[d]online » Miscellaneous

Mark Khaisman’s Packing Tape Artwork

Don — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:04:51 +0000

Ukrainian born mixed media artist Mark Khaisman uses translucent packing tape on Plexiglas panels with a light source behind to create incredible images that have the shadow and depth of large scale paintings. Khaisman uses several layers of tape to give the pieces contrast and thinner stripes of tape to achieve smaller “brush strokes” and utilizes the natural crinkles to create subtle texture as needed. The artist achieves even complex features in the faces of his characters. It’s pretty incredible. The most original use of tape since this.

More of his work can be found at his studio site:
http://www.khaismanstudio.com/

Ian Wright’s Paper Trail

Don — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:59:00 +0000

Ian Wright—the artist, not the English footballer turned television and radio personality—made this illustration with pieces of paper for the cover of the current album of T.I. called Paper Trail. On Wednesday, September 22nd, he’ll be speaking for AIGA/NY’s Small Talk Number 1. Shame that I’ll be out of town, but I really love the quality of craft and originality of his work.

Here’s the recap from the AIGA site:
A Londoner currently based in NYC, Wright has been making portraits across art and design since 1978 for clients such as Vitra, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nike and Issey Miyake. After a sharing a studio with designer Neville Brody at “The Face” magazine in 1981, Wright set up his own studio.

Enjoying the unpredictability they offer, his use of deliberately inexpensive materials has included salt, cassette tape(s), pin buttons, mascara brushes and paper cups.

Wright’s illustrative artwork has been exhibited internationally, including the London Design Museum (2007), the Exposure Gallery (2007), the Cosh Gallery (2007), Rosemary Gardens (2005), Pentagram Gallery (2005), Reed Space NYC (2006), Mass Production at The Christopher Henry Gallery (NYC) (2006), and Issey Miyake (2002), among others.

Random Musings V

Don — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:44:38 +0000

Fairey Mural

How am I only now hearing about this? What is wrong with my artsy friends that live/work in Manhattan not cluing me in to the controversy surrounding this. You’re all on probation until I find a more reliable group. Sheesh…

More info »

STOP SprintFreeMsg

If you’re as sick as I am of receiving “SprintFreeMsg” SMS advertisements on your phone, it’s actually quite easy to remove yourself from their list. Simply text STOP, in all caps, back to the solicitor (2222) and you’ll receive a notification that you’re removed from their spam lists (Note: I’m not certain why the messages appear out of order on my phone, but my reply was sent before their response). Now, I cannot assure you that this simple action won’t automatically add you to a host of other spam lists, as unsubscribing from certain newsletters online may do, but I can ensure that you won’t receive ads from Sprint anymore.

It’s curious that a company that already gets $100 from me each month is interested in making MORE money by sending ads to my phone. When did corporate reputability slip this low and is there any way to revert to the days when they cared about your happiness?

Network Solutions is Utter Garbage

Don — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:57:03 +0000

Exhibit A. A simple request to remove credit card information is followed by an error, an insultingly vague/worthless reason, and a prompt to buy new domains instead.

“I’ve got a wonderful idea,” says some jackass at Network Solutions. “Everyone seems to be leaving us for GoDaddy, so I have a three-part plan to make sure people stay:

1. Change the name of all of our products to no longer make sense.

2. Make our web site so convoluted, so pointlessly ineffective, that users cannot cancel our services and perform simple tasks like remove credit card information from accounts.

3. Sprinkle random errors throughout our site so that even those with the patience or aptitude to navigate the ridiculous process flows cannot even perform basic tasks.

Exhibit B. A service cancellation email to Network Solutions’ “Help Center” through their contact form returns a vague/worthless error.

And, as a final “screw you” to the former customers we’ve vellicated to perform mass exodus, let’s spatter the site error messages with irritatingly antiquated humor to show that there isn’t one professional employee left on this sinking ship. In a post from over a year ago, I foretold Network Solutions (netsol) enacting the above three-part plan.

To a company still charging $45/yr for domains (or nsAddresses, or whatever ridiculous thing you’ve decided to call them nowadays) compared to GoDaddy’s $7.95, it’s no wonder seasoned professionals are following Bob Parsons like the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

Network Solutions: You’re entire business model is to blame for your undoing. Show some dignity and die with a little bit of pride.

United Airlines’ New Logo

Don — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:47:18 +0000

God I really, REALLY wish they seized this opportunity to get rid of Continental’s dated globe icon. It looks like all they did was change the font to a Gothic face and call it a day. What a waste of a great chance to reinvent themselves.

Original Post on Brand New »

Everything Ages Fast

Don — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:38:12 +0000

What if some of the most famous online services were launched in 1959? That’s what Sao Paulo ad agency Moma imagined when the released this 3 part series of fake vintage ads for Facebook, YouTube and Skype. The “Everything Ages Fast” ad campaign is Mad Men era imagery that would look perfect in vintage copies of Esquire.

More here »

Dalton Getty’s Pencil Lead Sculptures

Don — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:05:02 +0000

If you think that pencil is a tool for drawing, painting or writing notes – you’re wrong! 45-year-old carpenter, Dalton J. Paul Getty for 25 years turns ordinary pencils into incredible miniature sculptures. Without using a magnifying glass. “When I was a schoolboy, – says the master, – I made gifts to my friends, carving out their names on a pencils. Later, I decided to try sculpture, and after a long searching the choice fell on a pencil lead.” For such work Dalton uses blades, sewing needles and special knives for the sculptures. However, the material is too fragile and can not allow mistakes: at home Mr. Getty has more than 100 unfinished or broken sculptures. “At first I had a few broken figures, later I decided to keep them all in memory. I call this “cemetery collection”: they are all dear to me, yet I spent alone with them a few months.” Artist could spend a few months at one sculpture. For the creation miniature alphabet Dalton spent 2,5 years. “My patience is simply amazing people, because nowadays everyone wants to be quicker, faster and faster.”

See more pictures »

Goodbye Windows Mobile

Don — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:24:13 +0000

This weekend, I picked up the new HTC Evo 4G, which has been sold out of Sprint stores for the last month. And while I’ve only performed a cursory evaluation of the OS, I’m worlds happier than I was with Windows Mobile 6.1. The operating system isn’t new to me, however, as I spent nearly a day-long barbecue stealing Itay‘s Nexxus One and spent the last year looking over Zeh‘s shoulder as he fiddled with his MyTouch. Needless to say, I liked what I saw. My geekiest of friends had given Android 2.2 two international thumbs up, so my purchase was clear.

My previous phone was the HTC TouchPro—recommended by my older brother—which, from the beginning, was laden with disappointment. And for the six months since Italy’s recommendation to wait for the Evo, I worried about how much dissatisfaction was attributed to HTC and how much to Windows Mobile.

With three brothers using the TouchPro, my other brother railed against the fragile body of the phone. I baby mine, pamper them and virtually swaddle them in hard plastic and shock-absorbing rubber. Mike, however, is accident prone when it comes to mobile technology. Six months after getting the Blackberry 7105, key pad numbers started falling off. A few weeks after getting his shiny new Pearl, the pearl popped off and rolled down the subway platform. His Frankensteinian TouchPro’s case, after two or three light and low falls, was more superglue than the inferior plastic HTC chose to craft them in. And while I didn’t see much deterioration of my phone’s body, I was leery of the Evo’s ability to take a licking and keep on ticking.

But the heart of my concern was how the hardware interacted with the software; how much of the irregularities of the TouchPro, the unexpected responses, the locking up, the repeated dials and needs for reboot, were spawned by HTC’s hardware and how much was Windows Mobile.

Aside from Seesmic stopping responding once and USB Debugging loading on its own, I see my fears of HTC’s hardware were unfounded. To be honest, my aforementioned Israeli and Brazilian advisers had dissuaded me from believing the hardware was an issue anyway (one is a Unity coder, the other runs Ubuntu on his laptop, and neither can be called a hardcore Microsoft zealot in the first place), but I wanted to learn this for myself. The operating system is not only stable and reliable, but intuitive, well-designed and a dream to use. And after a year on WinMo 6.1 and only a weekend on Android 2.2, I can firmly say: I’ve bathed in the baptismal waters of Android, seen its glorious light and arisen a penitent and uplifted Google convert. All praise Sergey.

Random Musings IV

Don — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:50:42 +0000

The Hotel Inntel

Take a look at the above design of The Hotel Inntel in Zaandam, The Netherlands, by Wilfried van Winden of WAM Architecten. There are also a ton of other images on the original poster‘s site.

The town center of Zaandam is being revamped by Sjoerd Soeters to be brought back to its rich heritage — historical street layouts are being renewed and the dull and impersonal town center is being revitalized with a new hotel — one that incorporates the historical stylistic features of Zaanse Schans village.

The hotel, which opened back in March, is a striking building to say the least. The design has generated quite a bit of attention from international media. Comprising 160 rooms, a pool, and wellness center, the 12-story hotel has already had hundreds of guests. Designer Wilfried van Winden envisioned a place in which guests could feel at home, even when away from home. Therefore, the hotel has been designed to look like stacked houses, resembling a range of residences from a notary’s manse to a worker’s cottage. In fact there are about 70 little houses in four shades of Zaanse Schans green. Particularly eye-catching is the “The Blue House,” inspired by the eponymous artwork that Claude Monet painted in Zaandam in 1871.

Google Commemorates Mucha

Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a big fan of Alphonse Mucha. So when I saw that Google was commemorating the late father of Art Nouveau’s 150th birthday, I had to spend part of my afternoon revisiting why I love his work so much.

From Fortune Magazine:

Alphonse Maria Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist was known for his distinct style and his images of women. His work has widely influenced modern art in a wide range of fields. His designs were influential to Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, designers who, in the 1960s, created posters for rockbands like Pink Floyd. His work also influenced artist Paul Harvey whose subjects have included Madonna and Charles Saatchi amongst others. Czech out the Alphonse Mucha foundation gallery for much more of his work.

Random Musings III

Don — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:31:55 +0000

Sir, this area is just for waiting

After just having returned from a month researching my family in Italy (we were able to trace our family back to 1200 when previously we couldn’t get past 1860), I noticed the prevalence of the green man over The States’ preference for the red word “Exit”. But I also saw a number of signs that I felt were funny. Here’s one for the “waiting area” of an airport. In a place where iconography is especially important due to so many international speakers around, I initially thought this was a sign for the bathroom.

And this seat is reserved for mutilated people

OSCommerce Image-resizing Error

This is from an excerpt of an email that Mike, our tech lead, sent to a client. And while it’s a little dry, I thought it might help others who are experiencing the same issue. [d]online’s most visited pages are the ones that reference issues and errors with code (“Flash Cookies“, “Use Direct Mode“, “Best Practices to Keep your Inbox, Voicemail and Mailbox Free of Spam“) and informational resource pages (“Flash File Uploader“, “NT Blogs List“).

I didn’t see any particular fix posted at any of the links that were coming up [from a Google search], but it seems like the function that OSC[ommerce] used to use for resizing has stopped working (perhaps due to changes in server configuration, perhaps simply due to code deprecation).Anyhow, if you want the technical details, read on. If not, you can simply be comforted in the fact that it seems to be working without issue, now.

The code: \admin\includes\functions > html_output.php

if (!file_exists($filename_small) || filemtime($src) > filemtime($filename_small)) {copy($src, $filename_small); exec("mogrify +profile \"*\" -filter Lanczos -quality 75 -geometry " . $width . " \"" . $filename_small ."\"");

// this reduces the file size of the original image

exec(" mogrify -geometry x400 -quality 75 +profile \"*\" $src"); }

Those shell exec requests to ImageMagick are being ignored. I’m using GDLib now to do the resizing, simply changing the above statements to:

if (!file_exists($filename_small) || filemtime($src) > filemtime($filename_small)) { copy($src, $filename_small); resampimagejpg($width, $height, $src, $filename_small, 1); }

And adding a simple image resizing function to the bottom of the script — one that we had written a while ago for a photo gallery tool:

I realize both the native OSC code and the new function are both comparing sides of the image to decide which length to prefer in the resize. This isn’t likely to have any loss in efficiency, and it could be helpful if we are to make changes to this in the future, simply to keep it intact for the time being. You should know that the new server will need to have GDLib installed, or this function, too, may fail.

5-year-old Actors in NYC

Lastly, I’m looking for 5-year-old male actors in the NYC area that are interested in acting in a series of viral videos for the promotion of a new book that’s coming out this September. The videos will probably feature the actor doodling scenes from the book on a sheet of paper while humming and will only show the actor’s hands. As such, girls may also be considered. Write us here, if interested.