Where's the action?

Despite appearances, I have not given up on this blog. Really. I've just been very, very busy. If you don't believe me, check out my page on the UB student server. Basically, ActionScript blows my mind.

At this point, Labs 1, 2 and 3 are completed. I know it doesn't look like much, but believe me it's been a real time suck. The school links will eventually disappear, but I hope to repost my assignments here soon.

I've basically just parroted back the assignments as they were presented, but more diligent students found time to design very elegant and beautiful alternatives. As far as I'm concerned, if it weren't for Curtis Morley's big list of errors, I may have ripped out all my hair. Thanks on ya, Curtis.

Today, a co-worker told me about another useful site: Flash Kit. I'm open to more helpful resources, if you know of any.

Online posters

Baltimore City Paper recently published a feature about Globe Poster Company. If you didn't see it, check it out. The feature was excellent. In a nutshell, it's about a printing company that's been around for nearly 80 years. (Coincidentally, the place is practically in my back yard—or front yard, if you prefer your cliches to be more literal.)

Regardless, I'm not writing about Globe Poster Company (though I may, should I swing by and purchase some wicked awesome posters.) What I'm interested in is CP's online presentation of this feature.

The 3,000+ words that comprise its body are good. They're great, even. The information is useful, and the interviews are well done. The student's awestruck impression of the place is particularly insightful.

Unfortunately, I nearly missed the fact that there was an amazing photo gallery (by Frank Hamilton) at the bottom of the story. It's painful to see a publication so entrenched in the print mentality that it would bury such compelling material. “There's no place for it in our limited page layout, so the same must be true online.” (Hold on. I'm still choking on that one...)

Sure, CP included anchor text at the top of the page, but those six words are lost in the sea of words that surround it.

The gallery ought to have been first and foremost.

If the thousand word maxim is true, the 3,000+ words written by Chris Landers may have been rendered moot by Hamilton's photos. Too bad. The photos easily articulate several hundred thousand words, collectively spoken at the speed of your internet connection. For must of us, that's pretty fast, and it's certainly faster than any of us could have read the entire article.

The reason this upsets me is because the work of CP (and, in this case, of Landers), is so important. In the face of CP's recent publication downsize (and considering the more recent demise of The Baltimore Examiner), the only way one of Charm City's most valuable resources will survive is to manufactures a more compelling Web presence.

In sales terms, the Flash gallery is a catch 22. It's a fantastic user experience paired with little in the way of monetization potential. Though standard galleries afford a new ad for each refresh, I prefer the Flash varieties for ease of use and simple aesthetic appeal.

At any rate, the online presentation of this excellent article could have been much improved, and increasing the visibility of the photo gallery would have been an excellent start.

Apologies

I'm a total turd. I used Don Jusko's Real Color Wheel in an earlier post, and I didn't include a link. Apologies, Don. The site is a great resource, and includes lots of tips for painters. Check it out.

Wordle to the wise

Tried wordle.net yet? If not, you should. It's a playful typography tool that makes "word clouds" from text you choose. I used text from the Mark Strand poem posted below.

Enjoy.

iMade an iMovie

I've learned a lot in this class. Especially since I knew practically nothing about design before Words and Images started. Obviously, I'm a long way from being a professional, but Pub Design doesn't seem quite as intimidating anymore. There were plenty of times I felt discouraged throughout the semester, but all along I knew I just had to keep working hard. Before the semester ends, I'll almost certainly feel discouraged again (damn you revisions!), and there's no way I'll breeze through future classes without breaking a sweat. Finally, though, I've created something I'm proud of.

Granted, my iMovie still needs a ton of work--volume levels, timing and at least one "blooper" I know of--but I know how hard I worked on this, and that means a lot to me. True, I've already turned it in and gotten a grade on it, but I had so much fun making this I'm sure I'll edit it some more once the labs open next semester.

Anyway, I know it's not perfect, but enjoy.

Shuffle up and deal

Not only does this blog have a great name, but it's where I discovered this set of cards by Robert Coover, which are actually a short story called "Heart Suit." It's brilliant, because you can read the cards in any order and they should still make sense.

I haven't gotten my hands on a set, but the concept definitely piqued my interest. And, in case you were wondering, Grand Text Auto found out about Coover's story on McSweeney's.

Final show and tell?

I don't really collect much. I have a bunch of CDs and books, I suppose, but I try to avoid collecting things because it often turns to clutter (and I've already got enough of that).

I do, however, keep a bunch of Baltimore stickers all around my desk at work: Charm City Roller Girls, Baltimore Tattoo Museum, Sound Garden and a bunch of others. I guess they help keep me focused. Besides, looking at them is far better than staring at the inside of a grey cube all day.

By the way, I wasn't even close. The "Get In On It" campaign only cost a half million.