Show & Tell 6.0: APPocalypse BOOSH!

As far as I'm concerned, one of the most important UK exports in recent memory is not a sports team, actor, or band, but a TV show: The Mighty Boosh.

Based on a series of stage shows originally performed in the late 1990s, the show is the brain child of two British comedians, Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding.

These two--along with a few other funny folks (including Noel's baby bro, Michael)--are a kind of mod 'Odd Couple' whose silly adventures seem to defy the laws of physics, gravity, and (at times) common decency. Alas, there are only 3 seasons, and each revolves around a different locale: Zoo, London flat, Fashion Boutique. The art direction and costume design is fun, colorful, and often downright surreal.  

Also, look at Noel! I mean, he's sooooooo dreamy... right? You know, in that Vyvyan, from The Young Ones kind of way?? No???

Sigh........
Er, um... anyway.... let's drag this post back on track, shall we?

What does any of this have to do with smart phone technology and apps, you ask? Weeeeeeeell, my first smart phone was a Blackberry, and I hated it (surprise surprise). When I began to think about replacing it, I was really quite torn between the droid and the iPhone. What was it that inevitably led me to the latter? Sleek design? Improved usability? Attractive interface?

Whatever, you already know what I'm going to say. THERE'S A MIGHTY BOOSH APP!!!!!!

Of course, by the time my 2 year term was up and I was eligible for an upgrade, The Mighty Decider was no longer available in the US. I am currently searching for a way around this that doesn't involve hacking my own phone.... I will keep you posted.

In the mean time, I shall address the burning question: What does it do? Well, it has no pragmatic purpose whatsoever, except that it UNVEILS EVERY MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE FOR YOU, ONE QUESTION AT A TIME!! By that, I mean it's a glorified magic 8 ball that takes the shape of 5 different characters form the show (depending upon which one you choose) and responds to your queries with a set of appropriately ridiculous responses. Below is a clip of the cast playing with it:

Aaaaand here is a far more useful clip which shows some of the actual features of the app. This one helps you through difficult either/or type quandaries--Coin Flip with the Crack Fox (yes, there's an urban fox who lives off a steady diet of crack on the show):

You can also spin the bottle, call upon Naboo's Wisdom or Ask The Moon, but don't be surprised if you are told that "Um, maybe if you, um, dress up as a clown and come back and see me I'll give you a proper answer. Until then, I'm gonna have to remain silent." 

Show & Tell 5.0: Calls to Action

One issue I'm considering working with on project 4 is gay marriage. While doing some research, I came across this image.

The poster is provocative in many ways, some obvious and some less so. The photograph has impact not because it features a cute animal or an unfolded tragedy. When we look at a poster of a puppy behind bars at the pound, or a battered woman's face, or the twisted metal of a DUI-related car crash, we know immediately how we ought to respond. Not only that, the creator of the poster is banking on the fact that most people are going to respond to the image in the same way; empathetically, sympathetically, angrily, etc. The authors of this poster, however, have assembled text and images which deliberately polarize. One viewer may see a scene of intimacy, love, and beauty, and feel a sense of warmth in response to it. The next might see a gruesome atrocity, a perversion of nature, and the image might make that viewer very uncomfortable, angry, or even sickened.

The poster works because it looks on the surface like it's for and about gay men, but it's really quite the opposite. The red line of text might literal read "Let us help him," but it could also be a finger pointed at the viewer: "Let us help YOU." The poster demands the attention of its intended audience first by shocking and infuriating him, and then by asking him to pause, acknowledge, and re-evaluate those feelings. Here, intolerance is the disease, not homosexuality.

My only qualm with this campaign is that it hinges necessarily on homophobia (and homosexuality???) being a strictly male enterprise.

Just Cause

With the Causes app on Facebook, it's never been easier to identify a call to action. My account has been inundated with them, recently. There are 2 or 3 "friends" who are unusually prolific when it comes to sharing things they "really believe in" and asking me "to join [them] in supporting it."

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad FB has a platform for people to share their beliefs and organize support, but it does feel a little bit like someone is plastering flyers all over my front door. The (often compelling) messages and (yes) calls to action with which these causes are infused become irrevocably diluted in this format (namely, the Causes app). I don't think anyone views their personal Facebook page as public bulletin board, so the weight and import of the causes themselves become lost under the invasiveness of the act which brought them to the viewer's attention.

I will always feel more closely connected to a cause that I come to of my own accord, like when I decide to pick up and keep a pamphlet, or sign a petition, or donate my hard-earned money, or (gasp!) try to get others to do the same. It takes a hell of a lot more skill and effort to take a riveting photo, pair it with a provocative caption, and get someone to care about it than it does to click a single button and send the same generic request (regardless of the topic) to 500 of your "closest" friends.

Show & Tell 4.0: Favorite Words

What are some of your favorite words? This is a question most people who call themselves writers answer very quickly. I, on the other hand, am one of those people who draws a blank every time. It's embarrassing. Luckily, I've been thinking about it for a few days now and am not completely empty-handed. I will come back and add to this throughout the rest of my semester. This way, I'll always have a list to refer to

Beatific
Blithe
Ebulliant
Fleet (as in "of foot")
Malbec
Maudlin
Recalcitrant
Ruckus
Spumanti
Zamboni
Zither

Also, my two favorite ugly words that mean pretty things:
Pulchritude
Bucolic

Project 2 Emergency: Feedback Requested

1. THE PROBLEM

When we went over our P 2 writing earlier today, I realized two important things: One, I have a general tendency to overstate my point and include too much information when writing a first draft; Second, I fear that even the most aggressive editing and cutting will not whittle my process booklet down to a manageable size for presentation next week.

I know my peer reviewers, Emily K. and Michelle C., will not agree. They think it can be done, and I appreciate the encouragement more than I can say, but I'm just not sure it's enough. The topic is (was) self-releasing your own music, and that's a fascinating subject I could go on and on about. In my draft, I did in fact go on and on (so much so, I had only time to make a dummy out of 3 folded blank sheets of paper before passing out at 4:30 AM). Clearly, I've bitten off more than I can chew

There are few things that make me feel worse than turning in shoddy or half-finished work. We're all very busy, working adults, and we also happen to have a ton of work in this class (this week especially), so I hope some of you will empathize with my decision to strap on my parachute and bail out of this idea, ASAP.

2. THE SOLUTION?

My original idea was to create an amusing how-to with single-sentence steps and simple illustrations. As I walked by Meredith's adorable "How to Go Sledding" booklet earlier today, I began to realize the gravity of my error. In my longing for something less complicated that will also be fun to illustrate, I have come up with with the following proposal:

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 How to Administer Ear Drops or Ointment to a Resisting Cat

1. PLAN YOUR TIMING: Cats are easier to handle when they're sleepy. Wait to make your move until your kitty is napping or just waking up.
2. PREPARE YOUR TOOLS: Find a pair of thick gloves (not mittens) and a towel you don't care about. If you have pheromone spray, apply some onto the towel. Unscrew the dropper/lid from the medicine and place the bottle or tube in your pocket. Put on your gloves. Do these things outside of your cat's line-of-sight.
3. PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND CONFIDENCE: Even a sleeping cat knows when you're nervous. Channel your inner ninja and act silently, quickly, and deliberately. Remember, the element of surprise is key. If your cat gets wind of your plan, all hope is lost.
4. EMPLOY THE REAR-FACING "BURRITO KITTY " METHOD: Grip the long edge of the towel with your hands about foot apart, and approach your (ideally) oblivious cat from the rear. Quickly place and wrap the towel around your cat so that only her head is exposed, and simultaneously kneel behind her so that she can't wiggle her way out backwards.
5. IF YOUR CAT FLEES, MAKE CHASE. Continue chasing your cat until you have successfully completed step 4.
6. BE GENTLE. Hold your cat steady and speak to her in a low, calm voice. She may loudly vocalize her opinion about the situation, but that's normal. Tell her everything is going to be okay and continue.
7. ADMINISTER THE MEDICINE: Make sure your cat is firmly swaddled with no stray paws on the loose. Carefully retrieve the medicine from your pocket with one hand while keeping a secure hold on your burrito kitty with your other hand. Apply fluid or ointment as directed by your veterinarian.
8. RELEASE YOUR BURRITO KITTY: Now that it's all over, you can free your furious feline and let her run and hide in the closet. Be aware that she will probably shake her head a lot and send medicated ointment flying everywhere as she beats her hasty retreat. 
9. END ON A POSITIVE NOTE: Clean up the ointment mess, and then coax your kitty out of hiding with some catnip or another favorite treat. Have a snuggle, and ask her to forgive and forget. This step is important because you're probably going to have to repeat this procedure twice a day for the next 2 weeks.

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That's it for now. Any feedback on the concept and execution (images excluded) is needed and appreciated!

Show & Tell 3.0: La Dolce Vita

I don't have a TV, so I'm not exposed to many commercials--a great source for concepts. In order to come up with something for this post, I grabbed a copy of Vogue. This month's issue has Keira Knightley on the cover (who I absolutely love, but that's irrelevant), and--as is typical for the season--some incredible fall fashion spreads.

via

Now, please understand that I do love clothes but am not by any means a follower of haute couture (just as I'm not a follower of gourmet cuisine, high art, or anything so exclusive and pretentious). Some of the clothing is cool, but I can't afford any of it, the industry is generally awful, and all the severe-looking tautly thin supermodels drive me nuts. Despite all this, I find that I have an appreciation for ad campaigns that have a clear aesthetic thrust about them, especially those that focus on the style of bygone eras such as this early 20th century train-themed ad for Louis Vuitton.

When I saw the spread for Dolce & Gabana, I instantly fell in love with it. If I were to sum up the concept in 5 words or less, I would say it's timeless and classically Italian. The images smack of Fellini's films, 8 1/2 in particular, as well as Coppola's epic Godfather II. I'm not talking about gangsters here, but the images are definitely about la famiglia.

Although the sources of inspiration for this series of photos are easily identifiable, the old-world Italian theme is handled with such reverence and warmth and that it truly stands apart from many of the other spreads featured in the issue. The subjects in fashion photography are frequently hard, joyless, and dehumanized (consider the Vuitton image, where the models' soulless eyes and expressions make them look more like ghosts than train passengers), so I love these D&G ads because they are full of life and energy: they are HUMAN.

The photos are beautifully arranged tableaux; they're theatrical, noisy, and I can almost hear people arguing animatedly in Italian. I also appreciate that the models represent a wide variety of ages and silhouettes, and the multi-generational  tone is reinforcing a message that there's something for everyone at D&G (although you'd better have a fat wad in your wallet if you expect to walk away with anything other than a pair of socks). Please scroll through, click to enlarge, and enjoy, che bellezza!

Behavioral Patterns

Sometimes when I walk into a Barnes & Noble, I find a really beautifully put-together art magazine that I decide needs to come home with me. It inevitably winds up costing $15-$30 for a slim volume of work, but I am a good consumer, and I can't help myself. These "boutique" art magazines are created specifically for people like me (and many of you): design magpies.

This week, I flew off with a copy of IdN (an International Designers Network publication). The magazine, though thin, is perfect bound with a nice heavyweight, satin-finish coated card stock cover and an iridescent foil stamp (oooh shiney) with the title: The Shapes-In-Pattern Issue. More than a dozen artists and studios are featured whose work reflects the concept of pattern in a wide variety off mediums--the issue even includes a 90 minute DVD of motion collages.

I looooove well-conceived patterns and was already super excited about this find, but once I realized the work of American artist Andy Gilmore was featured in the issue I almost lost my mind. One of my favorite electronic artists, the London-based Gold Panda, has used Gilmore's work on the covers of several of his 12" and 7" singles (Gilmore is essentially a resident visual artist at the record label, Ghostly International). In IdN, he says that "A good pattern is about harmony in all of its elements--form, color, composition, etc." It sounds simple enough, but his work is so complex, so vibrant, and so beautiful, it makes me cry prismatic rainbow tears. If you're anything like me, please grab a hankie before you scroll down this post to see what I mean.