The nice little Flash South Park character generator at Planearium certainly isn’t something new, but man if they haven’t improved it since the last time I tried it. Tons more props, hair types, etc. If you’ve ever wondered what you would look like on the streets of South Park, CO (and really, who hasn’t?), then give it a try.
Here’s me:
So what do you look like?
Wow! It is hard to believe we are nearly two weeks into the new year. I finished 2004 in a flurry and jumped right back in for 2005. The big news is that I have accepted a position at Element Fusion, an internet development company in Oklahoma City. The job is exactly what I had been seeking for the past few years – an opportunity to do what I love all day long – design websites. While I’ve had the occasion to design sites for most of the companies I have worked for, as well as undertaking many sites as a freelancer; I have never been able to work as a web designer full-time until now.
I have spent years coding sites and maintaining this site, keeping up with the latest techniques and technology. Now I have a chance to really push these skills further. And yes, standards fans, web standards and XHMTL/CSS are going to be a big part of the work I perform for Element Fusion’s customers.
But that is just the start of it. Element Fusion also offers me the ability to work for tons of great clients; quite a change from the corporate internal work I have been doing.
This is quite an exciting time for me. Oh and if you’re are looking for a great firm to work on your next web project, check out the best in Oklahoma.
The Real Atrocity in Tolkien’s Middle Earth, by Jeff Alexander and Tom Bissell is one of the funniest pieces of satire I have read in ages. Well done!
I have lots to share but so little time to write. I hope to catch up over the holidays but here are a few noteworthy topics for the coming days…
Stay tuned…
This morning, ,Wired News is abuzz about a homemade ad for the iPod Mini produced by a 36 year old high school teacher with an interest in motion graphics. The story’s author and cited experts are gushing about the this new viral marketing trend:
“It’s a sign that consumers want to have a role in promoting a product they love,” he said. “There’s a real trend toward consumer-generated media. People are creating news, they’re blogging. People will create marketing as well. This guy is a great example.’
While I agree in principle with what they are saying, I am not so sure that this guy’s intent is quite what they are assuming. Working and going to college as a graphic designer I have created and know of the creation of tons of similar pieces. As a designer you do them to hone your skills. Students do them for in-class projects. Professionals create them to pad a portfolio or learn a new skill/technique. They are probably thousands of similar pieces out on the web.
I by no means wish to belittle this guy’s work as it is a well-executed piece. However it might be jumping the gun ever so slightly to suggest that millions of people (bloggers or not) are going to suddenly start home brewing commercials for products that they love. I love my iPod and I tell my friends that, but I am certainly not going to design a magazine ad to convince them.
Fast Company has a great article entitled, The 6 Myths of Creativity, that I think is a must-read for anyone in the position to shape the working conditions in any company. The article details six misconceptions that, in my opinion, fall into the category of perceptive differences between management and employees. The real takeaway for me, though, is reiterated in several of the six myths: happy workers are best. They are more creative and more productive. Much of this burden of happiness rests on the shoulders of the employee who should seek happiness in doing work in which he can be engaged doing work that he truly enjoys. The balance of the burden is shouldered by management who must provide an environment in which workers can enjoy their work and make meaningful progress. The toughest environments to work in usually are festering with inflexibility, indecision, inaction, and excessive bureaucracy.
Happiness in the workplace has always been a powerful issue for me, especially growing up watching my parents labor endlessly in jobs they hated. And this issue is something I often reflect on as I wonder if people are correct when they say “That’s why they call it work. It isn’t supposed to be fun.”.