Happy Holidays

Last Final of the quarter! Hope everyone has a great winter break!!

http://youtu.be/e0KcQtmN4_A

Telepathic shifting? The Toyota concept bike

I can see the appeal of developing new technologies and being innovative but this doesn't seem right... Wheres the fun in thinking your way up and down the cassette? Half the fun of sprinting comes from the feeling of ratcheting into the smallest gear. Each click going faster and faster until there are no gears left. Cool idea Toyota but ill keep the old(er) ways...

To those who are interested in printing green

“Greenerprinter’s mission is to demonstrate that a manufacturing business can operate in harmony with the planet while providing a transparent and sustainable environment.”

Greenerprinters is able to achieve this by printing on 100% recycled paper and by using soy and vegetable based inks.
I had a hard time finding a printer that offered a recycled paper in a “raw” finish. While Greenerprinters offer recycled paper that is bleach bright white I chose to go with the paper in its natural state which looks more like cardboard. I liked the texture and the fact that it was much thicker than their thickest cardstock. It was also slightly more expensive so I bought 250 rather than 500. The cards came to just about $50.00 which I thought was reasonable but the shipping was another story. At 11.00, the shipping was almost a 1/5 of the price. This seemed excessive for a box that measured 4” x 2” x 6”. Now that I am writing this on paper and I am actually thinking about it; it seems about right. Especially when considering their flawless service. Uploading the .PDF was simple as was payment. (After creating an account with them) Once I submitted the design, I received a .PDF via email of how the card would look when printed. Greenerprinters warns their “Brown Kraft Board” paper is dark and not to use light colors. Their .PDF likewise, is extremely dark on screen, this worried me but knowing my design was simple I went with it anyway. Upon receiving the cards, I realized the board is nowhere near as dark as they portray it to be. All throughout the process the sent me automated emails updating me on the status of my order which was reassuring. Their shipping estimate was spot on and I received the order on the exact day they said I would. All in all I was very happy with Greenerprinters and I wouldn’t Hesitate to use them again.

BLADERUNNER

An awesome review of an awesome classic. Ill let the review do the talking. This is too good.

I Want it I Need it

New Mac Day

So excited! Quad core bla bla... Thunderbolt High Speed bla bla... Time to get some drawing done!

Print's not dead

And i really hope it never dies. As the "web" gets easier and easier to access, printed advertising and well, anything printed for that matter has to compete against its internet counterpart. Magazines, books, records, fliers the list goes on. Its not that i dislike the web, everything looks great on screen especially the wider range of colors and ability to have moving elements. Its an extremely useful tool but you cant handle it and feel the texture of the ink and the paper. On screen you can imitate it but thats all it is. Artificial.

This will probably be an ongoing post...

Dreamweaver can be a nightmare

Its been a long time since ive had design ideas i my head but couldnt translate them into the computer. Its a frustrating feeling but fortunately, a familiar one. I remember battling the pen tool in illustrator, and again in photoshop. I remember not knowing why the line would curve the opposite direction i wanted it to but what i remember most is when the concept finally clicked and it became second nature. This feeling has returned. Having never used Dreamweaver, i find myself with ideas too complex for my skill level. I look at the blank artboard(?) wondering where to start. Wondering how to execute these ideas. You would think Adobe would lay out the interface similar to the way they did photoshop, illustrator, and indesign to make it easier to work across programs. But alas, they didnt and im sure they have their reasons. At least i know this feeling will pass like it has many times before.

On the topic of Robots

This isn't a new video but amazing nonetheless. The way it keeps itself from falling after being kicked makes my heart sink. I even cringe as if he were kicking a dog... a real dog. Its as though i forget for a split second that this is a machine that runs on a battery rather than a beating heart. I shouldnt feel sorry for this poor animal(?)... robot, but somehow, i can't help it.

Getting Organized

I’m not a messy person. That being said, I’ve never had the best organizational skills. In elementary school, my desk overflowed with old assignments and it was no different in middle school or high school. Papers were shoved into my backpack with little regard or thought as to how I might find them later. This went on for years causing stress that no doubt could have been easily avoided. The trend was broken however, when i got my first computer. Organization had never been easier and I attribute this to the fact that everything about the computer is visual. Everything, all my files, photos, and drawings were laid out in front of me begging to be grouped into folders; named, dated, neatly placed folders, which were then backed up onto an external hard drive. My desktop was spotless with the exception of one folder titled “Jerry”. From there, I ran with it. I couldn’t have a clean computer on a cluttered desk and a cluttered desk in an unkempt room and so forth. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed cleaning. My newfound appreciation for organization was for the most part, brought forth by the digital world and transferred seamlessly into the real world.

Garmin

The idea that there are a group of satellites in space that are able to pinpoint a location all the way down on earth within a few feet is amazing and slightly scary. Handheld GPS units have been available to the general public for years and I recently I got my first GPS unit in the form of a cycling computer. It not only tracks my route but it also tracks my speed, distance traveled, elevation change, and more. What it really is though; is an overpriced gadget. As decadent as it may be, my Garmin computer has in many ways, changed the way I think about riding my bike. It’s almost as though im never riding alone now because im always trying to outrun or keep up with this little computer. It is a constant motivator pushing me to ride harder, faster, further.