Lets talk about Typography

There was a point in my life where I toyed with the idea of becoming a graphic designer, so this stuff is pretty important.

In Lupton's book, Thinking With Type, she talks about...well, type. I'm not going to lie, the history of type is an incredibly dull subject. The actual science behind how each font works is much more interesting, but the history...blech.

One page that stood out to me, however, was page 25, because there was a direct connection to the kinds of things we have talked about previously in this class. Here, Lupton talks about increasingly experimental forms of font, and the backlash against it, calling it "gross and immoral," and claiming it was "tied to a destructive inhumane industrial system."

Obviously this is not the case, but doesn't it sound familiar? Like the old hype about the dangers of the internet to our society? Or the cries of doom when Gutenberg's printing press came out?

umad, art world?
Source

The page goes on to discuss what many graphic designers already know- type is an art. In fact, it's always been an art, long before even the printing press. Look at medieval script. It is painstakingly and lovingly crafted in an artful fashion. In China, the highest form of art is still considered the calligraphy of Chinese characters. Lupton goes on to mention two very well known art groups- the De Stilj and the Bauhaus- that also played with typography as an artform. I'd like to add one more to the list, the Dada's, which remain among one of my favorite art movements, mostly because Duchamp was such a troll.



I think page 53 is pretty interesting as well, if only because it highlights something we don't often think critically about- logos. Logos represent companies and brands, so it is critical that they be instantly recognizable. For example, let's look at Blizzard Entertainment's three wildly successful games: Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.

http://www.skuggen.com
http://starcraft.wikia.com
http://www.giantbomb.com

As you can see, each is distinct from the other, not just in color scheme, but in font. Just by looking at the fonts chosen, you can gain some inkling of what the game is about.

A parting thought- what we value in fonts is always changing- even today. Think back to when you were younger. When you opened up a MS Word document, what was the default font? Times New Roman, a serif font. Now what is it? Calimbri, a sans serif.

And with that, I'll sign off. But before I go, do you think you have what it takes to be a graphic designer?

Let's talk about proofreading etiquette

Mainly, that it is YOUR job as the writer to go through and PROOFREAD IT YOURSELF FIRST before submitting it for a peer review. I CANNOT stress this enough.

I'm currently in a fiction writing class and we are in the midst of workshopping stories. Apparently, it is just TOO MUCH WORK to even run a fucking SPELLCHECK before submitting work. This is rude, and it is goddamn awful to read.

This, but for 20 pages.
http://rodaberget.wordpress.com/

You might remember me ranting about the writing compentancy exams earlier this year (which I passed, by the way). I now retract all my statements. The story I'm reading currently is done by (according to my facebook creeping skills) a creative writing major. It. Is. Awful. I thought getting to college meant one could write, but I'm obviously wrong.

Reading this trash feels like I'm punching myself in the eyes. Over and over and over again.







Now for something that actually relates to this class.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=694325026

This photo recently popped up on my newsfeed. It claims that an officer in DC tossed a dog down a flight of stairs and then shot it several times during and Occupy gathering. This, however, is only partially true. This event did happen, but it happened in September of last year. What I find interesting though, is this: this photo (uploaded yesterday) now has roughly 2500 shares. That is the kind of society we live in today, where an event like this, which in earlier times, probably would have never made it out of a local news circuit, can go national, even global, in a matter of days. Not only this, but when people abuse their power like this, they are now suddenly held responsible for their actions. Someone managed to get a shot of this guy's face, and I guarantee that there are people out there right now collaborating to find his name, badge number, and a slew of other personal things about him. We no long live in the age of the Coverup.

This would be much more interesting if someone weren't using this to garner sympathy for OWS (and if it weren't a year old), but still. Food for thought.

Moar Changes

I think it's a little difficult to use examples of blogs such as the ones we saw in class to format our own. The most common addition that those sites have that ours do not, are things like cross promotional outlets (ie, linking to their twitter, their facebook page, etc). I don't really use twitter outside of class, and I don't have a facebook page (page, not profile) to link to this site. I don't have some sort of product I need to cross-promote. It doesn't help that the horror that was websites in the early 00's were so scarring that I have become very minimalist when it comes to web design (current background the only exception because I love it so much).

My site is easy to navigate, easy to read. I don't really think I need, or want, anything else.

What I did do is add the share options to the end of each of my posts, as well as change my banner (something I had been meaning to get around to anyway).

In the spirit of one-ups-manship...

I will now post a creepy pasta that is even creepier and filled with even more pasta.


Let the pasta arms race begin!

I'm going to Chicago for the weekend

Even though I have to read and critique two 20-page stories for Fiction writing, finish an 8 page screenplay for Screenwriting, and study for a midterm for Poetry. Oh well, at least I won't have to blog.

Magic Beans and Bear Attacks

Everyone knows that the only way to save yourself from bear attacks is with magic beans.

There are many different kinds of magic beans you can use.

Green Magic Beans	Red Magic Beans
Yellow Magic Beans	Blue Magic Beans

But really, the best protection against bear attacks is simply to not be attacked by bears.

Let's talk about Kindles

With the release of the Kindle Fire (and the consequential lowering of the regular Kindle price to $79), ereaders are more affordable than ever.

I'm sure some of you have noticed, but I am a Kindle owner. It was a recent switch, a few weeks before school started. Now before I had tried this out, I had much of the same knee-jerk reaction against them as I'm sure many of you do.

It doesn't feel like a book.
It's just not the same.
Books just have that certain feel.
Ew.

Meet my friends, Pro and Con.
NY Daily News

But let's break this down and get some sweet sweet pros and cons action going on here.

The Pros

I'm going to be honest, ereaders are pretty freaking sweet. Let's look...for example, the Kindle can hold 1,400 books. 1400. That's a lot of freaking books to be lugging around....in a thing that weighs less than a pound. The pearl ink base they use for the letters is amazing, and will read essentially like paper (ie, no eye strain from backlighting, very little to no glare). You can adjust the size of the font if you feel the letters are too small. Did I mention that it holds 1400 books? I still can't get over that.

It has a wireless feature (or 3G, if you buy that model) that can allow you to email books to your Kindle. As far as battery life, as long as you keep the wi-fi off, it will last for around 2 months (no exaggeration there. I literally have to charge this once every 2-3 months).

I'd also like to say if you're a disreputable sort, the kind that likes to sail the salty seas and eat a lot of citrus to avoid scurvy, there are a lot of really easy ways to get free ebooks. Not that you should. But I'm just saying. It's pretty sweet. This includes several textbooks. Or so I hear.

The Cons

As silly as it sounds, there is a different feel when reading a nice new thick book. I get that. You could say that there's a different feel of owning a vinyl or a CD versus a digital mp3 album. I also miss being able to simply flip pages idly, or jump back several chapters to check up on an event that is mentioned later. You can do that kind of thing with the Kindle, but it take longer than I feel is worth it. A digital reproduction of the cover isn't the same as getting the real book cover either, with its shiny embossed lettering.

Final Thoughts

Saying books are superior to the Kindle is a lot like saying CD/players are better than mp3/iPods. Except for some odd nostalgia, it isn't really. I really see books going the way of the CD, still available and bought by people who appreciate them, but the mass majority of the population switching to digitized books. We're not quite there yet (part of the problem is a LOT of backlash from the publishing industry....not unlike what we felt when mp3s were first introduced).

My advice? Keep an open mind. Try one out. Let's be honest, $79 is a ridiculously good price (and I expect it will drop for Christmas). It's only a little bit more expensive than a brand new Xbox game. If piracy leaves a sour taste in your mouth, there ARE a lot of free ebook downloads available via Amazon (although don't expect to find your favorite bestsellers on the list).

TUSFLOJ, otherwise known as the HTML part of my midterm

As I predicted, I ended up on-and-off working on the midterm until about 3:30 in the morning. This lovely portion I got to at about 2 am. Once more, I shouldn't be allowed to code when I'm tired. Weird stuff happens.

The Ultra Super Friends League of Justice

Much like how sports teams have their second-string players, super hero leagues also have their second-string players. And much like how sports leagues have minor leagues, super hero leagues also have minor leagues. And much like how sports teams have fat kids who immitate them in their backyard, .....well, anyway, The Ultra Super Friends League of Justice!

The Team

• Johnny Nightvision
• The Chef
• Madame Cougar
• Wiz Kid
• Captain Sarcasm
• Hind Sight
• 2 ¢

Name and Alias		Super Power	Weakness	Origin	Catchphrase
John Ambersam	Johnny Nightvision	The ability to see clearly at night	The loss of his night-vision goggles	John Ambersam was just a normal 43 year old jobless man living with his mother. One fateful day, however, as he was eating his Sugar-Explodey-O's, he saw an advertisement for Sargent Armyman's Bonafide Night Vision Goggles (tm), for the low, low, low price of 6 payments of $36.44. He immediately began siphoning away his mother's medications to sell to middle schoolers to raise the money. With the night vision goggles in hand, he became Johnny Nightvision the intrepid warrior of the night!	"The night is my might!"
Miguel Rodrigez	The Chef	Cooking microwave dinners extremely well.	Not having a microwave or a frozen dinner handy	Miguel Rodrigez was born with a gift. A gift to make the best damn microwave-ready meals the world had ever known. He knew, however, that with great power comes great responsibility, and he vowed to use his powers to make the world a safer place to live.	"Five minutes on "high" should do for you!"
Beth McGowan	Madame Cougar	The ability to seduce men at least 20 years younger than herself.	Women and men over the age of 25	Beth McGowan was a happily married woman, until a tragic cougar ravaged her family, killing her husband and her 3 young children. She too, was terribly savaged by the beast, but with highly experimental medical technology her husband had been developing, as well as a healthy does of Celtic magic, remade her as Madame Cougar, the sexy mistress of justice!	"I have so much to teach you!"
Matthew Bernicky	Wiz Kid	Hacker	Being grounded, doing homework, or being at school. Also, shellfish, peanutbutter, girls, and direct confrontation.	Matthew "Wiz Kid" Bernicky is only 13, but he is a high class hacker, slicing through the most complex store-bought anti-virus programs with only mild difficulty, over the span of several days. He is the USFLOJ's "behind the scenes" guy, providing them intelligence and his hacking abilities, when he is not in school or doing his homework, or after 9, because that's his bedtime.	"5 more minutes mom!"
Joney Millcifent	Captain Sarcasm	Really hurtful comments	Self-confidence and physical force	If words could cut like swords, Joney would be a swordmaster. Dark and brooding, he is an impeccable example of teen angst personified in scathing sarcasm. He is 2 ¢'s older brother, and his mom insists that he "play hero" with her.	"Whatever."
Rames Down	Hind Sight	Knowing exactly what the team should have done in any given situation.	Things that haven't happened yet, or are happening currently	Rames Down is possibly Jonesy's only friend. Early on in life, he discovered he had a knack for knowing what he and Jonesy should have done to avoid trouble after they had already gotten caught. In hindsight, this superhero league is probably a terrible idea.	"My hindsight is 20/20!"
Kylee Millcifent	2 ¢	The ability to chime in cutely on any conversation	Being a 5 year old girl	Kylee is 5. She likes pink. She's adorable. She also has to give her opinion on everything, even if she has no idea what the topic is. She thought being a superhero would be a lot of fun. Plus it pissed off her brother.	"Well I think that-!"

Click here to learn about the USFLOJ's arch-nemisis.

Let's talk about awesome short films

The internet is a strange and wonderful place. Just thought I'd share some of the good stuff that's out there (that isn't about adorable kittens).

Our Time is Up

A short film about a successful therapist who goes through some unexpected life changes.

Thought of You

Hands down, one of my absolute favorite videos on youtube. It really makes you appreciate the human figure in motion.

Crater Face

Keep an eye on the name Skylar Page. He's going to be big someday. An absolutely precious short about an astronaut who is also a total bro.

The Backwater Gospel

A dark film about fear.

Gift of Ages

A short flash animation by one of my favorite contemporary artists, John Su about the origins of Santa Claus.

All About My Dog Marimo

This video will make you cry. I don't even particularly like dogs and this is amazing.

Niggers Niggas Niggaz

This isn't technically a film, it's a spoken poem. But I think it's powerful, and it brings up some interesting thoughts, especially in light of the "re-propositioning" of the word "slut", which is part of the campaign of Slutwalk.

Eagles are Turning People into Horses

Britanic is a comedic genius and you should watch all of their videos, starting with this one.

The Cat Piano

Part poetry. Part movie. All art.

Table 7

A couple is having a conversation, but their every word is being recorded. Everything is not as it seems.

Out of Sight

A beautifully animated Chinese short.


And there you have it, a short(?) list of some very excellent videos. Like what you see? Know some great videos that weren't listed? Share them in a comment below!

Let's talk about Steve Jobs

In this article posted by Mashable, they featured a small cartoon claiming to be paying respects to the recently passed Steve Jobs.

This is terribly offensive for a variety of reasons. The first being that it depicts angels/heavenly beings as consumerist beings that all own Apple-wear. I know this is hardly the first example of religious iconography meshed with pop-culture, but for some reason, this particular example grates heavily on me. Perhaps it is because this was presented, not in a comedic or satirical context, but of one paying homage to a man. Perhaps it's simply because the joke implied here is so fucking lame. Seriously, was that the best punchline you could come up with?

But I digress. That's not really the important issue here. The important issue here is that Steve Jobs wasn't a Christian. The man was a Buddhist. I went and confirmed that after literally 2 seconds on google. How can you claim to be honoring a man when you couldn't even take the time to learn what faith he belonged to? Honestly, it's this kind of ego-centric assumption that gives America such a reputation of arrogance and narcissism. Love the man, hate the man, say whatever you want about him, this is America, you have that right. But don't sit there and try to pretend like you're paying him an honor when you couldn't even give him the respect of learning what faith he prescribed to.


*Also, Steph, my last post is actually in a table, just in case you missed that.

A Dark Night