Haven't had much chance to post for the last few weeks, and that'll likely extend for two more weeks.
I was deep into an ad project that's on a short timeline; the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was tap some keys. It's a really intriguing project, though, for a high profile local non-profit--one of those projects you love working on.
Anyway, I finished a "finals week"-like push with it and then headed out of town with Trudy to Steamboat Springs for a week skiing. The snow's not great--record highs here in Colorado--but the time off is great and the skiing is still better than what we have this time of the year in Western New York.
Trudy and I leave on Sunday, and then next weekend we're off to Jamaica to attend our friends' wedding. Talk about weather/culture backlash, huh?
President Bush's first round of TV spots have drawn some flack for using footage from September 11.
Maybe he should have done what moveon.org did with the Bush in 30 seconds contest--have throngs of supporters make grassroots commercials, and then pick the best of them to run.
Oh, wait. ;)
For my own reference, and anyone else's, here's a scan of DDB's "Do This Or Die", an advertising manifesto.
I contributed to a recent story on blogging in the Rochester Review, an article in the University of Rochester's magazine for students, faculty, and alumni. My semi-juicy quotes on blogging and pedagogy:
“I think in order to become better writers, students have to write every day, if possible,” says Barr. “After all, if you’re going to learn to ride a unicycle, you have to climb up on it every day, fall off, get scabs on the knees. That’s how you learn.
“In the past, teachers have utilized journal writing to encourage students to write frequently. I think blogging is a better alternative. It empowers students to write for an audience larger than themselves or a professor. Suddenly, they are writing for a wide readership—peers, friends, strangers. It’s not only a place where they can express opinions, thoughts, and feelings, but make those expressions public, which is a powerful way to elevate writing.”
Barr says he saw the proof that his experiment paid off in the change he noticed in students and their attitudes toward class assignments.
“I found that students who blog were much more likely to question the works that we were reading,” he says. “They no longer assumed that the published writer must be the expert. They began to see themselves as writers who can engage in a dialogue and question what they are reading. After all, that is the essence of a University’s goal, to empower students in whatever topic they’re pursuing.”
The article also featured the blog of one of my former students, Ari Freshman. She started blogging in my Being Digital / Digital Writing class. She's since moved on to new digs, but still writes regularly.
pixel simplex - nominated at least +:
+ is something larger than &
and as addition as opposed to
joint.
\\\\\\\\\\\\________=:->> #/ a bank of
ideas, selling / yourself laid against you / r pills / spilling, the sounds / of trailing
off. and&+ again,
the sun dropping against the horizon
Watched the Oscars last night. Now, LOR was a good movie, and I understand the importance of the three movies as a moviemoaking event.
But it was a damn crime that it won best song instead of The Triplets of Belleville's theme. I don't even remember that song in the movie. When was it, during the credits?
Edwards was in Rochester last night, and the Democrat & Chronicle story is atop Google News this morning.
I really think Edwards has a much better shot than Kerry at taking back the White House--especially with midwestern and southern swing voters.
Remember, there hasn't been a New England liberal in the White House since JFK. When democrats win, it's with a bit of Southern charm.
A while ago, I posted on the poetics of random strings of keywords in spam. Now Jason sees it in blogspam.
At this level, spam is increasing its effectiveness in the electronic medium by developing word clusters that have no relation to its marketing message. All the "advertising," if that's what you call it, is contained within a link.
So what's left in the spam? Word clusters designed both to bypass filters and intrigue someone enough to hit the link (or write about it, hehe). Word clusters for word cluster's sake.
They may be products of cyborg monkeys with typewriters, but they operate with intention. And that's starting to sound like art to me.
A 60s art movement was defined by a Campbell's soup can. Maybe the next movement will be defined, perhaps against our will, by a can of Hormel spiced, diced meat.
