- Thomas Henry Huxley

I think the video pretty much sums it all up, but wanted try and put into words how I feel about the world we are living in. We are living in a time of limitless possibilities. We are surrounded by an abundance of people, places, things, and ideas that have the potential to fulfill all of our wants and needs. Just think… Will you ever meet every person in the world? Will you live to step foot in every possible place around the globe? Will you ever possess every material object known to man? The answer is undoubtedly, no. We have all we will ever need, which means we can do anything we want to do.

Now, with that said, throw the word technology into the mix. We now have a way to interact with the world that we live in. They call it the World Wide Web for a reason. The internet is intended to connect people, places, things, and ideas. It is there to make it easier to share information and knowledge and it is unbelievable how quickly that information is increasing on the web. Every once and a while I take a second to realize what my role is in this era of digital media, social networks, blogs and ordering pizza online is. I see it quite simply, a vivid image of myself sitting on a merry-go-round. I am literally in a playground full of all the things I could ever be interested in, want to know more about, or wish I could experience. I’m spinning in circles, on that merry-go-round, with all this stuff flying by in a blur right in front of me.

No sure if that was such a great analogy, but the point is that the internet really is like a playground. All that you need is a curiosity for what is out there, a willingness to take in new information and progress with the times to make use of it. But without that drive and determination to increase knowledge you will miss all those things, flying by right in front of you. We are living in expontntial times. Shift happens, be ready… you don’t want to be left behind.

Directed by Marty Nowak. Enjoy!

Of course, like anyone I was drawn to this guy’s talent. It takes some skills to do one of these at a time, but together is just amazing. But, I have had some experience with videography and know a well shot and edited film when I see it. However, I’m not so sure I could tell you why it’s so good. This short clip has been thought out well and cut together very nicely. What stands out the most is the lighting that really sets a distinct mood for this cool underground form of music. Everything from composition when shooting to edits leading to the final cut was thought out and planned, and in the end result it shows. Even the last little detail of exporting the video was thought out, because the original version had been rendered strange when uploaded to YouTube.

Before I came to school to learn more about photogaphy and web design I had an interest in motion picture. It never really developed into much but I did spend two seasons filming games on Friday night for my high school’s football team. I was lead camera on a film crew of 3 and helped with editing tape for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. No, I haven’t gotten a hold of their website yet. Yikes!

A client comes to me wanting a website. I must preface here and say that his current site could not get any worse. As I began designing and developing this site we had a hard time communicating with each other. When I described to him how I was going to build the site he seemed to understand what I needed from him. That would be too easy… When it came time to get some FTP information from him he put me in contact with one of their “I.T.” guys. I came to learn that they “don’t use FTP for their website”. I was confused at this point because I didn’t know there was any other way of putting a site on the web. I was blown away to find out they were serious and this was one of the biggest warning signs from a client that has made me want to slowly step away from the project.

I dug through my bookmarks and recent happenings on the internet and came up with a few things relating to this topic. A written post by Jacob Cass called How to Talk to Non-Tech-Savy Clients, and Episode 29 – Repairing Client Communications from the Freelance Radio Podcast.

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This is one of the cooler tables they featured on the Unique and Creative Table Designs post.
I wonder if it is functional?

It’s not just tables and chairs at Toxel, after looking around I found everything from bathtubs and sinks to clocks and mirrors. The blog also has started to feature design and tech related stuff too; like Wordpress themes, HDR photographs and a crazy post about packing tape. Didn’t see that one coming.

With a quick Google search I found another site with some prospective places to find jobs. This is just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to jobs out there. The people you know in your social network are the greatest way to find jobs. Take Twitter for example. I recently found a post from Sonata Creative about Using Twitter to Find Work. It’s simple but is crazy enough that it might just work. Twitter name is crbarnett, follow me… you might learn something! Just ask Steven Lenhart or Diana Judge.

The first is OmniFocus made by a Seattle based company The Omni Group. It is a task management application that can be used on the Mac and syncs with the iPhone effortlessly. Easy of use is not even a question with OmniFocus with the ability to add, organize, and complete tasks from anywhere. OmniFocus plays nicely with native Mac apps like Mail and iCal and is becoming my go to app for staying on top of things. Check out an online screencast covering the basics of OmniFocus.

Second on my list of things to get me on track is Carbon Copy Cloner. It is offered as a FREE download from Bombich Software. (Yes, that’s what it’s called) When it comes to backing up data, it might be the most important part of my workflow. Carbon Copy Cloner allows for schdeuled backups and synchronization of hard drives. For a free service, this application has a lot of great features that I definitely recomend trying out.

The last thing that I plan on using to keep everything under control I discovered today when I stumbled upon the Color Charge Blog. Specifically, this article on Tips For Organizing Your Files With Colors. The concept is simple and the article describes techniques for using features on your Mac (Leopard) to help organize files and make your life easier. I definitely could have used this when I first started school. Guess it is better late than never!

With all that said I wanted to share with you an article from PSDTuts: 50 Totally Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory written by none other than Danny Outlaw. I’m starting to like this guy more and more! So, enjoy the list he has put together and remember that school is just the tip of the iceburg. The information is available, you just have to know where to find it and how to apply it.