As we say our goodbyes for 2008, we sign off with a final message of hope and inspiration with a scene from Dr. Strangelove.
We’ll be back next year with some dope designs and keep on checking back with us for a bigger and better year in 2009. We'll be refreshing our website and blog, so keep a look out for the new face lift! Peace and Prosperity for the new year for those in the Struggle.
You can export your entire LinkedIn connections out into a variety of programs such as Yahoo Mail (.CSV), Microsoft Mail (.CSV), Outlook Express (.CSV) and your MAC address book (.VCF).
Fanta is about to launch an innovative campaign on mobile phones across Europe at the end of next month.
Alongside the classic goodies that it will come with ie. wallpapers, ringtones, and a game, the wap site will offer original applications too.
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The one I thought was a cool game is the virtual tennis. It is the world's first 3D augmented reality tennis game where two players can interact through bluetooth before playing a game of tennis
Players can then use their mobile devices as tennis rackets to hit the virtual tennis ball, whose movement is determined by the position of the phone just like what they have for the Nintendo Wii
I thought this was an up close and personal invitation from NYTimes to do.
It has a bunch of interesting videos of people like Padma Lakshmi, Isaac Mizrahi, to Kenneth Cole talking about their passions and thoughts with NY Times while a news feed is fed by real time news related to the subject of the video being played.
If you happen to be in New York City this Wednesday and Thursday, Jask Clothing has teamed up with soundgirl and we're holding a sample sale from 10:00am - 6:00pm
Mike saving fish during the evening, but apparently some girl broke my cup when we took the last group picture. Hot diggity!
I was proud and honored to speak on behalf of my class and wanted to just share with you about one of my brothers who started this organization but recently left this earth to a better place in time.
R.I.P. TUONG BAO PHAN
Tuong Bao Phan was born in Saigon, Vietnam on August 5, 1977. When Tuong was three, his family, like many other immigrants seeking the American dream, came to the States for the opportunity to provide a better education for their children. His family lived in Jersey City for several years and opened a small shop in Union City. A couple years later, they settled in Union where they still live today. Growing up, Tuong was made fun of because of his small size. Because of this, he joined the Union High School football team, later becoming a well-respected center tackle. He stood out as the only Asian-American to start for the football team by gaining 120lbs in a year and a half. Then with his new found strength, he set a school record for squats, squatting 660lbs four times. Even today, his record still stands.
Besides his talent in football and immense strength, Tuong became high school class president for three years. He also was a accomplished artist, favoring sculptures and black and white paintings. His artwork was displayed at an event held at the Jacob Javits Center, and the famous actor Al Pacino purchased two of his sculptures then and there. If you asked him, Tuong would say that art was the only thing that made him happy. He might also mention that he loves drawing naked people, but found that it was more interesting to sketch the overweight. Tuong was a star athlete, a student leader and brilliant throughout, testing for Mensa and receiving an IQ score of 168. Naturally, he received full scholarships to various colleges including Harvard University.
After high school, Tuong attended RPI, where he noticed there was a lack of Asian representation in student organizations. Deep inside, he felt something was missing, not only for the students of RPI, but also inside himself. One day at Binghamton University, Tuong saw Brothers of Pi Delta Psi. In the past, he had gone out to meet other fraternities, but never felt a connection to the values and ideals any of the organizations presented. After meeting the brothers at Binghamton University, he knew that this was the fraternity for him.
Tuong started an interest group for Pi Delta Psi at RPI and before long, he became known as Mongo and became the first brother from RPI. He later transferred to Rutgers University in 1998 and saw the Asian student body was missing a community and voice. Now, as a brother of Pi Delta Psi, Tuong was empowered to lay the foundation for a new brotherhood at Rutgers.
In the fall of 1998, Tuong and nine other Asian-Americans became some of the first brothers of Pi Delta Psi at Rutgers University. Since then, the fraternity has grown in leaps and bounds, welcoming new brothers each and every semester for the past 10 years. Tuong believed in the ideals that Pi Delta Psi was founded upon. He felt that even when brothers fight or argue, that underneath it all there is love, support, and faith in one another. He believed that despite the inevitable arguing and butting of heads, the Fraternity was of the utmost importance. Tuong knew that love for the fraternity and the memories made within were truly permanent and above anything else.
Now in 2008, Pi Delta Psi is one of dozens of Asian organizations at Rutgers University. Today, a true Asian community exists at Rutgers and Pi Delta Psi is proud to have been a pioneer in creating something that new students today take for granted. Together, the Asian voice at Rutgers is loud and respected. Silenced no longer, Tuong's vision remains as strong and steadfast as ever.
Today, we celebrate a founder, a leader, and a friend. We thank him for everything that he has given to Rutgers University, to our families and friends that have been impacted by the Brothers of this fraternity, and for the dreams and ideals that we're lucky enough to share. Thank you, Tuong. Through us, you will live on forever as we carry the torch for another 10 years.
Girl meets boy on Thursday night Boy was high, girl fly like kite They hold hands until next day Boy then lets go, hit his way Boy rules butt, brags to his boys Erection brings bad boy joys Boy thinks of that big fat back Big black fat love, big black fat Girl calls boy to stand him up on Saturday Saturday POS AND Q-TIP: Saturday, it's a Saturday It's a Saturday, it's a Saturday Saturday, it's a Saturday Saturday, it's a Saturday POS: Back once more with the wallop in the score Must I ride and rip, should I make you rock your hip Reviver of a roller-boogie in a rink And sure to make you think about the times To scope fun instead of fights (But diving from a piece of metal sure to take your life) Yo, slip your butt to the fix of this mix Toss that briefcase, it's time to let loose 'Cause you've worked like heck to get the week in check So unfasten that noose around your neck Connected like a vibe from the wheel to the foot Come on everybody dig the funky output VINIA: Five days you work One whole day to play Come on everybody, wear your rollerskates today It's Saturday, Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday-ay (Is the word, is the word, is the word) POS: Now as you pump your fist I reminisce To a bounce, rock, skate, roll Fess to impress
Hey, pretty diamond, do you like the way I'm dressed Cool, keep the faith and be my mate 'Cause all we need is feet (And rollerskates) But promote the hustle 'cause it keeps me thin No need to talk, look who just walked in Charle Brown: (Is there a Dred on skates?) Dove Yes, man (So kick the wham on this jam) Oh Mr. Sprinkler, Mr. Sprinkler Wet me for one, Mr. Sprinkler I'm heatin' high-five in a daze, no split With a yawn I trip to the dawn Out comes the bodies following the one idea It's clear, rattle to the roll Hold back up the track, grab your rollerskates y'all And let's zip on by Zip-a-de-doo-dah, let's zip on by Feed on a weed and we're feeling high Sun is on thick and the cheese is rollin' quick Come on, there's no time to hide Season is twist, spinning and winning No hackeysack, let let me in Spill on the bottom away, but it's okay, huh It's a Saturday POS: Now let's all get baked like Anita Q-TIP: Watch Mr. Lawnge, don't look at the peter DOVE: Feel on the fun, I'll feel on the VINIA: Hey, watch that! DE LA SOUL: It's a Saturday VINIA: Now is the time To act the fool tonight Forget about your worries and you will be all right It's Saturday, Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday Saturday, it's Saturday-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay (Aaoww) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday) (Saturday)
I have always said to myself that sometimes things are not worth complaining or crying about especially over spilled milk and due to hard times where apparently everyone is in the struggle, sometimes we all have to look beyond the little things and take a deep breath and realize that life isn't that bad as long as you have the simple things which even in some places around this world there's still STRUGGLE.
For those out there that are experiencing the Struggle due to the holidays coming up and pressure for getting gifts for family and friends, the reality of it is that we join with our closest people around us and spend quality TIME. I know we are engulfed within our lives whether its relationships, traveling, the media, work, and work, umm, oh yeah can't forget work, and did I say work to you all?
I have been getting some spiritual healing for spending some quality time with the people around me and have realized that TIME definitely goes quick especially when you go home to 2 little people that look like you and change almost every week.
I dedicate this to my friend Arjun who is going through some tough times recently who needs some spiritual healing now. I hope that he doesn't change as a person because of what has happened around him the past few weeks.
He has been one of the few people that I have crossed paths with in life, who really has a good head on his shoulders and amazing composure. I was honored to be invited last night to his mother's memorial and was blown away on how many people she has touched. I was able to meet family members who traveled from D.C. and elsewhere.
Anyways what really stuck in my head last night was this quote by Rabindranath Tagore that I saw during the presentation that I would like to share with you all.
“Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.”
So as some of you may know I teach at FIT in the AMC department part-time and it has been a wonderful semester being there.
I have met a lot of interesting students of mine this past semester that really opened my eyes and seeing what a difficult time period it is for them due to our environment and also going to college in New York City which is filled with so much energy and distractions. Since I never got to live in the city and experience it was very hard for me to put myself in their shoes but I could see it in their eyes at times of my lecture that I saw in myself when I was in their shoes.
Since about half of them come from different parts of the country, I was lucky to see them grow in 12 weeks not by the way they dressed but the way they interacted with me and their classmates.
I tried my best to educate them in class and prepare them for the real world based on my experiences and I am not sure if it is tougher in 2008 or when I was getting out of college in 2001. I remember having an interview on September 11, 2001 and waking up to get ready and experiencing one of the most tragic days I have seen in my entire life.
So I know how it felt after that day and it was a tough time period for friends of mine trying to start their career.
So every semester I try to fit my lecture with a guest and this year I chose my dear friend Vincent Chiu who I met at Rutgers College freshman year on the 4th floor of Campbell Apartments. We lost touch after freshman year and I ran into him again in the lower east side after probably 3-4 years and recently we touched base with the thanks of Facebook, which majority of my students in my class can't stop looking at when I am teaching!
Anyways, I got to catch up with Vin recently and realized how much changed since our last encounter. He seemed much more grounded than I remember him but he told me he was still traveling which was one of his favorite things to do.
Right after college, he earned his Computer Science degree and got a job offer for a tech company. He decided to quit on the first day. He realized that this is not what he wanted to do and started to soul search and he said it wasn't easy for a certain time period, but after reading books, meeting different people along the way through his travels, he recognized that he wanted to have control of his life verse being controlled by someone else. So he started his own business which is own website that sells high end furniture. He mentioned on his free time he does these seminars around the metropolitan area to inspire people with his experiences and readings.
So I thought he a perfect speaker for my class and my students were actually inspired by him. It was a thought provoking lecture and I wanted to share this with all of you, because we all need sometime for ourselves to kind of make sure we are on the right path.
Ever think that shotgun shells can somehow be therapeutic this chair. This chair is designed by Alexander Reh which is made with 400 12 gauge shotgun shells to create a comforting chair.
Legendary photographer Steven Schapiro expresses his work finally in his new book 'The Godfather Family Album'
Last night I was able to participate in an event at the Audi showroom on 250 Park Ave. for an event that Taschen held (big up to Jeff and Mike over at Taschen) along with Men's Vogue which was hosted by Chevy Chase. The event was commemorating Steve Schapiro's new book "The Godfather family album"
The book consisted of selections from Steve Schapiro's photographs provide an insider's view of the making of the legendary trilogy. This edition is limited to 1,000 copies, each numbered and signed by Steve Schapiro. All the pictures in The Godfather Family Album were taken by him, and he also shot the poster picture for Taxi Driver. He was invited to bring his camera on set during the filming of all three Godfather films. As a freelance photographer he photographed most of the memorable figures of the '60s and assembled them in 2000 in a collection called American Edge and recently published Schapiro's Heros this past December.
I asked him which photo was the toughest and he said it naturally came to him and he did not have a strategy, but just took as many good shots that he could.
Here are some shots that I took throughout the evening.
if you're around the New York area, you might want to check this out especially if you're a RUN DMC fan!
Marc Ecko, Run Athletics along with Toy Tokyo team up to celebrate 25 years of the Hollis crew - made famous by Run DMC! Rub elbows with Marc Ecko himself, Rev Run, Russell Simmons and who knows who else. just be there, and drink some Singhas! This event will be held this Thursday:
December 11th, 2008, 6pm - 10pm @ the Marc Ecko Showroom 40 W. 23rd St, 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10010
David Hart & Co. and Jeremy Nelson Studio present the short film “How to Tie a Bow Tie” which should teach you all how to tie one, so you can throw the clip ons away now.
Mr. A aka Mr. Anonymous shows off his sneaker collection and after viewing it I'm glad that he's helping in the world by giving back. He's not a sneaker collector but shows off the sneakers he has worn. He recently was featured again on The Shoe Game.
Take a look for yourself. Some people really love shoes and he is definitely one of them.
Looks like we're going to have a cold winter after walking out of City Hall today without my jacket.
Presenting the Apollo Tabletop Fireplace designed by Wolf Udo Wagner, the first step in transforming your workspace into a hand warming paradise on your desk.
So you can toss out your nasty rusty old radiators or space heaters.
Instead, you can have this nice piece and pick up chicks at your desk over a hot cup of Egg nog.
Dropbox - backup files between computers instantly
This is only for Windows/Mac only (Sorry linux users, its in progress):
Dropbox is a freeware application and web service which instantaneously backs up and syncs your files over the internet and to any computer.
Once you install the application, it will create a folder on your hard drive. Any file you put inside that folder will automatically be synced and monitored for changes, and each time a change is saved, it backs up and syncs the file again. Even better, Dropbox does revision history, so if you accidentally saved a file and wanted to revert to an old version or deleted a file, Dropbox can recover any previous version. See the video above for a full demonstration.
Any file that's synced with Dropbox is available on any computer you sync it to or through the Dropbox web interface. During the beta, Dropbox is limited to 2GB of storage space and syncing. The software and service will remain free of charge, but if you need more than the 2GB, premium accounts will be available. Dropbox is currently Windows and Mac only, though the Dropbox blog promises a Linux client soon
Did you know about Doris Salcedo's crack at the Tate Modern Museum
Columbian artist Doris Salcedo had installed the Shibboleth - which was aa 500ft crack along the length of the floor in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. It's 548ft long and three feet deep in parts.
The concrete block casts of the art work cost £23,410 which is equivalent to $34 333.10 to ship across South America and then the Atlantic Ocean in four 40ft containers.
The crack actually caused some controversy among the people as it appears to just be a crack in the ground - resembling an earthquake fissure.
She creates sculptures and installations that re-contextualize everyday domestic items as she alters their physical properties. Often rooted in historical events, her works ambitiously alter the existing space, transforming the mundane into the magnificent. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces that she has done in the past:
The "O" in Obama and design breakthrough to his presidency
Was able to check out a cool event last night at the Art Directors Club. Sol Sender the designer for the Obama logo. The Obama logo was created in 2007 by them, in partnership with MODE. Steve Juras the creative director over Sol and , a classmate of Sol from graduate school had a long-standing relationship with AKP&D Message and Media, a campaign consulting firm led by David Axelrod and David Plouffe.
They first went through a bunch of old stickers in the past presidential campaigns shown below:
Sol said that they had presented seven or eight options in the first round. The entire undertaking took less than two weeks for them to go through.
Then they went into logo designs that they did not go for:
These were the final logos that they decided to go and choose:
Logo Design #1
“This masking of different photos with the O shape became an opportunity to say different things in different moments… The O could contain all these different ideas, possibilities and feelings." -Sol
Doesn't the background in the "O" look quite familiar...
Logo Design #2
“There was a lot of excitement about this. People felt this was really something new, something different. It was a kind of populist expression — everyone’s excited about Obama, people are talking… (but) it was a little too far out of the box. We felt that having a little more tradition in the mark was the smart way to go.” - Sol
Logo Design #3
Originally the stripes were kind of symmetrically expressed across the horizon, and as we went into final refinements we felt that giving it a little bit more dimension, a little bit more motion, ways to enter into it a little bit more for the viewer was a better way to go.”
Seen below
As you can see Sol made some minor tweaks of the log.
The event started off with a reception of unique posters, to award winning buttons from the McCoy "get out the vote" on 24-7designheaven, and sponsored by SAPPI fine paper.
As you can see BUSH didn't have a very good design team during his period.
For some reason this was my favorite product design for Barack:
Due to the economy this was the most recent advertisement they saw during the holiday shopping which:
They ended the evening with a Q & A for the audience.
