A friend of mine described the feeling he had during a class this semester; he said it felt like watching a small child being beaten by a parent, publicly, in a restaurant. AWKWARD.
This is perhaps the best description I've heard about this semester.
I'm a Brand Manager and I'm now questioning the definition of a brand. I learned that it is the value added to a product or service. I've heard that it is the personality, drive, and the gut reaction people have to a company. But then how do you describe or measure the value of a brand like Walmart? People's gut reaction to the company isn't great, the products are cheaper and they don't really have a definitive personality.
I just read an article about the use of wikis being used for social change. It brings up the point that wikis can be used for good social change (wikis about politics and whatnot), but they also allow for anonymity and minimal accountability.
I say, wikis create a forum for thoughts, but don’t necessarily create change. It’s sorta like what people used to say about my college… people will bitch about something, but when it comes down to it, people talk the talk but won’t walk the walk.
If you’re going to wiki it, you better be ready to walki it.
The upcoming election has brought about the emergence of cave-dwelling and outlandish primates who call themselves political activists. Sightings are becoming more common at roadway intersections and high traffic locations. Some community members have even reported them spontaneously approaching homes.
In an encounter earlier today, I was forced into close proximity of a small group of them. Let me warn you, they can be dangerous. Upon approaching a few of these activists, I was greeted with smiling faces (this is only a façade). When I attempted to evade their encroachment, they would respond by jabbing pamphlets of information toward me or begin chanting catchy, and potentially memorable, phrases like, “Vote for something great. Obama ’08!”
Warning: Should you unexpectedly encounter or come in contact with these primates, please look out for signs of their aggression. These can include waving of large flashy signs, chanting, and most notably their mating calls. They do not distinguish between potential mates, so beware; they may try to engage anyone who shows the slightest sign of interest.
If you do fall prey to these so called political activists, you may begin to experience symptoms such as feeling a desire to chant, hold up large signs, or congregate in public areas. Advanced development of these symptoms may result in a strong urge to attend their recruiting events commonly referred to as “primaries”.
For treatment of these symptoms, please flush your eyes of all the political lies and contact your preferred politician to see what you can do.
i picked up the magazine
Dynamic Graphics and it might be worth checking out... i'll let you decide.
-- it's filled with articles, tips, and issues related to design. but its targeted toward freelance graphic designers, so it wouldn't be very useful for say... a pastry chef.
unfortunately their good magazine design does
not translate to their website; it just plain sucks. i was hit with so many pop-ups i had to close Firefox (yes i use a blocker).
- design issue discussion = decent
- potential future use = maybe
Dynamic Graphics logo = not dynamic
magazine = useful (not worth a subscription)
website = ok minus the insane pop-ups
"He said, She said: Marketing to the Sexes" = name of article in Dynamic Graphics by
Rodney Moore (not the porno producer).
introduced to
pandora.com (thanks to Jeb) it’s a site with a great concept… it plays music like a radio station but it customizes it for the listener… check it out.
listening is crucial.pandora's site design is ok. it uses a color theme that reminds me of an old browser i once used called camino (absorbed by Firefox). i'm sick of seeing these colors. even all of the icons used by Apple are now blue... i liked the old green iTunes icon.
more exciting though, pandora gave me some
new music to add to my library (yay)
... less exciting, the site sells ad space to companies like HP (everyone has to make $$ somehow) but the ads mess with the overall look-and-feel of the site. it shouldn't change with every ad… i suppose you can minimize the window, but i like to screw with the playlists a bit.
i’ve been told there are players that don’t show the ads, but i’d rather not add another program to my already long list of apps.
