I received my first order of MOO cards tonight! I made them for my Stuttering is Cool podcast and I must say, I am very, very impressed with their quality and attention to detail! I’ll post photos of what I mean when I receive my second order which I placed a few day later. That order is for my danielerossi.ca site which I plan on handing them out at PodCamp Toronto on the weekend of February 23.
Today’s Toronto Star has a great article about the XO laptop and the concept of simple technology. It’s a great read if you’re like me–> tired of the unnecessarily complexity of operating systems (Vista) and cellphones. In other words, inappropriate technology. Or as the article talks about, simple technology = appropriate technology.
There is a line which jumped right out at me: “We like the idea that we can use our all-powerful, expensive computer to edit a movie, record an album or create a podcast, even though the chances of this happening are quite low. Computers are advertised as limitless creativity machines, while appropriate technology forces consumers to confront the limitations of a new device before it’s unboxed.” (emphasis mine)
Kudos to Ryan Bigge for writing the article. He typed it on his XO laptop which he received earlier in the week. He also talks about how the XO is a reporter’s dream (another example of appropriate technology).
It’s been a while since my last post so here’s a quickie featuring my latest uplaod to Flickr: a painting I’ll be occupying what’s left of my spare time. Like my Comic in Progress, which I posted last year, I’ll be posting photos of my progress.
Remember when I blogged about one of my Paris photos being shortlisted on Schmap? Well, I’m one of the winners! Now go buy those plane tickets and fly to Paris and check out L’Orangerie!
The Year of Creativity continues with me talking about a fantastic document entitled, How to be Creative by Hugh MacLeod. I can’t recommend this enough. If you’re itching to get creative and possibly make a living out of it, this manifesto is GOLDEN.
On this episode of SpudCast, I talk about the items which made a great influence on me. I know it will do the same for you, too! Click this beautiful link for links and credits.
Recording this took a good 2 months. I wanted toprovide a summary but there was so much useful information, it was hard to pick and choose what to talk about. For the sake of you, my dear listeners, I decided it would best that I only touch upon the advice which stood out for me.
Plus, it makes my podcast shorter ;)
As I was re-recording this for the 4th time a few weeks ago, I noticed that Hugh has been currently blogging about his manifesto. It also looks like he’s adding new bits of advice. Check it out!
Kicking off my self-declared Year of Creativity is a list I reconstructed listing how using a pencil is better than a computer. “Reconstructed” because it’s a list I originally made for rec.arts.animation waaaaay back in the mid 90s when 9600 baud dial-up was all the rage.
The inside joke was really about hand drawn animation vs. computer and how people tend to think using a computer will make them artists.
Unfortunately, I’m not able to find my original post. Perhaps it was posted under a different animation group or maybe a forum. So without further ado, here is a new one. It isn’t exclusive to animation. Some, I admit, are a little cheesy.
1. A pencil will never crash.
2. A pencil doesn’t need electricity.
3. You will never get the blue screen of death with a pencil though you can always draw one.
4. For that matter, a pencil doesn’t run Windows.
5. Endless undo.
6. Spammers can’t reach you on your pencil.
7. You never have to worry about having to upgrade a pencil. Just buy a new one. They’re really, really cheap.
8. You never need to worry about software updates.
9. Ditto about security.
10. Pencils are user-friendly. Anyone of all ages and all levels of technical knowledge can use one.
11. Women can use pencils to put their hair up.
12. Pencils fit in your hand, on your ear, are portable and waterproof!
I leave items number 13 through 55 to you to submit :)
Happy New Year!
My last show recorded in 2007 is the first show for 2008. Best of all, it’s short!
It’s a quick drive on New Years’ Eve introducing The Year of Creativity. Something I made up to encourage me to really get off my butt and do lots of creative work. And my book! Remember way back in the earlier episodes when SpudCast was all about reporting on the progress of my comic book/graphic novel? Long story short, this podcast later morphed into talking about creativity when I realized I was making no progress after a few episodes.
I’ve decided it’s now or never. Be creative or not! Make 2008 the year of creativity!
I ask you:
How do you make yourself creative? What sparks creativity in you? What inspires you? Which creative works are you most proud of?
You tell me…
In a voice mail! Call +1-206-202-0463 (this is actually the number of my other podcast, Stuttering is Cool, until I get a new one for SpudCast). Or record an mp3 and email it to spudcast *at* gmail *dot) com.
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