The Freedom of Creatives

I found an excellent example of the freedom of the visual creative mind. Imagery that has nothing to do with anything, except that it does. It emotes by what it is and what it does. It's something I understand, yet am at a loss to explain it to those who don't. It's one of those things you have to be wired for.
The math mind made the tools to do it. The business mind paid for it. The musical mind gave it a muse. The visual mind gave it life.

Total Redesign Up

I've done a total redux of my website in flash and it's posted.
auroravisual.com
I'd appreciate a visit and a report back if you see any problems.
The text is still rough, but I know that already. It's beta 1.0.

Archetecture Overload

These photos of London, and the fact that I would not have to learn another language, make me want to live there.

Just because you aren't paranoid doesn't mean the gubment's not pinging you.

I've been trying to diagnose a recent problem with web-related stuff, specifically how flash websites get buggy in all my browsers. Since I do flash sites in my business, it's an important issue for me to correct.
I tried to find (and continue to watch for) some malicious something-or-other operating in the background. When activity monitor failed to illuminate that, I went to Network Utility just to dig around. I searched for open ports possibly being used by my machine. When that reported nothing, I used the lookup function to ping my own (default) address and it returned "DOMAIN-REQUEST.AIMS7.army.mil." which paranoided me out of my seat. Upon a google search it lit on this article which says that all macs are infused with "nothing more than a pingback address to an ancient timeserver that is no longer used by Apple’s Firewire drives." If that's true, why does the default mac address also coincide with an army fort that just so happens to house the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade, which trains in electronic intelligence?
Whelp, so now I've inadvertently pinged the military and blogged about it. Even though I've never seen any activity in open ports thru the firewall, I expect to real soon. Guess that'll teach me to dig too deep into my own affairs and equipment.
Hiya, Big Brother. Don't tread on me.

Robot Defense Corps - Lesson 2

Gird those meat-puppet loins by listening to Terry Gross interview technological warfare expert P.W. Singer about *ahem* "unmanned" combat. He would want me to link his book, Wired for War.
Chapter 21 - "A Robot Revolution?" looks particularly interesting.

Wish me skill update

First off, you guys are awesome. Thanks for the excellent vibes.
I can't really tell you the official word other than they want to see more, as in "Can't commit at the moment," which sounds worse than it is by inflection and evidence listed below.
I impressed them with what I showed them. I could perceive the pleased, but subdued reaction to the estimate. I deliberately low-balled the price for the reason that it's still a decent paycheck, I would enjoy the job immensely, and more work would undoubtedly come if I marketed it well.
This is what I can tell you. I had to sweeten the deal (as I expected) and offer a walking sequence of the character, free of charge. I have no doubt about the entire commercial, so I have no doubt about a walking sequence, which I will enjoy doing despite being free of charge.
They also handed over the actual Tall Paul doll used in the 80's stop-motion commercials to aid in a rendering. He's standing right over my monitor like he never left my past and ready for action. If that isn't a good sign then I don't know what is. Selling now should be mostly in my skill of my art and yes, more work. Once more into the breach or close the wall with my Ronin dead.

Wish me skill.

Right now I'm killing time for a meeting in just under an hour to pitch a new, animated Tall Paul commercial. I've got some things on my side. What isn't on my side is the fact that I'm not the greatest salesman there ever was. Not even close. I've prepped myself and primed Paul Meade insurance with good work, public relations, knowledge and evidence. I'm right for the job. I'm ready for the job. My price is easily acceptable and comparable to none that do what I do. If I get the commercial, it will seal the deal of professional animator and, just as importantly, true ronin. If I blow it, then I'm back to where I am now. I'm not relying on luck anymore. I have to rely on skill now, and the skill will be the art of the pitch. No lack of confidence. No faltering of eloquence. No fear of failure. Charisma and perception are my only unknown factors and I hope that both together are not enough to cast doubt on my ability.
Into the breach.

Icon of Hope -or- Where the Similarities End.

"People like to talk shit, but it's usually to justify their own apathy."
-Shepard Fairey

Let's get things straight. Things have turned around for me very nicely in the last month. But in that month, I have been made more and more aware of how I missed the starting gun. I have become increasingly aware and anxious of my ambitions of where I want to be. The brightest light on my current status has been the illumination of the (uncanny?) similarities between me and Shepard Fairey, who created the iconic Obama election poster as well as the "Obey" (Andre the Giant has a Posse) campaign.
We are the same age. We both started as screen printers. We both established our own design firms. We have both produced music shows and donated the proceeds to political (Democratic) candidates and charity. We both hate (and are obsessed with) jack-boot tyranny. We both have done posters and t-shirts and even album covers. We look similar and dress similar. He's ultimately more successful than I and it doesn't make me feel very good about where I am in my art and success.
The differences are that he's married and has 2 kids. He lives in LA. He's been arrested 14 times or more for his art. I've only been arrested once for turning right on red with an unpaid speeding ticket. He's a DJ and makes a profit doing art. I only break even. He's been featured in the New York Times. He's a better and more prolific artist than me.
Shepard Fairey has recently been interviewed by 2 people I hold in the highest regard: Terry Gross and Stephen Colbert.
Shepard Fairey interview with Terry Gross
-and-

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Shepard Fairey

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

I can't help but think that should be me getting interviewed by Colbert and Gross and commissioned by the Obama Campaign. I am striving to take his success as example, not as my own failure... but I'm getting old and I need to move faster. I'm not going to move to LA, so I'll be hobbled a bit here in redder-than-red mans land, but I hold the label of Underdog as a badge, so that won't stop me. Here's hope in your eye. Now I have some work to do.

Stupid Camera Tricks

with hilarious results. Otto as complete joy.


BTW, I wouldn't recommend sifting through old photos if you're me, which you aren't. Midlife crisis in 3... 2... 1...

Exercise in Utility -or- MadamimadaM

In one of my college design classes with Dr. Jim Watson back in the day, there was an assignment that I remember spending a lot of time on. It was an ambigram of my name. I know that my brain is wired for shape (D's in math, A's in Geometry) and I found the assignment enjoyable, even though my solution was far from professional. Now I am a professional and Dr. Watson's Blog has a nice section on ambigrams so I thought I'd give it another go. The assignment points out that doing ambigrams as a practice will:
• Enhance creative problem solving skills.
• Explore letterform relationships: see letterforms as shapes to be manipulated and abused.
• Appreciate the complexity of alphabet letterforms.
• Determine appropriate and pleasing layout compositions.

So with that in mind, and with the knowledge that printer and patriot Ben Franklin used to do Magic Squares just for fun, I came up with this solution:

I did it for fun and practice so I did not follow all the specs but it only took me about 30 minutes. That's a fraction of the time I spent on the original assignment and my present solution is far FAR more fleshed and serious. Dare I say "Professional?" Whatever it was, it was a welcome distraction to the slog of wading through code that I have been doing for the last 3 days. What's extra fun is looking at the completed piece, I can see a possible solution of making all 6 letters the same shape just rotated and mirrored while retaining readability. Abuse that letterform. ABUSE IT!

I'm popular on the internet

Within 48 hours of posting the Collection of Tall Paul videos on Youtube, I got a write-up at The Lost Ogle, a views total of more than 200 and my first youtube subscriber. The only better write-up would have been for Fark.com, but that would probably involve the dumbass, assinine or FAIL tag, so I'll take The Lost Ogle any day.

Classic

I got the opportunity to digitize a collection of classic "Tall Paul" Meade Insurance commercials from the 80's and upload them to Youtube for posterity and delight. I loved em all, and the jingle is iconic. Here's my favorite, which doesn't include the jingle, but a damn good re-interpretation of the "Old El Paso" song:

Just search for "Tall Paul Meade" on youtube if you want to see the rest.

Infinite Improbablility

Beautiful, charming and devastatingly intelligent.

Act V. Break it down.