= Design + Software + The Rest
Jeremy and I have always wanted TRUE to be a company that benefits our community in ways beyond our services. This goal is much easier imagined than accomplished because it is very difficult to add new endeavors to already busy schedules. However, we have been finding ways that we can give back to our community by matching our existing interests and commitments with needs in our community.
Recently we became aware of a triathlon the proceeds of which support Special Olympics, AZ. This seemed like a great opportunity because we like triathlons and we think that Special Olympics make our community a better place. So, TRUE is sponsoring several participants in the Special Olympics Unified Triathlon (including Jeremy and me). The event groups athletes from the Phoenix area with Special Olympics AZ athletes in unified relay teams. Each team has 4 members. One member gets to participate alongside a Special Olympics AZ athlete in a leg (swim, bike, or run) of the unified triathlon. I get to ride with Alex during the bike leg.
This is our first year, so we don’t know what to expect. But, we’ve heard from those that participated last year that it is a blast. We think it is a great idea and are glad to be a part of it.
If you are interested in supporting Special Olympics, you can donate at: Special Olympics Unified Triathlon.
We are working with our friends at Affinity Kitchens, the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Arizona North Chapter and other local businesses to sponsor a special advance screening of ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ as a private benefit for Childhelp, a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect.
This event has something for everyone:
Click here to see the event invitation for details (we designed it).
Visit the ASID Arizona North Chapter web site or call (602) 569-9169 to reserve your seats.
I welcomed a friend to Facebook with a status comment: “Welcome to the world of one-line reality.” As soon as I posted the comment I began to think about Twitter and Facebook status updates. Facebook’s new home page design betrays the fact on which Twitter has built its business: a simple feed of very short blurbs is nearly as addictive as crack. We love pictures and join groups on Facebook, but the real attraction for most, the honey that brings us back again and again, is the endless wonderful supply of tiny glimpses into the lives of others.
Without a doubt, this has been significant in my own ability to keep up with the people who form my world. It gives me a much better sense of what is happening on a daily (sometimes moment-by-moment) basis in their lives. People widely distanced from me geographically are now a part of my daily routine. And, they’re a part of it on my terms, at my convenience. I can jump into a thread of thought and disappear just as abruptly without causing any offense (not by the coming and going, at least).
However, everyone knows that these updates are no more than headlines. The full story can rarely be accurately captured in that one line, and certainly, it can’t be represented comprehensively. I have often found myself truncating matters to make sure they fit into the short space of a Twitter post. Just last night I posted: “had to call Tempe FD because pigeons caused an electical fire in our office development.” There was smoke and blackened stucco, but no visible flames. The “fire” was in an outside light in an archway and was not likely to cause serious damage. But, Tempe Fire wanted to come take a look and make sure everything was cleaned up and fixed. So, the post (not by intention) made the matter sound more dramatic than it was.
So, while I love the status feed, I begin to wonder how it is impacting my perception of reality. Is it furthering the simplistic sound-byte view of the world already established by modern media and communication? Is it expanding my view of reality by giving me glimpses into the lives of people I would previously never have seen? Is it both things at the same time? If so, what is the net effect?
Let me know what you think. How are Twitter and Facebook status feeds impacting your world?
Carrie and I are movie buffs. Even during our first few years of marriage (when we were making very little money) we averaged 5 visits to the movies a month. That’s why we watch the Academy Awards every year. I don’t watch in a “ohmygoshicantwaittoseewhatangelinaiswearing” sort of way, but more like, “I read the first two lousy books in this series so I HAVE to read the last lousy book to see what happens.”
This year’s format was wildly different from the boring, self-congratulatory, embarrassment designed only to stroke the egos of Hollywood’s elite. There was still plenty of that, but on the whole we found this year’s show very, very entertaining. This year’s first-time producers did a fantastic job.
Some highlights:
The Stage Design and Layout. The low stage and close seating gave the show a very personal feel. I also liked that the band was shown on-stage and off to the side of the stage instead of buried in a pit. The stage was designed by architect David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group.
Large, Moveable LED Screens. During the show these screens were sometimes combined to display a single, large, widescreen image and at other times divided and moved left and right, up and down to supplement and enhance the physical set pieces. I really liked the way that the screens were divided into five, dropped to the floor, illuminated with images of past winners for a given category and then raised like curtains to reveal those past winners in the flesh.
Thematic Award Presentations. Instead of the usual endless role call of paired actors making lame jokes, the producers ordered the presentations around a sequential narrative that outlined the movie making process. The show started with writing (screenplays, adaptation) and pre-production awards (production design, costumes, make-up) and moved all the way through post-production (visual effects, editing, sound design). Awards were handed out in logical groups against fantastic physical sets enhanced by digital displays.
2008 Movie Yearbooks. Throughout the show we were shown nicely edited overviews of films from 2008 within a given genre (including non-award nominees) set against contemporary music. The best by far was the sketch featuring James Franco and Seth Rogen (playing their characters from “Pineapple Express”) with a cameo by “Saving Private Ryan” cinematographer (and two-time Oscar-winner) Janusz Kaminski.
Ben Stiller as Joaquin Phoenix from his bizarre David Letterman appearance.
Slumdog Millionaire cleaning house. I accidently saw this movie with a dude way before it was an international phenomenon and Oscar-favorite because I was lead to believe that it was a gritty independent film. If I’d know that it was a romantic comedy packaged as a gritty independent film I would have gone with Carrie.
Will Smith’s fumbled line and subsequent reference to “Boom Goes the Dynamite.”
I watch a lot of crime drama. And whether it’s CSI or Law and Order, DNA seems to be the magic bullet. Whatever you do, don’t let them get your used coffee cup or cigarette butt. As useful as DNA technology is in the solving of crime, if you are planning any future criminal activities, you may want to review your Facebook presence as this guy should have done. He was identified and arrested when a surveillance camera image of him attempting to commit burglary was posted to a New Zealand Facebook profile and identified by members of the popular site. And you thought they were friends! It looks like Facebook may have uses beyond Super-Poke.