Meet the Pacemaker

One of the coolest little music gadgets I've seen since the ipod was introduced. Meet the Pacemaker. A portable(I'm talking in your pocket), 120 GB, 7 ounce dj mixing system. It's touch control system allows you to control songs, mix, change pitch, sample, loop, filter, and much more! Essentially, all the equipment a dj needs in the palm of his hand. I want one! The downer...It'll set you back $700.

MSNBC Democratic debate 2008

Watch it here. Sometimes you forget how important these things are and just look at it as mere entertainment. Theres actually a page where you can go on the website and vote on who you think won the debate. Don't get me wrong, I find nothing wrong with that, I think it's rather brilliant and again, entertaining. Heres my tally on who succeeded in the debate.

First issue, Health Care- Clinton. I feel her views on health care are a little more feasible. But personally, I lean more towards the Republicans side when it comes to healthcare.

Issue on NAFTA- Obama. Clinton recently stated on this debate she was against it back when her husband did the deal. I say recently because back then she didn't say anything on it. A little late?

Then the questions began to spew out one after the other from Russert. Clinton constantly pulled out her past qualifications card compared to Obama's when she was cornered, but surprisingly did not say that Obama was plainly not fit for the job. Then the whole words-versus-action talk came about and yada yada yada, just watch it!

A fun read

For those of you out there who enjoy criticizing movies, whether the criticism is constructive or demeaning, I have a feeling you'd enjoy this book. It's called "Your movie sucks" written by Roger Ebert. Yes, he is that famous movie critic that you hear about in previews that sell off his opinion. To sum it all up, alphabetized,it's a collection of movie reviews that Ebert has written in the past to the worst movies on his list(and im sure many others). I found this book hilarious in many ways. The title comes from his reaction to Rob Schneider's attack on an L.A. critic who dared speak ill of the DEUCE BIGALOW films. Schneider attacked the critic for not having any sort of credentials. Ebert responded by saying "Well, I have a Pulitzer and your movie sucks".

The American education system. 2,102,400 minutes of High school

With this documentary in mind, it leaves an open floor for discussion on some interesting topics about our education system compared to the worlds.

What do you think? Do American schools focus too much on problem-solving at the expense of basic, foundational skills? Do schools in China and India focus too much on math and science at the expense of creativity? Is there a happy medium?

First of all, I want to put up the numbers of the countries with "The most noble prize winners"
Rank Country Number of Laureates
1 United States 270
2 United Kingdom 101
3 Germany 76
4 France 49
5 Sweden 30
6 Switzerland 22
7 Netherlands 15
8 USSR 14
8 Italy 14
10 Denmark 13
11 Japan 12
12 Austria 11
13 Canada 10
14 Spain 6
14 Australia 6
16 Ireland 5
16 Israel 5
16 Poland 5
16 South Africa 5
16 Argentina 5
21 India 4

Source: nobel.org

First, notice what countries are producing most of the art that you see around you, online, in museums. Even in music, who is producing it? Where is it coming from? Look no further than the top five countries in the list above. I guarantee a majority of the art comes from one of those countries.

I believe that the study of Art and Literature are equally as important as the study of say, Engineering or Mathematics, especially if you're seeking a country open to diversity. I feel safe to say the US would be considered a diverse country, a place open to new cultures. But don't get me wrong, though being open and accepting to other cultures, I'm only speaking in terms of comparison to other countries such as India or China who aren't as lenient and open. The US does have it's selfish, not changing for anyone attitude, which in my opinion is rather stupid. But anyway, here's a couple of statements in an article I read on Edweek.org:

"The man went on to explain that in many Asian countries, a person is "nothing" if he is not a doctor, businessman, engineer or academic, but in the United States each person is recognized as having great potential in some area. American schools take pride in developing the individual talents in each student."

"I have two sons. In Japan my older son was an "A" student but my younger son did not show academic talent. He was considered a failure and was treated with disrespect in school. Basically he was 'written off' by his teachers. At the American high school my older son went into the academic track and graduated with honors. My younger son found his niche in the art department. Now my older son is a physician and my younger son is a graphic designer in Beverly Hills. He makes a lot more money than
the doctor."

The man's younger son would have never had that opportunity where he originally was from!
I have no doubt that China and India are producing bright students of an equal or possibly more intelligent stature as compared to the US, respectively. But if you dive into the percentages of what they are studying there in India or China, it's subjects such as Mathematics, Engineering, Medical studies, many subjects the average American student gets the shivers from even talking about, it'll leave you to wonder, where is the art? I know its there, somewhere, but let's be real here, India and China are evidently not the places to go if you're looking into an art degree. On the flip side however, we do need our Engineers and Doctors, so I'm not bashing on anyone. They are very important people. And so are artists. A culture needs that diversity, that mix of individuals that will stimulate the output of what a country gives out to the world. I don't think that US schools need to drastically change their learning habits to "keep up" with other countries such as India or China. I do however, feel we are getting lazy due to what revolves around us, what distracts us such as video games or other "non-productive activities". We see this as a fortunate feat, we are proud of it. Our accessibility to technology and "distracting resources" far outweighs most countries. This is something us as consumers cannot help. Sadly (or is it?) I am a victim, I love gadgets and technology. Check out the entry before this one for heavens sake! I sometimes find myself easily distracted. It's waaay to easy to get distracted. I cannot stress that enough.

I like the idea of being able to choose from over a hundred different subjects to study and not get looked down upon on what you choose to pursue. Hell, you can probably major in underwater tennis and still be looked at as an equal. We will always have the "over achieving" individuals in America who will pursue a Math or Engineering degree. We don't need to get our knickers in a bunch about this. America is still producing smart intellectual people and more. So to answer the above question about there being a "happy medium?" No, I don't think there will be a "happy" medium, but I do think there is a state of content... or at least on my part as an average student. Let India and China do what their doing, their damn good at it, but they will be bored to death.

November 2008

This game took a good amount of my summer last year. Such a good game. Can't wait.

The new iHam is here!

Check it out! iHam.
This was part of an in-office Christmas promo for the employees at Shackleton Direct. The site generated over 400,000 hits across Latin internet audiences and 100,000 hits on Youtube, says Shackleton. Shackleton was even kind enough to send an iHam over to Steve Jobs, in exchange for the muse of the apple.com layout.

Obama

Six different women faint at 6 different Obama rallies. Setup or coincidence? Is it his dashing looks or crisp attire? Or is it his confident and moving speeches? I personally think it's rather hilarious.

021608

Party was a success. I'd say it was, no? Yes? Well, I had fun. Check out the pics here

Thanks Tony

Today is Presidents day. Today is also an all-day Presidents day "No Reservations" marathon. All day! If you're like me, that could possibly be all around the world in a day(with the help of television)for those of you who can't afford to "physically" travel. We will just watch in envy of Mr. Bourdain for now. One day that'll change. I can't help but feel this constant hunger while watching this show. I could be eating while watching No Reservations and yet, still be hungry.

Justice "Phantom II"

Some old stuff

An old remake poster I designed for the movie "Hostel" back in the day. I liked it.

Dayuuuuuum

Travis Barker and ?uestlove killing it with their kits at The Roots Grammy jam session. Two awesome percussionists. Amaaaaazing!

This Saturday...

Kanye West performs STRONGER. Live at the 2008 Grammys

And let's not forget about our friends from France. Check out their new illuminated suits. Now that the tour is over, behind the scenes photos were revealed by the company Enlighted. Check it.

Obama in Virginia Beach

Amongst the mush of all those people is where I stood.

"The Mysterious Stranger" by Mark Twain

"Life itself is only a vision, a dream. It's an empty space and you...and you are but a thought."
Above is a scene from "The Mysterious Stranger", a fictional novel by Mark Twain. The cartoon was banned from television due to some controversy with religion and children. It's kind of creepy, especially for children who in my opinion wouldn't get the message at a young age. But what do I know. You can read the whole story here.

The world of the Medium format camera

I've decided to dip my toes into the world of medium format photography for a little while. Go back in time, back to the experimental days of shooting. Ahhhh yes, the highly saturated, grainy film...quality that can't be beat. I recently purchased a Holga 120N Medium Format fixed focus camera for very cheap. Throw in a 5-pack of color negs and a roll of black and white 120 film set me back to about $50, which isn't bad at all for anyone interested in giving it a try. Check out lomography.com to purchase a camera and then after that, join the lomographic society because I did!

Superbowl Commercials: Who's on top AdMeter

Curious to see who scored the highs and lows of last nights Superbowl commericals? Check out this website to see the results. Not a surprise at all. There were alot of "Entertain, forget the purpose to sell" commercials once again in my opinion. Sometimes agencies try and entertain rather than promote the product, thus a waste of ad dollars. I guess numbers(sales) will prove who was doing their job.

America

Move over Jared. I'm not gonna say much about this. It's a rather hilarious instructional video on how to lose weight from no other but our very own Midwestern suburban American boy, Will Jones.

"Blason"

The new N.E.R.D single "Everybody nose" has been put into a Luis Vuitton advertisement showing off Pharells latest jewelry line "Blason" in which he also appeared in. The 1 minute and 44 second spot shows what looks to be Jewelry connoisseur/store owner Pharell fiddling around with his "Blason" jewelry collection while NERDs music bumps in the background. The jewelry is shown in several attractive screenshots intending to give the consumer a glimpse of the new high-end line of jewelry. The video concludes with a lady in a black dress(in which I can only assume is Camille Micheli, the other Blason line designer) walking into the room and blowing out the candle which appeared to be the rooms only source of lighting. You can watch the short video below.





And also...

The Kanye West, "Glow in the Dark" tour dates will be posted soon. You would think that design is moving forward, and it inevitably is, but does anyone feel some sort of familiarity with what were seeing in design these days? The 80's esque retro look and feel coming back in band posters and such. I love it!

The structure of an ad agency

(An understanding of the Japanese language may be required, but the visuals will help.)




I found this funny. Does it make me think twice about pursuing an Ad degree? not really.