New tech, theres nothing more refreshing than new tech! Need new tech. Ok so i've been reading up on the new wave of tablets on the scene lately. I still love the HP TC1100 the best though. An upgrade may occur if I play my cards right.
I still think taking notes in the field via tablet is the way to go but I have a long ways to go to prove the concept. Many hurdles are in the way, from tech, to programming to general user acceptance. However I strongly feel its possible. Along those same lines i've been testing new tablet software, actually Mind Manger isn't for tablets only, you can use it with any pc. So far its proved to be a great brainstorming tool.
I'm still waiting on the Nokia 3620 to make the scene as far as camera phones go. It's long overdue and be had online but they make it a hassle to move my # over to it, least thats what they tell me. So I wait and wait.
I'm waffling between Inspiron 300m / 600m's and Lattitude 500 series laptops for work. Actually I'm not a huge fan of DELL boxes but looks like we're gonna go this way anyways. The Lattitudes are ligher and bit more biz savy but the Inspiron's have better vid cards and firewire etc on them, nice things to have. The issue at hand is weight, everyone wants something lighter and with no compromises. We'll see what turns out this week.
Joining the Lextant team this week are two new hires. The lextant family grows and the work just keeps coming. It's all good I say.
Heh.. last night I got a call from Andy man, the Lady Death maker from old ADV FILMS, my mid 20's work horse obession. Sounds like its all going well, well typical ADV at least. Sounds like alot of the young spirit of the firm is gone though. Sounds like work x work x work x more work.
I was at ADV from 95-00'... the early years where we took a month to get a film now. Now they do 20 or more in a month. I can honestly say it sounds even more like a sweat shop that what it was when I left. And its all art ya know.. i dunno it sucks to work with cool material only to realize yer gonna just crank it thru the machine to get it on the shelf in the end. Its like the dark side of film. Theres a dark side to the production of it when money plays such a strong hand that the very art of the work itself is lost. Who cares about art just make the show get it out there! Or wait a sec, the real art happened in Japan by the people that made the show, ADV just stamps english on it and passes it thru the system. Maybe thats the mind set I need. Still I remember what I deem as the early glory days of ADV being open to ideas, creativily enhancing productions and fostering high morale amongst employees. All of that tossed out the window it sounds like.
I hope Andy can make it out alive. In some respects he's in the bubble of production where only the production matters but he's one force against the masses that ADV is no doubt today. Level after level of management in the way of art, hell its not a film any more its a product. I don't do.. ok well I did do.. trailers for products but I cant infuse my creative soul with the glory of the buck, just doesn't work, the buck didn't whip out the ion cannon and blow away that guy the art did that.
Maybe fans shouldnt work in the biz cause they always get walked on because they value the art of the product admist the odds of others cranking the piece for the buck of it.
Andy told me "you got out at the perfect time man, you've couldn't hack this now.. you wouldn't of surivied..." he's probably right. Course when I left ADV, I still remember the day walking into John's office with my seeya letter.. I had no real reason why I was leaving ADV. To this day there's no real reason why I left other than I strong feeling that I could do no more. The ladder options before me didnt matter. I didnt want any ones job and I think $$$ wouldnt matter. Do I miss the biz? Yes. I miss the heart of it. The idea to paper to video to package to shelf to viewer.. I miss that. It's a different passion than that of a fan in love with a character, I wanted the world, the world projected into the arms of the consumer, the hype and vibe of a film that made people go "ya that rocked" i wanted that.. though I knew that a good show typically could only create that.
I had a good talk with Andy. Though deep down I wish back in 2000 I could of dragged him out of there as well. He'll finish Lady Death this year and ride on the waves of it for a few months and then he'll get his cards back and decide on what hand to play next. It is my hope that he'll go on to other production firms and continue to make animation... with or without ADV.
Deep down I think I judged John for taking so many friends on the ride.. and it was the ride. I guess we were all willing to a point but I think he had a hand in how it came together no doubt. My hopes that he'd come out of his spin never manifested and it seems he's lost control as well. ADV has no fearless leader no more, even John sounds barely in control of his own company. Maybe I can't judge him, and I made some friends from him and got a few lessons on the dark side as well. And he's still a friend though its like the old saying keep your friends close but your enemies closer, but what possible threat do pose now other than a reminder of the past and how it used to be back when we were just a handful of hopeful people.
It was still a good experience, but it pains me to see it mangle people along the way. Its like the old days of CS heh. Every workplace has a story to tell, a lesson to learn, a message to pass on.
Carry on Andy! Get that flick out, do great things and I'll see ya in the summer 04 maybe. I do have to say that a one man production effort on Lady Death, I think, is a bad idea. First of all Andy doesn't sleep he can't, no idea how he's suriving under the stress of the entire production. Secondly focus, to get focus, you need to willingly let go of it all and return with a clear mind. How can do you do that when your an army of one. Third, new eyes, he needs to have new eyes on the project, gotta be willing to let yer ego get stomped on a bit and let new eyes see what you have not seen. Fourth, the Lady deserves to dance. Let the gal outa the box man, let it flow, let it go. I dunno i've been the single production on the smallest of dan projects and ya sure yer in control and its ok and its also yer world, thats the problem, sooner or later you want the whole world to buy into yer world to do that ya gotta open up. Why do ya think it was ever scribbled on paper in the first place. It's gotta breathe!
So what new tech to aid me on these missions? Ahh yes, the 
What else is new.. let's see I've taken a big break from AC2 lately, I dunno not grabbing me at the moment. UTK24k-Whatever has been alot of fun. Oh that and everything else like Flickr which has been consuming alot of time lately. 
Two weekends ago my brother Paul and I test drove the 
My obessession with Shepard Fairey's Obey Giant propaganda engineering art pieces grows and grows. I have five pieces obey giant and if I could i'd collect it all! I simply love the art style, this 30's 40's war propaganda art style is never old to me. Rarely do I find something as compelling and continually fresh like obey giant. My latest piece is actually an old poster now out of print, (most pieces are limited runs of 200 or less), which I picked up off of ebay last year. The old poster was pretty beat to all hell but I loved the composition. Most of these prints get basic framing, some like the big guy downstairs get a really nice framing job. This latest one something simple yet looks uttery amazing on the wall. Makes me wanna redo the whole room in some obey giant theme.. like what would a entertainment center or couch look like in this propoganda theme... I dont know. Very cool stuff.