J U L Y 0 4
Dave updates his portfolio. Don and Andrew remember the worst science fair projects ever. Eric helps Dave record a demo in Boston. Dave talks about the art of note-taking and rebranding Russia.
The Most Unique Science Fair Project
Don neglected to mention the best science fair project that Dave and I ever got away with: The Lego Roller Coaster. We were in different sections of Mr. Toler's physics class and while Don was spending lots of time and money on building a shopping cart with Jeff and Nick, Dave and I took some heavy gauge wire and bent it until it resembled the worst designed roller coaster track ever. Riding down the track was a keychain ring with a little lego seat and person. The stand for the whole thing was the back of a poster that Sarah had used for her fourth grade science fair project earlier that year. Dave and I spent more time drawing a lake and grass on the poster than all of the alleged science that we were supposed to have done. I think we were trying to show something about kinetic versus potential energy but we ended up showing that in high school we could get away with just about anything. And who could forget the time we tested the strength of guitar strings by hanging a bucket full of rocks from them. You know it's good science when your unit of measurement for weight is rocks. If I remember correctly we tested about four strings before we decided to just make up the rest of our results.
Don, Kelly said you're stealing her idea of paying my parents back once you strike it rich. Just wanted them to know who to really thank once you have your windfall. Don's right though Dave, we wish you could have been there. We'll be down to visit sometime soon (September maybe if you're not too busy?) and wax nostalgic about Carlos trying to devour his shoulder.
Tuesday, July 27 at 6:05 AM
Good times had by Paul, and the chronicles of the missing Daveeda
I know it has been quite a while since my last post (12/6/2003, to be exact) but I just wanted to give an OKS shoutout to the one and only David Gilliaert Werner. Dave I really wish you could have been around this weekend because it was "super happy fun time". Friday night Andrew informs me we're getting dressed up all nice and pretty and heading to the Blues Alley to see Nat King Cole's brother, Freddy Cole's Jazz Quartet. Andrew comes over to my house to pick me up and informs me that I will be driving because there is an "upside down yellow omega with an exclamation mark in the middle" on the console of his mini cooper (still like Jeff's idea for his license plate: "hangn w mr", a tribute to the classic "Hanging with Mister Cooper") After checking the manual, which was in Swahili, we determined that the car had a flat tire so we hopped into the Tacoma and headed over to the humble abode of Kelly, Lindsay, and Trish the Dish. After picking up the girls (literally and metaphorically speaking) we graced the Blues Alley, which was not just a clever name since it was located in a back alley in Georgetown. The Jazz was absolutely phenominal... I have to admit I was kind of skeptical beforehand, however, I was completely blown away by the music. They had a traditional 4 piece jazz band, with Freddy playing piano and singing, a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. They played for approximately an hour and a half, after which we walked down to the waterfront for a few drinks. Of course Andrew and I are reminiscing about all the good ol' times, so we have to Dave call to remind him of this weird nerd at Robinson who we dubbed "Triangle Head Weird Kid Boy". Just don't ask. All evening I was doing my rain dance and praying for a monsoon because my softball team had made the finals in the playoffs but we were missing 4 of our best players for saturday morning. I wake up saturday morning to dry and beautiful weather, feeling slightly less than tip-top shape, if you know what I mean. Kelly accompanied me to both of the games to provide moral support, however, we needed quite a bit more than moral support. I had to play shortstop, which I haven't done in about 8 years, since I normally play third base. Ostrander and the majority of our team hit terrible, so we ended up losing both of our games to put us out of the tournament after a miraculous tuesday when we upset the first place and fourth place teams. After helping Andrew replace his tire with a Krispy Kreme doughnut and a little nappy nap, we all headed out to Chauncy's for a BBQ. I was flabergasted to see the amount of effort that Chauncy put into preparing for the party including making 6,549 deviled eggs, pasta sala, spinach and cheese bread bowl, punch, the list goes on. Ostrander and I successfully demolished all challengers in horseshoes, continuing our ongoing competition in all activities in the game of life. After the BBQ Kelly, Andrew, Lori, Lou, and I went to the Clarendon Grill to continue the festivities. Sunday I introduced Kelly to Aladdin's Eatery in Shirlington, right near Andrew's apartment, where I drank 2 Tropical Storm smoothies, which I have now renamed the Sweet Nectar of the God's. Andrew finally got me out of my slump of not playing guitar by saying he was better than me... I went to Guitar Center, bought a stand for my Ibanez, and one for my Martin, 2 guitar cables, and a bunch of my signature yellow Dunlop turtle picks. Andrew and I rocked out in the basement of doom for about an hour and a half, and holy smokes was I rusty. I think I forgot more than half of the songs we attempted to play, but it started to come back to me towards the end. I'm really glad we jammed because now I'm excited about playing guitar again. I think I boycotted music when I found out Dave was moving to Baltimore and the Samurai had to go on a hiatus. Definitely need to keep playing though because it made me realize how much I miss it and what a big part of my life it has been. Stayed for dinner at the Werners, on my tally I have probably passed the mark of 5,000 dinners with my second family... which rounds out my tab to about $50,000. When I strike it rich I will enjoy doing something incredibly nice for them, which will blow away the answering machine I gave them in the 9th grade. The evening was full of funny stories and memories, not to mention zings and burns on Andrew. I think I was 5-1, Mr. Werner was 2-1, and even Sarah got a few licks on her brother. Dave I wish you could have been there when we were talking about all the TERRIBLE science fair projects you and Andrew did in hikes school. Oh my GOODNESS, I built an entire shopping cart from scratch and you guys bounced objects off the trampoline and measured the trajectory with a yard stick. I was sad to see the night end, it was fantastice hanging out at the Werner household. All around an amazing weekend, the only way it could have been better is if Dave was here to join in on the fun... oh yeah, and to mask my bodgy guitar playing with some vocals and keyboard. Good times had by Paul indeed. I'm out like a trout. o.
Monday, July 26 at 6:20 AM
It Looks Cool, But How Does It Work?
As research for a project, I read a surprisingly interesting book today called The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman. Written in 1988, it's slightly dated in parts, but the points it makes for intuitive design are incredible. He singles out ovens and light switches as common culprits of poor design. How many times have you switched an oven dial only to see it turn on the wrong burner? The vertical layout of the dials doesn't map the layout of the burners well at all and leads to confusion. Instead, Norman suggests, the dials should be arranged in a square or the burners should be aligned horizontally. And although a row of switches looks clean, often they'll have different functions without any means of differentiation: control a light, fan, air vent, garbage disposal, garage door: they all look the same, and we often switch the wrong things on or off before finding our desired outcome. The book tends to favor psychological discussion of these ideas with some concrete methods and lists, but the ideas can be applied to everything from website navigation to VCR programming to coffee machines. Smart thinking.
Sunday, July 25 at 9:02 PM
Twenty-Two, Caught
Sorry I haven't had a chance to write recently; school has been pretty demanding as of late (I'll still try to write something every week). It's a strange balance: I love each of my classes this quarter, even more than ever before. But in giving each the attention they deserve, there's no chance to catch my breath. I feel like I am pouring my entire soul into Portfolio Center, which is simultaneously awesome and lonely. It sank in after break - although I have a small handful of good friends down here, there's no Andrew or Don to always hang out with or just talk to. Friends share classes, but then everyone's off in their separate directions to work. It's a different, complex feeling this quarter that I'm struggling to get used to, and I would guess that I'm not the only one. But no complaints; everything should work out in the long run.
Wednesday, July 21 at 9:27 PM
Poccnr, Nyet?
I mentioned last week that I'm rebranding St. Petersburg, Russia for a class this quarter. Like the Olmecs and Magritte in previous courses, you have to become an expert on these things in a week. I chose St. Petersburg because all I knew about Russia were stereotypes of vodka-guzzling, fuzzy-hat-wearing men named Zangief who play a mean game of roulette.
If you've ever seen Enemy At The Gates (if not, rent it tonight, it rocks), you might remember that the Russians successfully defended Leningrad from the Third Reich for three freakin' years. Actually, St. Petersburg has gone through two name changes since its creation in 1702: Petrograd and Leningrad (it changed back only in 1991). It's called the "Venice of the North" because the Neva River slices through it, and its spectacular Russian art and architecture rival the great European cities. Daily life is chilly considering it's the northern-most major city on this planet; the reward is three weeks in the summer with the sun never setting - the famous "white nights". But it's not all nutcrackers and matryoshka dolls. The transition from communism has been rough - the average citizen makes only $100(US) a month. Limited housing makes it common for people to live in communal apartments, where several families might share the same kitchen or bathroom. Still, the unique architecture and culture make St. Petersburg Russia's window to the European world; I'd like to visit during the white nights one day.
So I'm hoping to save the city from losing its identity to globalization, but did I mention that this quarter includes a 5:30 AM Tuesday morning class and Thursday night one-on-one meetings at 12:10 AM? I've given up on trying to find a normal sleep pattern, and the bag of marshmallows I ate last night probably helped fuel my dream of a talking astronaut dog. When a zero-gravity daschund tells you the pressurized cabin is losing oxygen, you listen.
Thursday, July 15 at 9:37 PM
Notes = Art?
Elementary, middle and high school taught me the correct way to take notes. Make an outline with lots of roman numerals, learn how to paraphrase and abbreviate, and go back later with a highlighter to discern the main points. I remember having a note specialist come in 11th grade to try to tell us how college students take notes. Throughout college (and even here at PC) the majority of people I see taking notes have a very organized structure. Bullet points, skipped lines, dates, homework - everyone has a system. Everyone doodles. Everyone waits to see if other people are writing things down to see if it's worth writing down for themselves.
No, the man isn't bringing you down, and there's nothing wrong with taking notes the correct way. What purpose do most notes serve? Initially, we write things down to have a record of something we need to remember. Then we might go back once or twice to recall that something. Then what? A filing cabinet, the trash or a binder. Once the test is over or the next meeting takes place, the old notes become worthless.
Let me preface this by saying I have the attention span of a lit match. When I take boring notes, I've never been motivated to go back and read them. I feel like I'm writing things down for the sake of looking like I'm working. But I don't have a photographic memory like Cam Jansen, so what can I do? During college Astronomy (had to get those math and science credits somehow), I experimented with different note-taking styles. I drew huge interconnected cartoon scenes with characters saying the main points in bubbles. I tried writing in different voices, like "Yo this neutron count be whack." I tried writing in complete sentences like a novel, taking notes entirely with pictures, and writing everything as true/false questions. It was definitely more work - pen rarely left the paper - but it helped me remember things better by putting them into a context I understood. I doubt I'll ever care again what the diameters of the planets are, but I still have those notes because they're fun to look back at.
Not every Portfolio Center class requires taking notes, but the ones that do are either 1) giving specific tips like "For a bitmap, scan grayscale at 600 dpi", 2) historical reference like "Paul Rand designed the IBM logo", or 3) thought processes like "get to the brand essence through attributes, target audience, personality and values". Since most of this stuff is directly related to my career field, it's important to take notes that could still be helpful in 30 years. All of my notes are kept in a blank sketchbook, which is putting all the proverbial eggs in one basket since that book also has phone numbers, conceptual sketches and grocery lists. They aren't necessarily works of art, but at least they're more interesting to look at than roman numeral XI subsection C bullet point 2.
Monday, July 12 at 8:08 PM
Sh'about Time
I finally updated my portfolio. Sometimes I feel like the thought process that goes into a project is more interesting than the end result, so there's a little of that. Hopefully it will change every quarter. I had an ambitious idea of making an awesome animated portfolio game where you control a bird that flies between treehouses to view projects, but then I got my class syllabi. This will do for now.
Saturday, July 10 at 12:30 PM
That Obligatory Quarterly Post Where I Tell You What Classes I'm Taking And At First You Think They Sound Really Cool But Then You Read Everything I Have To Finish In Eleven Weeks And Wonder Why I'm Not Insane (Legally, At Least)
Before our Thursday seminars at PC, a few students are randomly selected to entertain the crowd for a couple of minutes each. They're notified a week in advance, so often a lot of creativity and humor are poured into the presentations. Although I haven't gone yet, I've already filmed and edited my presentation. My roommate Howard went today and did a cool slideshow of pictures from his recent hiking adventures in Colorado. Another PC writer, Josh DiMarcantonio, also went today and asked me to film his performance. And here it is. (Quicktime, 9.1 MB, 1:51). Pentagram's Kit Hinrichs is briefly in the video, and his speech today was nothing short of brilliant.
This will undoubtedly be the busiest quarter I've had so far at PC. Two branding classes have about a gallupazillion projects each. For Systems and Information Design, I will be taking a city (probably St. Petersburg, Russia) and saving it from losing its identity in today's globalization. After writing a brand platform that explains my mission and values for the city, I'll be designing signs, a map, a cultural book, banners, a trademark/logo, color palette, typographic system, photograph and illustration styles, paper choices, two brochures, a stationary suite, a print ad, an office environment, city employee uniforms, vehicles like the police cars and public transit system, a website, informational kiosk, and television ad. For Brand Communications, I'm working with a writer to brand the American Institute of Architects. The deliverables for that class are a brochure, print ad, website and 60-second commercial. In History of Design, taught by Hank Richardson (president of PC), I'll be designing a chair and posters and maybe a bridge and God knows what else. I'll spend all quarter working on just two logos in Symbols, Logos and Metaphors, so they better be good. After Effects is my sole computer class - Adobe's professional motion graphics program. I'll probably end up doing an Okay Samurai Multimedia TV Promo for my final project there.
So that's life as a fourth quarter Portfolio Center student. Sleep will be at a premium, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome will be omnipresent, and I will probably drop-kick a kitten at some point simply as a stress relief. Is it crazy to say that there's nothing else I'd rather be doing?
Thursday, July 8 at 6:47 PM
Please, No More Interactive Media Tirades
I'm currently working on a few freelance/solo projects with my newfound love Flash, which seriously is Mario Paint's distant cousin. You know how much I love interactive media since that's all I talk about nowadays, but really, it's exciting to think of what the future holds. I read Roz Goldfarb's Careers By Design during the flights to and from Boston. It paints a very attractive picture for interactive media: a young, fast, constantly changing field with lots of room for creativity. The advertising world is seemingly embracing it more, but there's lots of room to progress beyond websites and banner ads. With the advent of Tivo and other commercial-skipping TV devices, advertisers are figuring out new ways to get their messages across. BMW's online short films were commercials that you actually want to see (same with American Express' Seinfeld and Superman movies). Maybe there could be more interaction with the actual television shows. What if you liked David Letterman's suit one night and had the ability to somehow click or select it, leading you to some sort of store interface where you could buy it directly? What if there's a song playing in the background of The O.C. that you want to download, or simply find out more information about the artist? Click on a cool sofa from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and you could have it shipped to your house the next day. Aside from advertising, interactive TV could include variable storylines selected by the viewer, cartoon shows that play like video games, and sports games where you could select multiple angles or instant replays. I have a feeling that most of this stuff isn't that far-fetched and we'll see variations of all these things within our lifetimes. But what do I know?
Wednesday, July 7 at 10:41 AM
Loose Pole
Here's a short movie of the past two weeks in low (Quicktime, 4.7 MB, 240 x 180) and high (Quicktime, 13.8 MB, 320 x 240) quality versions. Enjoy the ten hour ride back to Atlanta, Don's grilling tips, recording with Eric and sweet Atari 7800 action.
Andrew told me to check out an obscure 1999 Fox pilot called Heat Vision And Jack. Created by Ben Stiller, the show has Jack Black playing a superpowered astronaut with a talking motorcycle voiced by Owen Wilson. Also making appearances are Ron Silver and Christine Taylor (Stiller's wife and Melody from Nickelodeon's Hey Dude!). It's hilariously campy with terrible special effects - at least worth watching once if you liked Zoolander or Dodgeball. You should be able to find the one and only "Episode 14" on various file-sharing networks.
Sunday, July 4 at 9:35 PM
Take The T Green Line B To Allston
When Okay Samurai finished recording Mosquito two years ago, I wrote "Recipe for awesome: just add Eric Espiritu". I hope Betty Crocker left room in her new cookbook for awesome, because that's what Eric delivered again during these past few days in Boston. We re-recorded Back To Blues and Monochroma into tight acoustic demos - shorter but stronger than the original homemade recordings. They'll both appear online after Eric finishes up the post-production mixing and tweaking. I personally think he should just shred face-melting electric guitar solos over my tracks, but we'll see what he comes up with. Eric is also finishing up work on his Teenage Symphonies demo, which sounds absolutely spectacular. It was cool to record with him again; a quick but productive trip. It's been a busy "vacation" - I've slept on friends' couches just as much as my own bed over these past two weeks. OKSMM Movie on Monday. Have a great Fourth of July weekend blowing crap up.
Thursday, July 1 at 12:17 PM
Okay Samurai Multimedia is Dave Werner's personal site. I'm currently working at Minor Studios in San Francisco. Thanks for visiting! (more...)
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