Part of the weekend never dies

RADIO SOULWAX' hotly anticipated film / documentary "Part of the Weekend Never Dies" had its premiere at the Ether Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London on the 24th of last April. 150 shows. One camera. This DVD looks fun. Soulwax is amazing , if you haven't heard of SOULWAX, you should definitely check them out!
Radio Soulwax - Part of the Weekend never Dies - Are You Filming


Part of the Weekend Never Dies trailer

telefon 1985 *

copyright JohnAM 2008

CLASSY FAST FOOD

Arne Jacobsen fast food in London.


McDonalds.




I'm lovin it :)

Moving on

I'ts about damn time! I've anxiously waited for these papers for five months due to applying so early in the year. I was 99.8 percent positive I'd get in the ad school but I had my .2 percent of a doubt. I definitely have a busy summer ahead of me.

The early dreams

Once, a long time ago, in my late high school early college days, I was interested in becoming an architect. Not only interested, I had my mind set. I took the classes and looked at possible Universities that offered the degree. Years later I realized my niche' was in photography and design, in which soon I began to study and pursue. But that's not to say that I'm not an appreciator or lover of architecture. I enjoy and love everything in this form of art and design...with a little science thrown in. I would however, one day like to design my own place. That has always been one of my few dreams.

The place more than likely would look similar to this (below) but a little more discreet in terms of the design structure for privacy. I love the exposed wood grain of the sheet slats on the ceilings and the clean functional design. The lighting is very welcoming. The structure looks like it belongs there, embedded amongst the trees next to the lake.

"Eight 1-1/2" bolts support steel legs-strategically placed placed to preserve the old trees the reach into the earth that support a panelized roof and a suspended "belly" that floats within the coniferous canopy". -Zero Plus Architects



Building: Snee-oosh cabin
Architects: Zero Plus architects

The cool way to put pants and wayfarers on

Both ads were made for different clients (Pants: Levis, Sunglasses: Ray Ban). Same agency (CUTWATER, director: "Benzo" Theodore. Same idea. But seriously...what happened to the notion of a 'unique brand image'? Where is it? Don't get me wrong, these are very entertaining, especially the Ray Ban one which is hilarious! Does it sell? would you buy these products? I did, but not because of the these ads, it's because they're good, quality products...something the agency should have focused on. Oh well, as long as you're entertained, the clients are happy.

New Obama poster campaign design

I'm sure most of you have already seen the Obama poster that Shepard Fairey designed a few months ago that sold out with proceeds going towards the Obama presidential campaign. A few weeks ago I read up on some exciting news via the "blog world" that one of my favorite graphic designers Scott Hansen aka iso50 was asked by the Obama campaign to design the next campaign poster. I patiently yet, anxiously at the same time waited for weeks, checking his blog everyday. Finally it came out! There are a limited run of 5,000 copies that are available for purchase for $70. You can buy them here. Hansen gave some information on the design process stating that the size of the file for this poster was 2.77GB! and nearly 1000 layers, weighing in as the most complex poster he has designed. I'm sure my computer would have exploded. Though it may not look that complex, it surely is. You can view both of the Obama "Progress" posters below.

Design by Shepard Fairey



Designed by Scott Hansen

Scripts showcase design for Motherwell College.

Design by Greig Anderson. I love this guys work! Good choice of typeface and colors. I really like the dot toning of a majority of the pages. Much kudos to Grieg based out of Glasgow.

UNIQLOCK

From an Ad students perspective and I'm sure advertisers in the field, marketers, etc., this is a brilliant idea! It's called UNIQLOCK. Yes it's a screen saver, but save your yawning. Think "loungy" music and sound components by Fantastic Plastic Machine with clips of cute Japanese women doing the robot and other dance choreography. This is rather a brilliant idea in terms of Viral marketing, say, t-shirts, music or even product placement worn by the dancers or placed throughout the enviroment. Created by Tokyo's projector inc., this strategy has recently won a clio award. You can read the article here.


And in case you were wondering, yes, I do have it as a screen saver. Click on the word UNIQLOCK above to download it to your PC or Mac.

Introducing Microsoft "Surface"

Imagine a day when the everyday desk can serve as your very own multi-touch interface system. But not only serving as a desk, but maybe a kitchen table, breakfast nook or conference table. Bringing the digital world to our everyday lives. Imagine being able to place a soup can on this "Surface" table and being given the nutritional content or follow-up recipes. Imagine using your finger as a brush on Adobe applications such as Photoshop or illustrator. That'll be the day huh? Well apparently Microsoft has just introduced the "Surface"...well maybe not recently, but what the hell. Microsoft "surface" allows users to shift through digital content with the flick of the finger. You'll be able to place your cell phone, camera, and any other digital storage medium and transfer media onto the the table for viewing, editing, or sharing. At the retail price of $10,000, A few companies have been considered the early adopters of this system creating their own applications to suit their needs. While Microsoft is focusing on commercial applications, they are also working on reducing the costs introducing it to the main public in 3 to 5 years. You can read the article here on adweek.com

Reading about this system I came up with some ideas and applications of my own that may have already (or not) been thought of by Microsoft...

- On table multi-touch interface cell phone.
- Cable television
- Auto-CAD applications
- Adobe Software
- Holographic potential (think Star Wars)
- Virtual arm wrestling or boxing
- Movie editing
- Virtual cooking lessons
- Virtual massage practicing
- Finger mazes

These are just a few of my inane ideas.

TONIGHT

If you like to dance, check this synth-pop-disco duo out. They're called Tonight and they're from Michigan. Listen to "When galaxies form", "pop charts", or "without you"... Good stuff!

A little inspiration

So I came across this Latvian magazine Juana Gaita (The new course) and found the cover designs they produced over the past 50 years. I really enjoy these and you can too...right here

Photography prices

Here it is! the updated 2008 JohnAM catalog. In it you'll find everything you need to know to schedule a session or book a wedding.
Click on the picture below to download the PDF.
PHOTO PRICES AND INFO

JohnAM photography
EMAIL: johnamphotos@hotmail.com
PHONE: 757.617.1123

(JohnAM photography is based out of Chesapeake, VA, soon to be Richmond, VA.)

iphone band

Amazing!

For your viewing pleasure

The album leaf live in Tokyo performing "Vermillion". Good song, great band.

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.