Here’s a sweet discovery (if you pardon the pun). Godiva tins make great holders for Moo cards! Starbucks have similar tins but you have to distort them a bit in order to make the Moo cards fit. The Godiva tins are a little longer than the cards but widthwise, they are perfect.
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).
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 “Reconstructed” because it’s a list I originally made for rec.arts.animation waaaaay back in the mid 90s when 9600 baud dial-up was all the rage.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.
Finally, it’s been ages, a new episode of SpudCast. Well, it was recorded a while ago but here it is in all its glory! I talk about the importance of having a creative workout. That is, going outside to new places which is a great way to get a new perspective on things and come back with a lot of new ideas.
I mention my trips to both Parises. France and Ontario :)
Just a quick note to mention that I’ve created a Facebook group for character designers. I’ve been itching to draw, draw, draw and really delve into freelance illustration when I suddenly thought of creating such a group for networking and fun. I don’t know anybody else who enjoys character design professionally or not.
That’s the beauty of social media and modern technology in general. I have the potential to meet fellow designers all over the world. Depending on hwo many people find the group, sign up and participate, of course! But you get my drift.
So if you have a Facebook account, feel free to join my Character Designers group. It would be cool to meet you.
My 14th episode of SpudCast is up. It’s called, you guessed it, I Have A Dream. It’s all about how our subconscious lets us dream up scenarios and situations that our dull, logical minds would never let us. I read about this in Robert Mankoff’s book, The Naked Cartoonist. His book is about how to be a creative cartoonist but I think it applies to all disciplines.
I start off the show with a creative game and mention my latest improv comic and I also encourage you, dear listeners, to write in and tell me a bit about yourself.
You can listen to this show by clicking this wonderful link.
I recorded this show on the spur of the moment. I had a busier weekend than I had anticipated but suddenly found a bit of time that would provide some recording time. As scanned a good 30-50 photos! In other words, I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. Plus, I had just come from a hard workout.
It’s hard having a podcast hobby among a million others! :)
Technorati Tags: creativity, Robert Mankoff, subsconscious
Episode 13 of SpudCast is up! And fortunately for you, it’s a short one. It’s a bit of a soundseeing tour as I walk (and sprint) to the train station on my way to work in the darkness of the morning at 6:30am. At one point, I sprint for the train as it arrived too early (or did I arrive late?).
Anyhoo, on today’s show, I talk about how I hacked my Moleskine notebook to act as an idea-preserving device. Old skool but it works.
You see, at work, I can’t really send myself e-mails as ideas pop into my head throughout the day. Instead, it’s more effective when you have all your creative ideas in one place.
It makes it easier for you to go back to them.
To paraphrase what someone wrote on SlashDot today, “Russians launch US space program!”.
October 4, 1957 was the day the world (well, most of it) entered the space age. I’ve always been intrigued by the launch of Sputnik and the hysteria that followed. Well, ok, not exactly hysteria but imagine a time where there was no satellite television. A time when video from overseas was shown on television days after the event. The fastest was a filmstrip being flown right after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, edited during the flight from London, some brouhaha about the Americans demanding that the plane lands in the US so they can broadcast it first, and very quickly being shown on Canadian tv screens on CBC.
At the time, world news was received by shortwave radio. So imagine hearing on the radio, or on tv— perhaps a paranoid news flash— that the Russians have launched an artificial satellite. The first of its kind.
Maybe you pick up your shortwave radio, tune to the 20-40MHz range, walk outside,look up into the night sky and perhaps crap your pants as you listen to the repeating “beep! beep! beep! beep! beep!“.
People thought the Russians were now capable of dropping bombs all over the US (did Canadians feel that way, too?). Others thought there was nothing to be afraid of. At the launch, there were Russian scientists in the US at a conference and everyone was happy about the achievement. American politicians were craping their pants because science and math weren’t being taught enough. Meanwhile, the US president knew beforehand that a satellite was being built and launched. He had to keep quiet as to not reveal that the Americans had been spying.
Interesting times!
In the meantime, the US was making little progress on their artificial satellite. Thus began the scramble to hurry up and finish it so it can get launched. Meanwhile, Sputnik wasn’t even a well-planned out project. It was an idea of 1 man!
Imagine you’re that man, Sergei Korolev. Your team has been working on building missiles to protect yourself from the Americans who are protecting themselves from you and one day you realize your rocket is capable of heading out into space.
Why not see if an artificial moon can be created? Honestly, how on Earth did Sergei think of that??Now that’s creative! Remember, this is a time with no space travel whatsoever. Nothing was ever launched into space. I’m going to read some books on Sputnik and its development.
So you build the satellite. How to track it? Would you even be able to see it with a telescope? A-ha! Make it transmit radio signals! So it launches (maybe the Soviets had a few failures that they didn’t advertise) and the experiment/research begins.
Remember, this is an era without instant communications like the Internet (aside from shortwave radio which for the most part, really only worked after sunset for international coverage). For 2 days, it seems you don’t really think any of it. Maybe a pat on the back for accomplishing quite the achievement.
The Russian media doesn’t say much.
Until 2 days later when you find out… now imagine this— the whole world, or maybe just the Americans (since the only historical accounts I’ve heard are American sources) is panicking, marvelling, in wonder, crapping themselves, kids are inspired to become astronauts.
Imagine that!
Now imagine the chain of events which followed. Including the building of the ARPANET (for defence reasons), the predecessor of the Internet. That’s right,we wouldn’t be addicted to Facebook and watching people do idiotic things on YouTube if it wasn’t for Sputnik! :)
I can’t help but think that the paranoia that followed is the same with terrorists getting their hands on nuclear devices today. I also can’t help think of the fact that education slipped big time in North America since the rush to engineering schools back in 1957. Good thing Google is pushing for students to think lunarly.
This blog post has gone on long enough. Just my thoughts on Sputnik and trying to imagine what it was like listening to it on the radio.
Don’t think I won’t be creating a Spud comic based on all this! By the way, the above drawing is a very quick sketch of Sputnik I did today during lunch at work.
Anyone know how Canadians felt about the launch of Sputnik? After all, we were physically caught in the middle!
And now for some fun: Click on “Surprise!” in the right navbar on this page.
Technorati Tags: Sputnik
Powered by WordPress