Hey all, if you haven't already heard, I am no longer running Pulse of Thought or Vigilant Studios anymore. These two entities have bridged into one new endeavor: Sonata Creative.
Please be sure to update your links and RSS feeds accordingly. Can't wait to get your feedback on the new site format.
Click here to go to the new website homepage.
Click here to go to the new blog.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Featured at FreelanceSwitch
I was excited to discover that a blurb I had written awhile back was recently featured in a posting over at FreelanceSwitch. My 'tip' was selected as one of their top ten "Ways to Create an Incredible Client Experience". Sweet!FreelanceSwitch graciously gave a free subscription to freshbooks for a year to all those they selected to the top ten. I was particularly excited about this because I have been interested in the possibility of using freshbooks for quite sometime. This will give me the opportunity to play around with and decide if its something I'm going to use longterm. I'll keep y'all posted with the outcome.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Building Tomorrow's Church
We just got back from a wonderful weekend of fellowship. After 1.5 years of preparation, we finally launched the Building Tomorrow's Church Conference in Prescott, Arizona. Many thanks go out to everyone who was involved and participated in making this conference a reality. Here is a video I put together that should give you an idea of what the conference is about. Start making plans to attend next year!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Typography: Appreciating Your Roots
As graphic designers in a modern, technology driven world, it's often easy to forget about the roots of our artform. Through an RSS feed I follow (Design Daily News) I was led to this site: TypeCulture. This site has some really great resources for type enthusiasts or those looking to learn more about the history of typography. I highly, HIGHLY recommend viewing the type videos (you can click on them to watch a small version of the video without purchasing). Mark Jamra and Jamie Peloquin have done an excellent job documenting some of the 'ancient' processes of typesetting. My favorite is the video in Douglas Coffin's letter cutting workshop - talk about an art form; simply beautiful! Check out this quote from Coffin's website:
"Coffin carves predominantly in slate, but also works in limestone, marble, granite and brownstone, designing and cutting beautiful letterforms, decorative motifs and bas reliefs. Coffin brushes out his letterforms calligraphically, fine-tuning his work on paper before transferring the finished design to the face of the stone and settling down to v-cutting the letterforms. Raised lettering is sometimes called for. Carving in slate creates a naturally-occurring residue of dust in the carved letter that enhances readability. Lettering in limestone, granite and marble is usually slightly darkened for clarity. If appropriate, gilding in 23 K gold or palladium draws special attention to the lettering, particularly when carved in slate, which is then oiled or waxed."
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Typography and Site Changes
To say that a lot of changes are going on behind the scenes, may be a bit of an understatement. However, I've found that the minute I promise a big change, it always ends up taking a lot longer to complete and becomes much less dramatic when that change finally does hit. SO... I'm not going to promise anything or throw out any completion dates at all. Just wait and see what happens to this site in the near future. :)
I've also been on a design rejuvenation kick recently. There are times in your life where, suddenly, everything just seems to take a leap forward and take on new meaning. I had been in a design rut for quite some time, but the dam finally broke and I'm discovering new inspiration which has enabled me to push my boundaries. This is due in part to a fantastic RSS feed list, some really great design books, and a personal decision to reinvent myself as a designer. God has been good!
And just so this post has something substantial to offer, check out Fontsruct.com. This site allows you to design your own fonts online! Pretty neat! I was also introduced (via his blog) to font designer Jos Buivenga. Check out this interview with him if you have time- it was a refreshing read.
I've also been on a design rejuvenation kick recently. There are times in your life where, suddenly, everything just seems to take a leap forward and take on new meaning. I had been in a design rut for quite some time, but the dam finally broke and I'm discovering new inspiration which has enabled me to push my boundaries. This is due in part to a fantastic RSS feed list, some really great design books, and a personal decision to reinvent myself as a designer. God has been good!
And just so this post has something substantial to offer, check out Fontsruct.com. This site allows you to design your own fonts online! Pretty neat! I was also introduced (via his blog) to font designer Jos Buivenga. Check out this interview with him if you have time- it was a refreshing read.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
If Fonts We're People...
My friend Lauryn sent this video to me. This one is definitely dedicated to all of those design/typography geeks out there! I must say, my stomach turned a bit when I realized Comic Sans was the hero, but Wingdings more than made up for it. ;)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Verbatim Teaser
Well, I am finally ready to let loose a bit of a teaser. Some of you know that I'm in the middle of writing a script for a film that I would like to see produced and submitted to festivals. It's been an interesting process so far and we are definitely still in the infant stages of this. All of this is subject to change (including the title), but if you're interested you can head over to verbatimmovie.com to check out the Verbatim teaser page. Currently there is only some sparse graphics and a song at that page, but a synopsis and accompanying materials will arrive in time. I want to document the process of this film from its early stages, hence this teaser site.For those of you interested, the song was put together in GarageBand in conjunction with a MIDI keyboard that I use to compose with here at home. Let me know what you think. :)
Snickers Wrappers
I was in the line at Wal*Mart and noticed this crazy little packaging change on a Snickers bar. Awhile ago I blogged on how Starbucks was using their original logo this year on select drinks to help celebrate their anniversary. It would appear that Snickers is doing the same from the look of it (from what I have heard it sounds like it is their 75th anniversary). Apparently radical marketing like this works- I bought a bar just to show my wife when I got home... I didn't even want the candy bar. ;)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
"Say, have you ever heard of intestinal parasites?"
I was asked to be an extra in a fun little film that Food for the Hungry is producing. The film is being designed to teach the importance of raising monies for medicine and supplies which are distributed through our Gifts-in-Kind ministry. Our video guy sent this still to me from the 'deworming medication' segment. ;)
Monday, July 21, 2008
R.I.P. Create Magazine
Well... it appears that a very promising graphic design entity, Create Magazine, just bit the dust. I received an email today saying that Jupitermedia Corporate Inc purchased the magazine and is merging it with their magazine, 'Dynamic Graphics'.
I remember when Create Magazine first came out. It was so full of promise, it had a great design sense to it, and it was locationally relevant by publishing region-specific issues that contained news specifically going on in my neck of the woods. We'll see how this all pans out, but if this new homepage is any indication then I'm not going to hold my breath (man that design is nasty... granted my blog has seen better days, but if you own a domain like graphics.com you'd think there'd be something more to show then ads, ugly banners, and unnecessary columns).
Que sirrah, sirrah...
I remember when Create Magazine first came out. It was so full of promise, it had a great design sense to it, and it was locationally relevant by publishing region-specific issues that contained news specifically going on in my neck of the woods. We'll see how this all pans out, but if this new homepage is any indication then I'm not going to hold my breath (man that design is nasty... granted my blog has seen better days, but if you own a domain like graphics.com you'd think there'd be something more to show then ads, ugly banners, and unnecessary columns).
Que sirrah, sirrah...
Friday, July 18, 2008
MobileMe Rocks!
So... I've switched over to MobileMe for email. I was somewhat weary of the transition of .mac to MobileMe by Apple earlier this month, but my fears have been abated. The interface is stellar- very minimalistic and extremely easy to navigate. Finally- I have a web-based front to access my email, address book, calendar, photo gallery, and 20gb of file space for me to store and access files at will from anywhere that has an internet connection. What's more, all of this pulls from information that is synced directly from my computer at home (sorry guys and gals: MAC only). That's mighty groovy in my book.
Sure there are a few shortcomings, the primary of these being that mail has no external IMAP support, and you are forced to use the @me.com (or @mac.com if you were a previous .mac subscriber) domain for your email. However, these aren't deal breakers for me anymore. Awhile ago I wouldn't have touched my .mac account for email. Frankly, the interface stunk and didn't have a lot of interoperability. Now though, its worth the switch. I have routed all my email accounts to forward to this account. You can still reach me via my email at Vigilant Studios or Pulse of Thought, but you'll be getting responses from my @me.com account instead.
To me this doesn't break branding protocol (though many would argue differently that they MUST have their domain name in the resolution of their email address). Obviously large corporations or organizations with 10+ people will still want to use their native domain name, but for those of us running independent businesses where we are are the only employee, the '@me.com' email resolution works quite well. Unless you are a very old corporation who got in early on the domain registering bandwagon, you aren't going to be able to get a domain that is 2-letters long. It's just not going to happen. If memory serves me correctly, all 2-letter permutations of domain names were taken by the early 90's. Also the '@me.com' is generic, non-associative, and easy to remember. For me this is a huge plus- the '@vigilantstudios.com' was getting a bit rough to use as an address... While it makes sense and pushes people towards my web address, its not easy to tell someone on the fly or over the phone. Generally it results me having to spell it out multiple times, and even then there's bound to be room for error. With '@me.com' there's virtually no room for error.
That's my take, and I'm sticking to it!
Sure there are a few shortcomings, the primary of these being that mail has no external IMAP support, and you are forced to use the @me.com (or @mac.com if you were a previous .mac subscriber) domain for your email. However, these aren't deal breakers for me anymore. Awhile ago I wouldn't have touched my .mac account for email. Frankly, the interface stunk and didn't have a lot of interoperability. Now though, its worth the switch. I have routed all my email accounts to forward to this account. You can still reach me via my email at Vigilant Studios or Pulse of Thought, but you'll be getting responses from my @me.com account instead.
To me this doesn't break branding protocol (though many would argue differently that they MUST have their domain name in the resolution of their email address). Obviously large corporations or organizations with 10+ people will still want to use their native domain name, but for those of us running independent businesses where we are are the only employee, the '@me.com' email resolution works quite well. Unless you are a very old corporation who got in early on the domain registering bandwagon, you aren't going to be able to get a domain that is 2-letters long. It's just not going to happen. If memory serves me correctly, all 2-letter permutations of domain names were taken by the early 90's. Also the '@me.com' is generic, non-associative, and easy to remember. For me this is a huge plus- the '@vigilantstudios.com' was getting a bit rough to use as an address... While it makes sense and pushes people towards my web address, its not easy to tell someone on the fly or over the phone. Generally it results me having to spell it out multiple times, and even then there's bound to be room for error. With '@me.com' there's virtually no room for error.
That's my take, and I'm sticking to it!
The Great Voice Message Debate - #2
Which was better- The Original Star Wars Trilogy or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy?
Click on the play button to here the message and responses.
Click on the play button to here the message and responses.
Helping Your Marriage... 'beat the odds'?
I receive e-mails from focus on the family which are geared specifically to the recently married crowd. I love these emails- there is lots of practical advice and some really good resources. Generally the content featured in these emails is very helpful and Christ-centered. However, I did notice one book review description that bugged me quite a bit in today's email. It was a book geared toward Christians who have been married before. I am not contesting that there exists a Biblical basis for remarriage in extreme (notice the wording... extreme... as in: unfaithfulness with a refusal to come under church leadership!) situations. However, I am contesting the wording of this book, it went as follows:
Whoa- back that up. I would vehemently say 'no!' to that my friends. All the research and preparation in the world will not save your marriage from failing. If that's your strategy, get ready to fail and fall hard. Nothing in and of your own power will save your marriage.
Let me tell you what will 'save' your marriage- an utter dependence upon God. A reliance upon Him that refuses to let go of His promises even in the darkest of times. We shouldn't have to 'beat the odds' with our marriages as Christians. There are no 'odds' for a marriage truly rooted in Christ alone! What there should be, is a confident expectation that God will give you the strength to endure and persevere through any trial that you may encounter together. Yes, we are married to fellow sinners, that much is true. However, that does not give us the liberty to abort our marriages as if they were some plan that 'just didn't happen to work out'. It is unsettling how many people (and many who are supposed Christians!) are willing to throw away their marriage at the faintest sign of trouble. What a marring of a beautiful ordinance that Christ has given us! Imagine if Christ simply chose to abort His love to the church? Let the gravity of this sink in: He chose to dedicate Himself to a tainted bride (the story of Hosea and Gomer comes to mind- check it out). If anyone had an excuse to 'let go', wasn't it Christ? Thank God we have a dedicated Savior- one who does not flee us or reject us despite our unfaithfulness to Him!
"Whether it's you or your spouse who has been married before, the principles and guidance in Happily Remarried can help you beat the odds and make your re-marriage a success."Beat the odds? I'm sorry, but the sentiment of this wording really irks me as a Christian. I once received this advice prior to my own marriage. One, well-meaning man, used these words: "Stephen, if you do the research now and try to lead your life according to scripture, it will help you beat the odds of a failed marriage."
Whoa- back that up. I would vehemently say 'no!' to that my friends. All the research and preparation in the world will not save your marriage from failing. If that's your strategy, get ready to fail and fall hard. Nothing in and of your own power will save your marriage.
Let me tell you what will 'save' your marriage- an utter dependence upon God. A reliance upon Him that refuses to let go of His promises even in the darkest of times. We shouldn't have to 'beat the odds' with our marriages as Christians. There are no 'odds' for a marriage truly rooted in Christ alone! What there should be, is a confident expectation that God will give you the strength to endure and persevere through any trial that you may encounter together. Yes, we are married to fellow sinners, that much is true. However, that does not give us the liberty to abort our marriages as if they were some plan that 'just didn't happen to work out'. It is unsettling how many people (and many who are supposed Christians!) are willing to throw away their marriage at the faintest sign of trouble. What a marring of a beautiful ordinance that Christ has given us! Imagine if Christ simply chose to abort His love to the church? Let the gravity of this sink in: He chose to dedicate Himself to a tainted bride (the story of Hosea and Gomer comes to mind- check it out). If anyone had an excuse to 'let go', wasn't it Christ? Thank God we have a dedicated Savior- one who does not flee us or reject us despite our unfaithfulness to Him!
"The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." - Deut 7:7-9So what's the exhortation? Buckle down my friends! Face sin head on with Christ by your side. Don't shy away from His grace or look for the easy way out. May we guard the sanctity of marriage as Christians who refuse to be like the world. With Christ you don't have to beat the odds, He has already overcome them.
A Footnote: I do not write this post in an attempt to discourage anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of an unfaithful spouse who has refused to be reconciled or come under the authority of the local church. Indeed- my heart goes out to you. This is not a hammer over the head of those who faithfully seek reconciliation through Christ while their partner does not. This post is for those who consciously and willingly thrust aside a hope for reconciliation in their marriage.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Pandora for iPhone... Wow.
I recently purchased the LG Voyager phone- it's awesome, I love it. I went through the whole cell phone company debate and nearly switched to T-Mobile, but in the end my wife and I stuck with Verizon. Their network is great, customer service has never been a problem, and the phones are better (in my opinion) than what any other service provider offers. The only downside is that Verizon doesn't use SIM Cards. Basically- this means you can't just up and grab a new phone, swap your card into it, and have it work.
One of the only reasons I was tempted to go with T-Mobile is that they do use SIM cards. The only phone (again in my opinion) that rivals what Verizon's line-up has to offer, is the iPhone. However, I decided that the extra money and hassle wasn't worth it. It IS possible to unlock the iPhone and use it on T-Mobile, but only after going through the headache of purchasing a wireless contract with AT&T (this didn't used to be the case... but now it is), breaking that contract, incurring and paying the charges associated with breaking that contract (think the iPhone prices fell? Think again- you're paying for it elsewhere now...), finding someone to unlock the phone, and then FINALLY using it with T-Mobile. To me, that just wasn't worth it.
Apple has also recently launched its iPhone application store. A place where developers can create applications that run on the phone. I knew this would be a cool addition but still couldn't imagine it justifying the cost.
Then I saw an ad on Pandora... they now have an app out for the iPhone that allows you to use it for free. Wow. Anyone who visits here often knows that I am a Pandora endorser to the extreme. The fact that Pandora has been released for the iPhone is amazing. Essentially it means that you'll have full, near-mp3-quality music with you whenever you want it... again for free. Forget satellite radio, forget the iTunes music store, and forget your MP3 player. With this app you can bluetooth streaming internet radio into your car, home speaker system, headphones, or pretty much anywhere else you can take your phone.
Does anyone else realize how groundbreaking this is? This is the most portable audio has ever been! I do love my Voyager, but my goodness... this app makes an iPhone extremely enticing, yet expensive, option.
One of the only reasons I was tempted to go with T-Mobile is that they do use SIM cards. The only phone (again in my opinion) that rivals what Verizon's line-up has to offer, is the iPhone. However, I decided that the extra money and hassle wasn't worth it. It IS possible to unlock the iPhone and use it on T-Mobile, but only after going through the headache of purchasing a wireless contract with AT&T (this didn't used to be the case... but now it is), breaking that contract, incurring and paying the charges associated with breaking that contract (think the iPhone prices fell? Think again- you're paying for it elsewhere now...), finding someone to unlock the phone, and then FINALLY using it with T-Mobile. To me, that just wasn't worth it.
Apple has also recently launched its iPhone application store. A place where developers can create applications that run on the phone. I knew this would be a cool addition but still couldn't imagine it justifying the cost.
Then I saw an ad on Pandora... they now have an app out for the iPhone that allows you to use it for free. Wow. Anyone who visits here often knows that I am a Pandora endorser to the extreme. The fact that Pandora has been released for the iPhone is amazing. Essentially it means that you'll have full, near-mp3-quality music with you whenever you want it... again for free. Forget satellite radio, forget the iTunes music store, and forget your MP3 player. With this app you can bluetooth streaming internet radio into your car, home speaker system, headphones, or pretty much anywhere else you can take your phone.
Does anyone else realize how groundbreaking this is? This is the most portable audio has ever been! I do love my Voyager, but my goodness... this app makes an iPhone extremely enticing, yet expensive, option.
Lacking that military 'punch'? Do as Iran does- photoshop it!
On Wednesday a photo was published depicting missiles being launched by Iran's revolutionary guard. For those fearing Iran as a weapon-saavy loose cannon, this may have been a disturbing image. However, this story proved to be more comical than frightening in the end...
For you 'photoshoppers' out there, a quick glance will easily reveal a very bad 'cloning' job. For some reason Sepah News, the media arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, decided to fabricate an additional rocket into the photo using a cloned smoke trail and rocket from the real rockets. There a couple things that give this image away as 
an obvious dupe: 1) The smoke billows at the bottom are identical... that just doesn't happen... 2) the rockets are the same, just altered in size (this isn't a huge deal as this would be hard to discern in the real world), and 3) there has been additional brushed in 'smoke' in the rocket trail that has been obviously added (this is one defect that I have not seen talked about in many sources that are reporting on this). There are also a few clumped areas of offending pixels that are the result of a bad clone sourcing. This obvious manipulation was confirmed a day later when another photo surfaced depicting not 4, but 3 rockets (top photo: photoshopped version, bottom photo: original photo).
The funny part is this: BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news Web sites aired/published this photo without even doubting its validity. This had to have gone through an imaging department at some point. You're telling me that no one caught this prior to publishing? Umm... oops.
This begs the question, "Do you always believe everything you read on the newspaper or watch on the television?" Why in the world would Iran try to (badly) fake an additional missile into their photographs? Well thanks for asking, here's my take- militant countries like Iran know that one of their most powerful weapons (even more so than missiles and gun powder) is the US media. They know that the US as a nation gobbles this stuff up. We consume it, we integrate it, we allow only these news stories (that have been selectively picked to cause commotion) to shape our world view.
What gave me a chuckle was that this is not the first time this has happened. Iran was caught photoshopping another news story claiming to have discovered US weapons in Iran just a few months earlier; again, another blatantly botched 'clone job'.
In addition to the obvious benefit of getting a good laugh out of this, I'm glad that this happened. Maybe now we'll all be a bit more inclined to wake up and smell the pixels.
For you 'photoshoppers' out there, a quick glance will easily reveal a very bad 'cloning' job. For some reason Sepah News, the media arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, decided to fabricate an additional rocket into the photo using a cloned smoke trail and rocket from the real rockets. There a couple things that give this image away as 
an obvious dupe: 1) The smoke billows at the bottom are identical... that just doesn't happen... 2) the rockets are the same, just altered in size (this isn't a huge deal as this would be hard to discern in the real world), and 3) there has been additional brushed in 'smoke' in the rocket trail that has been obviously added (this is one defect that I have not seen talked about in many sources that are reporting on this). There are also a few clumped areas of offending pixels that are the result of a bad clone sourcing. This obvious manipulation was confirmed a day later when another photo surfaced depicting not 4, but 3 rockets (top photo: photoshopped version, bottom photo: original photo).The funny part is this: BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news Web sites aired/published this photo without even doubting its validity. This had to have gone through an imaging department at some point. You're telling me that no one caught this prior to publishing? Umm... oops.
This begs the question, "Do you always believe everything you read on the newspaper or watch on the television?" Why in the world would Iran try to (badly) fake an additional missile into their photographs? Well thanks for asking, here's my take- militant countries like Iran know that one of their most powerful weapons (even more so than missiles and gun powder) is the US media. They know that the US as a nation gobbles this stuff up. We consume it, we integrate it, we allow only these news stories (that have been selectively picked to cause commotion) to shape our world view.
What gave me a chuckle was that this is not the first time this has happened. Iran was caught photoshopping another news story claiming to have discovered US weapons in Iran just a few months earlier; again, another blatantly botched 'clone job'.
In addition to the obvious benefit of getting a good laugh out of this, I'm glad that this happened. Maybe now we'll all be a bit more inclined to wake up and smell the pixels.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thank you God!
As a general rule, I loathe complaining (even my own complaining). It's especially hard for me to read blogs full of complaining... what a major drag to read. So with that in mind I simply wanted to post the things that I'm thankful to God for.
I am so very thankful for my beautiful, compassionate, caring wife, who, above all else is my friend and companion for life. I am refreshed (and sometimes humbled) by her honesty. I know that she loves me without requirement and will continue to do so regardless of the circumstances. In the same way I know that I love her without requirement and will continue to do so no matter what the circumstances. She is quick to forgive and quick to apologize. She is so much fun to laugh and do the simplest of things with. I love that she doesn't have to be doing much just as long as she is doing it with me. She is the most beautiful girl I know and I'm so very proud to call her my wife.
I am so thankful for my family. Celeste and I spent some time with my extended family last week up in Payson for the 4th of July. It was such a blast and so relaxing! God has done something special with our family... my aunts, uncles, and cousins are all so very close. We tend to have the same sense of humor whilst maintaining our unique, distinct personalities. Growing up I never really appreciated how rare this is... to be able to have this abundant love for your relatives and to count the days off in anticipation of seeing them all again. My parents are amazing- so patient, so kind. They exhibit love in every aspect of their lives and their support for their sons knows no bounds. I'm thankful for the way they've welcomed Celeste to our wacky family and the love that they shower her with a well- she loves them so much too! And my brother... what can I say? He's a classy guy! I will never understand why people peg him as 'the quiet one' at times. He has one of the biggest (and funniest) personalities I know and can be quite outspoken at times. He is a constant friend and is gifted in his discernment and the choices he makes. He is an individual who can admit when he is wrong and defend himself when he is right, something I find incredibly refreshing.
I am thankful for my friends. David, Darryl, Garrett- you make me laugh harder than I thought possible and your creativity inspires me always! Our college and career group is a constant source of encouragement- I am so proud of the young men and woman that God has lead to be in our group. They exhibit His grace and love in their lives in many varying ways. I feel that we have been truly blessed with a non-judgmental group, which again is extremely refreshing to me.
I am thankful for my job. Oh what a joy to be able to be thankful for one's place of work! On more than one occasion I have heard people speak of how they loathe their jobs. This concept has yet to enter my mind. I love what I do, I love the people I work with, and I love what we are doing as an organization. Food for the Hungry has indeed been a blessing in my life. No matter how crazy (and it is crazy right now!) it gets, I am never ungrateful or unsatisfied with my position. How great is it to be able to go to work and pray with your co-workers? How amazing is it to be able to use the Bible as your code and ethics manual?
There are of course many other things that I am thankful for (a roof over my head, food, transportation, health, etc.), but these are the things that come to mind. I hope that you all are doing well and remembering to count your blessings! God has given us so much- may we never forget that in the end we deserve nothing... thus, every good thing in our lives is a blessing and more than we deserve. God is awesome!
I am so very thankful for my beautiful, compassionate, caring wife, who, above all else is my friend and companion for life. I am refreshed (and sometimes humbled) by her honesty. I know that she loves me without requirement and will continue to do so regardless of the circumstances. In the same way I know that I love her without requirement and will continue to do so no matter what the circumstances. She is quick to forgive and quick to apologize. She is so much fun to laugh and do the simplest of things with. I love that she doesn't have to be doing much just as long as she is doing it with me. She is the most beautiful girl I know and I'm so very proud to call her my wife.
I am so thankful for my family. Celeste and I spent some time with my extended family last week up in Payson for the 4th of July. It was such a blast and so relaxing! God has done something special with our family... my aunts, uncles, and cousins are all so very close. We tend to have the same sense of humor whilst maintaining our unique, distinct personalities. Growing up I never really appreciated how rare this is... to be able to have this abundant love for your relatives and to count the days off in anticipation of seeing them all again. My parents are amazing- so patient, so kind. They exhibit love in every aspect of their lives and their support for their sons knows no bounds. I'm thankful for the way they've welcomed Celeste to our wacky family and the love that they shower her with a well- she loves them so much too! And my brother... what can I say? He's a classy guy! I will never understand why people peg him as 'the quiet one' at times. He has one of the biggest (and funniest) personalities I know and can be quite outspoken at times. He is a constant friend and is gifted in his discernment and the choices he makes. He is an individual who can admit when he is wrong and defend himself when he is right, something I find incredibly refreshing.
I am thankful for my friends. David, Darryl, Garrett- you make me laugh harder than I thought possible and your creativity inspires me always! Our college and career group is a constant source of encouragement- I am so proud of the young men and woman that God has lead to be in our group. They exhibit His grace and love in their lives in many varying ways. I feel that we have been truly blessed with a non-judgmental group, which again is extremely refreshing to me.
I am thankful for my job. Oh what a joy to be able to be thankful for one's place of work! On more than one occasion I have heard people speak of how they loathe their jobs. This concept has yet to enter my mind. I love what I do, I love the people I work with, and I love what we are doing as an organization. Food for the Hungry has indeed been a blessing in my life. No matter how crazy (and it is crazy right now!) it gets, I am never ungrateful or unsatisfied with my position. How great is it to be able to go to work and pray with your co-workers? How amazing is it to be able to use the Bible as your code and ethics manual?
There are of course many other things that I am thankful for (a roof over my head, food, transportation, health, etc.), but these are the things that come to mind. I hope that you all are doing well and remembering to count your blessings! God has given us so much- may we never forget that in the end we deserve nothing... thus, every good thing in our lives is a blessing and more than we deserve. God is awesome!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Let me clarify...
First off, let me say that the post preceding this one (edit: I took down the old post as I've now been convicted that its posting was a mistake- message me if you really want to read it still!) suffered from two things specifically: 1) I was emotionally charged having come off of a somewhat-heated debate with another individual which clouded my judgment and 2) it was made without revising or rereading before posting which would have made clear the many inconsistencies that obviously existed. To be honest- I pretty much puked out a mess of random thoughts and feelings into a blog posting- my bad.
The Christian liberty points made in that post were not only unbiblical, but also didn't connect to the subject being discussed. In fact, the previous post brought up quite a few sentiments that just plain old didn’t make sense; it was chocked full rabbit-trails into nothingness. Thanks to those of you who had the presence of mind to call me out on it: it’s a reminder for me to let myself cool off and write in an objective environment before gushing a mess of unconnected thoughts onto the page. I definitely needed to heed the advice of James 1:19, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath..." In my case I broke every one of these: I was slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger.
I am humbled by your words of encouragement to rethink my position. I fear that I made the childish mistake of being passionate just for the sake of being passionate. In the end I just came off as overzealous and under-supported in my position.
I hope you can forgive my blatant oversight. Allow me to more accurately and concisely convey what I meant to say in the previous post. Here’s what I should have said…
The rising gas prices have caught my attention. However, instead of looking at them as a terrible thing, I’ve come to realize that God’s purposes are always higher than our own. It may be that God has allowed such things to happen so that we pay better attention to our call to be good stewards of what He has given us. I know that the rising prices have caused me personally to evaluate what type of steward I am being with what he has given me.
I have been convicted of my own smug attitudes as well with regards to what I have been made a steward over. How often do I take for granted what I have been given? We are nothing without the grace and support of our loving Father. May we treat everything (including money, gas, this earth, etc.) that we have been made a steward over as a miraculous blessing from God and not take for granted all that he has blessed his undeserving children with!
The Christian liberty points made in that post were not only unbiblical, but also didn't connect to the subject being discussed. In fact, the previous post brought up quite a few sentiments that just plain old didn’t make sense; it was chocked full rabbit-trails into nothingness. Thanks to those of you who had the presence of mind to call me out on it: it’s a reminder for me to let myself cool off and write in an objective environment before gushing a mess of unconnected thoughts onto the page. I definitely needed to heed the advice of James 1:19, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath..." In my case I broke every one of these: I was slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger.
I am humbled by your words of encouragement to rethink my position. I fear that I made the childish mistake of being passionate just for the sake of being passionate. In the end I just came off as overzealous and under-supported in my position.
I hope you can forgive my blatant oversight. Allow me to more accurately and concisely convey what I meant to say in the previous post. Here’s what I should have said…
The rising gas prices have caught my attention. However, instead of looking at them as a terrible thing, I’ve come to realize that God’s purposes are always higher than our own. It may be that God has allowed such things to happen so that we pay better attention to our call to be good stewards of what He has given us. I know that the rising prices have caused me personally to evaluate what type of steward I am being with what he has given me.
I have been convicted of my own smug attitudes as well with regards to what I have been made a steward over. How often do I take for granted what I have been given? We are nothing without the grace and support of our loving Father. May we treat everything (including money, gas, this earth, etc.) that we have been made a steward over as a miraculous blessing from God and not take for granted all that he has blessed his undeserving children with!
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Great Voice Message Debate - #1
So a few weeks ago I was listening to my voice mail message, and I realized... wow, this is really boring. I used to record goofy messages back in high school, but since them I've 'shaped up' and learned how to be very corporate (read here as boring) with my voice mail message. So how does one fight that boring standardized voice mail message while still maintaining some creativity? I give you The Great Voice Message Debate.
Simply put, I'm going to utilize the same boring "leave your name and number" portion like a responsible adult should, but I'll also ask a two-sided question that sparks a debate. Once I've let the voice mailbox collect some messages over the course of a few weeks, I'll collect them all into one giant mash-up for you all to enjoy. Rest assured- I will remove (and have removed) all last names, phone numbers, and confidential parts of the message that have no relevance... the audio featured here will only be the portion that responds to the extra question I ask.
Without further adieu, here is the line of responses to the first question in the Great Voice Message Debate series...
Simply put, I'm going to utilize the same boring "leave your name and number" portion like a responsible adult should, but I'll also ask a two-sided question that sparks a debate. Once I've let the voice mailbox collect some messages over the course of a few weeks, I'll collect them all into one giant mash-up for you all to enjoy. Rest assured- I will remove (and have removed) all last names, phone numbers, and confidential parts of the message that have no relevance... the audio featured here will only be the portion that responds to the extra question I ask.
Without further adieu, here is the line of responses to the first question in the Great Voice Message Debate series...
Who would win in a fight- Superman or Batman?
Click on the play button to here the message and responses.
Click on the play button to here the message and responses.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
HP releases its first LCD with DreamWorks
16.7 Million colors not enough for you? (I know, I know... isn't that always the complaint? Colors- I need about a billion more of them and then this piece will be just right!) Check out HP's new monitor (overkill- maybe... cool and the way of the future- probably...)
At its Connecting the World event in Berlin, Germany, HP unveiled the first DreamColor monitor from its partnership with DreamWorks. The DreamColor LP2480xz is a 24-inch LCD that will set you or your design shop back $3,500. For the money, you get 30-bit color for over 1 billion color possibilities (standard LCDs are 24-bit for 16.7 million color options). HP says you will see deeper reds, blues, and greens when standing next to a run-of-the-mill consumer LCD, while blacks will appear four times darker and whites are adjustable.
Friday, May 30, 2008
A Prayer to God Concerning the Noisiness of Life
God is real my friends- I know this to be true. I have experienced His healing and changing grace in my own life time and time again. Occasionally I will write out my prayers to Him... it helps me to focus on what I really want to say with my heart as opposed to what oftentimes comes out of my mouth. I was recently feeling that life was becoming very 'noisy'. I'm not sure how to explain this, other than to say that if you've ever been able to identify the events surrounding your life as 'too loud', I'm sure you understand. I hope that by sharing these personal thoughts, I can be some sort of encouragement to you in your own walk... or, if you do not know the Lord as your saving Father, that this will provide some small insight into why He is the only way to salvation and peace.
Dear Father, it’s so loud right now. The decibels of life seem to be cranking up higher and higher. I confess- I miss the silence. I miss the quiet, still moments of reflection and solitude that I once knew more intimately. Noises, loud noises seem to be clanking and stirring in every direction now: discomfort, complaining, and some noises not so driven by dissatisfaction, but noises nonetheless. They feel so constricting and yet, for all their disruptive and invasive nature, they creep in unnoticed. The noises drown out vision and creativity; those voices that I rely on to speak refreshment to the soul. I can’t hear them as well now- they are indistinct, faint. I feel it almost a farce to be sentimental, sweet, or philosophical. The loud noises are unpredictable and harsh. I try to be vulnerable and speak a quiet word, but the noises glare and smash like waves of needles into the calm I so desperately strive to create. My reaction is to pull back and scream in defiance, but even my own reaction only adds to the noise. I just want it to be quiet, so I stop reacting. I just sit down and shut up.
But oh, what a bad way to approach things! It’s complacency, its indifference, it’s a releasing of oneself to defeat. This is not the way you’ve called me to be my God, this is not what your holy, quiet words have spoken to me in the silence of my mind. Your words are soft, yes, but powerful; gentle answers that can shape worlds and split open the mountains like soft wax. Your quiet words of power call me to rise above the noise, to soar on the wings of your promises and strength and to look defeat in the face and refuse to be mastered by it. God you have given me a voice to loudly proclaim your name. May I never use it to screech in protest when things seem to be shaping in a way not derived from my own sinful desires. God you are my solitude in time of winter. You provide me with a sanctuary of silence amidst the loudest, most abrasive moments of my life. You are love and justice, a great tandem of power, the like of which has no equal in this universe. Great and mighty is your name! When I cry to you, you answer me. You command your creation to be silent and know you. I love you father- may you continue to teach me to place my reliance and faith solely in the palm of your hands. Amen.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
We interrupt this regularly scheduled silence with... a post!
It's a sure bet that if you aren't seeing consistent postings here on the blog, that I've got my creative juices embedded in some other project or musing. Such is the case of late. Recently I've been...
- Working on a rough script for a short film I'm hoping to create and submit to some local film festivals with some long-time friends of mine. This is still in the infant stages of creation, but so far I've had a few WONDERFUL brainstorming sessions with my fellow film cohorts. We've been making great progress in the story development department and I'm really looking forward to the prospect of being able to complete a project of this magnitude.
- Revamping the blog. I've dived into an abundant amount of materials related to blogging design, scripting, and do's/don'ts in an effort to create a blog homebase that is truly meaningful and eye-catching. I'm not rushing it though; I still have plenty to learn and many errors to make in my endeavor to better the interface and design of this blog. Thanks for your patience in enduring the violent yellow text that litters this site!
- Attempting to do a better job at keeping myself involved in local ministry and in general. It's easy to skew your priorities and blame it on 'just being too busy'. I loathe that excuse... everyone uses that excuse; very unoriginal... and yet I find myself using it all too often. We just started a new evangelism series with the college and career group that I help lead at our church and I'm really excited to be jumping into it. It's definitely a humbling thing to be leading a group in a discussion of this subject (or any subject for that matter). I find myself constantly being convicted by my own shortcomings in the areas I speak on. But then again, isn't that a huge blessing? Thank God for the conviction and humbling nature of his Word. I'm infinitely grateful to the Lord for showing me how truly weak and frail I am when my reliance is not placed solely on Him.
- Playing games. Yep, I'm not going to fib on this... I'm playing video games more frequently. I had all but given up this practice during my whole graduation/marriage/buy a house/transition part of life. I'll admit it, I'm having fun and enjoying the downtime I get to do this. It's nice to have an outlet for stress/tension... hmmm... perhaps I should channel more of that into working out... ummm... did I say that out loud?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Myanmar Cyclone & Chinese Quakes - A Call to Pray!
I'm thankful that I work at a world relief organization where I can be on the forefront of news regarding world disasters. I can't help but wonder though, if I didn't work at a world relief organization like this... how long would it take me to realize that thousands upon thousands of people just lost their lives on the other side of the world?
We are so incredibly blessed here in America; we have so much, and we don't even realize it. We are also very naive about events occurring that seemingly have 'no impact' on us as a country. I say this not to 'snub' America (although American's snubbing their own country does seem to be a trendy thing for bloggers to do right now... another subject for another blog), but rather to encourage us as a nation to get more informed about how we can be praying for our world. Let's jump out of that isolationist mindset and start extending the love of Christ into our actions- its not as if prayer takes a lot of effort!
Anyway, with the Myanmar death toll climbing over the 30,000 mark today (with many, MANY more missing) and the Chinese quake death toll reportedly to be in the 7,000's- this isn't just your everyday tragedy. Combine these numbers with the fact that you are looking at two governments whom are known for their pride, secrecy, and resistance to receive foreign aid, the numbers are undoubtedly going to be a lot higher when this is all said and done. Early estimates have the final combined death toll of both of these disasters residing in the 100,000's. This isn't even mentioning the global food crisis that has been slowly descending upon the world in general during this last year. Think you've got it bad with gas prices going up and stamps rising in price by a cent? Try having your main food source (rice) jump in value so high that you are being forced to starve yourself in order to feed your children. This is real people, and its happening all around the world, TODAY.
Take a minute and consider that seemingly arbitrary number for a moment. 100,000. 100,000 lives extinguished within a matter weeks, probably less.
For comparisons sake, a little over 4,000 American troops have lost their lives during the on-going war in Iraq/Afghanistan. How much media attention has this received? Daily reports on every news channel, every day for the last... how many years? I do not mention this number to dishonor our troops and what they have done (this is another area where we can be praying!). Their sacrifice is one of the most noble endeavors I can think of- they have given their lives to make the world a better, safer place for EVERY man and woman, not just American men and women.
How many of us even knew that there was a place called Myanmar before this tragedy occurred? Maybe a few of you heard about the atrocities going on here because of interviews surrounding Silvester Stallone and the filming of the Rambo movie there. There is a silver lining here though: through this great tragedy, the world's eyes have been forced to look upon Myanmar. Maybe, just maybe, now that we all have been forced to meet Myanmar, some good can come from us having our eyes opened. Do a little googling on Myanmar (or Burma as it was more frequently referred to prior to 1989 when the military junta passed laws to change the name of the country and further remove its connection to the western world), and learn more about its corrupt government. The information, you'll discover, is quite frightening. Why are people treated like this? Why does suffering and unjust actions go unnoticed?
My point is this, the world is so much bigger than our little social spheres and day to day concerns. The world and it's sinful people face insurmountable obstacles every day- things we can't possibly face as a human race on our own ability. Thankfully we have the Lord- our almighty father! As I was reminded by one of the relief workers here at Food for the Hungry- let's focus on the living right now, not the lost. There are many hurting people out there right now who need God to ease their pain. Let's petition him to move on their behalf, so that He may place his healing hand on a hurting world. Pray that He uses these events to save the lost and restore the hurting.
We are so incredibly blessed here in America; we have so much, and we don't even realize it. We are also very naive about events occurring that seemingly have 'no impact' on us as a country. I say this not to 'snub' America (although American's snubbing their own country does seem to be a trendy thing for bloggers to do right now... another subject for another blog), but rather to encourage us as a nation to get more informed about how we can be praying for our world. Let's jump out of that isolationist mindset and start extending the love of Christ into our actions- its not as if prayer takes a lot of effort!
Anyway, with the Myanmar death toll climbing over the 30,000 mark today (with many, MANY more missing) and the Chinese quake death toll reportedly to be in the 7,000's- this isn't just your everyday tragedy. Combine these numbers with the fact that you are looking at two governments whom are known for their pride, secrecy, and resistance to receive foreign aid, the numbers are undoubtedly going to be a lot higher when this is all said and done. Early estimates have the final combined death toll of both of these disasters residing in the 100,000's. This isn't even mentioning the global food crisis that has been slowly descending upon the world in general during this last year. Think you've got it bad with gas prices going up and stamps rising in price by a cent? Try having your main food source (rice) jump in value so high that you are being forced to starve yourself in order to feed your children. This is real people, and its happening all around the world, TODAY.
Take a minute and consider that seemingly arbitrary number for a moment. 100,000. 100,000 lives extinguished within a matter weeks, probably less.
For comparisons sake, a little over 4,000 American troops have lost their lives during the on-going war in Iraq/Afghanistan. How much media attention has this received? Daily reports on every news channel, every day for the last... how many years? I do not mention this number to dishonor our troops and what they have done (this is another area where we can be praying!). Their sacrifice is one of the most noble endeavors I can think of- they have given their lives to make the world a better, safer place for EVERY man and woman, not just American men and women.
How many of us even knew that there was a place called Myanmar before this tragedy occurred? Maybe a few of you heard about the atrocities going on here because of interviews surrounding Silvester Stallone and the filming of the Rambo movie there. There is a silver lining here though: through this great tragedy, the world's eyes have been forced to look upon Myanmar. Maybe, just maybe, now that we all have been forced to meet Myanmar, some good can come from us having our eyes opened. Do a little googling on Myanmar (or Burma as it was more frequently referred to prior to 1989 when the military junta passed laws to change the name of the country and further remove its connection to the western world), and learn more about its corrupt government. The information, you'll discover, is quite frightening. Why are people treated like this? Why does suffering and unjust actions go unnoticed?
My point is this, the world is so much bigger than our little social spheres and day to day concerns. The world and it's sinful people face insurmountable obstacles every day- things we can't possibly face as a human race on our own ability. Thankfully we have the Lord- our almighty father! As I was reminded by one of the relief workers here at Food for the Hungry- let's focus on the living right now, not the lost. There are many hurting people out there right now who need God to ease their pain. Let's petition him to move on their behalf, so that He may place his healing hand on a hurting world. Pray that He uses these events to save the lost and restore the hurting.
"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8
Friday, May 9, 2008
Bragging Rights...
One of things I love about being a graphic designer, is the people I come in contact with throughout my life. I thoroughly enjoy bragging about my friends! I had the privilege of working with Drew Dunlap for a few years back when I was doing in-house print work with a company called Group Imaging. Drew is a talented sketch artist and designer. He just posted some new pieces on his blog that blend his sketching ability with his photoshop know-how. I really like the unique style and personality that he put into these. Great job Drew- these pieces look phenomenal!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Of Twitter and Good Books
You may have noticed an additional 'function' of the blog in recent days. There now is a twitter updates section located directly to the right of these blog posts. Twitter is a great little service that was developed by the same guy who originally created Blogger before it was bought by Google. Twitter's entire existance is reliant upon answering one question and one question only, "What are you doing?". The skeptic in me ignored this service when it first launched, but after hearing more and more reviews, I decided to give it a try.
Users can update their twitter accounts via the web, email, or by phone through text messaging. Every user can have a 'network' of friends who can choose to 'follow' them throughout the day. When you follow a user on Twitter, you are messaged via whatever medium you choose (web, email, phone) when one of your friends makes an update.
There are several design firms who are currently using twitter extensively in the workflow. This is useful from a corporate standpoint when you employ cell phones as the messaging agent. Rather then sending out a mass email to your creative team, you can update your twitter account and have text messages automatically deploy to anyone set to follow you, letting them know you're heading out of the office. I'm using twitter to provide on-the-fly updates on this blog using a nodule that was developed for blogger by the development team of twitter. So now, you can be caught up with all of the non-important, trivial details of my life when they happen... yes, I can hear those screams of excitement ("Oh, this is what we've wanted for so long... to be bored by more details of your impeccably nerdy life!").
I also received two books recently which I'm pretty excited about digging into. Vicente over at Xaris Studio suggested "CSS: The Missing Manual" to me as an excellent resource to help defeat my CSS shortcomings. My mom, who is a faithful reader of this blog (hooray for supportive parents), read Vicente's comment and picked up the book for me as a gift- awww thanks mom (see Vinny- I didn't even have to steal it!). I also received a book entitled "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" from our in-house web marketing guru, Kevin, at Food for the Hungry. Looks like this print designer may have to dust off his web stigma and charge back into the world of online development.
Users can update their twitter accounts via the web, email, or by phone through text messaging. Every user can have a 'network' of friends who can choose to 'follow' them throughout the day. When you follow a user on Twitter, you are messaged via whatever medium you choose (web, email, phone) when one of your friends makes an update.
There are several design firms who are currently using twitter extensively in the workflow. This is useful from a corporate standpoint when you employ cell phones as the messaging agent. Rather then sending out a mass email to your creative team, you can update your twitter account and have text messages automatically deploy to anyone set to follow you, letting them know you're heading out of the office. I'm using twitter to provide on-the-fly updates on this blog using a nodule that was developed for blogger by the development team of twitter. So now, you can be caught up with all of the non-important, trivial details of my life when they happen... yes, I can hear those screams of excitement ("Oh, this is what we've wanted for so long... to be bored by more details of your impeccably nerdy life!").
I also received two books recently which I'm pretty excited about digging into. Vicente over at Xaris Studio suggested "CSS: The Missing Manual" to me as an excellent resource to help defeat my CSS shortcomings. My mom, who is a faithful reader of this blog (hooray for supportive parents), read Vicente's comment and picked up the book for me as a gift- awww thanks mom (see Vinny- I didn't even have to steal it!). I also received a book entitled "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" from our in-house web marketing guru, Kevin, at Food for the Hungry. Looks like this print designer may have to dust off his web stigma and charge back into the world of online development.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Comedy of Design
There is a hilarious blog post over at graphicPUSH regarding the interaction between a designer and his 'special' client. The laughter has been helping me through my day; the sad part is that clients like this exist... abundantly.
My favorite excerpt:
My favorite excerpt:
And you hired a designer... why?ME: “This is great feedback. Thank you. I really think we should avoid most animation all together. Studies have shown that it really distracts from the rest of the page and makes it harder to read. I honestly feel the blue Helvetica really conveys a sense of professionalism, which is what we want to establish with your offshore banking operation.”
THEM: “I talked to my wife and my friend and this guy I used to work with and looked at some of the drawings my son did for the website design, and I really would like the headline in neon green and set in the typefontface Comic Sans. I use if for my church newsletter and I think it would be perfect. I think it really makes a statement about the brand’s market leadership and being a disruptive post-Web 2.5 startup.”
ME: “OK sounds like you have some experience designing so let’s try the idea. Here is a new comp with the headline in Comic Sans. As you can see it really clashes with the rest of the design. I think sometimes it works great like your church newsletter, but might not be the best option for an offshore bank targeting senior Mafia members and corrupt hedge fund managers.”
So...
The new blog format is taking a bit longer to get working than originally expected. I blame this mainly on two of my own personal shortcomings- 1) I keep tweaking things so that it will look 'just' right, and 2) my lack of experience in the coding and CSS styling world is rearing its ugly head. I just make things look pretty for goodness sake, what is this coding business?!? Ah, but that is the nature of the gig, you have to dive into the tools in order to get good results. Here's to hoping that I can complete a successful dive into this blog design restructure...
A couple more notes about the redesign:
I've change my mind yet again... Pulse of Thought and Vigilant Studios will no longer be two separate entities (I know, I know... how many times now has this been debated...). The current trend in graphic design seems to show that more and more designers are making their personal home pages a platform for blogging. This was something I had been trying to do for awhile, but it didn't seem generally accepted up until a year or two ago. Now graphic designers are using the blog format as a way to draw in potential clients and to share insights and thoughts with their fellow desigNERDs. All this to say, the new format will be much more 'Vigilant Studios' in theme and less 'Pulse of Thought'. Rather, Pulse of Thought will become a subtitle name of my blog which is under the Vigilant Studios name... thoroughly confused now? Good.
A couple more notes about the redesign:
I've change my mind yet again... Pulse of Thought and Vigilant Studios will no longer be two separate entities (I know, I know... how many times now has this been debated...). The current trend in graphic design seems to show that more and more designers are making their personal home pages a platform for blogging. This was something I had been trying to do for awhile, but it didn't seem generally accepted up until a year or two ago. Now graphic designers are using the blog format as a way to draw in potential clients and to share insights and thoughts with their fellow desigNERDs. All this to say, the new format will be much more 'Vigilant Studios' in theme and less 'Pulse of Thought'. Rather, Pulse of Thought will become a subtitle name of my blog which is under the Vigilant Studios name... thoroughly confused now? Good.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Two Quick Things...
1) Iron Man definitely lived up to the hype. I don't even need to say any more than that... go buy tickets- NOW.
2) The site look/feel is about to undergo major changes (goodbye yellow color scheme!). My apologies to those of you who may be viewing this site while I'm in the middle of messing with the CSS and trying some 'live' edits. This is the one big downside of using blogger as my primary interface- there is no testing environment to drive the edits on before launching them. See you on the other side...
2) The site look/feel is about to undergo major changes (goodbye yellow color scheme!). My apologies to those of you who may be viewing this site while I'm in the middle of messing with the CSS and trying some 'live' edits. This is the one big downside of using blogger as my primary interface- there is no testing environment to drive the edits on before launching them. See you on the other side...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Ironman Hype
Let me be the first to admit it- I was excited about the Iron Man movie when I first discovered that it was in production. The trailers only furthered that excitement and I have to admit that I'm partial to superheroes who are self-made, not just blessed/cursed with power. I'm also partial to those superheroes that don't get as much publicity as the 'Big 3': Superman, Batman, and Spiderman (though as an aside I must say that Batman Begins was incredible, while Spiderman 3 was one of the most disappointing, over-hyped movies to hit the big screen in quite some time).Regardless of your perspective and biases towards certain characters, from the buzz, Iron Man is looking like it will be a noteworthy addition to the comic book movie line-up. Rotten Tomatoes has early reviewers putting this movie at the 95% mark (for comparisons sake, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ended up with a 94% rating).
My original worries were that this movie would buckle under the pressure and try to put too much action and not enough story in the mix. However, early reports seem to indicate that Tony Stark doesn't dawn the Iron Man suit until a decent length into the movie. This reminds me of Batman Begins, in that the director Christopher Nolan didn't rush the plot in order to give us Batman; he invested an equal amount of time in Bruce Wayne showed how this broken man becomes the dark knight. I love that- it should be every director's goal to get his/her audience invested in the character before we are expected to cheer for them.Needless to say, I've ordered tickets for the first showing tonight (which amazingly starts at 8pm... a very welcome 'pre-viewing' time that breaks the traditional midnight debut for movies like this). Who knows- I may be disappointed, but its sure worth finding out with reviews like this abounding.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Affordable Storage: Solutions for the Present and Future
As a designer who is used to using up computer storage space quickly, I was happy to stumble upon a unique, inexpensive storage solution recently. I'm speaking of the Thermaltake BlacX USB Hard Drive Dock which enables you to use SATA hard drives as if they were USB cards or plug and play enclosed hard drives. Why is this so great? Well for one thing, the price is unbeatable. With a buy price of $40.00, you really cannot find a better storage solution. Currently 500GB SATA hard drives run roughly $90-100. That means that, with the Hard Drive Dock, you can purchase 1 terabyte of space for just under $200. Wow- that's phenomenal!From a functional standpoint its a great option for the designer looking to back up or create duplicates of his/her own work. Rather than having to purchase expensive enclosed hard drives where you are paying extra for the enclosure, housing, and power source, you can simply use 'raw' drives that would normally have to be installed inside your computer. Furthermore, you don't have to shut down your computer to remove the drives like you normally would. Just plug the drive in, do your copying, and then store the data safely.
Designers working in large formats will understand the benefit of running a system like this. Those many-layered PSD files start to really crank up the size when you are working on a high-resolution banner or display project. This system is probably even more beneficial to video editors. Given the current industry shift towards High Definition, demand for cheap storage space is at an all-time high. If you are running your own freelance company and do not have the resources or money available to purchase some of the more expensive data backup solutions, this is a fantastic way to start. Don't get me wrong, this is no alternative to a redundant array; this is no RAID setup. However, if you need to store footage or files quickly, cheaply, and efficiently, this is definitely worth looking into.
But what about the future?
To be honest, I believe the above method is pretty much the cheapest way to store data currently and I don't expect that to change for at least 4-5 more years (just my own opinion). However, Blu-Ray disc backup will inevitably replace this method if technology prices drop significantly. For now though, its just not worth using Blu-Ray for your backup needs.
A Blu-Ray burner will run you anywhere from $350-600 and write speeds are still fairly poor in proportion to the disc quality. In addition to this, the media is still incredibly expensive! At the very best you are looking at an individual disc cost of $30-50 for 1 (one!) dual-layer disc that holds 50GB. If you have a Blu-Ray player for your HDTV at home, you know how expensive those discs are to buy. This is why my wife and I use my XBOX 360 to 'rent' HD movies rather than investing in a Blu-Ray player and spending money on these overpriced discs (as an aside: You can also rent HD movies for relatively cheap using an iTunes enabled computer that is hooked up to your HDTV or by using Apple's Mac TV device.).
No thanks... I'll glady wait for this technology price point to drop- it's inevitable (for proof of this, look at DVD trends and how that technology price point dropped tremendously as it became more and more standardized). While it's really not a viable technology for anything outside of HD Movies right now, I do think this is the way of the future provided the cost falls significantly.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Branding Samples
My previous post regarding Starbuck's recent branding move reminded me that, while I'm constantly designing on the job and at home, I'm rarely posting examples of projects. I've been working on quite a few logo samples for an upcoming conference that my work is putting on. The details are still fairly vague so I'm taking pretty broad stabs at it right now in an effort to pin down the direction we will end up going for this particular brand. These are by no means finished, and pretty rough, but a good place to start in order to get a better idea for what the requester does and doesn't like.
Brand History: Starbucks
I saw our project manager drinking coffee from an unusual starbucks cup this morning. Upon closer investigation I discovered that the logo was strangely different... and brown; definitely not the iconic green and black emblem that we've all come to know (for better or worse) on virtually every civilized street corner in the United States. My good friend Mr. Google quickly told me that this was Starbuck's original logo from the 70's. A further investigation had me digging up this cool article written by John Moore of Brand Autopsy. It details the development and evolution of the Starbuck's logo- pretty cool information. As a designerd (yes, that's right, I'm making up my own words now), I think its really cool to see how time and history effect a company's branding. Just some graphical food for the thought.EDIT: I found this article in business week that further discusses the temporary logo switch on select cups of coffee. Check it out here.
The REAL Cloning Brush
My friend Garrett sent me this cool video illustrating a concept design of a '3D Film Brush'. Essentially its a real life cloning brush (a la photoshop). The developer says this about it:
"...a new drawing tool to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by “picking up” and drawing with them. I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, artists can draw with the special “ink” they just picked up from their immediate environment"There's more about this cool little novelty here. Thought it was cool!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
BTC Conference
I'd like to encourage you to pray for (and consider attending if you are a young adult) the upcoming BTC Conference which will take place in August. My home church, Grace Covenant, is the one heading up this conference and we are really excited to see what the Lord will do with our efforts. This conference was the original idea of my good friend David Giarizzo, who has been spearheading the efforts to develop and implement the conference. David is currently at the ARBCA General Assembly and will speaking to the pastors and assembly there to follow-up the official announcement of the conference during last year's GA. Here's so more info on the conference itself:
Soli Deo Gloria!
- What? Reformed Baptist Young Adults Conference
- When? August 8th - 11th, 2008
- Where? Prescott, Arizona
- Speaker? Pastor Bob Selph
The goal of BTC is to help young people understand the importance of the local church. Our hope is that this younger generation of Reformed believers will grow in love for Christ and His Church and will pursue active involvement in the local congregation.
BTC is not a “single’s conference.” This conference is geared towards all young adults, 18+ yrs old, regardless of marital status!
We hope to see the BTC conference become a regularly anticipated and attended conference for young adults across the country for many years to come!
BTC is not a “single’s conference.” This conference is geared towards all young adults, 18+ yrs old, regardless of marital status!
We hope to see the BTC conference become a regularly anticipated and attended conference for young adults across the country for many years to come!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Loving what I do...
Anyone who knows me, will be able to tell you that I love my day job. Working as a graphic designer for Food for the Hungry has been an incredible experience thus far. I feel so very blessed to be able to utilize my creative talents at a non-profit organization who is dedicated to being the hands and feet of Christ. I have a wonderful team of brothers and sisters in Christ who make my job an absolute joy and the departments I work with here are fantastic (they are known as 'requestors' in an in-house design environment as opposed to 'clients' in a production-based company).
One of those departments that I get to work with is our Artist Ministry. It really is a blast to be able to create promotional materials for Christian musical artists who have partnered with FH to help get hungry and hurting children sponsored. In my time here I've come to really appreciate the artists that truly give back to society and the world at large. Just to name a few: Leeland (this band is amazing and is definitely up and coming- I predict them to be headlining some big name tours in the near future), 33 Miles, Sara Groves (I'm currently developing a display graphic for her to use at shows, see right), Tammy Trent, PCD, etc. These guys and gals are the real deal, and they let their faith shine through their music AND their actions.
Not to jump on a soapbox, but I really do believe in the organization I work for. Food for the Hungry does make a REAL difference in lives throughout the world. We know that, as an organization, we are completely dependent on God. We seek to follow him always, we strive to do His will. We live by the the words of Micah 6:8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." If anyone is curious or wants to know more information about Food for the Hungry, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd be happy to give a tour of our facility here in Phoenix and to get you more information.
Please, consider sponsoring a child or getting involved somehow. We have been blessed with so much here in America; may we never forget to share that blessing with those who are less fortunate then ourselves.
One of those departments that I get to work with is our Artist Ministry. It really is a blast to be able to create promotional materials for Christian musical artists who have partnered with FH to help get hungry and hurting children sponsored. In my time here I've come to really appreciate the artists that truly give back to society and the world at large. Just to name a few: Leeland (this band is amazing and is definitely up and coming- I predict them to be headlining some big name tours in the near future), 33 Miles, Sara Groves (I'm currently developing a display graphic for her to use at shows, see right), Tammy Trent, PCD, etc. These guys and gals are the real deal, and they let their faith shine through their music AND their actions.Not to jump on a soapbox, but I really do believe in the organization I work for. Food for the Hungry does make a REAL difference in lives throughout the world. We know that, as an organization, we are completely dependent on God. We seek to follow him always, we strive to do His will. We live by the the words of Micah 6:8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." If anyone is curious or wants to know more information about Food for the Hungry, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd be happy to give a tour of our facility here in Phoenix and to get you more information.
Please, consider sponsoring a child or getting involved somehow. We have been blessed with so much here in America; may we never forget to share that blessing with those who are less fortunate then ourselves.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
InDesign CS3 VersionCue Woes
I hadn't experienced any trouble at home with InDesign CS3 before, but at work I've been fighting it ever since I upgraded the platform to OSX Tiger. It seems that there is an issue with the way Adobe updates Adobe VersionCue (or rather, doesn't update VersionCue... ahem.). Never mind the fact that VersionCue is essentially useless in a single-designer environment (not sure about VersionCue's purpose? Click here.), Adobe saw fit to integrate it into the very core functions of 'save' and 'save as' file commands. What does this mean for someone with a corrupted version of VersionCue? Saving doesn't work... oh but it doesn't just not save, it crashes the entire program. Yikes.
Thanks to a blog posting by Joe Maller I was able to remedy the problem- thanks Joe! Now I really should cut Adobe some slack, in all my years of using their products, never have I once encountered a bug like this. However, I thought I should bring some attention to Joe Maller's blog post since it was one of the only places on the web that I can find a viable solution to the problem. Hope that helped for those of you who reached this post by desperately crawling Google in hopes of finding an answer.
Thanks to a blog posting by Joe Maller I was able to remedy the problem- thanks Joe! Now I really should cut Adobe some slack, in all my years of using their products, never have I once encountered a bug like this. However, I thought I should bring some attention to Joe Maller's blog post since it was one of the only places on the web that I can find a viable solution to the problem. Hope that helped for those of you who reached this post by desperately crawling Google in hopes of finding an answer.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
My Best Friend
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
-Proverbs 31:10-12, 29-30
"Her"
Deep brown, flickers of joy and laughter
echo in those beautiful eyes that look upon mine
How can I, just a simple man, be so fortunate
to claim the affections of this intoxicating beauty
Lord may I never forget to count my blessings
And this, second only to your very son,
May I guard, protect, and cherish her
As the very beating of my own heart.
Deep brown, flickers of joy and laughter
echo in those beautiful eyes that look upon mine
How can I, just a simple man, be so fortunate
to claim the affections of this intoxicating beauty
Lord may I never forget to count my blessings
And this, second only to your very son,
May I guard, protect, and cherish her
As the very beating of my own heart.
I love you Celeste- thank you for making me the happiest man I know!
MAC's in the House
Rumor is, Three-23 Media has a new rig in the house. My feelings are that video production may be in full swing before long. My goodness those new iMacs look nice, like REALLY nice (I was a big fan of apple bringing in the black accents to their product line)... I think S.O.M.B.S. is in remission, at least for the time being... I'm taking this screen shot to mean that Darryl's visits to my blog are a truce, albeit a shaky one. Many congrats Darryl- here's to many more wonderful films!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
iPhone's Competition: Google Android Platform
Wow- this definitely ups the competition for Apple's iPhone. You're going to be seeing a lot of innovation and expansion in the cell phone technology market very soon me'thinks. That's a snappy interface!
Speaking of iPhone competition, check out this "iClone"... basically, it's a direct knock-off of the iPhone, but for MUCH cheaper at around $150-200 (some sources claim that this phone actually came out 6 months before the iPhone however). It's made by a Chinese company called CECT. They actually have quite a few iPhone knock-offs in their line-up (P168, A380i, S688, 599, U8800). If having an iPhone is completely a status symbol for you, these might be a nice alternative and would save you money. They work with any SIM card style mobile service (think T-Mobile and AT&T). However, these really aren't TRUE iPhone knock-offs as many on the web would have you believe. The reason the iPhone is amazing, in my opinion, is due primarily to the way it handles Web (a true browser, not WEP), integrates music and movies (these knock-offs have inferior frame rates), and deals with e-mail.
And while we're on the subject- my biggest complaint about these new touch-screen phones? The keyboard. Touch-interface is great, but how in the world is anyone supposed to compose email comfortably on that interface? For that matter, why do most of the PDA-style phones on the market right now have a small vertical-style keyboard smashed into them at the very bottom? That's just not comfortable my friends! In a time where cell phones are becoming more and more used for email, you'd think that providing a horizontal-style pull-out (or slide-out) keyboard interface would be a primary objective in the design phase. Weird!
Has anyone noticed a growing trend? My posts have been geeky recently... really geeky. I need to regroup and post something 'non-nerdish' soon...
Speaking of iPhone competition, check out this "iClone"... basically, it's a direct knock-off of the iPhone, but for MUCH cheaper at around $150-200 (some sources claim that this phone actually came out 6 months before the iPhone however). It's made by a Chinese company called CECT. They actually have quite a few iPhone knock-offs in their line-up (P168, A380i, S688, 599, U8800). If having an iPhone is completely a status symbol for you, these might be a nice alternative and would save you money. They work with any SIM card style mobile service (think T-Mobile and AT&T). However, these really aren't TRUE iPhone knock-offs as many on the web would have you believe. The reason the iPhone is amazing, in my opinion, is due primarily to the way it handles Web (a true browser, not WEP), integrates music and movies (these knock-offs have inferior frame rates), and deals with e-mail.
Has anyone noticed a growing trend? My posts have been geeky recently... really geeky. I need to regroup and post something 'non-nerdish' soon...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Magic Bullet Looks vs. Photoshop For Video
Okay, so just before I left for Photoshop World last week, I become incredibly enthusiastic about Magic Bullet Looks. Rather than try to describe to you what Magic Bullet does, here is how Red Giant Software (the developer) describes it:
Then I went to Photoshop World and learned a lot about using Photoshop CS3’s new, powerful video editing capabilities. The skills and techniques I learned at some of the classes opened my eyes to a few new possibilities.
I began to realize that, while Magic Bullet Looks is indeed a fantastic program, I could achieve the same effects for free using Photoshop CS3 Extended (let me re-emphasize this: this will only work in CS3 Extended, not standard) by importing the footage and editing it. Furthermore, I could create my own personalized ‘looks’ (much like Magic Bullet) and make them reusable by recording actions in Photoshop that would ‘process’ the footage the same way every time. I was thrilled to discover this because, not only does it save me $399, but it also allows me to be more precise in the way I process my footage. I can now dial in my edits using the interface that I’ve come to know and love over the past 10 years.
Don’t get me wrong, Magic Bullet Looks has a wonderful interface for editing and it is extremely customizable. If you are a beginner to intermediate user of Photoshop, you may still want to stick with Magic Bullet. However, if you are further a long in your Photoshop knowledge, I’d suggest you check this alternative method out. Smart Filters, masking, adjustment layers, advanced color adjustment, etc. all make this a very enticing option for editing the look of your footage. The great part about this? If you set up your workflow properly, you can nondestructively edit your footage, so that you can go back and re-edit the look of it at any given time. For the advanced Photoshop users out there: just think about what you could do with actions and batching files. Imagine shooting all of your footage, editing it down in your editor of choice, and then running a batch command in Photoshop to apply your customized film effect to your footage. With a click of a button, Photoshop would apply the same effect to all of the designated pieces of film and you could walk away while it renders. Pretty cool.
“Traditionally achieved with filters, filming techniques or chemical processes, a "look" was any treatment applied to film stock to lend it a color, appearance, or mood. With digital editing, many more sophisticated effects are now possible. Often referred to as color correction, the process is similar to working in a virtual darkroom. Ordinary footage can be made to look like old films or TV, colors can be adjusted to turn a daytime shoot into film noir, and camera tricks can be simulated digitally.”I can honestly say that Magic Bullets does a great job at helping you achieve that ‘filmic’ look. I was impressed with the designer’s interface and ease of use. I downloaded the demo version, which plugs in to After Effects. After playing around with it and spitting out some footage I decided that this would need to be an eventual ‘must buy’ for my future film endeavors. However, at a price tag of $399, I realized that this was something that would have to wait for a while. Its hard to justify an expenditure like that when its for just a plug-in (albeit a cool one). I resigned myself to saving up the money and waiting.
Then I went to Photoshop World and learned a lot about using Photoshop CS3’s new, powerful video editing capabilities. The skills and techniques I learned at some of the classes opened my eyes to a few new possibilities.
I began to realize that, while Magic Bullet Looks is indeed a fantastic program, I could achieve the same effects for free using Photoshop CS3 Extended (let me re-emphasize this: this will only work in CS3 Extended, not standard) by importing the footage and editing it. Furthermore, I could create my own personalized ‘looks’ (much like Magic Bullet) and make them reusable by recording actions in Photoshop that would ‘process’ the footage the same way every time. I was thrilled to discover this because, not only does it save me $399, but it also allows me to be more precise in the way I process my footage. I can now dial in my edits using the interface that I’ve come to know and love over the past 10 years.
Don’t get me wrong, Magic Bullet Looks has a wonderful interface for editing and it is extremely customizable. If you are a beginner to intermediate user of Photoshop, you may still want to stick with Magic Bullet. However, if you are further a long in your Photoshop knowledge, I’d suggest you check this alternative method out. Smart Filters, masking, adjustment layers, advanced color adjustment, etc. all make this a very enticing option for editing the look of your footage. The great part about this? If you set up your workflow properly, you can nondestructively edit your footage, so that you can go back and re-edit the look of it at any given time. For the advanced Photoshop users out there: just think about what you could do with actions and batching files. Imagine shooting all of your footage, editing it down in your editor of choice, and then running a batch command in Photoshop to apply your customized film effect to your footage. With a click of a button, Photoshop would apply the same effect to all of the designated pieces of film and you could walk away while it renders. Pretty cool.
I am posting a video below for your reference. Please forgive the poor quality- the upload utility in blogger severely degrades quality. This video contains 1) the stock, unaltered footage, 2) a customized look I created using Magic Bullet (notice the lovely, red ‘x’ that stripes the footage due to the fact that I’m using the demo version for this), and 3) a custom setting I created using Photoshop (I tried to somewhat match this look to the MB one, though it is not a perfect copy). Anyway, these are rough, but hopefully they give you a better idea of what the new Video capabilities can do in Photoshop.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Pandora vs. Last.fm
I had, until recently, been unaware of the existence of the music service Last.fm (thanks Brett for showing me this!). Basically, Last.fm is the direct competitor to Pandora. As many of you know, Pandora has been my online music service of choice for creating customizable and adaptable radio stations. So when I heard that there was another service doing the same thing, I was excited to check it out. Let me preface this post by saying that there is already an excellent posting written by Steve Krause concerning the differences between these two services. If you want the nitty-gritty details of what is different between these two services, check out his post first.
While I think Last.fm is a great service, I am still going to stick with Pandora. I say this lightly, as it is only a personal preference. It really depends on how you like to listen to music and what fits your musical personality.
Something that Steve Krause touches on in his article is the way music is picked and added to the radio stations you create. Pandora relies on comparing musical characteristics of a song to pick music that it ‘thinks’ you will like. Musicians at Pandora listen to each song and then diagram it into ‘genes’. These ‘genes’ are the qualities of the song that give it shape and form. Examples of these qualities are speed, volume, voicing, key changes, tonal quality, genre styling, etc. On the flipside of this, Last.fm uses social nuances to classify and suggest music. This means that songs are picked for you based on how society in general groups them, not how they musically correspond. As a musician I prefer Pandora because it is not influenced by social likes/dislikes. It looks at the raw music and does not account for popularity.
As far as aesthetics and interface go, both have their strong points. I tend to opt for the simple, straightforward approach of Pandora. Pandora can be accessed through any web browser, does not have standalone software, and every part of the service can be accessed through one static panel. Last.fm is much more robust in the options department, but borders on chaotic and confusing at times in my opinion. There is somewhat of a learning curve getting used to it’s interface. There are many, many ways this service can be used and there is also standalone software that can be downloaded to run the service outside of your browser window.
Both seem to be amazing services and for those of you not yet utilizing one of these, I’d strongly suggest you check them out. However, this blogger is sticking with Pandora for now.
While I think Last.fm is a great service, I am still going to stick with Pandora. I say this lightly, as it is only a personal preference. It really depends on how you like to listen to music and what fits your musical personality.
Something that Steve Krause touches on in his article is the way music is picked and added to the radio stations you create. Pandora relies on comparing musical characteristics of a song to pick music that it ‘thinks’ you will like. Musicians at Pandora listen to each song and then diagram it into ‘genes’. These ‘genes’ are the qualities of the song that give it shape and form. Examples of these qualities are speed, volume, voicing, key changes, tonal quality, genre styling, etc. On the flipside of this, Last.fm uses social nuances to classify and suggest music. This means that songs are picked for you based on how society in general groups them, not how they musically correspond. As a musician I prefer Pandora because it is not influenced by social likes/dislikes. It looks at the raw music and does not account for popularity.
As far as aesthetics and interface go, both have their strong points. I tend to opt for the simple, straightforward approach of Pandora. Pandora can be accessed through any web browser, does not have standalone software, and every part of the service can be accessed through one static panel. Last.fm is much more robust in the options department, but borders on chaotic and confusing at times in my opinion. There is somewhat of a learning curve getting used to it’s interface. There are many, many ways this service can be used and there is also standalone software that can be downloaded to run the service outside of your browser window.
Both seem to be amazing services and for those of you not yet utilizing one of these, I’d strongly suggest you check them out. However, this blogger is sticking with Pandora for now.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Expect an influx of blog postings soon...
Wow. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Orlando. There is so much to talk about; so much to discuss. A quick recap: Photoshop World was a blast and was extremely informative. I will post my own person insights and opinions in an upcoming blog. My initial take is this- the new abilities gained by Photoshop in CS3 are amazing. Some classes were a bit remedial, but doing research on the instructors and the classes themselves really helped me to plan out my course schedule. I feel like I definitely got my money's worth and would do it again in the future in a heartbeat.
So until further blogging occurs, here are a few random (yet extremely cool) things to check-out:
1) Intelligent elephants that paint self-portraits!
2) Flying motorcycles that allow you to hop traffic jams!
3) Designer Geeks recreating the D-Day battle! Thanks go to Celeste's cousin, Brett, for showing me this while in Orlando- this is amazing stuff.
4) Photoshop express- eat your heart out Flickr! Do yourself a favor and register for an account here- it'll change the way you upload and display photos online. This was also one of the big 'reveals' at Photoshop World this year.
So until further blogging occurs, here are a few random (yet extremely cool) things to check-out:
1) Intelligent elephants that paint self-portraits!
2) Flying motorcycles that allow you to hop traffic jams!
3) Designer Geeks recreating the D-Day battle! Thanks go to Celeste's cousin, Brett, for showing me this while in Orlando- this is amazing stuff.
4) Photoshop express- eat your heart out Flickr! Do yourself a favor and register for an account here- it'll change the way you upload and display photos online. This was also one of the big 'reveals' at Photoshop World this year.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Look out (Photoshop) World, Here I Come!
My plane departs in less than 4 hours... the wife and I haven't slept at all this past night due to the fact that we have been forced to pack last minute (guess what we'll be doing on the plane- sleep... that or catching up on Battlestar Galactica episodes... oh did I mention that I'm geek?). Its surprisingly difficult to move into your new place, attempt to set up everything you own, and then turn around and pack for a week long conference visit to Orlando! Oh, but its so worth it. I'll post updates as I have wi-fi access... hopefully.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Welcome Home.
I celebrated another year of life yesterday with my wife, and I must say... it's great to be married. Food tastes better, the company is prettier, and the experience is much more memorable. We headed over to Shabu Fondue for a wonderful birthday dinner surprise. I was fairly excited about this because I had not had 'real' fondue before in a restaurant setting. The atmosphere was great and the restaurant was themed pretty well; distinctly Asian-decor (think lots of red and black). The food was fantastic, albeit a little on the pricey side (especially since you're the one cooking half of your meal...). All-in-all a great experience, and one I would recommend in moderation (your wallet will thank me).
We are also picking up the keys to our finished condo today! After nearly a year of waiting, the place is finally built and ready for the newlyweds to move-in. I must say, with this being my first piece of non-rental property, I'm quite excited. Celeste and I are both keenly aware of the fact that this, along with many other things, is a blessing from the Lord. We are so very thankful to our God for giving us this opportunity and pray that we are able to honor Him through the use of our home and lives together.During the course of the next two weeks, I'll be traveling a lot. Next Tuesday we will be heading over to Orlando Florida for the Photoshop World Conference with our friends Vinny and Elizabeth from Xaris Studio. Upon returning, I'll be preparing for another trip with my Creative Services team at Food for the Hungry. We are having our annual vision planning trip which will help us brainstorm new ways to be productive and innovative with our branding and marketing during the course of this next year.
It's a busy time in our lives, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
