today i tried something new.. I opened up notepad and just captured thoughts as they occured. here is the result:
The other day i was thinkin, life is about 75%. Everything works 75% of the time, sometimes you wanna say something but its best to just say most of it, or 75% of it. Lately ive been running to goin full bore on something with 110% in only to realize that 75% was really welcome and the rest fodder for observation and self doubt. When I really want to tell someone something, I used to be fairly on the mark, here's the 100%, then over time of course i've realized that 75% of what I needed to say of the 100% was really usable. The extra 25% often rests with my own inflection of words, my rambling, my wishful intent and not core substance. Maybe substance is 75% and not really 100%. Lately I've had to display 75% of what I really want to display so I don't induce a riot like presence within myself and toward others. Its better to go with the flow then to be hard core yet theres power with the core. When it comes to my life I want a 120% really, I want the best, strive for the best, need the best but often settle for less just cause the need and wants of the 120% is awfully greedy of me, couldn't I do just fine with half of that or just 75% even? Yes. So again back to 75%.
Today I got back into the Avid after a long, very long, too long hiatus in non-avid production. It was good to get back in and edit. Using the avid is like a refreshing extention of my own creativity. Its like my a sense to me. I know how it works and I love splicing video, even if it is for the mundane work of research video. Its got to be done and I can do it in here. Perhaps its overkill, really for this kinda work, typically is actually but this is what I've used and will always use unless its special like some of the retail rig video had to be done in windows Movie Maker just because it understood full frame alien avi file formats easier than the avid and its windows media codec support is far superior to avid's output. Avid is really meant to go back to tape or dvd, but it can export as well just not as easy as Movie Maker. The big differences are in interfaces, avid rocks, plain and simple, movie maker while appearing simplistic isnt intutitive at all. Checkin out Avid's site I see that I missed NAB again this year. Being in this research rig lately I didnt see a big point to goin to NAB really. Its meant more for broadcasters and serious production gear heads. Still its like any show, some seriously cool stuff afoot as always.
The big trend lately is to build a tool set to handle HD production on all levels. Theres gonna be some serious hardware upgrading occuring in the video world to make HD take off like it needs to. That kinda kinda gear replacement is imense, a massive $$$$$ investment on the horizon again for studios. All in one suites along with dedicated HD decks and cameras will start it off, and soon everything else will fill in the cracks. Its still gonna be massive bucks on the table cause HD product is seriously more complicated engineering and production wise. Checkin out Avid's site I see one of the new product is Avid Express Studio is which is a continuation of the hodpodge suite of tools. I dunno not impressed.
Avid does one thing well, thats edit. Effect wise people will still flock to other packages that infuse creativity better like Combustion or After Effects. Dunno not impressed with the Avid Xpress Suite. I'd take mojo but not much else. Aside from the effects stage the broadcast tools excite me more really. Something about TV production and media management seems like something more cutting edge to me. Course back to the HD stage theres plenty of cool stuff happening there. I kinda want an adrenline system. Theres a chunk of change.
I'm always learnin stuff at Lextant. Least learnin what I like to do, want to do, or what to do best. The process of data capture is always a big thing for me. Working with Bob on danotes was a great project. danotes in general is pretty fine tuned to do what I want as far as capturing data from focus groups, usability tests and retail tracking, however I continually need to educate people on it so much that there are fustrating times where I see people searching for an app where we have it already. Folks cant seem to fathom that possibly their needs have already been concieved and met thru another person on staff. Sometimes its the people closest to me that need the most convincing. That i find fustrating really. Its like Clint or someone I know asking me if i like video editing. Ummm ya I do actually. Maybe its just cause the hard road seems painful.
People seek out pain I think. Currently Bob has met every challenge ive set foward dead on and completed it and I dont send him curve balls with undoable results. Anything I come up with I factor into whats already been done and or known. I know the next set of tools I want to make will not only make work soo much more efficient it will save people mentally despite their egarness to throw themselves to the wolves of despair. Some folks like that. Take the pain route! To me I see the bottom line, if the app can save off 12hrs of time, its worth it plain and simple. However we still need to convey that time usage to the end client so that we can continue app development. People are always suprised by my use of danotes. "wow these are awesome notes.. you were actually working.. " not shit man, actually danotes was working i was just paying attention. After last weeks study, someone asked "dang i wish we had good quotes.." and i sent them an excel file will all the good quotes, danotes had them, they were amazed.. wow.. what app did this?!? Hello folks, its the app we got made people ELLO!!! Its like i need to everyone to get the wake up call at times.
Then theres apps i have issues with, Visio. Visio for researchers is often looked at like a mixture of power point meets photoshop. I often see images made with Visio's crude toolset that could be flashdanced out of Fireworks in seconds. I always ponder that. Like someone editing video in Word. Interesting. Painful I'm sure.
Back to data capture, thats where I want to be, effcient use of time in the field. I want tools that make testing in the field and or where ever to be as seemless and smart as possible. So that when you return, yer work is done now focus on making sense of it. Alot of the problem with research though is that often while in the field you realize what you thought was zig was actually zag so tools change and directions change in the field on the fly. You have to be open to that in order to do good work. ITs kinda a double edged sword. You need to be commited to focusing on what the top line is all about yet be open to the aspect of random effects or hidden agendas. Capturing all of that can be difficult at times, but again in the end essential to the process to get to the why's. My boss always goes on and on about the why's, where are the why's what stories do they have to tell, and I agree the why's are important but often are not easily captured with a data capture tool really, other than audio. Why's are hard to write down, why's are closely guarded secrets to people usually, a rant may be on the surface but the why is often hidden.
So anyways back to editing. Did I mention I like editing? Part of the art of getting the right clip is editing to the point of the "matter afact'ness" of it. You don't want too much yadda dadda, you want just what you need to convey the point of problem or concern.
Lunch time. So i'm reading the drudgereport to get a quick look at the latest spin and scandal. Disney forbids Mirxmax's distrubition of Mike Moores latest product, Fahrenheit 911, which slams bush etc. Thats a tasty read. Part of me thinks its spin. Spin the sense that its like planned disney freakoutage. If they dont freakout its a story in itself, how disney just let this film get made etc.. but if they do freak out, they are outraged and justifed and create hype for the flick without really doing much. Let the press run with it. You'd think by now that the art of using the press would be mastered really. You could assume the angles taken, the questions brought to front, and the avenues they'd explore. Cover those bases and your ready for your spin of outrage + disgust = sale progression. Now say its not planned, then its another oversight into the obvious which i cant give them credit on really. Its like hiring a pedophile to babysit, you knew he was a pedophile and you let him watch yer kids, yer to blame. Attaching anything mike moore on the label of disney seems waaay outa place to me. Like Disney and NC-17 they just dont seem to go together, thus its planned. It goes together and works because they dont go togheter. Its another pitch, a spin. What better way to get a film hype rolling then yer own "forbidness!" haha.
-- meeting, wish me luck
Hey that mini meeting went well, i got inspired!
Back to editing.
Editing done, now render boy render!
During this past party saturday we had to create magnetic name tags that contained our "essence". One of the images that I picked was a still from an interior display. I dont think i've ever really conveyed my love for space, external or internal, actually internal more so than external. I love interiors. Designing interiors, finding the right zest to make a space glow. I really like that. The latest Metropolis arrived and im glued to each page discovering all the great things i could do.. if only I had the space, time, energy.. and CASH. Well really there's always time. So i need cash and a place heh. Go to skydesign.com, theres a cool site, not that i'd ever need to print on glass or have glass, but thinking of glass our office has alot of glass we could do redo our glass, i like glass. Speakin of interiors a smart sassy gal in a biz suit is highly attractive.. especially pin striped.
Remember dont over think it. IT can be simple if you let it. And you can do alot with existing materials.. least at Smith Bros you can.. at home I see a cookie cutter apartment. I'd love to create something out of it. For the most part I think Jon my room mate would be up for whatever changes i presented. Its not like we use the space much. Lately we've both been doin the eat sleep work / school, dance really. I'd like a space that invites me. A massage chair would invite me down there to read. Thats a semi-goal of the year for me heh.
Metropolis issue June 2004, has a great little read on Apple's store in SanFran and how the details of the space, the interior design, the retail design of the store reflect the design of Apple products themeselves in clever ways. Clearly an over the edge who would notice thing but when pointed out, VERY cool. A common vision. Unifed projection of style and essence thru multiple mediums. Thats tasty.
My bed is completly under utilized. Here on page.. no number. Damn the adverts give the user a page number people. Ahhh well. Anyways a Flou bed, thats nice. www.flou.it Course the site has almost no english but the idea is that the box contains the goodness of storageness. Ya know another thing that turns me on.. shelves.. really good looking shelves.
Ok thats all for today... this worked out well I think. Thats a good ramble!
