May 20, 2010

May 2010 Mini MP3 EP - Free Download

Take this, internet. It's my output for the last couple days, trying to get ideas down FAST. These songs were not rehearsed, performed and recorded first take, just like in my 4-track days. I hope to be releasing one of these every month or so. Hope you dig. DOWNLOAD May 2010 Shitty On Purpose Sketches by dsr

Posted by dsr at 02:29 PM

April 28, 2010

Oh, business. I was actually into you.

As our business class draws to a close, we've been asked to comment on things we'd change for next year's class, but it's hard to be critical when I consider that this has been one of the highlights of my experience here at CCA over the past year. This is largely due to the fact that both Maria and Christopher are not only consummate professionals with decades of real-world business experience in the creative arts; more importantly, it's obvious they get along and are friends, and have a great deal of respect for one another. The fact that they work so well together made the class a friendly and cohesive experience

So, the pain point of this class for many was the aspect of working in groups. I feel that for some, more guidance and monitoring of the working dynamics would have improved things. I realize we're all supposed to be adults and work out our differences between us, but there are varying degrees of maturity and stages of personal development in our class, and some people don't have those skills or life experience. I saw these issues in almost every team, with different manifestations.

Not addressing these dynamics in a more direct way as they occur seems on the one hand to be a missed opportunity to help people learn how to function better in teams - but I can also see how the indirect approach of allowing people the space to experience these frictions and respond to them in their own way might also be just as valid. I guess I'm just not sure.

I personally had a great group, with 2 people I have worked well with in the past, but with one person who I found to be a difficult personality. Along the way, in key moments, I feel this person dragged down the inertia of the creative forces we were trying to harness and build a compelling business idea with. At times this person completely lost their cool and I didn't know if they were going to slash my tires later. In a professional environment this person's behavior would have warranted a trip to HR, but in grad school I felt I had to grin and bear it. Ultimately, I engaged the help of the teachers to lead us out of the mire, and things were much better for it. But I wonder, if there was more hands-on communication about the working dynamics of each group, would things have had to get to that point?

All in all, a truly amazing class. Thanks for everything!

Posted by dsr at 11:55 AM

April 21, 2010

Things I Learned from Business

Like most typical designers, before coming to CCA and taking the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Ethics class, I had a limited and somewhat biased point of view about the world of business. It's not that I never considered it before–you can't work in the real world without coming into contact with it's concerns, points of view, and ultimately it's bottom line mentality of doing what it takes to win. If it wasn't for business, the trains simply wouldn't run on time and everyone would probably relax for awhile, right before they starved to death.

If you want to survive in the world, you've got to play by the rules of business, even if what you do is strictly creative. Sometimes it takes awhile to reconcile this fact with our desire to explore, create, and express.

But here we come to what will be my primary take-away. Before this point, I had always thought business wasn't that interesting–and I'll be honest, it kind of outright offended me. I associated it with the types of humorless people in organizations who are just too normal to innovate, or just plain boring, or worse, just basically robots with MBAs. People who I'd never associate with, because I think on a deeper subconscious level, I'm either conflicted or unresolved with the idea of my own personal success (somewhat true at times), or because I have always viewed business types as self-serving and profit minded at the expense of other values that are sorely lacking in our society. But of course, this is completely narrow-minded and untrue.

My mind being opened is due in part to the fact that this class was taught by two very creative and dynamic individuals who, in this student's perspective, represent the best CCA has to offer in the way of mediating academic learning through the channels of real-world considerations and scenarios. These two teachers were able to really grab our attention with fun exercises and work that was challenging and rewarding. The class represents real world business situations, taken head-on via the lens of design and creativity. So far it seems to approximate the closest what being a designer in 'the real world' is like. I think I've used 'the real world' in this entry several times but I guess it's a theme that shouldn't be ignored!

What I learned is that business is, in many respects, The King/Queen of Creative. The way you run yours can have the greatest impact on the world and real people's lives, and that's more important then making something beautiful or even unique. What I learned is that this world is always changing and adapting and finding new ways to meet human needs, and it isn't always giant corporations polluting the ozone and getting away with it. It doesn't even have to create a profit. It can be small. Or big, but innovative and ethical. I'm not quite sure where I fit in at this point, but I feel that I will, sooner then I once thought. This class has given me the tools and vocabulary to start that journey.

Posted by dsr at 11:15 AM

April 14, 2010

Unique Storyboard Method

One thing that really caught my attention in Nancy's Unique Storyboard Method was her voiceover - specifically the hard breathing in-between sentences. Well, OK, Mike Caroselli who sits next to me pointed it out before I had watched it, but he knows I'm an audio nerd and I probably would have zoned in on it all on my own. The narration is great, her presentation is quite amazing in fact. It takes the idea of visual storytelling and frames it in a manner appropriate for her audience, leaders of companies who need to learn how to captivate their audience as well as she is able to. So given the fact that her visual method is so innovative (really, taking a slide based format like Powerpoint and turning it into an actual storyline that is visually tied together in a way that makes the audience care is no small feat) but then why does she pay so little attention to the audio track? Perhaps it's because this area of new media has been neglected and people just aren't aware to know better. But I found myself getting distracted and waiting for the next breath, which took me out of her story, and into the world of how it was made. And it's such an easy fix.

Posted by dsr at 11:06 AM

April 07, 2010

TEAMS R US

Lord, the advantages of teams. There is no question! I always find working in teams to be the most challenging, sometimes exasperating, but ALWAYS the most rewarding work experience, yielding the most promise in the end results. Why?
Well, the obvious first thing that comes to mind is, strength in diversity. Teams comprised of multiple disciplines are able to solve problems from multiple angles and produce truly more innovative and bulletproof results; when a team like this works on a project, the end result is always stronger then one person's solution, PROVIDED that the team was able to truly collaborate and incorporate each individual contributor's quality ideas into the mix. This is hard! But it can be achieved with the right people–I've seen it happen, and it feels enormously satisfying when it does!
Interesting to note the differences between a working group and a team, I think often we work in groups, but we call them teams. I'm not sure why this is, but I can stab a guess - working in non-heirarchical teams is challenging, because people with strong ideas often want to enact their vision in their way, and get very attached to their ideas. Also, according to the article, a working group has a clearly defined leader, whereas a team is flat. I have worked on many so-called 'teams' where the leader ultimately decided every detail of a project along the way, and many times these decisions were not arrived at holistically, but in a rushed manner where the loudest or most persuasive member of the group was able to influence the outcome. Why do we call these 'Teams'? I think it's because we want to promote the idea that there's no i in Team, and the image of what a team is and does is so powerful and mostly positive that we want to use the word in every group oriented shared work situation. But honestly, most teams are groups with some team-like qualities, promoted when and where convenient, but reverting to a one-leader heirarchical structure in order to keep in line with the production-oriented view of things moving ahead.

Posted by dsr at 10:44 AM

March 27, 2010

Speed Dating for Business Class

This week we did a fun in-class exercise, which was using the model of Speed Dating in order to determine whether or not there were any possible partnership opportunities with the different emergent business concepts.
Here's who I met with, and what was discussed:

Kate Koeppel, who is one of the geniuses behind Local Picnic. We found our concepts had a great deal in common, with each company focusing on different market segments - Kate's cusomers are weekenders in the park, ours are busy people in the financial district. We felt we'd make a great partnership and be able to cross-promote each other's businesses without feeling threatened, since neither one of us did exactly what the other does in the same way and to the same folks. We felt we could distribute coupons in each other's products, or share information. We both want to support healthy eating.

I also met with Samin Soheili, who was a leader in the Chicken Drink franchise. We felt it might be possible to use Chicken Drink as an ingredient in one of the food items at Organic Express, although I was somewhat concerned about her description of the taste being somewhat bitter and unpleasant. If there were a way to effectively market the dish and it's intrinsic health benefits, in a similar manner that Jamba Juice is able to offer 'boosts' which are ultimately masked by the fruit flavors of their smoothies, we might have something, but jury's still out on whether Chicken Drink could be an effective ingredient or if it's even marketable to our crowd.

After Samin, I spoke with Grace Li, of T.Oats, a company specializing in granola, but also a 'brick & mortar' restaurant - we mutually felt that we were actually competing too closely for the same customers, although we might possibly carry their granola in a breakfast dish were it to really take off.

Last, I spoke with Nikki Knox, who has possibly the strangest idea I've ever heard in this class, the golf ball which releases chemicals once it deteriorates into the natural environment, which help neutralize toxins and pollution. Having zero idea how we could optimize either of our businesses with each other's concept, I used the time to critique her idea... mostly focusing on the fact that I didn't feel that Environmentalists and Golfers were really the same people.

Out of all of these, I felt Kate would be the best partner for Organic Express, because we had the most in common without being in direct competition, and our goals and values seemed to be the most aligned.

Stay Tuned...

Posted by dsr at 12:15 AM

March 09, 2010

Operational Innovations - Up With People!

This week in our Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Ethics class we're learning about operational innovation. It's a genuinely interesting subject for me because it's where design thinking meets the core of how a business is run, or 'where the rubber meets the road' - not just in a 'make it pretty so that people will buy it' kind of way. It's interesting to consider how technology, especially the internet, has permanently affected the landscape. Rickshaw Bags is a great example of how businesses are leaving the traditional operational models in the dust. By building innovations into their brand like custom made to order products, they can retain more lasting value in their product cycle; for instance by not having left over inventory to compete in the market with their new product line each season.

It seems like every time you turn around, more and more businesses are cropping up–especially online–that allow consumers an infinite number of choices to customize their purchase. In a similar vein to Rickshaw, the print publishing industry is getting a boost with products like Burb and Lulu, which allow users to design and print their own hard or softcover books, and even sell them in their online shops. Etsy, a website dedicated to craft artists starting their own small businesses, is similarly opening up new niche markets for everything from sustainably made dog beds to custom made to oerder alpaka hats. In general, there are examples of this in seemingly every space, and more cropping up every day.

The operational innovation that I admire the most these days is the ability for anyone anywhere to create anything and put it out there to find an audience. Artists, content producers, poets, writers, musicians, comedians, designers, and many other types of idea-and-thing makers are all being empowered to start sharing their work and finding their tribes of supporters and customers. New business models are cropping up which are taking the place of the old means of gatekeeping, which shut out innovation and diversity in favor of limiting choice and increasing profits for the few businesses who could survive in a given space–usually by squeezing the life out of the people doing the work! Nowadays it's all about talent, and if you've got it, it seems likely that you will find success more quickly and without as much a chance of it being exploited.

This new model seems to be catching to almost every sphere of life in the western world, with the internet, reality t.v., and film industries creating more niche content and even a whole new flavor of fame, called 'famey-ness', used to describe an internet celebrity. There is now even an internet famous class at Parson's School of Design. http://internetfamo.us/class/

In other words, Up With People! I love the time we're living in. Operational innovations galore, may it make us all richer and more fulfilled!

Posted by dsr at 12:45 PM

March 02, 2010

Money Management

This week in our Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Ethics class we've been asked to take a look at a very exciting and compelling subject which affects every business–the basics of money management. I know, it's a mega-yawn. I wonder how many businesses fail due to the fact that money management is not only daunting for most of us, but an outright bore as well? I found this article to be basic, but pretty useful still. As someone who hopes to start my own small agency someday, it's nice to have all this information in one place.
Much of what's covered here is the concept of cash flow; in other words, making sure that your accounts are in order, your books are accruate and up-to-date, and a few safety measures such as opening a business line of credit. Business lines of credit are very useful if you're just starting out and need to buy supplies or equipment, or even pay employees for the first several months you are ramping up. If your credit is stellar, it can get you through the initial stages of start-up, and through any rough spots or dry spells in the business, which are inevitable and hard to predict. This is an incredible tool to have on your side, but it must be taken care of and not abused.
Another thing the article points out is the benefits of hiring an accountant. This can't be overstated! It takes a very special kind of detail oriented person in order to do the books and keep things clean and tidy–not everyone has the patience, time, skill, and vigilance to manage this important job. Outsourcing is the key to growing your business, and many talented and skilled people have no talent in this area. Don't be afraid to hand it off to someone who not only enjoys it, but will do a great job (and possibily save you money).
Securing payments. As a freelance designer, it took me years to get this right. Don't be screwed over–get a contract signed up-front, an initial deposit is nice but not always appropriate. At the very least get a Purchase Order opened with clear descriptions of the work to be done, a timeline, and an estimate of cost and hours. I have never done a job where I didn't receive payment, but I know some who have. Don't rely on people's word, get it in writing.
In closing, I think money management is like anything in life, it gets easier with practise. Don't let this world intimidate you, it's actually fun once you learn to channel the power of banking logic. The alternative is to be a 'wage slave', never realizing your true potential. Starting a business is challenge I hope to one day experience.

Posted by dsr at 10:20 PM

February 21, 2010

My Mission and Values

This week in my Business, Entrepreneurship and Ethics class here at CCA, we've been asked to write a personal mission statement. That sounds easy, maybe even fun, right? Not if you're me.

Now there is no place to hide, because I, ladies and gentlemen, am a Freak.

Up to this point, I've reaped the benefits of appearing like I knew what I was doing. Here's where I will try to put the truth into words and be forced–finally–into observing what a confusing mess my life and goals really are. I'm actually not a freak, but I am what personality experts call a Synthesist.

What this means is that I have been going in many different directions all at once, for as far back as I care to remember. Some might say, throwing a bunch of dookie at the wall to see what will stick. Also, I have done quite well with this. But just to be clear, it's not a strategy per se, as much as a mental illness. I may be a little too close to the subject to be the best judge, but this whole business of asking someone like me to codify a personal mission statement seems just a bit on the cruel side.

Creative types often find it difficult to define their mission because ultimately what drives them is the ability to play with pure ideas, unencumbered by the goal or outcome. They want to make cool things that stimulate other cool things. It's a bit like a scientist who just wants to keep experimenting and allow the inquiry to lead the way. This form of play has encouraged me to get into many different forms of creative expression, and I think I am still on the path of learning about what it all means, or how–or if–to put it all together.

I have a decent career as a Creative Director. I have enjoyed it and I feel that I will probably remain on that path. But when I think about my mission statement, my career doesn't play into it so much.

I have a lot of missions, and some of them are at odds with one another. They intersect, sure. Most of them are distinctly separate things which inform one another. If you told me I had one year to live, I'd want to make another album of songs, and then I'd probably spend the rest of my time with my family. I love making art and music, and I would love to have a career doing that somehow. But in the meantime, I will keep being all over the place, trying to make a living in this profession, and trying to be a true artist in the margins between responsbility and life.

Posted by dsr at 06:10 PM

February 13, 2010

Strategy and Design

This week in our Business, Entreprenurship and Ethics class, we were tasked with reading and writing about another article from the Harvard Business Review; this time on business strategy. It's interesting to me that many of the strategic principles outlined here for business can be equally applied to design as a practice. For that matter, soccer, dating & relationships, even grad school.
First off, what is strategy anyway? In my mind, it's a plan you have for what you're going to do–how you're going to play the game. More important, being cognizant that others are involved in that same game, how to differentiate yourself from the way everyone else is approaching it. In the broadest sense, it's what you bring to the table that no-one else has. It's a uniqueness that can't be copied or easily codified.
If you grew up in the 70s, you remember how the Super Friends each had some amazing thing each of them did–Wonder Woman had her invisible jet; Aquaman could do anything involving water, The Flash was super fast. Strategy. Whatever your jam, there was sure to be one of them who could save the day. For the record, Wonder Twins are the best value-add, being that they can literally change into anything, but I digress.

Being learning disabled (ADD) as well as artistic, I have seen first-hand that sometimes a perceived weakness can end up being a strength. For instance, I dropped out of high school at a relatively young age. I have often wondered how much of my creative problem solving abilities have to do with the fact that I wasn't socialized in the same way as others, and that often by my very nature, I learned to do the opposite thing from everybody else. I can't say it's been an easy or enviable road, (I don't recommend it) however, sometimes I think it pays off. Often I have been the only person in the room to see something in a completely different way, which can lead to a solution no-one else had thought of. While 2 opposing sides are battling it out, each trying to achieve their vision, often I am able to provide a third idea which 'is so crazy, it just might work'.
As designers, it can be very tough to carve out an innovative approach; one which comes from a holistic and purpose-driven place, not cobbled together by multiple stakeholders, based on 'this cool thing so-and-so.com is doing', along with some other freakishly bizarre marketing concept, attached to someone else's brilliant hackjob of a wireframe ideation. As designers, sometimes it feels that we're being pulled in a hundred different contradictory directions. Many times we're asked (or told) to continue piling on more features and distractions in order to meet the requirements of those who, sadly, lack a clear strategy. The result is a hodge-podge mish-mash of a product or experience which the customer instinctually cogitates as 'noise' and subsequently moves on from.
The best products and consumer experiences are designs which feel whole to us; seamless, timeless. They work extremely hard at pretending they are naturally beautiful / desirable / useful without breaking a sweat. But the truth is, they have been refined many times over, and are rarified through the process of iteration. This in itself is strategy, on a molecular level. When it's done thoroughly, from the ground up, you get breakthrough products like the iPhone, and countless others that change the game for everyone. When designers imitate, and when designs are compromised by competing interests, you get "me too" products which quickly drown in a sea of competition.
The essence of good design strategy is no compromise. This requires strong designers who are empowered within their organizations–something rare, if it exists at all. Only famous designers like Yves Behar and Johnathan Ives get that kind of carte blanche authority over their vision. The rest of us are often beholden to competing interests within our companies, and decisions which should be left to designers are often made by those with no design training or background.
Great design is a differentiator, a strategic edge, and something we should empower more designers to deliver without being undermined.

Posted by dsr at 10:31 PM

February 03, 2010

On Managing Creativity

I've worked now for over 12 years as a creative professional, for various companies both large and small, and I've had all kinds of bosses along the way. This will sound like a glossary from a Dilbert cartoon, but here goes. This is an 'at-a-glance' of all the bosses who have managed me in my career, and how they rate in my mind, now a bit hazy from the ravages of time–as well as the new bosses who have since taken their place on the great big wheel of industry and life.

Big, critical angry boss.
I have actually been this person myself, so perhaps it's apropos to begin here. The critical angry boss is smart about what will work and what won't, due to lots of life experience and some bumps on the head. Deep down inside is afraid of taking any chances, either because there isn't any room for mistakes, or resources are scarce, and so must drive towards a solution, often at the expense of innovation. This type of boss has a lot of pressure coming down from above which you might not see, but you will definitely feel. This type of boss can be great to have if they're on your side and you think (and communicate) in a similar language. They can tend to be prescriptive in their communication and not know how to best set up problems for creative types to solve in their own ways, instead opting to 'simplify' and provide what amounts to a recipe for their exact vision. This boss likes to sketch out their ideas and show you exactly what they mean, doing half of the creative job for you, and rendering you a mere pixel pusher (they don't know Photoshop, but are really amazing with PowerPoint).

Hyper-intellectual quiet boss.
This type of boss is a brilliant person who excelled in their function as an individual contributor, perhaps inventing a new product or process, or in some way distinguishing themselves in their role; at some point they are given the keys to an entire team to drive–after which they summarily disappear into their office, rarely to be seen or heard from again. The problem with this type of boss is that they have no social maturity or ability to understand team dynamics (they tend to be loners) and may ultimately still continue to behave as an individual contributor, albeit now with more authority and leverage. This type of manager will expect you to work highly independently, and may only provide feedback and direction on the occasion that it is given from higher up the chain. The hyper intellectual boss can come from a highly technical background whose expertise involves something extremely valuable to the company which is in some way related to the work you do, but in an extremely abstract and/or vague way. This type of boss will, over time, attempt to get better at team leadership, creative brainstorming, and other forms of management, but it will always seem like a giant act of desperacy. Ultimately this type of boss will eventually realize they are in the wrong role, and move back to the thing they are best at.

The Cool Boss.
I've had one boss who was so freakin' cool, I wished he was my dad. I still consider him a good friend. He managed the entire creative group at a television channel I worked at as a web guy back in the early 00's. Working for his team was an amazing experience, because he somehow knew how to get the best out of the ragtag crew of designers who were so diverse, and in many ways difficult, to communicate with. He gave us all enough rope to hang ourselves, and just before things got ugly, would know how to orchestrate the right solution, one that everyone had contributed towards, and one that was always the best symbiosis of the best - the truest - parts. I could write a book about working with this team, because I stayed at this company for 7 years.

I've had plenty of other bosses over the years, but this high level categorical representation gives me pause to know how lucky I am to have learned from some great managers, and even some who weren't so great - at how to encourage and promote creativity in corporate environments.

Posted by dsr at 10:49 AM

January 27, 2010

Cameron Sinclair on open-source architecture

Cameron Sinclair's motto is: "Design like you give a damn." He runs a architectural design firm, it's mission is to provide professional services to communities in need.

What strikes me the most isn't Cameron's passion to help people–this quality seems to be on the rise, especially in the design world, where people are more empowered to solve these types of human problems with innovative new ideas. The coolest thing about Cameron's approach is that he uses Open Source methodologies to attack the problem, by using the internet to procure design solutions, but also distribute them to localities, who take these ideas and implement them. This allows more to be accomplished with less; but more to the point, it allows local communities to participate at a highly functional level in managing their own destinies.

Thanks to the internet, Open Source is changing the world in some amazing ways. Due to the recent emergence of this new working philosophy, talented and passionate peers from around the world can collaborate simultaneously and solve big problems, which previously only companies and governments would ever have a chance to address-and in case you haven't noticed–they mostly don't.

The other thing I noticed is the distinction between architecture which is the product of an architect's "vision", who's aim is to produce a "gem", and Cameron's designs, which are produced with the community's benefit at the center of the idea–an almost inverse to how architecture is usually done. What I noticed is, this stuff looks cool despite the fact that aesthetic considerations aren't really the point. Through the process of making things that work on a basic human level, these approaches are also amazing to look at.

Posted by dsr at 10:08 AM

January 19, 2010

Ray Anderson on the business logic of sustainability

Inspired by Paul Hawken's "The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability," Ray Anderson completely retrofitted his carpet company in order to lead the way for big business and industry to take a hard look at reversing the decline of environmental impact caused by their businesses. Sustainability. A relatively new concept, but one which ancient people's have understood and practiced for centuries. "Take nothing, do no harm." It's an idea which is coming into fashion as even businesses like Wal-Mart have acknowledged the need (and even profitibiltiy) of going Green.

One of the most confronting ideas that Ray Anderson puts out there, at least to me, is the notion that "theft is a crime". Well, we all know that if you walk out of the 7-11 without paying for your Slurpee, you're doing something wrong, but the truly sad fact of the matter is, many of us don't have the same moral code about later dumping that empty container out the window on our way to the beach. At least not until fairly recent history in this country.

I'm reminded of a recent episode of the show "Mad Men," (the episode is called "The Golden Violin" in case you want to look it up on Hulu). The scene itself isn't very important to the episode, but one of the great things about this show are the finer details in between the larger themes. The scene is this: Don Draper takes his family on a picnic in the park, and it's a beautiful and calm moment. After they are done, Don chucks his empty beer can onto the grass. Betty, his wife, cleans off the picnic blanket by shaking all of the trash onto the ground. They all return to the car and drive away. It's both shocking and funny in a surreal kind of way. But it's also an unexpected commentary about the mess we've made due to our ignorance and laziness.

Big business has been operating like Don Draper for as long as Capitalism has existed; possibly longer. To say that theft is a crime, and to suggest that CEOs of large companies should be arrested and thrown in jail is a long overdue paradigm shift in attitude and belief. As people become more aware of climate change, and many of the other issues under that larger umbrella, companies are becoming increasingly aware that even though they might have been able to buy off the government, they can't fool consumers as they begin to factor these concerns into their purchasing decisions.

Another interesting concept is the idea of affluence itself. The old model has us polluting the environment more as we become more affluent, as a matter of course. Additionally, as technology becomes more advanced, this compounds the levels of destruction. Here is his chart:

The new model, on the right, has technology dividing, or cutting the amount of waste now that we are looking for ways to innovate and build sustainable businesses. Affluence no longer clogs the system with waste, it just means that people are happy. I'm no mathematician, but this is how I interpreted the diagram.

Personally, I am interested in expanding the notion of how we are all connected even further to include the resources themselves. Companies that make billions extracting fossil fuels from the earth, for instance, are in effect taking something which belongs to all the people of the world, not just Exxon. We all have a stake. "But Sean, isn't that SOCIALISM?" Maybe, maybe not. Could be it's time to get rid of these loaded words we use to tune out fairness and common sense, and start focusing on a new bottom line–the preservation of all our futures.

It's time to take these profits from the robber barons and use them to uplift the human race!

Posted by dsr at 01:27 PM

January 08, 2009

Songs About the News

Songs About the News is a new website I will be launching very soon. You can go to the site now and read about the concept. Myself and a few others are very excited about this idea and I can't wait to launch it into the world. Stay tuned...

Posted by dsr at 11:51 PM

November 30, 2008

Scriptographer - Javascript for Illustrator

Scriptographer is an amazing tool I've been playing with recently which gives you the ability to run javascript within Illustrator. What this allows you to do is write little scripts which will then generate illustrations either procedurally or in real-time with user input. There are a bunch already available on the Scriptographer website which show the pretty wide range of applications. I'm particularly intrigued by the tile maker script, which allows you to create interesting patterns which you then can paint with in real time. Here's an experiment I created today with a Spirograph script. The background is from a scanned watercolor illustration I made when I was in Kindergarten. I really think a tool like this pushes the envelope of what is typical these days and I look forward to posting more of my experiments soon.

Posted by dsr at 09:33 PM

November 20, 2008

Tenori-On. You Want One.

The Tenori-On is a new musical instrument that looks like a cross between a Light-Bright and Pong. There's a few dozen videos on YouTube of the thing in action, and frankly it looks like the only kind of video game that could ever possibly hold my interest. I could definitely envision abandoning my family for a few hours hooked up to this thing and not making it to dinner because I was stuck in a never-ending feedback loop of modulating my sequence beyond the need for cheeseburgers. I question whether any real musicians would find it useful in any serious musical application, only because it seems to lack any real depth or range, musically speaking. Everything it does sounds like itself, which while not necessarily a bad thing, sort of ends up being video game music at the end of the day. Still, if you're looking for a really fun, innovative way to bring music making into your home, the Tenori-On might just be your pet.

Posted by dsr at 10:14 AM

September 04, 2008

I went to Wasilla High School three years after Sarah Palin graduated. Holy Shit my brain just exploded.

I went to Wasilla High School in the 80s a few years after Sarah Palin graduated. It was a very traumatic experience that shaped my life. Wasilla is a very small town full of racist homophobic redneck "christians" who hated me because I wore an earring and wasn't a complete inbred backwoods dumb-ass. Nonetheless I got my ass kicked repeatedly and it was very cold and dark most of the time, but those two years gave me plenty of character, and I truly learned the power of ignorance. I ended up dropping out of high school...

Posted by dsr at 10:23 PM

June 06, 2008

GoObey?

I recently came across an old Wired page from 2003 profiling the pre-IPO days of Google. It's interesting to go back to those heady white-hot days and revisit one of the web's most successful companies before it's complete and utter dominance. Even more fascinating is Shep Fairey's re-design concept for Google's home-page. We're really grateful Mr. Fairey has stuck with t-shirts.

Continue reading "GoObey?"

Posted by dsr at 09:34 AM

February 08, 2008

Cat Power Vs. David Lee Roth on Allmusic Blog

Checking my stats tonight and noticed that my mashup of Chan Marshall and DLR is getting mad hits! Thanks to Allmusic for getting the word out on my uh, brilliant concept.
:)
Read about it here

Posted by dsr at 01:14 AM

January 29, 2008

Sorry I lied.

I neglected this thing for a whole year. I promise, 2008 will be way better on the blog front. In the next few weeks I'll post my top 10 favorite records for 2007. Stay tuned.

Posted by dsr at 03:42 PM

December 29, 2006

More frequent blog updates in 2007

One of my new years resolutions this year is to not be so neglectful of the blog. Therefore, in the coming months, expect more frequent postings with higher quality writing on more interesting subject matter. To begin, I thought I'd share my Flickr and Delicious addresses so you can see my latest photos and places I've traveled on the web. Enjoy!

Posted by dsr at 10:47 AM

March 31, 2006

Peach Pilot

It's been awhile since I posted in the blog, and a lot of change has occurred in my life over the past year. Since pictures speak louder then words, I thought I might start things out with a photo of my new baby daughter, Minette Camelia Strahan-Ross, who is now 5 months old. Here she is, the Peach Pilot.

Her teeth are starting to come in, so we have good days and bad days with the mouth pain. She loves to grab onto Frank the cat (he tolerates her, which is very sweet the way he ducks and freezes, clearly in pain but also so accepting of her babiness in the way he allows it)... She laughs when I zerbert her tummy, a kind of gleeful kackle most of us grownups have grown incapable of. I learn an amazing amount from her each and every day, and I want to absorb every second and every drop of it - nothing renders more clearly the incessant forward momentum of time then the experience of having a baby.
I've been working from home this last year in order to be more available for my family during this time, and it's truly been an amazing experience. I've been very fortunate to have several great clients who have kept my bills paid and the work flowing, while allowing me to take naps with Min, walk the dog, and also be more available for my 13 year old son, Gabe. I'm now beginning to look for work outside the house again, which I didn't think I would want so soon. I suppose I'm less of a hermit then I thought. I've grown to miss working with people more closely and in person, and being a part of a larger organizational structure.
On the work front, I broke down (there wasn't very much resistance at all, really) and purchased a new MacBook Pro last month. I'm especially fond of the built in iSight camera, which allows me to take great impromptu photos of the baby as well as interesting self-portraits. Although we have several great digital cameras, there's something revolutionary about having one built in to your laptop and at the ready all the time without having to think about it. One of the best features of the built in software, PhotoBooth, is the great distortion filters which allow you to act like a moron with style and grace, kind of like a built in fun house mirror. Here's some examples of Gabe and I. Enjoy!

Posted by dsr at 12:33 PM

July 20, 2005

David Lynch Launches Foundation for World Peace

I love David Lynch, probably more then any other artist in history, save the Beatles. When I read that he was promoting the art of meditation, I thought it was the weirdest thing to try to wrap your head around. If you've seen his movies, you know he travels pretty far into the depths of depravity, the dark side of the human soul, etc. - the conclusion that one might reach is that he's probably a guy with some skeletons in his closet, or at the very least, some "issues". But I'm willing to bet he's more mentally stable then a lot of us. I, for one, would love to be part of a global "peace creating super-group", as crazy as that might sound. Sign me up.

Here's the story, courtesy of the SF Gate

Director David Lynch is launching the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace tomorrow which will fund transcendental meditation classes and research into the effects of yoga on body and mind.
The "Blue Velvet" filmmaker is convinced he can alleviate the world's suffering by teaching society about the 47-year-old Hindu chanting technique and its founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

The 59-year-old hopes to raise $7 billion within a year, which will go towards forming "peace-creating super groups of 8,000 meditators" around the globe, to make people calmer, less anxious and more intelligent.

He tells Web site Page Six, "This is not a pretend thing. Our government spends seven times that on killing, calling it defending, and making machinery and technology to kill human beings in the name of peace.

"But today's students are even more stressed out. Their schools are hellholes. They're getting pathetic educations. They're not going forward with full decks of cards.

"But when they meditate, they will start shining like a bright, shiny penny, and their anxieties will go away. By diving within, they will attain a field of pure consciousness, pure bliss, creativity, intelligence, dynamic peace. You enliven the field, and every day it gets better. Negativity recedes."

Posted by dsr at 08:07 PM

June 22, 2005

spooky bonus

it is sometimes neccesary to take bad pictures of yourself in the bathroom mirror. in haunting red light, with sunglasses on. and holding a dried blowfish as well. and then post them on the internet.

Posted by dsr at 01:13 AM

June 08, 2005

Secrets

This post is dedicated to my dad, who had a heart attack last Friday at the age of 65. He is having open heart surgery tomorrow.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Posted by dsr at 12:04 AM

April 30, 2005

testing... is this thing on?

I'm finally back up and running, this time with no password protection. I figure there's not much point in keeping this private, after all that's what my thoughts are for and a blog is for sharing. People have been asking, so when can I read your blog? So, without further ado, here you go. I hope it's not a disappointment.

Posted by dsr at 07:39 AM