Masthead (39k image)
Thursday, April 27th

My Next Computer has arrived!

Jon
04.27.06 @ 11:21 AM CST
feeling: Rawr.

Well, the new 17" MacBook Pro has been announced. It's not here yet, which is fine by me, because the Apps I need to use won't run on it yet anyway, and I can't afford it, or justify it, but it's here none-the-less.

Anyway. When CS3 comes out, (they're saying Jan/Feb '07) I will buy it, and one of these 17" MacBook Pros and I will be able to design (well produce anyway, because design happens in your brain, bitches) anywhere I want. That way I can keep on the ball when I become a professional paintballer and have to travel 5 weeks out of the year, and the two/three weeks I travel for holidays, and when the internet goes out at the house, or I get bored, or it's a really nice day out, I can go anywhere I can find a WiFi connection and do my thing.

Badass. Oh yeah, and the 17" model is only $300 more than the top of the line 15" model, but it has way faster processors and more USB ports, and Firewire 800 and a 8x DVD burner. Totally worth the money.

And, it only weighs 6.8 pounds. I mean, really. All that goodness in a 1-inch thin/6.8 lb package. Damn.

 

It's Done...

Jon
04.27.06 @ 10:57 AM CST
listening to: Loveline
feeling: Recovering

BMag_vol08_Cover (107k image) You're looking at the most recent cover of Bollywood Magazine (AKA: BMag), which I produced. I wouldn't say I designed it, although I did lay it out, because the designer who was handling the mag before me certainly did most of the design work. I didn't pick the colors or the typefaces or the column widths, or anything else. But, I did run the 28-hour marathon that was laying this thing out, with all the ads, and all the content, and all the photos. Damn. I wrapped this thing up Monday morning and I'm still tired.

I also wrapped up (with the exception of one tiny little loose string) the ACEP risky drinking site. You can check it out here: http://risky.ACEP.org/. Don't check it out in Firefox though, because part of the final little string to wrap up is that FIREFOX HAS A BUG. That's right, it has a bug in the way it renders nav widgets (especially scroll bars) so I have to figure out a way around it.

Long Live Safari. Go Apple.

Wednesday, April 19th

What I have been working on...

Jon
04.19.06 @ 08:55 PM CST

So, as a few of you know, I have been working on a website and brochure for ACEP and NHTSA. It's going to press tomorrow. Here's what it looks like:

riskyDrinking-1 (82k image) Outside


Tuesday, April 18th

I know you don't care...

Jon
04.18.06 @ 09:42 AM CST

...but I called this!

I said to the guy in the Apple store (who, incidentally, had NO idea how bootCamp works) that a more realistic (and useful) technology for people like me would be one like VirtualPC, except better, because it wouldn't need to emulate the whole computer (like making a software version of the hardware to fool windows into running), it would only need to run Windows® as an application; taking advantage of the hardware already there. I couldnt' think of the word for it, but now I can, and it's Virtualization.

Here it is: http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/04/06/parallels/index.php


Thursday, April 13th

Funny, and useful, and clever, utility for new Mac laptops

Jon
04.13.06 @ 10:07 AM CST
listening to: Loveline
feeling: SICK!

Dig this. It's a piece of software that uses the harddrive motion sensors in the new macBook Pro to signal an alarm when it is moved.



Ordinarilly the laptop uses the motion sensors to lock the HDDs down in the case of a fall...but this is a pretty clever use for the equipment the rest of the time. It's also a pretty clever use of the new Apple remote included with your MacBook.

One glaring flaw that I see is that there is a MUTE button on the keyboard of the MacBook, which would easily limit the effectiveness of the alarm. However, it's not unreasonable that the software, when active, would disable the keyboard altogether, if not simply the mute button. If I were the maker of the software, I would make it disable the keyboard...because I don't need you jackin' with my crap! You hear me? Punk!

Wednesday, April 12th

Clip Art: Foiled Again

Jon
04.12.06 @ 01:34 PM CST
feeling: Sick

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/400414.html

It's a story about what happend when you don't hire a proper designer to design your logo. Retards. Your secretary is not a designer. I don't care if he/she knows how to use PhotoShop®. ;-)

Monday, April 10th

I love Sparks...

Jon
04.10.06 @ 09:02 PM CST
listening to: 24
feeling: Ick...

bigSparks (129k image)I love Sparks. For those of you who haven't experienced Sparks yet, it's like a Red Bull, except it has a 6% Alcohol/Volume content. So you get pumped up and loose at the same time. It's pretty nice. I like to drink it. I am drinking it right now. I am supposed to be working on a brochure, but I am not. I am wasting my time scanning and writing about Sparks, while I drink Sparks, and wait for it to take effect.

Funny thing is, the brochure I am supposed to b working on is about moderate drinking. It's for the government. Woo Hoo!

Friday, April 7th

Spring

Nicole
04.07.06 @ 07:03 AM CST
feeling: i'm surviving

So what are the signs of spring on a college campus?

People getting out of classes and heading immediately to the lawn so that they can tan the day away, and by people I mean non-designers. This action of course causes them to get loathing stairs as designers run from the studio to class back to the studio because in our world that means that the mid review is over and the final is lingering over our head.

I have also come to find that spring apparently gives people permission to where clothes they shouldn't and drink more often and in public places, like on their walk to/from school. As there is a growing number of beer cans and bottles along my route to school.

While I am glad that it is getting warmer this has already been an odd spring season as it snowed on Wed, not that it lasted very long once it stopped but the pavement was steaming, which is worth puting down your drawings to look at.

Anywho, I have to get to work. Mom and Dad I will you see you at 5pm and Jon and Joc I will see you in a few weeks. Greg--- I'll be home for Easter if you are coming by I will see you then.

Wednesday, April 5th

Everything old is new again:

Jon
04.05.06 @ 10:59 AM CST
listening to: LoveLine
feeling: Sneezy

Dig this:



I know I am not the only one who has seen all this stuff before and wondered why people are making such a HUGE deal about product placement in TV and movies now. At least now the worst thing you'll get is someone drinking a bud-lite or something, not jabbering on and on about how great Winstons are.

Tuesday, April 4th

I hate Brochures...

Jon
04.04.06 @ 01:48 PM CST
listening to: Pugs & Kelly
feeling: Fine. Sleep, still, and still a little sore and nasty.

...because I think they are a waste.

I really do. People hate them. They thow them out. If you hand someone a standard tri-fold they glance at it, most times don't even open it, and throw it away at the earliest opportunity.

It sincerely makes me wonder if anyone has conducted a study into the effectiveness of brochures as opposed to other forms of printed material.

I mean, they just suck so bad. ;-)