Things I can't remember...

General Tso Kugel Monkey

Welcome to the family General Tso Kugel Monkey!

Older and Wiser

Seven years later (give or take depending on who you listen to), Matt Locsin and myself returned to Syracuse to speak at the Viscom symposium speaking to the undergraduates sitting in seats we sat in seven years ago about the future of design. It was a bit like traveling back into the past to tell yourself somethings you've learned from the future. This itself is a fun idea to ponder. As we expected there were a number of people sleeping and talking, however, we were able to excite a few of the students. I would like to hear what they have to say at symposium seven years from now.

Backbeat, the song is on the street...

Maybe she was having a bad day, maybe she was on her way to an American Idol rejection, either way, I was walking near my house a few days ago and passed this girl shamelessly trying to carry a tune while singing Oasis' "Wonderwall." The problem is, she transferred it to me and I started to hum it while walking down the street (see, I'm polite).

This brought me back to a thought and a memory. I am reminded of Neal Stephenson circa Snow Crash where he made the analogy/metaphor between language and viruses. I had been infected with Oasis! There surely should be a vaccine for that!?!

I was also reminded of a time when at a Target and I whistled the Super Mario Bros. theme music and then heard others do the same throughout the store (Laura Patterson as my witness). Surely this has strategic applications....

What can't Geena Davis Do?

Girl power baby! Girl Power! Geena has that and then some... and she knows where to bring it. That's right, to places where it has never really been fully explored for our entertainment. She does it throughout history, from the vastly underrated "Cutthroat Island" as a feminist pirate captain where half of her lines were in pirate-ese and the other half in 90's-girl empowerment to present day where on your television you can see her as the "First Woman President."

Now, I have to disclaim that I have never watched this show, but I have seen the promo spots. The men hate her, the women respect her, and she gets it on with young sexy boy(s)!!! "Dude! I just nailed the president!" "Sweet!" Oh man, that would be so awesome to be the president's boyfriend... Wait a minute, oh, that is why Monica did it. T.V., is there anything you can't teach me?

Long Day's Journey into Costanza

I've gone corporate... well, for the summer at least. I am working at McDonald's (training, learning & development, NOT fries). I have a "hoteling" cube that I share and more outdated technology than one can shake a stick at. It is everything that I wanted this summer.

Yet, something is troubling me. With every passing day I am more like George Costanza. See, today I realized that I have a favorite toilet stall. I find myself upset or frustrated when the stall is not treated with care or if the automatic flusher doesn't quite get the job done.

Pictures to come soon (for all zero of you who read this)... Of the McD's campus and the stall if you're lucky.

Just in time

Happy Tax day.

Mid-East Redux

I finally viewed Lawrence of Arabia last night. Fascinating to view in the context of the current events. On a less serious note, this quote stuck out and stayed with me:

Lawrence: I come from a fat land with fat people.
Guide: But you sir are not fat.
Lawrence: No, I'm special.

10 things Milton Glaser has learned

Link: Publications.

Some really nice lessons here. I especially like the one below...

. Number 1 YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE. It took me a long time to learn this rule because at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism inferred that you didn’t necessarily have to like the people that you worked for, and should maintain an arms length relationship to them. As a result, I never had lunch with a client or saw them socially. Some years ago I realised that I was deluded. In looking back, I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client. Affection, trust and sharing some common ground is the only way good work can be achieved. Otherwise it is a bitter and hopeless struggle

It hurts to look this good

Last week we had our annual recruiting event at ID, which meant that I was destined to look professional—all suit and tie like—for two days. It is amazing what a nice suit can do for a muppet-like boy like myself. It is also amazing what dress shoes that no longer fit can do to a fancy lad... also like myself. After two days of Kenneth Cole style foot binding I was walking with a full limp from tender soles, the back of my ankles blistered and opened, and my feet were bloody messes from nails cutting toes. I have no idea how you pointy-shoe wearers out there do it. Viva la sensible shoes!

INDEX Awards: HEALTHNET

Woo-Hoo! The HealthNet project that I was part of my first semester at ID has been accepted and is now online for the INDEX awards. Link: INDEX: - HEALTHNET.

INDEX: is a world event for design and innovation set to take place every four years in Copenhagen. It will be launched in 2005. INDEX: only features the kind of design that considerably improves life for large numbers of people.

HealthNet is an Infrastructure connecting medical professionals wherever they are with those who support them and those they serve. It processes information, maintains it and provides services globally in real time. Its Applications bring 21st-century, specialized care from the preventive to the curative directly to patients, their families and caregivers

Thanks to Matt Hamlin for his tireless effort in preparing our documents for this award.

If I win the Lottery

If I ever win the lottery, the first thing I am going to do is rent billboard space! For some reason I've had this fantasy for a while. I win (or make... somehow) a great deal of money and with my newfound fortune I take over billboards in the city I am living in, filling them with cryptic messages of love, hope, and overall goodness. I used to have a good assortment of phrases I would like to have used/seen, however, my memory is not what it once was, so these were the first two I recalled.

Any other suggestions?

Random Neil Diamond

Snowed in on a Saturday night I have my iPod plugged into my stereo and I'm taking care of some work. Who other than good ol' Neil Diamond starts pumping out of the speakers with his excellent hit "America". In these uncertain times we all need an anthem to rally around and as the sound of his voice washed over me I found my mind starting to wander.... to a place where all I could visualize was the Hulk on a ferry in immigrant clothes passing by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty yelling in his Hulk voice "TODAY!" in time with the song as it makes its triumphant ending.

This snow needs to end so I can see people, I may be going crazy. I think I love Neil Diamond....

TrustMe—the web app

My colleagues and myself built this flash-based app for our school. None of us had worked in flash before so this is pretty cool to have up and running. This would be considered our alpha version, illustrating the potential application of the program, but with many boxes on our wishlist still unchecked. Thanks to Aurora and Jed for all of the code help. Try it out if you like (I am unsure what the guest feature is, however).

Link: TrustMe.

Team members: aurora, nate, lenka and stacie

I'm ?ing it!

During my semester end wind-down, I've been seeing more TV and thus more commercials. I've recently witnessed a new McDonald's ad where a young kid tries to skateboard over a ramp, fails, and falls on his ass. Sonic the Hedgehog appears, tells the kid he needs "this"—this being a happy meal—and then the kid is shown sitting on his ass eating McDonald's and playing a video game. I guess the moral of the story is: fail at being active and reward yourself with fat and video games... strange.

Roomba Peeps

While working on a product planning exercise anthromorphological fun happened. Meet "Boboomba" and "Afroomba." (thanks to Brandon for the fun names)

Media Mammon - Share

a stock market simulation for key words and phrases culled from Yahoo News

Link: Media Mammon - Share.

Chris Connelly's Core Competencies of Design

Brandon beat me to the punch on this one, recapping Chris' article in DMI on the core competencies of the designer. Link: Brandon's write-up.

Illusion

I've never been much of an illustrator. Many times I try to avoid drawing because I am not very good at it. I am learning, however, that I can trace and have fun doing so whether for practice or for diagramming. To pass the time on this friday night while procrastinating I decided to see if I could draw the beautiful ms. nisara. I am pleased with the outcome even if I flaked on the background. The process of drawing this reminded me of how it only takes a few key well placed items to create illusions and to transfer an idea. It is like to 80/20 rule applied to drawing... I should remember this in the future when I am focusing on the small details in order to forget the big picture...

What the government tells school kids about design

On the Bureau of Labor Statistics web page resides a page for kids to weigh the future of their careers aspirations. Under art they have a listing for design and it is fairly interesting, if not amusing, how they describe it. John Heskett take note:

"Designers have a desire to create. They mix knowledge with artistic ability. Designers focus in a specific area of design such as cars or Web sites."

"Designers need up-to-date computer and telephone equipment."

"Designers must have an eye for color and detail. Designers also need problem-solving skills."

"Designers held about 532,000 jobs in 2002. About one-third were self-employed. Many self-employed designers also had another job in design or in some other occupation."

"In 2002, earnings of designers varied widely. For example, the middle half of all floral designers earned between $15,880 and $23,560. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $13,440. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $29,830. The middle half of all fashion designers earned between $35,550 and $75,970. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $25,350. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $105,280."

You Can "Hooah!"

Who in the world thought this to be a good idea??? Man Alive! I sure miss marines fighting lava monsters...

Design, Prototypes, and the Resurgence of the Court Jester

A lot of discussion has been taking place at the Institute of Design surrounding the role of prototyping and diagramming as tools of designers to facilitate communication. I am struck by a comment my old mentor Ken Hine once commented while I was in undergrad. He said, "if we are not careful, designers will be court jesters of the 21st century." I may be taking some creative license with that statement, not to create emphasis but because my memory isn't that great anymore. My interpretation of what was meant at the time was that if we, as designers, are not careful we will become fools subservient to others' bidding. However, with a new lens and perspective afforded by my days at ID I wonder if we are not in an analogous situation today to the days when court jesters were employed: Corporations are the kingdoms, and designers are the Jesters.

This is not to imply we are fools, though we can be, instead I am reminded of the function a court jester served. Typically a king or nobel would tell of a plan or an idea to which the jester would try to make light of to illuminate the risks or folly of such an idea. Is it much of a stretch to see designers with our diagrams, frameworks, and prototypes we create to facilitate conversation and view the world or markets in new ways as much different than the court jesters of old? Moreover, if this is the case, is it an undesirable one?

Bowling Party

lincoln sqaure lanes 4
Originally uploaded by xoxoryan.

Great turnout and a great group for bowling Friday night. No man is an island, and no one should bowl alone.

Toyota: The taco bell of trucks

I must be getting old. I just turned 29, I no longer understand MTV or VH1, and to top that all off I am throughly annoyed by the new Toyota Truck ads. It feels like whomever did the Taco Bell ads was hired to create the new TV ad campaign, shamelessly pandering to young, male cubicle workers. From a positioning standpoint Toyota has done well to differentiate itself from the Ford/Chevy work site machismo. However, what is most frustrating about these ads is that they are almost clever. Really quite close. It makes me want to scream. It is somehow appropriate in this post election atmosphere that Toyota is positioning itself as the truck for disaffected youth. Curmudgeon, here I come!

moon + loop

moon + loop
Originally uploaded by xoxoryan.

nothing much to say.... I was waiting to ride the train... yeah

Policies we take for granted

When booking a hotel room for a conference that some colleagues and myself will be presenting at I was informed that there is a 24-hour cancellation policy. I understood what that meant, but I started to wonder about the actual meaning of what had been said and how that came to be accepted.

A "24 hour cancellation policy" really sounds like you will be charged if you cancelled because the policy is in effect all the time. Like they once had a 12 hour policy and would be able to cancel during normal business hours. "I'm sorry sir, you'll have to call back and cancel tomorrow after 9:00 am if you wish to waive the cancellation fee."