SEA DRAGON? SEE DRAGON? C DRAGON?

The video we watched in class last week about the imaging software was pretty exciting to see. I imagine that online advertising would take a huge turn if that sort of technology were actually available to the public.

While we can think of many good things that could come of this technology, we must think of the bad. Imagine all of the bad photos [read: incriminating/embarrassing, etc.] that could be embedded and/or hidden in a sea of high resolution photos. Zooming in and in and in - there could be information hidden within the information, within the information!

OK, you get where I am going with that. It could all be very useful in saving space on a website or on your desktop. It would be great for hand held devices too, me thinks.

DESIGN SHIFTS IN LEBANON

I just read an article about design in Lebanon - apparently it's really taking off. The article also discusses what graphic design is - you can read it here if you like.

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It's interesting - after writing a paper for class, and just reading articles like this one, I start to think more and more about what graphic design means to me. In the past when people ask me what I will do once I am done with school, the answer always seemed so obvious - graphic design = magazines, ads, packaging, etc. But that is all commercial work.

I should really be thinking about other options/venues to use my graphic design skills/knowledge that isn't directly related to making money or selling a product.

ICONIC?

This is my poor excuse of an attempt for animating my icons - this is why I am neither an animator or an artist, lol.

HOW DO I COMMUNICATE?

I communicate in many ways - and different people will pick up varying messages depending on how well they know me, or depending on how they themselves communicate and interpret the world. But let's break this down to make it more clear.


Non-Verbal [In Person]
Often I have been told that I roll my eyes a lot, which probably gives many people the wrong impression about what I am thinking. The eye rolling is often not a conscious thing, and probably is off-putting for many people.


Verbal [In Person]
I act one of two different ways in person - chatty or quiet - which I'm sure is something that applies to everyone. Over the years I have been leaning more towards the quiet side of things. I'm not sure how my quiet ways are interpreted.

When I do get chatty I am sarcastic - very sarcastic. I remember on an episode of Friends when Chandler talked about his sarcasm as a defense mechanism - it probably started off that way for me, but it has just developed into a part of who I am and how I present myself to others. I love dry, sarcastic humor. I love people that can hold their own and throw the sarcasm and confidence back at me.


Non-Verbal [tech and other]
MSN, pictures, text messages, blogs, written letters, assignments for school - there are so many ways to communicate through technology and other art forms - so many mediums to choose from. But for me, most relate directly to my computer in one way or another - web sites - video editing - there's just so much. Yay for technology! But I love getting out a piece of paper, grabbing a pen and just writing - writing about anything that comes to mind. I love my computer, but nothing really beats that.


Verbal [tech]
I used to love talking on the phone. This love dropped when I was introduced to the internet. It dropped again when I got my first mobile phone. It dropped once more once I worked at a call centre for a phone company. Now I use my phone as little as possible. I am not great at carrying a conversation over the phone. I will do it, but I don't like it.

I'm sure that there are other ways that I have left out - if I think of any important ones, I'll post about it.

COPYRIGHT OR COPYWRONG

OK, lame title for a post but whatever, get over it. :P

My sister brought this issue to my attention earlier in the week and she said that I should do a posting on it. The title of the article she sent was "Tories eye $500 fine for illegal downloads" - Hmm... You can pretty much guess where the rest of this post is going.

Does anyone remember a program/company called Napster? Remember when those mp3 files were still new and really kinda cool? Remember when the big music corporations started suing single mothers and 13 year old girls for tens of thousands of dollars for a handful of downloaded music? Well, if new copyright laws go through, this is potentially what we will be seeing again.

What's that you're saying? It didn't work the first time so why try it again? Yeah, pretty much. Targeting all the people they want to have access to their music is not the answer.

The changes in the copyright laws would mean that if you own a CD or whatever, you can make copies for yourself to your heart's content. Burn a copy to your computer - to your mp3 player - even to another CD - but don't you dare think about sharing with your friends. Hopefully you weren't planning on making a mixed tape/cd for a friend or that girl/guy you've been crushing on - because that would make you target to potentially hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Did I mention that if you do make all of these backup copies for yourself, the moment you no longer own the original CD, those copies in your possession are then deemed illegal. Good times.

Ahh, sharing. Apparently it's bad. Sure, I get the issue with downloading music - there is lost revenue for the people who make the music. But not being able to share your music? It's no wonder that more and more people are bypassing the large music corporations.

But what if you do own all of the music yourself - can you prove it? Crossing the border with your tech may be harder in the near future. "Border officials may seize iPods under trade deal" You could have your tech confiscated for no good reason beyond being suspicious [read: quotas and random grabs]. How do you really regulate something like this? How do you single people out?

Excuse me ma'am, I'm going to have to confiscate your ipod - sorry for the inconvenience.

These articles are just the tip if the iceberg. If you do some searches on your own you will find tons on all of this.

So what do you think of it all? I know that there are some avid music fans out there, and I know that many of them enjoy sharing their music finds with their friends.

- More Spin than Win-Win
- Criminalizing everyday Canadians

THE MASS MEDIA

I am only posting this video because I think it's always funny when people poke fun at some of the more obvious aspects of our society. That, and it relates a lot to what Chomsky had to say.

PAPERLESS SOCIETY

We all know that when computers were becoming more mainstream that there was a promise of a paperless society - computers would free us from the burden of the endless pieces of paper piling up on our desks.

We all know that this never happened.

In class the other day the topic of e-books came up very briefly. We talked about the generation gap. Sure, we people like myself and those with more life experience all enjoy the tactile nature of a book bound in paper.

But what about the people being born right now? They basically get a free ipod just for being born. Who is to say that they will not embrace the e-books just as we have all embraced computers, ipods and cell phones?

A writer for the New York Times wrote a short article about her first experiences with an e-book reader - you can read that here.

I don't feel as though I will ever give up my paper books, but who knows - stranger things have happened.

SEMIOTICS OF A MAC AD

We've all seen the Mac vs. PC ads - smart and funny, albeit redundant and predictable. But everyone likes the ads because of all of these things. People also like the ads because they point out the obvious truths.

The ads makes up a narrative of the Mac vs. PC battle. It's almost akin to tuning into a Soap Opera - almost. Nothing really significant changes over time, but enough to keep you interested. We hear about the ongoing struggles of the PC, while we watch the Mac soar to even greater heights.

The setting is always the same - a clean white backdrop. Sometimes there are some props - like chairs, and sometimes another person, or even a dog.

As Lisa was discussing over on her blog, the visual representation of both characters are quite distinct. Cool vs. uncool. Corporate vs. Trendy. Boring vs. Fun. What I had never associated with these ads - at least not consciously - was a link to politics and the different US political groups - the Republicans vs. the Democrats.

Before the recent Obama vs Hillary race for leadership I couldn't have told you a thing about either group - but having watched that race, I can now see a definite divide that resonates pretty strongly with these Mac ads.

[Aside: Were the Republicans and Democrats always so different that you could pit them against one another like we do with the Mac and the PC? Having never really followed American politics before, I really don't know.]

The PCs generally speak to an older generation. They still give off a very corporate feel. When I was last at the movie theatre there was an ad for an HP notebook, and it gave off the message that it could do so much, and he looks pretty cool with it too. I laughed [on the inside] when I saw that. Do many people associate the reliable, functional, and cool aspects of Windows related products? I can't say that I know of many.

Watching the 'Sad Song' Mac ad has made me want to go off and listen to some old twangy country music.

INTERNAL DESIGN

When I think of internal design I think of many different things. I don't just think about the architecture in a house. I think about:

- What's inside our bodies;
- Computers [don't ask me how or why they work!];
- The rings in a tree;
- Shoji Doors / Japanese design;

There are many things that have amazing internal design - people have always loved taking things apart just to see how it works and to see if they can put it back together again. I'm sure if I thought longer I would think of many more examples of internal design that I like to see. But that list is good for now.

JUST A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

We have been enlisted to divulge our favorite things - some in the grand scheme of things, and some actual physical things we like owning or having around.

My 10 faves. (in no particular order)

01. music
02. friends
03. tv/film/theatre
04. dreams/dreaming
05. naps
06. autumn
07. coffee
08. food/cooking/eating
09. smells that make you think of a long forgotten memory
10. emotion [happiness, anger, joy, pain, love, sadness, etc.]

My 5 favorite possessions:

01. My computer [right now that is an iMac];
02. A hand carved wooden mask / A hand carved marble elephant;
03. A fan.
04. Kitchen supplies [pots, pans, etc.]
05. Rune set

And if I could have a number six, I would have to go with my monthly Metropass - I love having that thing around, lol.

THE FOLLOWING MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE

My analysis of Joe.

Visual:
Casual - often with a music/media related shirt; t-shirts, hoodies; the odd argyle sweater; often lets his hair grow out a bit;

Tactile:
"The Bad Touch" song comes to mind... But also, Joe can maintain himself fairly well, but has been known to fumble a little - breaking an elbow here or there.

Auditory:
Can be quiet. Often when he speaks he attempts to say something that is either thoughtful, or just flat out sarcastic in nature.

Olfactory:
I can't say that Joe gives off any noticeable scent - not noticeable to me anyhow - if he smelled poorly I might have something interesting to write here, lol.

Gustatory:
A type of food - probably a dessert/sweet of some kind. I know that he and his fiance like to bake, and he also falls victim to the William's cookies on breaks.


Joe through different types of media:

Natural:
I found it hard to pick out something for this category, but I tended to think more towards vocals/speech - which probably makes sense knowing that Joe is heavily into music. Though I cannot think of anything too specific.

Artifactual:
data n/a

Mechanical:
I hear that Joe is musically inclined [cue porno music]. He also likes to try different things with his work for class assignments to that they are all different and always changing. When presenting his own work, he likes to be precise, and *sometimes* tries to outdo his competition by going above and beyond the requirements *cough cough Mimico*.

CONTROL

We are to post something about media moguls controlling the world. I will do another post speaking specifically about corporations and some other things, but first I want to talk about something that when it happened made me very sad, annoyed and angry.

It started with George Bush becoming president. It follows with the Twin Towers attack dubbed 9/11 for the date of the attack. What followed was a series of political and media strategies constructed in such a way as to keep the public in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. It was not a time when people were asked not to ask questions, rather it was a time when people were not given the chance to speak their minds, and if they did they were attacked, abused and put to the sidelines.

I remember an episode of Dr. Phil about anti-war protesters. Long story short, he sent across the message very clearly that the peaceful protests were not welcome in America. Why? Because soldiers who hear about it are disheartened by the thought that people are against what they were fighting for. Which would make sense if there had never been any form of protest ever before in history. This was around the time when Bush went off to war and he and the media concocted the question, and seemingly ultimatum, of whether or not you support the troops.

Protesters were silenced. Popular media personalities stepped lightly and didn't ask the important questions. [www.zeitgeist.com - a movie which eventually looks at the 9/11 attacks and points out a lot of the stuff that was swept under the rug, and events that are still not talked about.]

Does anyone remember Madonna? Sure we all know who she is. Controversy surrounded her name. She pushed the envelope and made major commentary on how we all view the world and the way we act. She took on sexuality and religion. But does anyone remember when she came out with her American Life album [aside from the fact that it was not well received]?

For the album's first single she released two videos. The original was quickly pulled due to being too controversial - What?! Madonna backing down to political and media manipulation? Yup, she did, and then released a very boring video instead. Take a look at both and see which you would have preferred.

Original:


Censored:



It's laughable seeing the difference.

Anyway, then there was the Dixie Chicks who openly voiced their opinion about Bush, and they were attacked and threatened for having an opinion that they were willing to stand up for. They were not willing to back down as Madonna had. They went on to fight for their right to have an opinion. They fought for free speech. They let people know that they didn't agree with the war. They went on to create an amazing album and eventually prove to the masses that they were right. [OK, we all know that 'right' and 'wrong' are subjective, but I refer to popular opinion here].

It's interesting to see how people can be herded like cattle into believing one particular point of view, enough so that the people themselves fight to abolish their chances at free speech.

In these examples, the people, the media moguls, everyone really is affected.

Who is to say your opinion on something of less importance, or something that is less obvious isn't being manipulated as we speak?

Posted below are two videos by Death Cab for Cutie - while I just enjoy these songs on their own, it's interesting to see how people step away from traditional music videos and make an effort to be creative.

I Will Follow You Into The Dark


Someday You Will Be Loved



Enjoy :)

EXTERNAL DESIGN

As far as external design goes, I always like seeing some great landscaping and building design. But what really catches my eye is often the statues and figures you see all over the place. Some you just stare at. Some you walk around. Some make you smile. Some make you think. Some make you remember.

And some, if they are the right size and shape, you find lots of people riding them [but not me, of course.]

I have three examples of statues/displays out in the open. The first is something that I fell in love with when I was walking through the Vatican.


[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lionelarmanet/1324799862/]

And apparently this same figure, or one very similar exists somewhere in NYC.
[src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gys/2071008950/]

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[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jensteenstra/2275685696/]

This statue creeped me out as a child. Looking at it now it is less creepy and more interesting. Looking at it I still see anorexic women. But it also looks like a celebration - freedom. I've always really liked it nevertheless.

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Now, possibly my favorite statue [well, in Ottawa anyway] is the larger than life spider "Maman" outside of the National Gallery of Canada.


[Img src: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kewima/29232446/]

I hate spiders, but really how can you not love this piece? You want to walk up to it, under it, around it, hug it - or some prefer to keep their distance. Sorry, I don't have any images available of people pretending that they are either being chased or attacked by the massive spider. But it happens - a lot. But not by me, of course... OK, maybe just once. Or twice.

DREAMS AND REALITY

The site io9.com has conducted a survey of Doctor Who and Star Trek fans - 1648 to be exact. They wanted to see:

"whether there was any connection between being a fan of one of these shows and what your career aspirations might be - as well as what career you wind up having. Over 1600 people responded, and it turns out Doctor Who and Star Trek fans aren't very differently-brained. Both shows inspire fans to have similar dream jobs, though not all of them manage to get those jobs when they grow up. We also learned what fans want most from the shows."

Now, the shows involved isn't what's interesting to me - it's just how they made pie charts look interesting. Take a look at the article and info graphic pie charts - don't spoil your dinner. ^_^

POWERWALL DISPLAY BAN

Smokers are taking yet another hit at the end of the month. The 'powerwalls' you see in stores behind cashiers are going to be a thing of the past as of May 31, 2008.

You can read about the ban on a Facebook group that has organized some information about the cause here.

But, if you think Facebook isn't reliable enough, check out the Ministry of Health Promotion's website and read about the strict new guidelines concerning cigarettes and the tobacco display ban.


Do you think that this 'out of sight, out of mind' technique is going to help lower the rate of smoking - or the rate at which new smokers are created? I think that it will. Slowly, but surely.

OUTSIDE LINE

When you find a website that you enjoy using it is usually worthwhile trying to find the link on the page that will direct you to the designer. The other day I did just that and was lead to the Outside Line website [which is based out of the UK - London to be exact].

What struck me first was the intro video. I usually skip past these videos whenever possible as they are usually a waste of time, but after watching the clip I realized that it was a fun way to showcase some of their recent work.

Knowing that we will soon be making some of our own designs come to life somehow for our Information Design class, I am feeling a tad jealous of what some people are capable of doing - it's pretty neat seeing the designs come to life. Anyway, click on over and enjoy.

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Side note, one of their clients is Diesel - the link provided sends you to the Diesel site that talks about designing for the side of a prominent building. If you get scared when faced with a blank canvas, this probably wouldn't be your kind of thing. The possibilities are endless. The winner of the Zurich is pretty awful if you ask me, but there's no accounting for taste - to each his own.

MY TECH DOMINATED DAY

My days are filled with technology. You could say that I am addicted to all of the technology in my life. Well, OK, I am not addicted. When I am away from it I am fine - but if it is there and ready to use, I will be using it.

My life consists of sleep, school, work, and at-home time. Everything that happens in my life revolves around these categories [aside from the rare occasions that I actually manage to get myself outside to be social].

On the average night I sleep 4-8hrs - often during this time I will keep a fan and some music playing quietly for some background noise.


READING

- I will read magazines or the newspaper on my commute to school or work - this will amount to around 20 minutes for a one-way trip - about 280 minutes a week [a little under 5 hours].
- Pleasure reading [books, novels] - zero.
- Blogs - 7-10hours a week [this includes reading other blogs (news feeds, personal) and writing for my own blogs].
- Other websites - 5 hours


MUSIC

If I am at work the radio is on, so that will amount to around 9 hours [per day].
At home, it ranges from 4-20 hours [per day], depending on how long I am in my home.


TV/MOVIES

- I watch all of my shows online through my computer - around 10 hours [per week].
- Rare, but let's say two and a half hours [per week].


COMPUTER/INTERNET TIME

Social Sites - 2hours [per day]
YouTube & Related - 6 hours [per week]
Video Games - up to 10 hours [per week]
Emails/MSN Chat - 2-10 hours [per day]


PHONE

Talking - 0.5-1 hour [per week]
Texting - 0-5 texts [per week]

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Some of these numbers may seem ridiculously high, but on average this is how I spend my time. Also, many of these tasks overlap, so while I am watching TV shows I am also chatting, emailing, reading blogs, writing blogs, listening to music, etc.

You don't need to say it - I need to get out more. But you know, if I was out more I would probably end up investing in a laptop.

LOOKING UP

I noticed something different when I was getting my hair cut over the weekend. During my favorite part of the whole experience (when they wash your hair and give you a major scalp massage, ahh...) I opened my eyes and I noticed some new posters stuck to the ceiling right above the chair in which I was sitting. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this sort of thing - it probably isn't all that new. I usually see posters or ads in front of me - but if most people are like me, an avid people-watcher, then keeping my eyes focused on one thing long enough to have a great impact is near impossible. But when you are laying back getting your hair washed, there is only one place really that you can look - the ceiling.

The poster in this case was for a concert - and it was nothing that interested me in the least - but it's a great example of ad placement. This may go up on my list along with manhole covers branded with different company/business names and/or logos.

A DESIGN BY ANY OTHER NAME

When thinking about design, I think that people often think of something tangible - a painting, a poster, and ad, etc. But we all know that design exists in many forms. Literature, music, architecture, fashion, language - the list goes on.

The first time I used a computer was when I was in grade 1, if not kindergarten. For my generation, the ability to design on a computer [that's right, forget all of those finger paintings and construction paper creations!] is not really hard to get our heads around, unlike my parent's generation. When I was younger we were always making greeting cards on the Macintosh computers we had at school.

Twelve years ago I got involved with web design. This was one of a few major breakthroughs for my creative side. My hand wasn't steady enough to draw nice pictures [not really]. I had always been torn by wanting to dabble in so many different activities. I had so many interests, but no real hobbies. Once I discovered web design I had found a new hobby for myself. Little did I realize where this interest would eventually take me.

Having been involved with web design, and also having a love for mathematics, I love the idea of computer programming. Do not ask me to write programs for anyone, because I just can't, but I envy the people who do know how. When I design websites, part of the fun is looking at and working with the coding. It is often one of the most important parts of designing a website - that is, getting your hands right in there, never allowing the program to do it all for you.

The people over at 37signals.com have written a book about designing software - Getting Real - how to approach it, how to present it, and how to carry it forward allowing for change. Many parts of the book [all of which you can read for free online] talk about how to approach any design on which you are working. It talks about getting things done, scale of the project, the importance of the audience, process, and how to keep things simple.

I have not read the whole thing, but I have skimmed over a few of the chapters. Give it a look if you're interested - you never know what you may be able to apply to your own design process.

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."
- Ray Bradbury (1920 - )