times 9? Obviously, it's .9999 repeating forever. Which is quite the predicament for all of us who want to have sane lives. How can 1.0000 = .9999? We've obviously lost something somewhere...now, if somebody could find it for me...

What I'm getting at, is that these are always fun to think about, especially when you don't go crazy because of them. I read this today, and was sent spiraling off in a lala-land of philosophical fun. I think it's quite interesting on both a spiritual and philosophical level anyway, and it's definitely a good read!

24.10.08

More Behind the scenes of "Truth"



At 3am Thursday morning, the filming of my short entitled "Truth" was officially wrapped. I must say that this was the most invigorating, yet most stressful, shoot I've ever completed. I think that part of that stress must have come from the fact that it was all me, no production help. Well, I take that back. My good friend, Chase, saved my life this week. Not only did he keep me organized, but he was also great moral and creative support. He even acted as a production assistant...basically he bent over backwards for me and this shoot, and I'm ever grateful for that. In fact, the entire cast was very helpful, and everyone involved pitched in to clean and set lights, so I'm very pleased.



I'd like to write a small list of things that I learned during this intense two-day shoot. They might seem obvious, and I don't know how applicable these would be in any other person's life, but I find it invaluable to ponder these things personally and publicly.



The list:
- Preparation is priceless. No matter how well you prepare for something, there are MANY things you didn't prepare for. Having someone who is corroborating with you who is honest is invaluable: I find sometimes people I work with won't be honest because they don't want to hurt my feelings (I know, wtf, right?), but somebody who can tell you that you're an idiot and you should think this way is such a help, even if it doesn't change your mind.
- When you want something, get it. I really wanted to shoot on top of the Walker Center in Downtown SLC, but I procrastinated too long to ask them. Instead, I was forced to use the Psychology building at the U, which I think worked really well, but I still wonder how much better it would look at the Walker Center.
- Sleep is important, and doing HUGE projects during a school week isn't advisable (although it wasn't really my fault).



- Whatever you do with your life, you should be having as much fun as we had, even though we all understood that we would be loosing about 10 hours of sleep in 2 days. We had an absolute blast.
- The roof of the Psychology building is cold stuff in the winter. It also may have radio frequency output which is higher that the FCC requirements for public places.
- Having a network of people is a smart thing, not something that people should look upon with disdain. It is true that it's all who you know. But that's encouraging, not discouraging, for you will find that your network of people has such a great potential, you all just have to tap it.



- Bonded roofs get slippery when there is frost on them.

and finally...

- Fog makers and smoke detectors in the ventilation system shouldn't not be advisably mixed together.

22.10.08

The Exciting Life of a Filmmaker



So, our first night of filming went rather smooth, if not a little long. I say "rather" smooth, because, well, we only really had one incident. Only one.
I guess I should mention that that one incident not only ate about an hour's time from our schedule, but it also involved loud noises, flashing lights, and, of course, the fire department. Haha. Yeah...
So, we were just getting started on our second major scene, hoping to finish quickly since we were already an hour past our expected ending time, when, all of the sudden, the fire alarm goes off.

Brilliant! Apparently our smoke machine wasn't playing too friendly with all of the ventilation, and it decided to notify the entire flipping WORLD that it felt that way. When the alarm first went off, I freaked out and ran downstairs to try and find the fire panel. I found it easy enough, but I didn't know the code to disarm it. I called poor Brady and informed him of what was going on, but he didn't know the building's code. I fretted about, wandered outside, discussing my options with Brady. As I wandered so, I decided that if I was ever going to crack a combination code, tonight was going to be the night. After all, most codes are four digits (a fairly moderate risk for thinking this way), and that means there are only 10 * 10 * 10 * 10 number of possible codes. Repeat: 10^4, or 10000 possibilities.
I figure with the industry I'm trying to break into, those are pretty good odds, but they certainly are formidable. I walked in, talking with Brady on the phone, and decided to start with the first one that came to mind: 1234.
Voila! Alarm disarmed. How about that? I really didn't know what to think, either I was just really good at this, or some person was very idiotic when it came to securing his fire system. Regardless, I was quite grateful, for once, of a person's idiocy...or my brilliance, I suppose. I was just plain grateful.

We finished the shoot at about 2:15am, just in time for almost all of us to go home just to get back up for work early this morning.
Tonight should be a much better experience, since we've got only a few shots left to film. I must say, though, that these are the experiences that once you are finished with, you appreciate them so much more.
Here's to even more happy times!

21.10.08

The Start of Filming, "Truth"


Well, here I am, it's 8:00pm and I'm the only one on set. Hrm...well, I asked everyone to be here by 7:30pm, but everyone has told me why they will be late. Hopefully I'll be able to make this a smooth and quick production, once everyone is here. I hope to be able to update at the end tonight and during tomorrow's shoot. I'm super excited, it's going to be great!

20.10.08

Conspiracy #1,109,288,320,320,389.5: Barack the Terrible

So, I found this list of things that would implicitly HAVE to be true if all of those excruciatingly-painful-to-listen-to implications put forth by so many Obama-fearing people were true.
It's quite good and makes the point I've been trying to make for quite a while. Please people, think before you say incredibly stupid things.
Here it is, abbreviated to the list, via kottke.org:
1) That Barack Obama is, and has been at least from his college days, a conscienceless, hermetic liar, who refused to reveal his true agenda and thoughts to anyone other than his co-conspirators; not to his casual friends, students, colleagues, employers, clients and constituents, and that his two books on his life and political beliefs are nothing but a pack of lies, possibly ghostwritten by others. Further, that Obama never acted in any significant way to advance that Marxist/radical agenda in any of his prior jobs or offices, presumably because if he had done so (by, say, putting forward a radical Marxist bill in the Illinois State Senate, where he served for 12 years,) he would have blown his cover, and ruined his chance to become President, which has always been his goal, and from which office he will finally enact his true agenda;

2) and/or that those of his friends/colleagues/co-conspirators to whom he did reveal his true agenda, (William Ayers, et al) have also maintained absolute perfect silence/mendacity on the topic, forever, as no one who actually knows Obama has ever said, “You know, once he’s got a couple of drinks in him, he starts going on about Che and finishing the Revolution;”

3) and/or all the sensible, centrist, often bipartisan things Obama did do (eg. the bill to tape interrogations in Illinois) the hundreds of thousands of dollars he he helped hand out via the Annenberg Challenge to things like literacy programs, et. al, were all mere cover for his true, as of yet unenacted agenda;

4) and/or all the national newspapers and news channels that have scoured every aspect of Obama’s life, from his childhood in Indonesia to his career as a law professor to his wife’s honor’s thesis at Princeton, and who have revealed absolutely no evidence of anything but Obama being an extremely intelligent, perhaps overly cautious and eager-to-please good-government liberal, have either themselves been duped or, more likely, are in on the scam.



Full article here. Great read.

Our Energy Crisis: The Solution

Well, I will start this post by admitting that it might come off as a very harsh commentary on certain political beliefs, but more importantly I hope that it does its job by informing everyone what is really available.

Okay. Here goes.

80% of US energy comes from fossil fuels. 32% of our energy is imported.
Anyone who believes that the most pertinent energy solution is to spend, and encouraging companies to spend, billions upon BILLIONS of dollars opening new drill sites or, heaven forbid, spend the billions on developing cheaper ways to extract oil from shale and sand should listen up to see the obvious. (Look, I know Utah has lots of shale--heck, there's a lot of potential--, but it costs a LOT of money: estimates are around $70-95/barrel, and that's at the source; by the time it gets to market, it could easily go for over $500/barrel, more than 5 TIMES the cost per barrel now.)
Everyday, alternative (and green, ps) energy solutions are showcased and being developed. How close are we? Well, pretty darn. Check some out:
Methods to produce Hydrogen at 30 times less the cost have been discovered in Korea. Efficient hydrogen fuel cells are in existence, the biggest barrier has been Hydrogen production. With minimal comparative investment, this technology could produce many new diverse jobs as well as be part of a comprehensive solution to abandoning oil.
Ohio State decided to allocate around $100 million for further research of advanced solar panels that take advantage of a wider spectrum of light to create more efficient panels. Combine this with IBM's freaking hot technology that uses nice little magnifiers to increase efficiency and their chip cooling technology that uses micro-aqueducts to liquid cool chips AND U of Delaware's solar technology, and it's very clear to see how incredibly exciting and potentially large new industry of sun.
And finally, with the coming of the Chevy Volt and hopefully mass production of this baby (yes, if it goes on mass pro, it'll be in my driveway), hi-powered electric vehicles are here to stay. This is extremely exciting, especially after our auto industry mysteriously axed the innovative and impressive electric vehicles of yesteryear (I'm talking EV1, an interesting read).
And let's not forget how relatively safe and efficient nuclear technologies have become.

Like it or not, this is the future. Even if you don't 'believe' in global warming, there is no doubt that our current (and some people's proposed) energy solution has an alarming effect: not only on the environment, but on us and our own health. The technology is so close, it just needs a comparatively small push from a nation that's ready to move on. America has always been a place where we accept problems and create BETTER solutions, instead of deciding to allow another generation to take care of it. The attitude of innovation is what America stands for. Quite frankly, at this point, to continue drilling (baby, drilling) is the only un-American thing we could do.

[Links thanks to Gizmodo]

18.10.08

Our security in the homeland

I'd like to ask a simple question: who feels safer in airports due to increased security?
It's interesting. I hear so many people claim that we need to fight the war on terror because we cannot succumb to the desires of terrorists. Okay, I agree: we shouldn't allow others to infringe on our way of life (but our way of life should also not infringe on others'...think about that for a bit), but I'm absolutely flabbergasted about how a nation who grounds itself on forward thinking could so utterly be frightened, with what amount to nothing more than Nazi fear tactics, that we are willing to give up our personal liberties, without question, because our government claims it will make us safer. Honestly. Because of those fear tactics, our nation does not lay claim to being the most free country in the world. How many rights have you given up recently, without even knowing?
Anyway, the point of the post is simple. In an article by the The Atlantic, we get to see first hand how effective these relatively new measures are. Are the actions that we, as a nation, took valuable at all? It's about time that each and every one of us actually asks that question, instead of accepting it as wisdom on our leaders' parts.
Even if you disagree, the article is interesting to read, even just the opening paragraphs. Fight the fear! (Only thing to fear, is fear itself, after all, right?)
[BoingBoing]

Our world's financial--ahem--crisis

So, the title may be misleading, but I thought it ironic. Nevertheless, those of you who know the little things about me, may know that I love architecture. It's one of the most fascinating forms of art to me, as science and art combine to form the most magnificent gargantuous (not a word) things we humans can dream of.
So, without further ado, I link you all to the plans of what will be the highest tower in the world (at 1.55 freaking miles!!!): all thanks to Gizmodo.
While these things are amazing, it also brings to mind the absolute atrocities that are happening because of these buildings. For more reading on that, check here.

17.10.08

Election 2008:The Movie

RopeofSilicon.com has quite the hilarious satire on their site right now. Basically it claims to be in talks to make a movie based around this years monumental election, and it goes through the 'cast' of the feature. Head on over for some hilarious casting and some good satire.

16.10.08

Thoughts after the debate

Well, the final debate that's not really a debate is over. I must say, I thought it was quite intense, and I think both candidates did what they needed to do. I try to look at these debates without taking sides first, but in the end, I think Obama did what he needed to do better than McCain.
McCain needed to bring out all the negatives of Obama, but he also needed to assure the American people that his policies would work. Problem was, he spent way too much time on the first, and nearly failed at the second. Second problem, all of the negatives he brought up, were easily countered and explained by Obama. Whether it was Ayers, ACORN, or any of Obama's policies, Obama had the answers that McCain said people deserved to know. (BTW-if McCain was so concerned about ACORN...why'd he support it himself?) In the end, "Senator McCain hasn’t learned how to disagree without being disagreeable. He was sarcastic, angry and condescending for the entire evening."
I thought Obama needed to reach out to more conservative voters and respond to the personal allegations regarding his character AND explain his health care plan which the GOP has twisted over and over again (it's not even close to social health care). I think he succeeded in all three. He explained very forthrightly his health care plan, he responded wonderfully to the character attacks, and finally, he wooed fence-sitting voters. I personally thought that his abortion response was good and should help appeal to those independents and dissatisfied conservatives.
I really enjoyed the question about the candidates' running mates being better than the other running mates if they had to step up to the plate to be president. Both candidates avoided the temptation of attacking directly the credentials (I think it would be difficult in Obama's situation moreso than McCain's), but Obama made it clear: the American people will decide. Okay, so John Cleese isn't American, but he makes some good points!

15.10.08

Alright already!

Here are two photos of my new do. I was excited to tell everyone earlier, but I was at work, so I couldn't take some photos. But now that I'm home and bored, I figured I would fire up Photo Booth and take some simple shots. It's just so exciting. These pictures are after a long day of photographing, and I'm not redoing it.
It's taking some getting used to, but I'm liking it for now.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights



Thanks go out to BB for the video. This is so awesome in so many ways: artistic, philosophic, stylistically, just to name a few.

It's done.

So...after sporting long hair for nearly a year, I decided that it was time to pull a doozy over everyone's head (does that even make sense?). That's right people, I cut my hair. Now all of you who don't do anything but talk about my hair can go back to being...even more lazy. Or something.
I always have reasons for the things I do, so I decided it was time to go for a different look and save myself the time in the morning. How short is it, you ask? Well, listen up.
I went to my hair-stylist, Randee, and told her that I was ready to try a completely different style. We discussed it a bit, and I told her that I wanted something short, but not necessarily too conservative, but something that, if necessary, I could style conservatively. As we got going, we fashioned a style that I'm still getting used to, but that I'm really liking.
Pictures you ask? Well, I suppose I could take a few and post them online, but I'm not really into taking pictures of myself. Oh wait. Yeah, I am. Pics will be uploaded shortly.

12.10.08

Snow Sweet Snow!

Yesterday was wonderful--except that it was FREEZING COLD!
I woke up early to go to work for a bit. The cold morning was acceptable, but as I got ready to come home, I realized that it was snowing for the first time this season. Wait. October 11 + Snow = too early for the cold. So, work was cold.
I then had a game in Centerville, which was cold. I couldn't feel my feet the entire game.
I went up to Ogden to help Kelby fix the network at his dad's shop.
CAUTION: the next few sentences are incredibly off-topic.
While we were waiting for some things to install, we decided to race my car against Kelby's mom's truck--which they've made completely illegal, but quite fast. It was the first time I had ever raced my car for real, and I must say--my car is FAST. Haha. I pretty much kept up with a vehicle that has seen more money put into it than I'd ever pay for it. But my speedy GTI handily kept up. However, I was still cold.
Anyway, moral of the story--yesterday was cold, and only rewarded me with about 4 hours of snow in Salt Lake, none of which stayed on the ground.

9.10.08

Why, oh seriously, why?

In an effort to curb...or push plastic surgeries from happening, I found this little bit of software to be a rather, um, depressing view of the human psyche.
The NY Times has a look into software that "makes you more beautiful" by analyzing your face and re-rendering the most beautiful variant--in other words, it's plastic surgery, before the surgery.
While the software and the technology behind it is cool, it's kind of frightening how vain we are as humans. Of course, that's coming from someone living in the vainest city in the USA, so, take that with some granules of salt.
[boingboing]

8.10.08

Etchin' the Sketchin'

We all know how much we loved Etch-a-Sketch's when we were younger, and I'm sure we've all heard about some really good artists using them to make some pretty cool one-liners (get it?), but how many of us have watched it happen?
Here's a time-lapse of a work of art being made...on an Etch-a-Sketch.

[boingboing]

Life Update

What's been going on in my life? Well, here goes:
Ute Soccer has been consuming a lot of my time. Nearly 5 days of the week find me doing something related to soccer. That's wonderful, but it gets rather difficult when you are working 20-30 hours (a lot better than the 60+ at The Chronicle last semester) and going to school full-time. We're doing well, our record is 5-1-2, with our first NIRSA (college league) loss coming last saturday in a torrential downpour. We have the regional tournament at Weber State this year on October 23-25, so you should all come watch (my little bro. is playing for WSU, so it'll be fun to watch).
I'm working for Instructional Media Services at the University, which makes my days a little long--I'm at the school from early in the morning to late at night. That's all right, because I don't have to drive a lot. Works fine, although I'm getting ready to start a business with some pals of mine. If anybody needs video or photo work for anything, let me know!
School's fine, I'm debating on dropping my Physics major to a minor to finish school quicker. It's a difficult decision, but I've been really antsy to move on with my future plans, but I don't want to compromise my schooling. My current answer is to finish school quicker, but we'll see. Film is going quite well, and I plan on shooting my 16mm project next week. It's a seriously themed film noir spoof, so it should be fun.
I think I'm going to list my GTI on craigslist...I'm not too anxious to sell it, but I don't drive it, so I feel stupid just having it sit in my driveway as I'm paying for it and insurance. Pobre GTI.
Anyway, that's my status update. Now that you're all up to date, I'll be able to update everyone more easily.

An interesting look at typography

As Art Director and Designer for The Daily Utah Chronicle, I became enthralled with typography. It's amazing what it does to any design, but even more amazing that a lot of designers totally screw up their designs with poor type choice.
I don't claim to be the best typographist, in fact, I know I'm not, but this was an interesting look at someone who does this for a living. He's commenting on the HBO series "Mad Men," which is supposed to be an awesome period show about an advertising agency in the 60s. He goes into the general typography of the show, what is plausible and what just couldn't have been in the 60s. Take a gander, it's an interesting read.
If you want to test your skills at typography identification, here's a few quizzes: simple typography quiz, a little more difficult one.
Hats off to kottke.org for the Mad Men link.

Hi, Def!

If any of you are looking to make the jump to a high definition television, you should make sure to check out the HD Guru. While many TVs claim to be 1080p, or full HD, many make that claim by stretching the technical specifications of "HD." Here are 125 displays put through a gauntlet of HD testing, and the results.

The Keating Five

A lot of people tell me they're "scared" when they think of Barack Obama becoming president, yet nobody can give me a good reason to be scared. Some have pointed to Barack's reverend, or his "friend," Bill Ayers as reasons he cannot be trusted (I've never been unduly influenced by a radical bishop, and I have friends who have done some bad things, but it doesn't make me do bad things).
So, while everyone is complaining about the character of Obama, I will introduce a small topic about John McCain's character. Who has heard of The Keating Five Scandal? If you haven't, you may be shocked.
Lawrence Lessig says on the topic,
"For those not old enough to remember, here's the outline: 5 Senators, all of whom had received campaign funding from Charles Keating, intervene with regulators to get them to overlook criminal behavior by Keating, leading to the collapse of Lincoln Savings, leading to a $3.4 billion bill for Americans. The only one of those 5 Senators to receive both personal and political benefits from Keating: McCain. Totally relevant to the question whether the judgment of this candidate is the sort that's needed at this time. Totally relevant to the basic question whether his philosophy -- deregulate -- is what this sector needs at this time."
Video below. [Credit to boingboing]

7.10.08

Quote o' the day

"Evidently, there's some interest in what I've been reading lately, I think that this comes from—it's a result of a probably less than successful interview that I had recently with, kind of, mainstream media. I should have told them was I was just trying to keep Tina Fey in business—giving her more information. Job security for SNL characters."
--Sarah Palin

(sorry, I know I said I was through...but...yeah)

6.10.08

Seeing Green

Amazing photos. Brings quite a face to the idea of protecting our wonderful world.
Photos are here.
[kottke.org]

Today's the day

Since it's my sis' birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) I decided to post this (lots of posts today, I've been rejuvenated!)
She's been doing really well advancing her Photoshop techniques. I'm quite proud of her. She's asked me a lot of detailed questions about Photoshop before, and I ran across an awesome guide today. Most Photoshop guides are pathetic, and only teach you one thing at a time, but this one is very comprehensive, and can teach someone vaguely familiar with Photoshop a LOT about the more in-depth features. Check it out.
Moreover (one of those awesome words to use, fo sho), if you like photo editing, like my soon-to-be-wed friends, or if you want to make your photos even better, take a look at some great editing techniques. I really like this approach.
Lastly, along photographic lines, people have asked me which DSLR's to consider purchasing. Here's my list, along with short justifications of the position:
1. Canon 5D Mark II, $2699MSRP - besides being a rather affordable full-frame DSLR (which, in short, means your sensor size is a full 35mm, which is awesome. ask me why another time), it has a super-fast sensor and can shoot full 1080p video, like this amazing piece, if it ever comes back online.
2. Canon EOS 40D, $1099MSRP - absolute best bang for the buck: fast sensor and great functions make this a killer deal.
3. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi, $699MSRP - although lacking many, many features, this is a great camera for those who want to get into photography, but don't want to spend a lot of money (a little bit of an oxymoron...). Plus, it comes in silver!
4. Nikon D90, $999MSRP - everyone wants to know why I don't seriously consider this low-budget contender. While I admit that it's got lots of potential, lots of features, and it's not way expensive, I cannot justify the slow sensor. It's *incredibly slow,* and basically makes the 720p shooting mode useless. Plus, Nikon lost too much ground when digital became mainstream for me to ever consider buying a Nikon digital camera. Plus, my photog friends have always described the Nikon bodies as "weak," with pieces falling off after heavy use.
There's many more, but that's all I have time for. Once again, Happy Birthday, sis!

Last Palin Post...ever (hopefully)

Valid representation? You be the judge. I laughed my clothes off. Not really. Come on people, I'm at work. Geez.

Noodles

Freaking...Awesome.

Baked Alaska

Okay, so this should be categorized as humor, but it really embodies what Sarah Palin (in my and so so many others' minds...) really has to offer.

Need I say more?

The Patriot Act is just one of many steps taken by our current administration to pull power away from the legislative and judicial branches. This, while frightening, comes as no surprise. (It's short, I promise!)


Thanks, BoingBoing!

Can I make a suggestion?

I realize this will sound quite odd, but I have some suggestions to make.
First, to the camera thief: just leave the card, please? If you're going to be a bugger and steal a camera, make it easier on your victim by leaving the memory card behind. Seriously, a 4gig card won't run you more than $25, and your victim might even say something like, "hey, look how nice that bugger camera thief was! he left behind our memory card."
Second, if you have money, invest in construction in Dubai. They're building enormous buildings these days.
Third, when considering your opinions about being "green," also consider the incredible awesome-ness of the Chevy Volt, destined for 2010. I can't believe I just described an American vehicle as awesome-ness...but it is. Plus, you can get back some of those 700 billion Washingtons...
Fourth, life is so much more enjoyable when you can understand and use words like "fortnight," "heretofore," "yonder," "quibble," "propinquity," etc. in everyday conversations.
Lastly, check this out! While it's not right, it certainly is clever. And if the world was made up by more clever people...

Brett's Brain: Finally, a good commentary on the VP debate

Brett's Brain: Finally, a good commentary on the VP debate

2.10.08

Back to Basics

Well, it's quite obvious where my focus has been the last few months. This presidential campaign has really encouraged my...vocal nature. For those who think that this blog has become too opinionated, I want to extend a comforting arm, welcoming you back--with one caveat.
You see, I started this blog hoping to make a place where I could write my thoughts about everyday life and how I felt about it. I don't expect you to agree with my opinions, so I will continue to write my feelings down.
However, I think I will broaden the content on the site. Seeing as my last lot of posts have been labeled 'Politics,' I plan on introducing a greater variety of diversified topics. (There's nothing wrong with being redundant.)
Hopefully this will encourage people to visit and comment (I see comments as a great way to make this less of a blog about me, and more of a blog that opens topics to conversation).

More on Palin

Well, I try not to launch attacks toward the personal character of our candidates, so please don't take these as such. They are just quite insightful of who Sarah Palin actually is. Read on:
The Truth About Sarah Palin - 11 myths about Palin, including insights on her "Bridge to Nowhere," and the incredible financial fiasco she has left Alaska in.
Dinosaurs and Man coexisting...6000 years ago.
This is a satire site that accentuates Palin's ability to answer questions clearly.
The scariest thing about Palin.

That's about it!

1.10.08

Presidential Promises (or: "How I spent my $3.2 million on crack. By GWB")

(haha, you see, the president makes $400,000/year, and somehow our crazy man, W., was there for 8)
So, let's face it. We all know that promises made by presidents while running for office are their dreams--you know, what they would do if the world was ideal. But, well, may we take this following video--courtesy of youTube, CBS, and Dave Letterman--into account as we listen to these debates.

If anyone didn't believe that America needed a young, up-and-coming politician (instead of the old ones that might die) in the White House, well, I do believe this might do the trick.

Poor Sarah

A friend of mine has been calling for the replacement of Sarah Palin (here and here). And although Tina Fey has done a marvelous job over the past few weeks, I must say that I agree.
When I first heard that John McCain had achieved the GOP's vote to be their presidential candidate, I was shocked. I said that the only way he could become president was to pick a running mate that gained back all the voters he distanced himself from (there are quite a few). I first applauded his choice of Sarah Palin, but only because he brought memories of his dissidence towards the paradigms of his party. However, after the first couple of days, it was quite evident that he chose the wrong person--even though the choice succeeded at first in gaining support in polls, people are seeing how naive Sarah Palin is. Take a look: