AV Club

Mobile test

2007-03-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

Here I am, testing the mobile posting capabilities of blogger. Seems to work well.

Random Muses of Megret....Meg Wilson, blabber-mouth about wonderfully random imponderables.

2006-02-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

Meg is so, so cool.

lest ye forget

2006-02-16T23:33:00.000-05:00

don't forget to come to www.avclub.us

AVClub.us up and running

2005-09-28T11:39:00.000-04:00

Just to keep you informed, the new www.avclub.us site is up and running now. Please change your bookmarks. Only a few things remain to have it fully functioning. (1) the old site's archives aren't imported properly yet (this could be tricky) and (2) I want to trick out the template some more. Still, the new site should server you well. Enjoy.

avclub.us update

2005-09-25T22:59:00.000-04:00

Talked with my host. We're working out the issues on the new avclub.us site. For now, the homepage works, but all other links are broken. Here's hoping a Monday morning fixes all my problems.

www.avclub.us problems... resolved soon

2005-09-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

The new AVClub.us site is having trouble. It will be back online by Monday, from what my hosting company says. Just thought you should know.

Oh, and while you're anxiously waiting my site to come back up, go download the new Firefox 1.0.7.

The new AV Club is nearly operational...

2005-09-19T12:31:00.000-04:00

The new AV Club, located at www.avclub.us is operational. There is still much work to do, but please redirect yourselves over to www.avclub.us from now on. I will be exporting the blogger archives soon.

The RSS feed is http://www.avclub.us/index.php/feed/ if you're the kind of person who's into that sort of thing.

G'day.

145, that's the number

2005-09-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

145, that's the average number of visitors per day last week. I applaud you, I cheer you on. Also 145, that's probably the number of hours it will take me to complete to transfer over to WordPress. I have four crucial things left to discover before we're all good.

Hopefully the new site will be fully running by the end of the week. (crosses fingers)

That wasn't so hard...

2005-09-17T00:35:00.000-04:00

OK, so after a few WEIRD errors with GoDaddy.com, I finally was able to get WordPress up and running. Now, to build the template totally from scratch and make everything pretty. The new blog is functional, but that's about it. I won't reveal it until it's both functional AND pretty.

(can you hear the rustling of the wind?)

2005-09-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

Things have been pretty quiet around the AV Club, so it seems. Minimal posts, nothing much to say.

That's not exactly true, but I'm just holding back. First, I have two pieces that will go online after they air... a piece for NewSpring that will show this weekend, and a freelance piece that will air week after next. I don't want to jump the gun on either of these, but you'll see them all in due time.

In the meantime, feel free to browse my Flickr page, where I have posted some new graphics, desktops, assorted photos of friends and family.

Finally, (and this is the most exciting part)... the AV Club will be moving soon. I have acquired a non-blogger address that will allow me to go the way of so many of my friends running WordPress. I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into, but I'm sure I'll know soon enough.

To any of you kind enough to offer help in my blogger-to-wordpress transition, please share.

Oh, and here's a good Skateboard mag. Because I've just now begun to play the Tony Hawk PS1 game for the first time EVER, my interest in skateboarding has been revitilzed. Expect Ken-injury photos soon.

Finally, a way to search people's mindless ramblings

2005-09-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

Yes, it was just a matter of time before Google released Google Blog Search. Go ahead, you know there are some gems of knowledge out there that are finally within your reach.

iPod Nano story

2005-09-14T10:10:00.000-04:00

Time has a great 3 page story on the development of the new iPod nano and the thought process that went into it. It doesn't matter if you're a Mac fan, a gadget fan, or whatever. This is a good story about creativity, excellence (not being satisfied with "good enough"), and good design. Those guys at Apple won't let the "good" keep them from "great."

How does this apply to me? What am I doing "good" that should be "great?" Thought for the day (or the year... that's a big one).

great site

2005-09-13T12:51:00.000-04:00

My buddy James sent this over to me. What a great use of flash. As I told him, I'm not typically a big fan of flash as it just confounds the user (and thus, the message). In this site's case, it's really tightly intergrated.

http://www.leoburnett.ca/

because i love ya

2005-09-12T17:30:00.000-04:00

or because it's Monday, or because I had an idea that I just wanted to run with, or because I'm finally influenced by the hrtwrk rainbows.... here's a new AV Club desktop to brighten your Monday.

Downtown_01 Desktop (480k, JPEG, 1024x768)

my response

2005-09-11T13:51:00.000-04:00

As many of you have seen recently over the course of reading my blog and several others, there have been some interesting things going on across the NewSpring blog landscape. For the benefit of AV Club readers, and for the benefit of the anonymous person who is posting their thoughts on other sites formerly held by NewSpring staff, I will share my thoughts. Then I will cease all further discussion of this topic on the AV Club.

First, to address the anonymous blogger.
It is apparent to me that you are bitter. You even stated that fact in your post entitled "Now, I'm a Troll?" I am sorry that something (or someone) rubbed you the wrong way, especially if it was a Christian not acting like a Christian. You say you were searching and reaching out when you were shut out. I am truly sorry to hear that. Lashing out with bitterness will do nothing but consume you. I urge you not to define your life with this frustration.

I don't know if you will believe me or if you care, but I've been praying for you. I began praying for you on Saturday morning. I'm praying that you will find the answers that you seek, and that God would reveal his true self to you. People have sin. People will disappoint you. But God is always true, always consistent. I pray that you are able to see him.

The only problem I have with you concerns the way you present yourself. You absolutely have a right to say whatever you would like online. You have just as much of a right to your opinion as I do, or anyone else for that matter ("push-button publishing for the people," isn't that blogger's slogan?).

But you have decided to occupy three (to my knowledge) blog addresses that were previously held by people affiliated with NewSpring. And you have titled them as parodies of the original blog owner's names. You choose not to clearly identify yourself, and that potentially reflects badly on the original owners.

I have a few suggestions to offer you. Contact me directly. My e-mail address is ken.wilson@gmail.com. If you would like to meet and talk in person, I would be happy to buy you a cup of coffee. There's a great coffee shop here in Anderson where I like to go. I don't claim to have all the answers; I assure you that I do not. I have no interest in debating you. However, you said you were shut out. I'm offering to reach out to you.

As for your commentary on the church, I'll offer this scripture. It is Acts 5:38-39:

"38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Use this as your acid test for whether something is unscriptural or not. If what NewSpring, or any other church, does is not of God, it will die a natural death on its own. If you feel you must continue your commentary on churches, at least drop your fear and identify yourself clearly. It is easy to hide behind the wall and lob stones. It shows much more maturity to face a conflict head-on.

As an aside, I am flattered that you are either attending NewSpring or listening our messages online.

And now to address AV Club readers:
Most of you have probably followed the links and seen what the anonymous blogger is saying. I appreciate the encouraging comments some of you left me. (As a side note, did you notice that those who commented negatively did not identify themselves?) I see no fruit in carrying this topic on any further. I adhere to this verse, 2 Timothy 2:23:

"Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels."

I will no longer be occupying my time with this dispute. I will not be reading the anonymous posts from Jake's blog. I offered to talk with the anonymous blogger in person, and that is the only communication I will receive from him.

I urge all of you to cease visiting his blogs. He's running "StatCounter" which tracks the number of hits his page receives. To continue to visit and read his posts will give him what he wants, an open forum with no accountability.

I hate stupid people

2005-09-09T14:49:00.000-04:00

They've said it before... you can't fix stupid. I wonder if you can fix mean (or dasterdly). My good buddy Jake had a great blog. He wrote insightful things that ministered to people. But there was one jerk who decided to put up mean comments and generally run down Jake's site. We don't have time to sit around and fight "comment battles." C'mon, people, it's a very big internet. Don't go screwing it up for everybody.

But here's the worst part. Jake took his site down because of the time he was spending time deleting mean comments. Soon after, someone took over his URL. Read this again, this site no longer belongs to Jake Beaty.

Now because the new host doesn't identify himself, there's probably no legal action we can pursue. It's not slander, but I want to provide all you AV Club readers with the truth.

When Jake launches his new site, I will announce it here.

** UPDATE **

I just saw that Pudge's site has also been taken down and is now under new ownership. Read this, Pudge Huckaby no longer owns phbalanced.

where does this stuff come from?

2005-09-09T00:28:00.000-04:00

Somehow, I appeared elsewhere on the internet. Hmm... (here).

Final Cut report (and more creativity thoughts)

2005-09-08T12:45:00.000-04:00

I just finished the projects for this week, all in Final Cut. I have finally defined my workflow and tweaked out all of the little bugs that have made things difficult. I will now report my efficiency at 95%. That last 5% will come with time and knowledge of the edit suite.

from Creativity Sparks, p. 300

"The saying is true. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This is particularly true in the world of art and design. A successful layout is always the sum of many elements that are well chosen and effectively presented (both individually and as part of the whole). An otherwise excellent layout can be ruined by a single poorly considered element. Think about it, when was the last time you looked at a design and judged it to be excellent, in spite of lousy typography or a sorry headline? Scary as it might seem, a single weakness in a design can convey this thought to the critical viewer: "The good parts must have been a fluke." Every so often as you work, and especially before you pronounce your layout or artwork finished, stop, step back and judge everything. Concept: Is it good - really good? Colors: Are these the best choices for this audience? Too bright? Too dull? Too many? Too few? Layout: Are placements, size relationship, borders and spacing well considered? Style: Do the layout and the illustration or photography have the correct appeal and is there harmony between them? Fonts: Appropriate? Legible? ...etc."

Busy evening

2005-09-07T23:24:00.000-04:00

I've spent the greater part of this evening smoothing over the details of our desktop computer at the house. I think I have every external device talking (camera - check, printer - check, etc.). In the tedious waiting time between moving files over, I found nandocosta.com. Um, wow.

I need to take some time and digest his portfolio. Really good ideas in there.

A few things you all should know

2005-09-07T15:39:00.000-04:00

I've thought of a few things you all should know.

(1) I am a mean chef. Just ask my home group, who dined upon my cheesecake skillz last night.

(2) Apple is releasing yet another mp3 player, the iPod Nano. (2GB and 4GB storage, iPod mini replacement, very, very small, color screen).

(3) iTunes 5.0 releases today. And they've finally included stinkin' folders for your playlists. How long have I been screaming about this one, people, how long? Finally.

(4) I'm working on some really cool openers over the next several weeks. You'll just have to wait and be patient.

hmm... words are funny

2005-09-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

I thought about this early this morning. Why does cranberry juice + apple juice = cranapple. Why doesn't it equal crapple? Just a thought.

And for those who just MUST see it again...

2005-09-06T17:17:00.000-04:00

As requested (and don't get used to this, but I'll do it this one time), you can now watch the official NewSpring blooper reel. This is the best of the best, folks. See, we don't always get it right.

View Blooper video (Quicktime, 6.5 MB)

(more) thoughts on creativity

2005-09-06T17:05:00.000-04:00

I love the subject of creativity. I've always been a creative person, even when I was painting my G.I. Joe characters to look like the Tiger Force (who needs to buy new versions of G.I. Joe when you can just "repurpose" your own?). I think my mom inspired a lot of that in me, for which I am eternally thankful.

There was a time in my life (say, the 3 years from graduation to taking the job at New Spring), when I didn't have a good creative outlet. When I look at where God's brought me, I just have to be thankful. How did I grow my creativity? I sequenced music on my computer. And God used those times and that skill to influence what I do now. It's amazing how he works to prepare us, even when we don't realize we're being trained for something bigger.

With that in mind, 43 Folders has a really good post today about having a job and a creative life. The article links to the creativity portal, which lists 11 Tips to surviving a day job with your creativity intact.

Creativity is a discipline. Continually strive for ways to stretch it.

Happy post Labor Day

2005-09-06T09:11:00.000-04:00

Hello out there in AV Club world. Happy post Labor Day to you all. I hope everyone had their fill of hotdogs and fireworks. Today, I was inspired to talk about excess. Not in any important aspect of your life, but in your iTunes.

How many of you use iTunes? (comment below so we'll all know... and it will increase my self-worth by hearing from you).

How many songs (please report in number of songs, days, and GB of information) are on your computer.

Currently, I'm holding 4272 songs, 16.8 days, and 23.46 GB. I've imported every CD I own... even the old Christian punk stuff like Value-Pac and Don't Know (great old Tooth&Nail band). I don't know that I'll ever need these, but I have it. I have multiple DJ sets that I'll probably never listen to. And why do I insist on archiving all of those WebTalkGuys podcasts? I'll NEVER listten to them again.

Excess.

What's our iTunes up to?

workin' in lo-fi

2005-09-05T10:09:00.000-04:00

Today is Labor Day, and what better project to do on Labor Day than reinstall Windows and reformat a computer? No? Well it's fun for me. This weekend, I was just browsing (honest) Best Buy and I found a 160Gb Seagate drive for $40. Not too shabby, especially since my home computer hasn't been reformatted or modified in 4 years. I don't use it all that much, but Meg does.

The fun part: right now I have Windows 2000 working on it, but I don't have drivers for my aging motherboard / graphics card. So now I'm browsing at 800x600 with a vibrant 16 colors! Yeah!

Oooh, Service Pack 4 just downloaded... gotta go.

New desktop

2005-09-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

You know you want it. You know you need it. It's the AV Club's newest, Desktop 13. Make today a red day. Make your desktop happy. It's all good, yo.

Lee's reaction

2005-09-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

Today at NewSpring, we showed some very, very funny videos. I'll post them on Tuesday when we return to the office. In the meantime, you can view Lee's response (thanks to Joe Hall for his covert operations in recording).

Lee's Reaction (Quicktime, 1 Mb)

It's alive

2005-09-03T12:36:00.000-04:00

The new Newspring.cc is live and on the air.

Because it's cool, that's why

2005-09-01T22:37:00.000-04:00

I found the ASCII-O-Matic tonight, and did this cool photo of Little G.

And in other "because it's cool, that's why" news, I've averaged 116 unique viewers daily for the past week. So, hello out there, all 116 members of the AV Club. How are you doing this fine Thursday evening?

Hurricane Relief Effort

2005-09-01T16:15:00.000-04:00

People have asked what New Spring will do to assist the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Here's the deal: this Sunday, September 4th, New Spring will donate $5 for every man, woman, and child in attendance at New Spring. We are partnering with a church in that area to distribute supplies.

If ever there was a week to bring your friends to New Spring, this is the week. Please, spread the word. Post it on your blogs (especially if you are able to direct people to New Spring). This Sunday promises to be awesome.

Motion Graphics - recommended

2005-09-01T12:27:00.000-04:00

I occasionally get questions like "ken, where do you come up with your ideas," or "where do you draw inspiration from." This goes directly along with yesterday's post about feeding the creative reservoir. You need to have a stream of ideas filling your head so that when you need them, you can call upon them.

So, here are a few pieces I've seen recently that inspire me. Motion Theory are one of my favorites. Be sure to watch the Reebok Wrapshear piece. I spotted this on TV the other day and was blow away. Renascent is another favorite. Under the "Motion Graphics" tab, watch "A Thousand Suns - Prologue." Then spend some time browsing Tween. He's always posting great links and good motion graphics.

And currently, I'm filling my head with this book, 1000 Typography Treatments. It's amazing how one beautiful idea will launch my brain into a completely new direction.

Feeding the creative reservoir is a discipline. It's much easier to just watch TV. But you have to train yourself to look at media, visuals, and the world with the intent of drawing inspiration. Last night, my home group watched "Hitch." It was great. As it was ending, Suzanne, one of the ladies in my group, mentioned something about how the dancing scene at the end would make a great opener.

I heard her idea, and it inspired some planning and sketching that lead to a fully-realized concept that will work perfectly for when we launch the series in a month or two.

Just keep your eyes open. Ideas are out there, millions of them. You just need one good one.

Creativity Thoughts #2 (Creative Reservoir)

2005-08-31T13:49:00.000-04:00

From Creativity Thoughts -

"Over time, our heads become a reservoir of concept, information and images. When we create, most of our ideas are made up of adaptation, variations and combinations taken from this cache.

Therefore, the more we put into the "creative reservoir," the more we have to draw from when it comes time to create.

Our creative reservoir is one of our most important assets and it should be continually stocked, refreshed and maintained through art, music, books, experiences, interaction, observation, learning, curiosity and our own creative pursuits.

Fill 'er up."

Freelance post

2005-08-31T08:53:00.000-04:00

Recently, I did a piece for Gary Lamb over at Ridgestone Church. They're a very relevant, creative, and growing church located in Canton, GA, and God is really doing some awesome things in their ministry. They were looking for video openers / counters / visuals to enchance their messages. This piece works well to bridge the transition between worship music and the message.

If you'd like to view the opener, watch here (Quicktime, 1.6 Mb), Series: Desperate Sex Lives.

Creativity Thoughts

2005-08-30T12:14:00.000-04:00

I have this great little book called Creativity Thoughts. It's a series of small thoughts, exercises, and points to ponder on the subject of creativity and inspiration. I read a few pages of it when my brain feels gridlocked. Here's an excerpt from page 210:

"Consider:

Finishing the project EARLY (seriously). Then, spend the extra time reviewing, reworking and making everything better.
+
Striving to create a layout or piece of artwork so beautiful, so far ABOVE the client's expectations that it will blow their mind.
+
Putting in however many hours it takes (regardless of net pay) to create a piece of utter BEAUTY.
+
Making OVERACHIEVEMENT your routine."

(I'll probably post more along these lines in the next several days).

GroupLink video roundup

2005-08-29T15:23:00.000-04:00

This weekend at New Spring, the topic was fellowship, one of our core values. The message delivered by Perry was great. And to follow it up, David did some really great videos interviewing several folks in our church who are involved with our Home Groups. From a motion graphics standpoint, they are nothing too fancy. But, I think they set the mood well. For those of you who aren't able to come to New Spring, this will give you a taste of the other side of video we do, as well as give you a flavor of some of the ministries our church provides.

Oh, and Meg and I were featured in these videos. I'm in the GroupLink AD, and Meg got her own feature. Sweet!

Groups_Meg (Quicktime, 2.4 Mb)
Groups_Glenn (Quicktime, 2.9 Mb)
Groups_AD (Quicktime, 5.2 Mb)

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999.

2005-08-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999. Today, I joined Meg for some yardsaling fun. Occasionally, I like to tag along. It's good bonding time, and every so often, I grab a steal. Well, today, the winner is... a classic PlayStation 1... 1999 vintage. The AV Club may find it hard to believe, but I haven't owned a video game console since my Nintendo (which was ruthlessly stolen from me while I was co-oping in North Carolina... no... I'm not bitter... but I'll tell that story later). Anyway. So, I'm finally game-enabled again. This little gem set me back a whopping $5 (I talked her down from $7). No games, unfortunately. But today's fun activity: disinfect and clean off the grime and sickening smoke smell... how exactly did they get funk on the INSIDE of the console? So, if you want to contribute to the detriment of the AV Club, please donate all your old PS1 games. I'll be happy to take them off your hands. If you're wanting to unload your sports games, however, don't bother. I'm not interested.

Friday roundup.

2005-08-26T19:39:00.000-04:00

Today, Meg, Gardner, and I ventured to Greenville to pick out a new car seat for G. We decided on the model pictured below. How cool, Babies-R-Us even has a mock up auto seat in the store so you can try the seats out. That's a smart way to cater to your customers.

In other, non-family news, Google Talk is now official. Google's own IM client.

And you can view some really cool street art over at Streetsy. Oh, and from that site, I found this.

WARNING!! Watch only if you have a strong stomach

2005-08-25T19:58:00.000-04:00

OK, Matt showed me this last week. I've e-mailed it to a bunch of people, but it should be freely available to all. This is for your upcoming Friday... the Baby Vomit Video.

He IS real...

2005-08-25T12:08:00.000-04:00

Wow, this is a first. Today, I met my first blog/internet buddy in real life. Gary Lamb (Mad Babble from a Church Planter) and Preston Porter from Ridge Stone Church made the drive to the metropolis of Anderson today. We met at eCity Java (or Jittery Joe's, as it should be known) for coffee and church talk. It was a great time of fellowship, idea smattering, iPod discussion, creative church talk. Thanks Gary for heading our direction. If you guys have never heard of him, be sure to read his blog. Very interesting. You'll feel like you already know the guy when you meet him. And at the rate his church is growing, I'm sure you'll probably meet him soon!

Let's stretch the brain a bit

2005-08-24T19:48:00.000-04:00

Web banners for the new www.newspring.cc
Originally uploaded by avclub.

It's been another good day. Shane and I met and laid out the next month or three's worth of visuals and it's going to be a very busy, but very very fun Fall season at New Spring. On the slate right now: a special guest speaker, a very cool one-shot sermon, a relationship series, a series that just might involve a Bon Jovi song, several other smaller series, a click track involving special effects that will stretch me to my limits, and a Christmas Eve service with some things... quite honestly... you've never seen before. Yeah, we're going to have a good time.

And this Sunday will be no exception, either. I will actually make an appearance or two in some of our videos. Please, don't let this frighten you... it will be fun.

For now, we're gearing up the new version of the New Spring site. It's due out in a week or so. I am helping Mr. Gizz, designer extraordinaire, build some banners for each of the different sections of the site. My favorite is posted here, and the rest are available at my Flickr page.

Keep your eyes on the AV Club, as I promise to continue the outpouring of previews... and I just ask for your honest feedback.

Ever had a bad day?

2005-08-24T08:33:00.000-04:00

I was irritated this morning, frustrated about several things. Nothing big, nothing I would consider major. But in my quiet time, I read Mark 15. You think you've had a bad day; look at what Jesus did for you. Nothing I will ever face compares to what he did for me. For that I should live life eternally faithful.

Thank you, Jesus, for seeing me worthy of your sacrifice. Never let me think for a second that my life and my trials are so imporant that they ever outshine what you have done.

Road to Romania

2005-08-23T16:27:00.000-04:00

I spent the afternoon pulling pictures with Todd Long, a missionary in Romaina. You should see their site.

Desktop 12 from the AV Club

2005-08-22T21:08:00.000-04:00

C'mon, you know you want it. Go get Desktop 12 from the AV Club. It's a bit differnet than desktops past. I'm not sure if I like it, but it seemed to be a good idea a little while ago.

New blog - 2506 EDGEWOOD AVE

2005-08-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hmm... this is scary. On Friday night, Brian and I worked up the code for his blog. I give all visual credit to him... and it's frightening that I provided the code-assistance. Go therefore, and visit 2506edgewood.blogspot.com.

Good for a Monday

2005-08-22T13:06:00.000-04:00

One of our Children's Pastors, Pudge posted today about some strategies to make the workplace much more fun and free of stress. It's a funny read.

It's been a good weekend

2005-08-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

Family dinner at Chili's
Originally uploaded by avclub.

It's been a hectic and busy weekend... or the entire week for that matter. Not that I mind, I like a full schedule at times. Since last Tuesday night, Meg and I have had plans (homegroup, Lost group, friends for dinner, friends for hangout, family dinner, more friends for hangout, spent the entire Saturday with G, New Spring Baptism, family dinner... pictured on the right..., and church all day Sunday).

I'm ready for a quieter week coming up. And I thought you'd enjoy a picture of my brother-in-law behind a massive pile of Chili's chips / dip. Random fact: Rick loves to mix his salsa with ranch dressing. Hm... different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Heat Index of 110° + 3:45pm + 30 min. run = bad for the iPod

2005-08-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a 30 min run (and an hour of cutting my forest, er, grass). It's dang hot. At the end of my run, I took the iPod off, got in the Jeep (which was discreetly parked at church, forcing me to run rescue it before tonight), and started the music back up. But nothing happened. I do believe I gave my iPod heatstroke. I suppose that's possible.

After cooling it down, crossing my fingers, and some internet study, I found this article (and this one, too) about iPod recovery. Hey, did you know you can defragment an iPod hard disk?

I thought those articles would be handy if you abuse your iPod as much as I abuse mine.

Strummin' my 6 string

2005-08-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

Today, Gardner and I hung out while Meg went yard saleing (I really don't know how you'd spell that) with some of the wonderful ladies from our Home Group. Little did she know that I would use this time to mold and influence my son. We had our first guitar lesson, and a I sequenced a dance track for him, too. You can view the details of our lesson here. His newest recording should be out early next month.

New Spring "special visitor" video - UPDATED

2005-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

For those that had trouble watching the "Special visitor" video earlier this week, I've reencoded it. Please, enjoy.

Watch video (Quicktime, 15 Mb)

uh-uh

2005-08-18T21:26:00.000-04:00

I just gotta say, oh heck no. I mean, it's gotta be BAD for me to resort to this.

purevolume | AV Club Inc.

2005-08-18T00:03:00.000-04:00

If you weren't aware, I have a purevolume page for the AV Club where you can download some bad electronica. (but you don't get better unless you put yourself out there).

I love my job

2005-08-17T14:11:00.000-04:00

Right now, I'm building a composite shot of a dog peeing. This is either the high point of my Visual Director career... or the absolute lowest point. I'm undecided.

Of course, I'll post photos later.

Psyop... good motion graphics

2005-08-17T11:53:00.000-04:00

I am lovin' the new Sheryl Crow video by Psyop. Watch it here. Link via tween.

The moment of truth... (UPDATED)

2005-08-16T16:51:00.000-04:00

(UPDATED: I reencoded the video so it should work on PCs more reliably).

Thank you all for waiting so patiently. The video clip from this Sunday's message is finally online. Please, share with your friends. If you'd like to hear the entire sermon, you can download it here (mp3, 10Mb).

New Spring Punk'd (Quicktime, 15.5 Mb, ~5:00)

The video's coming, promise

2005-08-15T18:18:00.000-04:00

I noticed a few of you are really looking forward to the "newspring punk'd" video I'll be putting online soon. Be patient... I know you will be. I'm having some "learning curve" issues with the new system. I'll be able to capture audio soon, and I'll get it up. In the meantime, if you'd like to hear the sermon (and the ensuing mayhem), visit the New Spring | Audio page.

Or if you're really lazy, here's the direct link to the mp3.

To my 87 daily friends

2005-08-15T08:48:00.000-04:00

Felllow AV Club readers, if you're unaware, there are now 87 of you (on average) per day reading this blog. I feel honored that you would grace your computer screens with my 80s chique aqua motif. Another number for you, 530. That's the number of posts on this blog... begun in November of 2003. Say, should we have a 2nd birthday party for the AV Club soon?

This weekend at church was AMAZING. Never before has our pastor, Perry, Punk'd 4,000 people. But this weekend, he did. Check back later today... I captured it all of video. I'll have it up before I leave the office today. Only then will I recount the full tale....

Quality vs. Quantity

2005-08-14T06:15:00.000-04:00

I've realized that I'm a quality over quantity kind of guy. I was reminded of this as I got dressed this morning and was looking for my sandals. I've always preferred to have one of a great thing rather than several of a good thing. Case in point, I love Rainbow sandals. I was introduced to them by Lee and Shua. This past March, I got a pair for my birthday. Sure, they're a $40 pair of sandals. But I put them on in March, and, aside for a two weddings and when I go running, they haven't left my feet. These are the best shoes ever. I'll take you a step further, I even wear them on the cardio machines at the gym (elliptical trainer... where you don't have to pick your feet up off the machine).

Yes, for me, I'd rather save and buy quality. Then wear it every day. The exact same thing. Perhaps I have a bit of an addictive personality, or is it that I just like the comfortable (both physcial comfort and emotional comfort of the familiar). I'd wear the same grey T-shirt I bought in Columbia 3 years ago if Meg didn't gracefully suggest that maybe I need to (1) branch out and (2) wash that shirt every so often.

Anyway...

What are you, quality or quantity?

Ken Wilson, artist, coder, action hero

2005-08-13T14:40:00.000-04:00

There's a new blog in the air, faithful AV Club readers. I have a back log of blogs I've promise to build for my friends. It's fun, it expands my skill set, and I get to make pretty things that I can pull up on the internet. This week's victim... Ms. Lanna Coates over at Resplendent Fancy.

Lanna's been blogging since May of 2004 (or so her archives say), and she's been a friend of mine for much longer than that. I can't remember exactly when we met, but I do remember hanging out with her and her family at New Spring back in the old, old days (when there were 100 people, we met in the Sullivan building, and we baptized people in hot tubs). Since then, we've grown to be good buddies. Lanna comes to our house every week or so (with more regularity during new episodes of Lost) to watch, uh, Lost and to prepare wonderfully collaborative meals with our friends.

She's a phenominal photographer, and you should treat yourself to a visit of your Flickr page. She even did this nice set of Gardner for us. Awesome.

So, Lanna, enjoy your new blog. And AV Club, be sure to check it out. It's a worthy read and fun to boot.

Date night / model shoot

2005-08-12T00:39:00.000-04:00

Meg and I went out on a much-needed date night tonight. It was a lot of fun. We walked downtown Greenville, ate at Olive Garden, and just enjoyed each other's company. Meg played "model" and I practiced my photographer skills. The full results can be seen on Flickr under "disproportionally hot wife." Yes, boys, wit and sense of humor CAN land you the supermodel, as is definitely true in my case. View here.

I am truly blessed to have a wife who's more beautiful now than the day I married her, both inside and out. After 5 1/2 years of marriage, we still find so much to talk about and enjoy about each other.

I fully believe in the Proverbs...

Proverbs 5:18, "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth..."
Proverbs 12:4, " A wife of noble character is her husband's crown..."
Proverbs 18:22, " He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD."

Completion

2005-08-11T17:10:00.000-04:00

The project's done. It's a click track, however, so I won't be posting it online. I could, but all you'd hear is the "donk, donk, donk" of the cowbell that the band hears. Not very interesting. However, if you're in the upstate of SC, you should come to New Spring to see it live. The band's going to do a great U2 cover.

I'm going home, now. It's been a great day.
Final Cut - check
ProCoder - check
Motion 2 - check
rockin' music video - check

Firefox 1.5 Beta coming next month

2005-08-11T13:01:00.000-04:00

I read today that Firefox 1.5 is releasing next month. This is a pretty big step. And while I'm thinking about it, if you're browsing this site with anything other than Firefox (download here), shame on you (unless, of course, you're browsing from work where they force you to use IE... I got you deaf.sig.).

And for those following my Final Cut saga, I just rendered out the video sequence portion of the click track I'm working on. Now into the world of After Effects to make it pretty.

Final Cut update

2005-08-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to get the hang of Final Cut. It's fairly easy to get your hang of if you've edited before.

There are some very intuitive things I've come across. You know, you just "guess" at what will work and it does. One I just found... I clipped a segment of video. I wanted to drag it down a layer on the timeline, but I didn't want to change its positoin in time. Hmm... what if I hold SHIFT down when I drag? You know, it worked... it locked the clip in time and allowed me to drag and drop to another layer. Why is this important to you, AV Club reader? Simple. Because in Photoshop, if you hold SHIFT while dragging an object, it locks it to either the X or Y axis. The same thing for Power Point. STANDARDIZATION. And Apple's done a great job of it. Way to go, Mr. Jobs.

Back to the edit.

Editing, Editing...

2005-08-11T09:34:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm editing the final sequences for a click track to U2's "Pride (in the name of love)" for this Sunday's services. Normally, I would have been complete a day or two ago on this, but I've decided that the best way to learn my new editing package, Final Cut Pro 5, is to dive headfirst.

I've spent some time over the last few weeks beginning to learn Apple's Motion 2 package. It's great, especially for small-scale projects. It is well suited for DVD menus, titles / lower 3rds for video projects, and the occasional small animation. You don't have nearly the flexibility as After Effects gives you, but it's also much quicker.

I'm sure this isn't all terribly exciting, but I'm using my Blog-widget while Final Cut renders a scene. I'm sure you'll be getting other random posts from me during the day as the computer works for me in the background.

So, what are you doing today?

Lost

2005-08-10T12:08:00.000-04:00

Lost, I'm a fan.

Sketches from the Life opener / visual identity

2005-08-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

Sketches from the Life opener / visual identity
Originally uploaded by avclub.

I'm going to start uploading my sketches / ideas for series ideas. Could be fun.

Star Wars - Chinese translation (and Money Origami)

2005-08-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

A few links for you...

First, if you are a Star Wars fan, do read this.

Then, spare bills? Try some Money Origami.

WARNING: * The following post contains Potty humor. Read at your own risk. *

2005-08-09T11:41:00.000-04:00

Hello there AV Club readers. On occasion, someone sends along an e-mail that is SO FUNNY that I am compelled to pass it along for your enjoyment.

Today is one of those days.

This was sent to me by a UNNAMED FRIEND (his name will be omitted to protect his reputation). In case you are wondering, I did get his permission before posting this. I assured him that I would not reveal his identity (but of course, if you use the comments section to beg, perhaps I will reveal).

(Scroll down to read on.)

Ken,

Here's a cooking lesson I learned today.

ALWAYS Wash Your Hands Thoroughly after handling jalapeno peppers. I
diced one today for tacos, and made a quick "pit stop" while
everything was simmering.

Suddenly there was Fire Down Below.

I was thinking seriously about dialling 911, but then remembered these
calls are always recorded (and might be humiliating later). Water
only seemed to spread and actually intensify the effect, which lasted
about 20 painful minutes.

Won't make that mistake again, I promise. And neither will my kids
(not sure now I can have any).

- (NAME REMOVED)

AV Club desktop #11

2005-08-08T12:11:00.000-04:00

New for your consumption (and based off of the security tags), desktop #11 from the AV Club is released to the public.

desktop #11 (1280x1024px, JPEG)

Good weekend, no, great weekend

2005-08-07T22:43:00.000-04:00

It's been a good and restful weekend. Lots going on. Friday night, Jason, Kelly, Meg, and I ventured to Clinton, SC for a wedding rehersal for our cousin, RT. As far as wedding rehersal dinners go, we were all good. Of course, Meg and I just decided to play around with the camera and make interesting photos. I think people were staring. You can view them all here. (Be sure to appreciate Meg's "speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil" series of photos).

That night was a big step for Gardner. He stayed away from home for the first night, enjoying an evening with his Grandparents. All went extremely well, thanks for asking.

Saturday, I picked up G and watched him for the morning while Meg went to yardsales. She, Suzanne, and Becky cleaned house. (on the yardsales, I mean, not on the house. That would be just silly to blog about). The rest of the day was loosely dedicated to chores (making the security tags, attempting to change spark plugs, replacing my pocket knife, etc.).

That night, we spent time with Brian and Becky, made "crack corn" (actually called kettle corn, but it's so addictive, you are simply compelled to eat at least 3 lbs. of it). We wasted 2 hours on the movie "Birth."

Sunday, church x3. Birthday party for a 2 year old. Church once more.

I'm now installing an old PC game I found this weekend at Ingle's for $6.99. It's called XIII. Mostly, it's interesting because it's animated in a "cell shaded" graphic style. I've heard the game is marginal, but the graphics are great. We'll see.

Production Team badge

2005-08-06T12:57:00.001-04:00

Production Team access badge
Originally uploaded by avclub.

I just completed the Production Team badges. I'm happy with the way they turned out. Now, I'm sure everyone will want to print out their own copy so they can gain full access to our 1980s-era rickety old Betacams, but you'd be striving to do it in vain. I'm only showing the low-res version on the web AND you won't be wearing the official Production Team T-shirt. Now if you want to join my team at New Spring, let's talk.

Motion Theory - Beck "Girl"

2005-08-04T22:29:00.000-04:00

Shane was telling me about this one, and it's worth watching for yourself. Motion Theory dreams up a phenominal video for Beck's"Girl". If you loved the old Mad magazine, you deserve to watch this.

I'm determined to find a way to use this idea in a video for our church.

UPDATE: This article explains the effect.

STACKOPOLIS : "The most addictive game since Tetris!"

2005-08-04T17:12:00.000-04:00

I must admit, this is fun for at least a full five minutes. Play STACKOPOLIS for a nice diversion. Hint: you can type in the level you made it to to return there later. I made it to "DWELLING"

Remember this when you get there

2005-08-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

The guys at 37 Signals posted an interesting article about the "Geominder." It's a location-based reminder system for your cell phone. Instead of "remember to call Bob" at 8:00am (time based) you get "remember to call Bob" as your arrive at your office (location based).

The service uses your position in relation to a cell tower (rather than GPS) to alert you to certain To-Do lists. It's an interesting concept, but somehow it makes me just a little nervous. Thoughts?

Me, I'll just stick with my beloved Hipster PDA. It's paper. It works. It doesn't crash. OK, so it won't survive being dunked in the water, but neither will my laptop.

where does Ken work

2005-08-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

Due to popular demand (and by popular, I mean one of my friends mentioned it one day in passing), I've posted a photoset of Ken's office. You can view it here. Please lustfully enjoy pictures of the new Mac, now running at about 90% (there's still a learning curve I'm overcoming), and the various asundry "getting things done" systems I've set up to make sure everything's done on time. And I've included a photo of my Hipster PDA upgrade. Yes, now it's Mac-compatible.

Parodies and pop culture

2005-08-03T11:47:00.000-04:00

A week or so ago, I posted an article from Church Marketing Sucks about churches who do not innovate and instead repeat cliches from modern / pop culture. At first, I read the article and whole-heartedly agreed with it. Over the past week, I've pondered it deeper; and I'm not sure I'm 100% on board with everything it said.

Gary Lamb has some good points in his response to the article (be sure to read my comments there). In the end, I feel that churches should keep "the main thing the main thing." The purpose of our church is to see people reach their full potential in Jesus Christ.

As much as I love creative design, my goal with my work is to see lives changed. Yes, sometimes that means I can innovate and create something never seen before, something that's incredible by the world's standards. Excellence is prized at my church (we're speaking on that soon, you should come). BUT, ultimately, if there's a hook that we can employ that will attract people, we're going to use it. If they come, they'll hear the gospel preached unashamedly. If they hear that, they just may accept Jesus Christ and their lives will change.

But, if we pull off a parody or pop culture reference poorly, then it may do just the opposite. Can you hear it? "Oh, is that just another one of THOSE churches doing something cheesy." We have a responsibility to give our 110% in everything we do. If it will be done, it must be done well.

One successful series we did in the Spring of 2005 is an example of a parody that went over really well. Visit www.ihatemymarriage.com to see it. The result: marriages changed, interest in church stirred (relationship series tend to do that), Godly advice on Christian living was preached and truth was revealed. Can THAT be bad?

I contend that it cannot.

Elevator Hacking...

2005-08-02T16:12:00.000-04:00

If I didn't live in Anderosn, SC, where the nearest elevator over two stories is 20 miles away, I would use this tip made available by the wonderful gents' over at Makezine.

OK, so there IS an 8 story elevator at the hospital, but somehow, it just seems wrong to try that out there. Perhaps the next time I'm in a city of any size....

Movie reviews from Brian

2005-08-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

Last night, the Price family joined us for a movie-and-ebay-and-fix-the-grill-and-kettle-corn (homemade by yours truly)-and-did-I-mention-the-really-bad-movie-fest. We attempted to enjoy Cellular. I saw a preview a few months ago and thought "huh, that may be passably entertaining on the lowest-common-denominator sort of way, maybe I should watch it when it airs on Cinemax or Starz or something."

We watched. It was horrible. It was horrible in that "look away from the auto accident but you can't" sort of way.

Brian has a full review here.

Little G (he's a bit camera-squinty)

2005-08-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

Little G (he's a bit camera-squinty)
Originally uploaded by avclub.

This is Gardner. Everyone, meet Gardner. He's developed this new "camera squinty" thing that makes Meg and I wonder... "hmm... how are we going to take his 1st year portrait?"

Sammy gets punk'd

2005-08-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

Today, our youth minister, Sammy Clary, got a taste of his own medicine. He was royally punk'd, and you can view the entire photoset here. I like a good prank as much as the next guy, but I only prefer them from a distance (please don't make me participate in your prank war, I may scream and start punching). Anyway, thought this would make you smile on a Monday.

more thoughts on Sunday's Life sermon

2005-08-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

My wife, Meg, is so well versed. She truly knows how to capture feeling and mood in the written word. There was an aspect of spiritual warfare during yesterday's service that I cannot capture correctly, so I'll let Meg say it for me.

Sunday's Life wrap-up

2005-07-31T22:55:00.000-04:00

Today, our pastor, Perry, returned to speak at New Spring. He's been out for the past month due to some sudden and serious medical complications.

We created a special message "series" (can you call it a series if it's just one?) called Life for his return. It was awesome. I'll post the rest of the visuals tomorrow, and you can listen to the sermon here.

The total attendance was 4,387. This was a New Spring record, (other than this past Easter, which was a special event with two Saturday night services, etc.). Awesome. Perry came onstage to a standing ovation for each of our four services.

We in production land had an especially great time. "Delay the service 15 minutes? What? The traffic is circling and there are so many people you can't move in the hallways? What?" That was us talking to people from downstairs. We pretty much decided to stay in the Production booth where the coffee was free flowing and we transcended the crowds. When the moments before church carry the same excitement as before a sporting event (what's THAT, exactly?), that's good stuff.

It feels like we've entered into a new era of New Spring, a pivotal point in our church's life. It's exciting to see God grow and shape the people in this ministry.

I know he's been shaping me, and I can see his work in the lives of those I serve with, too.

New "graphics" crush

2005-07-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

I was watching the Stash DVD today, and saw some great work by Stardust. They're my new motion graphics crush. Explore their site. I know, I know... I'm a Mac guy now and Stardust DID do the new Windows ads... still... good stuff. Hm... wonder what kind of computers they built those Windows ads on? Food for thought.

Mix your own track

2005-07-30T10:31:00.000-04:00

If you're a fan of industrial music and you're a computer music creator, why not try your hand at a remix yourself? Acid Planet, which offers great loops (and a free 8 pack each week) is sponsering a Nine Inch Nails remix contest. They give you the loops used on a popular NIN song, and you get to try your hand and recreating it.

I'm not a huge fan of Trent Reznor's lyrics, but he's quite the pioneer in quality industrial music. Maybe you'll see my remix up on the AV Club soon (or later, I'm pretty busy at the moment).

LIFE is over.

2005-07-28T17:22:00.000-04:00

Not MY life, per se, but the completion of New Spring's Sunday series, LIFE. Four animated pieces + 2 click tracks (from previous services) + slides and all the trimmings... in 1.5 weeks. Not too shabby. Like to see the opener? Here you go:

Life Opener (Quicktime, 2.1 Mb)

(note, the heartbeat is very deep, and you may have to turn your speakers up a bit)

First AV Club giveaway

2005-07-28T13:23:00.000-04:00

This phone belongs to the wonderful Ben Thomas. This poor item finds itself abandoned in many strange locations as Ben is prone to setting it free so it may see the world.

Here's the contest: the first person who can prove to me they are Ben Thomas gets this wonderful prize, complete with several preinstalled voicemails (that have been delivered over the past two days). Let the games begin.

Didn't I just see that....

2005-07-28T09:30:00.000-04:00

There's a great article on the Church Marketing Sucks site right now called The Christian Imitation. It's worthy of a read. I prize creativity, originality; and I think God does, too. I know audiences do. How many times have I rolled my eyes at FOX or NBC for creating "yet another reality show, just like the last one, but with a few minor variations."

God gave us a mind, let's use the creativity to the full potential he's inspired.

(Addendum):
This is not to say that I don't enjoy a cleverly executed spoof as much as the next guy. Sometimes they can be fun and serve a purpose. Just don't let your creativity stop at "hey, can I duplicate that ad campaign word-for-word."

Mac Update

2005-07-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

Here's the skinny on the new Mac.

(1) I haven't tweaked out the Kona capture card yet. It's fairly tricky to get your head around. Not a bad thing, it'll just take time.

(2) After Effects works wonderfully well. I just burned through the opener's render in a few minutes. It's really, really quick.

(3) The "Apple" key is confusing me. There's Alt, Shift, Control, AND Apple. The "Apple" acts like a PC's "Control," which is doubly confusing since there's already another Control. My head may explode.

(4) The dual 23" monitors are absolutely beautiful and easy on the eyes. I've been working on the opener all day long with just a lunch break and my eyes aren't watering or hurting in the least. With the previous PC's CRT monitor, I would start going cross-eyed after a few hours. This is much, much better.

(5) I haven't spent much time in Final Cut Pro yet. No opinion at this point.

(6) I'm getting close to putting that Apple sticker on my car. Not there yet, but closer.

And for the last time, it's a TOOL, not a TOY.

Flip book, digital style

2005-07-27T14:23:00.000-04:00

Please enjoy this.

Results from Monday's post

2005-07-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who wrote in on Monday's post about the AV Club. I appreciate the suggestions (from giveaways, to album reviews, to "just keep it like it is"). Whether you commented, or e-mailed, I appreciate your feedback. We'll do this from time to time, OK? Keeps us locked in.

For today, nothing profound. However, if your office is getting dull, maybe you should build an office gun and start a revolution.

Music news: Benz released it's 8th Mixed Tape yesterday. Download away. I wasn't as impressed with version 7 that came out a few weeks ago. Hopefully version 8 will be much better.

As for AV Club news, I'm currently working on a special one-week message (as opposed to a full series) for Perry's return to preaching. The message is called "Life." For those unaware, our pastor was hospitilized about a month ago following complications from an elective surgery. He nearly died. The resulting impact on his life has been incredible, and I believe it will be one of those monumental moments in our church's history. If you live anywhere near Anderson, SC, you need to be here this Sunday. If not, you can download the mp3 from our site.

I'll post the opener as soon as it's done rendering (and I'm done building it). I think you'll like. I like.

Post from Dashboard

2005-07-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

I'm trying out a new Mac dashboard widget that allows me to post to the AV Club directly from the dashboard. We'll see how this works.

By the way, while I'm here, I'll tell you some interesting stats about by blog. I'm averaging 70 unique visitors each day. Who ARE you people?

Of you guys, 35% are browsing with Internet Explorer. About 5% are using Safari (hello, Mac friends), and the remaining 60% are using some form of Firefox. Good for you.

11% of you are using an 800x600 monitor, and the rest of you are using a much larger size.

My thought is this... who are you and why do you visit the AV Club? What about the AV Club keeps you coming back, and what do you want to see more of? Comment and let me know.

Speaking of that, I'd like to stir more discussion in the comment section (doesn't every blogger?). What can I offer you to get you to share, discuss, and generally make this place a fun place?

If you'd rather, email me.

belated, Home Group Christmas in July party

2005-07-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

Home Groups should not be boring. Keep it fun. Last Tuesday, we celebrated Christmas in July, complete with Christmas food, music, "White Elephant" gift party (I got a video tape called "So, you're thinking of having a prostate exam"), and the communal Santa hat.

Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6

2005-07-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

I know I just said it last week, but Firefox has updated again (two updates in a week, top that Internet Explorer). Download Firefox 1.0.6 NOW!

Read the release notes, too.

How to make a good coffee?

2005-07-21T18:11:00.000-04:00

If you're a coffee lover, read this.

Shane's birthday

2005-07-21T14:19:00.000-04:00

Shane's birthday
Originally uploaded by avclub.

Today is Shane's birthday. If you don't know Shane, you should. He's the best boss I've ever had. A Godly man with a great attitude who's goal is to enable our team to reach its full potential. Amazing.

Anyway, we in the Production Group (that's what I'm calling us) of New Spring have started a tradition of making very, very big deals out of birthdays. Why not? Birthdays are awesome, and a great opportunity to share with someone you love them.

We love Shane so much that Lee, Gizz, and I set up a three piece band in Shane's office early this morning, before he arrived to work. As he walked into his pink and green streamer frenzied room (with balloons abounding), we launched into a full rendition of "Happy Birthday," Beatle's style.

Then we had cake.

It's been a good day.

You can view the entire photoset here.

Google Maps evolves

2005-07-20T09:20:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check Google Maps before your next trip to the moon.

I like motion graphics

2005-07-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

Motion Graphics: animated, artistic expression. Embodies creatively telling a story, or conveying a mood or idea, in a visual manner; typically done in a brief time.

Here are some recently updated motion graphics artists I admire:
gmunk
Giant Killer Robots
One Size
MK12

Enjoy.

Something special for you

2005-07-16T19:41:00.000-04:00

It's been a good day. Knocked off several chores from my Hipster PDA list. Spent some quality time with Little G (that's my son, Gardner, for those not in-the-know). Watch a few episodes of The Family Guy from the DVD that my friends Mike-the-ninja-Farkas and Judith left over. And I completed Computer Repair Fest 2005 for Brian and Becky. Quite a day.

But what's in it for you?

First, there's the design site for Also Design. It's great. Nice transitions. I have to find a place to use this idea... too good not to steal, er, borrow.

Second, I was trudging through my PC and found quite a few (like, 40) songs I sequenced about 3-4 years ago. You could call these classics. They're not 100% wonderful, but you may enjoy them.

Targeted_01 (mp3, 0.9 Mb)
Targeted_02 (mp3, 0.5 Mb)
The Dark One (mp3, 2.6 Mb), (I may be responsible for the bad guitar playing on this one, but you can't prove it)

UPDATE: I'm adding this to this post, too. It's a break dancing transformer, which is all know is extremely awesome.

PSA - Firefox 1.0.5

2005-07-14T23:32:00.000-04:00

Go get the newest Firefox, 1.0.5 released today.

I wanna be like Mike

2005-07-14T19:54:00.000-04:00

My friend Mike Farkas is a ninja. (he's the second one from the left, wearing the red belt). I wanna be like Mike.

Completion

2005-07-14T10:03:00.000-04:00

I have been working feverishly on finishing up the opener for Foundations (link below). The finalized sound design may not come through on the compressed version, so you'll just have to hear the rumbling volume on Sunday morning. I've also uploaded the opener-type-piece from last weekend, too, in case you wanted to see it again. Nothing fancy, but I feel like it was effective. Enjoy!

Foundations Opener (v 1.2) (Quicktime, 2.4 Mb)
Foundations (ambient) Opener (Quicktime, 3.6 Mb)

AV Club

Mobile test

Random Muses of Megret....Meg Wilson, blabber-mouth about wonderfully random imponderables.

lest ye forget

AVClub.us up and running

avclub.us update

www.avclub.us problems... resolved soon

The new AV Club is nearly operational...

145, that's the number

That wasn't so hard...

(can you hear the rustling of the wind?)

Finally, a way to search people's mindless ramblings

iPod Nano story

great site

because i love ya

my response

I hate stupid people

where does this stuff come from?

Final Cut report (and more creativity thoughts)

Busy evening

A few things you all should know

hmm... words are funny

And for those who just MUST see it again...

(more) thoughts on creativity

Happy post Labor Day

workin' in lo-fi

New desktop

Lee's reaction

It's alive

Because it's cool, that's why

Hurricane Relief Effort

Motion Graphics - recommended

Creativity Thoughts #2 (Creative Reservoir)

Freelance post

Creativity Thoughts

GroupLink video roundup

Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999.

Friday roundup.

WARNING!! Watch only if you have a strong stomach

He IS real...

Let's stretch the brain a bit

Ever had a bad day?

Road to Romania

Desktop 12 from the AV Club

New blog - 2506 EDGEWOOD AVE

Good for a Monday

It's been a good weekend

Heat Index of 110° + 3:45pm + 30 min. run = bad for the iPod

Strummin' my 6 string

New Spring "special visitor" video - UPDATED

uh-uh

purevolume | AV Club Inc.

I love my job

Psyop... good motion graphics

The moment of truth... (UPDATED)

The video's coming, promise

To my 87 daily friends

Quality vs. Quantity

Ken Wilson, artist, coder, action hero

Date night / model shoot

Completion

Firefox 1.5 Beta coming next month

Final Cut update

Editing, Editing...

Lost

Sketches from the Life opener / visual identity

Star Wars - Chinese translation (and Money Origami)

WARNING: *** The following post contains Potty humor. Read at your own risk. ***

AV Club desktop #11

Good weekend, no, great weekend

Production Team badge

Motion Theory - Beck "Girl"

STACKOPOLIS : "The most addictive game since Tetris!"

Remember this when you get there

where does Ken work

Parodies and pop culture

Elevator Hacking...

Movie reviews from Brian

Little G (he's a bit camera-squinty)

Sammy gets punk'd

WARNING: * The following post contains Potty humor. Read at your own risk. *