That is all.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Do want
God bless 'em they're a stagnant mega-corporation, but Microsoft does come out with the pretties videos.
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>
That is all.
That is all.
Flickr
A song/video by folk/techno/rock singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton. Bringing a smile to this cold and snowy day.
That is all.
That is all.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Somewhat More Convenient Truth
With all due respect to Academy Award, Grammy, Nobel Prize Winner and Former Vice President Al Gore, global warming has its perks.
In my time at UMiami, I did come home in the winter for Christmas Break, so I never forgot that it got cold each year (although the past couple of years I hadn't seen snow when I was home). I did forget how looong the cold/snow season lasted. And while the optimistic side of me wonders if the groundhog did indeed see his shadow, my more realistic side understands that it's got to get cold again soon.
That said, I am indeed looking forward to the spring thaw. That is one thing I didn't really see down in Miami.
That is all.
In my time at UMiami, I did come home in the winter for Christmas Break, so I never forgot that it got cold each year (although the past couple of years I hadn't seen snow when I was home). I did forget how looong the cold/snow season lasted. And while the optimistic side of me wonders if the groundhog did indeed see his shadow, my more realistic side understands that it's got to get cold again soon.
That said, I am indeed looking forward to the spring thaw. That is one thing I didn't really see down in Miami.
That is all.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The New Hotness
So I went out and picked up a new iMac. The saleswoman was extremely helpful, and when I got the machine home, the Time Machine transfer worked 99% perfectly. In fact, the only issue was that I had to use Adobe's phone re-activation system (rather than just doing it online) in order to turn off the reactivation splash window. Otherwise, though things are running smoothly. Here's hoping all logic board issues limit themselves to the next three years.
Look at it there. Being all aluminum and sleek and what not.
Dramatic shot! The depth perception, my God, the depth perception!
The new keyboard. Still getting used to it, although it's more the rearrangement of the volume/dashboard/brightness keys than it is the new flattened keys.
Lastly is my new G-Drive. I actually bought that a few weeks back for Time Machine backups. Almost prophetic, really. But now it matches the look perfectly. Go aesthetics!
So that's my new iMac. Now to get to work to pay for this thing. :D
That is all.
Look at it there. Being all aluminum and sleek and what not.
Dramatic shot! The depth perception, my God, the depth perception!
The new keyboard. Still getting used to it, although it's more the rearrangement of the volume/dashboard/brightness keys than it is the new flattened keys.
Lastly is my new G-Drive. I actually bought that a few weeks back for Time Machine backups. Almost prophetic, really. But now it matches the look perfectly. Go aesthetics!So that's my new iMac. Now to get to work to pay for this thing. :D
That is all.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Super Bowl Ads and an Ad-related Rant.
In hindsight, not a lot to say about this year's Super Bowl ads. More of the same really.
Budweiser went adorable with horses. Everyone else (including Bud Light) went violent. Doritos had the best ads by far (both "Crystal Ball" and "Power of the Crunch").
I will admit it's cool that an amateur ad beat out Budweiser for the first time in about a decade for #1 ad. It shows that good advertising can come from anywhere.
On the flip side, there was a story posted on Digg on Monday about people in Paris graffiti-ing (sp?) billboards in full view of police in order to gain publicity for their anti-ad movement. Meanwhile, 90% of the populous of said Digg regales them as heroes, positing that advertisers didn't ask our permission to advertise to us, so these people don't need permission to spray paint all over their ads.
I get it, I'm in advertising, it's Digg, it's a forum, John Gabriel's Greater Internet Dickwad Theory, but it still drives me nuts that people are that ignorant and biased that they want to call for the destruction of an industry that pays for almost everything they enjoy. Yeah, there are some crappy ads that no one wants to look at and/or listen to, but some people wear ugly shirts or paint their houses an ugly color. We don't assume we can do what we want to them, their shirts or their houses. It's respect, plain and simple. I think people forget that.
That is all.
Budweiser went adorable with horses. Everyone else (including Bud Light) went violent. Doritos had the best ads by far (both "Crystal Ball" and "Power of the Crunch").
I will admit it's cool that an amateur ad beat out Budweiser for the first time in about a decade for #1 ad. It shows that good advertising can come from anywhere.
On the flip side, there was a story posted on Digg on Monday about people in Paris graffiti-ing (sp?) billboards in full view of police in order to gain publicity for their anti-ad movement. Meanwhile, 90% of the populous of said Digg regales them as heroes, positing that advertisers didn't ask our permission to advertise to us, so these people don't need permission to spray paint all over their ads.
I get it, I'm in advertising, it's Digg, it's a forum, John Gabriel's Greater Internet Dickwad Theory, but it still drives me nuts that people are that ignorant and biased that they want to call for the destruction of an industry that pays for almost everything they enjoy. Yeah, there are some crappy ads that no one wants to look at and/or listen to, but some people wear ugly shirts or paint their houses an ugly color. We don't assume we can do what we want to them, their shirts or their houses. It's respect, plain and simple. I think people forget that.
That is all.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Your Precious Super Bowl was Terrible
I woke up this morning and everyone is talking about what an exciting game the Super Bowl was. I've even heard the phrase "Best Super Bowl Ever" thrown around.
Did I miss something?
Warner throws an interception in the endzone leading to a 100 yard touchdown (longest touchdown ever in a Super Bowl, btw) and yet he's lauded for such a great game. He had one decent drive, in my opinion. Meanwhile both teams were plagued with penalties (Arizona lost 106 yards, making them the best player on the Steelers after Holmes; the Steelers lost only 52 yards, but were stupid enough to get a holding penalty in their own endzone for a safety). Harrison had his 100 yard touchdown, but then made a complete ass of himself in the fourth quarter.
By the third quarter I concluded that neither team was going to win the game, the other will have lost. Sure enough, it was Warner's interception that lost them the game.
Any game that was that riddled with errors and unsportsmanlike conduct does not a "Best Super Bowl Ever" make. But I suppose if it distracts attention from last year, I can't really complain.
Anyway, enough ranting.I'll have something to say about the ads soon.
That is all.
Did I miss something?
Warner throws an interception in the endzone leading to a 100 yard touchdown (longest touchdown ever in a Super Bowl, btw) and yet he's lauded for such a great game. He had one decent drive, in my opinion. Meanwhile both teams were plagued with penalties (Arizona lost 106 yards, making them the best player on the Steelers after Holmes; the Steelers lost only 52 yards, but were stupid enough to get a holding penalty in their own endzone for a safety). Harrison had his 100 yard touchdown, but then made a complete ass of himself in the fourth quarter.
By the third quarter I concluded that neither team was going to win the game, the other will have lost. Sure enough, it was Warner's interception that lost them the game.
Any game that was that riddled with errors and unsportsmanlike conduct does not a "Best Super Bowl Ever" make. But I suppose if it distracts attention from last year, I can't really complain.
Anyway, enough ranting.
That is all.
Monday, January 26, 2009
I $#@! the Eighties, Part III
For this installment, we'll be looking at "Africa" by Toto, a group who looks like the A/V club at my high school, if we had an A/V club.
FUN FACT: Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro and Mike Porcaro, the drummer, keyboardist, and bassist of "Toto" are from South Windsor--so they may have been the A/V club at my high school, if we had an A/V club back then.
"Africa" - Toto (1983)
That is all.
FUN FACT: Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro and Mike Porcaro, the drummer, keyboardist, and bassist of "Toto" are from South Windsor--so they may have been the A/V club at my high school, if we had an A/V club back then.
"Africa" - Toto (1983)
That is all.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day
I was watching the Today Show this morning before I went to work, and Matt Lauer was talking about how Obama and his family will meet with the Bushes (Bush's? Bushi?) and Cheneys for coffee this morning before the inauguration. He then mentioned "the peaceful transfer of power," and it made me think just how big today is, and just how much we take it for granted.
For millennia, the only way people got power from their predecessor was out of their cold, dead hands. And if that wasn't after a long and bloody conflict, you could consider yourself lucky. Even today, depending on where you are in the world, this may be the case.
So yeah, we complain about our government not getting things done, and being too conservative and whatever else. But when you get down to it, in the grand scope of things, we're able to elect the guy we want and have him take power in (arguably) the most powerful seat in the nation, if not the world, just by voting for him. No fighting. No killing. Just letting the system work--and it actually did.
That's pretty cool.
That is all.
For millennia, the only way people got power from their predecessor was out of their cold, dead hands. And if that wasn't after a long and bloody conflict, you could consider yourself lucky. Even today, depending on where you are in the world, this may be the case.
So yeah, we complain about our government not getting things done, and being too conservative and whatever else. But when you get down to it, in the grand scope of things, we're able to elect the guy we want and have him take power in (arguably) the most powerful seat in the nation, if not the world, just by voting for him. No fighting. No killing. Just letting the system work--and it actually did.
That's pretty cool.
That is all.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Bandwagon?
Hey, I'm on Twitter now, too, for what it's worth.
You can find me at twitter.com/marshalkowski
And I may be watching you... O_o
That is all.
You can find me at twitter.com/marshalkowski
And I may be watching you... O_o
That is all.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Up for Debate
Not sure if this will be terrible or awesome. It does have cameo factor going for it.
You decide.
That is all.
Friday, January 9, 2009
I $#@! the Eighties, Part II
Today's installment of "I $#@! the Eighties" is technically from 1979, but its close enough. Someone bought this album in the eighties I'm sure. It doesn't boast the previous videos myriad of videos, but instead looks like something my friends and I might have made in high school, if we were to make a music video.
"Brass in Pocket" - The Pretenders (1979)
There are a number of things I could write about but they would draw attention from the funniest thing ever in a music video.
1:20-What better way to get the most important word in your song across than to have your bandmates point it out for the viewers at home. It's also hilarious because you can the first guy thinks the entire situation is ridiculous, but the second guy is just thrilled to have face time on camera. As he should be, with that hair.
Also, check out the third guy about 10 seconds later, when he almost achieves a full 180-degree head turn. That dude is part owl, swear to God.
That is all.
"Brass in Pocket" - The Pretenders (1979)
There are a number of things I could write about but they would draw attention from the funniest thing ever in a music video.
1:20-What better way to get the most important word in your song across than to have your bandmates point it out for the viewers at home. It's also hilarious because you can the first guy thinks the entire situation is ridiculous, but the second guy is just thrilled to have face time on camera. As he should be, with that hair.
Also, check out the third guy about 10 seconds later, when he almost achieves a full 180-degree head turn. That dude is part owl, swear to God.
That is all.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Dictionary of the Future
So, I'm probably the only one who thinks this is "neat," but it's my blog, I get to choose what goes up here. This is about language and the future of dictionaries. And the speaker actually makes it interesting.
That is all.
That is all.
Monday, January 5, 2009
I $#@! the Eighties
Today, I'd like to discuss the proud and horrifying tradition of 80s music videos. The decade of 1980-1989 was a time when a man could make it big with just a synthesizer and a dream. That said, some people should have just let the dream die.
"Don't You Want Me (Baby)" - Human League (1981)
We'll start with this one because it embodies a lot of the things that make these 80s music videos both terrible and awe-inspiring. So, we'll take a somewhat academic approach with this one, and parse out what makes it less of a music video, and more of a car accident you simply can't look away from.
Number One: Creepy Close-Ups
This is what bothers me most about this particular video, I think. No less that one dozen times in this three and a half minute video, does the video zoom in on someone. I don't know if they thought it made the video more intimate, or more intense, but the vibe they got was freakin' creepy. It doesn't help that half the cast has a mole in the exact same place.
Defining moment(s):
0:20, first time it happens, you just can't see it coming.
1:00, GAH! They're doing it with the entire cast! No one is safe!
Number Two: Soulless Stares
Don't get me wrong, if you can write a song and perform it, that's impressive. I can't do that beyond Rock Band in the comfort of my living room. That said, these people take being unable to act and turn it into an art form. Everyone has this sort of dull, lifeless stare.
Defining moment:
2:15, it's like she couldn't make it to the shoot that day, and they replaced her with a really convincing mannequin. Why bother emoting at all when you can let sudden focus changes communicate your angst. The angst. Can you feel it?
Number Three: Makeup
In the eighties, everyone wore make up. All the time. Everywhere. And lots of it. If you wanted to be the man, you had to look like a woman. Oh, that's not true? Well, you could have fooled me, Human League.
Defining moment:
0:20 again, Jesus Christ, man. You demean us all when you go around like that.
Number Four: When Did I Rent Labyrinth?
This is no one's fault, but this guy looks like the Goblin King in Labyrinth. The makeup doesn't help, citing number three again.
Defining moment:
0:43, seriously what was David Bowie doing when this was shot? I want documentation.
I guess those are my major complaints with this video, but they are so liberally distributed throughout that its difficult to find a point where at least one of these isn't happening.
I have more of these exciting videos up my sleeve. Each more exciting than the next, I assure you. But this post is already getting long-winded, so I will save them for another day.
That is all.
"Don't You Want Me (Baby)" - Human League (1981)
We'll start with this one because it embodies a lot of the things that make these 80s music videos both terrible and awe-inspiring. So, we'll take a somewhat academic approach with this one, and parse out what makes it less of a music video, and more of a car accident you simply can't look away from.
Number One: Creepy Close-Ups
This is what bothers me most about this particular video, I think. No less that one dozen times in this three and a half minute video, does the video zoom in on someone. I don't know if they thought it made the video more intimate, or more intense, but the vibe they got was freakin' creepy. It doesn't help that half the cast has a mole in the exact same place.
Defining moment(s):
0:20, first time it happens, you just can't see it coming.
1:00, GAH! They're doing it with the entire cast! No one is safe!
Number Two: Soulless Stares
Don't get me wrong, if you can write a song and perform it, that's impressive. I can't do that beyond Rock Band in the comfort of my living room. That said, these people take being unable to act and turn it into an art form. Everyone has this sort of dull, lifeless stare.
Defining moment:
2:15, it's like she couldn't make it to the shoot that day, and they replaced her with a really convincing mannequin. Why bother emoting at all when you can let sudden focus changes communicate your angst. The angst. Can you feel it?
Number Three: Makeup
In the eighties, everyone wore make up. All the time. Everywhere. And lots of it. If you wanted to be the man, you had to look like a woman. Oh, that's not true? Well, you could have fooled me, Human League.
Defining moment:
0:20 again, Jesus Christ, man. You demean us all when you go around like that.
Number Four: When Did I Rent Labyrinth?
This is no one's fault, but this guy looks like the Goblin King in Labyrinth. The makeup doesn't help, citing number three again.
Defining moment:
0:43, seriously what was David Bowie doing when this was shot? I want documentation.
I guess those are my major complaints with this video, but they are so liberally distributed throughout that its difficult to find a point where at least one of these isn't happening.
I have more of these exciting videos up my sleeve. Each more exciting than the next, I assure you. But this post is already getting long-winded, so I will save them for another day.
That is all.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy 2009!
A little late to the party, perhaps, a day and a half in, but so be it!
My resolutions this year:
1. Start a blog in earnest.
2. Eat healthier.
3. Start writing again.
The first comes from a decade of loathing the concept of blogs, so I figure the only proper thing for me to do now is start one. I'm not sure what the overall theme is yet, so right now we're starting with whatever suits my fancy and it will evolve from there.
The second is that all-purpose self-improvement and vague promise that will last until... I'll say January 5th.
The last is just something I feel I should be doing more. Yes, I write ads for a living (if you didn't know that, now you do), but I've got other things to write, too. If I don't come out of this year with at least a collection of short stories, I should be kicked in the pants.
So that's my plan for '09, what's yours?
And let me just say, this year has started out awfully cold. I don't care for it. Not one bit.
That is all.
My resolutions this year:
1. Start a blog in earnest.
2. Eat healthier.
3. Start writing again.
The first comes from a decade of loathing the concept of blogs, so I figure the only proper thing for me to do now is start one. I'm not sure what the overall theme is yet, so right now we're starting with whatever suits my fancy and it will evolve from there.
The second is that all-purpose self-improvement and vague promise that will last until... I'll say January 5th.
The last is just something I feel I should be doing more. Yes, I write ads for a living (if you didn't know that, now you do), but I've got other things to write, too. If I don't come out of this year with at least a collection of short stories, I should be kicked in the pants.
So that's my plan for '09, what's yours?
And let me just say, this year has started out awfully cold. I don't care for it. Not one bit.
That is all.
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