And the A-Hole Award Goes To...

The Old German Beer Hall. Sorry to say it. It should be a Milwaukee treasure. The place looks charming enough. Too bad I was ignored by the staff there. For all of the boasting the website has about friends, activities, and the Bavarian culture, I felt totally unwelcome there. I guess they were so immersed in being German, they actually became German. Welcome Friends!! My ass. They seemed about as Xenophobic as you can get. That's o.k. I'll go down the street to the Irish joint where I'm warmly welcomed, even though I don't have a bit of Irish in me. I am about as German as anyone else, but apparently not German enough to be served in the Old German Beer Hall.

Hamburger Trees

My son looked at his sesame seed bun and then wanted to plant the seeds to grow a hamburger plant.

Sorry

I don't have time to blog right now. Selling the house, interviewing for jobs, and wrapping up freelance. I need a vacation. We have a 2nd showing for an interested couple. Keep your fingers crossed.

To SL or not SL?

O.K., so the biggest thing on my blog lately has been the comments (and slight controversy) concerning Second Life. It seems that there are two distinct camps: Those who are interested and those who have no interest whatsoever and scoff at those who are interested.

Below are some comments pro and con:

AnchovyBread: I'm serious. Get into Second Life. I know I sound like I'm selling Amway, but you, my friend, belong there. Not only is it a way to meet people from all over the world and chat with them and learn from them, but it has an intuitive 3D building system that even a bozo like me is figuring out. It's an online world that we build. It doesn't cost money unless you want to own land, which seems like a pretty good idea anyway. I dropped my $70 for a year and now I am getting a stipend every week and can own property. There are major industries operating with real financial outcomes. The fashion industry is probably the largest, then porn, casinos, and real estate. There are design jobs up the wazoo. People WALK UP TO YOU and ask if you know how to build, script, code. It's basically the internet but in 3D with some people who use it as an mmorpg, some as a business, some as a sex trade, schools, artists (and bad ones) are there, dudes in mech suits, R2D2, the dark prince, furries (people who dress up like anime animals) I've won trivia contests, costume contests, all with cash prizes. I never tried the casinos, but I'm sure you can win big. Yesterday, I was approached by someone who asked me to be in a documentary about Second Life. It turns out she is a grad student at U of M, Ann Arbor. I told her I used to work there and she told me she is in the Art grad program! As far as I can tell, she is a total newbie because I was able to figure out her real name with a little logic. She just walked up to me and asked me to record my voice talking about SL. Weird shit like that happens all the time. One night I came home drunk in Real life and went in to SL. I was immediately invited to a party where my upstairs neighbor was spinning. I looked around, and realized that I was at a mob party! Another time, I was shot at for wearing my snowman costume, and once I was caught on fire and rocketed into the atmosphere. It was what they call getting "griefed". And, you can die there. My neighbor has had a chip implanted in his avatar's brain that protects him from all manner of attacks, griefs, death. I don't think my life has been in danger yet, but I have been assured that gangs do wipe people out. And kids are there being kids. You never know when some hot asian girl in a school uniform is being controlled by an actual asian girl or a 46-year old dude in Jersey. There's a machine that someone gave me that automatically translates any language, so I can understand when someone speaking Portugese starts commenting on my furniture designs. I met a japanese guy who took me to a spa. His friend didn't speak english (and I didn't have the translator yet) but he was armed with a Katana. They gave me a bottle of Sake. On my first night, I stumbled onto some distant beach to find 4 or 5 people having a bonfire. They welcomed me in and gave me my first joint. It animates your avatar to fall down periodically while puffing the doobie. First night. It's like my first day at Grad school, when Superfly got me stoned.

DharmaBum: Secondlife.com? Now that's just bizarre. I have problems managing my mortal life. I see you and your virtual community congregating to drink the koolaide. Comets & white Nikes.

dfddesign: So, I'm glad to know that you signed up for Second Life. About a month ago when I started on this blogging kick, I almost joined. Then my husband made fun of me. Then I didn't know anyone else who was on Second Life. Now I do and now I will join.

Jessica: You do what in there? Now what is it again? What is Ron building? Furniture? But it's not real??? Pfffft!! Ha HA........

So the jury is still out on SL, but here's my take: Yeah, a lot of people make fun—but you know what? NASA's in there! So is Calvin Kline. Real money is being spent in there, with foreword-looking corporations with a presence in SL. That legitimizes—and to some—ruins it a little bit.

Personally, I think it's just a cool tool to interact with a friend who may be across the globe. I don't know about you, but I think the idea of sharing a virtual bottle of Jack Daniels and a doobie on the beach with them is more fun than, say, e-mailing them or posting a message on MySpace. Addictive? Hell yes. Keep yourself on a timer when you are on this thing.

In two years, EVERYONE will have an account. Mark my words. Anyone else have a view on SL?

You feel me, Milwaukee?

All of this stress I'm feeling must be a sign that we're getting closer to our goal, right?

Idiocracy

Idiocracy ranks very high on my list of movies to see for '06-'07. In short, It rules. Mike Judge does an awesome job of lampooning our Fuddruckers - Applebees - Starbucks - Banana Republic - Corn Cob - Suburban - Yokel Yuppie culture. Whew.
The clever visual design has been highlighted by Speak Up, and their dissertation is so thorough and spot-on I won't waste my time covering the same things. But definitely check out their post.

I won't get into a film review, but a recently de-thawed Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph wake up in the year 2055, and basically everyone's a rude, lazy-ass, oversexed version of the a-hole mouth breathers who cut you off in traffic with their Chevy Avalanches. Clothing is disposable, and there is a huge trash problem. Your Lay-Z-Boy recliner comes with a toilet in the seat, and food is provided via drop-in tube. Crass consumerism is rampant, and Starbucks has been turned into a latte jack-shack. Stupid people breed and breed and breed. So we're in deep trouble.

It is so very, very good. The graphic design is clever, and the visual puns are quite entertaining. See it. It really is a great movie.

Store Names

Some good business names:

Fat Jack's Flapjacks & Slacks

Artillery & More

Dildorama

The Bleeding Wound

Poisonous Plants!

Gnomes And Other Whimsical Bullshit

Band Name

Idea for a band or song name:

I Shot Myself From A Cannon During A Gettysburg Re-enactment.

Drink Name

I think Dr. Thunder is a funny name for a soft drink.

False Media

America's lost somewhere inside of Littleton
Eleven million children are on Ritalin
That's whay I don't rhyme for the sake of riddlin
False media, we don't need it, do we?
Pilgrims, Slaves, Indian, Mexican
It looks real fucked up for your next of kin
That's why I don't rhyme for the sake of riddlin

If I can't work to make it, I'll rob and take it
Either that or me and my children are starving and naked
Rather be a criminal pro than to follow the Matrix
Hey it's me a monster y'all done created

--

The Roots
False Media
Game Theory

Pssssssssssst...

Hey, wanna change the world? Check out the Design Science Lab. Pioneered by Buckminster Fuller. Big-Picture thinking going on here. Spend a week in New York contemplating how design can change the lives of our world's inhabitants. What other reason is there to design?

Congratulations

Congrats
to Bruce Mau for receiving the AIGA Medal for 2007.

You, like Buckminster Fuller and John Cage, are an inspiration to me and my colleagues. If I ever decide to run my own show, I would definitely model it on your principles and vision. Design in a big picture way. In short, you rule. Hey, any chance you need a designer in Toronto? I'd rather work in asphalt, canvas, and oil paint than a computer. Have room for me?

My So-Called Second Life

So my buddy Ron sends me a message a month ago telling me to get a second life. So I finally did. Second Life is a really, really cool virtual world that allows you to chat and interact with people who may be on the other side of the world. Now, I'm a big proponent of staying in the real world and I try to avoid depending on computers. But this is super cool. It's great to interact with people across the country, when you normally would have to rely on e-mail and myspace. Here's the thing: It's gotten HUGE. There is an economy, a currency exchange between Linden dollars and real dollars (US and otherwise), companies, corporate meetings, political headquarters of Hillary, Barack, John Edwards. Hell, one French presidential hopeful had his headquarters destroyed by virtual protesters hurling pig grenades. sweeet. You can buy land, build a store, sell virtual clothes, surfboards, whatever. I smell a new economy brewing. I might get into building spaceships. You can even teleport into low orbit and make a jump to mars! Check out the International Spaceflight Museum they have built. Get a second life. If nothing else just to explore it for 10 minutes. Fascinating.

Solar Update

Power Spar has a novel new solar cell product that puts a twist on energy conversion:

Using patented technology, the Power-Spar® panels reflect and concentrate solar rays onto an absorber that runs the length of the spar units. Within the absorber, there are channels containing a heat transfer fluid (typically propylene glycol). The fluid is heated by the sun's energy and is then pumped to the building.

The heated fluid is either used directly (for process heat or steam) or passed through one or more heat exchangers to transfer energy from the fluid to space heating applications, domestic hot water pre-heat, etc. This system can supply up to 70% of your heating energy requirements from free solar energy.

Surplus heat energy is transferred to a thermal storage tank. The mass of water in this tank allows for effective retention and distribution of energy even during prolonged 'non-solar' periods (i.e., at night or on cloudy days).

Micromansion

This might be all I need. Buy some land near a lake or stream in remote Wisconsin or Michigan. Instant cool. put them together for a little retreat, colony, what have you. Microcompact rules!

Fast Food Nation

My kid loves cheeseburgers. Really loves them. I know about meat processing. It's crazy. I watched Fast Food Nation last night. A little sloppy, a little self-righteous, but effective. The last 10 minutes are all they needed to show. I'm buying local as much as I can, because I don't need my son to be a passive consumer. Until he's old enough to be educated about it, It's my responsibility to make sure he's healthy mentally and physically. As a consumer and parent, why would I take the risk?

Smoking 2.0.1

What's cooler than smoking? Well, I'd say it's smoking with this pimperish ashtray from Finding Cheska. Nothing like dirtying up your lungs while dirtying up your lungs. Also of interest is the uncommonly awesome "Smokes Like a Chimney" ashtray by Andersson Frida & James Steiner via Industreal of Italy. Rest your ciggy in the receptacle and the smoke rises out of the bronchial tubes.


















Thanks to Danielle (dfddesign) for the links.