18 Jan 2010
WOAH!
Well, it’s already the 18th, and I finally got access to the server where my site is stored.
WHEW!
I’ll be updating regularly again soon.
Sorry for the hiatus.
18 Dec 2009
STTS #3
This one is 3 weeks behind, so I’ll allow it to be a bit more, dare I say, scrumtrulescent. Wait, no… no I don’t. Man, that word packs some power. I actually stared at it for about 3 minutes, and thought… no… there are better names for the list than that beauty. I can’t just whip “the scrum-meister” out whenever I feel like it… all, namby-pamby like. Why, that would be just foolish. It’s a young man’s game… and I know better.
*ahem*
This list, because of the 3 week tardiness, will be more “festively plump”. Enjoy this fat list. There. I said it. It’s fat.
- Kid Sister – “Pro Nails” (Rusko Remix)
- Major Lazer – “Pon de floor”(Culture Prophet Remix)
- A Perfect Circle – “Passive”
- Ludacris – “Southern Hospitality”
- Atmosphere – “Get Fly(What if Jesus forgot to put you on the guest list?)”
- Atmosphere – “Smart went crazy”
- Iron Maiden – “Trooper”
- Dangermouse & Jemini – “That Brooklyn Shit”
- MGMT – “Kids”(Soulwax Remix)
- The Streets – “Turn the page”
- The Crystal Method – “Cherry Twist”(Deadmau5 remix)
- Rise Against – “Savior”
- Sublime – “What I got”
- Plump DJs – “Get Kinky”
OK.. WTF… It’s saturday, and I checked the blog… and 3/4 of the list I wrote out, is gone..
I’ll post the other 20 or so songs (with links to some of the more choice ones) on Monday.
As it is now… this list isn’t even “portly”… it’s downright close to normal.
My apologies.
17 Dec 2009
MUSIC VIDEOS
It’s that time of year… meaning… um… the end of it. It’s the time of reflection, and relief that nothing severely fucked up in the last 365 days. Hell, even if something crappy DID happen this year, unless it happened in the last month, chances are you feel pretty good about things. I know I do…. but this has been an amazing year for me.
I used to have a blog called “The Trouble Clef” which would review a music video every thursday, and sometimes review 3 or 4 in a week when I was feeling especially zealous. Don’t bother to google it; I deleted that train wreck months &months ago. It ran for a year or 2… I covered a lot of videos. Maybe some day I’ll review them again.
This year, there were over 100,000 album releases! Can you believe it? the RIAA can cry, bitch, and moan all they want that artists aren’t getting paid or protected… the artists responded by putting out more albums. Suck it.
ANYWAY, I love music videos. I seriously love them. I know they were developed as a way to sell more records, but now, for me, they’re just an art form independent of the album that spawns them. There is a science to pairing music and visuals… a MAD science. I’m talking “Young Frankenstein” sorta mad science. So, I think I’ll pick my top 10 favorite music videos from the last year. I could easily make this a top 100, but who am I kidding.. I’ll just review them later on anyway. 
Here we go!
10. People Under The Stairs – “Trippin’ at the Disco”
Ok, so, People Under The Stairs… pretty decent hip-hop act, but not a lot of killer music videos under their belt. This one, however, is well crafted. It lacks the polish of “Buddy Holly” or the insanity of “Frontier Psychiatrist”, but it finds it’s home somewhere nicely in between. I love how the MC’s really get in to the personas, and at the end, I thought the DJ was on rollerskates, but MUTHAFUKKIN SURPRISE, BITCHES! It’s a unicycle. Werd.
9. Dinosaur Jr. – “Over it”
I used to listen to Dinosaur Jr. WAY back in the day. They were one of the few legit bands that I could get behind. They left a trail blazed behind them for acts like Gob to travel down (I still think Gob got the bum’s rush from their label and would be HUGE internationally right now if they hadn’t been shafted). I love how honest this video is. These guys were the kick ass rockers I wanted to be as a pre-teen, and now they are the kick ass older guys I hope to be as cool as when I hit their age. Rock-on Dinosaur Jr. Rock on. I love you guys.
8. M83 – “We own the sky”
So, this may be the official video, and I hadn’t really seen it this year. I had seen stills of it, but I finally got to see it this past month. I have to say, good video. The 3D isn’t anything mind blowing, but the theme is beautiful, and fits the song well. Click HERE, for my favorite version. It’s from only the best snowboarding movie I’ve ever seen & I think does a really good job with the music as well… it’s just not a music video, so it didn’t make this list. I think this song may be in the running for my favorite song of the year.
7. Gallows – “I Dread The Night”
This band from the UK makes me want to either mosh, or grab my ass cheeks, curl up in the corner, pull a hood down over my head and whimper. For that, I love them. This video drips with tension more than any video I can recall. At no point in this whole scene do I ever feel remotely at ease and if I had to choose a reason to place it at #7, that would be it. The cinematography, the colors, and the characters are all great as well.
6. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks” (unofficial & WAY better video)
I have some friends from school who love this band. I mean LOVE them. I never got in to the music at all. Sure some tracks were ok to listen to, but the official video for this song made me want to turn it off in the first minute. It was blander than an oatmeal, over cooked pasta, and wonderbread sandwich. This video, however, is expertly crafted. I watched it all the way through a couple times. I hope you like it too!
5. Lenny Kravitz & Justice – “Let Love Rule”
This has to be the best use of closing credits, ever. An easy pick for the beginning of the top 5. There isn’t much to say aside from “check out the Marty McFly outfit” and “hell yes”
4. Kid Cudi vs The Crookers – “Day ‘n’ Night”
Yet another music video where the original was mediocre, but a second attempt made for a great offering. The original video for the original mix of this sing is, well, crappy. I didn’t like it much and until the remix came along, I didn’t like the song a lot either. The Crookers have been dishing out tasty remixes, and with their inventive and skilled interpretation of the song, Cudi’s more animated performance, lots of comedy and, well, dancing women; this video is a prime example of entertainment.
3. Depeche Mode – “Wrong” (embedding disabled)
OK. First off, screw you Depeche Mode. Screw you to hell. No embedding your video? What the eff?
Much like Gallows’ entry, “Wrong” is a great use of music, title, and theme to drive a union between film and sound. Everything about this video reads wrong… From the first moments to the final one… you never feel like anything is right, anything is ok, or anything is making perfect sense. I won’t spoil it for you, so watch it and enjoy. (Screw you Depeche Mode for being so good, and not wanting to make sharing easy)
2. The Dead Weather – “Treat me like your mother”
Holy shit. I love this video. Simple, to the point, and well executed. The song is phenomenal, the theme of the video is clear and indicative of the song… the musicians play the roles well, and the effects are top notch. The sun rays at the end made me chuckle a bit and think “fuck yeah”. These quarreling lovers, take the absolute shit out of each other with some of the most dangerous weapons they can carry. They do it wearing bad-ass clothes, screaming at each other, and they do it in suburbia… To quote Pat Benatar, “love is a battlefield”.
1. Hecq vs Exillion – “Spheres of Fury”
A late entry in the running, but the best video of the year. Shot on a Canon 5D DSLR in 1080p, this video is the best example of affordable technology in the hands of the talented yielding amazing results. The song, the concept, the video.. all of it is awesome. Even the credits at the end are well placed. I am just in love with this more and more every time I watch it. Top Gear. The video speaks for itself. Enjoy.
Honorable Mentions (because “top 16″ sounds stupid):
Justice – “Stress”
Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Rise Against – “Audience of One”
Rise Against – “Savior”
Gnarles Barkley – “Who’s going to save my soul”
16 Dec 2009
OH, CANADA…(you’ve GOT to be shitting me.)
Cory Doctorow has yet to publish anything I don’t at least like. I really do love his on-radio interviews, and the articles he writes for Boing Boing are always topical, interesting, and well versed.
I came across just such an article on Boing Boing last week, and did some investigating around it. Kinda made me shaky my head enough to get temporary brain damage. I talked to a bowl of jell-o about Jean-Paul Sartre’s desire to see life after death, but not really being too enthusiastic about it.
I’ll quote Mr. Doctorow here:
“Greg sez, “Yesterday the Crying Room Gallery got a visit from City of Vancouver bylaw inspectors who demanded that they remove “graffiti” from the front of their gallery. The graffiti in question was an anti-Olympic mural by a local artist. The City says it had ‘nothing to do with content’ and everything to do with graffiti bylaws, but the Crying Room has had art up in that space for the better part of ten years without complaint.”
(via BoingBoing)
Can you believe that shit? I used the graphic in question in the header image for this post, but here is the original as well:
Man, Screw You, VANOC. This committee has gone completely power hungry! After looking in to it a bit more, they also were wanting to put tape over all the logos on kids that were skating in front of cameras, in case there was a copyright lawsuit. Are you serious?
Not only are they crippling the city out of terrorism fears (shutting down multiple streets, closing bridges to civilian traffic, jamming sidewalks, increasing police presence), but they’re trying to shut up adversaries as well. Free speech is a tough one to broach, but the silencing of the art community is scary as hell.
I’m starting to foam at the mouth a bit, so I’ll just stop there.
Hop on over to this site for a complete list of places VANOC has put Vancouver over a barrel so far. Also, here is the original news article about the censorship in The Globe and Mail
Ok, that was just mean. It’s Wednesday… half way through the week. You’re hurting from monday still, and the weekend is not even close.. you just wanted some solace. A beacon of hope and joy in the sea of midweek madness; am I right?
I can’t leave you with a VANOC hang-over mid week, so here you go… happy hump day.
15 Dec 2009
IDEO’s HCD
A few weeks ago, I went with fellow designers Ivan & Pablo to the GDC’s annual “Practivism2” lecture at the Museum of Vancouver. It was an okay talk, but you could tell that not a lot of new things were being said, and not a lot of people were riveted to their chairs. The best way I could tell, was the lack of questions being asked at the end, and the sheer volume of tweets that had time-stamps from while people were talking.
The best speaker of the night was Kara Pecknold, who talked about Human Centered Design. She took the audience through a journey to Rawanda to help women there turn water lily weaving enterprise in to a brand that they could use to market themselves internationally, and raise the standard of living for their community.
AWESOME!
I’ve had half a hard-on for IDEO’s methods and practices for the last few years. There is something magical about a design firm that puts the people first. All too often you hear about final deliverables, due dates, budgets, look frames, and all the terminology that we designers use. What you don’t hear enough is “what is this communicating to the audience” or “what kind of reaction are we trying to get from the viewer?”, and even “how can I enhance the positive impact this has on everyone who comes in contact with it?”
If you head on over to IDEO’s site here, and read about it, it’s a really good way to spend your time.
If you’re feeling really keen, you can pick up the HCD toolkit on the same page, and have your own go at it. Goa head… do something besides read blogs.
14 Dec 2009
…MONDAY
After a 2 week hiatus, I’m back, but, I think only for another week, and then I’ll take another break over the xmas holidays. It’s not that I don’t like writing here, but lately work demands more of my time, and I have got some new priorities that need attention.
A couple weeks ago, I finally met Robin. She came up to spend the weekend with me and surprised me with one of the most awesome presents I’ve got in the last while. As you can remember, I was really stoked on the halloween insta-classic “Trick’r'Treat”. So stoked on it in fact that I felt I had to blog about it.
Well, Robin, being the amazing, and caring person that she is, got me an righteous Sam figurine. I have to say… I was completely blown away.
The little hellion
As you can see, he comes with a lot of kick-ass accessories. The one I didn’t show was his freaky pumpkin head, ’cause.. man.. that’s the shit that you see in a dark room right before you die. No good can come of putting it up. Trust me.
Aside from that, there’s the stabby lollipop, the snickers bar with razorblades in it, and the bag full of dead things. Plus, he comes with 2 jack-o-lanterns. I think Sam is an awesome addition to the collection. Maybe I’ll dress up as him for Halloween next year…
=]
20 Nov 2009
SHAKE TO THIS, SUCKA! (STSS) #2
I will now supply you with the 10 songs I have been playing most in the last 7 days.
Here is the second dose (in no order whatsoever…):
1. “Sleeping Sickness” – City & Color Feat. Gord Downie
2. “Dance Sequence” – Acres of Lions
3. “She’s just a glitch” – Sky Meets Airplane
4 “Wish you were here” (Fox’n'Snare remix) – Pink Floyd
5. “L.E.S. Artistes (XXXChange remix) – Santogold
6. “Zombies ate her brain” – The Creepshow
7. “Midnight in a perfect world” – DJ Shadow
8. “Play Dead” – Bjork
9. “Happiness is a warm gun” (Beatles cover) – The Breeders
10. “Sweet Moments” – Floodlight
19 Nov 2009
DEATH & REBIRTH
While my at-work tweeting continues to pick up in pace and substance, my blogging here seems to be taking on a new life. I feel pressured to by myself to come up with more content that cannot be summarized in a Twitter-sized text field. That means I have to come up with concepts and thoughts that can’t be easily supported with one video link, or under 140 characters. This was good tho:
“I’m on a city bus full of university students. Scared they’ll smell the non-emo in their midst & unleash the power of angsty looks & bad hair dye.”
So, anyway, here is an art piece I have been working on. I haven’t done any illustration in a while, so when Chris asked me to draw her a Platypus, I jumped at the chance to do something out of my area of comfort. So far, I think it’s turning out really well. The sketch came over a couple of days, and the illustration is coming along nicely. I still prefer photoshop, but I think that’s because I have this strange aversion to the pen tool. Maybe once this is complete, I’ll come back and make a more crisp version.
(Pictures after the jump)
18 Nov 2009
MIXING IT UP IS BETTER THAN INBREEDING
Hot on the heels of the post yesterday about mashups, I thought it might be good to elaborate a bit on why sometimes mixing things up is a good idea. I mean, I got some Emails about how insane I was to think that Sue Teller was anything short of daft (get a funny-bone people), or how one of the mashups was really just a poor Dub (thanks DJ snobs… always making life a bit more elitist… good on ya!)
Let’s take an example from popular culture. Shit, let’s take a hand-full and throw them all on the table. Ok, we’ll start with 3 base elements. Anime. Hip Hop. & Video Games.
Now, let’s combine some of them…
(All the juicy bits are after the jump)
17 Nov 2009
MASHUPS (ALT: TOSSING THE DIGITAL SALAD)
For years now, DJs and VJs everywhere have been taking source material and combining it in new and inventive ways to bring new sounds to the ears of the masses. Since before Grandmixer DST blew it wide open with the live performance of “Rockit”, subcultures had taken bits of other acts and re-imagined it. This is nothing revolutionary. Blues legends bit-off entire songs from each other, but it was the emotion behind the riffs and the lyrics that made it their own. Remixing and sampling is reaching it’s apex with digital technologies. As a DJ, I have watched CDs take over from Vinyl, and now laptops take over for CDs. Soon it will be the era of the inventive interfaces / touch screens. It will no longer be enough that a performer mix multiple sounds, but that they become more of a live act than ever before. Be it through visualizations, showmanship, or new mediums, electronics are moving at a speed that demand the performer keep pace. Heck, even Sue Teller is getting on the band wagon. Time to step up your game, son!
(Awesomeness after the jump)
16 Nov 2009
DESIGNING AN EXPERIENCE WE RELY ON
As the days go on since graduation, I wrestle with the knowledge that Design is everywhere. Every day, every thing I come in contact with has been designed with a user in mind. A banana? Designed to grow and propagate itself. That parking meter I parked in front of? Someone designed the way I put money in to it, and then when it ate my coins, someone designed a way for me to pay for it by cellphone instead. This sandwich I made? you betcha, that too.
I can’t help but realize that most often what we are taking for granted on a daily basis is the design of the most fundamental of experiences. What I want to talk about is the designing of our experiences with food.
Lately, I have been going out for lunch more and more during the week. Sadly, due to some of these meals coming in at over 100.00, I have to call it quits for the next while. But more than the specific parts of the meal that I will miss (namely the hot, fresh, and delicious aspects which will be replaced with “reheated/luke warm/passable”), but I think it’ll be the whole experience. Each place I went to every day was designed to be a whole experience from the napkins to the door handles on the front door, to the food itself. What is discussed more and more at the office is the cost and the speed, but little is ever discussed about the experience of going to these places. Is that what we pay for at the slower and more expensive places?
If that holds true, then there are some winners and losers in this whole diatribe. First the looser extrordinaire would be Steamworks on water street. Not because of the service, or the food (which, by the way… their menu lies & they don’t, in fact, have “the best fish & chips in town”. not even in the top 5), but they loose because of their asshole manager who took it upon himself to rip in to a customer for drinking a bottled beer instead of one from their in-house micro-brew. Now, maybe Steamworks has a new take on experience design, but if you could find me 10 people who would pay to go out, eat mediocre food, and get bitched at for buying something the store sold. Screw you Steamworks. I won’t be back unless I have to.
At the top of the list would be Incendio (who just re-opened after a fire had them shut down for about a year), Revel room, and the Alibi Room. I suggest you load up your bill fold, and experience each of these places.
13 Nov 2009
SHAKE TO THIS, SUCKA (STTS) #1
I have decided to dedicate one post a week to the music I have been playing most that week. I am in no way promising new songs every week, nor am I promising they are going to be good in your eyes. All I will swear is that I will supply you with the 10 songs I have been playing most in the last 7 days.
Here is the first dose (in no order whatsoever…):
1. “Ante Up”(S.2 Remix) – M.O.P.
2. “Say it ain’t so” – Weezer
3. “Puppets” – Atmosphere
4 “Werewolf” – Cocorosie
5. “We Own the Sky” – M83
6. “Where I’m From” – Akala
7. “Gunz Yo” – Sage Francis
8. “The Science of Fear” (Mistabishi Remix) – The Temper Trap
9. “Might Like you better”(NROTB remix) – Amanda Blank
10. “Devil beside you” – The Used
In the immortal words of Henry Rollins, “Fuck the critics… listen to what you enjoy, man. Let your freak flag fly!”
12 Nov 2009
SWEET MOVEMBER
This month, I started celebrating Movember. Sweet, sweet Movember.
If you don’t know… Movember is the month-long fund raiser for Prostate Cancer. I’ve heard of people putting men’s boxer shorts on a hillside (and then planting flowers along the border so they grow back to remind people), but I think that Movember is infinitely better. Most of all, it’s more manly. I’ve had girlfriends who have worn my boxers before but never a girlfriend who has worn my… wait… nevermind.
Let me run you down what Movember entails. First of all, for the weeks leading up to the month of November, men gather pledges for the upcoming month, and on Oct31st, we shave our faces bald. Then, for the following month, we keep shaving our faces on a daily basis, except for the upper lip… thus the slow, uncomfortable growth of a “molestache” to raise awareness. And, let’s face it… how can anyone ignore something as ghastly as that! (YES! I got to use the word “ghastly”.)
So, I decided to take a photo every day for the month. I want to have a chronicle of my moustache growth, and I think it’s pretty hilarious that for a whole month women won’t take you seriously, and old people look at you suspiciously. I once had an awesome handlebar moustache while working at Starbucks. Old ladies that normally would flirt with me suddenly wouldn’t look me in the eye, or even speak up for that matter. Funny. I have the same reaction when women I know suddenly grow moustaches. huh.
(Pictures after the jump)
11 Nov 2009
LEST WE FORGET
Here in Canada, today is Remembrance Day. I think in other countries they call it “Veteran’s Day”.
A close friend of mine who is a teacher in Grand Prairie was asked to give a commencement speech, and she ran her version past me. She has some strong feelings about Canadian politics and had a difficult time coming up with a lot of substance to talk about in a speech. She asked me to take a crack at it, and I think for 10 minutes of writing, I came up with a pretty good speech. Here it is.
“Every year that goes by conflicts, in all parts of the world, bring misery and suffering to countless numbers of our fellow human beings. The diplomats and politicians work overtime doing their best to make sure that conflicts are kept to a minimum and less blood is spilled this year than the last. When diplomacy fails, and tempers flare threatening the peace of this world, we call upon our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, sisters, and children to stand up and defend the freedoms that we enjoy. Throughout history it has been our families that have given their time, lives, and loved ones to ensure that the world we live in now is proportionally the most peaceful era of mankind’s history, despite the conflicts that rage-on as we stand here today. This cold morning, Remembrance Day, we take one day out of the year to pay special thanks to every one who has sacrificed comfort and complacency for causes they believed in, and for the freedoms we enjoy every day. We owe them our thanks for their sacrifices, and our dedication to diplomacy so that future conflicts can be forever avoided.”
My family has a history of serving Canada and Britain in the world wars. I will never forget their sacrifices, or the sacrifices that their families gave to give me the freedoms and liberties that can be so easily taken for granted.
Thankyou.
10 Nov 2009
WANT WANT WANT… AGAIN
Holy shit.
This is the coolest desk I have seen in a while. The sheer fact that is holds all the power cables neatly tucked away in a drawer is just…. incredible.
It’s not the BEST design for a desk I have seen….. in fact, I still think I am going to have to build my ultimate desk and I am ok with that. But… this comes close.
Blue Lounge make some really great products, and I would suggest that anyone who sits at a desk all day, deals in current technology, and has an eye for design check out their site.
9 Nov 2009
HALLOWEEN HIJINX
So, last week I took a hiatus from posting. It wasn’t from a lack of topics, or contrary to popular belief, a lack of time… Instead, it has been a complete lack of energy. Halloween took a lot out of me. Let me set the stage…
On Saturday I was driving down HWY1, towards Vancouver and I realized that I was running out of time. So, while I was stuck in gridlock somewhere outside Langley, I began to rip open the make-up packages with my teeth, and began to prep my latex appliances. For those of you who don’t know… to attach movie latex appliances, you use spirit gum… which is basically diluted rubber cement. There is a whole process of painting, drying, texturing, applying… bla bla bla. So, anyway, I am driving down the highway at 20kph, looking in my rear-view mirror, putting on latex appliances that look like bites taken out of my skin, & glass shards coming out of my face.
I get home and fix my make up (and after some minor medical concerns with a neighbor) I rushed off to get to the party. THE party. Here are some shots of me when I first got home, and then a shot of me at the party with the make-up completed. For reference, I went as “An Un-dead Trick-or-Treater from the last Halloween, back for more candy“. Awesome.
So, at the party, I had 2 drinks in 2 hours and while both were on the strong side, I was definitely not drunk. I stepped outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air in contrast to the hot, sweaty interior that was the dancefloor. My shoes were wet from people spilling things, and the dry-ice fog that the awesome party planners had going-on… and as I stepped out on to the fire-escape metal stairs.. my right foot went out from under me, and I fell down the stairs.
I stood up right away, and in true party-veteran fashion, I kept going until about 8:30 am… but the cursed stairs had left their mark.
[Disclaimer... graphic pictures after the jump]
29 Oct 2009
A SPOOKY DOSE
Well folks, it’s less than a week until the big night! I had a revelation last night thanks to a friend from Seattle, @Robin, who gave me the inspiration to choose my costume for the weekend. I was spending too much time thinking about dead celebrities, and not enough time thinking about dead things. Now that I am back on track, I should have no problem getting my costume together in time.
Tonight I am going to the Dunbar Haunted House with my friend Ryan & some people. I am sure it’s going to scare me silly, so maybe we’ll get a drink after we go. Ryan and I both love scotch, so we’ll have to get together with some people, head to my favorite Yaletown watering hole, and have some beautiful single malt. Oh, I almost forgot.. the best past of the Dunbar House, is that it is by donation, and all the money is going to the following charities: B.C. Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund, The Vancouver Police Union Charity Foundation, & Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.
I stumbles across this today & I had to share….
BLOODY BRAIN SHOOTER
1 1/4 oz. strawberry vodka such as Stoli
1/8 oz. Rose’s lime juice
3/4 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Splash of grenadine
Chill vodka for better smoothness. Add vodka and lime juice to a shaker, shake and strain into a shot glass. Using a straw, dip some Bailey’s Irish Cream into the shot. Once you submerge the straw into the Bailey’s put your finger on top of the straw to hold the Bailey’s in the straw. Dip the straw tip into the vodka and slowly release your top finger. The Bailey’s will curdle a little bit due to the lime juice and you should be able to make strands of Bailey’s.
Repeat the straw/Bailey’s process to build a “brain” in the shot glass. Add a splash of grenadine to the concoction to add the ‘blood’ to the mix. Down the hatch as a shot.
[via]
I can’t see any part of this shot that isn’t awesome. I think i am going to bring the stuff to the party and make a few while I am there. What a sweet drink, er..I mean… Braaaiiins….**drool** BRAAAAAAINS…….
[Here's a clip from the 1985 classic, Night of the Living Dead. Did you know that this was the first time a zombie ever asked for brains specifically? Goes to show you that even the undead can develop a taste for the sweet things in life... even sweet breads.]
28 Oct 2009
QUICK AND DIRTY
So, this week, my car is in the shop. “Betty” is a 1991 VW Jetta and I love her. She is the only steady woman in my life who is always there for me, gets me where I need to go, with no complaints, keeps me safe, and gives me thrills that rival playland when I want them. I always cracked jokes about men who loved their cars. I never understood how they could love something made of metal, that was just a tool to get from somehere to someplace else. Boy.. I was wrong. There is something about Betty. She treats me really well, but also gives female passengers (and females ONLY for some reason) a small electrical shock as they get in. She’s a bit of the jealous type, but I like that. It shows she cares.
anyway, I digress… I needed a new clutch, brakes, and possibly a new starter. I know an excellent mechanic shop in Kelowna, so on Monday, I drove up there early in the morning, rented a car, and came back just after dinner. I love a good, short, Canadian road-trip.
The car I got… was this. 1995. Hideous… fake wood accents and all. Now, it’s like driving a Lay-Z-Boy, and moves about as fast. Plus, there is something demoralizing about driving a car that seems like it belongs either in Fargo, or in a low-budget TV movie about 3rd string New Jersey gangsters. The ONE redeeming feature is that because it only has a tape-deck, I get to listen to the only tape that I own that works in it… Some old, awesome Rock N Roll. Betty should be in the shop for a week, and then I am getting her back. The repairs should be easy and quick, and I can’t thank the mechanics enough for taking care of my baby. Friday can’t come soon enough. Betty, I miss you.
In the mean time, I have been thinking a lame amount about this woman (name unknown).
She is beautiful, well-spoken, loves Star Wars, and can make the same Chewbacca noise that I can. I think I might be in love.
28 Oct 2009
COMICS ON THE COMEBACK (OR DID THEY EVER REALLY LEAVE?)
Ok, Well, everyone who knows me, knows I love comic books. I read them in my spare time, I draw them when I am doodling, and I color them for fun when I am bored. Since the advent of the computer on a grand consumer scale, comics have become a thing of motion media.
Now, that’s not really a bad thing. It’s just a medium that is used to tell a story. I think where it goes wrong is when the media tries to be more than the message (getting back to McLuhan).
The work I do now, is 90% focused on the medium I am so much in love with. Comics tell a story in a way that is an exercise for the imagination, an exercise for the memory, and a treat for glutton for plot and character development. It is, in a way, a hybrid between the literary type of the serial novel, and the brazen flash of fine art. I distinctly remember getting my first comic book. I was in a small Asian corner store in Vancouver, and my parents gave me five dollars to spend on anything I wanted. It was almost night out, and for some reason, I picked up a comic book of superman, a bag of Hickory Sticks, and some Bazooka Joes. It was a book about Superman stopping a prison riot. It had been started by a female inmate possessed by the devil, getting the other inmates hooked on “dust” / drugs, and then using the same magical nose candy to bring inanimate objects to life which Supes had to battle on the prison grounds. I remember it being SO epic… Superman… against the Devil?? NO. WAY.
But I digress…
Gizmondo, an awesome site, published an article about the fabled “Apple Tablet” being the rejuvenation needed for the classical comic book format.
I have my own opinions about how comics can be brought in to the new technological age.. but that is a conversation best held with the 2 people who will listen to me the most on that topic since I have a lot to say. Hollywood has come close a couple times, but in the end they are always just Hollywood movies, starring comic book characters in stead of some other dude.|
The article is good, and I suggest you read it. Since it’s bedtime for me, I’ll leave it with this picture of Xmen on a projected Apple Tablet format.
the day that both the tablet, and the comic application come in to being, is the day I cease having a social life. I pity the woman I happen date at the time… Unless the is as big a geek as I am… and then we’ll live happily ever after. The end.
27 Oct 2009
DIGITAL WIMBLEDON 2
Well, there has been a bit of a hiatus. Since I started doing some motion work for the excellent people at Sequence Post, my life has been a complete blizzard. I just completed 2 freelance contracts last week, and got another one to make a friend’s webpage (which I think I’ve already mentioned.)
I’ll update more on this as soon as Jason gets back to me with his next image.
Until then, check out this photoshopping contest over at worth1000.com that @JennyMcBryde tipped to me. Thanks Jenny!
Have a good one!